When Serpents Surrounded the World

 

"Eve and the Serpent" by Christine Graves via NightCafe Studio

Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate". Genesis 3:13

I hate snakes. I think most people do, though there are a few out there who seem to think they're cool. My daughter is one of them. She has a rock python, and I have no desire to ever see it, let alone hold it. 

Snakes and serpents have made their way into almost every religion since the dawn of time. As someone who was raised in the Christian church, I've been taught the story of Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden since childhood. But as I grew older, I realized that this was but one of many stories about snakes and serpents.

Greek mythology had two great serpents in its pantheon. Typhon and Python. Typhon was said to be the offspring of Gaia and Tartarus. A giant being whose only purpose was to cause chaos. It was said that Typhon battled with Zeus and was eventually thrown back into Tartarus and sealed beneath Mount Etna. 

Python was also a child of the mother goddess, Gaia. However, this creature was chased and killed by the god Apollo, which led to the establishment of the Oracle of Delphi. Though there are several versions of this myth, most claim that Python was sent to chase Leto, mother of both Apollo and Artemis, and keep her from giving birth to the twins. The name of Delphi was then known as Pythos, and the oracle was called a Pythia. 

Norse mythology also has two stories about large serpents. One is called Nidhogg and is thought to reside at the base of the world tree. It was believed that the creature gnawed on the roots of the tree of life and was seen as a representation of death itself.

The other Norse serpent was Jormungand, or the Midgard Serpent. Said to be a child of the trickster god, Loki and the giantess, Angrboda. The serpent had grown quickly after birth and was thrown into the sea. Soon, it grew so large that it encircled the entire Earth, biting onto its own tail. It was believed that the serpent would fight with the god Thor, bringing about the battle of Ragnarok.

"Thor and Jormundand by Frolich", published 1895, Wikimedia Commons

Not all snake deities are seen as evil. In both Buddhist and Hindu religions, a creature known as a Naga is seen as a guardian. Nagas are believed to be part human and part serpent and were depicted as having multiple serpentine heads. 

The ancient Aztecs worshipped a wind god called Quetzalcoatl: the feathered serpent. It was thought he would clear the way for the rain gods to come through. He was also seen as the god of merchants, the arts, and knowledge. He was greatly revered by the Aztec priests.

The Aboriginal Australians believe their creator god is a deity known as "The Rainbow Serpent". This deity is both a giver of life and the great destroyer. The title "Rainbow Serpent" was coined by an English anthropologist. However, most clans have their own names for the creator god.

The worship of snakes and serpents goes back to the dawn of time. A few of the stone pillars at the 12,000-year-old site of Gobekli Tepe depict snakes along with several other animal forms. Sir Arthur Evans discovered idols of a female priestess or deity holding snakes in her hands on Crete, and there is a rock in Thailand called The Great Snake Rock that looks eerily like a very large, petrified snake. 

"Minoan Snake Goddess" courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Myths and legends of serpents tell us that humans have had a love/hate relationship with this creature of millennia. They have twisted their way into our cultures and intertwined themselves into our lives. Though I'll never be a fan of these creatures, I have to admit that they've always been a part of our lives. 

~~~*~~~*~~~

Christine Graves has been writing for more than 30 years. She runs several blogs including Priestess of Words, Collected Keepsakes, and Mystic Realms, all of which are part of her company, Graves Publications. She also writes for a platform called Medium.com, in which she runs a few publications.

Hecate, Mother of Magic

 

"Hecate" by Christine Graves via NightCafe Studio

Hecate, Goddess of Witchcraft. Not an Olympian, but a goddess feared and revered by gods and humans alike. She who is called upon at the moment of birth and in the throes of death. Guardian of the crossroads, possessor of the keys, and only deity able to traverse all three worlds: sky, Earth, and the underworld. 

I love Hecate. I have to admit, I didn't know much about her as compared to the other Greek gods. It wasn't until 2018 that I came to know this silent goddess. 

I used to write for a multi-writer blogging community that each wrote as the voice of an ancient Greek god who had decided to reemerge in the 21st century. I didn't write as Hecate, however. I chose to write as my favorite goddess, Demeter. 

As I did so, I had to interact with another writer who wrote the part of Hecate. I learned quite a bit about the goddess while forming my posts, and fell in love with her. 

Hecate was the daughter of Asteria and Perses, both second-generation titans. Asteria was the titan goddess of falling stars, night sky divinations, and prophetic dreams. Perses was the titan god of destruction. 

Though a titan herself, Hecate chose to side with the Olympians during the Titanomachy. As a reward, Zeus granted her the keys to the gates between worlds.  Hesiod wrote in his Theogony that Zeus honored Hecate above all others. She was granted access to the skies above, the land and oceans upon the Earth, and keys to the gates of the underworld. She was even allowed to keep all of her attributes she'd inherited from the titan gods.

She was the protector of warriors and horsemen, fishermen and seafaring merchants, and nursemaid to the young. Her image was placed in doorways and gateways as a way to protect the inhabitants from evil spirits. 

She was the goddess of magic and witchcraft, crossroads, and ghosts. She was usually depicted carrying a torch and accompanied by dogs. It is thought that shrines to Hecate were built at three-way crossroads, and offerings were left to her at midnight. 

"The Altar of Hecate" by Christine Graves via Bing AI

Hecate plays a part in the myth between Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, goddess of spring. In the myth, Persephone is abducted by the god Hades and taken to the underworld to be his queen. Nobody seems to have seen the abduction, and Demeter goes into mourning. Her grief and anger keep her from her duties of helping the crops to grow, and the world is plunged into a frigid famine.

When it's determined that Persephone is with Hades, Hecate guides Demeter to the underworld to retrieve her daughter. The problem is that Persephone had eaten a few pomegranate seeds and had to remain in the underworld. A compromise was made, and Persephone could return to the Earth for half of the year and had to live with Hades for the other half. Hecate was said to be the young goddess's guide.

Though a dark entity, Hecate was neither good nor evil. She was a shadow in the night, protecting nocturnal travelers. She tended to the creatures of the night and was thought to travel with two large, black dogs. 

Hecate was a goddess who could be called upon for a myriad of issues. She was the keeper of young and old, child of the night, and guardian of boundries between worlds. Though more widely known gods and goddesses ruled over the world, Hecate ruled over the darker version of each. 

Until next time,
Miss Chris!!!

"Witchy Woman" by the Eagles, courtesy of The Eagles YouTube channel

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Christine Graves has been writing for more than 30 years. She runs several blogs including Priestess of Words, Collected Keepsakes, and Mystic Realms, all of which are part of her company, Graves Publications. She also writes for a platform called Medium.com, in which she runs a few publications.

Could King Arthur and Beowulf be Based on the Same Person?

 

"Beowulf" by Christine Graves via NightCafe Studio

I've always loved stories about great warriors going out on wild quests to win the heart of a fair maiden or gain wealth and power. I was raised on those stories. I loved the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. When I was 12, the movie Excalibur came out. Then, a year later, came Conan the Barbarian. I ate it up with a spoon.

However, I was a freshman in high school before I heard of Beowulf. I'm sure it was something we discussed in English Lit class. However, I was hooked from the moment we started studying. An ancient warrior who goes off and saves a kingdom from a savage beast and its mother. Facing death each and every step of the way. Going on to win the day and was crowned king of his people. It had all the hallmarks of a great epic. But it also made me think. What if the Beowulf and Arthur legends are based on the same faded memory?

According to experts, the story of Beowulf is set between the 5th and 6th centuries, based on historical details found in the poem. Arthur is first named in a text from the early 9th century, but is thought to have taken place shortly after the Romans left Britannia. The oldest known version of the Beowulf epic was written sometime in the 10th century, while the version of the Arthurian legends, as we know them, is thought to have been written in the 12th century. It is therefore thought that the legend of Beowulf is older than Arthur. 

The first mention of Arthur was made by a Welsh monk by the name of Nennius. He didn't call Arthur "king". He called him "Dux Bellorum", meaning "Lord of the Battle". The name Beowulf is thought to mean either "Bee-Wolf" or "Bear Wolf". However, there is another school of thought that says it means "Battle Wolf".  Also, some experts believe that the name "Arthur" has been modernized from the original word "Art", meaning "Bear". So, again, both individuals share an attribute. Their contemporaries may have referred to them as "Bear".

I do need to mention that the story of Beowulf takes place in Denmark, while the legend of Arthur is said to take place in England. Many scholars believe, however, that Arthur is based on a local Welsh hero or deity. Beowulf is probably based on an ancient Scandinavian folklore, or possibly an actual warrior whose name is lost to history.

It would be plausible for both legends to come from a single, distant source. Beowulf was said to be a Geat, a warrior tribe from southern Sweden. In the poem, he travels to the court of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, a tribe from Denmark. With both tribes being seafaring people, it wouldn't have taken much for stories of a great warrior to travel between the region of the Geats and Danes, to Northern Scotland. 

"Northern Europe" courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

If you've read anything about the Celtic tribes, you know they were a vast, warrior society. However, each region had its own cast of larger-than-life characters. Each clan had its own heroes it loved to brag about. Heroes such as Finn McCool, who helped build the Giant's Causeway, and Cu Chulain, who fought against the infamous Queen Medb of Connaught in the Cattle Raid of Cooley. Could Arthur and/or Beowulf be a manifestation of either of these demigods? Or just a local legend that took on a life of its own?

For all the similarities between Arthur and Beowulf, there are just as many differences. Could the legends of both Arthur and Beowulf be long forgotten memories of a mighty warrior? Or several perhaps? Of are they ancient tales of even older stories told around the fires of the Celtic clans? 

Perhaps they are the ancient origins of our modern-day superheroes. Proof that we, as humans, will always be drawn to great heroes who come when we need them most, simply to save the day. 

Until next time,
Miss Chris!!!

Christine Graves has been writing for more than 30 years. She runs several blogs including Priestess of Words, Collected Keepsakes, and Mystic Realms, all of which are part of her company, Graves Publications. She also writes for a platform called Medium.com, in which she runs a few publications.