Hercules, Thor, and Christ

Hercules, Thor, and Christ, three names which seem unlikely to appear together within the same sentence. While their are some clear and obvious differences between each of these figures, it is the similarities which thread between them that are far more interesting than they more obvious ways in which they are different.

There are some striking parallels that one through each of them, which will be explored and discussed here.

The one element that is of key importance to all three of them, is a shared balanced between divinity and humanity. This is something that plays a crucial part in each of  thier stories and in who they are, and shapes around their myths and how they are perceived by others. Each of them in their own unique ways have come to be heros of the people, those who stand up for the common man and offer some hope and aide both directly as well as through the symbolism of what they represent. They are all popular idols, meaning, embraced by the everyday person. Champions of the struggle of everyday man. Yet the one thing which allows each of them to achieve this goal is they are all also touched by divinity and have that little something extra which exalts them above mortal man.

Now in this regard Hercules and Christ share the most in common between their stories. Both share a God father and a mortal mother, though it came about in very different ways. Both Hercules and Christ, were born upon earth, and as men and because of their birth, set through trails and tribulations upon earth. They both share something of mortality and both end up having their lives guided by the divine powers which helped sire them. Ultimate they both must sacrifice the ability to live as man, and have the simple joys and happiness of men for a greater divine cause.

In the case of Christ he was put upon earth to fulfill a prophcy, to spread the word of God, and thus in the end die for the sake of man. Because of this he was bound to remain “pure” and chaste, and he was destined to be a prophet.

In the case of Hercules, he was driven by his jealous stepmother Hera, the wife of Zeus, who sought to avenge Zeus’ infidelity upon his demigod son. While Christ was denied the ability to ever have a family, Hercules had his family stolen from him, and knew from then he could never risk having one again.

So while living among men, they both had to live isolated from man as well and had to suffer in ways beyond men, while still sharing in earthly struggles which men could relate to. Niether one of them was given true choice over their own lives.

In the case of Thor there is a slight difference. He was a god and lived within the realm of the gods, and yet, sharing in humanity was a very important part of him and who he was, and his role among the people. In spite of the fact that he was a god, he was still relatable to man because he was suciptiable to the same difficulties and struggles as men were. Like men he was at the mercy of the elements of the earth, and like men he could be tricked and deceived.

There is one important myth laid out with the purpose of highlighting this “human” aspect of Thor. He was deceived by an Ogre King who sought to humiliate Thor and thus presented to Thor three tasks which were impossible to complete.

The first task was that Thor was given a horn of ale and told to drink to the bottom of it. Well being a very manly Norse god, Thor thought, no problem. He could easily drink a horn of ale. So he takes it and starts to drink, and drink, and drink, yet never reaches the bottom untill he must finally admit defeat, feeling pretty low about this.

He is then given his second task, he must lift up the paw of the ogre’s great cat. Well Thor is the god of strength, no one is stronger than he is. He marches up to the cat, and struggles against it, but can barely manage to life the paw off the ground, and is pretty upset that he the mighty Thor could not even pick up a cat.

At the thrid task, the ogre plays at feeling sorry for Thor and offers to give him and easy challenge now, since he did so poorly on the first, and presents his grandmother and tells Thor he must wrestle the old woman. Well Thor is a great warrior who does battle against fearsome giants, he can defeat an old man. He goes to fight the woman and she throws him onto the ground.

Well that was it, Thor was crushed, when the Ogre King reveals to him how he had been tricked.  The horn in which he was to drink from was tapped into the ocean, and no man could swallow the ocean.

The cat whose paw he could not lift was really the Midgard serpent which is wrapped around the world, so no one could lift up the whole world.

And the old woman Thor had to wrestle with was old age, which no man can defeat.

So this shows that though Thor is a god, he has the same weaknesses and struggles that men do, and throughout many of his myths, and his battles against the Midgard Serpent, his arch nemsisies the elements often come into play to hinder him.

Another important factor that runs similar in each of these figures is they all in some way act to do a service for man kind and to help better the world for man.  They all have some duty, function, task, which they must do that benifits mankind.

In the case of Christ, he has his miracles which he performs. He turns the water into wine at the wedding, he walks upon water to save the boat of fishermen, he heals the sick with a touch of his hands, resurrects Lazarus from the dead. One of the things which does make Christ stand out the most from these other figures, is the Christians do counter Pagan myth by making a much more humble and passive hero, opposed to the warrior heroes, Christ does act out of a pure selflessness in the things he does which does vary from Hercules in his own works, but the message and concept behind them remain the same.

Hercules has the 12 Labors which has to perform, but as hinted at above, for him these tasks have a double motive, they not only work to benefit mankind but he also must complete them as a form of penance. When Hercules first attempted to live as normal men do, Hera drove him mad, and made him believe his family were his enemies and so he slayed them in the night. While what he did was not his fault, that does not change the fact that he has what Greeks called the “blood guilt” and thus he must try and purify his soul, and through these labors he hopes to do so.

The Labors of Hercules do work as a benefit to man in a duel way, for one thing, for many of his tasks he must conquer over fearsome man eating savage monsters which have been terrorizing people and so he makes the world safer for man by dominating over these blood thirsty creatures. But he also offers a lesson and symbolic message to man.  He stands up to confront his fears and demons, and he never gives up no matter how impossible the task before him appears to be, he always finds the way to persevere against it. In addition not only does he use his courage, and physical prowess but often he must also use his wit to help him through. Hercules becomes an icon for the everyday man. As men in their daily life must struggle, Hercules also must struggle, and if Hercules can do the seemingly impossible, so man can conquer his own difficulties.

Thor also works in the service of the protection of man, for one of his class sole purposes as a god is defeating this horrible giants which if it were not for Thor, they would be set loose upon the world and wreak havoc among men. 

And in the Viking culture in which the sea, and sailing plays such an important role within their lifestyle, Thor helps protect men at sea from the terrors of the Midgard Serpent.

An interesting way that does reflect a greater similarity between Thor and Christ in a way that Hercules lacks, is through the importance of talismans. The cross has become an almost universal symbol for Christ, it is worn both in honor of Christ and his suffering for man as well as a symbol of protection for the people, almost all Christians bare the symbol of the cross.

In the case of Thor, his greatest weapon, his hammer, was a symbol that came to be worn by all of Thor’s worshippers. Medallions baring the symbol of Thor’s hammer were numerous. And the same as with the cross, at the time, everyone knew the symbol of Thor’s hammer, knew what it was and what it represented. It was worn both in worship as well as for personal protection.

The final key factor in all of this, is that ultimately all three figures in the end become Martyr’s for their cause.

Of corse in the case of Christ, he is in the end crucifed upon the cross to die for the sins of man, and thus returns back to his heavenly father once more.

Hercules has a very similar experience as this in his own death. He is ultimate called up to the heavens by his father Zeus. After he manages to complete his 12 Labors at long last, Zeus decides that he has finally suffered enough, and Hera had her fun, but he steps in to finally alieve Hercules of his suffering and ultimately purify him and cleanse the blood upon his hands. Hercules builds up a great funeral pyre on which he stands and Zeus pulls the soul of Hercules up into Olympus, and ultimately makes Hercules a god and spares him hence forth from all mortal sufferings and struggles so he can live the rest of eternity in bliss and peace.

In the case of Thor, at the coming of Ragnarok, a myth with strong similarities to the book of Revelations (but that is a story for another day) Thor has his final and last battle with the Midgard serpent. They finally get to face off with one another without any interruptions or interferences, and as Thor strikes a mighty blow to kill the serpent, from the wound drips his deadly venom onto Thor, and thus they both fall. Thor gives his own life in his last act to protect the world and mankind and fells his arch rival.

The Garden of Hesperides vs The Garden of Eden

 

 

The Garden of Hesperides’ from Greek Mythology bares some strong resemblance to the story of the Garden of Eden, in addition to the similarities there are also some parallels to the story as well, but there can be found a clear link between the story, that go beyond simple coincidence.

The Garden of Hesperide’s is the orchard of the goddess Hera, and is a very idyllic place of great beauty. It was located in a place beyond the mortal world, and was meant to be inaccessible It was from this garden which the gods got their immortality. The prized position of the garden was none else than golden apples. The gardens were inhabited by nymphs known as the Hesperides, and the apple was guarded by a 100 headed dragon known as Landon.

In reflection upon the Garden of Eden, you can see the similarities between the two of them. A sacred garden that belongs to another realm, and cannot be accessed by man, in which there is a forbidden tree whose prized fruit which is not to be touched or disturbed happens to be that of an apple. There is also the serpent connection between the two of them, though here one of the differences occurs. For in the case of the Gardens of Hesperides the dragon is the protector of the fruit, opposed to the popular story in the Garden of Eden in which it is the serpent that seeks to aid in tempting Eve to eat of the apples.

The Garden of Hesprides offers the reverse when Hercules has to battle the dragon to steal of the apple. This is a rather interesting approach to the story, and it reflects the difference in world view between the ancient Greeks and the Bible, in the story of Hesperides, the hero, is cheered on for his action of stealing from the sacred fruit of the Gods, opposed to the story of Even and the apple, in which she is punished for the action.

As a side note in comparing the two stories, one can also draw some similarities between Eve, and the nymphs Hesperides. Before Eve’s falling to temptation, she is actually a very nymph like figure in the way in which she is a daughter of nature, she roams the gardens freely in a state of innocent nudity and does not know shame for the natural state of her body. In way after the seats of the apple she becomes more human, she looses her nymph like nature when she feels the need to conceal herself.

Now as already alluded to above, another one of the important similarities between these two stories is the need for something to happen to the apple, for man to trespasses the realm of the gods by taking that which is most sacred and prized by them, though for very different reasons, which also offers an interesting aspect.

In the case of the Garden of Eden the apple represents of corse the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the knowledge of God himself which is not intended for man to possess, but Eve is ultimately tempted by the serpent and eats of the apple and tempts Adam to join her. In doing this they violate the one rule of the Garden and are exiled but in this action, comes one of the other importance differences between the stories. In the case of the Garden of Eden the folly of Adam and Eve end up being to the benefit of mankind, in spite of being expelled from the paradise, knowledge is passed to mankind and they no longer have to live in ignorance, through this new found knowledge they also are given the fullest ability to exercise their free will.

Now in the case of the Garden of Hesperides the apple is the source of the immorality of the gods, and in the act of stealing of the apple Hercules is acting upon his own personal behalf, in truth the world at large does not really benefit from the steeling of the apple. It is part of an individual quest and he most take the apple as part of his 12 labors, which will absolve of his guilt over the death of his family.

Another interesting twist within the story is the fact that in this case after Hercules slays the dragon Landon, he actually ends up having to tempt Atlas into the actual picking of the apples for him, because of the Hesperide nymphs who are the daughters of Atlas. The way in which Hercules is able to tempt Atlas into doing this, is by offering to literally take the world off of his shoulders and hold it for him while he enters the garden to pick the apple.

So the two stories intertwine in a way that suggests there must be some interaction and relation between the two of them, this sort of thing appears many times, where myths display some suggestion of communication of some sort between vastly different cultures, and the human experiences run on common thread, in stories like this one can understand Jung’s views about the collective conciousness.

Seeking meaning behind Medusa

Medusa by Arnold Bocklin

I have recently discovered a new show called Clash of the Gods on the History Channel, and find it quite interesting as it reviews a variety of myths and explores their real world connections behind the myth. I have most recently watched their exploration of the Medusa myth which provoked some interesting thoughts in my own evaluation of it, as I do not completely agree to the same conclusions they came to in certain aspects of the myth.

Before going into my interpretation of the myth, a brief overview of the myth for those who may not be familiar with the details of it. Medusa began as a young maiden of renowned beauty but who could be obtained by no one because she served as a priestess of Athena, and thus she took a vow of chastity. But there was one man who would not let that stop him. When Medusa was within Athena’s very temple Poseidon approached and raped Medusa upon the temple floor before the eye of Athena. Athena was outraged but Poseidon  himself could not be punished, for one, it was accepted that he was simply acting within his nature as a god and could be expected to behave no differently than he had. Punishing Poseidon for what he had down would have been like punishing a carnivore for eating meat. So it was than that the curse was placed upon Medusa and she became the Gorgon and sent away to be isolated upon the island.

The point where I tend to somewhat vary in my personal interpretation of this myth is to view what became of Medusa as a punishment against her. It may certainly appear like a punishment, to be turned into this hideous monster destined to live exiled and alone forever, but that is the first mistake to make, to try and apply a mortal perception to the gods. They are beyond us, beyond our limitations and they are not bound to mortal conceptions of morality and punishment.

It is similar to the idea of being careful what you wish for, we may not understand the ways of the gods, so they may grant our wishes in ways that are not how we have intended. One can see this in considering Artemis who was known to turn a woman into a tree who asked for her protection against the purists of Apollo. Being turned into a tree might not appear to be the ideal solution, but it had preserved her from falling prey to Apollo, so the gods do not always act in a way we understand or in a way that might appear to be of our best interest when they are turned to.

With this it is time to further examine the Medusa story, and how it may be perceived as anything but a punishment. For one thing, a rather interesting factor in the story is the fact that Medusa’s monstrosity was in fact reflecting upon her exterior the way she would have been viewed by society after what became of her. In spite of the fact that she was the victim in Greek society she would have been exiled for what happened to her, she would not have been able to obtain a normal marriage and no longer being virginal she lost her place in the temple, so she would have been exiled by society and viewed as if she were a monster and she would have nothing to protect her from being subject to the crime again by others.

So what does Athena do? Makes Medusa into one of the most powerful woman there is, she ultimately insures that no man can ever touch of offend Medusa ever again, and gives her the ability to have her revenge at last in her own way. Being that Poseidon himself is beyond punishment, Athena through Medusa punishes mankind for the crime. With nothing more than a look Medusa can turn to stone any man who tries to come near her. She becomes feared, and almost untouchable.

But of course she is in the end fated to meet her eventual death when the young hero Perseus comes along, but even in her death, Medusa is able to have a sort of final revenge and Athena strikes out against the crime which had befallen the priestess. The severed head of Medusa is rather poetically used to protect another woman from having to suffer as she herself once dead.

The mother of Perseus was at the mercy of men whom wished her only harm, first her father whom had locked her away in a tower with the hope she would die because of the prophecy about the death a child by her would bring him, and when Zeus impregnated her, he sends her away out to sea once more hoping she would die without him having to get his hands dirty. But with the aid of Zeus she lives and is brought to an island, there the King decided he wants her and demands to make her his wife against her wishes.

So Perseus goes upon his quest for the head of Medusa to preserve his mother, and after defeated the monster returns just in time to stop the wedding using the head of Medusa to kill his mother’s tormentors, both her father, and her would be husband.

So Medusa’s life might not have been pleasant, not by human standards, but there was nonetheless a sense of divine justice behind it.

The Evil Child

 

I have spoken before at length of the role of the child vampire and its presence or lack of presence both in traditional vampire lore, and the ever changing image of the vampire in our movies and literature, but now I wish to speak of the place of children in general in our works of modern horror. Being myself a horror fanatic, and I like many other people seem to take a most particular pleasure in movies that feature the proverbial bad seed, evil, homicidal, sinister children. There is something about these underage malcontents that is particularly chilling, more so than some of are other more common villain types. Of course in exploring this subject I will have to bring to the surface some of the ideas and concepts which have already been discussed and touched upon in previous posts, but they are ideas that are most significant in exploring the terror that children can inspire within us.

 

In contemplating this idea, of course I cannot help but to bring to mind some of the old classics that I am sure most all of us remember well. There are different types of children villain that appear. Now, naturally I have to start off with perhaps one of the oldest and most classics out there, and that is The Omen, and our dearly beloved Damien. The anti-christ reborn as a child, is of course an ever present theme in our horror. Along this same line we also have gold old Rosemary’s Baby. In these stories we have children who are unnaturally processed by some evil force, no less chilling for it, but they are given an “excuse” if you will for their terrible deeds, as they simply are not truly human. The everyday person does not expect to pop out the second-coming of evil incarnate, yet these movies hint at the suggestion of it, displaying seemingly perfectly average families who find themselves gripped in a horror that cannot be imagined. Of course what such stories suggest is that chilling prospect of infanticide, the parents being put in the position of having to slay their own flesh blood, what is in all physical appearance but a child, even as they know the beast which lurks within.

 

There are also cases of possession, in which a child find themselves suddenly taken over by some evil force which begins to take control of them. The Exorcist naturally must come first and foremost into this category, a brilliant movie of horror, and followed closely behind by The Children of the Corn, now that is a film that embodies the fear that children can install when they step out of their natural roles, and rise to the occasion of unspeakable evil. Who can forget that brutal scene at the beginning of the movie?

 

But perhaps the most chilling of all, is the truly bad seed, those children that have no supernatural excuses but are simply born evil through and through. I will never forget the movie The Good Son, and a newer movie along the same line, Joshua, of course I also think it fitting to bring to mind the book Lord of the Flies, a tale of what happens when children are left to their own devices without supervision.

 

Now the question is jut what it is that makes the things so particularly chilling? First and foremost the obvious answer to this question must be addressed. The simple fact that there is an idea that some have developed in the innocence and purity of children, the fact that it has come to be accepted that children are indeed born “good” if you will, and that they cannot be seen as inherently evil or bad, but it is their environment around them which may begin to shape such notions around children and that they are shaped by their situation. Of course it is understandable why some people might not want to consider the idea that evil may be formed in the womb and there is nothing that can be done to reverse or change it. If a child is indeed evil, people like to fathom that it must have been constructed as evil in someway by external forces.

 

The wicked child of our horror stories is then the complete perversion and abstraction from everything that a child should be. To think of such youth so tainted by such a vile need for violence goes against what we think of the natural laws of child, thus it becomes grotesque, and the grotesque always has the ability to make is stir in unease.

 

Let us consider other factors that seem to play in these concepts and what they might suggest. Often in the cast of such stories of villainous children there is lurking in the background some Freudian concepts. The age old Oedipal Complex is one that is often played upon and taken to perverse literal and twisted levels in these stories of evil children, as it often the case that the impish child will tend to favor one parent over the other and thus play the two against each other, intrusting the one while inspiring fear in the other. Though often enough, in a way to twist the knife of fear even further it is the mother with him becomes the first primary object of terror of the devious designs of their offspring, while the child then turns to the father in an act of innocence, thus driving the mother mad. There are potent physiological reasons for just why this might be a scene so commonly played out. The first and foremost and basic objective is of course the turning of the bond between mother and child into the grotesque, after all what greater terror could there be but for a child to turn against its own mother, this goes against our perception of the laws of nature, while for a child to be pitted against the father, is something that can be more readily accepted as part of the child’s growing process, but the mother of course is the figure of nourishment, and secretly, something to be held sacred. Other reasons behind this, is playing upon more stereotypical concepts, it can be more readily accepted that the woman’s nerves might be fragile, women are commonly portrayed as more emotional, thus it is easier to accept the man disbelieving his wife, and finding here outlandish accusations as being driven from emotion and stress. It would be a harder case to sell, to place the woman in the role as the rational one, and the man in the role of being susceptible to superstition.

 

One most also contend with the idea that in truth in such episodes the mother would be seen as inherently posing a greater threat to the child. As already touched upon, it is accepted that the mother has a particularly sacred bond with the child, of course it was the mother who actually cared the child within her, and often, though once again playing upon stereotypes, mothers can be more readily seen as possessing certain intuition regarding the child, while the father figure is seen as having a bit more of a distant relationship with the child, so should there indeed be something amiss, or wrong with the child, it could be seen the mother might be the first to pick up upon the signs and sense the perversion. So the child must then make the first movie to start to discredit the mother before she can bring the father into her confidence against the child.

 

Another factor which makes these wicked minors so particularly terrifying is the role in which moral conflictions play within the story, and just what is suggested. It naturally goes without saying, that to say the least any given adult could indeed “take” a child, in physical stature a child indeed does not pose much of a threat and could be easily defeated if it were to come down to an act of physical conflict between the two, but the child possesses a weapon of psychology over the adult which adds to the mounting terror. The fact, that most average adults would be hesitant to bring about the death and murder of a child, even if they know the darkness which lies within the soul and the true intent of the child, most people, would indeed find it difficult to separate from their mind what they physically see in the child’s appearance, and all of the things they have been led to believe about child innocence, and the general physically helplessness of a child against an adult, from what they know in their soul will happen if they do not snuff out the life. And if the ones who must be responsible for brining about the end are indeed the child’s very parents, all the more wrenching and vile. For there are few crimes that most would consider greater than that of infanticide.

 

 

Her Dark Rein

Her Dark Rein

Deep
beneath
her still heart
darkness awakes
from her crypt she rises into the night
terror shrieks through the darkening sky
blood falls like rain
where she walks
until
dawn

Changelings

The Changeling by Henry Fuseli

Changelings are rather popular ones, they often appear within various works of fiction to reference an impish or mischievous child, or sometimes to just indicate a child who seems to have something otherwordly about them.

Changelings are a type of fae, but I can assure you, they are no Tinker Bell, and they are not the popularized modern conception of what a fairy is, as we have already discussed various different fairy types from Irish myth particular, but other cultures as well, that shed a darker light on just what fairies are all about.

Changelings come out of Britannia myth. Many may be familiar with the story of the changeling.  It is a common trait among the traditional myth of the fairy for fae to be portrayed as thieves of children. Even in the old beloved tale of Peter Pan (the original by J.M. Barrie not the Disney version) we see instances of fairies stealing children away.  In the myth of the changeling in order for a fairy to steal a child they must leave in its place either a carved wooden substitute, or an elderly, feeble fairy that is to play the role of a human infant.

As they age Changelings become notorious pranksters, hence why mischievous children are so oft linked to them. While it is difficult to determine if ones child is a changeling, in some culture such as England, Hungary, and parts of Africa, it was thought that children who were born with teeth were sure to be changelings.  If one suspects their children is a changeling the parent might try and trick them into revealing their true identity.

The Croucher and other Domiciles

Domicile  demons are a domestic type of demon, unlike the many various nature demons which I have frequently talked about, I will now move on to more domestic imps. These demons often find their abode within the home, or are present at important moments in human life and experience, such as marriage, childbirth, a death, and so forth. An ancient lament of these demons goes as follows:

Doors do not stop them
bolts do not stop them
they glide in at the doors like serpents
they enter by the windows like the wind

One ancient breed of domicile demon is known as the Croucher and comes from Babylonian myth. The Courcher is an invisible type of demon known as rabisu which means “the ones who wait.” While it cannot be seen it makes its presence felt, causing the hair of any mortal near it to stand on end.  Because they cannot be seen they are described by the effect they cause, rather then by physical appearance.

In Ancient Babylonia people believed that multitudes of evil spirits filled into the habitats of humans and fell into different categories; utukku, ekimmu,gallu, alu, and rabisu.  The first two are departed spirits of the dead who cannot find rest so they cause harm to the living, most often found around graveyards. The third can be seen in the image of a bull and roams the streets at night, the forth is a specter that appears in the image of a black dog (black dog myths are also a strong part of Irish Lore and thought to be ill omens by some, while others find them to be guardians.)

Most of these can be avoided by staying home, but home provides no safety from the rabisu, it is how the Croucher game about its name, because they lay in wait unseen for unsuspecting mortal victims, within the doorways of the household, because of this they are also known as entrance demons.

Other types of rabisu are thought to perch upon rooftops at the homes of expecting mothers, to prepare to pounce on the newborn babies.  In ancient Rome it was a custom to shoot arrows at the rooftops when a woman was in childbirth to protect the mother and baby. In Syria there is a rooftop demon called bar egara who waits to pounce upon men as they cross the threshold of their door on the way to work.

Many different cultures have devised ways to try and drive off these domicile demons. The spreading of salt across a threshold is commonly seen as a way of warding off evil spirits who are believed to be unable to cross salt. Wind chimes were also originally derived as a form of protection. One of the reason why churches ring bells is because the sound of a bell ringing is believed to ward off demons, and evil spirits, so hanging wind chimes in the front of the house can keep away these spirits, as the wind blows the chimes causing a bell like sound to drive them off.

Everyone Loves a Cannibal

 Today I would like to discuss a topic that is one that I do not normally delve into but it has made its appearances here and there, and does have some relation to some of the other topics presented on this blog. I was inspired to write this from a story I had recently read. It was a short story, and though at my first reading of the story I felt it was mediocre, nothing really new under the sun, but had its good points, yet the more I began to think about the story, I did find it had a deep psychology to it that is to be appreciated it.

 Now for those who are wondering, just what it is I speak of, it is cannibalism. The great taboo, that everyone has some secret fascination with. There is something if not appealing, almost hypnotic about cannibalism. Everyone, at least the majority of everyone fain’s disgust at the idea, and tell themselves they believe it to be one of the most despicable of acts, and yet there is nothing quite as juicy as a story involving cannibalism. The Donor Party does not fail to intrigue, and we all love Hannibal Lector. Who has not at least to themselves contemplated, if they were stranded in the middle of nowhere, on the verge of starvation with nothing to eat, would they consume their companions for their own survival.

 

Naturally cannibalism is an age old story in the realms of horror, both in fiction and in film, how many times has that age old story been retold, in various different ways? The story of some new fabulous, savory, new dish, something that cannot be quite named, but just melts in the mouth, and is irresistible, and inevitably when the truth does come out, yet, it turns out to be human flesh.

 

People have a deep rooted fear of cannibalism, but more then that, they have the fear of themselves. Much like the werewolf, and the vampire to some degree, cannibalism is a representation of mans past, of the ancient days prior to so called “civilization” It is the threat, the fear, the horror, that man truly is not as civilized as he likes to think himself. What man fears more deeply then anything, most particularly in the West, is the realization, the knowledge, the line between men and beast, is a thin one, near non-existence. That man knows inside of him he has this lurking beast, is innate wildness, his true-self, the “savage” and if he does not keep it in content check, it will reveal itself, perhaps without him even knowing it.

 

The true fear in cannibalism, the true horror of these stories, is not the fear that some innocent bystander, might unsuspectingly become the prey, and find himself served upon the platter. The true fear these stories inspire, the real bone chilling conclusion is the idea that man may find himself consuming his fell kinship, and that there will be nothing within him to recognize this, that in truth there is no instinctual, innate mortality against the feasting upon human flesh, nothing in the body, soul, or mind, will be inherently repulsed and prevent him from doing so. And further more, that he will in fact take an almost orgasmic delight in the feasting upon the flesh of his fellow comrades. And the horror of discovering the truth of just what it was he had been served can never take away from that mouth watering taste experienced.

 

There is something deeply symbolic and psychosocial in cannibalism. I am sure many of us remember Sweeny Todd. In which “the butcher” began by picking off the wealthy, the ones with the power, the corrupt, the oppressors, and serving them up in the most juicy, succulent, scrumptious meat pies which were served to the common people, the masses. So the oppressed were devouring the oppressors and while they were not consciously aware of this fact at the time, they took a great delight in doing so.

 

I cannot forget the story which inspired this to start with, which did I think have a rooted social message in the nature of man. The story was called The Specialty of the House by Stanley Ellin. And it was all about how “unrefined” and “uncivilized” man had become, and how men give into vices that are harmful both to themselves as well as potentially others, and folly’s of the modern world. There was this little known restaurant, that though was technically open to the public, people only heard about it through word of mouth, and only men were permitted, and the restaurant is seen as this place that is still refined and sophisticated.

 

So within this restaurant things like smoking and drinking were not permitted, the only drink available was pure clean fresh water, and there were no condiments, no salt and pepper, because part of the problem with society was man’s over indulgence. So this way the patrons would focus purely on the flavors of the dish and not be distracted by anything else.

 

Of course even though the food is not coated in seasoning or drenched in sauces, it is extraordinarily good, because once a person eats there, they realize they really do not need all of that extra stuff, and after one visit a person becomes a life long patron. And it makes man literally salivate over his meat. It is a touch back to his true carnal nature.

 

There is this one dish, the house speciality that is really just the cream of the crop, but it is very rare, and you never know just when it is going to be served. It is called Lamb Amirstan. Because allegedly it is lamb that comes from this one particularly rare flock that can only be found in this placed called Amristan which is suppose to be this little unknown place.

 

As part of the story one of the characters remarks to himself how he notices how plumper he is starting to become, and makes some comment about his companions routoundness. So the patrons of this restaurant, are the flock who are being fattened up and when they are judged as ready, they are then taken back to be served up to the others. So they are feeding upon themselves to their own eventual doom.

 

It is particularly interesting when one considers the various differently symbolism wrapped up in sheep and lamb, and the conations those animals have, as they are commonly used as sacrificial animals in ancient roots, and of course have particularly symbolism in Christianity.

 

Which brings me to one more curious point on the ritual of cannibalism. The act of Transubstantiation. For those how do not know, it is the practice that the wine becomes the blood of Christ, and the bread becomes the flesh of Christ, while to many people this a purely symbolic gesture, there are some sects, who view this as being genuinely literally. They believe that the wine, in actuality becomes the blood of Christ, and that the bread in actuality becomes the flesh of Christ. Though of course if anyone might suggest to them they were cannibalistic, no doubt, they would be horrified by this suggestion and denounce cannibalism, and protest that they found it to be a vile practice. As curiously enough the Western world tends to link cannibalism to “heathenism” and “primitive tribes”

 

And yet, there it is as one of the most sacred and holy acts within their own religion. For even for those who do not believe in the literal act of Transubstantiation, they are symbolic participating in a cannibalistic rite.

 

Perhaps, at heart, we are all cannibals in one degree or another. We do feed off of each other and as much as some of us might try to deny the inner beast, no can fully or completely escape their true natures. We fear it, not because it is vile, or evil, but because we know that it is within us all. Because it is not indeed as fantastical as at first it might seem, but that we can reach out and touch the edges of it. And we never know just when we might at last indulge.

La Befana

 

I was trying to decide just what I could do which would be both seasonal as well as apporpriate for my blog, when the perfect answer had come to me. Though I know have been away awhile and negelegeted this neck of the woods. I have been busy and now I have the perfect new entery.

Of course we all know of Santa Clause, though many different myths and tales associating around the figure, but I want to talk about a all together different figure whom many probably have not heard of that serves much the same purpose as Jolly old St. Nick. I am speaking of La Befana, which translate to The White Witch, so who is La Befana? She is a figure from Italian culture, and she very much does embody the rather common and typical imagery of a witch. She is an old hag like woman, who much like Santa Clause is rather round in figure. She very strongly resembles the typical kind of witch seen as part of Halloween decorations, with a big nose and gray hair. She is said to either ware gray or brown. She is believed to ride either upon a flying broom, or some stories say a donkey, and she carries with her a large sack of gifts with which to leave behind to the children of the world, as well she is said to leave both food and presents within the stockings of children.

Some people have come to believe that La Befana is Santa Clause’s wife and she helps him out, and it is from her that the idea of naughty children being left a lump of coal has come. It is always said that often before leaving a house she will use her broom to sweep the floor. Much like leaving milk and cookies for Santa Clause in the common American tradition. Children would leave  La Befana, a small glass of wine, as well as a few morsels of food behind and usually the food is something that is local to the particular area

Domovoi

The Domovoi (dom meaning “house”) is a guardian spirit in Russia. He is referred to as “Grandfather” behind his back. Known to be shy, he is not given to make public appearances and is rarely seen, but can be heard nightly in odd groans and creaks. When he does scurry out from behind the stove and across the kitchen floor at night, he is usually with fur and has been mistaken for a cat or a dog. This is his most frequent form, but once in a while he will take the shape of the master of the house and can be seen as a doppelganger ( a double). Reports of the Domovoi as a very old man with a bread are frequent.

When the Domovoi is not in the kitchen, he will wander into the stable, and is said to even groom the horses in the middle of the night. He is fond of horses and cows and can converse with them.

He is usually a domesticated presence, vital to the intrnisic health of the household. But, like all demonic species, he is volatile, impulsive, and subversive by nature. When a Domovoi is aggravated by homeowners, or thinks he has not been paid proper respect. For example if there is salt in his porridge offering, dishes left in the sink, or simply no special treat left for him he can quickly erupt in a violent tantrum. He throws pots at the head of household. He spreads manure all over the front door and stoop. He ties horses to the stalls so they cannot get to their food and slowly starve to death.