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Athene and Hephaestus
We all know there are many conflicts in the teachings
of the myths and the interpretations thereof. So, before we go any further, we suggest to all reading to bear a
few trusty axioms in mind. They are another way in which we can look at the world and in many cases shed some light
on approaching mythology. Axioms make things a lot easier, especially in the realms of "non-ordinary"
states of reality. Axioms can be used as examples and are not always as strict as we think of in terms of "laws".
Please also consider that they do not always apply in all circumstances but are useful to be used or discarded
as needed. They make good examples in which to draw upon when we practice magick but also to apply in our every
day lives. There are more axioms than the ones we have listed for further information on them and inquiring about
religions, symbols and systems we highly recommend - The Magicians Companion By Bill Whitcomb. This is one of the
best books we have come across so far for it gives a good overview on an extensive amount of just about anything
you could be curious about or imagine. He has excellent listings of recommended reading on every topic as well
to further you in your own studies.
Law of World Views -
The world we see is really the mixture of the noumenal
world (the objective reality that is unknowable), and ourselves (the subjective).
The perceived world does change with a
world view, however the eternal, real world is not affected. A change in a world view makes changes in the world
which is real to us.
There are numerous ways in which we can perceive the world as well as an infinite number of worlds we may assemble
with our awareness.
The true underlying reality remains unknowable to us as long as we maintain the world view of separateness and self. One can become one with the universe but you can not step back and observe it because you are in it. A person participates in creation by perceiving it.
Law of Reflection -
The microcosm is the macrocosm. A part contains the whole. As above is the same as below. Many
of you may already be aware of the axiom as it is one of the most widely accepted laws of magick.
This is one translation of what is written on the fabled "Emerald Tablet" of Hermes Trismegistus :
"Truly, without lies, certainly, and most definitely, that which is Below is like that which is Above, and that which is Above is like that which is Below, for the accomplishment of a miracle of one thing. And just as all things have been derived from this one thing, by Analogy.
Its Father is the Sun; its mother is the
Moon. The wind has carried it in its belly. Its nourishment is the Earth. It is the Father of every completed thing
in the whole world. Its strength is intact if turned towards the Earth. Separate the Earth from Fire from the Gross,
gently and very carefully.
The Law Of Paradox -
No world view may encompass the entire world. Two
models may conflict or contradict with another and still be true in their proper context. Two people may experience
the same event and perceive it differently. Rationality is limited by intellect, the universe is not. It is not
confined or bound by the contents of our world views. The key to making sense of it all revolves around switching
models as it becomes appropriate.
The Law of Pragmatism -
If it works, it is true. A world view is only valid
if it allows its perceivers to accomplish their goals. A world view would be considered more successful by how
accurate it is in fulfilling these goals. Considering this, few people could be seen completely insane, or sane
for that matter.
Law Of Relative Truth-
Every statement is true in one sense, false
in one sense, and meaningless
in one sense. This is the purpose of a person's world view.
Law of Words (symbols) of Power -
Symbols / words have the ability to alter
inner and outer realities of those perceiving / using them. They need not be fully understood to be effective.
( Just because one does not believe in something does not mean
it does not believe in you. )
Over the duration of thousands of years words and symbols have accumulated power from use and belief. Examples of this could be runes, tarot cards, prayers, hymns, spells, and ritual dances.
A concept, object, force or phenomena of any kind may be considered to be alive, to have a personality, to be an entity.
Corollary of Personification
(Law of Invocation and Evocation)
Concepts, objects, and forces of any kind which manifest as entities can and should be treated as real beings. These beings (patterns) can be seen as objectified aspects of ourselves, but it is of no use (and can be dangerous) to take this kind of attitude while actually dealing with them. Be warned don't be fooled that just because something is only the personification of a pattern of energies. We can also be described this way, as well.
Any pattern that is complex enough will act intelligently
when treated as an entity. A pattern that is more complex than us could be assumed to be more intelligent than
ourselves. Bare in mind that the human brain is still far more complex than the most advanced computer yet built
(and not to mention it is y2k compliant <tee-hee-hee>)
Everything (through all space and time) is linked, either directly or indirectly, to everything else..
( kind of like the world wide web, no?)
If two items , (Y) and (Z), have something similar in common, that thing can be used to influence both. In addition (Y) and (Z) have a mutual influence upon another. The more they have in common, the more they exert upon each other. This law is divided into two sublaws :
Law of Similarity
The cause and the effect resemble (have resonance) with one another. A ritual to cause rain may involve pouring water upon the ground. A ritual to fly may involve wearing feathers and making bird calls ect..and so on..
This is "sympathetic magic."
Law of Contagion
Objects that have had contact will continue to interact after separation. any item that has had contact with a person, substance, or object may be used as a "witness" for that substance, person, or object. An example of this can be the traditional use of hair, nail clippings or other personal items used in spell work.
Power is contagious. This is "homeopathic magic."
The more evidence one searches for to support a given conclusion, law or world view the more one will find.
World views have inertia.
We create our world each moment ( see the Law of World Views) or further down The Philosophy of Manifestation ), we are constantly maintaining our world view. This happens by means of a recursive internal dialogue of words and symbols with which we constantly edit our perceptions.
We rearrange our world view by rearranging our attention. Lewis Caroll has said " What I tell you three times is true."
Myth, Legend, Saga, and Folktales
A myth is a term used for stories mainly concerned with the gods and man's relations with them. Saga, or legend (these words can be used interchangeably), has a perceptible relationship to history. Yet however fanciful the saga may be it is rooted in historical fact. Folktales, are often stories of adventure, sometimes peopled with fantastic beings, and courageous ingenious heroes and heroines. Folktales are generally told for entertainment sake. It must be said though that it is rare to find pure, non-fictional Folktales.
Freud & Jung -
As I am sure some may have come across
in their own research, there are many possible approaches to explaining myths. One such way stems from Freud's
interpretation of dreams. To him they are the fulfillment of wishes that have been repressed, suppressed or hidden.
He believed that the mind went through exercises termed "dream work", which entailed three primary mental
activities: "condensation" of elements; "displacement" of elements; and representation"
the transmission of elements into imagery or symbols. This discovery led some to the conclusion that there are
similarities
between dreams and myths. Symbols are very varied and frequently sexual i.e.: objects like sticks and swords are
phallic.
So according to Freudian terms, dreams reflect waking mans efforts to systemize the incoherent visions and impulses
of his sleep world. ( anybody else ever wonder why
everything was sexual to this dude?)
The patterns in the imaginations of children,
savages, and neurotics all are similar and reveal the motifs and symbols of myth.
Jung
took this and expanded this theory into what he called the
"collective unconscious" of the race. Jung makes a distinction between the personal and collective unconscious;
the personal concerns the individual, the collective contains political and social questions involving the group.
Dreams could be either personal or collective. Thus myths contain images of "archetypes" traditional
expressions of collective dreams developed over eons, symbols society has come to depend. An archetype is a whole
story or situation, including all parts beginning to end ; a type of of abbreviation of the patterns involved.
They are models who teach us how to behave. This could also mean that all fertility gods, love goddesses, are one
and the same ect and so on.
Interestingly enough material that was not published until after Jung's death states that he believed in the literal existence of spirits, and the occult. While some people may believe in the Jungian "archetypes" are all in their heads, he most empathetically did not!
Carl Jung: " I have discussed the proof for a long time with a friend of William James, Professor Hyslop, in New York. He admitted that all things considered, all metapsychic phenomena could be explained better by the hypothesis of spirits than the qualities and peculiarities of the unconscious. And here, on the basis of my own experience, I am bound to concede he is right. In each individual case, I must of necessity be skeptical, but in the long run I have to admit that the spirit hypothesis yields better results in practice than any other. "
Feelings on Archetypes
By: jennifer H. Wright
Sooner or later we all form opinions or beliefs that may or may not remain. We all take what works for us and discard which does not agree.
In some of what I have read in some neopagan books in general one finds terms like "archetype" and Lady and Lord. I do not like generalizing. I do not care much for "archetyping" things.. Gods are individuals.. label jars not people. Another peeve of mine is when elementals and magickal creatures are seen as a what and not a who. They too are just as real as any of us You may notice in my writing I often say gods and not always goddesses as well but they are to be included it just is less cumbersome on my part to say and to type it all out.
For me personally I feel that there are indeed many similarities to be found among different cultures and their
myths, perhaps recurring universal truths.
The gods are not confound to our reality or our rules, there is much to their existence that remains a mystery
to us.
Ritual & Myth
The ritualistic interpretation of myth has been very influential and persistent which underlies Robert Grave's definition of "true myth", for him it is "the reduction to narrative shorthand of ritual mime performed in public festivals, and in many cases recorded pictorially on temple walls, vases, seals, bowls, mirrors, chests, shields, tapestries and the like"
Rationalism verses Metaphor, Allegory, and Symbolism
Euhemerus was
a mythologist of 300 B.C. at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedonia where his career flourished. There is
not much known about him, but he did write a book called "The
Sacred History".
It is based upon inspirational material found on the island of Panchaea
while traveling around the coast of Arabia Felix. The inscriptions have been regarded as more imaginary than real
and it is not regarded as a serious document by historians. However , The Sacred History outlines the theory for which
Euhemerus'
name is famous. Euhemeros seems
to have been influenced in some of his theory from eastern sources which he had heard on his travels, but some
may have come from Greek sources, or his own imagination.
Euhemerus
had claimed that the gods were in fact actually men deified for their great deeds. Zeus for instance was once a mortal king in
Crete who deposed his father Cronus.
His views were well known in the ancient world and his "new" approach to interpreting may imply that
even then in the Classical period people were baffled and bemused by the mystery of the myths and discovering the
truth about them.
Euhemerus theory
implies that the divine and semi-divine personages of myth were just people, extraordinary people, but only human
and not at all having divine origins.
Euhemerus
was considered an evil man, and an atheist. His name is associated with atheism in pagan antiquity.
The Christians however exploited his theories as best they could to their own advantage. They reduced the stature
of the ancient gods by stating that they were made up by people. This logic was used in order to get rid of the
weight of millennia of pagan thought and ideals with one swift stroke. Causing the stability of paganism to crumble
and be discredited.
Christian apologists rehandled Euhemeros' name in the interests of proving what they call "the true faith."!?
Sextus Empiricus gives a clear and unequivocal statement of his basic views, and his remarks can serve as
a general introduction to Euhemeristic thought:
" In the days when life was unsettled, those
who were superior to the others in strength and intelligence, so as to get greater control over the rest (figuring
that they might seem more remarkable and serious), fabricated the story that there was some surpassing and, as
it were, divine power about their persons, and it is from this that they were venerated by the people as gods."
.
Or as Xenophanes
had said centuries earlier that " if oxen and lions had hands which enabled them to draw, they would portray their
gods as having bodies
like their own, horses would portray them as horses, and oxen as oxen".
Moreover he noted "Ethiopians have gods with flat noses and black hair, Thracians have gods with blue (glaukos!)
eyes and red hair."
On an opposing spectrum is the metaphorical interpretation of stories. Antirationalists, believe that traditional tales hide profound meanings. At it's best the metaphorical approach sees myth as allegory, (allegory is to be defined as a sustained metaphor) where the details of the story are but only symbols of universal truths.
Muller's Allegorical Nature Myths
Max Muller's essay on "Comparative Mythology" was published in 1856, among them are nature myths, all referring to meteorological and cosmological phenomena. This is, an extreme allegorical approach, and it is difficult to see why or how all myths can be defined and explained as allegories of i.e. day replacing night, winter overcoming summer ect and so on. But it is true that some myths are nature myths as are some deities such as Zeus who represents and controls the sky and other parts of the natural order. But still some myths have absolutely nothing to with nature or it's relationships.
Myth & Etiology
This is another universalistic theory which states that
the traditional tales should be interpreted as explanations of the origin of some fact or custom. That is why this
theory is called "etiological" from the Greek word for cause (aition).
It sees the creators of the myths as primitive scientist using myths to explain facts that cannot otherwise be
known because of the limits of the knowledge that was available at that time. This could indeed explain some myths,
but again certainly not encompass them all.
But if you were to replace the word etiological with a more general term like "explanatory" one may find this the most applicable of most of these theories.
Consider this : Myths are usually trying to explain something
whether a physical matter, emotional, and spiritual not only in a literal and realistic sense but figuratively
and metaphorically as well. Myths try to explain the origins of our physical world: the planets, stars, heaven,
where people and life came from, the body and the soul, good and evil and the nature of sin, they tell us the meanings
of love and what it means to hate ect and so on....
It is hard not to tell a story that does not reveal and also explain
something; and the imaginative answer is in some sense or other scientific or theological. The problem some have
with this theory of universal theological approach is that it does nothing to identify a myth specifically and
distinguish it clearly from any other form of expression, either artistic, religious or scientific.
Our Perspective
We all know the traditional myths, folk tales, legends
and sagas have been passed down to us from many ages ago. They occupy our imaginations and provoke stimulating
thoughts and ideas. In fact it might be said that the people who have dedicated to retelling or are in any way
inspired by them are "tools of the gods". . The myths, histories and mysteries make a world very real
to us that we shall never see as it has been or was told.
In the present day things have changed. The stories
as they are known to us are ancient. The gods and goddesses of all cultures and pantheons have changed and have
grown since. In essence and all essential purposes they are the same gods but we grow spiritually as do they.
We hope that no one takes this as being personally offensive because it is by no means meant to be. We sense that the Greek pantheon does not have the same amount of power or influence as in the days long since passed. There is great need among the people to re-establish themselves. Which we believe they are doing quite well actually. The numbers of people being more drawn to the Hellenistic traditions and deities has increased significantly in this very year alone and on a world wide level. There is a change in the order of things and a quickening in the passage of time and observance. Everything old is new again a rebirth or resurrection if you will. A more precise way of putting though would be to compare it to a cycle.
There is much forthcoming in the area of world events
of which we decline to be specific about. But we suggest to those who have the ability to commune with the gods
on a personal level to inquire to them what it is we are riddling over. Here is a hint / clue from Ovid's account
of the Deucilion Flood...
Ovid writes :
And now he was about to hurl his bolts against the whole
world, but he was afraid that the holy aether and the long
axis of the heavens would catch fire from so many flames.
He also remembered that in the decrees of Fate, a time was
destined to come when the sea, the earth, and the realm of
the sky would be overwhelmed by flames and the complex mass
of the universe labor in sore distress.
In the fifteenth century before our era, there was a great flood caused by Zeus
and his anger at man. Zeus had disguised himself as
a poor traveler. He was angered by the impious sons of Lycaon, the son of Pelasgus. At the dining table they had offered him soup containing the guts
of their brother Nyctimus mixed with the umbles of sheep and goats. Zeus was not fooled by the trickery. Zeus thrusted aside the table
and transformed all the brothers but Nyctimus into wolves. He returned Nyctimus to life. When Zeus returned to
Mt.Olympus he is disgusted with the whole race of man. With the exception of Deucilion (The Greek Noah) and
his wife Pyrrha whom had been warned by Prometheus, the whole world was flooded, save for a few mountain peaks. The
ark floated for nine days, when the waters subsided they came to rest on Mount Parnassus.They left the ark and
offered a sacrifice to Father Zeus, and went to pray at the shrine of Themis, beside the river Cephissus. They
begged humbly that mankind should be renewed. Zeus heard their pleas and had sent forth Hermes to assure them that whatever
they requested would be granted. Next Themis had appeared in person and said, " Shroud your heads, and throw
the bones of your mother behind you!". They interpreted this to mean that the Titaness meant the Mother Earth,
whose bones are the rocks. They pick up and throw the stones that were resting on the river bank over their shoulders.
How the rocks were thrown determined the sex.
From Deucalion's son Hellen had come all the Greek tribes, and their united name, Hellenes. Hellen was grandfather
of Achaeus and
Ion,
who begot the Achaean and Ionian tribes, which eventually after all their wandering, peopled respectively the
Pelopnnesus and Attica. One of Ion's descendants, Cecrops, with the help of Athena, founded ( on a site whose acropolos
had already been settled by Palasgians) the city that was named after her, Athens.. He is said that gave civilization
to Attica, instituted marriage, abolished bloody sacrifices, and tought his subjects to worship the Olympian gods,
Zeus and
Athena
above the rest.
Olympus Speaks
By: Jennifer H. Wright
Because the traditions of the ancient ones have been carried on there is great hope among all that we will bring about a new world order into the dawning of the next century. Zeus whom had been plagued not all that long ago with horrid blackish crustacean like astral beings has been regaining his powers with significant force.
He is no longer the feeble or the weakened and dare ye to mock him and ye shall feel the brunt and forefront of his wrath. Oh yes we can hear his laughter for that is the weapon that works best on thine's enemies. The people of this mortal world are what hold them here, should we all spontaneously just stop believing and thinking about them they would still exist. But it would be elsewhere on worlds we have yet to discover or would understand . These forces that we call gods and pray upon are far more than just characters in a book or movie. They are as individual as you and I, and can be hurt in very like ways. They do not have all the answers and they make mistakes. Much of our humanity as we know it comes a great deal from their essential beings. Sure we can explore every possible myth and draw just about any conclusion trying to rationalize or explain them to find the true meaning. When it is right there in front of us laughing.
The Dream about the Madman
By: Jennifer H. Wright
This is a dream I had about a "dream character" I label as the Madman I do not know his name nor did
I bother to ask...)
Any ways, in my dream I recall seeing a man out side hovering around the homes outside. He was balding and wearing
a trench. He had a rather small frame. He seemed as though he was walking slither like the way his knees bent and
he moved sideways/around.
He was on the doorstep of my neighbor whom turned the stranger away. He comes to my doorway. He is warning me of
something horrible that is coming. I nod at him trying not to let on that he is frightening me. In his trench he
has two items. Salt and water. I hurry towards the door fidgeting to open it as I dismiss him trying to send him
on his way..I close the door and lock it quickly.
The next morning I was compelled to draw a picture of the man I saw in my dreams.. One of his outrageous features
was the way his eyes bulged out of his head ( kind of like that bad
toon in Who Framed Roger Rabbit ) One of the sketches
I did I put an arrow through his back.. I do not know why.. I ripped up the parchment .. It took me a couple of
days to remove the "mark/feel" that the dream had impressed upon me.
Cross Roads
Now this dream happened on 2/23/99 about a week or a few days after the dream about the creepy guy with the trench...
I could not find the entry in my book
of shadows so it was from my memory I told you about it.
Okay, In am walking down this country road. It is warm and there is much
foliage. It is like summer. With me I have my magick root ( A very
personal item I have acquired in real life I will have to post about it sometime ) I am also
carrying a wooden like skull with a straw like stick protruding from its
forehead between its eyes. When I approach the end of the road it splits of
like the top of a letter T. There is a fence across the road and beyond that a
ocean lagoon. There are people swimming in it. I enter the water and swim
towards a shack. There are "honeymoon" candles outside and in the structure. I
had found one wrapped in felt under the bed in a room I was in. It was colored
silver. ( I have never heard of such candles until the dream but I
recognized
them )
Next I am sitting on the bed burning or smoking from the skull head (
I am not
certain which I was doing for certain perhaps both? : shrugs : ) Someone
enters the room and asks me what I am doing in an accusing tone. I tell them that I was staining the wood by marking
it with the flame. I was trying to cover up what I was doing I think.
Next in the dream sequence immediately following that I was in a Catholic
altar room of sorts. There were statues and candles and stain-glass windows
and book shelves filled with text. There is heavy set elderly priest looking
person sitting behind a desk within the room. Upon the desk there is a rather
large book. The man was trying to get me to repent. I recall he was
reading scripture to me from Exudus. He was trying to convert me with his
forceful presence. I was getting upset, so he lays his hands upon my upper
back and neck and begins to rub me there. He then is trying another approach
trying to seduce me towards him and God whispering in my ear. It both
disgusted me and horrified me. I fled from him and the shack. I swim across
the lagoon back to the "T" shaped crossroad. I head back the way I came Upon
halfway down the road I come to realize I did not have the root with me. I
searched for it but to no avail it was not to be found.
Apocalypse
By: Jennifer H. Wright
A couple of dreams I had in the year of 94 stand out so much that I have
bothered to remember them this long.
One of them there is this huge escalator rising up above the clouds.
There are many people riding it. When the reach the top they fall because it
leads to nowhere and then disappear. Watching from the sky above or near this are two great large eyes.
The other dream was a post apocalypse dream of sorts.. There is a red sky and
a barren wasteland with many zombie like people who look drawn, tired and
desperate.. there was a musical type lilt in the only thing they said... which
was, "The only way out is to find it..."
The Philosophy of Manifestation
Since we have covered the more widely and generally known translations
of myth, we are about to begin with the different accounts of creation within Greek Mythology.
This philosophy we thought to include even though its origins are not Greek because it is yet another way of looking
at creation. Not just on the creation of the universe but that it is constantly and continually developing. In
reality creation, or manifestation is now and in the present, without past or future. This concept is extremely
difficult to comprehend with our every day mind.
According to Sankhya, behind creation there is a state of pure existence or awareness, which is beyond time and space, has no beginning or end and no qualities. Within this pure existence arises the desire to experience itself, which results in disequilibrium, and causes the manifestation of primordial physical energy.
This energy is the creative force of action, a source of form containing qualities. Matter and energy are closely related. When energy takes form, we often think of it in terms of matter rather than energy. the primordial physical energy is imponderable and there is no way to describe it with words.The most subtle of all energies, it is modified until ultimately our familiar mental and physical world manifests itself.
.Pure existence and primordial energy unite for the dance of creation to happen. Pure existence is only "observing" this dance. Primordial energy and all that flows from it can not exist except in pure awareness.
Primordial energy gives rise to the cosmic consciousness or intelligence, which is the universal order that pervades all life. Everyone's individual intelligence, which is different than their everyday intellectual mind comes from and is part of the cosmic consciousness. It is the inner wisdom the part of individuality that may never be swayed by the demands of daily life or by ahamkara. (sense of "I-ness.") Ahamkara is a Sanskrit word that has no easy translation, and is a concept not fully developed in the West. The word "ego" can sometimes be equated to ahamkara but it would not fully fulfill the translation for it encompasses much more. In essence, it is the part of "me" that knows which parts of universal creation are "me.". It is the unique vibration of a person in which all their physical parts resonate. "I am not separate from any part of creation, but "I" have an identity that defines and differentiates the boundaries of "me". All parts of creation have ahamkara, it is not reserved or excluded to only human beings.
This part of the philosophy is the hardest for many Western minds to accept because it is unfamiliar to most, and there is no easy logic to follow. From ahamkara comes a two-fold creation: sattva comprising the subjective world, which is able to perceive and manipulate matter; and tammas, the objective world of five elements. Rajas, which is the force of energy of movement, brings together the parts of the subjective and objective worlds.
The subjective world is comprised of the subtle body, which is the mind and the potential for the five sense organs to hear, feel, see, taste and smell, and for the four organs of action to move, speak, grasp, procreate, and excrete. Your mind and subtle organs are the bridge between your body and your ahamkara, and inner wisdom.
The subtle body, joined with inner wisdom and ahamkara is considered the essential nature of humans. Sankhya's philosophy says that there are eight dispositions within humans, which are a great part of the innermost nature. These are knowledge, vice, virtue, ignorance, attachment, non attachment, power and impotence. Until the ultimate knowledge is obtained these strivings are the reason for ordinary existence and suffering. It is this innermost nature that "occupies" the physical body.
The objective world of tammas is touch, sound, taste, feel, vision. the five subtle elements. These elements give rise to the dense elements - ether, air, fire, water, earth- from which all matter of the world comes from. At this stage of development the philosophy of manifestation is dealing still with aspects of existence that are beyond our physical realms. The essential point of the whole philosophy is that we are first and foremost spirit experiencing existence.
What is Our Life?
By Sir Walter Ralegh (1552-1618)
WHAT is our life? A play of passion.
And what our mirth but music of division?
Our mother's wombs the tiring-houses be
Where we are drest for this short comedy.
Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is
Who sits and marks what we do amiss.
The graves that hide us from the searching sun
Are like drawn curtains when the play is done.
Thus playing post we to our latest rest,
And then we die, in earnest, not in jest.
Accounts of Creation :
Hesiod asks
the muses to tell him how first gods, earth, rivers, the boundless sea .....the shining stars, and the whole heavens
came into being.
Their response was thus ( Theogany, 116-25): Very first
of all Chaos came into being, but then Gaia wide-bosomed, secure foundation of all forever, and dark Tartarus,
in all the depth of the broad land of Eros, the most beautiful of all the immortal gods, who loosens the limbs
and overcomes judgment and sagacious council in the breast of gods and all humans. From Chaos, Erebus [gloom of
Tartarus] and black Night came into being, but from Night were born Aether [ the bright upper atmosphere] and Day,
whom Night bore when she became pregnant after mingling in love with Erebus.
The mythology of Hesiod revels in blood and monsters and at times is grossly perverse. From the mating of Heaven
(Uranus)
and Earth (Gaea) came a race of Titans. Some were very gruesome by our standards of beauty. Uranus
was not all that partial to them either and condemned them to Tartarus. This severely displeased Gaea to say
the least, she proposed to kill Uranus. The deed was undertaken by Cronus. He hid an ambush against
his father as Heaven bringing Night with him, and eager for love brooded around Earth, and lay stretched on all
sides. It was then when hence forth Cronus mutilated Uranus
and threw his flesh into the sea. From his blood that
fell to the earth came the furies, from the foam that formed around the flesh as it floated on the waters rose
Aphrodite.
The Titans then captured Olympus, and deposed Heaven-Uranus, and raised Cronus
to the throne. Cronus married his sister Rhea.
It was foretold by Uranus and Gaea that one of his one sons would dethrone him. So as a precaution he made
it a point to swallow his children. However, Rhea
bore Zeus
secretly in Crete. When Zeus matured to manhood he
deposed Cronus and forced him to disgorge his children and plunged the titans back into the bowels of the
earth.
The Pelasgian Creation Myth-
Eurynome (the
goddess of all things) rose nude from Chaos. There was nothing of substance for her to place her feet upon,
therefore divided the seas from the sky dancing lonely upon it's waves. She moved southward and the wind was set
in motion behind her seemed something new and apart with which to begin creating. Turning about, she caught hold
of the north wind and rubbed it within her hands. The great serpent Ophion emerged. Eurynome danced to warm herself, and it became more and even more wild
'till the serpent Ophion grew lustful for her. He coiled about her and she begot with child. She then transforms
into a dove and laid the Universal Egg.
Ophion coiled
around the egg seven times until it hatched and split in two. The contents of the egg poured out all things that
exist. Her children : the sun and moon, planets and all the stars, the earth and the mountains and rivers, it's
vegetation and all it's living creatures ect and so on and so forth...
Seven planetary powers then were formed by the goddess with a Titan and Titaness ruling over each. the first man
was Pelasgus ancestor of the Pelasgians; he sprang forth from the soil of Arcadia.. soon followed by many others
whom set up a rustic civilization. Pelasgus is said to have taught them how to make huts and feast on acorns and
sew pig tunics for themselves.
The Olympian Creation Myth -
In the beginning of all things Gaea emerged
from Chaos
and bore her son Uranus as she slept. Gazing at her from the mountains he showered fertile rains on her clefts and
she then bore vegetation and animal life. The sacred rain made the rivers flow and the seas and lakes come to be.
The first children of semi-human appearance were the
hundred-handed giants Briareaus, Gyges, and Cottus.Then
came the three one-eyed Cyclopes (Brontes, Steropes,
and Arges). Their ghosts dwell in the volcano Aetna,
Apollo slew
them in revenge for the death of Asclepius.
The Homeric and Orphic Creation Myths -
It is said that all gods and living beings came from,
the stream of Oceanus, and that Tethys was the mother of all his children.
The Orphics
however say that black winged Night, was courted by the Wind and had laid a silver egg in the womb of Darkness;
and that Eros was hatched and set the universe in motion Eros was double sexed and golden winged and had four heads. Sometimes
he would hiss like a serpent or roar like a bull or a lion, even at times bleating like a ram. Night lived
in a cozy cave with him, displaying herself as Night, Justice and Order. In front of the cave was Rhea whom played
on a brazen drum and compelled man's attention to the oracles of the goddess. Eros created earth, sky,
and moon, but the triple goddess ruled over the universe until her scepter was passed on to Uranus.
Aristophanes Creation Myth
(448 ?-380 ? B.C)
There is yet another myth of creation to be found in The Birds, a comedy by the fifth-century playwright Aristophanes. This account reflects an early theory and illustrates both the multiplicity of versions and the primacy of Eros. A chorus of birds proves that the birds are much the oldest of all the gods by the following tale (683ff.):
Chaos, Night, Black Erebus, and broad Tartarus were first. But Ge, Aer [the lower atmosphere], and Uranus [Sky] did not exist. In the vast hallows of Erebus first of all black winged Night, alone, brought forth an egg, from which Eros, the desirable, burst forth like a swift whirlwind, his back glistening with golden wings. He mingled in borad Tartarus with Chaos, winged and dark as night, and hatched our race of birds and first led it to light. There was no race of immortals before Eros caused all things to mingle. From the mingling of couples, Uranus, Oceanus, Ge, and all the immortal race of the blessed gods came into being.
The Eros responsible for this fury of procreation could be the same Eros who is in the later tradition called Phanes ( the one who fisrt shone forth or gave light to creation) and Protogonus (first-born). If this were to be true Aristophanes has a parody of a myth that was the basis of a religion ascribed to Orpheus in which the world-egg was a dominant symbol. Orphism is discussed elsewhere on the site which explores the dogma, ritual and beliefs in an afterlife of reward and punishment. The link between myth and profound religious thought and experience in the ancient world is ever still continuing and an extremely fascinating theme. Thus is the writers of this page's obsession . [ grins ]
The Five Ages Of Man
The golden race are said to have been born from the
Earth
spontaneously and were subjects of Cronus. These people lived without worry or care, their existence was
a very blissful one. They ate only wild fruit , acorns and the honey that came from trees, they drank the milk
of sheep and never grew old. Death was not feared by them, it was no more horrible than falling asleep. This
race is long gone now but it is rumored that their spirits survived as genii of happy rustic retreats and that
they are givers of good fortune and upholders of justice.
The Silver race
followed the first. They were divinely created and were eaters of bread. The men were devoted to their mothers
and would never dare disobey them. This was the way it was until their death. The race often fought amongst themselves,
however they never and war. They never made any sacrifices towards the gods.
Zeus
destroyed the whole lot of them .
The Brazen race fell like fruits from ash trees. They were omnivores. They wielded brazen weapons and delighted in war and battle. Black death claimed their souls.
The fourth race was brazen as well, but much more kind and noble. They were born from mortal women and gods. They
fought in the siege of Thebes, the expedition of the Argonauts, and the Trojan War, They became heroes, and dwell
in the Elysian Fields.
We are now in the race of iron, unworthy descendants of the predecessor. They are cruel, conniving, malicious, treacherous degenerates.
Hesiod's Works and Days 106-201
If you like, I shall offer a fine and skillful summary of another tale and you ponder it in your heart: how gods and mortal humans came into being from the same origin.
At the very first of the immortals who have their homes on Olympus made a golden race of mortal humans. they existed at the time when Cronus was king in heaven, and they lived as gods with carefree hearts completely without toil to trouble. Terrible old age did not come upon them at all, but always with vigor in their hands and their feet they took joy in their banquets removed from all evils. They died as though overcome by sleep. And all good things were theirs; the fertile land of its own accord bore fruit ungrudgingly in abundance. They in harmony and in peace managed their affairs with many good things, rich in flocks and beloved of the blessed gods. out then the earth covered over this race. Yet they are called holy spirits, who are good and ward off evils, as the protectors of mortal men, and are providers of wealth, since they keep watch over judgments and cruel deeds, wandering over the whole earth wrapped in air. For they have these royal prerogatives.
Then those who have their home on Olympus next made a second race of silver, far worse than the one of gold and unlike it both physically and mentally. A child was brought up by the side of his dear mother for a hundred years, playing in his house as a mere baby. But when they grew up and reached the measure of their prime they lived for only a short time in distress because of their senselessness. for they could not restrain their wanton arrogance against one another and they did not wish to worship the blessed immortals or sacrifice at thier holy altars, as is customary and right for human beings. Then in his anger Zeus the son of Cronus hid them away because they did not give the blessed gods who inhabit Olympus their due. Then the earth covered over this race too. And they dwell under the earth and are called blessed by mortals, and although second, nevertheless honor attends them also.
Father Zeus made another race of mortal humans, the third of bronze and not at all like the one of silver; terrible and mighty because of their spears of ash, they pursued the painful and violent deeds of Ares. They did not eat bread at all but were terrifying and had dauntless hearts of adamant. Greatly was their might, and unconquerable hands grew upon their strong limbs out of their shoulders. Of bronze were their arms, of bronze were their homes, and they worked with bronze implements. Black iron there was not. When they had been destroyed by their own hands, they went down onto the dark house of chill Hades without leaving a name. Black death seized them, although they were terrifying, and they left the bright light of the sun.
But when the earth covered this race too, again Zeus the son of Cronus made still another, the fourth on the nourishing earth, valiant in war and more just, a godlike race of heroic men, who are called demigods, and who preceded our own race on the vast earth. Evil war and dread battle destroyed some of them under seven-gated Thebes in the land of Cadmus as they battled for the flocks of Oedipus; the end of death closed about others after they had been led in ships over the great depths of the sea to Troy for the sake of Helen of the beautiful hair. Some, father Zeus, the son of Cronus sent to dwell at the ends of the earth where he has them live their lives; these happy heroes inhabit the Islands of the Blessed with carefree hearts by the deep swirling stream of Ocean. For them the fruitful earth bears honey-sweet fruit that ripens three items a year. Far from the immortals Cronus rules as king over them; for the father of the gods and men released him from his bonds. Honor and Glory attend these last in equal measure.
Far-seeing Zeus again made still another race who live on the nourishing earth. Oh, would that I were not a man of the fifth generation but either had died before or been born later. Now indeed the race is of iron. For they never cease from toil and woe by day, nor from being destroyed in the night. The gods will give them difficult troubles, but good will be mingled with their evils. Zeus will destroy this race of mortals too, whenever it comes to pass that they are born with grey hair on their temples. And a father will not be in harmony with his children nor his children with him, nor guest with host, nor friend with friend, and brother will not be loved as formerly. As they grow old quickly they will dishonor their parents, and they will find fault, blaming them with harsh words and not knowing respect for the gods, since their right is might. They will not sustain their aged parents in repayment for their upbringing. One will destroy the city of another. No esteem will exist for the one who is true to an oath or just or good; rather men will praise the arrogance and evil of the wicked. Justice will be might and shame will not exist. The evil man will harm the better man, speaking against him unjustly and he will swear an oath besides. Envy, shrill and ugly and with evil delight, will attend all human beings in their woe. Then Aidos and Nemesis both will forsake them and go, their beautiful forms shrouded in white, from the wide earth to Olympus among the company of the gods. For mortals sorry griefs will be left and there will be no defense against evil.
Hesiods
account is very severe and brutal full of pessimism and bitterness in his own age of iron. Historically his age
was of iron, introduced into Greece at the time of the invasion of bronze to a close. Hesiods use of an age of heroes
reflects the fact of the Trojan War, which he cannot ignore.
Truly though one must bear in mind the famous words of "There are never really endings, only beginnings
Life Force
By: Jennifer H. Wright
:At the moment the Greek Pantheon had entered my life I was quite comfortable with where I was or so I thought. I believed and still do that we all are part of the whole., What bonds us is this great life force that could never be deified for it is all things. I can feel it in all the life around me and within me and I feel a oneness with the universe and all of creation. It is the very pulse of creation, life and death and rebirth. Every thing and everyone surrounding us has its own energy and importance and there is a reason for everything.
Mythology can be used to learn more about ancient
peoples beliefs and practices..The tradition of Mythology occurred and may be traced by peoples first observance/
participation ; meaning noticing awesome occurrences and wondering about what they are/mean and experimenting.
All cultures of peoples had eventually had to express these discoveries or a find the best way to describe them.
This was done with either with rituals, dances, art work such as paintings, drawings, sculpting and runes to eventually
later into writing with a formal known alphabet that could be understood and taught by others.
Mythology can also be used as historical reference. The myths themselves in many circumstances coincide with what
was going on historically at the time. Knowing the historical background helps to give us a broader understanding
of the myths. Sadly, many myths, seem when viewed as mythology are difficult to understand and sometimes contradict
themselves. But they are actually historical recordings of social events, which have lost their meaning when fused
into the body of Greek religious mythology. And when the religious mythology lost its original religious meanings,
they became genuinely confusing. It is even difficult for the common educated to make sense out of it all they
can underwent some but putting the pieces together is overwhelming at times.to this day. Eventually it was easier
just to repeat the stories, rather than try to fathom their original meaning. This can be compared to some fairy
tales, Mother Goose Rhymes, and children's songs such as "Ring Around the Rosy". We tell our children
the stories of Jack and Jill, The Old Woman in the Shoe, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Snow White ect.. and so on,
but most of us don't know the meaning if there is any or where the stories came from ect and so on.. Great tales
such as the Mabinogion from the Celtic myths are wonderful marvelous stories with deep sometimes profound meanings.Or
another example can be seen with Biblical characters such as Jesus himself, and his apostles or Moses, the Virgin
Mary. Not all readers will see them as gods, but rather heroes and heroines or vise versa.. All the same they are
still a great part of our culture, it is very much the same for Greek myths we appreciate them and enjoy them regardless
if we know what and everything they are about.We are captivated with finding evidence or proof yet a part of us
greatly yearns to find something more... that something more comes from the spiritual nature that gives answers
just never quite straight ones (that all have some sense of trueness to them).
For a very long time, it was assumed and believed that Greece had not been inhabited before the Neolithic period. Our current knowledge is that the country was settled in Paleolithic times (before 70,000 B.C).The Neolithic inhabitants came from the North and the East. Archeologists have uncovered artifacts of female idols, with engorged genitals, swollen bellies, large rounded buttocks and full breasts. Male figurines are harder to come by but they do exist. These items are for fertility reasons and obviously not some sort of perversion of the ancient peoples.
At the end of the Early minoan Age the Cretans learned to mix copper with tin and this is where the Bronze age begins. This age is divided into three major periods: Early, Middle, and Late, they are also labeled by geographic locations as well.
3000-2000 B.C. ~ Early Bronze Age ~ Early Minoan, Cycladic, Hellenic
2000-1600 B.C. ~ Middle Bronze Age ~ Middle Minoan, Cycladic, Hellenic
1600-1100 B.C. ~ Late Bronze Age ~ Late Minoan, Cycladic, Hellenic; Mycenaean Age
The Bronze Age in Crete is designated as Minoan (from the tradition of King Minos); the islands term is Cyclades
(the islands that encircle Delo`s) in Greece it is Hellenic (Hellas is the Greek name of the country)
"There is a land called Crete, in the midst of the wine-dark sea, a fair rich land begirt with water;and therein are many men past counting, and ninety cities." Homer sang these very lines perhaps in the ninth century before our era.
The Minoan civilization matured in the Middle Bronze age. This is where the earliest known palaces are known to
have occurred : the princes of Cnossus, Phaestus, and Mallias built for themselves dwellings of grand splendor.
They contained countless rooms, spacious store houses, specialized workshops, altars and temples and great drainage
conduits. Pottery had colored brilliance, walls are filled with lively frescoes, and also a form of linear script
evolved out of the hieroglyphics of the preceding age. The Minoan power extended over the islands of the Aegean
and into the mainland of Greece.
During the middle Helladic or Middle Bronze Age the mainland of Greece had been invaded from the north and possibly the east. these Nordic Indo European are the first Greeks (i.e. they spoke the Greek language) to enter the peninsula; over time they developed a civilization (often referred to as the Mycenaean) that reached its culmination in the Late Helladic period (1600-1100) They learned much from the Minoans, their painting. palaces, and pottery are strikingly similar, but there are some significant differences.
In religion there were important differences between the Mycenaeans and the Minoans. The northern invaders of 2000 B.C.worshiped Zeus and he was very much like how Homer has depicted the celestial Olympians.. The Minoans spiritual atmosphere was dominated with the conception of a fertility mother-goddess, with or without a male counterpart! eventually though the two cultures merge and form another identity yet keep thier vital essences as can be seen in the similarities in the myths of creation we have already discussed..
Mycenaean's believed in a future life after death. The evidence can be found in their tombs, where they would place objects of use and value within the graves. The bodies were not cremated. The rest of Mycenaean religion, as has been revealed to us give proof of Cretan origin or kinship. Here just as in Crete are the double ax, the sacred pillar, the holy dove, and the cult of a mother goddess
