Mythology under our noses

For centuries people have spoken of the Greek myths as of something to be rediscovered, reawoken.  The truth is it is the myths that are still out there waiting to wake us and be seen by us, like a tree waiting to greet our newly opened eyes.  (Calasso pg 280).

I felt this quote was necessary considering mythology plays an important role in everyday life, relating to nearly everything even though most people have no idea.  After doing some quick research, I found a few examples of mythology being right underneath our noses.

Names in astronomy are pure mythology.  Almost all the known constellations and the twelve signs of the Zodiac are named from mythological stories, as are the planets and their satellites.

Mercury, the swift messenger of the gods, also gave his name to a chemical element which is remarkable for its fluidity.  The names of other chemical elements are also taken from mythology because of their characteristics.  For instance, Tantalus was punished by having water just touch his lips while he starved eternally of thirst.  So we have the chemical element tantalum, which cannot absorb acid.  And Tantalus has a daughter Niobe.  Thus we get the chemical element niobium - because it is found in connection with tantalum.

In psychology such designations as the Oedipus complex and narcissism are lifted directly from mythological stories.  Geology contains such terms as pluton for a rock surface underground (Pluto was the god of the underworld) and neptunian rock which is produced by the action of water on a substance (Neptune was a god of the seas).

October 20th class notes

RITUALS:

1) Eric - Rainmaking

2) Stephanie - Mourning Dead Cats (Egyptian Book of the Dead)

3) Courtney - Egyptian Mummification

4) Christine Balsley - Aztec New Fire Ceremony

5) Lucy K. - Smudging Ritual

6) Jerrod M - Blood Initiations

7) Sherwood - Rainmaking

8) Zachary Mayer - Bullet Ant Gloves

9) Matthew - Nacirema - Democratic Ritual

10) Jason - Taurobolium

11) Bailey G - Mayan Ritual / Human Sacrifice

12) Darrel S - Spartan Marriage

13) Jessica T - Seppuku Japanese Ritual Suicide

14) Jenny - the Mary Month of May

       ------> Corona - Coronis fable wife of Apollo/ obsessed with crown

15) Rosemary C - Dia de los Muertos

       ------> Under the Volcanoe (Day of the Dead) - Book

                  - Film by John Houston

16) Tori T - Frozen Dead Guy

17) Jill Y - Eastern Star Ritual

18) Madison C - Rainmaking

19) Parker D - Bridger Whale

20) Sam M - Beowulf Funeral

21) Theresa B - Bear Ceremony

22) Andrew O - Irish Wedding Ritual

23) Kevin E - Phuket Vegitarian Festival

24) Wena T - Chinese New Year

25) Ashley R - Family Tradition/ Night Before Christmas

Initiation into the Mysteries of Cybele

Initiation into the Mysteries of Cybele - the Taurobolium 

The high priest who is to be consecrated is brought down under ground in a pit dug deep, marvellously adorned with a fillet, binding his festive temples with chaplets, his hair combed back under a golden crown, and wearing a silken toga caught up with Gabine girding.

Over this they make a wooden floor with wide spaces, woven of planks with an open mesh; they then divide or bore the area and repeatedly pierce the wood with a pointed tool that it may appear full of small holes.

Hither a huge bull, fierce and shaggy in appearance, is led, bound with flowery garlands about its flanks, and with its horns sheathed; Yea, the forehead of the victim sparkles with gold, and the flash of metal plates colours its hair.

Here, as is ordained, the beast is to be slain, and they pierce its breast with a sacred spear; the gaping wound emits a wave of hot blood, and the smoking river flows into the woven structure beneath it and surges wide.

Then by the many paths of the thousand openings in the lattice the falling shower rains down a foul dew, which the priest buried within catches, putting his shameful head under all the drops, defiled both in his clothing and in all his body.

Yea, he throws back his face, he puts his cheeks in the way of the blood, he puts under it his ears and lips, he interposes his nostrils, he washes his very eyes with the fluid, nor does he even spare his throat but moistens his tongue, until he actually drinks the dark gore.

Afterwards, the flamens draw the corpse, stiffening now that the blood has gone forth, off the lattice, and the pontiff, horrible in appearance, comes forth, and shows his wet head, his beard heavy with blood, his dripping fillets and sodden garments.

This man, defiled with such contagions and foul with the gore of the recent sacrifice, all hail and worship at a distance, because profane blood and a dead ox have washed him while concealed in a filthy cave.

Taurobolium's literal meaning means 'the lassoing of the bull', but its allegorical meaning is the 'the mastery of one's inner-self'.  In Mithraic myth Mithras caught and subdued a bull (caught and subdued his animal self); he then slaughtered the bull (his animal-self) by a dagger thrust in the right side.  Through time the would taurobolium applied to the sacrifice of a bull and the baptism in its blood of a suitably prepared and mature Mithraic initiate.  On attaining the level of piety deemed necessary to enter the higher spiritual plane and eternal life, the initiate undertook the rite of the taurobolium to confirm his proto-divine state. 

Cybele was associated with the mystery religion concerning her son, Attis, who was castrated and resurrected. Her most ecstatic followers were males who ritually castrated themselves, and then assumed "female" identities by wearing women's clothing. These eunuch were referred to by the third-century commentator Callimachus in the feminine Gallai, and who other contemporary commentators in ancient Greece and Rome referred to as Gallosor Galli.

These castrated "priestesses" led the people in orgiastic ceremonies with wild music, drumming, dancing and drink. The Phrygian kurbantes or Corybantes, expressed her ecstatic and orgiastic cult in music, especially drumming, clashing of shields and spears, dancing, singing and shouts, all at night. Additionally, the dactyls (Greek for "fingers") were small phallic male beings associated with the Great Mother, Cybele, and part of her retinue.

The "Hero Pattern" - Lord Raglan

The Hero Pattern

1. Hero's mother is a royal virgin; 

2. His father is a king, and 

3. Often a near relative of his mother, but 

4. The circumstances of his conception are unusual, and 

5. He is also reputed to be the son of a god. 

6. At birth an attempt is made, usually by his father or his maternal grand father to kill him, but 

7. he is spirited away, and 

8. Reared by foster -parents in a far country. 

9. We are told nothing of his childhood, but 

10. On reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future Kingdom. 

11. After a victory over the king and/or a giant, dragon, or wild beast, 

12. He marries a princess, often the daughter of his predecessor and 

13. And becomes king. 

14. For a time he reigns uneventfully and 

15. Prescribes laws, but 

16. Later he loses favor with the gods and/or his subjects, and 

17. Is driven from the throne and city, after which 

18. He meets with a mysterious death, 

19. Often at the top of a hill, 

20. His children, if any do not succeed him. 

21. His body is not buried, but nevertheless 

22. He has one or more holy sepulchres

Michael Sexson on his downtime!

No wonder he has us grade our own papers..  More time to FIST PUMP!

Class Notes 9/29

Michael Sexson wants us to make our own discoveries.
-Labyrinth
-The Magus = The Game (based on the novel)
-Fic [to make up] ---> fiction ----> sacra [sacred]

Minotaurs mom, Pasiphae saw a beautiful white bull, made cow suit and mated with cow.
Created Minotaur, half bull/half man, put into labyrinth. Male/female virgins were sacrificed as food.
Shortage of virgins = call for hero.
Theseus goes to kill minotaur with help from Ariadne to get into labyrinth.
Leaves her on island, rescued by Dionysus.
[Bozo is Oz]
Dionysus - god of illusions/function to dissemble any structure of order.
Sibyl - knew many things (ancient oracle)
Discussed Fall
"I've got miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."
"May your dreams come true"
*draw a spiral w/ 9 turns on a dancing ground w/ her in the middle.  HMMMmm..
4 creation stories:
4) God creates by his voice - biblical.
3) Goddess body
2) Female - Snake (shed skin, live eternally)
1) Female (alone)

Tuesday - break into groups.  COME TO CLASS!


One of our homework assignments was to have a dream and blog about it.  Unfortunately, each one of my classes decided to bombard me with school work.. so minimal sleep means minimal dreams. I do not remember having any dreams this past weekend, but I did read over Junipers dream about kicking some metal spiders ashes with AK's in a post apocalyptic world. I just have to ask, what were you on that night? This dream sounded pretty intense, I liked that you recognized you were in a post apocalyptic world and yet you still managed to stop by your relatives place to say goodbye. I don't usually break down dreams but perhaps that showed some deeper emotion that you don't want to leave this world as you know it without having some sort of closure with your loved ones.  I also enjoyed the fact that her aunt and uncle forked over some extra clips of ammunition.  Kinda shows that even when you are proceeding on a difficult task, your family will always be there to help you along your way. Juniper felt that she woke up in the middle of her dream, but with comforting messages like these, maybe that was all the dream that she needed.

The story of Nachiketa

"The perfect brings death upon itself.  'What is full, is perfect, and coronation signifies perfection of some kind.'  So says Athenaeus.  Animals for sacrifice would only be crowned once it was clear that they were perfect, 'so as not to kill something that was not useful"  (Calasso 111).

This quote really stuck out to me because it focuses on the importance of offering the most perfect sacrifice, giving only their best to the gods.  As I was reading this quotation, I couldn't help but be reminded of a story we had learned in my study of Hinduism class not too long ago about a boy named Nachiketa.  

In the story of Nachiketa, his father Vājashrava, desiring a gift from the gods, started an offering to donate all his possessions. But Nachiketa noticed that he was donating only the cows that were old, blind, or lame; not such as might buy the worshiper a place in Heaven. Nachiketa wanting the best for his father's rite, asked: "I too am yours, to which god will you offer me?". After being pestered thus, he answered in a fit of anger, "I give you to Yama (Death)!"

Nachiketa then went to Death's home, but the god was out, and he waited three days. When Yama returned, he was sorry to see that a Brahman guest had been waiting so long. He told Nachiketa, "You have waited in my house for three days without hospitality, therefore ask three boons of me". Nachiketa first asked for peace for his father and himself. Yama agreed. Next, Nachiketa wished to learn the sacred fire sacrifice, which Yama also allowed. For his third boon, Nachiketa asked to learn the mystery of what comes after death.

Yama was reluctant on this question; he said that this had been a mystery even to the gods. He asked Nachiketa to ask for some other boon and offered many material gains, but Nachiketa replied that material things will last only till the morrow. He who has encountered Death personally, how can he desire wealth? No other boon would do. Yama was secretly pleased with this disciple, and elaborated on the nature of the true Self, which persists beyond death. The key of the realization is that this Self (within each person) is inseparable from Brahman, the supreme spirit, the vital force in the universe.

Personally, I would find it extremely troublesome to offer up my finest animals, riches, especially my virgin daughter. There's no way I would be able to let go at the snap of a finger, but then again something tells me I only feel this way because I live in our current day in age, god is not as involved as he would have been in Europa's time. But through the story of Nachiketa, I have learned that material things are worthless, we should not fuss or cry over lost belongings, in time we will grow past the little things and begin to enjoy what really speaks to your spirit.