In a World of Unknowns....Where Everything is Already Known

"In that world between worlds, suspended, the only place one might delude oneself, one was beyond life and beyond death, one drinks and plays dice." 
       -p. 369 of The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony by Roberto Calasso

 This quote instantly reminded me of the die scene in The Magus where Nicholas is betting his life on a weighed die. This is just elaborates on one of the points the teacher made without mentioning, that everything in mythology is intertwined. And did I mention this quote was selected randomly? Craziness....

The teacher mentioned in class the other day (and continues to emphasize) that mythology is everywhere around us each and every day. On my home page I have random facts that appear. My random fact for today was:


"The sign for the female sex, a circle placed on top of a small cross, is also the symbol for the planet Venus. The symbol is believed to be a stylized representation of the Roman goddess Venus’ hand mirror." 

I feel the obvious does not need to be mentioned with how this is related to mythology.....

I have failed to post my creation story that I told in class a week (or two now?) ago. The story I told was the Icelandic myth of where elves came from.


"Once upon a time, God Almighty came to visit Adam and Eve. They received him with joy, and showed him everything they had in the house. They also brought their children to him, to show him, and these He found promising and full of hope.
Then He asked Eve whether she had no other children than these whom she now showed him.
She said "None."
But it so happened that she had not finished washing them all, and, being ashamed to let God see them dirty, had hidden the unwashed ones. This God knew well, and said therefore to her, "What man hides from God, God will hide from man."
These unwashed children became forthwith invisible, and took up their abode in mounds, and hills, and rocks. From these are the elves descended, but we men from those of Eve's children whom she had openly and frankly shown to God. And it is only by the will and desire of the elves themselves that men can ever see them."

The web-site I found the myth was a very interesting one and I would highly recommend checking it out!!
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html

My favorite myth that I found on this web-site was the Runaway Pancake myth, told in the Scottish way. I give props to anyone who can actually read this and transcribe it to English! =]

The Wee Bunnock

Scotland

"Grannie, grannie, come tell us the story o' the wee bunnock." "Hout, bairns, ye've heard it a hunner times afore. I needna tell it owre again."
"Ah, but, grannie, it's sic a fine ane. Ye maun tell't. Just ance."
"Weel, weel, bairns, if ye'll a' promise to be guid, I'll tell ye't again.
But I'll tell you a bonny tale about a guid aitmeal bunnock.
There lived an auld man and an auld wife at the side o' a burn. They had twa kye, five hens and a cock, a cat and twa kittlins. The auld man lookit after the kye, and the auld wife span on the tow-rock. The kittlins aft grippit at the auld wife's spindle, as it tussled owre the hearth-stane.
"Sho, sho," she wad say, "gae wa';" and so it tussled about.
Ae day, after parritch time, she thought she wad hae a bunnock. Sae she bakit twa aitmeal bunnocks, and set them to to the fire to harden. After a while, the auld man came in, and sat down aside the fire, and takes ane o' the bunnocks, and snappit it through the middle. When the tither ane sees this, it rins aff as fast as it could, and the auld wife after't, wi' the spindle in the tae hand and the tow-rock in the tither.
But the wee bunnock wan awa', and out o' sight, and ran till it came to a guid muckle thack house, and ben it ran boldly to the fireside; and there were three tailors sitting on a muckle table. When they saw the wee bunnock come ben, they jumpit up, and gat in ahint the goodwife, that was cardin' tow ayont the fire.
"Hout," quo' she, "be na fleyt; it's but a wee bunnock. Grip it, and I'll gie ye a soup milk till 't."
Up she gets wi' the tow-cards, and the tailor wi' the goose, and the twa prentices, the ane wi' the muckle shears, and the tither wi' the lawbrod; but it jinkit them, and ran round about the fire; and ane o' the prentices, thinking to snap it wi' the shears, fell i' the ase-pit. The tailor cuist the goose, and the goodwife the tow-cards; but a' wadna do. The bunnock wan awa', and ran till it came to a wee house at the roadside; and in it rins, and there was a weaver sittin' on the loom, and the wife winnin' a clue o' yarn.
"Tibby," quo' he, "what's tat?"
"Oh," quo' she, "it's a wee bunnock."
"It's weel come," quo' he, "for our sowens were but thin the day. Grip it, my woman; grip it."
"Ay," quo' she; "what recks! That's a clever bunnock. Kep, Willie; kep, man."
"Hout," quo' Willie, "cast the clue at it."
But the bunnock whipit round about, and but the floor, and aff it gaed, and owre the knowe, like a new-tarred sheep or a daft yell cow. And forrit it runs to the niest house, and ben to the fireside; and there was the goodwife kirnin'.
"Come awa', wee bunnock," quo' she; "I'se hae ream and bread the day."
But the wee bunnock whipit round about the kirn, and the wife after't, and i' the hurry she had near-hand coupit the kirn. And afore she got it set right again, the wee bunnock was aff, and down the brae to the mill; and in it ran.
The miller was siftin' meal i' the trough; but, looking up: " Ay," quo' he, "it's a sign o' plenty when ye're rinnin' about, and naebody to look after ye. But I like a bunnock and cheese. Come your wa's ben, and I'll gie ye a night's quarters."
But the bunnock wadna trust itsel' wi' the miller and his cheese. Sae it turned and ran its wa's out; but the miller didna fash his head wi't.
So it toddled awa', and ran till it came to the smithy; and in it rins, and up to the studdy. The smith was making horse-nails.
Quo' he: "I like a bicker o' guid yill and a weel-toastit bunnock. Come your wa's in by here."
But the bunnock was frightened when it heard about the yill, and turned and aff as hard as it could, and the smith after't, and cuist the hammer. But it whirlt awa', and out o' sight in a crack, and ran till it came to a farm-house wi' a guid muckle peat-stack at the end o't. Ben it rins to the fireside. The goodman was clovin' lint, and the goodwife hecklin'.
"O Janet," quo' he, "there's a wee bunnock; I'se hae the hauf o't."
"Weel, John, I'se hae the tither hauf. Hit it owre the back wi' the clove."
But the bunnock playt jink-about.
"Hout, tout," quo' the wife, and gart the heckle flee at it. But it was owre clever for her.
And aff and up the burn it ran to the niest house, and whirlt its wa's ben to the fireside. The goodwife was stirrin' the sowens, and the goodman plettin' sprit-binnings for the kye.
"Ho, Jock," quo' the goodwife, "come here. Thou's aye crying about a wee bunnock. Here's ane. Come in, haste ye, and I'1l help thee to grip it."
"Ay, mither, whaur is't ?"
"See there. Rin owre o' that side."
But the bunnock ran in ahint the goodman's chair. Jock fell amang the sprits. The goodman cuist a binning, and the goodwife the spurtle. But it was owre clever for Jock and her baith. It was aff and out o' sight in a crack, and through among the whins, and down the road to the niest house, and in, and ben to the fireside. The folk were just sittin' down to their sowens, and the goodwife scartin' the pat.
"Losh," quo' she, "there's a wee bunnock come in to warm itsel' at our fireside."
"Steek the door," quo' the goodman, "and we'll try to get a grip o't."
When the bunnock heard that, it ran but the house, and they after't wi' their spunes, and the goodman cuist his bunnat. But it whirlt awa', and ran, and better ran, till it came to another house; and when it gaed ben, the folk were just gaun to their beds. The goodman was castin' aff his breeks, and the goodwife rakin' the fire.
"What's tat?" quo' he.
"O," quo' she, "it's a wee bunnock."
Quo' he, "I could eat the hauf o't, for a' the brose I hae suppit."
"Grip it," quo' the wife, " and I'll hae a bit too."
"Cast your breaks at it -- kep -- kep!"
The goodman cuist the breeks, and had near-hand smoor't it . But it warsl't out, and ran, and the goodman after't, wanting the breeks; and there was a clean chase owre the craft park, and up the wunyerd, and in amang the whins; and the goodman lost it, and had to come his wa's trottin' hame hauf-nakit.
But now it was grown dark, and the wee bunnock couldna see; but it gaed into the side o' a muckle whin bush, and into a tod's hole. The tod had gotten nae meat for twa days. "O welcome, welcome," quo' the tod, and snappit it in twa i' the middle. And that was the end o' the wee bunnock.

Now, be ye lords or commoners,
Ye needna laugh nor sneer,
For ye'll be a' i' the tod's hole
In less than a hunner year.

At the conclusion, Grannie would look round upon her little audience, and add the following, by way of moral: "Now, weans, an ye live to grow muckle, be na owre lifted up about onything, nor owre sair cuisten down; for ye see the folk were a' cheated, and the puir tod got the bunnock."


I never realized that the Gingerbread man was originally a pancake.....humph....who knew??

You Walk Deep Into Myth, Into Mystery....

"She who becomes Dionysus's 'bride', the only one chosen from the crowd of women surrounding him, she who even receives a new name from him when he calls her Libera, is also the woman Dionysus has killed. He asks Artemis to do it. The goddess was always ready to draw her bow. Dionysus asks her to transfix Ariadne with an arrow. And he wants to watch too. Then time turns all to euphemism." The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony p.22

The first thing that popped into my head when I read this passage while reading through the book was, "What does 'euphemism' mean?" According to the Webster's dictionary, 'euphemism' means:

               "a word or phrase substituted for one that may be offensive".

The second thing was that, in a way, the Greeks = a hippie mafia. They were all for love and open sexuality, yet the majority of stories are of rape and most end in death by either suicide or murder. This passage on Ariadne and Dionysus is a prime example of the love - they have physical intimacy - and death - Dionysus has Artemis kill Ariadne while he stands by and watch. The gods and goddesses are the mafia (all family or linked somehow relatives-wise) and the humans are the people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time or somehow get tangled up in affairs they shouldn't be getting involved in.

The main name I was most curious to see what they looked like was Talos: the guardian of Crete made of bronze, created by Hephaestus. I was confused when I found the photo because the book said he was a bull.

This book so far is like a bad puzzle with a few pieces and the photo of what the end product is supposed to look like missing. There are so many random side notes or connections made that if you do not know your Greek mythology well, it is hard to completely understand.


I have now read through chapter 21 of The Magus. I began reading the book myself at chapter seven. And so far it has been going pretty well. The book has changed directions and turned more into a mystery of Mr. Conchis and no longer a weird relationship between Alison and the narrator. Not only that, but the description of the surroundings has become much more vivid.




In class Tuesday, September 13, as everyone who was present knows, half of the class told origin mythsof various items - mainly how the world was created. My favorite creation story so far, I'd have to say, was how the lamppost appeared in the magical land of Narnia. I have read the whole series almost three years ago and it was great to hear a reminder of these classic tales. So thank you Matthew! You made my day by sharing that story. =] I also very much liked the story of how the "lady slipper" flower go its name told by Jennifer. The thing I like the most about hearing Native American legends are the beauty in nature and their descriptions. When I think of myth and folklore I usually only think of Greek/Roman Mythology long enough to say it grazed past my brain. My mind goes elsewhere into the magical and colorful world of imagination. The world becomes filled with bright colors, fairies, vibrant colored flowers, and crystal seas. A world where stars are gorgeous people and wonderful, powerful creatures such as dragons, gryphons, hippogryphs, mermaids, minotaurs, and centaurs exist. Where darkness brings death and destruction, yet new creation of hope. I wish I had a magical world that I could escape to in my wardrobe. For now my imagination will have to do.... =]

A Tree I Shall Be, For A Tree Shall Hug Thee.....

"Icarius watched over their growth with the same love he had for his trees,..."
              -p.39 The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony

Trees are possibly my favorite plant. Growing up in the Midwest meant lots of deciduous and coniferous trees. Back home I have six trees in my backyard (three crab apple trees and three large trees that I'm not sure the names of - one of them is a helicopter tree) and one in the front. I used to spend my free time climbing our front yard tree and I remember pulling up a basket full of books and coloring books to keep me preoccupied. I also remember the numerous times I ran into the house to extract the piece of bark that fell in my eye. In my opinion trees truly are creations of beauty, power, and strength. Even God placed two of the most important aspects of human life into trees:

       "And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground -- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for good. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
                  -- Genesis 2:9 (NIV)

Below are a few photos I've taken of trees amplifying their beauty!

My Name

The teacher mispronounced my name in class on Thursday. For future reference, my name is Christine, with an E. Not an A. Please do not pronounce it Christina. I will answer to Chris, Chrissy, or Steen. No harm done.


Thanks!