Cultural Mythology: Myth, culture, and consciousness

January

                                   When snow brings sleep and silence covers all,                
                                   Raven dreams skyward to pluck the light once more
                                   from heaven's roof. Waking, framed funereal
                                   against the ash-gray sky, brown fields before
                                   him capped in spinning white, the wind roars
                                   echo to his hoarse quork and rattle call---
                                   to hunt with corvid cunning, swooping low
                                   for any darting, glint-eyed catch---he alone
                                   champion, prime, primal, predatory one
                                   can hold back cold, hunger, death and night.
                                   Norse god Hrafn, who first captured the sun,
                                   hurled it down to make the dark world bright,
                                   black against the crystal curtain soaring
                                   pine high, greets winter's stroke upon his wings.

---Julianna McCarthy, from A Bird As Black As The Sun: California Poets on Crows and Ravens. The image is Odin's Raven by Jennifer Webb.

I just couldn't resist wrapping up this meditation on Odin with a poem--- and I see his messengers everywhere here in the Mojave. This is a great book of poetry by the way, if these smart birds speak to you too.

Odin's Wild Hunt

Odin often led his warriors to battle or to hunt and people felt them passing by whenever the wind blew hard. But during the twelve days of Christmas, beginning with the Winter Solstice, he was known to ride with a larger and less reputable band. It was believed that the gates of the Underworld opened and the spirits of the dead often made an appearance. The Yule fires were lit to encourage the return of the sun. Prudent folk stayed indoors, away from the dark paths and the wild woods.

Dressed in his dark cloak and wide-brimmed hat, with his long white beard flowing, Odin rushed through the skies on Sleipnir. Before him were a hooting owl and his two dark ravens. Behind him was a phantom horde of hounds, the ghosts of dead heroes, and the souls of those caught between heaven and hell. The ghastly group hurtled through the night sky in pursuit of quarry known only to them, perhaps a boar or a fairy maiden.

The passing of the Raging Host was marked by a tumultuous racket of pounding hooves, howling dogs and raging winds.The wise were inside, close by the fire, but if a traveler happened to be outside when the hunter passed by, he would be judged on his purity of heart, his courage and sense of humor. It was very dangerous to disrespect the Wild Hunt. According to one account, a miller's son once rudely yelled out to the hunters, "Take me with you!" They replied, "If you want to hunt, you can also eat," and threw him a human leg.

If you passed judgment, you could go home with your shoes full of gold. There is a story about a drunken peasant who had such luck. He was coming home from town late at night and his path led him through the woods. The wind started blowing and a voice called out, "In the middle of the path! In the middle of the path!" This was a friendly warning, if there be such a thing, for the rough huntsmen were known to spare those who kept to the middle way. But the peasant paid no attention to it.

Suddenly a tall man with a long white beard, riding a gray horse, came out of the clouds. He tossed the peasant one end of a heavy chain. "How strong are you?" he said. "Let's have a contest. Let’s see who can pull the hardest." The peasant took hold of the heavy chain and while the hunter remounted he wrapped his end of the chain around a nearby oak tree.

The hunter pulled and pulled and could not budget the man. He came back down and again dismounted. "You wrapped your end around the oak tree," he said to the peasant. "No," responded the peasant, quickly undoing the chain. "See, here it is in my hands."

"We'll have another go then," cried the hunter, "I'll have you in the clouds yet!" As he got back onto his horse the peasant quickly wrapped the chain around the oak tree again. Up above the dogs barked and the horses neighed and the hunter pulled and pulled. The oak tree creaked at its roots and shook. The peasant was terrified but the oak tree stood.

"You have pulled well!" said the hunter. "I've challenged many men and  you are the first to withstand me. I will reward you." Then he rejoined the ghostly horde of hunters and they went on their way with a fearful rumbling and howling. The peasant, subdued and suddenly quite sober, cautiously went along his way.

Suddenly, from unseen heights, a groaning stag fell before him. The hunter appeared and jumped from his gray horse. He pulled out a sharp knife and quickly cut up the game. "The blood is yours," he said to the peasant, "and a hind quarter as well.""My lord," said the peasant, "your servant has neither a bucket nor a pot."

"Pull off your boot!" said the hunter. The peasant did so and the hunter filled it with blood. "Now take the blood and this meat home to your wife and child," ordered the hunter. Then he was gone.

At first the peasant was so terrified that he barely felt the burden. But gradually it became heavier and heavier until he was barely able to carry it. Tired and bent and dripping with sweat, he finally reached his hut. Behold, his boot was filled with gold, and the hindquarter was a leather bag filled with silver coins!

In the old days, children used to leave their boots or socks out by the hearth on Solstice Eve, filled with carrots, hay, and sugar for Sleipnir. In return, Odin would leave them a gift. Later, with the influence of Christianity, the figure of Saint Nicholas was superimposed upon Odin, and the kindly, gift-bearing Santa Claus with a long white bears and eight flying reindeer was born.

Reflections on Odin and Santa Claus

The 2011 holiday season is behind us and fading fast but I'm not quite done thinking about Odin and Santa Claus. Why rush the new year/old year musing when the next big spectacle is the upcoming elections (gulp). Don't you wish that we could get Santa to run? At least he understands that global warming is real and that distribution is the key to real abundance. Santa would give Goldman Sachs and Bank of America and the rest what they deserve--- a lump of coal.

Why is Santa Claus such a big deal? Many of us believed in Santa when we were young and were actively encouraged in this by our parents and other adults. Parents take kids to see Santa, help them write letters to him, or leave food out for him and the reindeer on Christmas Eve. They might stage the arrival of the sleigh with jingle bells on the roof. And they improve bad behavior with the suggestion that Santa will know. Belief in Santa is so powerful that both children and adults try to enhance and prolong it. It's rare that an adult spills the beans about his imaginary status and many of us feigned belief despite our doubts because we suspected that Santa brought the best presents. As a friend recently observed, giving up Santa Claus meant that you might just get clothes for Christmas--- horror of horrors!

As you'll see in the next (and final) post about Odin, the simliarities between this god and Santa are striking. So are the differences in the details. We're likely to find the Wild Hunt strange, barbaric, and unbelievable. Those Germanic tribes people must have been pretty gullible, huh, not like us. But why haven't we given Santa up altogther if we're so rational and scientific? Why do we keep this mythic figure alive? Is it the good presents or the magic that we're after?

Although the embrace of a Santa-less holiday is considered an inevitable part of growing up, we don't celebrate it. Giving up Santa Claus means accepting a smaller, more practical, less colorful world, a world with one less mystery. I'm not arguing for widespread belief in Santa Claus, especially the Coca Cola drinking variety. But I am in favor of a little magic of the sort that allows us to see more, feel more, and give more in a world that offers as many questions as answers. And as the Norse once said, "The mind only knows what lies near the heart."

On Sleipner!

Chaos as Creation

Introducing Mythopoetry Scholar Annual eZine  vol. 3

This Issue: Chaos as Creation, Revolution as Renaissance, Apocalypse as Promise

This is the final edition of a three-year project that brings of depth perspectives to the web via a mythic, poetic and literary manner or "mythic method" in presentation.Thank you to Stephanie Pope who imagines, edits, and publishes this work. I'm pleased to be included in this year's edition (see "Between the Worlds").

Check out Mythopoetry Scholar.

The birth of Sleipnir: Part 3 of Norse mythology, Odin, and Santa Claus

In addition to his ravens, Odin also had an eight-legged horse, dappled gray, named Sleipnir. Sleipnir was a magical creature able to leap great distances and fly through the air. It was widely agreed that he was the finest horse that ever lived, with his own share of intelligence and courage. Here is his story:

In the early days of Asgard, an unnamed builder came to the gods and offered to build a strong wall around their fine halls so they would be protected. This he could do, he said, in just three months, without the help of any man. This task seemed impossible and Odin and the other gods were dubious. "Well if I do succeed," the builder said, "I want the goddess Freya as my wife, and I want the sun and moon too.”

The gods didn’t think that this builder could possibly complete the task but they were wary about making such a deal. But the trickster god Loki said “Come on, don't be so skittish. You’ll have a good start on a magnificent wall and it won’t cost you a penny or one drop of sweat.” “Oh, one more thing,” said the builder, “I will need to use my horse.” The gods shook their heads but Loki convinced them that the horse would make little difference. So the bet was made.

The builder began his work with the aid of his horse, a great stallion named Svaoilfari. The horse did the work of twenty men and hauled enormous rocks, much to the surprise of the gods. The building went quite rapidly and when there were only three days left it was clear that the gods were going to lose the bet. They were very unhappy about this. Odin gathered them together to discuss the matter and the gods decided that the whole problem was Loki’s fault. “Loki,” they said, “You are to blame. You have to put a stop to this building and make sure that we don’t lose or you will suffer a terrible death.” Loki was very afraid and agreed to come up with a scheme.

That night the builder drove out to fetch stone with his stallion Svaðilfari. Suddenly, a magnificent mare ran out of the woods, called to the stallion, and raced away. The stallion tore himself from his owner's grip and ran after the mare without a backward glance. Around and around the woods the two horses ran, with the builder following behind them. They ran all night and everyone was so tired that little building got done and the gods won their bet.

Somewhat later, Loki gave birth to a gray foal with eight legs, Sleipnir, the best horse among gods and men.

Odin's thirst for wisdom and power

This is the second installment in my overview of Norse mythology and the links between Odin and Santa Claus.

The greatest of the Norse Gods was Odin, Father of All. Together with his brothers, Ve and Vili, he killed the first giant and created the world out of the giant's body. Odin made the first man out of an Ash Tree and the first woman out of an Elm. As a god of the wind, Odin gave the human beings soul, life and the breath.

Odin was the god of battle and death, and of poetry. His name means “fury, ecstasy, and inspiration.” His great hall in Asgard, land of the Gods, was Valhalla. Here the souls of the great warriors gathered, born there on the winged horses of the Valkyries, whose job it was to select the deserving heros. Henceforth these warriors rode with Odin, in the company of the gods.

Mighty Odin had only one eye. For at the base of the second root of the great world tree, the root that went to Midgard and the world of the humans, there was a well of knowledge. This well was carefully guarded by Mirmir, who drank from the well every day and was reputed to be the wisest man in the world. When Odin heard of Mirmir and the well, he resolved to go and drink his fill.

“Greetings Mirmir the wise,” Odin said to the man. “You know who I am and why I am here. Let me drink and become wise.” “I know you Odin,” Mirmir replied, "But the knowledge provided by this water surpasses anything you can imagine. Whoever drinks of it gains a second sight, the ability to see the depths of all things, to see what is otherwise invisible. You must pay for this power of insight.” Without hesitation Odin tore out one of his eyes and dropped it beside the well. He plunged his face into the water and drank until he would burst. Thus one-eyed Odin was also known as the "All- Seeing."

Odin’s desire for wisdom and power was so great that he also pursued knowledge of the most powerful magic known to gods and men, the runes. To acquire this power he wounded himself with his own spear and hung on the World Tree for nine days and nights. “I made myself an offering to myself,” he later said, “Bound to the tree with roots so deep that no one knows where they go or where they end. No one gave me food or drink and I was weak. Yet I peered intently down into the depths until I saw the runes, the sacred alphabet. With a mighty cry I reached down and seized them up. Then I fell. But I have won the power of the Word, and learned the Nine Songs of Inspiration.”

Odin was a shapeshifter. He would look as if he was dead or asleep then suddenly take the shape of a fish, or bird, or beast, and be off in a twinkling to distant lands according to his need or desire. 

Odin had two big black ravens, named Thought and Memory, whom he taught to speak. They traveled throughout the realms and kept Odin apprised of all that happened, especially in Midgard among the human beings.

The image is Odin with his ravens, Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory).

Santa Claus and the world tree

I did a little investigating into the origins of Santa Claus as part of my holiday celebration this year. It's been decades since I left him cookies and milk or listened for the sound of hooves on the roof, and it saddens me that such a seemingly jolly and simple character has been implicated in the absurd excess of our Christmas consumerism. Did you know that Americans spend $450 billion a year on Christmas. Really.

The original Santa was wild, pagan, and closely connected to Norse mythology. Although the contemporary Santa Claus was originally based upon St. Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian bishop from Lycia (now Turkey), the figure is also strongly influenced by early Norse religion and the god Odin, "Father of All."

Norse mythology is the mythology of the North Germanic tribes that roamed northern Europe, Scandinavia, and England, and were part of the Viking culture. Many of the tales are believed to have originated in Iceland. We don't know how long these stories were told, likely in the form of long poems. In medieval times they were written down, the most famous and complete version being the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. Consider this post and the ones to follow to be my personal parphrase of these longer texts, like crib notes to the mighty Odin's piece of this marvelous mythology. 

Part One:

Long ago, in the very beginning, the world was born of fire and ice. All that we know today, and much that we have forgotten, came into being. There were three realms and three worlds within each realm. Asgard, the first realm, was the home of the Gods, elves, and fairies. Misgard, or Middle realm, contained the lands of the humans, the dwarves, and the giants. The third realm contained the regions that we consider hell.

Each realm and each world was connected to the whole by one of the three mighty roots of Yggdrasil, the great world tree. The Norn tended this tree, three sisters who, in the manner of the Greek Fates, determined the length of each life and wove together the threads of fate. No one could escape orbreak these threads.

Yggdrasil was an ash tree. Odin makes the first man out of ash tree. Man is a microcosm of the whole. You can see the twisting network of roots in the image of Yggdrasil above.

Many cultures employ the image of the tree to signify the living relationship between the heavens, the earth, and the depths. For example, the Sumerian goddess Innana gets her throne and bed when she plants the huluppu tree in her garden. The Druids worshiped the oak. Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree and Adam and Eve plucked an apple from the tree of Knowledge. Georgia O'Keefe beautifully captures the experience of soaring and rootedness in her painting "The Lawrence Tree."

Happy Holidays

"A young woman in the United States learned about the work of Mother Teresa and became obsessed with the idea of moving to India and committing herself to that work. She heard that Mother Teresa was coming to the U.S. -- to her city, even -- and she managed to squeeze through the crowd and actually speak to Mother Teresa as she was getting out of the car delivering her to an event. 'Please take me with you -- I want to help you with your work!' the young woman pleaded. Mother Teresa kindly said no, this isn't your life mission, and then asked the woman what she did for work. The young woman was embarrassed to say that she worked for a local theater. But Mother Teresa replied: 'There are many kinds of famine in the world. In my country, there is a famine of the body. In your country there is a famine of the spirit. Stay and feed your people.'"

A dear friend of mine recently heard this wonderful story on a recent podcast of "The Moth" storytelling. May we all find our own ways to address the many forms of hunger, and feed each other in the days to come.

Blessings and Happy Holidays!

High Desert Mythological RoundTable (R) Group

Tuesday December 27th, 7-9PM Red Arrow Gallery in Joshua Tree

Join us for our holiday party and used book exchange. Bring books on any topic to exchange for a new read. Bring a treat to share. We'll also tell the story of the Norse god Odin and his flying horse Sleipnir, precursors to Santa Claus. Ho Ho Ho.

The High Desert Mythological RoundTable meets the last Tuesday of every month at the Red Arrow Gallery. All open-minded adults who enjoy a good story are welcome to join our thought-provoking conversation. Bring cookies or other goodies to share. Donations for the storyteller and the Joseph Campbell Foundation are much appreciated.

One People Flash Mob- Occupy

Occupy Your Heart

 

Imagine. Think Big. Tell a Better Story.