Rhymes
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
(Before reading the following post please refer to Book IV, Part II, An Interlude, first footnote)
Rhyme heard being recited by a small child today:
"It's raining, it's pouring,
The Old Man is snoring,
He went to bed, and bumped his head,
And couldn't get up in the morning."
The first line is obviously descriptive, but who is the Old Man of the second line and why is he snoring? It is the snoring that gives us the clue here, for surely this is the sound of Thunder. The Old Man then is one of the Thunder Gods, often depicted as an elder male figure - an Old Man. For example, IAO-pater the Thunder God of the Romans. Similarly Jehovah the Hebrew Thunder God of the Old Testament.
But then to which of these Thunder deities was the child addressing their prayer? The third line gives us the key to this. For only one of the Thunder Gods is renowned for a blow to his head - Thor, who has a flint stone wedged in his skull from his battle with Hrungner. The flint being the generator of sparks, the bolts of lightning that accompany Thunder.
Here then we have a survival, a prayer in the mouth of a child to propitiate the Thunder God - bidding him to remain in his bed and not to send his lightning bolts at us.
Goodnight children everywhere!
Love is the law, love under will.
(Before reading the following post please refer to Book IV, Part II, An Interlude, first footnote)
Rhyme heard being recited by a small child today:
"It's raining, it's pouring,
The Old Man is snoring,
He went to bed, and bumped his head,
And couldn't get up in the morning."
The first line is obviously descriptive, but who is the Old Man of the second line and why is he snoring? It is the snoring that gives us the clue here, for surely this is the sound of Thunder. The Old Man then is one of the Thunder Gods, often depicted as an elder male figure - an Old Man. For example, IAO-pater the Thunder God of the Romans. Similarly Jehovah the Hebrew Thunder God of the Old Testament.
But then to which of these Thunder deities was the child addressing their prayer? The third line gives us the key to this. For only one of the Thunder Gods is renowned for a blow to his head - Thor, who has a flint stone wedged in his skull from his battle with Hrungner. The flint being the generator of sparks, the bolts of lightning that accompany Thunder.
Here then we have a survival, a prayer in the mouth of a child to propitiate the Thunder God - bidding him to remain in his bed and not to send his lightning bolts at us.
Goodnight children everywhere!
Love is the law, love under will.