Re: Creation

--- In cybalist@..., "Glen Gordon" <glengordon01@...> wrote:

> However, something is amiss about this account: "The now fertilized
> Eurynome changes into a dove and lays an egg". I like to assume that
> there is fundamental logic (even fuzzy logic, at the very least)
> behind all myths. What would be the inspiration for such a
> transformation due to fertilisation? Second of all, a "dove" is
> too specific in terms of reconstructing the original tale.
> The Goddess is definitely associated with a bird though (perhaps
> just about any bird; note other associations like the raven,
> blackbird or vulture).

> If we look at Nyx, we see that the complete void of
> primordial darkness can be symbolized nicely as a large outstretched
> black bird hovering over primordial waters. If these tales originate
> from the Mediterranean, we can expect people to believe "In the
> Beginning, there was only the waters and darkness." They were sea
> people afterall and the waters seem to stretch forever from the
> coast. The bird might have been impregnated by the waters,
> representing a masculine principle, as you suggest, causing a great
> Cosmic Egg to be laid on the waters, from which the universe is
> born. (Note too that the inspiration for a bird might be derived
> from the fact that only birds had the power to move over the waters,
> and fly so far away from land. In this respect, they had what
> appeared to be a magical power.)
> At the same time, however, it makes logical sense that early
> peoples would think of all life as deriving from the womb (of a
> woman) including the universe itself. The latter concept is not so
> sea-specific. Continuing with the Great Goddess concept, there are
> many later myths of self-fertilizing or self-generating woman (eg:
> Athena, Mary of the bible, yadayada). Hence, we have a second
> possibility for Creation: Goddess always existed... She impregnates
> self... Universe oozes forth from womb.

> Perhaps then, this latter Great Goddess myth could be the core
> foundation of the later neolithic myths of Creation, having been
> fused with the Great Bird myth. The Woman and the Bird become one
> and the same. Hence either "the bird flies over the waters" or
> "the Goddess dances upon the waters" or "the Goddess dances
> upon a snake" to get the ball of creation rolling. The snake=waters
> connection then becomes symbolic of the male principle... Oooooh,
> that gives a whole new sexual meaning to the Cretan Snake Goddess!
> My, how provocative.

That is interesting-A bird over the ocean would fit for far-roaming
Eurynome. I think you are right about the dove thing being too
specific-Other cultures with stories of birds as creators of the
cosmos have other birds, swan, phoenix etc.

However, I think the dove makes sense for this version of the story,
as doves are involved symbolically in the area
I know that doves are connected with the 7 Pleiades, and that a
black dove was sacrificed to Pelasgian goddess Dione-There's that
blackbird you mentioned
Dione was associated with the oak tree and divination. I read the
name Dione was a female equivalent to Zeus-Queen of the sky or
something like that. At Dodona, there was an oracle to Zeus Naios,
wife of Dione, who was said to live in the oak tree. Apparently, Zeus
Naios got his name from a godess Naia, so this may have been the
older name of Dione.
Oak trees were also associated with the thunder god, but still
we've got a goddess as a tree, quite possibly a supreme goddess at
some point in time, and a black bird offered as sacrifice. Hmm.

As far as the reason that Eurynome transformed into a bird in the
myth, I think this is to preserve her dual identity as bird and woman.
The importance for her starting out as a woman in my mind has to do
with the male-female element of the story, which I believe was
enacted with a ritual dance.

BTW-I'm going to a lecture on the Cretan snake goddess in a couple
weeks-Maybe that will give me some new ideas on that front.

I think maybe you are right about there being two or more myths
grafted into one, but I'm not sure. I better stop thinking for now,
lest my head break into little pieces and I neglect my real world
responsibilities sigh...:)

Cort Williams