After 2024 saw an eruption of archetypal material from one of the more poignant tales of the Mabinogion into my life, I have been reeling from the realisation that myth is a reflection of another part of reality, flimsily hidden behind a very permeable layer.
Will Parker's work on the Four Branches, although a bit presumptuous in places, is a fascinating look at how those who compiled the Mabinogion probably saw it in the same way, as certain characters reflect prominent nobles of the day. But for these bards, this wasn't simply a 'poltical satire' using ancient mythic material - it was an acknowledgement that, on some level, the contemporary individuals they were commenting on were following patterns already laid down, perhaps before the dawn of linear time.
Interpretive traditions will always be around. The key is to use the one that is most beneficial to you, but be careful how you do that. You might get kicked out of your church. For instance, Theodore of Mopsuestia had the courage to say that the Song of Songs was about real humans in love, and he got kicked out of the Church for it. Perhaps, if he made the claim that it was about the celibate state they would have made him a saint.
I read The Island of the Mighty, and the other books in the series of the Mabinogion by Evangeline Walton, and found these books very inducive to Astral Travelling Dreams, way back in 1976 -9 when I was about 16 to 19 years of age. i can really recommend these versions, if you can find them!! I read them along with Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsey, and the Carlos Castaneda books.
Thought provoking essay. Thanks. Regarding interpretive instrumentation, I found Keith Basso’s anthropological theories about the Apache use of their tribal remembering of geograpical Places as generationally inherited cultural moral narratives, a philosophical epiphany. The Irish mythic trilogy; The Three Sorrows when perceived through the extant fragments of referenced geographical places, in the north of the island, are yet to be fully realised for their potential as stories for cultural reflection, moral responsibility and group healing.
Speaking of shapeshifting. I have met the author of this. He is definitely mainlined into the indigenous world view, not an add on to his life, but intrinsic. Start at page 4
Thank you for sharing. Stories like this help to remember just how much is forgotten. Maybe one day it will emerge again. From the old books and the memory we carry deep in our bones. Can't help but hope.
Matthieu Pageau says fire is the first technology. And from the article it seems that this first technology was used the way technology is supposed to be used, to strengthen the bond between us and mother earth
After 2024 saw an eruption of archetypal material from one of the more poignant tales of the Mabinogion into my life, I have been reeling from the realisation that myth is a reflection of another part of reality, flimsily hidden behind a very permeable layer.
Will Parker's work on the Four Branches, although a bit presumptuous in places, is a fascinating look at how those who compiled the Mabinogion probably saw it in the same way, as certain characters reflect prominent nobles of the day. But for these bards, this wasn't simply a 'poltical satire' using ancient mythic material - it was an acknowledgement that, on some level, the contemporary individuals they were commenting on were following patterns already laid down, perhaps before the dawn of linear time.
Interpretive traditions will always be around. The key is to use the one that is most beneficial to you, but be careful how you do that. You might get kicked out of your church. For instance, Theodore of Mopsuestia had the courage to say that the Song of Songs was about real humans in love, and he got kicked out of the Church for it. Perhaps, if he made the claim that it was about the celibate state they would have made him a saint.
I read The Island of the Mighty, and the other books in the series of the Mabinogion by Evangeline Walton, and found these books very inducive to Astral Travelling Dreams, way back in 1976 -9 when I was about 16 to 19 years of age. i can really recommend these versions, if you can find them!! I read them along with Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsey, and the Carlos Castaneda books.
Thought provoking essay. Thanks. Regarding interpretive instrumentation, I found Keith Basso’s anthropological theories about the Apache use of their tribal remembering of geograpical Places as generationally inherited cultural moral narratives, a philosophical epiphany. The Irish mythic trilogy; The Three Sorrows when perceived through the extant fragments of referenced geographical places, in the north of the island, are yet to be fully realised for their potential as stories for cultural reflection, moral responsibility and group healing.
Always appreciate your posts. Great literature I've never heard of! Will research this further. Outstanding presentations. Thank You!
Thanks!
Speaking of shapeshifting. I have met the author of this. He is definitely mainlined into the indigenous world view, not an add on to his life, but intrinsic. Start at page 4
https://cawaterlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Tribal_Traditional_Ecological_Knowledge.pdf
Thank you for sharing. Stories like this help to remember just how much is forgotten. Maybe one day it will emerge again. From the old books and the memory we carry deep in our bones. Can't help but hope.
I am on page 3, but what an interesting article!!
Matthieu Pageau says fire is the first technology. And from the article it seems that this first technology was used the way technology is supposed to be used, to strengthen the bond between us and mother earth