#Cult of The Bronze-Stag

[bronze-stag-of-rocyria]

Obedire

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Green eyes shine happily unseeing feeling the rain on their skin as they're deer-like ears flick hearing the sound of their father approaching them.

“My Little God? What are you doing out here? It's raining and we can't have you getting sick now can we, Shekhikhi?”

Their father's voice echoes in their ears, as they wince go to respond annoyed. No that's not right, worse the want for bloodshed screams in them, crying out for them to reach into their burning inner darkness.

“...I needed...a moment away, away from being The Bronze-Stag, away from being a god...just one to feel...something other then what is expected of me.”

Shekhikhi hates their trembling voice, as they shake with to many emotions at having to preform always and forever... Thane's hands go to pick up his little fawn, putting his head to theirs.

“My fawn, why do you think that, this is what you are. You know it, your powers, your growing antlers, even your tail. You're fate is this, don't you understand that?”

Shekhikhi can't stop themself asking softly out to their father to appease him. He always loves their singing.

“Father? I know a new song? C-can I...show you? I've been working really hard and I know I've got it perfect to show you!”

Thane blinks at this his bronze eyes shine curiously where had his fawn heard this. His pretty little fawn-child always was so naturally good, a prodigy at music.

“Sure, my light go on give it a go.”

Shekhikhi looks so excited at this distracted from their depressing thoughts for the time being at being giving the go head from their father.

“In the shadow of His light we stand,

With faith and fire in our hearts, For the Empe-!”

Thane slams Shekhikhi into the ground with an angered glare, reaching down watching his child flinch away at his touch to their right shoulder blade and arm knowing what is coming and how it's about to get worse then just the pain from being slammed down. Shekhikhi notes the burning pain in their tail, knowing somethings wrong and knowing the pain of dislocations so well...Not just their limbs will be dislocated this time it seems...

“Wait-Papa please, no don't-..! I'm sorry, Sorry sorry!”

Shekhikhi's plead falls as always on deaf ears, the fire like pressure on their shoulder blade felt eternal, growing more and more painful and then....the loud sound of their shoulder popping out of place, echoes in their long ears with a wobbly sob escaping them still wiggling to get away from their angry father.

“Enough, stop fighting me, this is what happens when you disobey me, when you do things you're not allowed! I am done, it is time for you to know the meaning of obedience and only obedience!”

Shekhikhi hates this the growing dread at every word escaping their father. He can't be serious right? He's just angry and disappointed in them. He has to be, he wouldn't steal their little bit of freedom, he wouldn't! His father's aura though was burning with rage. By...Themself? By The Bronze-Stag please, this can't be-! Oh no, He would... Shekhikhi feels their tears running down their face even faster, snot running from their nose, sobs escaping louder, breaths panting and panicked for this not to be happening to them, as they can't breath with the terror filling their soul.

The sounds of and agony of their other shoulder and arm being grabbed and pulled out, at their hips both being popped out of socket as well, at their knees and elbows now being taken out alongside their wrists and ankles in their father's rage.

Thane's voice echoes coldly, sealing all hope away from his fawn-child's soul and mind. A dreaded spell binding through them making sure the child would never disobey him or anyone again.

“Obedire.”

And with their body tattoos and scarification the word bounds to them, making it forever their fate, all they will ever know when that word is said...Is to Obey and be a good puppet from this day forth, as Thane picks them up and beings them back to the center of the place they picked to worship the little limp god Shekhikhi and worship they would...

[yamayuandadu]

do you have any info on the obscure hittite deity Kurunta? according to his wiki he was a god of hunting and wild animals who rebelled against Tarḫunna and became king of the gods forcing "humanity against the gods" but was later overthrown by a coalition of gods and animals. according to that same wiki he showed up at the telepinu myth and was apparently worshipped in Carchemish.

By Hittite deity standards Kurunta is the opposite of obscure. Kammamma or Zulki are obscure, Kurunta isn't. The length of wiki pages not updated in 10+ years is not a metric of obscurity.

The article is ineptly written compared to the one on the German wiki, though both have the same problem with incredibly faulty approach to myths only translated into Hittite, and with rendering logograms in general. More under the cut.

Kurunta is essentially the type specimen for the category of tutelary deities, which in the context of Hittitology refers to any deity whose name could be represented by the logogram LAMMA. This sign can also be read as KAL; since the Mesopotamian Lamma deities are female and the Anatolian ones generally male and consistently more major some authors favor the latter option to stress the difference. For the history of this debate see here, for an earlier view see here. The most extensive study of this category remains Gregory McMahon’s The Hittite State Cult of the Tutelary Deities from 1991.

Kurunta is the Hittite form of the name, but Piotr Taracha in Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia argues he originally belonged to the Luwian cultural milieu, which would make the form Runtiya the basic one, though this is not universally accepted (ironically, the Runitya wiki article is pretty solid in contrast with Kurunta’s). This debate aside, the use of the logogram LAMMA to represent Kurunta  was so well established that you will quickly notice referring to him (and many of his peers) as LAMMA or “tutelary deity” is more widespread in scholarship. Today logograms are generally rendered in all caps but that wasn’t always the case in the past leading to the awkward situation on the German wiki, with NIN.URTA treated as the actual Ninurta and not an Anatolian deity represented by his name.

Kurunta’s primary roles seemed to be those of a nature god keen on hunting, though as a royal protective deity he also had warlike leanings. His symbols include a stag and a spear. He occupies an elevated position in the Hittite state pantheon, appearing as the #3 behind the weather god (Tarhunna) and the sun goddess of Arinna in standard enumerations.

Another major mistake on the wiki is that today it is the consensus position that the god worshiped in Carchemish was Karhuha and not Kurunta. Same logographic writing, similar iconography, but these are not interchangeable. I also have no clue what the wiki means by "saving deity". Some ungodly calque or automatic translation from German Schutzgott? That's "tutelary god" in English. 

The myth you mention, which seems to be someone’s personal faulty interpretation of a part of the Kumarbi cycle, also stars the tutelary god of Carchemish and not Kurunta. The most up to date treatment of this problem is Archi's Orality, Direct Speech and the Kumarbi Cycle. Archi accepts that a Hittite reader would probably read the logogram as Kurunta, but stresses the myth, due to its Hurrian origin and connection with Carchemish, can only be a narrative about Karhuha. I think his arguments are sound. McMahon outright rejects a Hittite reading. For more background on these myths in general and their cultural context see here (+sources linked), I wrote a lot about this last year so I do not think I need to repeat myself here. Most notably, the theme of kingship among the gods was a firmly Hurrian concern, not Hittite.

Kurunta/Runtiya has notably proven himself to be one of the most long-lived Bronze Age Anatolian deities, and in Cilicia and Pisydia was worshiped well into the Hellenistic period. This is actually fairly unique, as only a handful of other, mostly fairly minor, deities made it past the Bronze Age collapse across the region.

[whitewolfhuntress]

Animal Astral Projection

This guide pertains specifically to those with a wolf focused practice but I think it can be applied to any animal, especially those that traditionally had animal cults in the Bronze Age. (Wolf, Bear, Stag)

The first step is asking yourself why this calls to you. It seems like for most of us, it has been a calling from a young age they can’t explain. Others know their reasoning, or discover this calling later in life.

You need to ask yourself this while also studying the animal.

Learn how this animal you wish to turn your spirit to lives. Learn how it moves, how its social structures work, learn its skeletal structure, how it interacts with the world and other animals.

If you wish to be something you need to know how it moves and lives and behaves. If you cannot clearly imagine and understand how it even looks and uses its body then you cannot effectively imagine yourself as it.

The next goal is to learn how to astral project if you don’t already.

The way I personally do this is by either sitting down, laying down flat, or laying down on the floor in the closest position to how a wolf would lay that my body can achieve.

Sometimes I light a forest scented candle just to help get into that headspace.

I try to imagine my body from a third party perspective with a light inside of it that would be my soul. I imagine that light slowly morphing into the shape of a wolf and then stepping out of my body.

This is how I begin astral projecting, because once I get that visualization I can shift my perspective into that wolf soul’s eyes and explore.

I’ve done it another way too. Where instead of that third party view, I close my eyes and feel that light inside me. Once I am certain and grounded in feeling that light I allow it to leave and my vision leaves with it, this light takes the shape of a wolf as it leaves and I can now explore as such.

This is part of why knowing how your animal moves is so important. How can you explore if you do not understand the body you are exploring in. Maybe you do not know every complex thing about the human body you live in now, but you certainly know how it moves and can imagine it and what it feels like. Apply that same logic to your animal.

Where you go from here is up to you. Usually I can still vividly feel the place my body is in for a while, and then it morphs into a colorful realm of liminal space and eventually what some call the Astral Wilds. For me it appears as a European forest with extremely large trees.

This place is perfect for exploring as an animal and learning how to get into that headspace. This is also a perfect place to call onto animal spirits and sometimes interact with Gods but this is much more rare and difficult.

You could do other physical rituals to call onto animal spirits.

When I wish to return to my body I try to dampen out and ignore the astral world. I never have to imagine myself going back to my body the way some describe but instead imagine the room my body is in and ground myself in any sounds or smells. I walk back to my body and then I am human again as my light returns to my body.

[harvard-art-museums-sculpture]

Reduced Copy of a Stag from the Royal Graves at Alaca Huyuk. Cult standard, 3rd millennium BCE, HAM: Sculpture

Reduced bronze copy of a stage from the royal graves of D'Alaca Huyuk. Cult standard. The stag stands upon a standard with four branches, rounded at the top. The stag itself is decorated with seven concentric circles on each side and a Chevron pattern ... Size: greatest dimens.: 14 x 8 x 4 cm (5 1/2 x 3 1/8 x 1 9/16 in.) Medium: Bronze

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/304120

[vm-design-posts]

Celtic Sculpture

Given their preference for abstract or stylized forms, it is scarcely surprising that the Celts should have left us comparatively few images of their gods. Most of the finest examples of Celtic sculpture involve disciplines like metalwork and jewellery art, as well as stone carving. Of the stoneworks, many of the finest surviving examples were placed in or near important burial sites.

Cernunnos

Pride of place is usually given to depictions of Cernunnos, the horned-god, since he is the only deity that has been positively identified through an inscription. This was discovered on a rather worn altar relief, originally located beneath the present-day church of Notre-Dame de Paris. The monument was erected by Parisian sailors and was dedicated to Tiberius. On the strength of this, a number of other portrayals of the deity have been identified.

The most notable of these is a Gallo-Roman altar from Reims, which shows Cernunnos sitting cross-legged between the figures of Apollo and Mercury. The sculpture dates from the 1st century CE, after Gaul had been Romanized. This accounts for the overtly classical appearance of the group. Even so, several of the god's traditional attributes are clearly recognizable. These include his horns, the torc around his neck and the animals at his feet. In his lap, he holds a sack of money, which represents abundance. The rat above his head relates to the underworld and, in this instance, probably refers to Mercury rather than Cernunnos. The horned god was most popular in Gaul, although evidence of his worship has also been found elsewhere. On some of his shrines, the deity's antlers were removable. This implies that the rites associated with him may have been seasonal, coinciding with the natural growth of a stag's antlers.

Epona

After Cernunnos, the most widely represented deity was the horse-goddess, Epona. This may be due to the fact that, alone of all the Celtic divinities, she was worshipped at Rome. In most cases, Epona was shown riding side-saddle on a mare or, alternatively, standing between a pair of horses. On coins, she was occasionally represented as a horse with a woman's head. The goddess represented fertility, particularly in relation to horse-breeding, but she was also linked with death. On some images, she was portrayed with a key. One of her roles, it seems, was to conduct human souls to the Otherworld and the key symbolized her access to this legendary realm. Predictably, the cult of Epona was especially popular with cavalrymen. Her name is the source of the English word 'pony'. Iconographic Themes

Regrettably, many of the surviving items of Celtic religious art (sculpture) can no longer be identified. Nevertheless, they can be classified under a number of different thematic groupings. It is noticeable, for example, that many Celtic deities had zoomorphic overtones. Cernunnos himself was often represented with cloven feet, and this tendency can be discerned in a variety of other figures.

Euffigneix Statue

The tiny sandstone statue from Euffigneix in eastern Gaul (1st century BCE) is particularly striking. Measuring just over 25cm, it was probably intended for private devotions, rather than for a larger tribal shrine. The stylized face has been damaged but this is overshadowed, in any case, by the spirited depiction of a boar on the front of the figure. Its dorsal bristles are erect, an aggressive feature which normally underlined the creature's role as a war symbol. On one side of the statuette, there is also an outsized carving of a single human eye, its prominent eyebrow echoing the line of the boar's crest. No one has been able to find a satisfactory explanation for this combination of motifs, although the figure is sometimes thought to represent a hunting god.

Bouray Bronze Figure

Sculpted from bronze rather than stone, the curious figure from Bouray (50 BCE - 50 CE) falls into the same category. A cursory glance might suggest a classical source, but closer examination reveals not only the torc around the neck, but also the figure's awkward, squat-legged position. The tiny legs, which are out of proportion with the rest of the figure, resemble the hooves of a deer. Indeed, if it were not for the complete absence of antlers, it would be tempting to interpret this as a depiction of Cernunnos. The figure was dredged out of the River Juine, to the south of Paris, in 1845. It was fashioned out of sheet metal, and it seems quite possible that its designer was a specialist cauldron-maker. Certainly, there are some stylistic affinities with the figures on the cauldron from Rynkeby.

Pillar Statues

Many of the other worthies represented by Celtic stonemasons take the form of pillar-statues. This reflects their original purpose, which was to crown the summits of ancient burial mounds. One of the oldest discoveries in this vein was the life-sized figure of a warrior, carved out of sandstone, which was found near the German tomb of Hirschlanden. The statue dates back to the 6th century BCE and was originally placed at the top of the barrow, until it was broken off at the feet. Its various attributes - the conical helmet, the weighty neck-ring, the dagger hanging from a belt, and the erect phallus - were all designed to emphasize the heroic status of the princeling in the tomb below. The distorted facial features are sometimes thought to represent a mask. The stone monuments at other Celtic burial places offer variants on this theme. At Pfalzfeld in the Rhineland, the stele takes the form of a tapering, four-sided pillar. This was decorated with a series of stylized human faces, each with a leaf-crown headdress and a lotus-bud carved on its forehead. The emphasis on various plant forms suggests that the pillar may have been intended as a representation of a sacred tree. The shaft of the pillar is broken at the top, and it is likely that it was once surmounted by a larger version of the stylized heads. Janus Heads

Janiform figures provided an alternative format for the pillar-statue. With their ability to gaze out in two directions at once, Janus heads were particularly appropriate for the tops of tumuli, dominating their entire surroundings. The best surviving example is a sandstone pillar-statue from Holzerlingen. This is slightly more than life-sized and shows Celtic stylization at its most severe. The mouth is nothing more than a horizontal gash and the heavy, hooded eyes exude menace. Unlike the Hirschlanden figure, which was meant to glorify the occupant of the tomb, this is clearly a deity of some kind. By tradition, Janus figures fulfilled a protective, custodial function, and this may well have been the intention here. Originally, there was a horn-shaped protrusion between the heads. It is not clear whether this was a variant of the leaf crown, as seen on the Pfalzfeld pillar, or whether the deity was actually horned. Smaller janiform figures have also been unearthed at the Gaulish shrine of Roquepertuse, in Provence. Here, the finds consist solely of heads and there can be no doubt about their watchful purpose. They were designed to be placed over a doorway or entrance. This is confirmed by the fact that there is no modelling on the sides of the sculpture, emphasizing that it was never meant to be seen from that angle. At an early stage, the heads were painted and, as is so often the case with Janus heads, the two faces are different. The frown on one of them is rather more intense than the other. Roquepertuse

The sanctuary at Roquepertuse was thoroughly excavated in the 1920s, offering a rare insight into Celtic ritual practices. It may date from as early as the 6th century BCE and it was in continuous use for several centuries, until it was destroyed by fire at the start of the 2nd century BCE. At the entrance to the shrine, there was a portico consisting of three limestone pillars. These contained niches, where the skulls of defeated enemies were triumphantly displayed. Similar activities were carried out at Entremont, another Provencal retreat. This featured the same arrangement of severed heads, nailed into cavities in pillars, but at Entremont there were also a number of carvings of these grisly trophies. On these, the faces had no mouths and were shown with their eyes closed, pointing to the fact that they were dead. At Roquepertuse, archaeologists also made a number of other discoveries: a series of carved birds, a crudely executed frieze of horses, damaged statues of two cross-legged figures, and traces of animal paintings. Originally, there were five statues, perhaps mounted on pedestals. The remaining pair have lost their heads and arms, making it hard to determine their initial purpose. It is likely that they represented either heroic soldiers or war gods. Sections of armour can still be discerned at the top of the torsos and, like the Janus heads, the figures were once coloured. It has also been suggested that the missing hands may once have presented severed heads towards the spectator. This theory is based on comparisons with the Tarasque de Naves, a chilling sculpture which portrays a ravening monster, probably a form of lion, holding two severed heads beneath its paws. From its jaws, a human arm dangles lifelessly. A similar creature was found at Linsdorf, in Alsace. In both cases, the inspiration is thought to have come from classical funerary art. The Romans often used scenes of animals devouring humans in this context, to symbolize the triumph of death. Votive Figures

Comparatively little wood-carving has come down to us from the Celtic era, largely because of the perishable nature of the material. The majority of the surviving pieces are votive figures, which were cast into the water at sacred springs or river shrines. Unlike the magnificent weapons and items of jewellery that were discarded at other sites, these wooden figurines were usually plain, cheaply made objects. They were also deposited for a very specific purpose, namely to invoke the healing powers of tutelary deities. The most important healing shrines that have come to light are both in France, at Chamalieres in the Massif Central and at Sources-de-la-Seine near Dijon. The latter was dedicated to Sequana, the personification of the River Seine. Between them, these two sites have yielded up several thousand votive offerings. In general, the sacrificed items appeared in two main guises. Often, they took the form of the limb or organ that was diseased. In other words, the supplicant might offer up a wooden image of a damaged hand in the hope that, in exchange, the deity would restore their real hand to health. The second type of offering was the so-called 'pilgrim' figure, representing the actual donor. These ranged from fairly naturalistic pieces, frequently betraying the influence of classical art, to stylized, armless figures, wearing thick, hooded cloaks. Their appearance is reminiscent of the Cucullati, the hooded deities who were worshipped in many parts of the Celtic world.

Other Celtic Sculpture

Famous monumental Celtic stonework such as the La Tene style Turoe Stone in County Galway Ireland, the Killycluggin Stone in County Cavan, the Mullaghmast Stone in County Kildare, the Derrykeighan Stone in County Antrim, and the Navel Stone at Delphi, in Greece, is more engraving than sculpture. Likewise the 3-D goldwork of the Broighter boat and other similar artifacts is considered under Celtic Metalwork art rather than sculpture.

As for the famous ringed Celtic High Cross Sculptures, sculpted during the medieval period (c.750-1150) of early Christian art, such as the 10th century Muiredach's Cross, the Celtic-style designs (eg. the interlace, knotwork and spiral designs on the South Cross of Clonmacnoise, the St. Mullins Cross, and the Ullard High Cross) are almost all abstract (the few exceptions being zoomorphic images), while the figurative reliefs owe little to the art of the Celts.

[archaicwonder]

Large and Finely Modeled Roman Bronze Stag, 1st Century AD

A large bronze walking stag with head held up and antlers curving up; cast mark to the top of the tail with hole in center; head detaches and with crenelated edges for securing. 22.2 kg, 85cm (33 ½").

The piece could have been a decorative piece for a villa garden, as seen in examples from Pompeii, Herculaneum and the area surrounding Vesuvius. The stag, along with the doe, was also sacred to the goddess Diana, and is seen in statues of her, most notably the cult image of the goddess at Ephesus. The stag was also sacred to the Gaulish deity Cernunos who was shown as a human/stag hybrid and was adopted by the Romans who set up a number of altars to the god in the province, most notably that found beneath Notre Dame cathedral in Paris that was set up by a guild of boat men, and now in the Musée National du Moyen Age, and which provides the only epigraphic evidence for the god’s name, which means ‘the horned one.’

Watch the video about this artifact here

[beanjuice-duh]

My Sun & Stars

a/n: Did a thing. A Jamilton thing. With Greek Mythology.  w/c: 1888  next

‘Don’t look so glum, Thomas.’ 

“I can’t help it. I miss you…” Thomas kept his eyes closed. To the humans, Thomas was also known was the God of the Moon, Hunt, and Chastity. He was Artemis. He was the maker of the night sky, the keeper of the moon rays and the protector to the virgins and huntsmen alike. On Earth, he had a cult like following of youthful hunters who came out during the hours of darkness to stalk game. On rare occasions they could catch glimpses of Thomas among them, it was hard to not spot the man. Even in a mortal form gods held a certain unimaginable beauty to them. Unique in their own right. Thomas was depicted by his followers as a tall, still, handsome man. With hair thick and cloud like held back by a silver, wiry wreath and strong, muscular limbs made for enduring long hunts. Physical appearances aside he was a reserved and almost gentle like soul. Gods of Olympus were known to frequent Earth, some more than others. Thomas fell somewhere in the medium or use to… The human followers of the moon wondered if they would ever catch sight of their patron God. There had been many of nights the hunts have gone without gain and more so the moon seemed farther and farther away from Earth. It was true, Thomas had been avoiding Earth. The mortals meant little to him, as of late even more so. He actually despised them these days. ‘Don’t be like that, it's not their fault…’  Thomas grunted, he laid back on the cloud he was sitting on and continued to keep his eyes closed. ‘Thomas...look at me’  his eyelids quivered a little. He didn’t want to open his eyes. He knew what he was going to see. Under his lids he could see her face perfectly. She was an image of sweet perfection. Her eyes like dewy pearls, round, wet, gleaming and for some reason, beyond his own Godly knowledge, they stared at him. Her smile, that smile was brighter than Alexander’s sun. He couldn’t disobey her even if the voice was coming from his own mind. His eyes opened slowly and found a lamentable sky staring down at him. A bright cluster of stars, his eyes connected them, traced a shape of a figure holding a shield and a sword. A huntress, a human, unparalleled in her hunting prowess. From the moment he found her in mid hunt, Thomas was hunting her. Several nights of silently stalking and watching, perhaps a few times placing stags in her path so she would feel blessed by good fortune. All to lead up to the night he mustered all his godly courage to speak with the mortal. Now she was gone. Like every mortal, her time on Earth was short. Shorten even more so by the fact mortals were so terribly delicate. Now he spent his nights staring up that cosmos for as long as he could. Drawing out the nights for as long as he could.

“Seriously?” Alex growled leaning against his golden chariot. “What is he even doing out there?” He motioned from a nearby cloud, a stable built up along Mount Olympus where he kept Helios, the sun chariot, the very embodiment of the sun itself. Alexander was not amused that Thomas pushed the night on so long. It was clear nighttime was inferior compared to his brilliant days. It was his days that people woke up for, worked during, longingly stared at his sunsets. What happened at night? Nothing, so why did Thomas feel the need to torture the humans more? Making them wait to bathe in his brilliant light. John zipped around Alex chuckling a bit, “Be patient, I’m sure Thomas is just...hunting or something.” “Are you as blind as you are swift Hermes?” Alex grabbed Laurens’s ear and yanked him down from his fluttering stance. “He’s just...sitting out there, looking up! What is he looking at? What does he think is worth prolonging my beautiful arrival? Honestly I’ve never met a God more self centered in my life!” “I can...think of one…” John winced, once he freed himself from Alex’s warm pinch he stared at Thomas. Unlike Alex he tried to assess the whole situation. “It seems to me he’s looking at the stars...perhaps he is star gazing. Many mortals do it, they enjoy the faint glows of the multitude fractals of light.”

Alexander let out a small snort in response. John wasn’t sure what was so comical so he waited for Alexander to speak, since...there wasn’t a moment he wouldn’t speak. “My sun outshines those puny dots in the sky. The moment I raise Helios; night is but a distant memory~” He fanned himself, basking in his own glory. “You are aware your sun is also a star, correct?”  “That I am…” Alexander rubbed the stubble under his chin. His eyes lit up with an idea. “If Thomas wishes to gaze at a star then I will give him a star to truly gaze upon! That way he can stop his insistent tardiness of the daylight and we can all move on with our merry eternity!” “Alexander...I do not think that is what Thomas is after…” John went to touch his shoulder but as if Alex had the winged sandals of Hermes he was as fast as lightning. He ran to the stable and mounted his golden sun chariot. He slapped the reins and the two white horses that pulled the sun with Apollo started to gallop off the cloud that sat on the horizon line. “...I should get Zeus, this cannot end well…” John paused then pulled out a small, bronze telescope. “But first, I’m going to enjoy the show.” Thomas laid back against the highest cloud, the highest peak along Olympus. His hand outstretched to the the constellation Orion. “I wish I could stay here forever…” He knew that night could only be drawn out so long. Eventually he would have to say goodbye...it was hard. For a moment he wondered what an eternity of feeling this empty longing would do for him? Thomas stared up at the cluster of beautiful stars, his fingers tracing bridges connecting her dots. He was just about finished when suddenly the stars began to fade before he was ready. In truth he was never ready to let her go, but more so unexpectedly. It reminded him of how swift she went the first time, how one moment she was there, then like what was happening right before his eyes, she was gone. “NO!” He stood up watching the stars subside, his night going with it and instead the pastel hues of morning painted over the sky.

Yes, the sun was here. The warm tones of pinks, oranges, and yellows melted over the icy, cool undertones that was night. It shooed away the moon and its subservient stars. Here came the sun, in all its bold glory. When it rose the humans of Earth rose with him. “Aha! Thomas, what do you think?” Alexander leaped from his chariot in the sky having rode the heavens to deliver the ever favored sun to the humans. “Don’t worry, I know you’ve been waiting to see a real star so I did you the favor of bringing it for you. Isn’t it marvel--” He was cut off by a very sound punch to his gut. The smaller God’s body hunched over as the fist twisted into his stomach. “You RUINED it!” Thomas took back his hand and went for a kick, knocking Apollo to his back. “You think I want to see your over-saturated waste of a flame? You ruined it! I wasn’t ready for her….” His face twisted in sadness then in a second filled with unbridled rage. “R-Ruined?!” Alexander found the strength to inhale once the wind was knocked out of him. “I brought you day! If anything I fixed this dreary sky and have given you and everyone else something to look at.” He slowly got to his feet. “You should be grateful” he found the urge to fight back. (For now) “Grateful? You cast my night away.” “It was long overdue” “...You interrupted my star gazing” “Stare at the sun it will do your complexion better.” “I wasn’t ready for the night to go!”

“Who cares about your night anyway!” Alex crossed his arms, his eyes looking away as they bickered. When a lack of response came out of Thomas he glanced back at him. His brown eyes were met with a very frigid face. Alex opened his mouth but before he could, Thomas crouched down and jumped off the cloud. He landed on the mortal ground and assumed a more human like appearance, leaving his godly glow behind. Alex’s mouth turned down into a scowl watching the god mix among the people who were now waking up to begin their days. “Fine. Act like a child, run off and cry over your silly stars!” “Alexander…” John fluttered by having witnessed the whole ordeal. It took everything in him not to say ‘I warned you’ or ‘I told you so.’ “Can you believe him? I bring him the best star in the sky early so he may take a chance to gaze at it and he claims I ‘ruined’ his night. I enhanced it” motioned with a thumb to his chest. John have him a weak smile. “Perhaps you should have spoken to him first before taking action? I swear, you and Thomas were made from the same sky but …” John gently ran his hand through Alex’s brown hair. “So different.” “We are opposites, I am great and he is not.” Alex shrugged. “It's not my fault I was created as a blessing to the heavens and Earth.” John blushed, there it was, that ego that enticed so many. “...we should tell Zeus about Thomas.” “What? No, Thomas will return so he can bring back his precious night. He’s fine.” John shot Alexander a look that was no longer red with admiration of his ego but disappointed at his lack of sympathy. “Look, he needs time to calm down, clear his mind, it is why we often live among the mortals. He’ll return and all will be well between us once again.” John kept his hardened stare. “Things have NEVER been good between you, it's why you’re separated by night and day. “Alexander you could...go down there and..” “And be among my dedicated followers! Good idea, all this negativity was beginning to dim my shine.” Alex dove head first to the cloud. “Send a message to the Muses to join me!~” And just like that Alex, too, was gone among common man. John crossed his arms and sighed, so much work to be done when he was simply a messenger to the gods. John had managed to pass along the message to the three Muses, he was ready to head down to Earth himself and enjoy a moment of flightlessness when a large hand came down on his head. “There was some unease amongst the sky at dawn, is everything alright?” The voice was low in volume but the timbre of it resembled a grumbling storm cloud posed to roar.The fatherly figure slowly turned John around. The freckled boy looked up and smiled nervously. “..well…”

[tipsycad147]

Bear Goddesses and Gods Across Cultures

The Origin of Bear Goddesses and Gods

Gods and goddesses of the ancient world held a connection with certain animals. This is because our ancestors’ beliefs were animistic – they believed everything on earth had consciousness and a soul. Wildlife was sacred in ancient times. The bear is one of the most powerful and most feared of the animal kingdom. Dating back thousands of years, the people of Europe left their marks on cave walls—some of these drawings were of bears. Shamans have revered the bear for its power, but also for its motherhood qualities and healing abilities. Bear medicine is strong medicine, according to Native Americans. Its no wonder ancient gods and goddesses were connected to the bear. Learn of the bear goddesses and bear god here.

The Greek Bear Goddesses

Artemis

The typical illustration of Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Hunt, depicts her with either a hunting dog or stag. However, one of Artemis’ most sacred animals was the bear. Artemis had domain over the forest and all wildlife within it. The bear was the largest and most powerful animal, and so Artemis found it to be a special animal. Any time a bear was killed by the Greeks, Artemis would lay a plague on the people as punishment. Artemis’ cult spread over Greece. In Brauron, young girls played she-bears in honour of Artemis and as a preparation for motherhood. They wore bear masks and acted wildly in worship of her. Artemis’ name is theorised to have meant bear-sanctuary. If we break it down—art is close to ark which means bear, and temis is close to temnis which means sanctuary. We will see in the next section how another Goddess’ name reflects this etymology.

Callisto

Another close association between Artemis and bears is in the tale of one of Artemis’ followers named Callisto. Callisto was a nymph (demi-god nature spirit), and as followers of Artemis, women were charged to stay chaste and pure from men. Callisto was lured into having relations with Zeus, who impregnated her. When Artemis found out, she changed Callisto into a bear. Other versions say Athena was angered when Zeus impregnated the nymph and so she turned Callisto into a bear. The constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (known to the Greeks as Arktos—bear) are said to be the soul remnants of Callisto and her son, and were placed in the sky by Zeus himself.

Artio: Forgotten Celtic Bear Goddess

We don’t know a lot about Artio, the Bear Goddess of the ancient Celtic-Gauls, but we knnow she was intimately connected to bears. The few pieces of evidence we have of her cult’s existence were found in Switzerland and southern Germany. A bronze statue depicting Artio feeding a giant bear surfaced in Bern, Switzerland. Scholars say Artio feeds the bear with a bowl of fruit in her lap. But could it be the other way around? It seems to me the goddess is being confronted by the bear and she is not backing down. There was once a great tale about this encounter, I am sure; however, over time the lore of Artio has been lost. The inscription on the Bern statue translates to “for the goddess Artio”. As with Artemis’ name, there is a clear link to the bear in Artio’s name. Art translaes to bear in Gaulish. Could Artio, the Bear Goddess of the Gauls, be the same goddess as the Greeks’ bear goddess Artemis?

Ildiko: Hungarian Bear Goddess

Much of what we know of the Hungarian Bear Goddess Ildiko has been lost in time, or perhaps is just not readily accessible by my research methods. However, according to the Encyclopedia of Spirits by Judika Iles, Ildiko was a goddess of the forest and wildlife. One of her most sacred animals was the bear. Ildiko was like Artemis – she was the goddess of the hunt but also protector of forest animals. This is because of the need for balance—she guides the hunters but also protects animals in need of preservation or honour. Ildiko is a common name in Hungary with a Germanic origin meaning “warrior”. We can see how a warrior goddess would also be keen of bears—power, wisdom, and ferocity.

Mielikki: Finnish Bear Goddess

Above all, Mielikki is a healing goddess of Finland. She is associated with the woods and with wildlife, just as Artemis and Ildiko, but her main attribute is her healing abilities. She heals the animals when they are sick or wounded. This corresponds directly with the medicine of the bear. Shamans know bears to be healers, and so Mielikki is like the bear in this way. Mielikki is one of the bear goddess who had a part in the creation of the bear. The story goes that Mielikki left earth and travelled into space, past the moon, in search of the materials with which to make the perfect animal. She returned and stitched together the materials from the heavens to make the bear. The bear is Mielikki’s favorite animal, above all. The tale of Mielikki going into space to find the materials to make the bear correlates nicely with the tales of the other Bear Goddesses Artemis, Callisto, and Zeus putting Callisto into the sky to make the Ursa Major and Minor constellations. There is an asteroid and a mountain on the planet Venus named for Mielikki.

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Odin: The All-Father and Bear God

Odin is a popular god among Scandinavian and Germanic pagans, but has spread as a god to nearly every part of the world in modern times. He is known as the All-Father, the One-Eyed, and the ultimate trickster. He is a wise, yet powerful god and knows how to win a battle. Because of this, the shamans and warriors of ancient times sought Odin for his knowledge and ferocity. When depicted, he is usually illustrated as an older man with white hair and beard, cloaked, and carrying a staff. One of his eyes is missing, as this relates to the legend of Odin receiving the runes while hanging from a special tree.

Odin is almost always flanked by two of his totem animals—ravens or wolves. However, some legends claim Odin can also be guarded by two great bears. I’ve yet to find solid evidence of this claim; however, this could be in part because of Odin’s association with the berserkers (shaman warriors) who often wore the pelts of bears. Either way, a god of war, wisdom, healing, and trickery such as Odin would be well received as a friend of the bears.

https://otherworldlyoracle.com/bear-goddesses-bear-god-across-cultures/

[harvard-art-museums-sculpture]

Reduced Copy of a Stag from the Royal Graves at Alaca Huyuk. Cult standard, 3rd millennium BCE, HAM: Sculpture

Reduced bronze copy of a stage from the royal graves of D'Alaca Huyuk. Cult standard. The stag stands upon a standard with four branches, rounded at the top. The stag itself is decorated with seven concentric circles on each side and a Chevron pattern ... Size: greatest dimens.: 14 x 8 x 4 cm (5 1/2 x 3 1/8 x 1 9/16 in.) Medium: Bronze

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/304120

[harvard-art-museums-sculpture]

Reduced Copy of a Stag from the Royal Graves at Alaca Huyuk. Cult standard, 3rd millennium BCE, HAM: Sculpture

Reduced bronze copy of a stage from the royal graves of D'Alaca Huyuk. Cult standard. The stag stands upon a standard with four branches, rounded at the top. The stag itself is decorated with seven concentric circles on each side and a Chevron pattern ... Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Bay Hikmet Gurcay, Director General, Department of Antiquities and Museums, Republic of Turkey Size: greatest dimens.: 14 x 8 x 4 cm (5 1/2 x 3 1/8 x 1 9/16 in.) Medium: Bronze

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/304120