The Great Mother from Asia Minor to Rome

5 Comments April 2, 2008 at 6:52 am by mahud

My contribution for the Mythology Synchroblog on the theme of Motherhood. For more posts see below.

Sections

1. The Anatolian Mother
2. Cybele in Greece
3. Magna Mater in Rome
4. Magna Mater’s Spring Festival (15th and 27th March)
5. The Taurobolium in the Magna Mater Cult

The Anatolian Mother

Both the Greek and Roman worship of the Great Mother derives from Anatolia/Asia Minor (Turkey). Her name appears in inscriptions at Phrygia upon numerous doorway facades that have been carved out of cliff faces. She is called Matar (equivalent to Greek Meter and Roman Mater). Another inscription reads Matar Kubileya (Kubileya corresponding with Kybele/Cybele). The name Kybele also corresponds with Kubaba a Hittite goddess, who was the guardian of the city of Carchemesh located on the Euphrates river, depicted enthroned beneath a lion. If we go back further into Anatolian prehistory to Catalhoyuk (8000 B.C), we can also compare the figurine of a large female sitting upon a throne flanked by either Lions or leopards. Cybele is also often depicted enthroned with lion/s. Greek colonists of Asia Minor began to worship the Great Mother and during the Greek Archaic period (around 7th Century B.C.) Cybele was worshipped in Greece.

Enthroned ‘Mother Goddess’ Flanked by Lions or Leopards
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Cybele in Greece

The Greeks identified Cybele with Rhea, the mother of the Olympian Gods. Cybele was known as the mother of both the Gods Meter theon and Men. Among many other epithets she was also known as ‘Mountain Mother’ Meter oreie and ‘Idaean Mother,’ pointing back to her origins in Asia Minor. In the Homeric Hymn (14) To the Mother of the Gods, it is said that she enjoys hearing the sound of rattles and tympanums and the mountains and forest valleys echo with the roaring of lions and the crying of wolves. Walter Burkert writes:

Meter is celebrated with wild, rousing music which can even lead to ecstasy…. Her advent is accompanied by the shrill sound of the flute, the dull thudding of drums (tympana) and the ringing of small brass cymbals (kymbala). Receptive devotees are carried into ecstasy and possessed by the goddess. In mythical imagination, the wild beasts of prey, leopards and lions especially, join in her procession.

Burkert, Walter, 1985, ‘Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical’, p.178 (Blackwell Publishing)

The ecstatic celebration of the goddess Cybele was synchronized with the worship of Dionysus in the 5th century B.C. Both Pindar and Euripides emphasized the similarity between their modes of worship. In the Bacchae, the chorus proclaim,

O happy he! who to his joy is initiated in heavenly mysteries and leads a holy life, joining heart and soul in Bacchic revelry upon the hills, purified from every sin; observing the rites of Cybele, the mighty mother, and brandishing the thyrsus, with ivy-wreathed head, he worships Dionysus. Go forth, go forth, ye Bacchanals, bring home the Bromian god Dionysus, child of a god, from the mountains of Phrygia to the spacious streets of Hellas, bring home the Bromian god!

Bacchae (Sacred Texts)

The Great Mother Cybele Enthroned and Flanked by Lions
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Magna Mater in Rome

In 205 B.C., a delegation of Romans were sent to Asia minor to Bring the Great Mother Magna Mater back to Rome, as directed by the Sybilline Books (and confirmed by the oracle at Delphi), in an attempt to finally defeat Hannibal in the second Punic (Carthaginian) War. Pessinus, the King of Pergamum, allowed them to remove the black Stone (the sacred image of the Great Mother) from her centre of worship in Pessinus, and in 204 B.C., The goddess arrived in the Roman port of Ostia, where she was welcomed by p. Scipio Nasica (the Best man,) as directed by the Sybilline Books and Delphi, and a group of matrons, including Claudia Quinta. The image of the goddess was carried to the Palatine and installed in the Temple of the Goddess Victory. A Temple for Magna Mater was commissioned, and thirteen years later, was completed (191 B.C). The Megalensia a festival in honour of Magna Mater was celebrated annually between the 4th April (the date of the goddess’ arrival in Rome) and the 10th April (date of the dedication of Magna Mater’s temple). The institution of the Phrygian Goddess also included her own native priesthood, including the effeminate priest class known as galli, who participated in self-mutilation (including self-castration) on top of the the ecstatic worship found in Greece, mirroring the myth of Anatolion Cybele’s son and consort Attis, who emasculated himself (None of these more extreme practices, including the figure of Attis, were a part of the worship of Cybele in Greece.). Native born citizens of Rome were forbidden to join the Galli. Also, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who wrote during the reign of Augustus, records,

..the praetors perform sacrifices and celebrated games in her honour every year according to the Roman customs, but the priest and priestess of the goddess are Phrygians, and it is they who carry her image in procession through the city, begging alms in her name according to their custom, and wearing figures upon their breasts and striking their timbrels while their followers play tunes upon their flutes in honour of the Mother of the Gods. But by a law and decree of the senate no native Roman walks in procession through the city arrayed in a parti-coloured robe, begging alms or escorted by flute-players, or worships the god with the Phrygian ceremonies.

Roman Antiquities 2.19.3-5

In the 1st century A.D., these restrictions were abolished by Claudius and a spring festival in honour of Magna Mater (and Attis) was included (and extended during the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161)) in the Roman Calendar.

Magna Mater’s Spring Festival (15th and 27th March)

Canna intrat: day 1 (15th)

Reeds carried by ‘reed-bearers’ (cannophori) were brought to Magna Mater’s temple. A six year old bull was sacrificed by the high Priest and Priestess. (Also the Ides of March).

Arbor intrat: day 8 (22nd)

A pine tree (symbolic of Cybele’s son Attis) was cut down by the guild of dendrophori (’tree-bearers’) and then placed in the temple. It was stood upright and decorated. Afterward, there were days of mourning for the dead Attis.

Dies sanguinis/Sanguem (Day of Blood): day 10 (24th)

the galli cut themselves and danced ecstatically, sprinkling their blood on the goddess’ image, while novices (probably restricted to those initiated into the galli) castrated themselves. Attis was buried in his grave during the sacred night and new members were initiated into the galli at sunrise.

Hilaria (Day of Joy): day 11 (25th)

Celebration of the light of day overcoming the darkness of night at spring equinox. This was followed on day 12 with a ‘Day of Rest’ Requetio.

Lavatio: day 13 (27th)

The image of the Goddess was taken down and washed in the Almo river.

In On Roman Time (1990, p.165, University of California Press), Michele Renee Salzman provides a table (based on D. Fishwick’s reconstruction [1967]) of the spring festival days (15th March-28th March) of Magna Mater and Attis in the Roman Calendar. According to this reconstruction Arbor intrat (22th March), Sanguem (24th March), and Lavatio were introduced by Claudius; Canna Intrat (15th March) was introduced during the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.), and Hilaria (25th March), Requetio (26th March), Initium Caiani/Gaiani (28th March) were introduced either by Antoninus Pius or afterward.

The Taurobolium in the Magna Mater Cult

The sacrifice of a bull, called the Taurobolium (and its cheaper alternative, the sacrifice of a ram (Criobolium)), was practiced during the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., as attested in numerous inscriptions. It was performed on behalf of the emperor (or the empire as a whole), as well as individuals and single communities to ward off disaster. The Christian Poet Prudentius (claiming to be an eye witness), describes the taurobolium in the Peristephanon. In his account a priest wearing a golden crown goes down into a pit, which is covered by a wooden grill. A bull decorated with garlands and gold is walked onto the platform grill and slaughtered with a spear. The Bull’s blood drains through the planks covering the priest below. After the bull has died, the carcass is taken away. The priest arises from the pit, soaked in the blood of the bull. He is greeted by the worshippers who bow down to him as a divinity reborn. From the 4th century A.D., the taurobolium also functioned as an mystery-initiatory rite. In this capacity the initiate went down into a pit in a symbolic death. The blood of the bull, sacrificed from above, poured over the initiate symbolic of a rebirth. The rebirth lasted for a period of twenty (and 10) years, after which time the sacrifice needed to be repeated. In one instance, according to an altar inscription from 376 A.D., the rebirth was said to be eternal. According to two variants of a mystery liturgy recorded by Clement of Alexandria and Firmicus Maternus, after initiation, the initiate affirms his or her new status during a sacred meal and eats and drinks from the drum and cymbal, functioning as a plate and cup, both being sacred to the Great Mother.

Check out everyone’s posts…

• Paleothea the Ancient Goddess: Motherhood, the Sychroblog
• Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism: A [Divine] Mother in Israel: Shekhina, Metrona, Imma
• Symbolic Meanings: Symbols of Motherhood: A Bird’s Eye View
• Between Old and New Moons: The Great Mother from Asia Minor to Rome
• Aquila ka Hecate: Motherhood
• FULL CIRCLE: The Great Mother Goddess: Motherhood, the Syncroblog
• Mythphile: Demeter and Persephone
• Religion Think: On the Goddesses of Canaan: A Short Essay

Enjoy!

Previous Mythology Synchroblog: Landscapes

1. Chanting the Landscape

Diarmaid and the Cosmic Boar: Part One (The Cosmic Double-Death of Re-Creation: Part 3)

0 Comments March 21, 2008 at 8:52 am by mahud

It’s been four months since my last post in this series, so I apologize for the delay. This installment (which is pretty long) has been broken down into two separate posts.

Posts in this series so far

1. The Genesis Protevangelium (The Cosmic Double-Death of Re-Creation: Part 1)
2. Thor and the Ouroboros (The Cosmic Double-Death of Re-Creation: Part 2)

Diarmaid and the Boar of Beann Gulbain

Diarmaid’s encounter with the Boar of Beann Gulbain is found in the tale known as The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Grainne, which is part of the Fenian Cycle, dating to around the 15th century A.D., also mentioned in the 10th century (or earlier) Book of Leinster. The tale has also survived until recent times in oral tradition ^1..

As a child Diarmaid was fostered by Aengus Og together with the son of a common steward. According to one version of the myth Diarmaid’s father Donn was offended that the steward’s son was loved more that his own and he crushed him to death between his knees. After the steward discovered that Donn was responsible for his son’s death, he struck his son’s body with a druidic staff and transformed him into a boar, lacking both ears and tail. The steward proclaimed that the boar will cause the death of Diarmaid, and both he and the boar would share the same lifespan ^2.. According to another variant of the myth it was Diarmaid himself who killed the son of Aengus Og, who then transforms his son into a boar and curses Diarmaid ^3..

Diarmaid finally meets his destiny on the heights of Beann Gulbain (Ben Bulben). There, he is forced to break the conditions of his various geasa, or taboos, which includes hunting boar, by Finn, who still harboured bitterness in his heart against Diarmaid, after he eloped with his bride Grainne. The myth differs as to how Diarmaid is killed. In one version Diarmaid receives a fatal wound from the boar’s tusks, but manages to crush the creature’s head with the hilt of his sword, while in another version of the myth Diarmaid slays the boar, but while measuring the boar’s skin (by walking lengthwise from the boar’s head to its tail and back again) he pierces a mole on the sole of his foot on the boar’s poisonous bristles, and so receives a fatal wound. Diarmaid asks Finn to fetch him some pure water with his healing hands from a well situated nine paces from where he lay dying. Finn fetches the water, twice letting it slip through his fingers, and on the third return, Diarmaid is already dead ^4..

There is also an interesting Saxon tale of the huntsman Hans von Hackelnberg worth quoting that parallels the double-death of Diarmaid and the Boar:

Hans von Hackelnberg, chief huntsman to the duke of Brunswick, lived only for the chase. To gratify his passion, he either bought or farmed several hunting districts, and traversed, with his followers and his large pack of dogs, fields and forests, and the mountains of the Harz, year after year, by day and by night. He once passed the night in Harzeburg, and there dreamed that he saw a formidable wild boar, which, after a long conflict, overpowered him. When he awoke, the frightful image was ever before his eyes, and no remonstrances could divert his thoughts from the monster, although he affected to laugh at his dream. Some days after, he actually met in the Harz with a powerful boar, exactly resembling the one he had seen in his dream, in colour, in the erecting of his bristles, in size, and in the great length of his tusks. With ferocity, courage, and strength, the strife began on both sides, and long continued doubtful. To his dexterity Hans von Hackelnberg was indebted for his victory, and he ultimately stretched his formidable enemy at his feet. When he saw him at length extended on the earth, he feasted his eyes for some time on the sight, and then struck with his foot against the animal’s tusks, exclaiming: ” Thou canst do nothing with them now!” But he struck with such force, that one of the sharp teeth penetrated his boot and wounded his foot. At first he thought but little of the wound, and continued the chase till night came on. On his return home, his foot was so swollen, that it was found necessary to cut off the boot. From want of proper bandages and care, the wound became so bad in a few days, that he was obliged to hasten to Wolfenbiittel to procure help. But every motion of the carriage was intolerable to him, and it was with great difficulty he could reach the hospital of Wulperode, in which he soon after expired.

Thorpe, Benjamin, 1853, ‘Yule-tide Stories‘, p.489-490 (Henry G. Bohn)

The Sacrificial God in Hinduism

According to the Rig-Veda (10.80), the entire universe, throughout time, is a single being known as Purusha, the Primal Man. He is ruler of immortality, and all beings, whether mortal or immortal, form his body of a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet. In the beginning, the gods (devas) sacrificed Purusha as a sacrifice to himself. The divine Vedic texts sprang into existence, along with earth and sky and space. Every living creature and the four orders of Hindu society were born from the divided parts of his body. The dismemberment of Purusha is the prototype for the Vedic ritual of sacrifice (yajna), that maintains the cosmic order (rta) ^5..

Through his association with the three strides (or steps), Vishnu, a relatively significant deity of the Vedic pantheon, is repeatedly identified in the Brahmanic period ^6. as the deity of the Vedic sacrifice ^7. (Satapatha Brahmana ^8.). In fact, he is yajna ^9., the sacrifice ^10.. Further, Vishnu is identified with the performer of the sacrifice ^11. (yajamana) ^12., who, through imitation of Vishnu’s three cosmic steps ^13. (marking out the sacrificial ground ^14.), becomes Vishnu ^15. and obtains the power to (re)generate the cosmos ^16. (vajasati ^17.) .

The myth of Vishnu’s three strides is associated with the 5th Dasavatara Vamana, the Dwarf ^18.. According to one Puranic version of the myth, Vishnu presented himself before Bali the demon king who ruled the universe of three worlds. In his dwarf form, Vishnu requested the Bali give him all the land he could cover in three strides. Bali agreed (against the advice of his guru) and the dwarf, revealing his true gigantic form, claimed the entire three worlds (earth, sky and the heavens) with each stride ^19.. Another version of the myth has Vishnu claim the worlds in just two strides, and having nowhere else to place the third stride, Bali bows before the god and Vishnu places his foot on the demon’s head, forcing him into the neatherworld (hell), where Bali now rules ^20.. Tracy Pinchman, in Guests at God’s Wedding, writes that every Diwali, Bali’s earthly rule is restored for three days, after which he is again cast down to the underworld ^21..

In a Hymn to Vishnu (Rig Veda: 1.154), the deity elevates heaven (Vishnu’s abode ‘v.5′), separating it from the earth, with his three strides (v.1). Vishnu alone supports the cosmos (earth and sky) and all living things (v.4), and all creatures are said to reside within his three strides (v.2). Each of his footsteps are filled with honey (v.4), while from his third and highest footstep, in the heavenly transcendent realms (where the faithful joined with their gods rejoice ‘v.5′), flows a fountain of honey (v.5), that is, the nectar of immortality (equal to soma) ^22.. In the following hymn, addressed to both Vishnu and Indra (1.155), while the first two steps may be perceived by mortals, the highest footstep, is “beyond the flight of birds ^23.” (v.5). The abode of Vishnu being visible only to the wise in the form of a heavenly eye (1.22.20) ^24.. The performer of the sacrifice (who, as mentioned, becomes Vishnu through imitation of the three strides), recites a text pertaining to Vishnu’s strides and reaches Vishnu’s abode, attaining a state of transcendence ^25.. According to the Katha Upanishad (3.8-9), only one who is ever mindful and pure reaches the final and highest step of Vishnu (paramam padam), and attains release (moksha) from the wheel of rebirth (samsara) ^26.. And interesting parallel can also be found in Zoroastrianism, where the soul at death walks three steps (corresponding with thoughts, words and deeds) over the Chinvat bridge. If the three steps are good, the soul may pass over to paradise, while those that are evil are cast down to hell ^27..

Cosmic Footsteps

Jan Gonda, in Rice and Barley Offerings in the Veda, observes that the offering of three cakes on three kapalas (pieces of pottery partly in the shape of crescents) to Vishnu the sacrifice, correspond with the three strides. Further, the cakes that total nine (3X3), also correspond with the threefold chant of three verses, numbering nine in total, as well as the three breaths, also said to be nine, all three being related elements in the sacrifical rite. Gonda also mentions that the god Mitra (also associated with the number three) received the offering of a cake on the ninth day, perhaps because the number nine symbolizes cosmic totality, mirroring the steps of Vishnu, whose three strides contain the universe ^28.. with this observation we can return to the symbolic nine steps of Thor, who (theorectically) circumambulates the ouroboros of cosmic time, like the hero Diarmaid, who strode across the skin of the boar (from its head to the rear), before both succumbed to a fatal injury. Before Diarmaid breathed his last, Finn attempted (three times) to fetch the water in his healing hands from a well, that was no more than nine paces from where Diarmaid lay.

References

1. 1: Maier, Bernhard, 1998, ‘Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture‘, p.269 (Boydell & Brewer); Green, Miranda Jane, 1993, ‘Celtic Myths‘, p.39 (British Museum Press); Bitel, Lisa M, 1998, ‘Land of Women: Tales of Sex and Gender from Early Ireland‘, p.248 (Cornell University Press), & Markale, Jean, 2000, ‘The Epics of Celtic Ireland: Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic‘, p.139 (Inner Traditions / Bear & Company)
2. 2: Joyce, P. W, 2001 (1879), ‘Old Celtic Romances: Tales from Irish Mythology‘, p.228-230 (Courier Dover Publications); Neeson, Eoin, 2000, ‘Celtic Myths & Legends‘, p.169-172 (Barnes & Noble Books); Markale, Jean, 2000, ‘The Epics of Celtic Ireland: Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic‘, p.140 (Inner Traditions / Bear & Company), & Segal, Robert Alan, 2000, ‘Hero Myths: A Reader‘, p.65-66 (Blackwell Publishing)
3. 3: Carol, Rose, 2001, ‘Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth‘, p.53 (W. W. Norton & Company)
4. 4: Markale, Jean, 2000, ‘The Epics of Celtic Ireland: Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic‘, p.146 (Inner Traditions / Bear & Company); Segal, Robert Alan, 2000, ‘Hero Myths: A Reader‘, p.66 (Blackwell Publishing); MacNeil, Joe Neil, 1987, ‘Tales Until Dawn: The World of a Cape Breton Gaelic Story-Teller‘, p.39 (McGill-Queen’s Press); Campbell, J. F, 1862, ‘Popular Tales of the West Highlands: Orally Collected‘, p.44; Green, Miranda J, 1992, ‘Animals in Celtic Life and Myth‘, p.171 (Routledge); Marsh, Richard, 2006, ‘The Legends & Lands of Ireland‘, p.43 (Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.); Neeson, Eoin, 2000, ‘Celtic Myths and Legends‘, p.216 (Barnes & Noble Books); Green, Miranda Jane, 1993, ‘Celtic Myths‘, p.39 (British Museum Press), & Rolleston, T. W, 1990, ‘Celtic Myths and Legends‘, p.302 (Courier Dover Publications)
5. 5: Lipner, Julius, 1994, ‘Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices‘, p.87-88 (Routledge); Chatterjee, Margaret, 1998 (1974), ‘Contemporary Indian Philosophy‘, p.54 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); deChant, Dell & Fasching, Darrell J, 2001, ‘Comparative Religious Ethics: A Narrative Approach‘, p.105 (Blackwell Publishing); Feuerstein, Georg, Frawley, David & Kak, Subhash, 1995, ‘In Search of the Cradle of Civilization‘, p.198 (Quest Books)
6. 6: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32-33 (SUNY Press); Panikkar, Raimundo, 1995, ‘Vedic Experience‘, p.150 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Singh, Nagendra Kumar, 1997, ‘Encyclopaedia of Hinduism‘, p.526 (Anmol Publications pvt. ltd.); Matchett, Freda, 2001, ‘Krsna: The Relationship Between Krishna and Vishnu‘, p.5 (Routledge); Olson, Carl, 2007, ‘The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-Historical Introduction‘, p.146 (Rutgers University Press); Bhandarkar, Ramkrishna G, 1995, ‘Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems‘, p.47 (Asian Educational Services)
7. 7: Olson, Carl, 2007, ‘The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-Historical Introduction‘, p.147 (Rutgers University Press); Feller, Danielle, 2004, ‘The Sanskrit Epics’ Representation of Vedic Myths‘, p.277 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ)
8. 8: Matchett, Freda, 2001, ‘Krsna: The Relationship Between Krishna and Vishnu‘, p.5 (Routledge); Panikkar, Raimundo, 1995, ‘Vedic Experience‘, p.150 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Dasgupta, Surendranath, 1991, ‘A History of Indian Philosophy‘, p.536 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
9. 9: Frawley, David, 1999, ‘Gods, Sages and Kings: Vedic Secrets of Ancient Civilization‘, p.228 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Patton, Laurie L. (ed), 1994, ‘Authority, Anxiety, and Canon: Essays in Vedic Interpretation‘, p.114 (SUNY Press); Sircar, D. C, ‘Studies in the Religious Life of Ancient and Medieval India‘, p.5 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
10. 10: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32-33 (SUNY Press); Srinivasan, Doris, 1997, ‘Many Heads, Arms and Eyes: Origin, Meaning, and Form of Multiplicity in Indian Art‘, p.80 (BRILL); Gonda, Jan, 1987, ‘Rice and Barley Offerings in the Veda‘, p.45,54 (Brill Archive)
11. 11: Olson, Carl, 2007, ‘The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-Historical Introduction‘, p.147 (Rutgers University Press); Gonda, Jan, 1986, ‘Prajapati’s Rise to Higher Rank‘, p.70 (BRILL)
12. 12: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32-34 (SUNY Press); Alper, Harvey P, 1991, ‘Understanding Mantras‘, p.106 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
13. 13: Gonda, Jan, 1993, ‘Aspects of Early Visnuism‘, p.56-58 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Heesterman, J. C, 1993, ‘The Broken World of Sacrifice: An Essay in Ancient Indian Ritual‘, p.70 (University of Chicago Press)
14. 14: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32 (SUNY Press)
15. 15: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32-34 (SUNY Press)
16. 16: Srinivasan, Doris, 1997, ‘Many Heads, Arms and Eyes: Origin, Meaning, and Form of Multiplicity in Indian Art‘, p.80 (BRILL)
17. 17: Gonda, Jan, 1986, ‘Prajapati’s Rise to Higher Rank‘, p.70 (BRILL)
18. 18: Lipner, Julius, 1994, ‘Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices‘, p.313 (Routledge); Singh, Nagendra Kumar, 1997, ‘Encyclopaedia of Hinduism‘, p.785 (Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd.)
19. 19: Dimmitt, Cornelia & Van Buitenen, J.A.B, 1978, ‘Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas‘, p.80-82 (Temple University Press); Doniger, Wendy, 1975, ‘Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook‘, p.178-179 (Penguin Classics)
20. 20: Olson, Carl, 2007, ‘The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-Historical Introduction‘, p.149 (Rutgers University Press); Mitchell, John Murray, 2000, ‘Hinduism, Past and Present‘, p.112-113 (Asian Educational Services); Rajan, Chandra ‘trans’, 2003, ‘Complete Works of Kalidasa: vol.2‘, p.374 (Sahitya Akademi)
21. 21: Pintchman, Tracy, 2005, ‘Guests at God’s Wedding: Celebrating Kartik Among the Women of Benares‘, p.62 (SUNY Press)
22. 22: Doniger, Wendy, 1981, ‘The Rig Veda: an anthology: one hundred and eight hymns‘, p.225-227 (Penguin Classics); Panikkar, Raimundo, 1995, ‘Vedic Experience‘, p.150-153 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Gonda, Jan, 1993, ‘Aspects of Early Visnuism‘, p.56 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
23. 23: Bhandarkar, Ramkrishna G, 1995, ‘Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems‘, p.47 (Asian Educational Services); Danielou, Alain, 1991, ‘The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism‘, p.170 (Inner Traditions / Bear & Company)
24. 24: Bhandarkar, Ramkrishna G, 1995, ‘Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems‘, p.47 (Asian Educational Services); Aurobindo, Sri, 1988, ‘Vedic Symbolism‘, p.90 (Lotus Press)
25. 25: Gonda, Jan, 1993, ‘Aspects of Early Visnuism‘, p.57 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Alper, Harvey P, 1991, ‘Understanding Mantras‘, p.106 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
26. 26: Bhandarkar, Ramkrishna G, 1995, ‘Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems‘, p.48 (Asian Educational Services); Dalvi, Rohit & Deutsch, Eliot, 2004, ‘The Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta‘, p.32 (World Wisdom, Inc.); Sparreboom, M, 1985, ‘Chariots in the Veda‘, p.18 (BRILL)
27. 27: Bhattacharyya, Haridas, 1994, ‘The Foundations of Living Faiths: An Introduction to Comparative Religion‘, p.515 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Christian, James L, 2005, ‘Philosophy: An Introduction To The Art Of Wondering‘, p.545 (Thomson Wadsworth); Ma’sumian, Farnaz, 2002, ‘Life After Death: A Study of the Afterlife in World Religions‘, p.22 (Kalimat Press)
28. 28: Gonda, Jan, 1987, ‘Rice and Barley Offerings in the Veda‘, p.15,45,53-55 (Brill Archive)

Ari and Orfi

2 Comments March 19, 2008 at 11:30 am by mahud

There was once a great chieftain called Adomi, the last in a line of mighty monster slayers, who bestowed freedom to the people and harmony to the land. His wife was a sorceress called Lavana, who gave birth to twin sons called Ari and Orfi. After they were born an old seer appeared in the village and asked if he could bless Adomi’s sons. The seer placed his hand upon Orfi’s head and declared, “This child will inherit his father’s spear; his life depends upon it.” With those words he turned and began to walk away. Adomi was outraged. “Come back,” he cried! “You have mistaken the lastborn for the firstborn!” The seer replied, “It is you who are mistaken! Was not Orfi’s head the first to see the light of day? He would be heir to the Lionspear if his brother had not grabbed him by the heel and pulled him back into his mother’s womb.” “But what about Ari,” asked Adomi? “Why haven’t you blessed him?” The priest replied, “Have one of your own people do it. His future is not hard to see!” And with those words the seer was gone.

Now, it was customary for the eldest son to inherit his father’s spear, but Adomi had no intention of giving it to Orfi who was a weak child, always clinging to his mother. On the other hand, Ari was strong and confident. You couldn’t take your eyes off Ari for a moment without him getting into mischief. And so Adomi ignored the words of the old seer, and as the twins grew, he would take Ari into the forest and taught him to hunt, while his brother stayed at home with his mother. Lavana taught Orfi her own skills, but as he grew into a young man all he could think about was his father’s spear. Many of the people remembered the words of the old seer, and told Orfi that it was he, not his brother, who was destined to be firstborn. And so thoughts of the spear and hatred for his father and brother began to consume him.

Lavana greatly feared for her son’s future, who had become quite unteachable, and she began to wonder if the old seer was right after all. Early one morning she told Orfi that he must kill his father and claim his birthright. “But how,” he asked? “I’m no match for father, and Ari is always by his side.” Lavana replied, “I have prepared a sleeping potion which I will mix into that soup your brother loves so much. Before he and your father go hunting, I will call him to my hut and he will eat the soup and fall asleep before his spoon touches the bottom of his bowl. Then you will take your brother’s place. wait until you are deep into the forest and when your father’s back is turned, you must kill him, and claim the Lionspear which is rightfully yours. Now go and find your brother.”

Orfi went to his brother’s hut and told him that mother had prepared some soup for him. Ari didn’t waste any time and soon he was sitting at his mother’s table eating his favourite meal. Only a few minutes had past before the potion took affect and, true to Lavana’s word, he was unconscious before his spoon touched the bottom of the bowl. Orfi took his brother’s spear and upon approaching his father, Adomi called out, “Where’s Ari?” Orfi explained that he was ill and mother was taking care of him. “Look father” he said, “I have my brother’s spear. Today I will take his place.” Adomi agreed, and they both set off into the depths of the forest.” They followed the tracks of deer and were soon far from the village. As soon as Adomi’s back was turned Orfi pieced him through the heart with his brother’s spear. As his father lay dying on the ground he took the lionspear from his hand. Orfi was too afraid to return to the village for fear that his brother would take revenge, and so he set off in the direction of a neighbouring town to seek his destiny. When neither his father or brother returned from the hunt, Ari instinctively knew what his mother and brother had done, and he searched the forest for his father’s body. When he saw Adomi’s body fatally wounded with his own spear, he let out a cry and wept. He carried his father back to the village and after the funerary rites were performed, he cursed his mother and left the village forever.

Orfi married a woman called Palindra, but despite the Lionspear, he was a terrible hunter, and so the couple starved. After years of living in poverty, news reached the townsfolk of a great king called Ari in the west who had established a wealthy kingdom, and was soon to marry the most beautiful woman in the world. “Huh,” grumbled Orfi, “even without the spear, the gods smile upon my brother!” Palindra insisted that her husband must go to his brother and ask for a share of the riches, but Orfi was still afraid of him, and instead of travelling west, he went east, taking the spear with him.

Meanwhile in Ari’s kingdom, preparations were being made for the royal wedding. The night before the ceremony, Yari, Ari’s bride-to-be, dreamed that she was in a forest and gave birth to twin boys who were then snatched away by a gigantic lion and devoured. The following day she told Ari her dream and refused to marry him until he had found the terrible lion and killed it. He asked his advisers if they knew of such a beast and they replied that it must be the lion of Olam, the last of the mighty beasts that none of the great heroes of the past had succeeded in killing. Ari then summoned all the seers in the land; “surely one of them must know a way of killing it,” he thought. Eventually, a very old seer was brought before the king. “This old man claims to know how to kill the lion, but when we asked him he refused to tell us,” said the guards. “Greetings, majesty,” said the seer, “you have indeed become a great man, as I knew you would.” “You know me,” asked Ari? “We met once when you were a child,” replied the seer. “I could tell you how to kill the lion of Olam, but you will never sleep with your bride!” Outraged, the King demanded that the old man be arrested. As they led him away, the seer laughed saying “the only weapon capable of slaying the beast is the Lionspear, the weapon of your father and his father before him. The cause of the wound is also the cure!” When Ari heard this his heart sank.

When Ari told Yari, she told him that he must find his brother and the Lionspear. “As long as the lion lives I will never marry you,” she said. And so Ari left his kingdom in search of his brother. Finally, he came upon the home of his brother and his wife. Palindra told her brother-in-law that she hadn’t seen her husband for months. That night they slept together. The following day Ari left Palindra some money and continued searching for his lost brother.

By this time Orfi had himself reached the land of Olam. Many times he had almost sold the Lionspear for a scrap of food, if it were not for the seer’s prophecy:

“This child will inherit his father’s spear; his life depends upon it.”

The people of Olam took one look at the mighty spear and thought he had come to slay the giant lion. “If you kill the beast for us, we will make you our king,” they said. “At last,” he thought to himself, “the words of the seer are coming true.” Orfi agreed and set off into the forest in search of the lion’s lair. After many days roaming the forest, Orfi was tired and hungry and almost ready to give up. He sat upon a cliff and looked down into the forest and saw a mango tree. hastily he began to descend the cliff when he slipped and fell upon the Lionspear which pierced his thigh. He fell to the bottom of the cliff and lay there unconscious and bleeding until nightfall.

By this time Ari himself had reached Olam and decided that he would try to kill the lion with or without the help of the Lionspear. He was a good hunter and soon found the lion’s tracks. As he made his way through the forest he saw a shining light high upon a cliff. He climbed up to see what it was and discovered it was his dead father’s spear standing upright at the edge of the cliff and shining like the sun itself. He pulled it out of the ground and laughed.

Orfi awoke in agony, cursing the old seer for his misfortune. He heard a noise and grasped in the darkness for the spear, but could not find it. Suddenly the gigantic lion leaped out of trees, as did Ari, who threw the Lionspear with such force that it pierced the lion’s skull and passed through the beast’s rear. The lion fell to the ground dead.

Ari knelt down beside his wounded brother, who was himself close to death. “Brother,” said Orfi, “forgive me for killing father. My heart was poisoned by the false words of the seer.” “I forgive you,” said Ari, tears pouring down his face. “We are together at last, but cruel death is already here to separate us once more.” Then Ari remembered the last words of the old seer:

“The cause of the wound is also the cure.”

He fetched the spear and placed the point on his brother’s injured thigh and instantly the wound healed. Ari helped Orfi to his feet and together they walked back to town.

Medicine Hat and Back

2 Comments March 18, 2008 at 10:16 am by mahud

This weekend Shanny and I travelled to Medicine Hat, which is like a hours drive from Brooks. Neither of us drive and so Shanny’s mum was wonderful enough to drive us. We ate Chinese food and looked around the various shops and stuff, keeping an eye out for bookstores. I spotted one second hand bookstore and found a pristine paperback copy of The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion (The significance of religious myth, symbolism, and ritual within life and culture) by Mircea Eliade, for $3. You can read about Mircea Eliade’s Definition of Myth, I posted awhile back.

The name “Medicine Hat” is the English translation of ‘Saamis’ (SA-MUS)- the Blackfoot word for the eagle tail feather headdress worn by medicine men - or ‘Medicine Hat’. Several legends are associated with the name from a mythical merman river serpent named Soy-yee-daa-bee, the creator, who appeared to a hunter and instructed him to sacrifice his wife in order to obtain mystical powers which were manifest in a special hat. Another legend tells of a battle long ago between the Blackfeet and the Cree in which a retreating “Medicine Man” lost his headdress in the South Saskatchewan River.
Wikipedia Entry: Medicine Hat

Windmill Garden Centre at Medicine Hat

We also purchased a couple of books on Wicca: Progressive Witchcraft: Spirituality, Mysteries and Training In Modern Wicca by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, and Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham.

On the way back to Brooks we stopped off here & took a few pics

What I was really after was a deck of Tarot cards, and ended up finding a beautifully illustrated pack called the Sharman-Caselli Tarot, complete with a Beginner’s Guide to Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke. I also picked up Fortune-telling with Tarot Cards by Stuart R. Kaplan, for $1. There’s also an online course for learning the Tarot, that I intend on following, thanks to a recommendation by the Pagan Podcast The Dark Side of Fay.

Shanny

Shanny found some wonderful black candlesticks for her new altar and a black Native American representation of, I guess, either Raven or Thunderbird.

Shanny’s Altar

Thunderbird or Raven

Shan has an amazing connection with birds, and quite a gift for communicating with animals. She also recently told me that she can feel energy from flowers. She also has a deep connection and awareness of the passing seasons. Something I want to develop myself.

Mahud

On the return journey we passed loads of deer…

Deer

More Deer

Cosmic cycles in Hinduism

2 Comments March 7, 2008 at 8:34 pm by mahud

In Hinduism, since the Puranic age, time has been divided up into cosmic cycles, known as yugas, mahayugas and manvantaras. Like this classical world ages of Greece and Rome, time is divided into four consecutive ages: Krita (or satya), Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. Kali is the current yuga, which began on midnight, February 18th, 3102 BCE (year one according to the Hindu calendar).

The Four Yugas (Mahayuga)

The number four is symbolic of totality and perfection, which is the root meaning of the word Krita, the first yuga in the cycle. Corresponding with the symbol of the dharmic bovine standing on four legs, and the highest throw (four) in an old Indian dice game dating from the Brahmanic period, the Krita yuga is an age of ethical and spiritual perfection. The people living in this age are in complete harmony with dharma. The next age is Treta, meaning ‘three,’ corresponding with the dharmic bovine who now stands on three legs, and a roll of three in the game of dice. Imperfection has reduced Dharma by one quarter. The third yuga is Dvapara, meaning two. The dharmic bovine balances on two legs, corresponding with a dice roll of two. Dharma is again cut by one quarter. The fourth and final age is the Kali yuga. This is the most unluckiest throw of the dice. Kali means ‘worst,’ and is an age marked by decreasing depravity. Dharma, being cut again by another quarter is reduced to 25%. The bovine balances precariously on one leg.

1. Krita: Perfection (100% dharma)
2. Treta: Three (75% dharma)
3. Dvapara: Two (50% dharma)
4. Kali: Worst (25% dharma)

Each yuga is measured in terms of divine years (years of the gods), and also consists of a period of dawn (sandhyamsha) and twilight (sandhya), both of equal length. The Krita yuga lasts for a period of 4000 divine years (+ 2 x 4000 = 4800 divine years); the Treta yuga for 3000 divine years (+ 2 x 300 = 3600 divine years); the Dvapara yuga for 2000 divine years (+ 2 x 200 = 2400 divine years); and the Kali yuga for 1000 divine years (+ 2 X 200 divine years). In total the four yugas add up to 12000 divine years, which is the period of a complete cycle called a mahayuga (great cycle).

1. Krita: 4000 divine years plus 400 x 2 = 4800 divine years
2. Treta: 3000 divine years plus 300 x 2 = 3600 divine years
3. Dvapara: 2000 divine years plus 200 x 2 = 2400 divine years
4. Kali: 1000 divine years plus 100 x 2 = 1200 divine years

A divine year is equal to 360 solar years, which the Krita yuga is 1728000 years; Treta 1296000 years, Dvapara 864000 years, and the Kali yuga 432000 years, adding up to 4320000 solar years, making a mahayuga exactly ten times greater than the current age of Kali.

1. Krita: 1728000 solar years
2. Treta: 1296000 solar years
3. Dvapara: 864000 solar years
4. Kali: 432000 solar years

Kalpa (1000 Mahayugas)

1000 Mahayugas equals one kalpa, which is also the length of a day in the life of a creator/demiurge, Brahma. A night of a Brahma is also of equal length. A day and night of a Brahma (ahoratra: 4320000 X 2 = 8640000 solar years) correspond with the partial creation (sristi) and dissolution (pralaya) of the universe. A year of a Brahma (8640000 x 360) is a total of 3110400000 solar years. The life of a Brahma (3110400000 x 100 = 311040000000 solar years) consists of 36000 partial cosmic creations and dissolutions (8640000 x 36000 = 311040000000 solar years), after which the universe undergoes total dissolution (mahapralaya). After another period equal to the lifespan of a Brahma, another Brahma will emerge from the lotus attached to the sleeping Vishnu’s navel, and creation will recommence.

Manvantaras

Also there are Manvantaras or Manu-periods/intervals, which seem to be another system of cosmic cycles entirely. Manu is the Hindu equivalent of the Biblical Noah, and therefore a type of flood hero, common to many mythologies, and each Manvantara has its own Manu, upholding dharma. There are 14 manvantaras equal to almost 1 kalpa (a day in the life of a Brahma), consisting of 994 mahayugas. To make up the difference, the first manvantara is preceeded by a dawn the length of one Krita yuga (0.4 of a Mahayuga), while all 14 manvantaras are followed by a twilight of the same length (15 x 0.4 = 6 mahayugas), bringing to total up to 1000 mahayugas (kalpa). A manvantara is equal to 71 mahayugas. We are currently in the 28th mahayuga, of the 7th manvantara (The period of the seventh Manu Vaivasvata who was rescued from a deluge by Vishnu incarnate as a fish) of the current kalpa, known as the Varaha kalpa, ‘the age of the boar.’ At the beginning of the kalpa (the first Manvantara) Vishnu, incarnate as a boar, saved Earth from the bottom of the cosmic ocean. We are currently in the 457th yuga of the Varaha kalpa.