Hermes

~ Hermes, "the luck-bringing son of Zeus" ~

We're learning about the archetype of the trickster this week and today's reading is all about the wily Greek god Hermes. Whoa! Dude is a devious little fellow.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"Muse, sing of Hermes... the luck-bringing messenger of the immortals whom Maia bare, the rich-tressed nymph, when she was joined in love with Zeus... she bare a son, of many shifts, blandly cunning, a robber, a cattle driver, a bringer of dreams, a watcher by night, a thief at the gates, one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds among the deathless gods."

"As swift thought darts through the heart of a man when thronging cares haunt him, or as bright glances flash from the eye, so glorious Hermes planned both thought and deed at once."

And my personal favorite:

"[He] sprang from the sweet-smelling hall to a watch place, pondering sheet trickery in his heart -- deeds such as knavish folk pursue in the dark night-time."

Just to give a little context here, the Homeric Hymn which we read details the first day of Hermes's life. He's a brand new baby who goes forth and causes as much mischief as possible within hours of being born. And, yep, there Hermes is, one day old, already "pondering sheet trickery". Sweet kid, huh? ;)

Trees

Trees are the most obvious and visual form of an axis mundi we have discussed. They are tall and mighty, reaching up from earth to the heavens in a clear bridge between the two. They fascinate us with their elegance, their permanence, their calm strength. We use the language of trees in our everyday lives. We refer to one another as "willowy" or "stubborn as an old stump". We draw the map of our ancestry as trees and carve the names of our loved ones into them. We stand in the midst of a grove of trees and are hushed into silence by their power. We climb to the very top of a tree and feel a part of that very same power coursing through us.

Trees are magical. They connect our three worlds:

The Divine (Heaven)

The Mundane (Earth)

The Underworld (Under Ground)

Trees are a part of every great myth. They have spoken and continue to speak to us for centuries upon centuries. They have a timeless appeal and a significance which I cannot do proper justice to in this short blog. Trees are tied to our existence with an unbreakable bond. I love trees. :)

Dream of the Rood

Listen! The choicest of visions I wish to tell,
which came as a dream in middle-night,
after voice-bearers lay at rest.
It seemed that I saw a most wondrous tree
born aloft, wound round by light,5
brightest of beams. All was that beacon
sprinkled with gold. Gems stood
fair at earth's corners; there likewise five
shone on the shoulder-span [ 1 ]. All there beheld the Angel of God [ 2 ],
fair through predestiny [ 3 ]. Indeed, that was no wicked one's gallows,10
but holy souls beheld it there,
men over earth, and all this great creation.
Wondrous that victory-beam--and I stained with sins,
with wounds of disgrace. I saw glory's tree
honored with trappings, shining with joys,15
decked with gold; gems had
wrapped that forest tree worthily round.
Yet through that gold I clearly perceived
old strife of wretches [ 4 ], when first it began
to bleed on its right side. With sorrows most troubled,20
I feared that fair sight. I saw that doom-beacon [ 5 ]
turn trappings and hews: sometimes with water wet,
drenched with blood's going; sometimes with jewels decked.
But lying there long while, I,
troubled, beheld the Healer's tree,25
until I heard its fair voice.
Then best wood spoke these words:
"It was long since--I yet remember it--
that I was hewn at holt's end,
moved from my stem. Strong fiends seized me there,30
worked me for spectacle; cursèd ones lifted me [ 6 ].
On shoulders men bore me there, then fixed me on hill;
fiends enough fastened me. Then saw I mankind's Lord
come with great courage when he would mount on me.
Then dared I not against the Lord's word35
bend or break, when I saw earth's
fields shake. All fiends
I could have felled, but I stood fast.
The young hero stripped himself--he, God Almighty--
strong and stout-minded. He mounted high gallows,40
bold before many, when he would loose mankind.
I shook when that Man clasped me. I dared, still, not bow to earth,
fall to earth's fields, but had to stand fast.
Rood was I reared. I lifted a mighty King,
Lord of the heavens, dared not to bend.45
With dark nails they drove me through: on me those sores are seen,
open malice-wounds. I dared not scathe anyone.
They mocked us both, we two together [ 7 ]. All wet with blood I was,
poured out from that Man's side, after ghost he gave up.
Much have I born on that hill50
of fierce fate. I saw the God of hosts
harshly stretched out. Darknesses had
wound round with clouds the corpse of the Wielder,
bright radiance; a shadow went forth,
dark under heaven. All creation wept,55
King's fall lamented. Christ was on rood.
But there eager ones came from afar
to that noble one. I beheld all that.
Sore was I with sorrows distressed, yet I bent to men's hands,
with great zeal willing. They took there Almighty God,60
lifted him from that grim torment. Those warriors abandoned me
standing all blood-drenched, all wounded with arrows.
They laid there the limb-weary one, stood at his body's head;
beheld they there heaven's Lord, and he himself rested there,
worn from that great strife. Then they worked him an earth-house,65
men in the slayer's sight carved it from bright stone,
set in it the Wielder of Victories. Then they sang him a sorrow-song,
sad in the eventide, when they would go again
with grief from that great Lord. He rested there, with small company.
But we there lamenting a good while70
stood in our places after the warrior's cry
went up. Corpse grew cold,
fair life-dwelling. Then someone felled us
all to the earth. That was a dreadful fate!
Deep in a pit one delved us. Yet there Lord's thanes,75
friends, learned of me,. . . . . . . . . . .
adorned me with silver and gold.
Now you may know, loved man of mine,
what I, work of baleful ones, have endured
of sore sorrows. Now has the time come80
when they will honor me far and wide,
men over earth, and all this great creation,
will pray for themselves to this beacon. On me God's son
suffered awhile. Therefore I, glorious now,
rise under heaven, and I may heal85
any of those who will reverence me.
Once I became hardest of torments,
most loathly to men, before I for them,
voice-bearers, life's right way opened.
Indeed, Glory's Prince, Heaven's Protector,90
honored me, then, over holm-wood [ 8 ].
Thus he his mother, Mary herself,
Almighty God, for all men,
also has honored over all woman-kind.
Now I command you, loved man of mine,95
that you this seeing [ 9 ] tell unto men;
discover with words that it is glory's beam
which Almighty God suffered upon
for all mankind's manifold sins
and for the ancient ill-deeds of Adam.100
Death he tasted there, yet God rose again
by his great might, a help unto men.
He then rose to heaven. Again sets out hither
into this Middle-Earth, seeking mankind
on Doomsday, the Lord himself,105
Almighty God, and with him his angels,
when he will deem--he holds power of doom--
everyone here as he will have earned
for himself earlier in this brief life.
Nor may there be any unafraid110
for the words that the Wielder speaks.
He asks before multitudes where that one is
who for God's name would gladly taste
bitter death, as before he on beam did.
And they then are afraid, and few think115
what they can to Christ's question answer [ 10 ].
Nor need there then any be most afraid [ 11 ]
who ere in his breast bears finest of beacons;
but through that rood shall each soul
from the earth-way enter the kingdom,120
who with the Wielder thinks yet to dwell."
I prayed then to that beam with blithe mind,
great zeal, where I alone was
with small company [ 12 ]. My heart was
impelled on the forth-way, waited for in each125
longing-while. For me now life's hope:
that I may seek that victory-beam
alone more often than all men,
honor it well. My desire for that
is much in mind, and my hope of protection130
reverts to the rood. I have not now many
strong friends on this earth; they forth hence
have departed from world's joys, have sought themselves glory's King;
they live now in heaven with the High-Father,
dwell still in glory, and I for myself expect135
each of my days the time when the Lord's rood,
which I here on earth formerly saw,
from this loaned life will fetch me away
and bring me then where is much bliss,
joy in the heavens, where the Lord's folk140
is seated at feast, where is bliss everlasting;
and set me then where I after may
dwell in glory, well with those saints
delights to enjoy. May he be friend to me
who here on earth earlier died145
on that gallows-tree for mankind's sins.
He loosed us and life gave,
a heavenly home. Hope was renewed
with glory and gladness to those who there burning endured.
That Son was victory-fast [ 13 ] in that great venture,150
with might and good-speed [ 14 ], when he with many,
vast host of souls, came to God's kingdom,
One-Wielder Almighty: bliss to the angels
and all the saints--those who in heaven
dwelt long in glory--when their Wielder came,155
Almighty God, where his homeland was.

Translation copyright © 1982, Jonathan A. Glenn

Impressive, huh? This is the Ka'aba, the House of Allah. It is located in Saudi Arabia in Mecca, a place whose name is familiar to everyone even if it's purpose is not. What fascinated me is that the Ka'aba is actually built from just ordinary stone, but is covered with this snazzy black and gold curtain called the Kiswah.

Turns out this gets replaced annually and if you're a super special person you may even be gifted with an individual piece of the old Kiswah. Way cool, huh?

As a class, we are interested in Mecca and the Ka'aba since it is a notable sacred space centered around, effectively, a large rock. The eastern cornerstone is supposedly an ancient meteorite which tradition says came to earth a glorious white color but was turned black due to sin. The Ka'aba itself is a pretty fundamental and symbolic rock with loads of history — Abraham supposedly built it — which showcases quite well the mythological significance of rocks. These are absolutely timeless. They are a piece of the earth (something we can equate with the mother goddess) and convey a sense of reliable strength and permanence. If I were trying to create something meaningful, I would definitely include some rocks.

Muslim believers are supposed to make a pilgrimage to Mecca and the Ka'aba once within their lifetime and it is towards that city that they bow each day in prayer. That's how important it is.

If I were a rock, this is what I'd want to be. ;)

Aeneas's Trials and Tribulations on the Road to Greatness

(I figured I'd post my paper up here in the hopes of additional input. :)


Imagine a man. His home ravaged by war, he has lost his wife and every aspect of the life he once knew. His heart torn by grief, he sets sail with his fellow survivors only to become disoriented in the darkness and treacherous waves, not a star to be seen, the tremendous crashing of sea upon ship the only sound. Cold and wet, he is adrift in the midst of a horrific and unnatural storm brought upon him by the wrath of Juno. Only a third of the fleet remains. He is set upon by Harpies; their stench and fury overwhelms him. Imagine this man, Aeneas, as he watches his own father pass away. The pain in his heart, this long Road of Trials – could there be any more appropriate candidate for Joseph Campbell’s Journey of the Hero?

            

The Aeneid provides ample opportunity to explore just what it means to be a hero. Aeneas has been forced to leave home and his Departure is part of the larger myth of the fall of Troy. Unsurprisingly, then, it is during the Initiation period of his Hero’s Journey that Aeneas’s own story truly picks up momentum. Herein lies the most gripping action. Here is the focus for every epic tale relating the noble and courageous deeds of Aeneas the Good. By examining each of the six key events in this stage and considering their individual parts in shaping the character and history of Aeneas, we are able to come to a more complete understanding of this myth and the impact it has had upon generations of readers.

            

The Road of Trials is the very first step in Aeneas’s initiation process. With these his resolve is tested and his strength is showcased. With each successive hardship we can see the character of Aeneas proven over and over again to be worthy of notice. At the same time we are reminded that even the greatest of men must endure loss and despair. No man is immune. This myth was written primarily so that the men of Rome might glorify their founder and it is only natural that his trials be stressed as a model of courage and evidence that even out of apparent desolation can come great things.

             

Just as he is staggering to shore – fresh from the aforementioned Road of Trials – Aeneas encounters a young huntress who is, in fact, the goddess Venus in disguise. Here we have the Meeting With the Goddess. Not just any goddess, however, Venus plays a dual role here. She is also Aeneas’s mother, a fact which is made abundantly clear as she shows herself to be concerned for his well-being even in defiance of Juno and to the complete disregard of any other human’s welfare. When Venus causes Dido to fall irrevocably in love with her son (ostensibly to protect him), this act is ultimately fatal to Dido and consequently detrimental to the entire city of Carthage.

            

Thus the Meeting with the Goddess flows neatly into our third stage: Woman as Temptress. Dido is a powerful and beautiful woman in her own right. Add to that the influence of Cupid’s passion and you have a temptress with terrifying persistence and resources. Aeneas very nearly succumbs and for a while he even forgets his purpose, but as any true hero must he finds the strength to resist and press on with his mission. This stage of the Journey represents the pull of Aeneas’s humanity and the attraction of worldly pleasures that threaten to distract each one of us from our own higher goals. It acts as a warning. Heroic aspirations and personal desires do not mix. There must be some degree of sacrifice for the sake of the greater good.

            

Aeneas may have avoided the pitfall of desire, but he has yet another trial to endure before he can achieve his god-like status. After leaving Carthage, he finds himself blown off course once again and lands at Sicily where he undertakes the dangerous journey to the underworld to consult with the spirit of his father. While this demonstrates a very literal example of Atonement with the Father, it also shows a more symbolic atonement with all of the people of Troy. Aeneas has just come from his near downfall with Dido and his people are more restless than ever after seven years of wandering and uncertainty. By speaking with his father Aeneas is able to fully regain his sense of purpose and return to his people renewed and filled with hope and revelations concerning the future of Rome.

            

The many trials Aeneas endures shape his character and provide a strength both of mind and body that is further solidified by the centering influence of his journey to the underworld. In this manner the different stages of Initiation work together and build upon one another to prepare the hero for his greatest moment: The Apotheosis. In his defeat of Turnus and subsequent founding of Rome, Aeneas finally attains his rightful place in history, becoming a man worthy of the immortality that only mythic heroes can achieve. The Ultimate Boon here is twofold: Aeneas provides a physical city for the people of Troy to settle in and live out their days, yes, but he also bestows upon them a legacy of knowledge. The revelations passed to him in the underworld concerning the future greatness of Rome will serve as a beacon of hope as his people work to establish their new home.

            

Overall, these six stages assist the reader in breaking down the myth, focusing on each component of Aeneas’s journey and spotlighting those moments that most contribute to his growth as an individual. By helping us to better understand what is admirable about Aeneas, Campbell’s Journey of the Hero enables us to in turn discover something about ourselves. And in that discovery we just might find the key to unlock our own Hero’s Journey and continue on the path toward self-betterment.

Keeping That Journey Straight

In light of our current class goal of successfully memorizing all of the many parts to Joseph Campbell's Journey of the Hero, I thought I'd post this:

It has been helping me to keep everything straight and is definitely a handy tool to keep nearby as I read through a specific hero myth. Whether or not I can fill it out for a given reading really helps me to get a handle on how much I'm understanding!

(If you'd like the actual word document version, just leave me a comment with your email address. I'd be more than happy to pass it along. :)