Unanswered Questions, Part 5...
I'd like to go back to the language of the hands, based on a section of the White Goddess I just read. Though Cochrane said Graves got the tree alphabet wrong, I think this section is of importance to the language of the hands.
On Cords:Each of the fingers on the hands of a witch has a defined meaning and purpose.
Graves talks about the names each finger were known by, and I think there is a hint here.
In the light of this knowledge we can re-examine the diagram of the hand used as a signalling keyboard by the Druids and understand the puzzling traditional names of the four fingers--'fore-finger', 'fool's-finger', 'leech, or physic-finger', and 'auricular or ear-finder'--in terms of the mystic values of the letters contained on them.
He talks later about how the fore-finger is connected to Jupiter, the fool's-finger to Saturn, the leech-finger to Apollo (Sun), the ear-finger to Mercury, the heal of the hand to the Moon, the thumb to Venus, and the centre of the hand to Mars.
The fore-finger is the head of the Greek and Roman gods, and is the Oak King. It is the fore-most finger.
The fool's-finger is the Holy King, who is also the Fool.
The leech-finger is the Sun. This finger was said to have an artery to the heart, and represents healing and medicine.
The ear-finger is Mercury, the messenger of the gods, and is concerning with divination.
The thumb is the phallus, and deals with fertility and love.
So, we have the Oak King and the Holly King once again. And we have healing, divination, and fertility. The middle of the hand is where the weapon is gripped, hence Mars, the god of war. The heal of the hand is the Moon, the White Goddess.
Now, divination is always closely tied to Death/Resurrection. Fertility is obviously Love. If we tie the fingers to the five parts, the Oak King is the beginning of the year, so is Life/Birth. So, which is Maternity and which is Wisdom, the Holly King or healing? If the Oak King begins the year out, the Holly King must be reborn to defeat him before Winter, to I will say that the Holly King is Maternity, and healing comes from Wisdom.
So, we now have the fore-finger as Life/Birth, the thumb as Love, the fool's-finger as Maternity, the leech-finger as Wisdom, and the ear-finger as Death/Resurrection.
Graves mentions the Roman benediction, which started with Roman speakers, but is still used in the Catholic Church. It is holding up the fore-finger, thumb, and fool's-finger. Life/Birth, Love, maternity, the first half of life. The fore-finger for fortunate guidance, the thumb for increase, and the fool's-finger for rain. The invocation of the Horned God is the fore-finger and the ear-finger, the Oak King and divination, Birth and Death.
Combinations of the five fingers, just with what is raised or down, including all down, make 32 combinations (the number of paths in the Kabbalah Tree of Life, incidentally). So, even if it isn't about the tree-letters being placed at four places on each finger, it would be easy to represent the 18 or 20 or 25 letters. The only reason to presume the four letters is the reference to four pillars of equal height the Graves constantly refers to. But the thumb would be ignored if there was only four pillars, so his grouping breaks is as well.
That's it for that subject for now. Back to the feminine symbols.
The Flask is the next symbol, of which Cochrane says nothing. The only other reference he makes to a Flask is in his semi-fictional "A Witch's Esbat".
A Witch's Esbat:Joan brings over the wine in a thermos flask and pours it into the cauldron. Fragrant steam rises as the cold wine meets the hot brass base of the pot.
So, the Flask was used to bring wine that was added to the Cauldren. That's all he tells us. So, other sources are needed.
SILENUS : Greek god of drunkenness & wine-making ; mythology ; pictures : SEILENOS:The Anacreontea, Fragnent 47 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric II) (C5th B.C.) :
"I am an old man, but I drink more than the youngsters; and if I have to dance, I shall imitate Seilenos and dance in the middle of the ring, with my wine-flask as my support since my fennel-stick is useless."
The interesting thing about this Greek lyric is that he talks of Seilenos, the god of drunkenness, dancing in the middle of a ring, and that the Flask had wine.
Godfather Death: Folktales of Type 332:The next day Death arrived and held the child for his baptism. After he had grown up, Death came again and took his godchild into the woods, and said to him, "Now you are to become a doctor. You must only pay attention when you are called to a sick person and see if I am standing at his head. If so, without further ado let him smell from this flask, then anoint his feet with its contents, and he soon will regain his health. But if I am standing at his feet, then he is finished, for I will soon take him. Do not attempt to begin a cure."
In this German tale, a Flask is given by Death and represents healing, but only for those Death has not claimed.
Folklore and Legends: Oriental: The Relations of Ssidi Kur: The Wonderful Man Who Overcame the Chan:"On the following morning the man descended from the tree, and said, 'This night there was in this spot many choice viands and liquors, and now they are all vanished.' And while he was thus speaking, he found a brandy flask, and as he was anxious for something to drink, he immediately applied the flask which he had found to his lips; when suddenly there sprang out of it meat and cakes and other delicacies fit for eating. 'This flask,' cried he, 'is of a surety a wishing flask, which will procure him who has it everything he desires. I will take the flask with me.'
This tale is from Eastern Asia, so doesn't necessarily come from common imagery with the Witch's Flask, but is interesting in context. This Flask grants wishes.
But for a symbol to have meaning, it has to reflect the actual item. What were ancient flasks like?
A unique replica of a Medieval wooden flask by Robin Wood, bowlturner.:A beautiful, watertight flask with a leather shoulder strap. Based on an archaeological drawing from Strasbourg dated to the first quarter of the 14th century. Similar wooden flasks have been found on archaeological sites across Europe, some dating back as far as the 4th Century AD.
I learned the technique from the last person in Europe making flasks on a pole lathe; Ion Constantin, a 70 year old Romanian gypsy.
The first part of the flask to be turned is the neck and feet. It is then rotated through 90° and re-mounted on the lathe for the back to be turned and the inside hollowed out. Finally the hole through which it has been hollowed out is plugged and turned smooth.
The flasks this guy makes are based on ones found across Europe, so I will assume this is what the original flasks were like. The Flask is round, with legs on four points. A fifth point is the neck. If we compare this to the Celtic year, the four points would be the four great feasts, and the neck would be either Midwinter or Midsummer. It could also be the day without a month, of a year and a day. The Flask is spun to create it, just as the year spins. The five points could also be Life/Birth, Love, Maternity, Wisdom, and Death/Resurrection.
The Flask is used to transport liquid, and could represent the Womb. The Womb is the symbol of Maternity and brings forth Life/Birth. The liquid in the Flask is poured into the Cauldron in Cochrane's story. From the Cauldron the Cup is filled, and the Cup can represent at least Love, maybe other things, once we look at it. The Cauldren represents all things in motion, and the Flask carries the main liquid in it. The Flask would be bringing the Water for the Cauldren, hence representing the female element.
I think that is all I can get from the Flask at the moment.
~Muninn's Kiss
On Cords:Each of the fingers on the hands of a witch has a defined meaning and purpose.
Graves talks about the names each finger were known by, and I think there is a hint here.
In the light of this knowledge we can re-examine the diagram of the hand used as a signalling keyboard by the Druids and understand the puzzling traditional names of the four fingers--'fore-finger', 'fool's-finger', 'leech, or physic-finger', and 'auricular or ear-finder'--in terms of the mystic values of the letters contained on them.
He talks later about how the fore-finger is connected to Jupiter, the fool's-finger to Saturn, the leech-finger to Apollo (Sun), the ear-finger to Mercury, the heal of the hand to the Moon, the thumb to Venus, and the centre of the hand to Mars.
The fore-finger is the head of the Greek and Roman gods, and is the Oak King. It is the fore-most finger.
The fool's-finger is the Holy King, who is also the Fool.
The leech-finger is the Sun. This finger was said to have an artery to the heart, and represents healing and medicine.
The ear-finger is Mercury, the messenger of the gods, and is concerning with divination.
The thumb is the phallus, and deals with fertility and love.
So, we have the Oak King and the Holly King once again. And we have healing, divination, and fertility. The middle of the hand is where the weapon is gripped, hence Mars, the god of war. The heal of the hand is the Moon, the White Goddess.
Now, divination is always closely tied to Death/Resurrection. Fertility is obviously Love. If we tie the fingers to the five parts, the Oak King is the beginning of the year, so is Life/Birth. So, which is Maternity and which is Wisdom, the Holly King or healing? If the Oak King begins the year out, the Holly King must be reborn to defeat him before Winter, to I will say that the Holly King is Maternity, and healing comes from Wisdom.
So, we now have the fore-finger as Life/Birth, the thumb as Love, the fool's-finger as Maternity, the leech-finger as Wisdom, and the ear-finger as Death/Resurrection.
Graves mentions the Roman benediction, which started with Roman speakers, but is still used in the Catholic Church. It is holding up the fore-finger, thumb, and fool's-finger. Life/Birth, Love, maternity, the first half of life. The fore-finger for fortunate guidance, the thumb for increase, and the fool's-finger for rain. The invocation of the Horned God is the fore-finger and the ear-finger, the Oak King and divination, Birth and Death.
Combinations of the five fingers, just with what is raised or down, including all down, make 32 combinations (the number of paths in the Kabbalah Tree of Life, incidentally). So, even if it isn't about the tree-letters being placed at four places on each finger, it would be easy to represent the 18 or 20 or 25 letters. The only reason to presume the four letters is the reference to four pillars of equal height the Graves constantly refers to. But the thumb would be ignored if there was only four pillars, so his grouping breaks is as well.
That's it for that subject for now. Back to the feminine symbols.
The Flask is the next symbol, of which Cochrane says nothing. The only other reference he makes to a Flask is in his semi-fictional "A Witch's Esbat".
A Witch's Esbat:Joan brings over the wine in a thermos flask and pours it into the cauldron. Fragrant steam rises as the cold wine meets the hot brass base of the pot.
So, the Flask was used to bring wine that was added to the Cauldren. That's all he tells us. So, other sources are needed.
SILENUS : Greek god of drunkenness & wine-making ; mythology ; pictures : SEILENOS:The Anacreontea, Fragnent 47 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric II) (C5th B.C.) :
"I am an old man, but I drink more than the youngsters; and if I have to dance, I shall imitate Seilenos and dance in the middle of the ring, with my wine-flask as my support since my fennel-stick is useless."
The interesting thing about this Greek lyric is that he talks of Seilenos, the god of drunkenness, dancing in the middle of a ring, and that the Flask had wine.
Godfather Death: Folktales of Type 332:The next day Death arrived and held the child for his baptism. After he had grown up, Death came again and took his godchild into the woods, and said to him, "Now you are to become a doctor. You must only pay attention when you are called to a sick person and see if I am standing at his head. If so, without further ado let him smell from this flask, then anoint his feet with its contents, and he soon will regain his health. But if I am standing at his feet, then he is finished, for I will soon take him. Do not attempt to begin a cure."
In this German tale, a Flask is given by Death and represents healing, but only for those Death has not claimed.
Folklore and Legends: Oriental: The Relations of Ssidi Kur: The Wonderful Man Who Overcame the Chan:"On the following morning the man descended from the tree, and said, 'This night there was in this spot many choice viands and liquors, and now they are all vanished.' And while he was thus speaking, he found a brandy flask, and as he was anxious for something to drink, he immediately applied the flask which he had found to his lips; when suddenly there sprang out of it meat and cakes and other delicacies fit for eating. 'This flask,' cried he, 'is of a surety a wishing flask, which will procure him who has it everything he desires. I will take the flask with me.'
This tale is from Eastern Asia, so doesn't necessarily come from common imagery with the Witch's Flask, but is interesting in context. This Flask grants wishes.
But for a symbol to have meaning, it has to reflect the actual item. What were ancient flasks like?
A unique replica of a Medieval wooden flask by Robin Wood, bowlturner.:A beautiful, watertight flask with a leather shoulder strap. Based on an archaeological drawing from Strasbourg dated to the first quarter of the 14th century. Similar wooden flasks have been found on archaeological sites across Europe, some dating back as far as the 4th Century AD.
I learned the technique from the last person in Europe making flasks on a pole lathe; Ion Constantin, a 70 year old Romanian gypsy.
The first part of the flask to be turned is the neck and feet. It is then rotated through 90° and re-mounted on the lathe for the back to be turned and the inside hollowed out. Finally the hole through which it has been hollowed out is plugged and turned smooth.
The flasks this guy makes are based on ones found across Europe, so I will assume this is what the original flasks were like. The Flask is round, with legs on four points. A fifth point is the neck. If we compare this to the Celtic year, the four points would be the four great feasts, and the neck would be either Midwinter or Midsummer. It could also be the day without a month, of a year and a day. The Flask is spun to create it, just as the year spins. The five points could also be Life/Birth, Love, Maternity, Wisdom, and Death/Resurrection.
The Flask is used to transport liquid, and could represent the Womb. The Womb is the symbol of Maternity and brings forth Life/Birth. The liquid in the Flask is poured into the Cauldron in Cochrane's story. From the Cauldron the Cup is filled, and the Cup can represent at least Love, maybe other things, once we look at it. The Cauldren represents all things in motion, and the Flask carries the main liquid in it. The Flask would be bringing the Water for the Cauldren, hence representing the female element.
I think that is all I can get from the Flask at the moment.
~Muninn's Kiss