I swore to myself that I'd never get a Tumblr account.
I created this blog (obviously) on Blogger, or "Blogspot," as I still refer to it. I have a handful of followers. I've been trying to gain more, but whenever I tell someone I have a blog, they automatically assume I have a Tumblr, and when I explain to them that I don't have a Tumblr, well...
"Oh, sure. Give me that URL. I'll check it out. I promise."
Lies.
I'd like to think that this blog has a reason for existing, and I feel like it doesn't if nobody is going to read it. So, in a last-ditch effort to gain followers, I'm going to be trying out Tumblr for a couple of weeks. If it doesn't work out, I'll be back on here. Even if it does work out, I'll probably still transfer my Tumblr posts to this blog. So, there ought not to be any monumental changes, unless I decide that I like Tumblr infinitely better than Blogspot. The only differences should be that I'll be on Tumblr as well as here and Facebook, and with any luck, I'll be posting a lot more frequently.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon
Oh, geez...I have about five posts halfway finished that I haven't been able to make any progress on. I recall that my last post or so (might have been before that; I've lost track of what's been published and what hasn't), I mentioned an entry about a Norse folktale. Here it is. You might have heard it, or a variation of it. It's the Norse version of "Beauty and the Beast," bearing similarities to "The Scarlet Flower" and "Eros and Psyche," both of which are posted on this site. Without further ado:
EAST O' THE SUN AND WEST O' THE MOON
There once lived a poor man who had too many children to care for properly, though he loved each of them dearly. They were all handsome children, but the most beautiful of the lot of them was the man's youngest daughter.
One evening, as a winter storm howled and raged against the cottage walls, threatening to tear them down and rend them asunder, the man and all his children sat round the fire and attempted to warm their frigid bodies when, suddenly, there could be heard a tapping against the windowpane. The man rose to see who it was, and when he opened the door was met by an enormous white bear.
"Good evening," said the bear. When the man returned the greeting, the bear became so bold as to ask him, "May I have your youngest daughter? If I may have her, I swear to you that I will make you as rich as the richest man in the world--richer, even. Neither you nor your children should ever want for anything more in this world."
Though he would fain accept the offer of the money, he loved his daughter more than any worldly wealth, and so went inside to consult with her on the matter. The daughter, knowing full well that, otherwise, there was little hope of her own survival or that of her parents and siblings, eventually agreed to go with the bear, albeit quite reluctantly, as she didn't wish to leave her family and trust her fate and theirs to a perfect stranger. And so, she climbed up on the bear's back, held tight to its thick, shaggy fur, and the two of them set off for the bear's abode.
The bear lived in a castle hidden inside a hill, with many rooms decked in silver and gold and precious jewels. The bear gave the maiden a silver bell, and told her to ring it if there was anything she might need or want. After she had eaten and drunk her fill, she rang the bell, wishing to be shown to her bed. She scarce had touched it before she was whisked into a large chamber, in the middle of which was a gorgeous canopy bed, large enough for perhaps ten or fifteen men to lie upon it, and covered with luxurious silks and velvet and down pillows. She lay down on the bed and drew the coverlet over herself, and blew out the lamp, but just before she was able to settle into a deep sleep, she heard a man's footsteps come into the room. The figure stopped at the bed and lay down beside her. It must be the bear, she mused, and thought no more of it till morning and, by the time she awoke around dawn the bear was gone.
This happened every night for quite some time--a few months, perhaps nearly a year. As time went by, although the maid received practically anything her heart desired, she was not content, for she missed her family quite dearly. One day, as she dined with the bear, he asked her what was troubling her, and she told him that she wished to see her father and mother and brothers and sisters again. The bear took some convincing, for he could foresee no good coming out of this. Finally, he sighed and said, "Very well. But you must remember never to speak to your mother unless at least one other of your kin is around to hear. Mark me, she will try to take you by the arm and lead you away from the others, but you must refuse, otherwise you'll bring misfortune upon both of us."
The maiden's family was overjoyed to receive her company, even if it was to be only for a few days' time. It turned out that the bear truly was a creature of his word--they were indeed very well off. When her father and mother asked her how she was where she lived, she told them about the white bear's magnanimity and how she always had enough to eat, and fine clothes and jewels to wear, and a soft, warm bed to sleep in. Her parents were glad to hear this, but after they had dined and the children went out to play, the mother asked the maid if she could talk to her in her bedroom. The maid, remembering her promise to the bear, gently and politely refused. Twice more the mother did this, and eventually the maid had to tell her the whole story, about how every night after she had extinguished the lamp, the bear cast off his form and lay beside her, and would vanish again by morning.
"Dear child," the woman exclaimed, "You may be sleeping with a Troll! Here, take this candle, and when you are sure he is asleep, light it and have a look at him. But be sure not to let any of the tallow drop on him."
The daughter, frightened, did as her mother had said, and lit the candle the very night that she had returned. But when she had turned to gaze upon the man lying at her side, she saw that it was not as her mother had said, but that the bear assumed the form of the most handsome Prince anyone could ever set eyes upon. At that moment, she fell so deeply in love with him that she bent to give him a kiss, but in doing so she let three drops of tallow spill on his shirt. The hot wax woke him and he fixed her with a glare that could have melted stone.
"You foolish girl," he said in a voice made threatening by its calm, "had you possessed the patience to wait this one year through, I would have been freed from this enchantment that had been placed upon me by my witch of a stepmother. So now, I must go to her castle which lies East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, and marry the Princess who lives in that castle, with a nose three ells[1] long."
She mustn't come with him, he said, but she was free to seek him out if she could; he could only say that the palace lay East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, and nothing more the would aid her. When she awoke the next morning, she found herself in the midst of a dark wood, wearing the rags in which she had first come to the Prince's palace, months before. Both Prince and palace had vanished without a trace. She walked for a long time until she found an old lady, playing with a golden apple. The maid asked her if she knew how to get to the castle East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, to rescue the Prince who lived there who was to marry the Princess with the nose three ells long.
"How is it that you know about him?" asked the crone. "Are you the one who ought to have had him?"
"Yes, I am," replied the maiden.
Alas, the lady knew nothing more than the Prince had told the maid already, but she loaned the girl her horse and gave her the golden apple, saying that it might help her in the future.
The crone had a neighbor, a woman as old as she, whom the maid encountered sitting with a gold carding-comb. The maid switched the horse under the left ear, and it returned home to its mistress. Then, she approached the hag and asked if she knew the way to the palace East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, where the Prince lived, who was to marry the Princess with the nose three ells long.
The old woman knew nothing other than what the maid had already heard, but gave her the carding-comb and the loan of her horse so that she might ask the next neighbor.
The maid found the third woman spinning with a golden spinning-wheel. When asked about the castle East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, and the Prince who lived there, and the Princess with the nose three ells long, she replied, "You must be the one who ought to have had him. I know nothing of the place, other than that it is East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, but you may have my spinning-wheel and the loan of my horse so that you may ride to the East Wind; perhaps he could take you there."
The maid thanked the crone and went off on her way. When she reached the home of the East Wind, she switched her horse and bade it return home, and approached the East Wind, inquiring, "Would you, by any chance, know of the way to the palace East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, where lives the Prince who is to marry the Princess with the nose three ells long?"
The East Wind replied, "I know of the place, but I am the weakest of the four winds, and have never blown nearly so far in my life. But here; I shall take you to my brother, the West Wind, who is stronger than I."
It was many days to the place where dwelt the West Wind. It turned out that he was of no assistance, either--he had never blown so far. "But," he said to the girl, "Perhaps my brother, the South Wind, would know the way to the palace East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon."
The ride to the South Wind was longer still than either of the journeys, and no more fruitful. The South Wind had never blown so far, but he knew for a fact that the North Wind, the strongest of the four of them, had. And so, he offered to take her to him, so that he might bring her to the castle East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon.
The North Wind was not quite so good-humored as were his three brothers. But, when the South Wind informed him that this was the girl who ought to have had the Prince who lived with his wicked stepmother in the palace East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, he reined in his temper just a little bit and said, "Child, it is true that I have blown to the castle which lies East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, but I was so weary that for days afterward I was forced to rest, for exhaustion had rendered me powerless. Nevertheless, I shall try to carry you thither."
The girl was quite thankful, and got on his back, and the two of them set off on their way, across a great sea. True to his word, the journey sapped most of the North Wind's strength, so that he only had just enough to push the girl onto the edge of the shoreline. The castle stood on a hill in the distance, a great mass of stone walls, battlements and towers.
The next morning, the girl sat beneath the window she saw was that of the Princess's bedchambers, and played with the golden apple the first hag had given her. The Princess saw, and thought to herself that she must have that apple, whatever the cost. So she leaned out of the window and asked the girl, "How much could I give you for that apple you have there?"
"It's not for sale for gold or money," replied the girl.
"If not for gold or money, then what?"
The girl made a show of thinking for a moment, then said, "If you would allow me to spend the night with the Prince who is to marry you, then the apple will be yours."
Now, the Princess knew that the maid was the one who ought to have had the Prince, and she had a plan. She quickly agreed, and the maid tossed the apple to her.
That evening, when the Princess served the Prince his supper, she mixed a special brew into his wine, so that he would fall into a deep sleep until morning. Thus, when the maid went to see him, she could not wake him, and so was forced to leave at dawn, forlorn. But the maid was not to be deterred: she sat herself down right in the same spot she had the day before and fussed with her golden carding-comb. The Princess wished to have the comb, too, and agreed to barter another night with the Prince for it. Unbeknownst to the maid, the Princess drugged the Prince once more, and the girl once again failed to wake him.
Knowing that this was her last chance, the maiden sat down beneath the window and spun with her gold spinning wheel until the Princess asked for it, agreeing to one last night with the Prince. Meanwhile, there were in the castle some men of the Christian faith, who had been staying in the room next to the Prince's, and had heard the cries and prayers and pleas of the girl, and so told the Prince. The Prince knew that this was the girl who had gone with him when he was trapped as a white bear, and who ought to have had him, and realized that the Princess had tricked him. So, when the Princess came into his room that night with the drink, he took a sip, but didn't swallow, instead spitting it out the moment she left. So, when the maiden came in, she found to her surprise and joy that the Prince was awake, and told him the story of how she had found him.
"You've come just in time," said the Prince with a smile, "for tomorrow is the day I am to be wed to the horrid Princess with the nose three ells long. But I'll not have her; I want you. I'll challenge her to show me what she is fit for." He went to the wardrobe and removed the shirt with the three drops of tallow on it, the tallow she had spilled the night he disappeared. "I'll ask her to wash the tallow out of this shirt, which she won't be able to do, as she carries Troll blood in her veins. And when she fails, I'll say that I'll only have for a bride the woman who can wash the shirt clean, and then ask you to do it."
The next day, the maid was shooed out of the room as the servants came to ready the Prince for his wedding. The Prince announced, "I would like to see what my bride is fit for."
The stepmother agreed that that was a wise request, and he went on. "I've got a very fine shirt here, which I would like to wear to my wedding, but somehow it has gotten three spots of tallow on it. I want them washed out, and I refuse to marry anyone save the one who can do it."
Immediately the Princess set to work, but the more she scrubbed, the bigger and blacker the spots grew. The stepmother, too, made an attempt, to similar results. Then all the other Trolls tried, until the spots had just about consumed the shirt.
"You're all worthless," exclaimed the Prince. He gestured to the window where the maiden watched. "Outside sits a beggar girl who I'm positive could wash this shirt better than any of you. Come here, girl!"
She came in, she took the shirt from the Prince, and as soon as she had dipped it in the water, the spots vanished and it became as white as fresh snow. The Prince proclaimed that he had made his choice, and so the two of them married, took the Trolls' silver and gold, and went as far away as was humanly possible from the castle that lay East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon.
[1] unit of measurement, also called a cubit, spanning the length of a man's forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, or approximately 18 inches
Sources:
Dasent, G. W. (1903). Popular tales from the Norse (New ed.). Edinburgh: David Douglas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ell
EAST O' THE SUN AND WEST O' THE MOON
There once lived a poor man who had too many children to care for properly, though he loved each of them dearly. They were all handsome children, but the most beautiful of the lot of them was the man's youngest daughter.
One evening, as a winter storm howled and raged against the cottage walls, threatening to tear them down and rend them asunder, the man and all his children sat round the fire and attempted to warm their frigid bodies when, suddenly, there could be heard a tapping against the windowpane. The man rose to see who it was, and when he opened the door was met by an enormous white bear.
"Good evening," said the bear. When the man returned the greeting, the bear became so bold as to ask him, "May I have your youngest daughter? If I may have her, I swear to you that I will make you as rich as the richest man in the world--richer, even. Neither you nor your children should ever want for anything more in this world."
Though he would fain accept the offer of the money, he loved his daughter more than any worldly wealth, and so went inside to consult with her on the matter. The daughter, knowing full well that, otherwise, there was little hope of her own survival or that of her parents and siblings, eventually agreed to go with the bear, albeit quite reluctantly, as she didn't wish to leave her family and trust her fate and theirs to a perfect stranger. And so, she climbed up on the bear's back, held tight to its thick, shaggy fur, and the two of them set off for the bear's abode.
The bear lived in a castle hidden inside a hill, with many rooms decked in silver and gold and precious jewels. The bear gave the maiden a silver bell, and told her to ring it if there was anything she might need or want. After she had eaten and drunk her fill, she rang the bell, wishing to be shown to her bed. She scarce had touched it before she was whisked into a large chamber, in the middle of which was a gorgeous canopy bed, large enough for perhaps ten or fifteen men to lie upon it, and covered with luxurious silks and velvet and down pillows. She lay down on the bed and drew the coverlet over herself, and blew out the lamp, but just before she was able to settle into a deep sleep, she heard a man's footsteps come into the room. The figure stopped at the bed and lay down beside her. It must be the bear, she mused, and thought no more of it till morning and, by the time she awoke around dawn the bear was gone.
This happened every night for quite some time--a few months, perhaps nearly a year. As time went by, although the maid received practically anything her heart desired, she was not content, for she missed her family quite dearly. One day, as she dined with the bear, he asked her what was troubling her, and she told him that she wished to see her father and mother and brothers and sisters again. The bear took some convincing, for he could foresee no good coming out of this. Finally, he sighed and said, "Very well. But you must remember never to speak to your mother unless at least one other of your kin is around to hear. Mark me, she will try to take you by the arm and lead you away from the others, but you must refuse, otherwise you'll bring misfortune upon both of us."
The maiden's family was overjoyed to receive her company, even if it was to be only for a few days' time. It turned out that the bear truly was a creature of his word--they were indeed very well off. When her father and mother asked her how she was where she lived, she told them about the white bear's magnanimity and how she always had enough to eat, and fine clothes and jewels to wear, and a soft, warm bed to sleep in. Her parents were glad to hear this, but after they had dined and the children went out to play, the mother asked the maid if she could talk to her in her bedroom. The maid, remembering her promise to the bear, gently and politely refused. Twice more the mother did this, and eventually the maid had to tell her the whole story, about how every night after she had extinguished the lamp, the bear cast off his form and lay beside her, and would vanish again by morning.
"Dear child," the woman exclaimed, "You may be sleeping with a Troll! Here, take this candle, and when you are sure he is asleep, light it and have a look at him. But be sure not to let any of the tallow drop on him."
The daughter, frightened, did as her mother had said, and lit the candle the very night that she had returned. But when she had turned to gaze upon the man lying at her side, she saw that it was not as her mother had said, but that the bear assumed the form of the most handsome Prince anyone could ever set eyes upon. At that moment, she fell so deeply in love with him that she bent to give him a kiss, but in doing so she let three drops of tallow spill on his shirt. The hot wax woke him and he fixed her with a glare that could have melted stone.
"You foolish girl," he said in a voice made threatening by its calm, "had you possessed the patience to wait this one year through, I would have been freed from this enchantment that had been placed upon me by my witch of a stepmother. So now, I must go to her castle which lies East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, and marry the Princess who lives in that castle, with a nose three ells[1] long."
She mustn't come with him, he said, but she was free to seek him out if she could; he could only say that the palace lay East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, and nothing more the would aid her. When she awoke the next morning, she found herself in the midst of a dark wood, wearing the rags in which she had first come to the Prince's palace, months before. Both Prince and palace had vanished without a trace. She walked for a long time until she found an old lady, playing with a golden apple. The maid asked her if she knew how to get to the castle East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, to rescue the Prince who lived there who was to marry the Princess with the nose three ells long.
"How is it that you know about him?" asked the crone. "Are you the one who ought to have had him?"
"Yes, I am," replied the maiden.
Alas, the lady knew nothing more than the Prince had told the maid already, but she loaned the girl her horse and gave her the golden apple, saying that it might help her in the future.
The crone had a neighbor, a woman as old as she, whom the maid encountered sitting with a gold carding-comb. The maid switched the horse under the left ear, and it returned home to its mistress. Then, she approached the hag and asked if she knew the way to the palace East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, where the Prince lived, who was to marry the Princess with the nose three ells long.
The old woman knew nothing other than what the maid had already heard, but gave her the carding-comb and the loan of her horse so that she might ask the next neighbor.
The maid found the third woman spinning with a golden spinning-wheel. When asked about the castle East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, and the Prince who lived there, and the Princess with the nose three ells long, she replied, "You must be the one who ought to have had him. I know nothing of the place, other than that it is East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, but you may have my spinning-wheel and the loan of my horse so that you may ride to the East Wind; perhaps he could take you there."
The maid thanked the crone and went off on her way. When she reached the home of the East Wind, she switched her horse and bade it return home, and approached the East Wind, inquiring, "Would you, by any chance, know of the way to the palace East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, where lives the Prince who is to marry the Princess with the nose three ells long?"
The East Wind replied, "I know of the place, but I am the weakest of the four winds, and have never blown nearly so far in my life. But here; I shall take you to my brother, the West Wind, who is stronger than I."
It was many days to the place where dwelt the West Wind. It turned out that he was of no assistance, either--he had never blown so far. "But," he said to the girl, "Perhaps my brother, the South Wind, would know the way to the palace East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon."
The ride to the South Wind was longer still than either of the journeys, and no more fruitful. The South Wind had never blown so far, but he knew for a fact that the North Wind, the strongest of the four of them, had. And so, he offered to take her to him, so that he might bring her to the castle East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon.
The North Wind was not quite so good-humored as were his three brothers. But, when the South Wind informed him that this was the girl who ought to have had the Prince who lived with his wicked stepmother in the palace East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, he reined in his temper just a little bit and said, "Child, it is true that I have blown to the castle which lies East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, but I was so weary that for days afterward I was forced to rest, for exhaustion had rendered me powerless. Nevertheless, I shall try to carry you thither."
The girl was quite thankful, and got on his back, and the two of them set off on their way, across a great sea. True to his word, the journey sapped most of the North Wind's strength, so that he only had just enough to push the girl onto the edge of the shoreline. The castle stood on a hill in the distance, a great mass of stone walls, battlements and towers.
The next morning, the girl sat beneath the window she saw was that of the Princess's bedchambers, and played with the golden apple the first hag had given her. The Princess saw, and thought to herself that she must have that apple, whatever the cost. So she leaned out of the window and asked the girl, "How much could I give you for that apple you have there?"
"It's not for sale for gold or money," replied the girl.
"If not for gold or money, then what?"
The girl made a show of thinking for a moment, then said, "If you would allow me to spend the night with the Prince who is to marry you, then the apple will be yours."
Now, the Princess knew that the maid was the one who ought to have had the Prince, and she had a plan. She quickly agreed, and the maid tossed the apple to her.
That evening, when the Princess served the Prince his supper, she mixed a special brew into his wine, so that he would fall into a deep sleep until morning. Thus, when the maid went to see him, she could not wake him, and so was forced to leave at dawn, forlorn. But the maid was not to be deterred: she sat herself down right in the same spot she had the day before and fussed with her golden carding-comb. The Princess wished to have the comb, too, and agreed to barter another night with the Prince for it. Unbeknownst to the maid, the Princess drugged the Prince once more, and the girl once again failed to wake him.
Knowing that this was her last chance, the maiden sat down beneath the window and spun with her gold spinning wheel until the Princess asked for it, agreeing to one last night with the Prince. Meanwhile, there were in the castle some men of the Christian faith, who had been staying in the room next to the Prince's, and had heard the cries and prayers and pleas of the girl, and so told the Prince. The Prince knew that this was the girl who had gone with him when he was trapped as a white bear, and who ought to have had him, and realized that the Princess had tricked him. So, when the Princess came into his room that night with the drink, he took a sip, but didn't swallow, instead spitting it out the moment she left. So, when the maiden came in, she found to her surprise and joy that the Prince was awake, and told him the story of how she had found him.
"You've come just in time," said the Prince with a smile, "for tomorrow is the day I am to be wed to the horrid Princess with the nose three ells long. But I'll not have her; I want you. I'll challenge her to show me what she is fit for." He went to the wardrobe and removed the shirt with the three drops of tallow on it, the tallow she had spilled the night he disappeared. "I'll ask her to wash the tallow out of this shirt, which she won't be able to do, as she carries Troll blood in her veins. And when she fails, I'll say that I'll only have for a bride the woman who can wash the shirt clean, and then ask you to do it."
The next day, the maid was shooed out of the room as the servants came to ready the Prince for his wedding. The Prince announced, "I would like to see what my bride is fit for."
The stepmother agreed that that was a wise request, and he went on. "I've got a very fine shirt here, which I would like to wear to my wedding, but somehow it has gotten three spots of tallow on it. I want them washed out, and I refuse to marry anyone save the one who can do it."
Immediately the Princess set to work, but the more she scrubbed, the bigger and blacker the spots grew. The stepmother, too, made an attempt, to similar results. Then all the other Trolls tried, until the spots had just about consumed the shirt.
"You're all worthless," exclaimed the Prince. He gestured to the window where the maiden watched. "Outside sits a beggar girl who I'm positive could wash this shirt better than any of you. Come here, girl!"
She came in, she took the shirt from the Prince, and as soon as she had dipped it in the water, the spots vanished and it became as white as fresh snow. The Prince proclaimed that he had made his choice, and so the two of them married, took the Trolls' silver and gold, and went as far away as was humanly possible from the castle that lay East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon.
[1] unit of measurement, also called a cubit, spanning the length of a man's forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, or approximately 18 inches
Sources:
Dasent, G. W. (1903). Popular tales from the Norse (New ed.). Edinburgh: David Douglas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ell
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A Brief Update
Okay, I realize I haven't posted anything in a long time. And my posts--when I do add them--are sporadic at best. I've been spending most of my time on Myth Fix's associated Facebook page, gaining likes (I have sixteen now--aren't I so popular?). So, I've decided to reclaim my blog for a spell, even if it is just for a general update.
I've been working on my Goddess mythology lecture for Smart Janes (my school's feminist club), and sadly it's hit a roadblock. I'm pretty much out of ideas, and I get major stage fright, which is preventing me from coming up with new ideas. But I'll be fishing for suggestions Thursday, and in a couple of weeks (Gods willing), I'll have the video to share with you.
Also, I'm conducting research on Underworld myths and how they vary from pantheon to pantheon for an English project, from which will hopefully spring a fairly decent and presentable short story. I'll probably devote an entry to that when I get it done.
Oh, and I'm currently in one of my "Specific Pantheon" phases. I get these from time to time, where my attention is devoted to (surprise!) one pantheon above all others. This time it's the Norse. So expect a Deity Spotlight on either Odin or Loki in the near future. (And quotes from the Eddas on the Facebook page.)
Well, that's all for tonight. I hope I'll have the time, wit, and incentive to spare in order to blog more often.
I've been working on my Goddess mythology lecture for Smart Janes (my school's feminist club), and sadly it's hit a roadblock. I'm pretty much out of ideas, and I get major stage fright, which is preventing me from coming up with new ideas. But I'll be fishing for suggestions Thursday, and in a couple of weeks (Gods willing), I'll have the video to share with you.
Also, I'm conducting research on Underworld myths and how they vary from pantheon to pantheon for an English project, from which will hopefully spring a fairly decent and presentable short story. I'll probably devote an entry to that when I get it done.
Oh, and I'm currently in one of my "Specific Pantheon" phases. I get these from time to time, where my attention is devoted to (surprise!) one pantheon above all others. This time it's the Norse. So expect a Deity Spotlight on either Odin or Loki in the near future. (And quotes from the Eddas on the Facebook page.)
Well, that's all for tonight. I hope I'll have the time, wit, and incentive to spare in order to blog more often.
Monday, April 2, 2012
My Personal Top Nine List of Badass Goddesses
I'm a member of my high school's feminist club, and they have allowed me to give a presentation next month on Goddess mythology. Thus far I've done next to absolutely nothing, for the same reason I've been shirking my duty to this blog: I'm lazy and I tend to do better work in the last minute because everything tends to click into place in my brain ONLY when I have hours (or minutes) left until the deadline. But anyway, I've decided to kill two birds with one stone--organizing my thoughts, AND updating Myth Fix. So, without further ado, I present to you my top nine list of badass Goddesses who make me extremely proud to be a polytheist.
Please note that these are in no particular order. I am already indulging in enough favoritism as it is by picking nine out of the hundreds that exist, and I don't wish to anger any of these, as well.
KALI
Kali is a Hindu goddess of death and destruction. If you've ever seen a picture of Her, She's absolutely terrifying. She's depicted with four arms, black or blue skin, and wearing a skirt of severed arms and a necklace of human skulls. Plus, she's the wife of Shiva. She is said to have been created by Durga during the battle with Mahisha, a shapeshifting demon that symbolized pure evil. She may actually be worshipped as a form of Durga, rather than as Her own, completely separate Goddess.
DURGA
Another Hindu goddess, as mentioned above. Durga is essentially the female aspect of the divine, known as shakti, and is shown as both a fearsome warrior goddess and a mother deity. She has eight to ten arms, depending on which form She decides to take, and She uses Her divine power to annihilate those who would seek to upset the natural order.
MORRIGAN
We're moving on to the Celtic pantheon. Morrigan is a member of the Tuatha de Danaan, the People of Danu. Sometimes She is described as having a triple aspect. According to the Ulster Cycle, She first fought with Cu Chulainn, and later turned against him. Her other forms include the Bean Nighe and a crow that flies around the field after a battle and picks the souls from the corpses.
ATHENA
Okay, I usually make a point to avoid discussing Greek mythology on here--not because I don't like it; don't get me wrong, it's awesome. But the problem is that EVERYONE has heard the myths. They're what writers like Shakespeare often alluded to. And with Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, their popularity skyrocketed. But Athena has always been a personal favorite of mine, for the sole reason that She doesn't take crap from mortals. Take the myth of Arachne, for example: Arachne, a beautiful woman and skilled weaver, boasted that she was better than Athena, the goddess of crafts. So Athena called her bluff and challenged her to a weaving contest. She didn't even mind that Arachne ended up winning. But Arachne had decided to make the subject of her tapestry Zeus's various love affairs, so Athena destroyed her work and turned her into a spider.
ARTEMIS
Worshipped as Diana in the Roman pantheon, to the Greeks, Artemis is the virgin goddess of the hunt. She is the twin sister of Apollo, the sun god, and even served as midwife during Apollo's birth. As a young goddess She asked her father, Zeus, for six wishes, one of them being to remain chaste for eternity. This was a thing She took extremely seriously. When Acteon, a hunter and descendant of Apollo, was caught spying on her while She bathed, She turned him into a stag, to be torn apart by his own hounds. Chastity was also a requirement for the nymphs who followed Her: When She discovered that one of them, Callisto, had been impregnated by Zeus, She turned her into a bear.
ISIS
She is the wife of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the Underworld, and the mother of Horus. When Osiris's brother, Seth, killed him and cut him into a thousand pieces, it was Isis (the epitome of the perfect wife) who located the pieces and sought the aid of Anubis, the god of embalming, in putting her husband back together. Her cult was widespread, and for a time even rivaled Christianity in popularity.
INANNA/ISHTAR
I'm including them as one entry because they're often associated with one another. Inanna (or Ishtar) is the Mesopotamian goddess of fertility, and the wife of Dumuzi (or Tammuz) the farmer god. She is the twin sister of the goddess Ereshkigal, who rules the Underworld. One of the better-known myths about Inanna is one in which she visits Ereshkigal in the Underworld, and must pass through seven gates. At each gate, she was required to remove an article of clothing, and was completely naked by the time she reached the throne room. When she went to embrace Ereshkigal, as the two of them hadn't seen each other in ages, Ereshkigal's demons thought Inanna was trying to take their mistress back to the world of the living, so they seized Inanna, killing her. Now, Inanna and the judges of the dead had reached a sort of agreement after a while, and said that she could return to life only if she selected another to die in her place. Upon returning to Earth, she discovered that Dumuzi had been having an affair with another goddess in her absence. Inanna was having none of this, so she declared that Dumuzi AND Geshtinanna (the object of Dumuzi's lust) would both be sent to the Underworld, but each only for six months of the year, so that they were separated for eternity.
MA'AT
Ma'at was not only an Egyptian goddess, She was the very essence of cosmic order, often symbolized in Egyptian art by a feather. Souls are judged by way of the heart of the person's ka (or soul) weighed against Ma'at. If the heart is lighter, then the person may enjoy the Afterlife. If it is heavier, however, the soul is devoured by Ammit.
HEL
The ruler of Helheim, Hel is a Norse goddess of death. She is the daughter of Loki by the giantess Angrboda, and is generally depicted as half-living woman, half-decaying corpse. In fact, the word "Hell" comes from Her name. However, contrary to its legacy, Helheim is the place where the "average" souls are said to go. Her siblings are the giant serpent Jormungand (whose arch-nemesis is Thor) and Fenrir, the wolf who is to slay (and be slain in turn by) Odin during the battle of Ragnarok.
Sources:
Images: Wikipedia
Drawing of Isis: Mine
"Hel" (1889) by Johannes Gehrts
www.godchecker.com
Please note that these are in no particular order. I am already indulging in enough favoritism as it is by picking nine out of the hundreds that exist, and I don't wish to anger any of these, as well.
KALI
Kali is a Hindu goddess of death and destruction. If you've ever seen a picture of Her, She's absolutely terrifying. She's depicted with four arms, black or blue skin, and wearing a skirt of severed arms and a necklace of human skulls. Plus, she's the wife of Shiva. She is said to have been created by Durga during the battle with Mahisha, a shapeshifting demon that symbolized pure evil. She may actually be worshipped as a form of Durga, rather than as Her own, completely separate Goddess.
DURGA
Another Hindu goddess, as mentioned above. Durga is essentially the female aspect of the divine, known as shakti, and is shown as both a fearsome warrior goddess and a mother deity. She has eight to ten arms, depending on which form She decides to take, and She uses Her divine power to annihilate those who would seek to upset the natural order.
MORRIGAN
We're moving on to the Celtic pantheon. Morrigan is a member of the Tuatha de Danaan, the People of Danu. Sometimes She is described as having a triple aspect. According to the Ulster Cycle, She first fought with Cu Chulainn, and later turned against him. Her other forms include the Bean Nighe and a crow that flies around the field after a battle and picks the souls from the corpses.
ATHENA
Okay, I usually make a point to avoid discussing Greek mythology on here--not because I don't like it; don't get me wrong, it's awesome. But the problem is that EVERYONE has heard the myths. They're what writers like Shakespeare often alluded to. And with Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, their popularity skyrocketed. But Athena has always been a personal favorite of mine, for the sole reason that She doesn't take crap from mortals. Take the myth of Arachne, for example: Arachne, a beautiful woman and skilled weaver, boasted that she was better than Athena, the goddess of crafts. So Athena called her bluff and challenged her to a weaving contest. She didn't even mind that Arachne ended up winning. But Arachne had decided to make the subject of her tapestry Zeus's various love affairs, so Athena destroyed her work and turned her into a spider.
ARTEMIS
Worshipped as Diana in the Roman pantheon, to the Greeks, Artemis is the virgin goddess of the hunt. She is the twin sister of Apollo, the sun god, and even served as midwife during Apollo's birth. As a young goddess She asked her father, Zeus, for six wishes, one of them being to remain chaste for eternity. This was a thing She took extremely seriously. When Acteon, a hunter and descendant of Apollo, was caught spying on her while She bathed, She turned him into a stag, to be torn apart by his own hounds. Chastity was also a requirement for the nymphs who followed Her: When She discovered that one of them, Callisto, had been impregnated by Zeus, She turned her into a bear.
ISIS
She is the wife of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the Underworld, and the mother of Horus. When Osiris's brother, Seth, killed him and cut him into a thousand pieces, it was Isis (the epitome of the perfect wife) who located the pieces and sought the aid of Anubis, the god of embalming, in putting her husband back together. Her cult was widespread, and for a time even rivaled Christianity in popularity.
INANNA/ISHTAR
I'm including them as one entry because they're often associated with one another. Inanna (or Ishtar) is the Mesopotamian goddess of fertility, and the wife of Dumuzi (or Tammuz) the farmer god. She is the twin sister of the goddess Ereshkigal, who rules the Underworld. One of the better-known myths about Inanna is one in which she visits Ereshkigal in the Underworld, and must pass through seven gates. At each gate, she was required to remove an article of clothing, and was completely naked by the time she reached the throne room. When she went to embrace Ereshkigal, as the two of them hadn't seen each other in ages, Ereshkigal's demons thought Inanna was trying to take their mistress back to the world of the living, so they seized Inanna, killing her. Now, Inanna and the judges of the dead had reached a sort of agreement after a while, and said that she could return to life only if she selected another to die in her place. Upon returning to Earth, she discovered that Dumuzi had been having an affair with another goddess in her absence. Inanna was having none of this, so she declared that Dumuzi AND Geshtinanna (the object of Dumuzi's lust) would both be sent to the Underworld, but each only for six months of the year, so that they were separated for eternity.
MA'AT
Ma'at was not only an Egyptian goddess, She was the very essence of cosmic order, often symbolized in Egyptian art by a feather. Souls are judged by way of the heart of the person's ka (or soul) weighed against Ma'at. If the heart is lighter, then the person may enjoy the Afterlife. If it is heavier, however, the soul is devoured by Ammit.
HEL
The ruler of Helheim, Hel is a Norse goddess of death. She is the daughter of Loki by the giantess Angrboda, and is generally depicted as half-living woman, half-decaying corpse. In fact, the word "Hell" comes from Her name. However, contrary to its legacy, Helheim is the place where the "average" souls are said to go. Her siblings are the giant serpent Jormungand (whose arch-nemesis is Thor) and Fenrir, the wolf who is to slay (and be slain in turn by) Odin during the battle of Ragnarok.
Sources:
Images: Wikipedia
Drawing of Isis: Mine
"Hel" (1889) by Johannes Gehrts
www.godchecker.com
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I'm a quarter Irish on my father's side (the other half of that half is Scottish), and the rest comes from Germany with a little bit of French mixed in. Therefore, I consider myself a purebred Celt. Also, St. Patrick's Day is my third-favorite holiday of the year (after Halloween and Christmas, and right before April Fool's Day). I figured I'd do an Irish myth today, perhaps something from the Ulster Cycle. But it's a long story and I got to it kind of late, so I'll just cover a section of it.
THE CATTLE RAID OF COOLEY
Queen Medb of Connaught wished to acquire the legendary brown bull of Cooley (Donn Cualinge in Irish), who was extremely fertile and desirable as breeding stock. So, naturally, what does she do? She decides to wage a war. Over a bull.
CU CHULAINN
The central hero-figure in the Cattle Raid of Cooley story, he was the son of the god Lugh and a mortal woman, Deichtire. Originally known as Setanta, Cu Chulainn got his name when he killed Culann the smith's bloodhound, then offers to take its place. Cu Chulainn means "Hound of Culann." During the Cattle Raid of Cooley, Cu Chulainn (then seventeen) is the only one of the Ulster men unaffected by a supernatural illness unleashed by the goddess Macha, whom the King of Ulster offended. He invoked the right of single combat at fords and defeated hundreds of Medb's soldiers in this fashion.
Years later, Cu Chulainn's final battle came when he saw a bean nighe washing his bloodstained clothes in the ford. (According to Irish tradition, the bean nighe is an omen foretelling one's death.) He was mortally wounded by a spear belonging to Lugaid, the son of Cu Roi, a warrior Cu Chulainn had killed. Now comes my favorite part of the story--Cu Chulainn tied himself to a standing stone and continued to fight valiantly until the last breath left his lungs. Until a raven landed on his shoulder, Lugaid and his comrades were hesitant to approach Cu Chulainn's lifeless body, out of fear that he was not yet dead. Finally, Lugaid cut Cu Chulainn's head off as a trophy, but the fallen warrior's sword fell and severed Lugaid's hand. Lugaid was eventually killed by Conall Cernach, who had sworn to avenge Cu Chulainn's death.
THE CATTLE RAID OF COOLEY
Queen Medb of Connaught wished to acquire the legendary brown bull of Cooley (Donn Cualinge in Irish), who was extremely fertile and desirable as breeding stock. So, naturally, what does she do? She decides to wage a war. Over a bull.
CU CHULAINN
The central hero-figure in the Cattle Raid of Cooley story, he was the son of the god Lugh and a mortal woman, Deichtire. Originally known as Setanta, Cu Chulainn got his name when he killed Culann the smith's bloodhound, then offers to take its place. Cu Chulainn means "Hound of Culann." During the Cattle Raid of Cooley, Cu Chulainn (then seventeen) is the only one of the Ulster men unaffected by a supernatural illness unleashed by the goddess Macha, whom the King of Ulster offended. He invoked the right of single combat at fords and defeated hundreds of Medb's soldiers in this fashion.
Years later, Cu Chulainn's final battle came when he saw a bean nighe washing his bloodstained clothes in the ford. (According to Irish tradition, the bean nighe is an omen foretelling one's death.) He was mortally wounded by a spear belonging to Lugaid, the son of Cu Roi, a warrior Cu Chulainn had killed. Now comes my favorite part of the story--Cu Chulainn tied himself to a standing stone and continued to fight valiantly until the last breath left his lungs. Until a raven landed on his shoulder, Lugaid and his comrades were hesitant to approach Cu Chulainn's lifeless body, out of fear that he was not yet dead. Finally, Lugaid cut Cu Chulainn's head off as a trophy, but the fallen warrior's sword fell and severed Lugaid's hand. Lugaid was eventually killed by Conall Cernach, who had sworn to avenge Cu Chulainn's death.
Monday, March 12, 2012
The Beautiful Writings of Khalil Gibran
Those of you who have taken the time to enjoy the works of Kahlil Gibran are truly blessed. Gibran was a Lebanese-born poet and artist whose most famous work was The Prophet, although other works include The Madman (which was my gateway into his literature) and Kingdom of the Imagination. Today I managed to get my hands on a brand-spanking-new (and might I add, gorgeous) copy of The Prophet:
Then I realized that I hadn't posted a blog in a few weeks, and I figured, "What the hell; I'll share a chapter."
ON LOVE
Then said Almitra, Speak to us of Love.
And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said:
When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire,
that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Ondine's Curse
When I was researching siren myths, and I read the one about the Ondine's Curse, I was stricken with sudden inspiration to write a poem. I did not find the motivation, however, until a couple of days later. Here's what five minutes of Muse-frenching looks like. For me, anyway.
Her eyes told of the mysteries
Of deep and dark and endless seas,
With dainty lights, an angler fish--
The deadly, silent predator.
She parted then her lips to sing,
And o'er the waves and rocky shores
Her song did sound; her voice did ring--
A somber, haunting melody
Within the ocean's roar.
Many have in prose and verse
Warned of dreadful Ondine's Curse,
Which grips your heart and stills your breath
And drags you ever down to death.
Many die for want of sleep,
For fear of meeting with that deep
And shadowy realm of dark despair;
That awful pall--the Ondine's lair.
They say that when you hear her song,
Life for you will not be long;
And then will toll the final bell;
One last farewell, the Ondine's spell.
~2/14/12
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Acheria the Fox--a Basque Folktale
The Basque are an interesting people. For those of you who've never heard of them, they live in a region known as Andorra (which is actually its own country) in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. Much of their folklore hasn't been written down until recently. I picked up some "light reading" from the library for inspiration for this blog, and this story was included in the book. (Check the Sources section of this entry--it's really a cool book.)
A fox was lazing around in the sun one day and realized that he was hungry. He had been watching a shepherd bring his flock to graze, and decided to steal his milk and cheese. The only problem was that he had the wit, but lacked the physical ability to accomplish the feat.
So he enlisted the help of a wolf, telling him, "The shepherd leaves his flock in the field every morning while he stops at home to make his cheese. Go out to the field and howl, and the shepherd will leave his work and hasten to protect his sheep. While he is distracted, I will steal his milk, and share it with you." The wolf agrees to the plan.
When the fox found the milk, however, he took off the cream, drank the contents of the jar, filled it back with dirt, and replaced the cream on top. He then delivered the vessel to the wolf, and said, "Since the top is much better than that which is underneath, he who chooses the top will have only that, and the other gets the rest."
The wolf, not happy with having only the cream, says, "I will have what is at the bottom."
The fox took the cream, then, as well, and gave the wolf the jar of dirt. When the wolf became angry, the fox simply shrugged and said, "I suppose that is how the shepherd makes it."
Another day, the fox was watching a boy pass by on the road with dinner for his father in a basket under his arm. The fox resolved that he wanted that dinner, so he solicited the aid of a blackbird, and told him, "When the boy passes by, go in front of him, and he will try to catch you, putting his basket down in order to reach you faster. I will steal the basket, and share its contents with you."
The blackbird agreed. When the boy chased after him, the fox grabbed the abandoned basket and ran off with it, declining to give the blackbird his share.
After he had eaten, he thought to himself, "The wolf and the blackbird are now my enemies. Surely some misfortune will befall me if I stay here. I must cross the river and move on."
So he went to the ferryman and said to him, "Ferry me over the river, and I will tell you three truths."
The boatman agreed. The fox jumped into the boat and as the man pushed off from the bank, said, "There are some who would have you believe that maize bread is better than wheat bread. They are lying; wheat bread is always better. That is the first truth."
When they were in the middle of the river, the fox spoke again: "There are some who will tell you, 'What a fine night! It is as clear as the day!' That is a lie. The night can never be as clear as the day; the day will always be clearer. That is the second truth."
When they reached the other bank, the fox said, "Oh, sir! Your trousers are worn! And I fear that they will get worse if you do not ferry people over who will pay more than I."
The man admitted the truth of the fox's third statement, and the fox leapt out of the boat and onto the bank.
(The story is meant to be told orally, and ends with, "And I happened to be standing there, and heard these three truths, and I have never forgotten them since.")
Source:
Nye, Robert. "Acheria the Fox."Classic folk-tales from around the world. London: Leopard, 1996. 111-113. Print.
A fox was lazing around in the sun one day and realized that he was hungry. He had been watching a shepherd bring his flock to graze, and decided to steal his milk and cheese. The only problem was that he had the wit, but lacked the physical ability to accomplish the feat.
So he enlisted the help of a wolf, telling him, "The shepherd leaves his flock in the field every morning while he stops at home to make his cheese. Go out to the field and howl, and the shepherd will leave his work and hasten to protect his sheep. While he is distracted, I will steal his milk, and share it with you." The wolf agrees to the plan.
When the fox found the milk, however, he took off the cream, drank the contents of the jar, filled it back with dirt, and replaced the cream on top. He then delivered the vessel to the wolf, and said, "Since the top is much better than that which is underneath, he who chooses the top will have only that, and the other gets the rest."
The wolf, not happy with having only the cream, says, "I will have what is at the bottom."
The fox took the cream, then, as well, and gave the wolf the jar of dirt. When the wolf became angry, the fox simply shrugged and said, "I suppose that is how the shepherd makes it."
Another day, the fox was watching a boy pass by on the road with dinner for his father in a basket under his arm. The fox resolved that he wanted that dinner, so he solicited the aid of a blackbird, and told him, "When the boy passes by, go in front of him, and he will try to catch you, putting his basket down in order to reach you faster. I will steal the basket, and share its contents with you."
The blackbird agreed. When the boy chased after him, the fox grabbed the abandoned basket and ran off with it, declining to give the blackbird his share.
After he had eaten, he thought to himself, "The wolf and the blackbird are now my enemies. Surely some misfortune will befall me if I stay here. I must cross the river and move on."
So he went to the ferryman and said to him, "Ferry me over the river, and I will tell you three truths."
The boatman agreed. The fox jumped into the boat and as the man pushed off from the bank, said, "There are some who would have you believe that maize bread is better than wheat bread. They are lying; wheat bread is always better. That is the first truth."
When they were in the middle of the river, the fox spoke again: "There are some who will tell you, 'What a fine night! It is as clear as the day!' That is a lie. The night can never be as clear as the day; the day will always be clearer. That is the second truth."
When they reached the other bank, the fox said, "Oh, sir! Your trousers are worn! And I fear that they will get worse if you do not ferry people over who will pay more than I."
The man admitted the truth of the fox's third statement, and the fox leapt out of the boat and onto the bank.
(The story is meant to be told orally, and ends with, "And I happened to be standing there, and heard these three truths, and I have never forgotten them since.")
Source:
Nye, Robert. "Acheria the Fox."Classic folk-tales from around the world. London: Leopard, 1996. 111-113. Print.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day.
If you're into that sort of thing. Personally, I despise the holiday, but I know that there are some who like it. Besides, I needed inspiration for a blog post. So, I decided I'd acknowledge the holiday with the myth of Eros and Psyche.
There was a king who had three daughters, all beautiful. Psyche was the youngest, and she was so lovely that people often mistook her for Venus Herself. The real Venus didn't take too kindly to that, obviously, so she sent her son, Eros, to shoot her with one of his arrows, making her fall in love with some wretch, the most unsuitable for marriage that he could find.
Upon seeing Psyche, Eros hesitated, fumbled, and cut himself with his own arrow, thus causing him to fall in love with Psyche instead. Seeing that her plan A had backfired, Venus then cursed Psyche. No mortal man would ever woo her for her hand in marriage. Noticing that Psyche had no suitors, the King went to an oracle for advice. The oracle suggested that he should dress her in wedding garments and leave her up on a mountain, where Zephyrus takes her away to a distant valley. There sat a beautiful palace, where invisible servants attended to Psyche's every need. Her mysterious host, who was in actuality Eros, would visit with her at night, warning her that she must never look upon him, or ask to know who he was, or he would be forced to leave her, and the palace would disappear forever.
Psyche was content for a few years, but then she grew homesick. She asked her host if she could visit her family and let them know that she was alive and well. Reluctantly, Eros agreed.
When Psyche told her sisters of her good fortune, they grew envious, and told her that her captor was, undoubtedly, some wicked, hideous beast who was fattening her up for slaughter. They gave her a knife and instructed her to wait until he was asleep, light a lamp, and cut his head off.
That night, after Eros had retired, Psyche went to do as she was told, but when the light shone on Eros's face, she froze. Realizing in horror the horrible deed she had been about to perform, she dropped the knife. The hand holding the lamp shook so much that some hot wax dripped onto Eros's shoulder, waking him up. He gave her a look that was at once angry and sorrowful, and vanished, taking the palace with him.
Distraught, Psyche went off in search of Eros, eventually coming to Venus. Venus, of course, did not approve in the least of her son being in love with a mortal woman, and so she set tasks for Psyche that she was sure the poor woman could never complete.
The first was to separate a mixture of seeds by nightfall, which would have taken days, had the ants not helped her. The second was to gather golden wool from magic sheep, which she would have gone to do immediately, had some reeds not cautioned her to wait until they fell asleep and gather it from the bushes. The third was to fill a vase with water from the Fountain of Forgetfulness, which was at the top of a mountain. There were two caves in the mountain, each one housing a fierce dragon. Psyche was too terrified to climb to the summit, but Jupiter's eagle grabbed the vase and filled it for her. When Venus saw these three tasks accomplished, she grew still angrier at Psyche, and set her a final goal: to take a box, travel into the underworld, and ask Persephone if she would be kind enough to part with some of her beauty.
Taking two pieces of barley bread for Cerberus, and two coins for Charon, she ventured down into the underworld and sought an audience with Persephone. The goddess agreed to Venus's request, but Psyche was cautioned to never look inside the box. But of course, as we learned with Pandora, ancient Greek women had a tendency to allow their curiosity to overcome them, and so she opened the box a crack. A powerful force overcame her and put her into a deep, comatose sleep. Fortunately for her, however, Eros just happened to pass by and spot her lying there. He woke her and took her back to Venus, then went to Mount Olympus and asked Jupiter if he may make Psyche immortal, so that she could marry Eros. Jupiter consented, and there was a great feast to celebrate the occasion.
Source:
Cole, Joanna, and Jill Karla Schwarz. "Eros and Psyche." Best-loved folktales of the world. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1982. 180-186. Print.
There was a king who had three daughters, all beautiful. Psyche was the youngest, and she was so lovely that people often mistook her for Venus Herself. The real Venus didn't take too kindly to that, obviously, so she sent her son, Eros, to shoot her with one of his arrows, making her fall in love with some wretch, the most unsuitable for marriage that he could find.
Upon seeing Psyche, Eros hesitated, fumbled, and cut himself with his own arrow, thus causing him to fall in love with Psyche instead. Seeing that her plan A had backfired, Venus then cursed Psyche. No mortal man would ever woo her for her hand in marriage. Noticing that Psyche had no suitors, the King went to an oracle for advice. The oracle suggested that he should dress her in wedding garments and leave her up on a mountain, where Zephyrus takes her away to a distant valley. There sat a beautiful palace, where invisible servants attended to Psyche's every need. Her mysterious host, who was in actuality Eros, would visit with her at night, warning her that she must never look upon him, or ask to know who he was, or he would be forced to leave her, and the palace would disappear forever.
Psyche was content for a few years, but then she grew homesick. She asked her host if she could visit her family and let them know that she was alive and well. Reluctantly, Eros agreed.
When Psyche told her sisters of her good fortune, they grew envious, and told her that her captor was, undoubtedly, some wicked, hideous beast who was fattening her up for slaughter. They gave her a knife and instructed her to wait until he was asleep, light a lamp, and cut his head off.
That night, after Eros had retired, Psyche went to do as she was told, but when the light shone on Eros's face, she froze. Realizing in horror the horrible deed she had been about to perform, she dropped the knife. The hand holding the lamp shook so much that some hot wax dripped onto Eros's shoulder, waking him up. He gave her a look that was at once angry and sorrowful, and vanished, taking the palace with him.
Distraught, Psyche went off in search of Eros, eventually coming to Venus. Venus, of course, did not approve in the least of her son being in love with a mortal woman, and so she set tasks for Psyche that she was sure the poor woman could never complete.
The first was to separate a mixture of seeds by nightfall, which would have taken days, had the ants not helped her. The second was to gather golden wool from magic sheep, which she would have gone to do immediately, had some reeds not cautioned her to wait until they fell asleep and gather it from the bushes. The third was to fill a vase with water from the Fountain of Forgetfulness, which was at the top of a mountain. There were two caves in the mountain, each one housing a fierce dragon. Psyche was too terrified to climb to the summit, but Jupiter's eagle grabbed the vase and filled it for her. When Venus saw these three tasks accomplished, she grew still angrier at Psyche, and set her a final goal: to take a box, travel into the underworld, and ask Persephone if she would be kind enough to part with some of her beauty.
Taking two pieces of barley bread for Cerberus, and two coins for Charon, she ventured down into the underworld and sought an audience with Persephone. The goddess agreed to Venus's request, but Psyche was cautioned to never look inside the box. But of course, as we learned with Pandora, ancient Greek women had a tendency to allow their curiosity to overcome them, and so she opened the box a crack. A powerful force overcame her and put her into a deep, comatose sleep. Fortunately for her, however, Eros just happened to pass by and spot her lying there. He woke her and took her back to Venus, then went to Mount Olympus and asked Jupiter if he may make Psyche immortal, so that she could marry Eros. Jupiter consented, and there was a great feast to celebrate the occasion.
Source:
Cole, Joanna, and Jill Karla Schwarz. "Eros and Psyche." Best-loved folktales of the world. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1982. 180-186. Print.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Siren Songs
My least favorite holiday is on Tuesday, and I had a couple of ideas pertaining to how I would acknowledge it. One was a Greek myth, Eros and Psyche, which I will be posting in a couple of days. The other has become the topic of tonight's post: Sirens.
The creatures known as sirens are human-avian hybrids found in Greek mythology, most notably Homer's The Odyssey. They are described as having the bodies of birds and the heads of women. They sit on rocky shores and sing, drawing sailors to their untimely deaths. In his quest to return home from Troy, the hero Odysseus was forced to sail past their island, and had his crew plug their ears with wax so that they could not hear the sirens' song. Odysseus himself, however, wished to hear what they sang, so he ordered that he be tied to the mast.
Alkonost
A very similar creature in Russian mythology is the Alkonost. It, too, is a bird with the head and the upper torso of a beautiful woman. Their voice is supposed to make those who hear it forget about the world around them and its troubles.
Huldra
In Scandinavian folklore, a Huldra was a beautiful woman with the tail of an animal, most often a cow or a fox. In some legends, she would seduce men, rewarding those who could satisfy her and killing those who failed.
Lorelei
.JPG)
A personal favorite of mine, Lorelei or Loreley is the name of a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhein. Die Lorelei is also a water spirit who sits upon said rock, combing her golden hair and singing to sailors, drawing them to dash themselves upon the rocks with her song. Back in '08, I had the opportunity to see the rock, upon which sits a statue of the maiden.
Read Heinrich Heine's poem here:
http://ingeb.org/Lieder/ichweiss.html
Undine
A figure in the folklore of Western Europe, notably Germany, the Undine is a water spirit who, born lacking a soul, can gain one by marrying a mortal man and bearing his child. In a German legend, Ondine (or Undine) was one particular nymph who did just that, forfeiting her immortality in the process. Shortly after the birth of their child, however, Ondine discovered that her husband had been unfaithful to her, and so she cursed him, saying that should he ever fall asleep again, his breath would cease, and he would die.
"Undine's Curse" is the historical name for an actual congenital ailment. Read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undine%27s_curse
Rusalka
The Rusalki were Slavic demons, resembling mermaids, who would lure men to the river bottom to their deaths. Many legends state that the Rusalka are the spirits of women and children who suffered violent or untimely deaths, often water-related, whose souls are not at rest.
Sources:
"Alkonost - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkonost>.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren#See_also
"Huldra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldra>.
"Lorelei - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorelei>.
"Undine (alchemy) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ondine_(mytholo
"Rusalka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusalka>.
The creatures known as sirens are human-avian hybrids found in Greek mythology, most notably Homer's The Odyssey. They are described as having the bodies of birds and the heads of women. They sit on rocky shores and sing, drawing sailors to their untimely deaths. In his quest to return home from Troy, the hero Odysseus was forced to sail past their island, and had his crew plug their ears with wax so that they could not hear the sirens' song. Odysseus himself, however, wished to hear what they sang, so he ordered that he be tied to the mast.
Alkonost
Russian artist Ivan Bilibin's depiction of an Alkonost
A very similar creature in Russian mythology is the Alkonost. It, too, is a bird with the head and the upper torso of a beautiful woman. Their voice is supposed to make those who hear it forget about the world around them and its troubles.
Huldra
In Scandinavian folklore, a Huldra was a beautiful woman with the tail of an animal, most often a cow or a fox. In some legends, she would seduce men, rewarding those who could satisfy her and killing those who failed.
Lorelei
.JPG)
Die Lorelei; photo taken in June, 2008, by my aunt
A personal favorite of mine, Lorelei or Loreley is the name of a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhein. Die Lorelei is also a water spirit who sits upon said rock, combing her golden hair and singing to sailors, drawing them to dash themselves upon the rocks with her song. Back in '08, I had the opportunity to see the rock, upon which sits a statue of the maiden.
Read Heinrich Heine's poem here:
http://ingeb.org/Lieder/ichweiss.html
Undine
A figure in the folklore of Western Europe, notably Germany, the Undine is a water spirit who, born lacking a soul, can gain one by marrying a mortal man and bearing his child. In a German legend, Ondine (or Undine) was one particular nymph who did just that, forfeiting her immortality in the process. Shortly after the birth of their child, however, Ondine discovered that her husband had been unfaithful to her, and so she cursed him, saying that should he ever fall asleep again, his breath would cease, and he would die.
"Undine's Curse" is the historical name for an actual congenital ailment. Read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undine%27s_curse
Rusalka
The Rusalki were Slavic demons, resembling mermaids, who would lure men to the river bottom to their deaths. Many legends state that the Rusalka are the spirits of women and children who suffered violent or untimely deaths, often water-related, whose souls are not at rest.
Sources:
"Alkonost - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkonost>.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren#See_also
"Huldra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldra>.
"Lorelei - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorelei>.
"Undine (alchemy) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ondine_(mytholo
"Rusalka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusalka>.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Looks like I'll have to practice on the machine...
My mother and I came up with a brilliant business idea, and I thought, "why not use this, also, as a way to promote Myth Fix?" I think it's a brilliant idea. A soft, fluffy, ingeniously brilliant idea. And couches everywhere shall look amazing, should this plan take wing.
If you haven't already guessed, I'm making throw pillows.
But not just any throw pillows--oh, no! They're Myth Fix throw pillows, inspired by mythological symbolism from cultures around the world. The plan is still in its fledgling stage, but as soon as the needle hits the fabric and the price has been determined, you, my beloved readers, will be the first to know.
My mother's favorite Native American symbol is, and has always been (at least, as far as I can remember) the kokopelli, so it was the first design I thought of. I have more design ideas listed, mostly animals, but suggestions are always welcome.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Godfather Death
As you who have been reading my posts probably already know, I am quite fond of fairy tales, especially those from the collection of the Brothers Grimm. When I read this one, it instantly became one of my all-time favorite stories. Perhaps that's because I've always had a fascination with Death and its relationship to the cycle of life. Or, perhaps it's because the story doesn't end the way one would expect a fairy tale to end (unless, of course, you too are a fairy tale aficionado). Either way, it's an awesome story.
It starts out in the way that most fairy tales start out--with a peasant and his children. He had twelve, and he was already hard-pressed to find enough money to feed them, but then a thirteenth came along, and being one to adhere to tradition (as most peasants did), he had to find a godfather for this one. He resolved that he would wait by the road, and the first person he should meet would have that honor.
Well, it so happened that the first one he met was Death (things rarely work out as anticipated, you see), and true to his word, the peasant named Death the godfather of his youngest son. And Death promised, "I will make your child rich and famous; he who has me for a friend can need naught."
When the boy came of age, Death came to meet him. He took the young man into a forest and showed him an herb, proceeding to explain the nature of his christening gift to the boy: Death would make the boy a physician to be rivaled by no other. When the boy came to heal a sick person, if he saw Death standing beside the person's head, it was a sure sign that they would live, and the boy need only give the patient some of the magical herb. If Death stood at the person's feet, however, there was no hope for them, and they would surely die. Because of this foolproof technique, the young man became the most renowned and respected physician in the land. People traveled for miles just to have themselves or their loved ones diagnosed and healed by him, and so he became a very wealthy man.
It came to pass that the King fell very ill. Well aware of the physician's reputation, the King called for him to see if he was to recover from his malady. Unfortunately, when the physician entered the chamber, he saw death standing at the foot of the bed. It grieved the physician to even think of informing those present that the King was to die. An idea began to form in the physician's mind, that idea being to go against Death's wishes and cure the King, in the hope that Death would forgive his godson just this once. Being so resolved, the physician turned the King around in the bed so that his head was where his feet had been. Then, he administered his miracle cure, and the King rose from the bed almost immediately, in good health once again.
Death, of course, was not happy. You wouldn't be, either, if you'd been cheated. He went to the physician and told him that he would pardon him just this once, because the physician was his godson, but if he ever got it in his head to defy Death again, he would be the one to die.
Well, shortly after, the King's daughter, his only child, fell gravely ill. The King wept and wept, and in fatherly desperation promised her hand in marriage to the one who could heal her. When the physician came to examine her, he noted in despair that Death was standing at her feet. He knew that, unless he were to give up his own life, she must die, but he couldn't help the thought of how beautiful she was, and remembered the King's promise of the Crown and his eternal gratitude to the one who could restore her to health. He came to the realization that he alone had that power, and casting Death's warning from his mind, turned the Princess around so that her feet were where her head had been, and gave her the herb. Right away, her cheeks colored again, and she sat up, refreshed.
Death was livid. He strode up to the physician and struck him, ordering him to follow Death into the Underworld. He showed his godson rows upon rows of lamps, some ablaze, the flame reaching high into the air; others with smaller flames; and still others nearly extinguished. "These are the lamps of men's lives," Death informed the physician. "Those with many years left burn the brightest; the smallest flames belong to those who are about to die."
The physician asked to see his own lamp, and Death led him to one that had gone dark, save for a tiny ember. This was the price the physician must pay for defying his godfather. Stricken with remorse and sadness at the thought that he would never marry the King's daughter, or inherit the Crown, or walk the world of the living ever again. He begged Death to light him a new lamp, but Death simply shook his head and said, "I cannot. One lamp must be extinguished before I can light another."
The young physician then suggested that Death use the old one to light the new, whereby the old ember would die in the process. Death agreed that it would work, and went to do it, but he took his time, and the old lamp went cold before the new one could be lighted. The physician fell to the ground, the life leaving his body.
Source:
The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
It starts out in the way that most fairy tales start out--with a peasant and his children. He had twelve, and he was already hard-pressed to find enough money to feed them, but then a thirteenth came along, and being one to adhere to tradition (as most peasants did), he had to find a godfather for this one. He resolved that he would wait by the road, and the first person he should meet would have that honor.
Well, it so happened that the first one he met was Death (things rarely work out as anticipated, you see), and true to his word, the peasant named Death the godfather of his youngest son. And Death promised, "I will make your child rich and famous; he who has me for a friend can need naught."
When the boy came of age, Death came to meet him. He took the young man into a forest and showed him an herb, proceeding to explain the nature of his christening gift to the boy: Death would make the boy a physician to be rivaled by no other. When the boy came to heal a sick person, if he saw Death standing beside the person's head, it was a sure sign that they would live, and the boy need only give the patient some of the magical herb. If Death stood at the person's feet, however, there was no hope for them, and they would surely die. Because of this foolproof technique, the young man became the most renowned and respected physician in the land. People traveled for miles just to have themselves or their loved ones diagnosed and healed by him, and so he became a very wealthy man.
It came to pass that the King fell very ill. Well aware of the physician's reputation, the King called for him to see if he was to recover from his malady. Unfortunately, when the physician entered the chamber, he saw death standing at the foot of the bed. It grieved the physician to even think of informing those present that the King was to die. An idea began to form in the physician's mind, that idea being to go against Death's wishes and cure the King, in the hope that Death would forgive his godson just this once. Being so resolved, the physician turned the King around in the bed so that his head was where his feet had been. Then, he administered his miracle cure, and the King rose from the bed almost immediately, in good health once again.
Death, of course, was not happy. You wouldn't be, either, if you'd been cheated. He went to the physician and told him that he would pardon him just this once, because the physician was his godson, but if he ever got it in his head to defy Death again, he would be the one to die.
Well, shortly after, the King's daughter, his only child, fell gravely ill. The King wept and wept, and in fatherly desperation promised her hand in marriage to the one who could heal her. When the physician came to examine her, he noted in despair that Death was standing at her feet. He knew that, unless he were to give up his own life, she must die, but he couldn't help the thought of how beautiful she was, and remembered the King's promise of the Crown and his eternal gratitude to the one who could restore her to health. He came to the realization that he alone had that power, and casting Death's warning from his mind, turned the Princess around so that her feet were where her head had been, and gave her the herb. Right away, her cheeks colored again, and she sat up, refreshed.
Death was livid. He strode up to the physician and struck him, ordering him to follow Death into the Underworld. He showed his godson rows upon rows of lamps, some ablaze, the flame reaching high into the air; others with smaller flames; and still others nearly extinguished. "These are the lamps of men's lives," Death informed the physician. "Those with many years left burn the brightest; the smallest flames belong to those who are about to die."
The physician asked to see his own lamp, and Death led him to one that had gone dark, save for a tiny ember. This was the price the physician must pay for defying his godfather. Stricken with remorse and sadness at the thought that he would never marry the King's daughter, or inherit the Crown, or walk the world of the living ever again. He begged Death to light him a new lamp, but Death simply shook his head and said, "I cannot. One lamp must be extinguished before I can light another."
The young physician then suggested that Death use the old one to light the new, whereby the old ember would die in the process. Death agreed that it would work, and went to do it, but he took his time, and the old lamp went cold before the new one could be lighted. The physician fell to the ground, the life leaving his body.
Source:
The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
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