The Origin of Valentine’s Day

My Valentine song: I Choose You, Sara Bareilles.

For all the Valentine couples in the world. “Let love rule the day.”

ORIGINS

There are several legends about the origin of Valentine’s Day that go back to ancient Rome. The first connects Valentine’s Day to the feast of Lupercalia on February 15. Juno, the goddess of love and marriage, and Faunus or Pan, the god of nature, were worshipped during this festival. At this feast, young Roman men put the names of young maidens into a box and then drew out a name by chance. The girl whose name was drawn by a young man became his partner for the Lupercalia festival.

In AD 496, Pope Galasius of Rome chose a ‘substitute patron for Christians.’ The new celebration was to honor a Christian bishop named Valentine who was beheaded for his belief on the Palatine Hill where an altar to Pan stood. Christians began to celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14, but kept many of the customs of the ancient Lupercalia.

Some historians claim that the bishop St. Valentine of Terni has been confused with another St. Valentine, living also during the reign of Emperor Claudius II AD 268-270 and imprisoned for secretly marrying couples. Claudius had placed a ban on marriage in order to recruit more young soldiers into the army, whereas, another version of the story identifies St.Valentine as the bishop who was beheaded on February 14.

According to Catholic Online, the historical and biblical database, both accounts might belong to the same person. Bishop Valentine was arrested for his beliefs and put to the test by a judge named Asterius.  St. Valentine was asked to cure the judge’s daughter who was blind. Judge Asterius promised he would do anything for the bishop if he cured his child. Valentine placed his hands on the girl’s eyes and her vision was restored. Overcome and ‘humbled’, Asterius, along with his household, converted to Christianity and ‘freed all of his Christian inmates.’ Later, St. Valentine was once again arrested for his attempts to convert people and sent to Rome ruled at this time by Claudius II. St. Valentine was accused of trying to marry Christian couples and helping Christians being persecuted by Claudius. Both were considered ‘serious crimes’ and often St. Valentine came before Claudius. When St. Valentine tried to convert Claudius, the emperor became enraged and demanded he renounce his faith or ‘be beaten by clubs and beheaded.’

Other sources claim that St. Valentine married couples so husbands wouldn’t have to fight in the army, and another one says he refused to worship pagan gods and that on the day of his execution, knowing his jailer’s daughter was blind, he left her a note. When the jailer returned home, he unrolled the ‘scrap of papyrus’ and read it to his child. It said, ‘From your Valentine.’ Included in the message was a yellow crocus and when she held the flower up, she regained her sight.

THE FIRST VALENTINE’S GREETINGS AND CARDS

The first valentine greetings can be traced back to the 15th century in France. The Duke of Orleans imprisoned in the tower of London after the battle of Agincourt wrote to his wife a greeting in French which names her as his valentine. The oldest surviving greeting in English in the British Library dating from 1477 was sent by Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston and says: ‘right well-beloved Valentine.’

In the 17th century, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia says:

Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s Day.

All in the morning betime,

And I a maid at your window,

To be your valentine.

The most famous Valentine poem comes from a collection of nursery rhymes from 1784.

The rose is red, the violet blue,

The honey’s sweet, and so are you.

Valentine cards first appeared in the 18th century and were handmade.  They were often decorated with ‘flowers, love knots, puzzles and lines of poetry.’  Books existed that could offer a person guidance on how to select the right words and images to ‘woo their lover.’  Valentines were secretly tied to a doorknocker or slipped under the door.  Soon the pre-printed card came to be with the oldest example dating to 1797 held at York Castle Museum in London.  Decorated with cupids and flowers it reads:

Since on this ever Happy day,

All Nature’s full of Love and Play

Yet harmless still if my design,

‘Tis but to be your Valentine.

 

In the 19th century, industrialization brought the ability to mass-produce Valentine cards, which became very popular in England and by the mid-19th century, Valentine cards made it to America.  In 1913 Hallmark Cards produced their first Valentine.

In America today, Valentine’s Day has become a very commercial holiday. More than cards are purchased these days. Gifts of chocolate, jewelry, and flowers are now included. It’s amazing to me that today we still celebrate a holiday focused on romantic love, which goes back to an ancient time period that celebrated a belief or tradition based in love as well.

 

Red Letter Days: St. Valentine’s Day

Sabuda, Robert, St. Valentine

Barry, Anna Marie, ‘A brief history of Valentine’s Day Cards’ History

Medicine and Social Bias in the 20th Century

In a recent discussion about whether children should be given immunizations for certain childhood diseases, I started to think about early modern medicine and its practices in the Western world.  While looking into it, I came across some interesting observations, opinions and facts particular to women from the book, Medicine: A History of Healing, Ancient Traditions To Modern Practices.

Modern Western medicine was founded on the basic sciences developed in the ‘first half of the nineteenth century.’  Some of these sciences included Microscopic anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacy.  The development in the 19th century of these sciences progressed quickly and ‘gradually came to be applied to medicine.’

During the eighteenth century and earlier, scientists had been practicing physicians and amateurs most often working in their homes, but now the medical scientist began to work in laboratories.  As religion declined and medicine grew more powerful and ‘authoritative,’ medical ideas began to embody ‘current social ideas about women.’  Doctors began to support the societal status quo through justifying the ‘control of women through medical authority.’

Listed are some of the medical attitudes and practices of the time that reflected the beliefs and prejudices of the day.

·            During the 19th century, middle-class women were considered to be chaste, lazy and sickly.

·            Working-class women were viewed as polluters and a serious risk from infection.

·            A common ‘Catch-22’ was the ‘theory’ that women were ill by just being women and would become ill if they tried to do anything beyond their conventional female roles.

·            Their illnesses most often were related to their reproductive system, which limited their ability to do anything and required constant care from a medical practitioner.

·            Girls were treated as invalids during puberty, which was viewed as a crisis.

·            Menstruation was considered a disease.

The picture on the left is an illustration from an 1822 textbook produced by J-P Maygrier. It portrays a suggested solution for examining a woman’s genitals.

·            Pregnancy was seen as an illness and even a form of epilepsy. The pregnant woman was treated as if she was sick and was advised to stay in bed.  Doctor’s care moved from the traditional midwife to the medical practitioners.

·            Menopause was viewed as a ‘state that caused disease.’  ‘The nervous force, no longer finding useful function, goes astray in every direction.’  The belief of the time was that natural female functions of ovulation, gestation, labor, lactation and menopause dominated the entire body or organism of a woman.

Medical science became so popular at this time that it began to extend its power into many aspects of daily life not considered a part of its domain.  Anything labeled as an illness’ or ‘disease’ was required to have ‘scientific’ medical treatment.

These included: Alcoholism, homosexuality, drug use, criminal acts, and variations in sleep patterns.

Today, there are still conditions that are viewed as requiring medical interventions and are labeled as diseases and illnesses.  They might only be part of the human physical, social and normal process, but our current society’s attitudes reflect a bias toward medical treatment.  One that the book suggests is hyperactivity.  What do you think?

Military Fashion: Battle Garb and Civilian Attire

Song post: Sheppard, Bombs Away

Camouflage is an attempt to blend in order to hide or not be seen not unlike a chameleon in its environment.  In today’s fashion world, it can be seen on the streets represented by vintage camo jackets, print tees, leggings and slacks found in major retailers and redefined by major designers for the runways, but it had its birth in the French military in World War I.

Military fashion has influenced mainstream style ‘as long as people have donned clothes to be fashionable—and even before that.’  In Jennifer Croll’s book, Fashion that Changed the World, clothing affects battle performance.  Consequently, the military has been ‘invested’ in producing innovative and ingenious developments in battle apparel that has seeped into mainstream fashion design.

Some interesting crossover battle garb and civilian attire started with the Thirty Years War that ravaged most of Europe between 1618 and 1648.  Croatian mercenaries reporting for duty in Paris wore tightly knotted scarves around their necks.  This led to the Parisian style of a looser-tied scarf called ‘la cravate’ or cravat, which eventually led to the tie.

The Crimean War (1853-1856) often labeled the ‘first modern war,’ pitted the Russian army against British, French, Sardinian, and Ottoman troops.  The extreme weather conditions led to an innovative warm wool jacket with a collar.  It was named the cardigan after the Earl of Cardigan who led the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava.  This led to another weather beater born from the Crimean war, a knit hat with holes for eyes and mouth, the balaclava, and better known today as a ski accessory (or as an innovative disguise when robbing banks).

One of the military fashions I found most surprising was the Burberry trench coat. 
Known originally for manufacturing weather-resistant clothing for explorers of Antarctica, Amundsen and Shackleton, Burberry’s ‘key invention’ was the tightly woven and weather-resistant ‘gabardine.’  This fabric performed well in harsh climates.  World War I trenches were often muddy, wet and cold.  Burberry’s long belted, waterproof coat was ideal for the trenches and so useful that post war it found its way into popular fashion.

World War II brought the bomber jacket and T-shirt to consumer wear through the American film stars Marlon Brando and James Dean.  Military inspired clothing for women with ‘broad shoulders and epaulettes’ became popular due to wartime rationing.  ‘Neatly tailored attire took up less fabric than voluminous dresses.’  In Europe, many couturiers shut down.  Some designers were associated with the Nazi party such as Coco Chanel who was reported to be the mistress of German intelligence officer, Von Dincklage.  Hugo Boss became a member of the Nazi party and created the German army’s uniform, using forced labor.  This fact surfaced in 1997 to public outrage and HB’s settlement made to survivors in 2001.

The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States led to ‘space race’ clothing in the futuristic designs of Courrèges, Cardin, Ungaro, and Rabanne.  The Vietnam War became the fashion statement of the ‘pro-peace hippie movement.’  With revolutionary heroes like Che Guevara and Fidel Castro seen as heroes, the hippies donned military surplus clothing for anti-war protests.  Designer Yves Saint Laurent copied this trend and sparked controversy when French Vogue featured the model Veruschka in his safari jacket with a gun slung over her shoulder.

After 9/11 fashion magazines and designer brands ‘rushed to eliminate violent imagery, collections with ominous names, or references to anything dark and threatening.’  Military fashions today are experiencing a comeback and Croll states it’s most prevalent in the resurgence of Camouflage.  The designer Van Noten has claimed he wants to ‘demilitarize’ camo, but Croll
believes it will prove difficult considering its history.

I like most kinds of military-style clothing and have more than a few pieces in my closet (other than the cravat (too confining and a bit outdated) and the balaclava (it really messes up your hair and being a short woman, it wouldn’t help me much in a crime spree because most bank security could outrun me.)  So, I’m going to go brush the dust off my 80’s bomber jacket and dig for my camo bag.  Come fall, I’ll be stylin’.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attila the Hun: The Scourge of God and the Sword of Mars (God)

Tuned in: Rolling Stones, Street Fighting Man

Most authors are fascinated by their characters, regardless whether they’re good, bad or a bit of both. We live, sleep, eat and dream with them always lurking somewhere about. Attila the Hun is one of the more sinister characters in my book, On the Edge of Sunrise and featured here on my ‘Happenings’ page. History has painted Attila as fierce, strong, greedy, proud, brutal and ‘The Scourge of God.’ However, to many who have studied the recorded history on this legendary warrior, there is also evidence that he was respected, admired and considered to be fair. Attila’s name means ‘little father.’ His grandfather, a Hun king, named him. He believed that Attila’s future pointed to the leadership and destiny of the Huns.

As a ruler, Attila might be considered a revolutionary. He understood that if the Huns were to grow into a great nation they must learn from peoples more advanced. His own personal circle of advisers consisted of men from foreign backgrounds. Orestes, one of his better-known military advisors, was married to the Roman daughter of the commander of a Roman province. Later, Orestes’ son Romulus became the last of the Roman emperors in the West. The men around him spoke Latin and Greek and ‘knew the outside world.’

Hun society and rulers were polygamous and so was Attila. Among the Huns, an aristocratic status existed. Birthright privileges passed from father to son. In the time of Attila, court etiquette was elaborate and his ruling class enjoyed luxuries that included silks, gold and silver ornaments, jewels, spices, even Phoenician dates and Indian pepper.

When Attila was a young man, he was dispatched to the Roman Western Empire as a political hostage. Here Attila came to believe that the Romans were morally corrupt and driven by their desire for pleasures. He concluded that the end was in sight for the Empire. Attila ‘vowed never to give up the old ways.’ For this reason, he always lived a Spartan existence. The Roman historian, Priscus, wrote about Attila, ‘His dress was plain, having care for nothing other than to be clean, nor was the sword by his side, nor the clasps of his barbarian boots, nor the bridle of his horse, like those of other Scythians [Huns], adorned with gold or gems or anything of high price.’ Attila believed after he left Italy that one-day he would return as a conqueror.

One of the legends tied to Attila is the Sword of God (or Roman interpretation: Mars) and also referred to as the Sacred Sword. Attila grew up listening to the story of the Sword of God, which the shaman’s used to recite to him. The legend told of a ‘sacred sword’ won from the Scythians after the Huns and the Magyars conquered them. When Scythia became to small to hold them, the Huns decided to move west, while the Magyars remained. However, they had shared the sword. It was decided they would give the sword to a blind man. He would twirl with it in hand seven times and then let it go. If it fell facing the west, then the Huns would carry it with them. If it fell to the east, it would remain with the Magyars. On the seventh spin, a gust of wind picked up the sword and ‘swept it toward the west until it was lost from sight.’ The Huns moved west, entered Pannonia (parts of modern day Hungary, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina). Here they defeated the Germans and the Romans and ruled peacefully for years. The shamans warned Attila to never try and build the Hunnic Empire without possessing the sword.

One night, after Attila was king, he dreamt that he flew carried on a whirlwind over Europe and Asia. In his hand, he held the Sword of God. As he brandished the sword before him the forests bent, the seas parted and cities fell. When Attila awoke, he summoned his shamans to interpret his dream. The chief shaman, Torda, answered, “The meaning of your dream, my lord, is that you shall soon find the Sword of God, and with it you shall conquer the world.”

As soon as Attila heard the prophecy from the shaman, according to an account by Priscus, a shepherd boy appeared with a sword. The boy, noticing that one of his sheep was limping from a wound, followed the bloody trail and dug up the sword and brought it immediately to Attila. Attila ‘rejoiced at this gift and, being ambitious, thought he had been appointed ruler of the whole world, and that through the Sword of Mars supremacy in all wars was assured to him.’

Now with the Sword of God in his possession, Attila felt empowered to realize his dream of conquest over the eastern and western Roman empires. However, before Attila could complete his goal, he died on his wedding night generally believed from an ‘effusion of blood, without any wound, and the girl [wife] with downcast face weeping beneath her veil.’ It was stated that an artery burst and Attila died of suffocation from a ‘torrent of blood.’ By the sixth century it was being recorded that Attila’s bride had murdered him, but it’s a belief without any evidence.  In the recent news a report surfaced that Attila’s grave was found, but in the following months, it proved to be fake. Attila’s followers allegedly buried their king with great riches and strove to make his burial site hidden for perpetuity.

Horwarth, Patrick. Attila, King of the Huns: The Man and the Myth                            Vardy, Steven Bela. Attila

 

 

 

 

 

The Nature of Angels

Tuned in: Train, Calling All Angels

Archangel Raphael

A few years back, I read Danielle Trussoni’s novel, Angelology.  It’s a fascinating tale of a young nun who finds herself connected to the world of angels.  The mood was cold and dark, quite gothic, but at the same time intense and alluring.  From a mystic viewpoint, Angelology is the study of angels.  Whether one believes or not, it’s a topic or idea that spans more than a few religions.  What led me to Trussoni’s book and a fuller examination of these heavenly entities was my own very personal experience.

I will admit (even though I harbor the slight fear that the some will think—she’s gone over the edge prompted by too much writing and the quest to harness social media) I experienced a true event that left me speechless.  Well, not totally speechless, I immediately called my good friend to relate this incredible incident.

One morning, just after dawn as I drove to work, the car was quiet, no talk radio or music, my mind wandered to an unusual thought.  Generally at this time of the day, my brain is in a stasis.  Very little is going on except reacting to driving conditions or if anything, thoughts about what I must do when I first arrive at the workplace.  This morning was different; I was somewhat meditative.  A question popped into my head; what is the nature of angels?  Immediately afterward, I came to a red light and stopped.  My headlights shone on the license plate of the car in front of me.  On the plate was only the word—Divine.  Of course, I blinked and looked twice.  And it still read—Divine.  I sort of laughed, you know that nervous laughter when people experience fear or something they can’t quite process.  Was this just a coincidence?  Had my question timed itself perfectly with a driver whose plate had no numbers or series of random letters, just the bold, black word?  And at six thirty in the morning when few drivers occupied this road?

I immediately called my friend from the car who I knew was awake.  We discussed what were the odds that my thought would be answered via a physical symbol that fit.  After all, the car wasn’t a luxury brand.  The plate didn’t say ‘Popeye’ or ‘My Baby,’ it said ‘Divine.’ In my estimation and hers, we concluded the chances were slim.  I decided I could accept this as a ‘peek’ into the spiritual nature of our existence.  You know all the signs that float around that say Believe, I guess, I do.  Since then, I’ve decided to try and recognize signs that flow from spiritual streams of consciousness and not just ones delegated to the levels of emotional, physical, and intellectual awareness.

Angelology is found in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.  Angels are defined as a supernatural being or spirit.  There are several words found in the Old Testament that describe angels.  Both Hebrew and Arabic use the word Malak (messenger).  References to Seraphim (flame), Kherub (Cherub in English), and Ben Elohim (sons of God) are also found in Genesis and used by the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel.

Angels first appear in the Old Testament in Genesis where the Cherubim are used to guard the Tree of Life after the fall of Adam and Eve.  In addition, the ‘sons of God’ make their first appearance in Genesis.  It tells us that when men began to number the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God viewed them as beautiful and married them.  “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the ‘sons of God’ went to the daughters of men and had children by them.’  Some believe that the sons of God had relations with women and may have produced Nephilim that translates as giants.  They were considered to be ‘the heroes of old, men of renown.’

It is believed there is an angel hierarchy, but there are variances between the Hebrew, Christian, and Islamic order of angels or choir.  The Hebrew order ‘has been established for millennia’ but the Christian theological debates over angel hierarchy began with the ‘earliest theologians of the newly formed religion.’

The highest to lowest ranking in the Christian hierarchy:

First Hierarchy (The highest is Seraphim)

Archangel Gabriel

Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones

Middle Hierarchy

Dominations, Virtues, Powers

Third Hierarchy

Principalities, Archangels, Angels

The highest to lowest ranking in the Hebrew hierarchy: (The highest is Hayyoth)

Hayyoth, Ophanim, Erelim, Hashmallim, Seraphim, Malakim, Elohim, Bene Elohim, Cherubim, Ishim

The highest to lowest ranking in the Islamic hierarchy: (The highest is the Spirit)

The Spirit is ‘made from God’s light.’  He is in command of the Kerubim (cherubim). All angels are made from him, and the archangels and angels ‘preside over the universe for him.’  There are four archangels: Israfil, jibril (Gabriel), Azrael and Michael.  Other angels named are Munkar and Nakir who visit the graves of the dead.  The Kiramu’l

Michael the Archangel

Katiban are guardian angels that accompany every person and record their lives.  Each person has two.

The names of some angels from the Jewish and Christian sources that are better known and listed as The Seven Holy Angels:

Michael (‘who is like unto God’)          Raphael (‘God has healed’)

Gabriel (‘God is my strength’)              Uriel (‘the light of God’)

Chamuel (‘He who seeks God’)            Zophiel (‘the beauty of God’)

Zadkiel (‘the righteousness of God’)

A tidbit I found in my search is that there is an angel associated with each month of the year.  The August angel is Hamaliel, the angel of logic.  Think logically about any decisions you may have to make this month.

Angels—fact or fiction?  It’s up to you to decide.  Some religious traditions believe we live in a world of illusion known as ‘Maya.’  Perhaps, the supernatural world is more real than ours.  What do you think?

 

Mercante, Anthony. Good and Evil In Myth & Legend / The Bible, NIV / Angels & Ghosts.com /  Angel, Wikipedia.org

 

 

 

Freya—Goddess of Love

Tuned in: Marc Cohn, Walk through the world with me.

May is the month of rebirth, love and fertility and a perfect time to introduce my readers to a goddess. In the last few months, I’ve showcased the Continental Germanic gods who share counterparts with some of the Scandinavian Norse gods and who are mentioned in my debut novel, On the Edge of Sunrise (2015). Loki, the trickster, and Thor, god of thunder, have found a perfect counterpart in the determined and beautiful goddess, Freya.

FREYA

Fraujŏ(Germanic) Freya (Norse) is the goddess of physical love and fertility. Freya’s responsibility was to ensure that the reproductive urge never died. Freya was also considered the most beautiful of the goddesses. Freya, having been born in Vanaheim, was also known as Vanadis or Vanas. After the war between the Aesir and the Vanir gods, Freya, a Vanir, went to live among the Aesir as a peace offering. When she arrived in Asgard, the gods were so charmed by her that they ‘bestowed upon her the realm of Folkvang and the great hall, Sessrymnir.’

Freya goddess of love also had martial tastes and a connection to the dead. The ancient Northern races believed as ‘Valfreya’ she often led the Valkyries down to the battlegrounds where she selected half of the slain heroes. She rode in a chariot pulled by gray cats, her favorite animals and symbols of sensuality. Often Freya is depicted as wearing a corselet and helmet and carrying a shield and a spear. She would transport the slain heroes to Folkvang, where they were entertained. Freya would invite all pure maidens and faithful wives and reunite them with their lovers and husbands.

Freya had a sense of beauty and taste, and because of this, she was the proud owner of the necklace called, Brisingamen and a cloak of falcon feathers. She discovered the first treasure while visiting the underworld realm of dwarves. Freya spied a number of these little men creating the most beautiful necklace she’d ever seen. ‘Her vanity was as elevated as her libido, and she immediately coveted the object.’ She begged the dwarves to give her this treasure, which represented the stars, or the ‘fruitfulness’ of the earth. The dwarves demanded that she offer herself to them in payment. Reluctantly, Freya conceded and paid the price. Afterward, Freya hurried to place it around her neck. Its beauty enhanced her charms beyond her expectations and she wore it day and night.

Freya’s second treasure was her falcon cloak, which had the power to make the wearer fly. On occasion, she loaned it to the god, Loki, and wore it when she went in search of her missing husband, Odur.

“Freya one day Falcon wings took, and through space hied away; Northward and southward she sought her Dearly-loved Odur.”

                                                            Frithiof Saga, Tegnér (Stephens’s tr.) (Guerber)

Freya was considered not only the goddess of love but of fertility as well. In this way, it was only natural that she be attracted to the god who personified the sun, Odur. They had two daughters who all of Midgard considered extremely beautiful.

As the summer sun is known to do, Odur began to wander the world looking for adventure. Freya’s tears over her lost husband fell to earth and turned to gold. Freya, determined to find Odur, gathered up her falcon cloak and scoured the earth. Eventually, she found Odur in the southern lands ‘leaning against a myrtle tree.” Freya quickly fashioned a myrtle wreath and placing it on her head stepped before him ‘looking as lovely as the day they were wed.’ Because of Freya’s action it became a custom for Norse brides to wear wreaths of myrtle. Upon seeing Freya, Odur responded with warmth and happiness. In all his travels, he had never seen a woman so enchanting. Together they returned to Asgard, but in a leisurely fashion. As they travelled along the way, ‘the forces of nature celebrated Freya’s return to happiness by creating the magnificent flowers and vegetation of summer in the couple’s wake.’

The Norse loved Freya so much they dedicated a day of the week to her—Freya’s Day or ‘Friday.’ Held in such high regard, Freya’s temples were numerous, and were ‘long maintained by her votaries, the last, in Magdeburg, Germany, being destroyed by order of Charlemagne.’

Who is a lovely woman in your life? My lovely is Rachel my daughter, sweet and feisty, kind and pretty.

 

Guerber, H.A. Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas / Roberts, Morgan J. Norse Gods and Heroes

 

 

 

Thor—God of Thunder

Tuned in: Garth Brooks, The Thunder Rolls 

Last month, I wrote about Loki a god mentioned in my novel, On the Edge of Sunrise, set in 5^th century AD (CE). Generally, it’s considered reasonable that the Germanic barbarian tribes, such as the Salian Franks—characters in my story, followed Continental Germanic gods who share counterparts with some of the Scandinavian Norse gods.  At times, all are included in the term ‘Germanic Gods.’  In some cases within my book, I’ve used the more familiar Norse terms to make it relatable to the reader.  Last month, I featured Loki.  This month it’s the God of Thunder—Thor.

Thor (Germanic-Donar) is considered the strongest of the Norse gods.  He’s thought to be the son of Odin (Germanic-Wodan/Wotan) and either Jord or Frigga. As a baby, he demonstrated his amazing strength by playfully tossing around ten massive bales of bear pelts, causing the gods in attendance for his birth to ‘gape in astonishment.’

As a young boy, Thor showed fits of rage and was sent to live with the keepers of lightening until he was a man and could exercise better control over his temper.  Once he was allowed back into Asgard, he sat in one of the twelve seats of Gladsheim (the meeting hall of the gods).  Thor was described as a powerful man ‘in his prime, tall and well formed, with muscular limbs and bristling red hair and beard, from which, in moments of anger, the sparks flew in showers.’

Thor was considered a patron god of peasants and slaves, and ‘associated with healthy crops and weather.’  The gods feared that Thor’s thunderous footsteps would destroy the incredible bridge, Bifrost, while crossing into Asgard, and was forced to enter in a circuitous way by crossing several rivers and streams. Thor possessed three magical weapons. The first, his hammer, Mjolnir, could destroy mountains with one blow.  Mjolnir when hurled would return back to Thor.  The second, a girdle, Megingjord, doubled the god’s power when worn. The third was an iron gauntlet, Iarn-greiper, to catch the hammer without harm when it returned to him.

Thor never went on horseback, but walked or rode in a chariot.  The rumble and roar of the thunder was believed to be the roll of his chariot pulled by two goats from ‘whose teeth and hoofs the sparks constantly flew.’ Because Thor drove from place to place, he was referred to as Thor the charioteer.  In Southern Germany, the people called him the ‘kettle vendor.’ They thought that a chariot alone could not make so much noise and believed it held copper kettles.

Thor had two wives throughout his existence. Iarnsaxa, a giantess, gave him two sons: Magni (strength) and Modi (valor).  Later, he married Sif.  She had magnificent, golden hair ‘as long and as full as the bountiful grain of the field.’  She also became the object of Loki’s trickery.  Sif and Thor had a son, Lorride and a daughter, Thrud.

One story about Thor that appeared in my sources is the tale of Thor’s daughter, a beautiful giantess named, Thrud, and a dwarf named, Alvis. The dwarves had to avoid the sunlight or they’d be turned to stone.  Conveniently, Alvis courted Thrud in the dead of night, while Thor slept unaware of their relationship.  The dwarf knew that Thor wouldn’t be pleased.  Thrud soon favored Alvis, who presented himself one evening in Asgard. Alvis asked the gods for Thrud’s hand in marriage.  Those assembled gave their consent.  Thor, not in attendance at the time of the engagement, suddenly appeared.  He cast a contemptuous glance at the ‘puny’ Alvis, and declared that before winning his bride, the dwarf must prove his knowledge was greater than his stature.  Testing Alvis, Thor questioned him in the languages of the gods and the world late into the night, prolonging the examination until sunrise.  Alvis completed the test successfully, but the unfortunate dwarf had forgotten to keep track of time.  As he reached for Thrud’s hand, a first ray of light touched his skin and he turned to stone.  Alvis had also underestimated the wrathful Thor.

The stories of the gods often imitate the stories of men.  Trickery and the might of the influential or powerful over those of lesser status or means is a predominant theme in life on earth and not just in the heavens.

 

Guerber, H.A. Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas

Roberts, Morgan J. Norse Gods and Heroes

The Principal Germanic Gods. http://library.flawlesslogic.com/grimm

 

 

Loki the Trickster

The Franks were pagans whose spiritual beliefs were based in Continental Germanic mythology until AD 496 when Clovis I, the first Merovingian king to unite all the Franks, became a Christian at the urging of his wife, Clotilde, a Burgundian princess.

In my novel, On the Edge of Sunrise set in AD 450, my hero, Garic, is a warrior and the First Counsel to his tribe of Salian Franks.  He follows the gods of his people.  Some are said to live in the air, woods and waters.  Over the next few blogs, I will showcase a few of the Continental Germanic gods who share counterparts with some of the Scandinavian Norse gods (Donar-Thor / Wodan-Odin / Logathore (possibly)-Loki), and who are mentioned in my book.  In some cases within my story, I’ve used the more familiar Norse terms to make it relatable to the reader.

Loki     

Loki is a cool god, but one not to be trusted.  He is the god of chaos, lies and trickery.  He can swing from a ‘malicious mastermind’ to a good-natured troublemaker.  His chaotic nature and impulsive behaviors push him into the realm of deception.  Some mythologists believe he is the brother of Odin, while others claim his parents were giants. Whether Odin and Loki are brothers by blood or a sworn oath, they are opposites in nature.  Odin is wise, good, noble and prudent.  Loki is evil, thoughtless, cowardly and careless.  They represent ‘extreme ends of the moral spectrum.’

Loki is usually depicted as handsome with a devilish demeanor, and as author Morgan Roberts states, ‘no conscience lies behind his eyes, no pity in his heart.’  Loki is also known as a shape shifter.  He appears at different times as a salmon, a horse and even as a fly.

Loki’s relationships with the other gods vary.  At times, he is helpful as demonstrated in the myth of the building of Asgard’s (home of the Aesir gods) wall.  In other stories, he is a troublemaker with a cruel edge.  In one episode, Loki plays a spiteful trick on Thor’s wife, Sif.  One night, Loki sneaks into Sif’s bedroom, while she sleeps and cuts off her beautiful golden hair.  He lets her ‘tresses fall where they would’ and steals out proud of himself for having played such a clever joke.  The next day when Thor discovers what has happened to Sif, he corners Loki, and ‘he throttled him.’  Loki, fearing for his life, agrees to travel to the realm of dwarves and convince the most talented of this race to create a cap of golden hair for Sif and give it magical power, so that it might grow like real hair when placed on her head.  Loki arrives in Svartalfheim and finds the best craftsmen to make Sif a golden wig.  He also asks that the dwarves make gifts for the gods Odin and Frey, a clever political consideration on Loki’s part.  Loki promises the dwarves that if they help him, they will not only have the gratitude of Odin, Frey and Thor, but their talents will shine far and wide.  The dwarves agree and make Sif a golden wig finer than her original hair.  For Frey, they build a ship called Skidbladnir, which folds small enough to fit into a pocket.  For Odin, they make the mighty spear, Gungnir, which becomes revered as a weapon ‘that an oath sworn upon its blade could never be broken, by god or man.’

Loki’s last bit of trickery and considered the worst leads to his banishment.  He persuades Hodur, the god of winter to throw a spear made of mistletoe at his brother and the beloved god of light, Balder, which kills him.  This horrible act incurs the wrath of the gods and Loki is banished from Asgard.  However, in another brash act, Loki returns one night while the gods are feasting and strides through the hall, screaming obscenities and finding fault with each of them.  In particular, he insults Sif.  Thor responds by swinging his hammer, Mjolnir, ‘faster than the eye could follow’ around Loki’s head.  The trickster flees but his fate is sealed.  Hiding in a hut on a hill, Loki transforms himself into a salmon to avoid capture.  Thor learns what Loki has done and fashions an incredible net.  With the help of Odin and the god of inspiration, Kvasir, he tracks Loki to his lair and nets the mischievous god.

Loki’s punishment is strong.  The gods track down Loki’s son, Vali, who they change into a ferocious wolf that kills his brother, Narvi.  Vali rips out Narvi’s entrails and runs away.  The gods use Narvi’s entrails to tie Loki to three massive rocks.  A serpent is positioned over Loki’s face, so that it’s venom ‘would drip down, unrelenting, into his eyes.’  Loki’s wife, Sigyn, tries to help her husband by catching the venom in a bowl, but when it’s full, she must empty it, leaving Loki’s face momentarily exposed to the ‘fiery’ venom.  The fate of Loki, god of lies, is to have his face burned until Ragnarok, the death and rebirth of the world.

Everyone loves a trickster, until the joke is on him.  Would a world without chaos be better? Perhaps.  I imagine that our long past ancestors from every culture could only wonder as we do, but their best avenue for explanation was through their stories, myths and legends, through their heroes and villains.  On a cold winter’s night, I can imagine them around the fire.  Their children are bundled in blankets or furs, hearing the story of Loki who comes to trick all who will listen.

On the Edge of Sunrise: Book 1 — The Long-hair Sagas

Knox Robinson Publishing – 2015

Roberts, Morgan J., Myths of the World: Norse Gods and Heroes

Let Nature Rule: Beauty is You

Tuned in: Lady Gaga, Born This Way

November and December are holiday months in America and other countries when an emphasis is often placed on food.  Many delectable and savory dishes are prepared to celebrate a day of thanksgiving and a variety of religious events.  However, it’s also a time when men, and especially women, worry about their weight and what and what not to eat.  This made me think about how a woman’s body image has changed over time, and the concept of an ideal look.

Rubens

According to some researchers and experts, the ‘Rubens’ image dominated the ideal up until the 1890’s when women began to be used in advertising.  It appears that only after the 1900’s did the ideal of thinness began to creep into the culture.  Before then a full-figured ‘voluptuous’ looking woman represented ‘good health and wealth.’

With the turn of the 20^th century, women began to become interested in athletics and weight control as a healthy science.  An ideal look at this time was a 5’4” 140 pound woman.  In the 1920’s the flapper style became the fad.  The style pulled away from the sophisticated and feminine and focused on a youthful, boyish look.  Flappers bobbed their hair, had small waists and wore dresses that flattened their breasts.  By the 1930’s women were moving back toward fuller breasts and a slim waist.

Twiggy

After World War II, women’s magazines began to promote a ‘New Look’ introduced by Christian Dior.  In order to maintain this look, women focused on weight control more than ever.  Diets supplemented by the aid of corsets and pushup bras were the rage.  This look held the stage through the 1940’s and 1950’s until the 1960’s when a model named Twiggy burst onto the fashion scene.  Twiggy set a standard that most models found difficult to maintain.  She stood 5’6’ tall and weighed 89 pounds.  From the 1970’s on, the trend has moved to a bit bigger look for women, but the emphasis on a small waist, slim hips and bigger breasts has taken root.  Today younger girls are drawn into the fashion world through advertising and marketing. They are influenced by this ‘ideal body image.’  More women of a variety of ages, races, and economic backgrounds deal with moderate to severe eating disorders because of their desire to maintain this standard.  At one time or another, some will experience a negative body image.  What is the cause for the dissatisfaction many women feel?

In my opinion, it’s the pressure to maintain this ideal image and to be considered a woman of value, beauty, and one who has a certain control and discipline.  Historically speaking, I prefer the look of the past.  What happened to the idea of naturally round, full and lush?  These attributes once conveyed their own provocative and sensual appeal.  Not so much today.  Why do some women routinely deny themselves calorically or lead secret lives of binging and purging?  Why are younger women, even in their teens, and in their natural bloom paying money to enlarge their breasts?  In other countries, including America, if you wear larger than a size 1, 2, or 4 you can’t even shop in certain stores.  Let’s end this madness.  Let everyone enjoy the holiday foods in moderation and guilt free.  We are so much more than a pant or dress size.  Humans are miracles of creation, fancies of nature.  Let’s really believe in the beauty of our diversities.  Any Thoughts?

Halloween Symbols and Jack-O-Lantern

Tuned in:  Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil

Halloween traditions have their early origins rooted in pagan customs from Celtic-speaking countries and Celtic Christianity.  It is believed that the Celtic festival of Samhain, pronounced Sahwin, and Old Irish for ‘summer’s end’ marked the close of harvest and the beginning of the winter months, a time representing death.  It was held on or between October 31 and November 1.  For the Celts the night of Samhain allowed the spirits of the dead to return to earth to destroy crops and make mischief.

The word Halloween connects to Christian holy days.  Halloween (Hallowe’en) means ‘hallowed’ or ‘holy’ evening.  Derived from a Scottish term All Hallows’ Eve (the evening before All Hallows’ Day or All Saints’ Day on November 1) ‘the word ‘eve’ is even in Scots and is contracted to e’en or as we better know it, een.’  In time the All, s from Hallows, and v from even was dropped and evolved into Halloween.

All Martyrs Day originated in AD 609 with Pope Boniface and was first celebrated on May 13.  By the eighth century it had become All Saints Day and switched by the Catholic Church to November 1 (the same date as Samhain), ‘in order to lessen the number of pilgrims flocking to Rome for this holy day in the summer.’

Different Halloween Symbols have developed over time.  One well-known symbol is the Jack-O-Lantern.  Traditionally, reaching back to the 1700’s, turnips were ‘hollowed out to act as lanterns and often carved with grotesque faces to represent spirits or goblins.’ Guisers, people who moved from house to house in costume or disguise, in order to hide themselves from spirits, ghosts and fairies, carried them.  Part of the ritual was to play pranks or sing songs for food on All Hallows Eve to ward off evil spirits.  The Jack-O-Lantern became an American tradition brought by Irish and Scottish immigrants and the pumpkin replaced the turnip. The Jack-O-Lantern is also connected to a few Irish Christian folk tales.

One story tells of Jack, a shrewd farmer ‘after a night of drinking meets the Devil who he tricks into climbing a tree.  The quick thinking Jack then carves a cross into the trunk of the tree, trapping the devil.  Jack strikes a bargain that the Devil can never claim his soul.  When Jack dies, he is refused entry into Heaven because of his sinful ways.  Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack enter hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him.  A cold night, Jack places the coal into a hollowed turnip to stop it from going out, and ever since, Jack and his lantern have roamed the earth, looking for a place to rest.’

A second version of the story tells that ‘Jack was being chased by villagers from whom he had stolen, when he met the Devil, who claimed it was time for him to die.  However, the clever thief stalled his death by tempting the Devil with a chance to torment the church-going villagers chasing him.  Jack told the Devil to turn himself into a coin with which he would pay for the stolen goods.  Later, when the Devil/coin disappeared, the villagers would fight over who had stolen it.  The Devil agreed and turned himself into the coin and jumped into Jack’s wallet only to find himself next to a cross.  Jack shut the wallet tight and the cross stripped the Devil of his powers and he was trapped.’  This version ends like the first with Jack bargaining the Devil’s freedom for his soul, and upon his death, Jack is barred from Heaven and Hell.  When Jack complains that he has no light to see his way, the Devil mockingly tosses him an ember from the fires of Hell that will never burn out.  Jack carves out a turnip, places the ember inside and begins to roam the earth for a resting place.’  This is how he became Jack-O-Lantern.

Do you have a favorite Halloween trick or treat?  Mine—Taffy Apples!!

www.history.com/topics/halloween ; www.halloweenhistory.org

Online Etymology Dictionary: Halloween ; The Oxford English Dictionary (2^nd ed.) Oxford University Press 1989

Donnelly, Mark P. and Diehl, Daniel. Medieval Celebrations. Stackpole Books, 2011