The Romance of Reuben and Penina

Hey guys!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

This week I'm wrapping up my series on Jewish folklore with a special tale.

There's a story in Jewish folklore about a challenge between King Solomon - the wisest of Israel's kings - and the Queen of Sheba.  The Queen was a frequent guest of Solomon's, and she loved to question him and put his beliefs to the test.

One day Solomon was explaining that God has a perfect match for everyone - a marriage made in Heaven, as it were.  The Queen took issue with this, insisting that there were some circumstances wherein a person could not possibly find a mate.  She proposed a test, and Solomon agreed to her terms.  Together they would find an unmarried young woman.  She would be imprisoned in a tree on a deserted island for five years.  If, at the end of that time, God had found her a husband, the Queen of Sheba would believe that Solomon had spoken the truth.

The two royals walked through Jerusalem, looking for the perfect candidate.  At last they decided upon a lovely maiden named Penina.  Solomon and the Queen accompanied her to her home, where Solomon arranged to hire her for five years.  He paid her parents well for her employment, and then shipped Penina off to an isolated island.

Penina's home on the island was a single room inside a hollowed out tree trunk.  The room had a window - though it was too small for her to fit through - and a door that was sealed and locked from the outside.  Her tiny house had a loom for weaving and musical instruments to make her time there more pleasant.  Penina was not thrilled by her temporary exile, but she did resolved to do her best to bear it with good cheer.

Now, in this story King Solomon is able to speak with birds.  Every day he sent one to pass supplies through the window to Penina.  The birds reported to him of her doings, allowing Solomon to keep an eye on her from a distance.

Some time passed, and a ship happened to be sailing somewhat near the island.  The sea was calm that day, so the ship's captain went below to take a nap, leaving his son Reuben to steer the ship.  For a brief time all was well, but then a violent storm rose up out of nowhere!  Reuben did his best to control the ship, but a towering wave swept over it and knocked him into the water.  The young man managed to cling to a plank of wood, but he could do nothing but hold on as the waves carried him away from his father's vessel.

Can you guess where he wound up?

The storm carried Reuben to the banks of a strange island, where he was deposited on the sand.  Exhausted, Reuben nonetheless went on a search for food and water.  There was fresh fruit and spring water in abundance, so Reuben was able to sustain himself.

After several days the young man had explored nearly all of the island.  An enormous tree near its center had piqued his interested, and Reuben was determined to climb it.  (What else are you going to do on a deserted island?  After all, he didn't have a volleyball named Wilson!)  When he approached the tree he noticed something quite curious.  A bird had approached the foliage, laden down with a basket of fruit and other supplies.

As Reuben watched, the bird perched near a small opening carved into the tree trunk.  A hand reached through the opening and took the basket, and the bird flew away.

Reuben was amazed by this.  For several days he watched the window.  Every day at the same time the bird arrived with supplies.  Reassured at last that the bird only came once a day, Reuben approached the window right after it had flown away.  He climbed the tree and looked through the hole - and found a beautiful face looking back at him!

Penina was shocked to discover that she had company on the island.  The two struck up a conversation, and soon found that they liked one another very much.  They talked all day and all night, and then Reuben carved the window a little wider and climbed in side.  They were in love.

The birds reported all of this to King Solomon, who smiled and arranged for enough food for two to be sent to the island every day.

Time passed, and eventually Reuben and Penina married.  The birds told King Solomon of this, and he sent a wedding feast for the couple.  Despite having arguably won the test by the Queen of Sheba, Solomon did not tell her of the events on the island...at least, not yet.

Nine months after the wedding a child was born to Penina and Reuben.  They named her Sheba in honor of the woman who had brought them together.

When King Solomon heard the news he was delighted.  As it happened, his son was getting married soon and a huge feast was planned.  The Queen of Sheba would be attending, and the King wanted to surprise her.  Solomon arranged for Reuben and Penina to be taken from the island and brought to the feast.

When the couple arrived at the port the first thing Reuben saw was a picture of a handsome man.  He inquired after it, and was told that the man was the son of a sea captain.  He had been lost during a voyage, and though is father had searched for many days he could not find him.  Upon reaching town the captain had hung up pictures of his son in the hopes that someone would recognize him and reunite them.

Reuben began to cry, realizing that he was the man in the picture.

The group began to travel inland.  In a few days Penina, Reuben, and Sheba had arrived and Jerusalem.  King Solomon greeted them joyfully.  Upon hearing of Reuben's father the King sent for him, along with Penina's parents.  A tearful reunion followed, and the families enjoyed themselves immensely at the wedding feast.

As for the Queen of Sheba - she could not argue with the image of Reuben and Penina holding their baby daughter.  The Queen admitted that she had lost he wager, and that Solomon was right: God really does have a match for everyone.

I really love this story.  I think its message is charming and romantic.  I also adore the similarities to the story of Rapunzel.  What did you guys think?

I wish you all a happy New Year!  I'll see you in 2016 with a new series of posts!

Solstice and Christmas: Old Traditions Made New

Hey guys!

First off: oh my dear sweet goodness Star Wars!!!!  SO.  GOOD.
(If you're interested, you can check out two posts I've done in the past about the mythology behind Star Wars here and here.)

Now that I've got my fangirling out of the way, let's take a look at today's post!

I have a tradition of looking at different holidays in this blog - you can check out my Christmas post from last year here.  Due to that, I want to move away from Jewish folk tales to look at some of the ancient traditions and celebrations that have influenced the modern holiday of Christmas.  The holidays I've chosen to discuss today primarily come from Celtic, Norse, and Roman traditions, but if you're curious and go looking you might find that the mythologies of a lot of different cultures have influenced the current celebration of Christmas.  Should you do so, please shoot me a message - I'd be interested in seeing what you find!

Let us begin with the celebration of Yule.

Mention of Yule appears frequently in the celebration of Christmas.  A certain song immediately comes to my mind:

If, like me, you've sung this song while caroling, the words Yuletide carols being sung by a choir might have made you question their meaning.  After years of cheerfully singing along I began to wonder...just what is Yule?  The mention of a Yule log in several older books also piqued my curiosity, and so I began to research.

Yule is an old Norse holiday celebrating the end of the cold season.  Many cultures have festivities to celebrate the turning of the seasons (we'll talk more about another in a minute), and the Norse were no exception.  Yule was marked by feasting (particularly upon boar, which was hunted during the season), drinking, and praising Odin (called the Yule father at times) for victories and Freyr and his father Niord for successful harvests.



 

(Of course there was drinking at the feasts!)

Perhaps the most important aspect of Yule was the burning of the Yule log.  Yule is celebrated from November to January, which are the darkest and coldest parts of the year (in the region in which it is celebrated, at least).  Many cultures from around the world have celebrations during those months that revolve around light and fire.  A few older examples come to mind - the Egyptians praying for Ra, god of the sun, to rise again - but there are a considerable number of modernly celebrated festivals as well.  We talked about Hanukkah last week, which celebrates the miracle of light.  Kwanzaa begins later this week, and also revolves around the lighting of candles.  The Yule log, still commonly used in some parts of the modern world, is lit and then allowed to smolder for 12 days.  Should the fire go out, bad luck is signified.  The remnants of the log are then saved for a year and used to light the Yule log the following year.

(Modern versions of the Yule log tend to include the burning of candles instead of the actual log.  As such, they can be very beautifully decorated!)

Certain aspects of Yule can be seen in modern Christmas celebrations.  I know that ham is one of my favorite holiday foods, and while I don't pray to Odin, Freyr, or Niord I do tend to give thanks around Christmas.  My heater is currently broken, so fires in the fireplace have been a huge blessing this year...though I tend to look forward to a blazing fire every Christmas season.  What about you guys?  Do any of the practices of Yule show up in your own celebrations?

Lastly, we have the tradition of mistletoe.  While not specifically tied to Yule, mistletoe nonetheless has strong ties to both Norse and Celtic mythology.  When Loki goes full-on Dark Side and arranges the death of Baldr, it is mistletoe that ends the god.  As such, it was regarded as a very powerful plant.

 

 

(Death by mistletoe...gotta be an embarrassing way to go!)

 

Mistletoe was also considered sacred by the Celts and druids; enemies who met under it were required to stop fighting and make a temporary peace.

I'm not sure how we went from that to kissing under the mistletoe, but hey.  Whatever works?

If you're interested in learning more about Yule, I found this quick guide quite interesting, especially since it focuses more on the modern celebration of the holiday and some of its Celtic influences.  For a truly fantastic in-depth look at the Norse origins of Yule, check out this article.

We'll move now to a Roman holiday called Saturnalia.

Saturnalia is celebrated towards the middle/end of December - another solstice festival.  It is named for the Roman god Saturn, god of the harvest.  Candles were commonly used as both home decorations and gifts during this time - for it was a time of gift giving.  Sweets and goodies were exchanged, and both holly and ivy were used as decorations given their being sacred plants to Saturn.  All of these things show up in modern Christmas celebrations.

What I find most interesting about Saturnalia is the common reversal of roles, including the election of a Mock King.  During Saturnalia slaves and masters swapped places for a time, allowing the slaves to give the commands to their masters.  Of course, to quote Terry Pratchett: "We suspect that the slaves were magnanimous in office, though; tomorrow the masters would be the masters again."  After all, it isn't wise to antagonize the person who will soon rule over your life once again!

This custom of swapping roles is still alive in some places of the world.  It was adapted into Christianity in the form of the Boy Bishop.  Around the feast of Saint Nicholas (the patron saint of children), a church would elect a boy to be temporary bishop.  He would then elect many of his fellows to aid him in his duties.  The boy was allowed to give the sermons and lead the church for a time, before the actual bishop resumed his duties.  This practice is still held, primarily in Europe.

I hope you found this post interesting!  I was very intrigued to see just how much of what I celebrate has been influenced by past holidays.  If you're interested in learning more I recommend checking out a book on holidays symbols (if your library has one) - the one I flipped through is called Holiday Symbols and Customs.

If you haven't read anything by Terry Pratchett, I highly recommend all of his works.  I usually reread Hogfather during this time of year, which blends all of the traditions mentioned above with many others to create an entirely unique take on holidays - plus, Death is Santa!

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas, and whatever other holidays you might celebrate.  I'll leave you with a cheerfully burning Yule log of sorts, and I'll see you next week!

Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights

Hey guys, I hope you all had a wonderful week!  I'm super happy - the semester is almost over, and this Friday is STAR WARS!!!!!!

(Not that I'm excited or anything.)

Ahem.  Anyway, on with the post!  The Jewish people celebrate several festivals throughout the year.  Last week we talked about the festival of Purim; this week, in keeping with the season, we're going to talk about Hanukkah.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated in December.  I think most people know at least that much about the holiday.  Menorahs, the eight-branched candleholders used in the festival, may also be familiar to some.

But how many of us know the history behind the holiday, or the reason for the candles?  I know I didn't until I took an Old Testament class last year.  I found the story of the origins of Hanukkah beautiful, and I wanted to share it with you.

The story of Hanukkah takes place after the end of the book of Isaiah.  In the Christian Bible, Isaiah is the last book of what Christians call the Old Testament.  Following Isaiah is the period of several hundred years before the next book in the Christian Bible - the gospel of Matthew.  This is quite a large time gap, with nothing there to fill in the blanks.

The Jewish Bible ends at Isaiah, but they have several writings to fill in the centuries-long period that follows.  These writings are not actually part of the Hebrew Bible, but are considered historical instead of sacred.  Their stories are commonly taught in synagogues, for they focus on a part of history that is particularly important to the Jews.

The story of the origins of Hanukkah is contained in the books of 1st and 2nd Maccabee.  Its events take place between 200-150BC, when Greece took over Jewish lands and attempted to outlaw their religion.

The Greek leader in charge of this expansion was named Antiochus; texts more commonly refer to him as Antiochus Epiphanes.  "Epiphanes" translates to "God Manifest", and it was a title Antiochus had given to himself.

Yeah.  He was slightly full of himself.

Antiochus hated the Jews because they refused to acknowledge the Greek gods.  As revenge, he passed laws forbidding the Jews from practicing their faith.  One law forbade the Jewish custom of circumcision, something their beliefs required of them.  Another set a death sentence for any Jew found worshipping their God.

Then Antiochus did something truly horrific: he stormed the Temple of Jerusalem and desecrated it.  He raised a statue of Zeus within the Temple, and sacrificed a pig upon its altar.  These acts were known as the Abomination of Desolation.

I don't know how familiar you guys are with the Jewish religion, so I'd like to explain why these acts were so awful.  One of the 10 Commandments given by the Hebrew God is "You shall have no other God before me."  Raising a statue of a heathen god within God's own Temple was a huge violation of that commandment.

Certain foods are considered unclean in the Jewish faith.  Eating them is forbidden.  This includes anything with cloven hooves - including pigs.  The act of sacrificing an unclean animal upon the Temple's altar made the entire Temple unclean.  No additional sacrifices could be made to God, because they would be tainted and unpure.  At the time, animal sacrifice was a huge part of the Jewish faith - and it had to be done at that Temple.  Antiochus' act made that nigh impossible.

One of the books I have on the subject calls this act "abhorrent".  The word does not do the deed justice.

For some Jews, this was the last straw.  Instead of subduing them, it made them rise up.

In a village near Jerusalem there lived an old priest named Mattathias.  His temper was at the breaking point, and it snapped completely when a group of Greek soldiers attempted to force him to make sacrifices to the Greek gods.  He rose up and killed the soldiers, then escaped into the country with his five sons.

(These sons were called the Maccabees, commonly translated as "hammer".  It is from them that the books of Maccabee get their names, along with the Maccabean revolution I'm about to talk about.)

Jews began to flock to Mattathias, who led them in rebellion against the Greeks.  The Jewish army was small, but its members knew the land well.  They used their knowledge of the area to make hit-and-run attacks against the larger forces of the Greeks.  The tactic was quite successful.

Eventually Mattathias died of his age and his son Judas took his place.  Under his leadership Jews who had fled when the Greek army first came returned to take up arms.  Judas was a genius at military strategies; after many defeats Antiochus began to consider the Jews a serious threat.

Antiochus raised an army of tens of thousands to crush the Jewish rebellion.  Several generals commanded this army, and one of them led a few thousand men to make a surprise attack on the Jewish camp.

Judas got wind of this before it happened and moved his army.  Instead of running, he headed straight for the main part of Antiochus' army, hoping to catch them unawares.  The plan worked beautifully - after all, the Greeks expected Judas and his army to be under attack!  Though vastly outnumbered, the element of surprise left the Jews victorious and sent the unprepared Greek army fleeing.

When the general who had planned to ambush Judas' forces returned to camp his found it in ruins.  Realizing that the Jews had bested his allies, the general retreated with is remaining soldiers.

With no forces left to oppose them, Judas and his men made for Jerusalem.  They retook the city and began to ritually cleanse the Temple - a process that would be quite lengthy and difficult.  Eventually the work was completed, and Judas began to rededicate the Temple to God.

After he had lighted the menorah Judas made a nasty discovery.  Once lit, the menorah was supposed to stay aflame.  This was a problem, because here was only one jar of oil left - and that was only enough for the light to burn for one day!  It would take eight days to prepare more oil.

There was nothing the Jews could do.

And then...a miracle occurred.

The oil that was only enough for one day somehow kept the lights burning for eight days.  It was enough time for more oil to be prepared.  The menorah was able to stay lit.

And so it is that the Jews celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights - a festival which revolves around the lighting of a menorah for eight days.

Whether you guys celebrate Hanukkah or are just reading this post because you were curious, I hope you have a happy Hanukkah, since today is the last day of the holiday this year.  And, given the approaching movie, I'll end with this picture:

Have a great week!

Esther and the Festival of Purim

Hey guys!  My last post was an Intro to Jewish Folktales.  Following in that vein, today I'm going to be talking about the Jewish folk hero named Esther.

The Jewish people have quite a few festivals that they celebrate every year.  These festivals are to commemorate special events in the history of the Jews.  One such celebration, the Festival of Purim, remembers the story of a girl named Esther and the way she saved her people from destruction.  The full tale can be read in the Book of Esther (interestingly the only book in the Bible to not mention God) or in the movie One Night with the King [for those of you who prefer visuals over text (or just like John Rhys-Davies)], but I'll give you a condensed version.

The story goes like so:

There was once a Persian king named Ahasuerus.  (This king has been historically identified with Xerxes I - does the name sound familiar?  A certain movie involving three hundred Spartans might explain why...)

King Ahasuerus had a beautiful wife, Queen Vashti.  At that time men and women often dined separately from one another.  During a party with some friends (and after a few drinks) Ahasuerus began to boast of Vashti's beauty.  His friends wanted to see her looks for themselves, so Ahasuerus sent a messenger commanding the queen to make herself beautiful and come to him.

When the message reached Vashti she was less than pleased to be told to parade her looks before the king's guests like a common dancing girl.  To make a long story short, she refused to come before the king.  He was frustrated by this, and his guests were worried that their own wives might decide that they could refuse their husbands if the queen set a precedent for it, so Ahasuerus dismissed Vashti.

Of course, this left the king without a queen - and that could not be.  All of the beautiful maidens in the land were summoned so that the king could choose a new bride from amongst them.  One of these women was a girl named Esther, born Hadassah.  Esther had been orphaned and fostered by her cousin Mordecai.  Mordecai and Esther were both Jewish, though Esther kept this fact hidden from the king.  The girl was very beautiful, and she was chosen to be the new queen.

Around this time Mordecai overheard two members of the palace plotting to kill Ahasuerus.  He sent a message to Esther, who warned the king, and in so doing saved Ahasuerus' life.  The event was recorded with credit going to Mordecai, but the king forgot to reward the Jew.

Now, Ahasuerus had an advisor - a vizier - named Haman. (Of course he would be a vizier!  So many of the best villains are!)  Haman was passing through the town outside the castle walls one day, and everyone fell before him and bowed...except for one man.  That man was Mordecai.  Mordecai, as a Jew, did not wish to show obeisance to a man who was descended from the enemies of the Jews.

Haman was furious at this lack of respect, and rushed to Ahasuerus.  He told the king that there was a culture who refused to bow to their betters and serve them, and that they must be disposed of to preserve the king's reign.  Ahasuerus granted Haman permission to kill the Jews.  The vizier cast lots to determine the day on which the extermination would take place.  It is from the Jewish word for lot - "purim" - that the name of the festival comes from.

Bans were posted announcing the date that the extermination was to take place.  Mordecai tore his clothes and rubbed his face with ash (a sign of mourning) when he saw the signs.  He took the news to Esther and begged her to use her influence with the king to try and stop the genocide that was scheduled - but the queen was afraid.  There was a rule in the court that no one could approach the king without permission on pain of death.  She did not want to lose her life by attempting to speak to Ahasuerus.

Despite her fear, Esther was loyal to her people.  She asked Mordecai to have the Jews fast for three days and pray for her.  At the end of these three days Esther approached Ahasuerus.  To her relief, he extended his rod of command upon seeing her approach - a sign that he would allow her to speak to him, and would not take her life as punishment.

Esther invited the king and Haman to come to a banquet she had prepared.  They came and dined, and she extended a similar invitation for the following night.  After dinner Ahasuerus found himself unable to sleep.  He ordered a servant to read documents of the court to him, and in so doing heard of Mordecai's previous efforts to save the king from assassination.  The king realized that he had never rewarded Mordecai for his actions.

The following morning Haman entered the king's chambers in a great mood.  He was so sure of Mordecai's coming destruction that he had constructed a gallows in front of his home from which to hang the Jew.  As Haman came before Ahasuerus the king asked him how the vizier would honor a man who had aided the king.  Thinking that Ahasuerus was speaking of Haman, the man proudly answered that he would have the savior dressed in one of the king's robes and paraded through the city for all to see.  Haman was horrified when Ahasuerus ordered him to honor Mordecai in this way!

That night Ahasuerus and a seething Haman went to Esther's dinner.  At the second banquet Esther told the king that she was a Jew, and that Haman was seeking to end her life and the lives of her people.  Ahasuerus stepped outside to think, and Haman flung himself before Esther and begged for his life.  Unfortunately, Ahasuerus walked back in at this moment and thought that Haman was attacking the queen.  Furious, the king ordered Haman killed - and, when he was informed that Haman had a gallows ready-made outside his home, ordered him hung there.

I believe that's what is called irony, folks.

The story ends on a happy note.  Unable to get rid of a rule he had already created, Ahasuerus instead issued a new proclamation that gave the Jews the right to defend themselves on the designated day of their destruction.  The Jews survived, and many Persians who attempted to kill them - including some of Haman's family - were killed instead.  It is this survival, and the victory over their enemies, that Jews today still celebrate in March during the Festival of Purim.

I'll end my post there - I hope you guys enjoyed it!  As I said in my last post, next week I'll be talking about Hanukkah.  I'm very excited, and I hope you'll like what I have written!  What did you think of the story of Esther?

Intro to Jewish Folktales

Hey guys! For those of you who celebrate, I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving, and that you survived the frenzy of Black Friday. Happy Cyber Monday, by the way! The Kindle version of Hammerfall is on sale for today only; you can check it out here.

Today we're taking a look at the rich and complex stories told by the Jewish people. Their faith, known as Judaism, is often simplified when talked about as being “just the Old Testament”. In reality, Judaism is far more than their 24 books that make up what Christians term the Old Testament (which is actually 39 books for Protestants, because they split several of the books from the Hebrew Bible into smaller books). Let's take a look at some of the different writings found in Judaisim.

The 24 books I mentioned above form what is called the Tanakh.

 

(If you guys have never seen written Aramaic...well, it is gorgeous, as you can see above.)

The first five books of this series of writings are termed the Torah, or the Pentateuch. In addition to these core tenants of their faith, Jews have an enormous amount of literature that they consider central to their religion. These writings most notably include laws, but also can be songs, proverbs, and stories. As with many old religions, all of the books of Judaism began as oral traditions. They were not recorded for many centuries.

Now, I do not feel I have studied enough of religion to tell you about the Jewish faith. The series of posts I have planned aren't going to talk about the Jewish God, called Yahweh, or their prophecies, or anything central to Judaism. I focus on mythology, so talking about religions that are still widely practiced today is a little difficult for me. Instead, I plan on talking about the stories found in Jewish literature. Because of this I have dubbed this series of posts “Jewish Folktales”, because they are about the tales those folks tell (see what I did there?).

Next week I'll be talking about the story of Esther, one of the strong women found in the Tanakh. Her actions and bravery led to the celebration of what is called Purim – a festival that is still celebrated in modern times. Since Monday the 14^th is the last day of Hanukkah this year, I plan to talk about the origins of that holiday on that day. After that I have a special post planned, and then we'll hop back into Jewish folktale with the beautiful story of Reuben and Penina to round out the year.

 

I'm really excited for this, guys! I think the stories are absolutely lovely, and there's such a wide variety for me to choose from. I hope you're looking forward to this as well. I'll see you guys next week!

Morgan, Morgause, Mordred, and the Fall of King Arthur

Hello!  I hope you had a lovely week!  Today's post takes us back to wrap up Arthurian legend.  Beginning next week I'm going to be taking a look at Jewish folklore.  Before I begin this post, there's a couple of things I'd like to talk about.

First off, I totally forgot about this blog's anniversary, so we missed it!  My first post, an Intro to Norse Mythology, was published on October 28th, 2014.  That's right - mythdancer has been around for over a year now!  During that time you guys have been amazingly friendly and supportive, and I've loved seeing your enthusiasm for mythology, fairy tales, and folklore.  So, whether you've been reading since the start (thanks Mom!) or have only recently found this blog, thank you for your support.  You're the reason I keep writing these posts.

Next, we are very nearly to 4000 pageviews!  I can't believe it!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Last thing before I get into the post: This coming Saturday I will be at the Bookmans on Speedway and Wilmot for their last Local Author's Fair of the year.  I'll have copies of both Hammerfall and Lovesick, along with a massive number of lightsaber earrings (Come to the dark side!  We have fashionable jewelry!).  If you're in the neighborhood, you should swing by and see me!  You never know who might be there...

Now, on with the post!

Arthurian legend is full of honor, chivalry, and strict ties between knights and their lords.  Unfortunately, it is also fraught with convoluted familial relationships and romances that at times tear the court apart.  One such situation leads to the fall of King Arthur's court, and his disappearance from this world.

I mentioned in my post about Uther that Igraine, the mother of Arthur, had several daughters with her first husband (before Uther killed him).  These girls were married off by Uther to various vassals and lords that he wanted brought under his control.  One of the daughters, Elaine, doesn't really figure into Arthurian legend after this.  Unfortunately, she is the only girl who disappears from the stories.  Her sisters Morgan le Fay and Morgause appear quite prominently.

Now, when I see the name Morgan le Fay I tend to go "Boo!  Hiss!  Evil!"  This reaction is because Morgan is portrayed as a villain in so many parts of popular culture nowadays.  She has been the evil responsible for Arthur's downfall in books, television shows, movies, and videogames.

This is very interesting, because in the original legends Morgan le Fay actually wasn't that bad of a person.  She was depicted in the beginning as a healer who often aided King Arthur and his court. Later the myths changed to make her an opponent of Queen Guinevere (largely because Morgan loved Lancelot, Guinevere's lover), and by extension King Arthur - but she eventually exiles herself to the land called Avalon to study magic and ceases to plague the court.  She even shows up in the end to escort a mortally wounded Arthur to his rest in Avalon.

So how did the Morgan le Fay from the legends become the one now featured so evilly in pop culture?  The answer lies in her other sister, Morgause.  The two women are often combined into one, with Morgan's name and magical prowess merged with the story of Morgause.  It is to Morgause that we now turn.

Morgause, like her two sisters, was married off to a vassal of King Uther.  When the king died she was unaware that he had sired her half-brother, Arthur.  Arthur, being raised away from the court and his heritage, was unaware that he had any half-sisters.  Upon his coronation a dramatic turn of events saw he and Morgause share an incestuous night together - a night that resulted in the birth of a son, Mordred.

In truth, that is about the extent of Morgause's importance to the story.  She bears several sons to her husband, and they and Mordred (raised without knowing his heritage) go on to become knights in King Arthur's court.  Morgause pretty much disappears from Arthurian Legend at this point.

It is to Mordred that we now must turn.  He became a seemingly noble knight for King Arthur, but in reality he often sought to undermine the king's power.  Mordred is often depicted as trying to alert Arthur to the adultery of Guinevere and Lancelot, hoping to plunge the knights into a civil war.  This usually fails, luckily for the court!

Unfortunately, Mordred gets his chance to overturn the order of things when Arthur leaves him in charge while the King wages war far away (sometimes this war is upon Lancelot and his army, since Arthur finally discovered the betrayal of his knight).  Left with no one to stop him, Mordred crowns himself king and seizes Arthur's throne for himself.  He also tries to marry Guinevere - depending on which story you read, she sometimes willingly marries him and sometimes flees to a convent rather than wed him.  In any case, Mordred takes the power of Camelot and has no intention of giving it back.

This is problematic, because when Arthur hears of his young knight's betrayal he marches his army straight back to Camelot to reclaim his throne.  The battle that ensues is known as the Battle of Camlann.  Many died during this battle, which culminated in a confrontation between Mordred and Arthur.  Arthur managed in the end to kill Mordred, but he was struck a mortal blow in the process.

Lying on the battlefield dying, Arthur sends one of his knights to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake.  The knight tries several times to keep the blade for himself, but Arthur sees through his lies each time.  He eventually gives in to his King's orders and throws the sword into the Lake, where it is reclaimed by the hand of the Lady rising from the deeps.

What happens next is one of the more interesting parts of Arthurian legend (at least to me).  Arthur is taken by a group of women - their identities vary, but they generally include at least one Lady of the Lake and Arthur's half-sister Morgan le Fay.

These women carry the dying king to a boat and escort him to the isle of Avalon, a mystical land of healing.  According to legend, the great king does not actually die.  Instead, he lies on Avalon, regaining his strength until the day of his return.

(Which sounds an awful lot like the story of Fionn, doesn't it?)

With that, I'll end my posts about Arthurian legend for now.  What did you guys think?

As I said at the beginning of the post, next week I'll be starting to take a look at Jewish folklore.  Until then, you guys have a great week!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Quetzalcoatl: The Birth and Death of the Aztecs

While the cultures of Latin America had many different gods, one of the most prevalent deities was named Quetzalcoatl.  Quetzalcoatl was worshiped as a god by many cultures in Mesoamerica, including the Aztec civilization. As one of their chief deities, he was sometimes revered as the creator of mankind. Unfortunately, historically Quetzalcoatl would play a role in the downfall of the Aztecs, coming to represent both their birth...and their death.

But just who is Quetzalcoatl?

“His name comes from quetzal, a rare bird with strikingly long green tail feathers, and coatl, which means snake. Under different names he was honoured throughout Mexico and Central America and the highest pyramid temple in Mexico, at his sacred city of Cholula, was dedicated to him.” (Gifford 21)

Quetzalcoatl was worshipped as a god of many things, including war, intelligence, and the creation of man.

One of the first places the name Quetzalcoatl appears in Mesoamerican mythology is in the stories and architecture of the Toltecs.  The word "Toltec" means artisan, and this people is often accredited with creating the great city of Teotihuacan - literally, "The City of the Gods".  Teotihuacan is home to one of the most famous temples of Quetzalcoatl: the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.

 (UNESCO video)

 

A famous leader amongst the Toltecs was a man named Quetzalcoatl.  He was a ruler who they believed had been sent by the gods to lead them.  Around 1000AD they were driven out of their city by a neighboring army led by a man called Tezcatlipoca. (Bingham 127)  Interestingly, both Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca came to be regarded as gods.  Besides simply being deified in legends, they were also regarded as brothers by those who told their story. (Flood)

 

When the Aztecs came to inhabit the land the Toltecs had previously ruled, they adapted many of the stories and myths of that earlier people. 

"According to Aztec tradition and legend, Quetzalcoatl/Tialtzin was challenged by a warlike faction who had as their tribal god the fierce Tezcatlipoca (the Smoking Mirror). The fight between the two groups, which is told as a struggle between the gods themselves, brought an end to the power of Tollan and the Toltecs.” (Gifford 13)

The Aztecs built their grand city of Tenochtitlan near the city of Teotihuacan.  As such, they would have been able to see the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, and perhaps were inspired by its grandness to place Quetzalcoatl so high in their own pantheon.

 

(Kass)

 

In the myths of the Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl became the creator of mankind.  The Aztecs divided time into a period of five suns.  During the second sun, Quetzalcoatl ruled as a sun deity who made mankind as they are seen today.  Unfortunately, man became wicked and corrupt, and so another god turned them into monkeys.  Quetzalcoatl was infuriated by his failure, and so he used a tidal wave to wipe away the monkeys.  He then stepped aside to give another god his turn at ruling the earth - but eventually Quetzalcoatl would descend into the underworld, where he used his own blood to bring life to the bones of the humans he had once made.  His sacrifice of blood raised the dead, creating the men who live in this, the fifth sun period. ("Aztec Creation Story")

 

Tragically, this being whom the Aztecs believed had brought them life would also be in part responsible for their downfall.  Another myth about Quetzalcoatl told of the god being tricked into getting drunk.  While intoxicated, Quetzalcoatl slept with his sister.  Upon waking and discovering his incestuous actions, Quetzalcoatl was ashamed.  He made a boat and sailed away into the east in self-imposed exile, but the god vowed to one day return. (Bingham 110)

 

The year of the god's return was given, and the retelling of the story lent it a prophetic air.  The Aztecs believed that the god Quetzalcoatl would return in the year they called 1 Reed.  Alas, 1 Reed was the year known as 1519: the year in which the Spaniard called Hernan Cortes invaded Mesoamerica.  The emperor of the Aztec empire during that year was called Moctezuma, and he foresaw disaster in his dreams.

 

(Bell)

 

Whether or not Moctezuma truly believed that Cortes was Quetzalcoatl returned remains unclear...but the rumors caused him to hesitate, which proved a costly mistake.

“The Aztecs believed that Quetzalcoatl would one day return from over the sea. This would happen in a year when his birthday fell on a particular day...when the Aztec ruler, Montezuma, was told of the strange men who were landing on the neighboring coast, he concluded that Quetzalcoatl had arrived to claim his land...It was only when the Spaniards revealed their warlike intentions that the Aztecs realized their tragic mistake.” (Gifford 25)

Moctezuma's uncertainty prevented him from taking immediate action against the army of the Spaniards, a mistake when "only swift and unified action could have saved the day for the Indians.” (Adams 189)  He invited Cortes into the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, upon which the Spaniard revealed himself to be a greedy man rather than a returned god.  Moctezuma was taken captive and ultimately killed.  Many Aztecs died during the ensuing battle, and many more were killed by disease inadvertently carried by the Spaniards.  Cortes' forces were ultimately driven out of the city, but they returned with a larger troop and slaughtered the remaining Aztecs. (Bell)

And so it was that Quetzalcoatl, whom the Aztecs regarded as their creator, also proved to be their downfall.  Their belief in the prophecy of the god's return led to their acceptance of Cortes and his men...men who then turned upon their hosts and killed them, taking their wealth and property for their own.

Quetzalcoatl had not returned - but his story lives on in the records of his people.  Some individual Aztecs survived, and they passed the tales of their ancestors on to their descendants.  Because of this, the name Quetzalcoatl and the myths that surround him still live on today.

 

(Codex)

 

Works Cited

 

Adams, Richard E. and MacLeod, Murdo J. The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas: Volume II: Mesoamerica Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print.

“Aztec Creation Story”. Aztec-History. 2006. Web. 11 November, 2015. http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-creation-story.html
 

Bell, Amy. “500 Nations II, Mexico, the Rise and Fall of the Aztecs 1 YouTube”. Online video clip. YouTube. 5 September 2012. Web. 11 November, 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkI2J0FcoOc>

Bell, Amy. “500 Nations II, Mexico, the Rise and Fall of the Aztecs 3 YouTube”. Online video clip. YouTube. 5 September 2012. Web. 11 November, 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdOUA8OmBZs>

Bingham, Ann. South and Meso-American Mythology A-Z. New York: Facts on File, 2004. Print.

“Codex Telleriano-Remensis page_18r”. Photograph. FAMSI. Web. 11 November, 2015. http://www.famsi.org/research/loubat/Telleriano-Remensis/page_18r.jpg
 

Flood, Julia. “God of the Month: Quetzalcoatl”. Mexicolore. 13 August, 2013. Web. 11 November, 2015. http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/gods/god-of-the-month-Quetzalcoatl
 

Gifford, Douglas. Warriors, Gods & Spirits from Central & South American Mythology. New York: Shocken Books and Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 1983. Print.

Kass, Barry D. “Closeup of the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, Temple of Quetzalcoatl, Teotihuacan”. Photograph. Images of Anthropology. Web. 11 November, 2015. http://www.imagesofanthropology.com/images/c.Pyramid_of_Quetzalcoatl_Teotihuacan_Mexico_image_2.jpg
 

UNESCO. “Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan (UNESCO/NHK)”. Online video clip. YouTube. 3 June, 2010. Web. 11 November, 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMsIyFGnLQA>





Mythology in Pop Culture

Hey guys! So tomorrow I'm going to be doing a panel on mythology at my local community college. I needed to type up all of my notes for it, and it struck me as I was doing so that my presentation would make a pretty good blog post. Because of that, you get to read what I'm talking about tomorrow – which is the way that mythology influences pop culture.

Let's start by taking a look at comics, shall we?

Obviously, there's Thor. I wish I could quote Stan Lee and say “ 'nuff said”, but there's actually more to talk about. In both the comics and the myths, Thor is the Norse god of war and storms; Loki is a trickster trying to bring about the downfall of the gods; the Bifrost is a rainbow bridge; and Odin is the king of the gods. Odin is also the god of wisdom. In the myths he has two ravens who fly around the world and tell him everything that they see. One of my favorite parts about Marvel's movie is that in the first Avengers, two ravens fly by when Thor and Loki are arguing – a very nice reference to the original myths!

Although the comics and movie adaptations are awesome, there are quite a few differences between them and the original myths. For one thing, the mythological Thor isn't all that bright. He mostly just wants to hit things with his hammer.

 

Then you have Sif, who is a goddess of fertility and the harvest – she's definitely not a warrior. Perhaps the biggest difference is that Thor and Loki aren't actually brothers! In the myths, Loki is the sworn blood brother of Odin.

Thor may be the most obvious representation of mythology in modern comics, but he's not the only one. Let's move away from him and take a look at the DC comics.

First, you have Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman is an Amazonian princess. Some of her origin stories say that Wonder Woman is the daughter of Zeus, king of the Greek gods and lord of the skies. That's right – Wonder Woman is a demigod.

 

Then you have Superman. His story has close ties to the Christian and Jewish faiths – and those ties were written deliberately. There's a story in the book of Exodus about a baby named Moses. During the time period in which Moses was born, the Pharaoh of Egypt had enslaved the Jewish population. Their numbers kept growing, and the Pharaoh feared revolt, so he ordered all baby boys to be killed. To save Moses, his mother put him in a basket and sent him floating down the river. He was adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter and raised by a family not his own. Eventually, Moses grows up to save his people.

Now let's look at Superman's origin story. He was born on a world that's about to be destroyed. His parents put him in a little space-cradle and sent him away to save his life. The cradle carries him to Earth, where he is raised by an adoptive family. Superman goes on to save the world – many, many times.

(This photo was just too hilarious to not share!)

There's definitely some similarities between the two stories – and, like I said, they were put there deliberately. The writer and artist of the original Superman stories were both Jewish. The character of Superman first appeared around the time of World War II, when Jews were facing horrific persecution. Superman's creators wanted to create a figure of hope for their people, so they wove the story of Moses into the character of Superman. Pretty cool, right?

Let's turn away from comics and take a look at another aspect of popular culture. I'm a huge fan of video games – how about you? Do any of you guys play World of Warcraft?

Mythology has influenced a lot of video games, but WoW is a treasure trove of mythology. I can think of about half a dozen different mythologies that show up in World of Warcraft, and that's just off the top of my head – I'm sure there are a lot more. One of those mythologies appears as soon as you go to make a character – the druid.

 

Druids have their origins as sort of priests in Celtic mythology. In the myths they have close ties to nature, and are often depicted as shapeshifters. In various stories druids turn into wolves, bears, boars, swans, and a myriad of other things.

In World of Warcraft the druid class' powers are tied to nature – sun, moon, and plants. Like their mythological counterparts, druids are shapeshifters. These are a few of their various forms.

 

 

Another mythological influence in WoW can be seen heavily in the race of the Trolls. The religion and culture of the Trolls are based on myths from Latin America. An area in WoW called Zul'Drak provides the best example of this. Take a look at the architecture: This is a temple in Zul'Drak.

 

This is the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, found in the Aztec city of Teotihuacan.

 

 

One of the most prevalent figures in Latin American mythology is the god Quetzalcoatl. He appears in the pantheons of several different Latin American cultures, including the Aztec. Quetzalcoatl translates to “the plumed serpent”, meaning a snake covered in feathers.

 

 

Creatures that match this description appear in many places in WoW.

 

 

Let's travel from Zul'Drak and Latin America to the Storm Peaks and the Norse.

 

 

This zone is perhaps the most obvious portrayal of mythology in World of Warcraft – they barely even changed the names! First you have the val'kyr, servants of the Lich King who raise the dead to join his evil army. In Norse mythology the valkyrie are choosers of the slain. They raise worthy dead warriors to a hall called Valhalla, where they have a huge drinking party until the end of days.

Perhaps the most amusing nod to mythology in this zone are the characters of Loken and Thorim. Loken is a nefarious trickster trying to bring down Thorim. Thorim has a hammer named Krolmir.

 

(Thorim with Krolmir)

 (Thor with Mjolnir)

Hmm.

I'd like to look at another genre influenced by mythology: Fairy tales.

How many of you have seen or read Sleeping Beauty? You know the story: a girl is cursed and falls into a 100-year sleep; a wall of roses grows up around her; a dashing prince finds her and wakes her up with a kiss.

Now let me tell you the story that I think inspired Sleeping Beauty – an old Norse saga called the Story of Sigurd.

I mentioned valkyries when I was talking about WoW. In addition to being choosers of the slain, valkyries were also able to influence the outcomes of mortal battles. When the Story of Sigurd begins, a young valkyrie named Brynnhilda has been ordered by Odin, king of the gods, to let one specific side win a battle. Instead, she allows the other side to win.

Not a good mistake to make when your boss is king of the gods.

To punish Brynnhilda, Odin locks her away in a castle and curses her to sleep until a man comes along and wakes her up. She will then marry this man. Odin does take some pity on Brynnhilda – he raises a wall of fire around the castle, so that only a truly brave man will be able to reach her.

That's right. Odin is Maleficent.

 

 

(They even have matching birds!) 

Brynnhilda is eventually woken up by a man named Sigurd, and the two fall in love. Unfortunately, unlike in Sleeping Beauty, the duo do not live happily ever after. Sigurd is given a potion that makes him forget about Brynnhilda. He marries someone else, and his brother-in-law finds and marries Brynnhilda. The jealous valkyrie talks her husband's brothers into killing Sigurd. She then kills herself by jumping onto Sigurd's funeral pyre.

Yeah, Norse stories aren't really known for their happy endings. If it makes you feel any better, a horse was found missing from the stables and a stablehand said he saw Sigurd and Brynnhilda riding off into the sunset together.

But I digress. The Story of Sigurd differs vastly from Sleeping Beauty in its ending, but the core concepts are pretty darn similar.

 

 

Let's look now at one of my favorite parts of modern pop culture: Star Wars.

Is anyone else totally psyched for the new movie? Because I sure am!

Anyway, Star Wars has some of its roots in Arthurian legend. You have a bunch of knights running around trying to save the galaxy from evil. They help the innocent, protect the weak, and are generally seen as virtuous – at least, until they turn evil themselves. That's pretty similar to King Arthur and his knights, right?

Well, Star Wars also has heavy ties to Buddhism. Let's take a look at the Jedi Code, which states:

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

In Buddhism there is a concept called The Four Noble Truths. These truths state that:

1. There is suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by desire and ignorance.
3. Suffering can be ended by putting aside one's desires.
4. The fourth noble truth details an Eightfold Path to enlightenment, which leads to the end of suffering and desire. This path includes moral conduct, meditation, and wisdom.

I see a lot of Buddhism in the Jedi Code. If you give up emotion, you will not suffer, so you will be at peace. Ignorance can cause suffering, so it follows that knowledge can prevent suffering. Without passion, one will not desire, so one will not suffer from their desires.

So...I guess the Jedi are a sort of Knight/Buddhist monk hybrid?

 

I hope you guys found this interesting! I really love seeing how mythology influences pop culture, and the way that pop culture adapts mythology to suit its own needs. What have you watched (or read, or played, or heard) that you can see mythological ties in?

The Ladies of the Lake

Hey there! How are you? I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

I mentioned in an earlier post that there was more than one Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend. In this post I'm going to take a closer look at them.

The Lady of the Lake is a figure who shows up quite often in Arthurian Legend. The Lady is almost always a helpful figure to King Arthur. It was a Lady of the Lake who gave Arthur the magic sword Excalibur, which helped grant him the right to rule. (Of course, to quote Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail: "strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government".) Upon King Arthur's death, Excalibur is returned to a Lady of the Lake by one of his knights. A Lady of the Lake is also responsible for helping Lancelot rise to such prominence in King Arthur's court – although, given his eventual betrayal of King Arthur, that might not be such a good thing. King Arthur's body is escorted to the mystical land of Avalon by several women, one of whom is a Lady of the Lake.

Interestingly, women with the title of the Lady of the Lake are also sometimes quite nefarious and evil. I mentioned in my post about Merlin that a Lady of the Lake named Nimue used Merlin to learn magic and then trapped him in a tree, leaving him to die. Not something you'd think an ally of Arthur would do, right? Before that happens, another figure called the Lady of the Lake shows up at King Arthur's court and is beheaded by a knight named Balin. According to Balin (whose tale is backed up by Merlin), the Lady of the Lake had killed his mother. According the the Lady of the Lake (before she was killed), Balin had killed her brother. The best part? The Lady who gets decapitated is the same Lady who gave Arthur Excalibur! So who, exactly, is the sword returned to after Arthur's death?

As you can see, the Lady of the Lake is a figure who seems to have multiple aspects. Shortly after one dies, another woman with the same title appears. To me, the simplest explanation of the many Ladies is that there's more than one lake in Britain; ergo, there might be many Ladies of the Lake. These ladies go by quite a few names as authors attempt to differentiate them from one another. The names I've heard most often are Nimue, Nineve, Vivianne, and Elaine.

One of my favorite stories about a Lady of the Lake is about a knight named Pelleas. Pelleas had fallen in love with a woman of noble blood named Ettard, but she spurned him and wanted nothing to do with him. The knight was so in love that he allowed himself to be taken captive by Ettard's guards every day. They took him back to her castle and beat him, but Pelleas thought the pain was worth it because each day he got to see Ettard for a few minutes.

It happened that a knight named Gawain, one of King Arthur's knights, came upon Pelleas as Ettard's guards were capturing him. Gawain fought them off and asked Pelleas why he was allowing himself to be so beaten. Upon hearing Pelleas' story, Gawain was moved and promised to go and woo Ettard for the other knight. Gawain swore that he would win Ettard's favor and her hand in marriage, and then give her to Pelleas to marry.

Well, the first part of Gawain's plan worked out alright. He won Ettard's favor. Unfortunately for Pelleas, Gawain fell in love with Ettard and completely forgot about his oath. He wooed the woman for himself, not for Pelleas.

After a few days had passed without word from Gawain, Pelleas went to find out what was going on. 

He walked in to find Gawain and Ettard asleep in one another's arms. Filled with rage at the betrayal, Pelleas drew his sword and prepared to kill the duo – but he couldn't bring himself to do it. His love for Ettard was too great. Instead, the knight left his sword beside them and went home. He dismissed his servants and resolved that he would starve himself to death.

When Ettard and Gawain woke up, she immediately recognized Pelleas' sword. Both were ashamed by their betrayal of the knight.

As it happened, one of Pelleas' servants happened across Nineve, a Lady of the Lake. She asked where he was going, and the servant explained everything that had happened to his master. Nineve was enraged and demanded that the servant take her to Pelleas. Upon seeing his sorrow, she cast him into an enchanted sleep. Nineve then went and fetched Ettard, and shamed her for having broken Pelleas' heart.

(This version calls her Nimue, for some reason.)

But Nineve was not done. She cast a spell on Ettard that made her love Pelleas as much as he had loved her. Ettard flung herself to her knees beside Pelleas, crying for the pain she had inflicted upon her beloved. This woke up Pelleas, who opened his eyes and found that he quite hated Ettard for her treatment of him.

The story ends with Ettard dying of a broken heart. Pelleas leaves the country along with Nineve. He falls in love with the Lady of the Lake, and the two marry. They have a son together, and live happily ever after.

I'm not sure why I like the story so much. I think it might be because Nineve was so furious at the way Ettard had been messing with Pelleas' heart. It just makes me happy!

What did you guys think?

I'm sorry to post and run, but NaNoWriMo has begun and between that and school I am crazy busy.  (Don't know what NaNoWriMo is?  It's short for National Novel Writing Month.  During the month of November writers are challenged to write 50,000 words.  I've done it for four years now - both of my books were written during NaNoWriMo.)  I've got posts planned for the rest of the month, but I'm not sure how many more will be about Arthurian legend.  I'll keep you posted as I learn more!

I'll see you next week!

Halloween: Tricks, Treats, and Pagan Rituals

I wrote this post a few months ago, and I've been so excited to put it up!  That's why you're getting it today instead of tomorrow.  Happy early Halloween - because that's the holiday we're talking about!

Before starting this post, I really have to thank the librarians at my community college.  They have graciously put up with 4+ years of me asking for tons of books on a myriad of strange topics that have absolutely nothing to do with my degree.  When I was researching for this post I checked out books about the origins of Halloween (for this), Santa Claus (a future post), Russian mythology (for a writing project), and gluten-free, allergy friendly cooking (a medical necessity).  The librarians didn't even bat an eye at my strange mix of books, and were quite helpful in suggesting additional resources and ordering them for me.  I love my librarians!

So...Halloween.  It's one of my favorite holidays.  For the past two years I've dressed in a different costume every day of the week leading up to Halloween.  I love coming up with costumes!  I also (still) love trick-or-treating, despite not being much of a candy eater.  Halloween has been a much loved part of my life for longer than I can remember - yet, I never really knew what Halloween was about.  I celebrated fun costumes, The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile, and pumpkin patches - but I didn't know the origins of the holiday.

Eventually I became aware that Halloween was somehow tied to Samhain (I believe Jim Butcher and the Dresden Files taught me that).  Still, I didn't know much about Samhain until I started researching it for this post.  When I looked into it I found out that Samhain is an old Celtic festival from which Halloween originates.  However, Halloween is more than just a modern reflection of Samhain.  The holiday we know and love has been shaped by many things.  The ones I'll be talking about are Samhain, All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, Guy Fawkes Day, and Dias de los Meurtos.  Interested?  Good!  Let's get started.

Samhain

As far as I can tell, this is where Halloween started.  Samhain was a Celtic festival that took place on November 1st.  During this time the spirits of the dead were able to cross between our world and the world of the dead.  Bonfires were lit to guide the dead on their way, and special food was made for the spirits of loved ones.

At least, that's one way fire and food was used.

You see, on Samhain spirits were able to roam freely - and not all spirits are good.  Bonfires were used to keep the nastier spirits at bay, and food was offered to appease their wrath.  People would dress as evil spirits, hoping that disguising themselves would fool the spirits and make them pass over those who were costumed.

Samhian was celebrated as the start of the Celtic year.  It marked the end of the harvesting season and the beginning of winter.  Its traditions were celebrated for centuries without really changing...until the church came along.

All Saints' Day/All Souls' Day

Saint Patrick converted the Irish to Christianity sometime around 300-400AD.  It was around that time that the rituals of Samhain became modified by the church.  Note that I say modified - not gotten rid of.  The church was rather brilliant in its attempts to convert the Celtic people.  Instead of forbidding a pagan practice, the church changed it to suit their own agenda.

It began with declaring November 1st to be All Saints' Day: a day in which all of the saints who did not have their own special day were honored.  Upon realizing that this didn't really have anything to do with Samhain, the church made November 2nd All Souls' Day.  On All Souls' Day those who died in the previous year are remembered and celebrated.

The church made sure that the Irish knew that worshipping the Celtic gods as they had done on Samhain was wrong.  The restless spirits Samhain's rituals sought to keep at bay were changed to servants of the devil - demons, ghosts, and witches amongst them.  All of these remain popular modern Halloween costumes.

It is from All Saints' Day that we get the name for Halloween.  All Saints' Day is November 1st.  It was also called The Eve of All Hallows (from Hallowed), which is shortened to Hallow-Even (from evening).  This is sometimes shortened even further to Hallowe'en, or Halloween.

Guy Fawkes Day

Fast forward about a thousand years and look at Britain.  On November 5th of 1605 a man named Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up Parliament.  He was stopped, arrested, and killed quite graphically.  The event was commemorated the following year as a celebration of his actions having failed.  The holiday was named Guy Fawkes Day.

Sound familiar?  The movie V for Vendetta recalls these events.  "Remember, remember, the 5th of November, the gunpowder, treason and plot?  I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot."

Of course, it might sound familiar because you're from a place that celebrates Guy Fawkes Day.  The holiday is still enormously popular in Britain and other parts of the world.  I'm sorry, readers from across the pond, but Guy Fawkes Day isn't celebrated over here; at least, not in my town/state that I'm aware.  Please let me know how your celebrations go!

You might be wondering what Guy Fawkes Day has to do with Halloween.  It is the traditions of Guy Fawkes Day that I want to look at.  Fireworks and bonfires are both lit to celebrate Fawkes' failed plot.

The bonfires could be held over from the older celebration of Samhain, but an important new tradition arises here - that of begging.

Leading up to the day of the holiday children create a straw or rag effigy of Guy.  They stand on a street corner with "him" and beg passerby for a penny for the Guy.  Could this act of children begging adults for a "treat" be where our own trick or treating comes from?

Fast forward a little more, and we come to America.

A Melding of Cultures

America is many things, including a giant melting pot of cultures.  The USA began as a British colony, so the tradition of Guy Fawkes Day was doubtless known to its denizens.  America also had a heavy influx of Irish settlers in its early days.  These settlers likely brought celebrations of Samhain, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day with them.  These traditions combined in America, and eventually became the Halloween we know today.  The transition was gradual, though...and aided by a little mischief.

Trick or Treat

The cry is familiar from my Halloweens, but I've never heard any trick-or-treater say it expecting to not get a treat.  Despite this, when you look at the statement you'll see that it is an either/or declaration.  There can be a trick, or there can be a treat - but not both.  As such, it's a little bit of a threat.

In the 1800-1900s tricks were pretty common around Halloween from the teenage population.  They were mostly harmless - gates temporarily being removed from fences, windows being dirtied, that sort of thing.  Shopkeepers ingeniously got out of that last one by decorating their store's windows for the holiday in the hopes that the wild youths would like it and not deface the windows.  Is this where Halloween window decals originated?

As time progressed, the tricks began to escalate.  Part of this was due to rising social tensions.  Unrest over the difference in living styles between the rich and the poor led to more tricks targeting the wealthy.  The conflict between whites and African Americans was growing, and many saw Halloween as a time to work off a little stress.  Things reached a head around the time of the World Wars, when fear and stress overflowed.  Tricks were no longer mostly harmless, and some serious damage was caused.

It was around this time that housewives began to have a brilliant idea.  On Halloween they would bake some sort of goody - donuts, brownies, hot cider, etc. - and keep an eye out for teenagers looking to trick their house.  Upon seeing a group, the woman would invite them into the house for refreshments.  It was hoped that the food would placate the tricksters and make them less likely to deface the house - and it worked!

News spread, and within a few years it became a common practice to offer treats on Halloween.  Youths began to visit houses in their neighborhoods for the express purpose of getting treats, and would spend the evening socializing in the homes of their neighbors.  Throughout all of this, the cry of trick or treat remained as a warning of what could happen if they weren't given some delicious goodies.

Over the years this practice has changed considerably.  Fear of poisoned goodies or blades hidden in apples led to a switch to pre-wrapped candies.  These were faster to eat, so more houses were visited in a night.  Children were discouraged from entering the house of someone they didn't know well, so much of the social aspect of Halloween was lost as the threshold ceased to be crossed.  Once again, that made the process faster, so children were able to expand the range of houses they visited.

That brings us up to today, when the cry of "Trick or treat!" still remains.

Dia de los Meurtos

I grew up in Southern Arizona, so it would be somewhat remiss of me to not mention Dia de los Meurtos.  Dia de los Meurtos, or "Days of the Dead", is a Mexican holiday.  It takes place from October 31st to November 2nd, and is a Mexican variation of All Souls' Day.

I'm not sure how much Dia de los Meurtos contributed to America's celebration of Halloween, but I can see some of its influence each October.  On Dia de los Meurtos Mexican families celebrate their deceased loved ones.  Small shrines are placed at their grave sites alongside food offerings, and a party is held in memory of the dead.  It might sound sad to you, but it's actually a very festive time.

Skeletons are a mainstay of Dia de los Meurtos, and my local Halloween stores always feature bright, flowery skeleton costumes.

Sugar skulls, a treat on Day of the Dead, can be bought as both decorations and noms.  I'm not sure if Tucson has these just because of our proximity to Mexico, or if they can be found all over the US during Halloween season.

You guys tell me - do you find Dia de los Meurtos items near you in October?  Or is it just a local tradition?  I'm especially curious to know if my readers from other countries are familiar with them.  If nothing else, I know that World of Warcraft has worked the celebration into their Day of the Dead holiday from November 1st to 3rd.

(And, speaking of World of Warcraft: Halloween is celebrated in WoW as Hallow's End.  Here are two pictures from that holiday that I just had to share.)

(The Headless Horseman is a boss monster you can fight during Hallow's End.  So cool!)

I hope you guys found this post interesting!  I had a ton of fun researching Halloween and finding out about its origins; I hope you did too!

If you're interested in learning more, I highly recommend the book Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life.  It is a fascinating collection of articles on the various subjects I've talked about here, as well as many others that I didn't have room to include.  (I figured this post was long enough already!)

Lastly, because I love it so much, I have to recommend the movie The Book of Life to anyone curious about Dia de lost Meurtos.  It is a gorgeous look at the Day of the Dead, and it has a fun story to boot.  Those visuals!  So pretty!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and a safe, fun Halloween!  I'd love to see your costumes; feel free to send me pictures!  Happy trick or treating!