Parallel Myths
Page 26
Loki, as you may remember, is the evil giant who is responsible for the death of Odin’s son, Baldur. As punishment, the gods chained him to a rock. As the chains grow rusty and weak, Loki will churn about to break free, causing these horrible earthquakes. For centuries, he has been seething with thoughts of revenge against the gods. When he breaks free, he will join all other enemies of the gods to invade their home, Asgard.
On earth, human beings will die by the multitudes from hunger, the cold, flooding, earthquakes, and other calamities. But, unlike before, Odin will be unable to help them.
For Odin will have to fight for his own survival. Heimdall, the sentinel of the gods, will sound blasts on his battle horn announcing the invasion of Asgard by Loki and the other foes. All creatures will hear these trumpet blasts and shake with terror.
Fenris the wolf, who had been subdued by the gods during the earliest times, will break free. The great serpent of the sea will rise up. Loki and the sons of Muspelheim, the dwarves, will ride over the rainbow and attack the gods, leaving a wake of fire that will destroy the earth. Thor the thunder god will kill the great sea serpent; in the last moments, the serpent will spit venom that slays Thor. Surtur, leader of the armies against the gods, will throw great blasts of fire on the earth that will devour anything that remains alive. The sun will no longer shine, and the stars will fall from heaven.
Odin himself will be slain, as will all the gods. Not one of their enemies will survive either. This final war will be a war without victors or vanquished, with all combatants perishing.
But with the destruction of the world completed, Alfadur (“All Father”), the great and only eternal God, the God behind the gods, will be the only one left. With his own hands he will fashion a new earth, new creatures, and a man and a woman to start the human race anew.
NORTH AMERICAN APOCALYPTIC MYTHS
Pawnee
Tirawa Atius is the lord of all things and it is he alone who determines fate. At the beginning of the world, he set a large bull buffalo in the sky to the far northwest. With the passage of each year, the bull loses one hair; when all these hairs are gone, the world will end. As that hair falls, there will be widespread meteor showers, and the sun and moon will become dim.
In the beginning, Tirawa Atius appointed the North Star and the South Star to control fate. The North Star once spoke directly to the Pawnee and told them that the South Star moved just a little bit to the north with each passing year. When the South Star catches up with the North Star, then the world will end.
The command for the final destruction of the world is in the hands of the four gods of the directions. The West will issue the command that the world be destroyed and the East will obey. Then the stars in heaven will fall to the new earth and become people. The people left in this world at the time of destruction will fly high into the sky and become stars themselves.
Cherokee
The earth floats like a great island on the waters and is held up by rawhide at the four points of the compass. This rawhide is attached to a ceiling of rock crystal in the heavens. Sooner or later, the rawhide will grow old and crack, and when it breaks, the earth will plunge back under the waters and all life will end. Then, as happened the last time, the Creator will pull the earth back out of the water and re-create the world.
THE OLD TESTAMENT
(Daniel 11:40-12:13)
When the time comes for the End, the king of the South will try conclusions with him [the Great Persecutor]; but the king of the North will come storming down on him with chariots, cavalry, and a large fleet. He will invade countries, overrun them and drive on. He will invade the Land of Splendor and many will fall, but Edom, Moav and what remains of the sons of Ammon will escape him.
He will reach out to attack countries: the land of Egypt will not escape him. The gold and silver treasuries and all the valuables of Egypt will lie in his power. Libyans and Cushites will be at his feet: but reports coming from the East and the North will worry him, and in great fury he will set out to bring ruin and complete destruction to many. He will pitch the tents of his royal headquarters between the sea and the mountains of the Holy Splendor. Yet he will come to his end—there will be no help for him.
At that time Michael [the archangel] will stand up, the great prince who mounts guard over your people. There is going to be a time of great distress, unparalleled since nations first came into existence. When the time comes, your own people will be spared, all those whose names are found written in the book. Of those who lie sleeping in the dust of the earth, many will awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting disgrace. The learned shall shine as brightly as the vault of heaven, and those who have instructed many in virtue, as stars for all eternity.
But you, Daniel, must keep these words secret and the book sealed until the time of the End. Many will wander this way and that, and wickedness will go on increasing.
THE NEW TESTAMENT
NOTE: Christian theologians refer to the discussion of the End as the “eschaton.”
Excerpts from the Gospel of Mark
The Eschatological Discourse (Mark 13:1-4)
As he [Jesus] was leaving the Temple one of his disciples said to him, “Look at the size of those stones, Master! Look at the size of those buildings.” And Jesus said to him, “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.”
And while he was sitting facing the Temple, on the Mount of Olives, Peter, James, John and Andrew questioned him privately, “Tell us when is this going to happen and what sign will there be that all this is about to be fulfilled?”
The Beginning of Sorrows (Mark 13:5-32)
Then Jesus began to tell them, “Take care that no one deceives you. Many will come using my name and saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed, this is something that must happen, but the end will not be yet. For nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes here and there; there will be famines. This is the beginning of the birth pangs.
“Be on your guard: they will hand you over to sanhedrins;* you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them, since the Good News must be proclaimed to all the nations.
“And when they lead you away to hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what to say; no, say whatever is given you when the time comes, because it is not you who will be speaking: it will be the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.
“When you see the disastrous abomination set up where it ought not to be … then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains; if a man is on the housetop, he must not come down to go into the house to collect any of his belongings; if a man is in the fields, he must not turn back to fetch his cloak. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come! Pray that this may not be in winter. For in those days there will be such distress as, until now, there has not been equalled since the beginning when God created the world, nor will there ever be again. And if the Lord had not shortened that time, no one would have survived; but he did shorten the time, for the sake of the elect whom he chose.
“And if anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘Look he is there,’ do not believe it, for false Christs and false prophets will arise and produce signs and portents to deceive the elect, if that were possible. You therefore must be on your guard. I have forewarned you of everything.
“But in those days, after that time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, then too he will
send the angels to gather the chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven.
“Take the fig tree as a parable; as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you will know that summer is near. So with you when you see these things happening; know that he is near, at the very gates. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
“But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.”
Excerpts from the Apocalypse (The Revelation to John)
The Beast 666 (Revelation 13:15-18)
It was allowed to breathe life into this statue so that the statue of the beast was able to speak, and to have anyone who refused to worship the statue of the beast put to death. He compelled everyone—small and great, rich and poor, slave and citizen—to be branded on the right hand or on the forehead, and made it illegal for anyone to buy or sell anything unless he had been branded with the name of the beast or with the number of its name.
There is need for shrewdness here: if anyone is clever enough he may interpret the number of the beast: it is the number of a man, the number 666.
The Final Battle of the End (Revelation 19:11-22)
And now I saw heaven open, and a white horse appear; its rider was called Faithful and True; he is a judge with integrity, a warrior for justice. His eyes were the flames of fire, and his head was crowned with many coronets; the name written on him was known only to himself, his cloak was soaked in blood. He is known by the name, The Word of God. Behind him, dressed in linen of dazzling white rode the armies of heaven on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike the pagans with; he is the one who will rule them with an iron scepter, and tread out the wine of Almighty God’s fierce anger. On his cloak and on his thigh there was a name written: The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he shouted aloud to all the birds that were flying high overhead in the sky, “Come here. Gather together at the great feast that God is giving. There will be the flesh of kings for you, and the flesh of great generals and heroes, the flesh of horses and their riders and of all kinds of men, citizens and slaves, small and great.”
The Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15)
Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. In his presence, earth and sky vanished, leaving no trace. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of his throne, while the book of life was opened, and other books opened, which were the record of what they had done in their lives, by which the dead were judged.
The sea gave up all the dead that were in it; Death and Hades were emptied of all the dead that were in them; and every one was judged according to the way in which he had lived. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the burning lake. This burning lake is the second death; and anybody whose name could not be found written in the book of life was thrown into the burning lake.
The Heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-8)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, “You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people and He will be their God; his name is God-With-Them. He shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone.”
Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: “Now I am making the whole of creation new,” he said. “Write this: that what I am saying is sure and will come true.” And then he said, “It is already done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water from the well of life free to anybody who is thirsty; it is the rightful inheritance of the one who proves victorious; and I will be his God and he is a son to me. But the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and fornicators, and for fortunetellers, idolaters, or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur.”
Excerpt from the Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
To turn now brothers to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we shall all be gathered around him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed by any prediction or rumor or any letter claiming to come from us, implying that the day of the Lord has already arrived. Never let anyone deceive you in that way.
It cannot happen until the Great Revolt has taken place and the Rebel, the Lost One, has appeared. This is the Enemy, the one who claims to be so much greater than all that men call “god,” so much greater than anything that is worshipped, that he enthrones himself in God’s sanctuary and claims that he is God. Surely you remember me telling you about this when I was with you? And you know, too, what is still holding him back from appearing before his appointed time. Rebellion is at work already, but in secret, and the one who is holding it back has first to be removed before the Rebel appears openly. The Lord will kill him with the breath of his mouth and will annihilate him with this glorious appearance at his coming.
But when the Rebel comes, Satan will set to work: there will be all kinds of miracles and a deceptive show of signs and portents, and everything evil that can deceive those who are bound for destruction because they would not grasp the love of the truth which could have saved them. The reason why God is sending a power to delude them and make them believe what is untrue is to condemn all who refuse to believe in the truth and chose wickedness instead.
* The houris are perfect and beautiful women for the pleasure of the righteous in the Islamic Paradise.
* Sanhedrins were the Jewish ecclesiastical courts.
PART THREE
THE MODERN
READINGS
OF MYTH
I use the concept “myth” in the sense in which it is customarily used in the science of history and of religion. Myth is the report of an occurrence or an event in which supernatural, superhuman forces or persons are at work (which explains why it is often defined simply as history of the gods). Mythical thinking is the opposite of scientific thinking. It refers certain phenomena and events to supernatural, “divine” powers, whether these are thought of dynamistically or are represented as personal spirits or gods. It thus separates off certain phenomena and events as well as certain domains from things and occurrences of the world that are familiar and can be grasped and controlled. Scientific thinking, by contrast, is preformed in the “work thinking” that also reckons with a closed continuum of cause and effect; in fact, scientific thinking is basically the radical development of such work thinking and presupposes both the unity of the world and the lawfully regulated order of things and occurrences in the world.
—Rudolf Bultmann, German theologian and Bible critic,
New Testament and Mythology & Other Basic Writings,
selected, edited, and translated by Schubert M. Ogden
12. Views of Myth and Meaning
Jeremiah Curtin (1835-1906)
Nineteenth-century Irish scholar of myth.
The reason is of ancient date why myths have come, in vulgar estimation, to be synonymous with lies; though true myths—and there are many such—are the most comprehensive and splendid statements of truth known to man. A myth, even when it contains a universal principle, expresses it in a particular form, using with its peculiar personages the language and accessories of a particular people, with the connected accidents of time and place, are familiar and dear, receive the highest enjoyment from the myth, and the truth goes with it as the soul with the body.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Austrian father of psychoanalysis.
I believe that a large portion of the mythological conception of the w
orld which reaches far into the most modern religions, is nothing but psychology projected to the outer world.
Ananda Coomaraswamy (1877-1947)
Twentieth-century Indian philosopher.
Myth embodies the nearest approach to absolute truth that can be expressed in words.
Nikolay Berdyayev (1874-1948)
Russian-born Christian existentialist philosopher.
I am therefore inclined to believe that the mysteries of the divine as well as of the human and world life, with all their complexity of historical destiny, admit of solution only through concrete mythology. The knowledge of the divine life is not attainable by means of abstract philosophical thought based on the principles of formalist or rationalist logic, but only by means of a concrete myth which conceives the divine life as a passionate destiny of concrete and active persons…
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961)
Swiss pioneer of psychoanalysis.
Myth is the natural and indispensable intermediate stage between unconscious and conscious cognition.
… it struck me what it means to live with a myth, and what it means to live without one. “Myth,” writes a Church Father, “is what is believed always, everywhere by everybody; hence the man who thinks he can live without myth or outside it, is an exception. He is like one uprooted, having no true link with either the past, or the ancestral life within him, or yet with contemporary society.