![[Glaukos image]](http://web.eecs.utk.edu/%7Emclennan/BA/images/Glaukos.gif)
The story begins two generations before the Trojan War when the child Anthêdôn (Rejoicing in Flowers) was born to the Minôs (Ruler) of Crete (who had come from Skuthia, i.e. Scythia) by bull-loving Pasiphaê (All-illuminating), a daughter of the Moon and Sun (that is, Hêlios, also called Phaethôn, Illuminating).
One day the child went into a cave used to store hydromel (mead), which was the sacred drink before Dionysos gave us wine. In innocent ignorance he drowned himself in the liquor, but nobody knew what had happened to him.
Therefore the Minôs sent for the Kourêtes (Curetes), who were known as great seers (manteis), and they told him that whoever could best describe Minôs' miraculous cow would be able to restore Anthêdôn alive to him.
This cow changed colors every four hours: from the black of chaotic night, to the pure white of day, to the vital red of blood, then back to black again.
So Minôs had all the diviners in the land brought together, and the Kourêtes judged the best description to be that of a certain iatromantis (healer-seer, i.e. shaman) from Corinth called Poluidos ("Much Knowing"), the son of Koiranos, the son of Abas, the son of Melampous (Blackfoot) the Egyptian, the most famous iatromantis in Greece, who knew the language of snakes and woodworms.
Poluidos said that the cow was like the ripening mulberry (batos), which is first pure white, then vibrant red, and finally a rich dark purple (i.e. black). (These are also the colors of the alchemical Great Work.)
Therefore, Poluidos was entrusted with finding Anthêdôn, and by divination he came to a place where the Owl (Glaux) was driving away the Bees (Melissai) from a cave (for Bees reveal the presence of prophetic Goddesses). Looking inside he found the drowned boy, and brought him to Minôs.
However, the grief-stricken Minôs was not satisfied, because the Kourêtes had said that the iatromantis would restore his living son to him, so he ordered that Poluidos be shut up with the boy's body in a beehive-shaped tomb, until he brought Anthêdôn back to life.
This was beyond Poluidos' (or any mortal's) power, and so he prayed to the Gods for help. After a while, as his eyes became accustomed to the dark, he saw a snake approaching the corpse. On an impulse he killed the snake, because the idea had come into him that it would nibble the corpse. Shortly thereafter a second snake came forth and discovered the body of the first.
Then it went away and came back holding in its mouth the twig of an herb (called Dios Anthos, the Flower of Zeus) with three blue-green (glaukos) leaves. [Graves thinks it was mistletoe, the Druidic Herb of the Sun.]
The second snake laid this herb upon the first snake, which immediately came to life and left with its companion. Poluidos was astonished, but quickly took the serpent's branch and applied it to the boy while repeating a prayer three times. Like the snake, the boy immediately returned to life. (This is the very same herb that Asclepius later used to resurrect Hippolytus.)
Anthêdôn had a shiny blue-gray scar over his heart where the branch had touched him, and so he was thereafter called Glaukos (Blue-Grey) or in their language Glas (Gaelic, "Grey"). Poluidos explained to the boy that a part of his mortality had been burned away and replaced by divine substance, as shown by the scar.
In this way he was reborn as a iatromantis (healer-seer), and he was called Antitheos (Godlike). Moreover, he later discovered that from the serpent-staff he had acquired power over snakes, as have his descendants to the end of time.
Minôs gave Poluidos many gifts, but then ordered him to teach Glaukos all his arts, especially divination; because Glaukos (or Glas) was an eager student, he became known as Gathêlos Glaukos or, in their language, Gaodhal Glas, from Gaoith-Dil (Lover of Learning).
His magical craft, the Glaukou Tekhnê (Art of the Blue Man), became so famous that the ancients would say, "It doesn't take the Art of the Blue Man to do so and so" when they meant "It doesn't take a wizard to do so and so."
Eventually Minôs gave Poluidos leave to return home, but before he did so, the seer bade Glaukos to spit in his mouth. Ovid is wrong in claiming that by so doing Glaukos lost all power of divination and that in this way Poluidos reclaimed the gift he had been compelled to give.
If this were true, how could Glaukos have become the famous seer that he did, eagerly sought for his prophecies by people throughout Greece? What really happened is that Poluidos also spat into Glaukos' mouth; in this way a sacred covenant was forged between the two seers.
Thus also Glaukos was called Gnôstês (Soothsayer). (This name is also equipotent with the Antitheos Euplokamos, the Godlike One with Fair Locks)
After returning home, Poluidos fathered Eukhênôr (who accompanied his father to Troy and was killed by Paris in the war), Astuktatia and Mantô (a famous prophetess).
When Glaukos got his beard, he went to live on the shores of the Euboicum Mare (Euboean Sea) at the place in Euboia that is now called Anthêdôn in his honor. He felt a strong attraction for the sea and used to fish with both nets and rod and line.
One day he came to a rocky place, with the waves on one side and on the other a meadow of grassy herbs, never touched by sheep or goats, nor frequented by bees, nor cut by people.
He spread out his nets and lines on this grass to dry, and was counting the fish that were still on his hooks, when he observed the strangest thing: one of the fish nibbled a certain blue-green or gray grassy herb (glaukê poia) and suddenly became rejuvenated and jumped back into the water. In this way all the fish escaped back into the water. (This herb, which some call Glaukiskos, had been sown by Kronos in His Golden Age.)
Glaukos was curious about the nature of this Undying Grass (Danaia Poia), and so he picked some of it and chewed it. Immediately his heart began to pound and he felt the irresistible call of the sea. He cried, "Farewell Earth, to which I shall never return!" and jumped into the depths.
He was immediately surrounded by schools of sea-divinities, who called on the all-encircling King and Queen, Okeanos (Ocean) and Têthus, to accept him in Their domain. The Seirênes (Sirens) sang a magic purification song to him thrice three times, and told him that he had to bathe in the Hundred Streams.
When Glaukos did so, his mind became confused as in a dream and was so transformed that he could not even clearly remember his earlier life. Through his delirium he discovered that he had a thick green beard, and bluish skin, and feet like the tail of a fish. Thus he became Glaukos of the Sea (Pontios or Thalassios), a Pontomedôn (Lord of the Sea) and came to rule a kingdom under the waters near Dêlos.
To the prophetic art he had learned from Poluidos, he added the art of the wise Old Man of the Sea, Nêreus the Truthful, son of Earth and Sea (Gaia and Pontos), who was his friend, and thereafter Glaukos Gnôstês (Soothsayer) delivered oracles, coming once a year to the seamen in each port and island of Greece.
Not long after Glaukos' transformation, Skulla (Scylla), a beautiful Nêreid (daughter of Old Man Nêreus), came down to the seashore at night. There she disrobed and refreshed herself in a shallow pool. In the moonlight she saw a beautiful boy floating with his chest and arms out of the water. She pulled her long hair over her breasts and called to him, "What are you looking at?"
"The most beautiful nymph," he replied, and they bantered for a time, with ever increasing mutual attraction.
"Come closer so that I can see you," she called, but when he got close she saw that his thick hair, which covered his back, was green and that his skin was blue, for he was Glaukos. When Skulla saw that he became a fish at his groin, she shrieked, jumped from the pool and ran to the top of an overhanging cliff. Regaining her confidence, she called "What sort of monster are you?"
Godlike (Antitheos) Glaukos replied, "Fair nymph, I am not a monster, but a Sea God and more powerful than every Sea Lord (Pontomedôn) around here. But I cannot walk on land, and beg you to come back to the shore, so that we may share our love."
When Skulla saw that she had nothing to fear from Glaukos, she returned to the shore, still naked but for her long hair, and stood above him.
"Come down into the water with me," he pleaded and stroked her calves.
"You are not so powerful if you cannot come to me," she laughed, slipping from his hands and going a few feet away to recline in the pool. With signs she invited him, and Mighty (Krateros) Glaukos struggled out of the water, using his strong arms to pull himself across the sand to the pool.
He flopped up next her and reached for an embrace, but she jumped to her feet and kicked him, shouting "You are a mongrel thing, half fish and half man, and out of place in both kingdoms!" Then she grabbed her robe and ran away laughing.
Great-Hearted (Megalêtôr) Glaukos was furious, but burning with love for her, and grief at her treatment. Slowly and painfully he dragged himself back into the sea and swam quickly from Euboia to Aiaia, a mysterious island near Sicily [Monte Circei?], which is the home of many beasts, who live on hills green with herbs.
It is a paradoxical place, where the Sun rises and sets, and the hidden kingdom of Potnia Kirkê (Mistress Circe), divine sorceress and daughter of the Sun (Hêlios) and Persê, a Moon Goddess (perhaps Hekatê Herself) born of the Ocean; thus Kirkê was the sister of Pasiphaê, the mother of Glaukos.
He came up through a submarine cave that opens into her halls (megara). There he called for audience with the queen and explained that he was filled with passion for a nymph. He begged, "Theia (Aunt) Kirkê, Polupharmakos (Knowing Many Potions), master of the magic of Love, grant me this favor and sing a spell or brew a potion - for I know the magic power of herbs - but not one that will cure me! Rather, turn her heart so that she burns with as much passion as me."
The regal and powerful enchantress, Kirkê Euplokamos (Fair-haired), replied, "Ah, Godlike Glaukos, my dear young Sea Lord, it would be far better if you loved someone like me, who knows what it is to burn with passion, than that frivolous nymph."
Then with many words and actions she won his heart, so that he felt the same lust as her. In a shallow pool in her halls they tangled their limbs, hers soft and white, his glossy and blue, and spawned like fish.
Then Crafty (Doloessa) Kirkê taught him arts and incantations that would allow him to take the form of a mortal man, and accept her love in this way too. And through the night they enjoyed every pleasure afforded by their bodies and their craft.
In the morning Glaukos begged Kirkê Audêessa (Speaking Mortal Speech) for forgiveness, saying, "Gracious Goddess I have misled you. Although you have shown me every kindness and we have joined in passion, I cannot stop loving Skulla. Indeed seaweed will grow on the tops of the mountains, and trees will grow in the depths of the sea, before I will stop loving her."
(Kirkê is called Euplokamos - Fair-haired - because that name is equipotent with Audêessa Leaina - the Lioness who Speaks the Speech of Mortals - her secret nature.)Mistress Kirkê was furious and would have destroyed Glaukos, but she loved him already and knew he was a powerful Sea Lord. Therefore she turned her wrath toward Skulla, circling like a sparrow hawk and saying to herself "Very well; you want her desiring you like a bitch in heat, and so she shall."
At her usual time Skulla came to the pool, loosened the peplos (robe) from her shoulders, and folded it on a rock. When she had waded waist deep into the pool she felt something churning in the water around her thighs; suddenly the water around her waist erupted with snarling dogs' heads.
She jumped from the pool to escape them, but discovered in her horror that they were her: her legs were covered with shaggy hair and shaped like dogs; each of her beautiful buttocks had become a yapping dog head, and her place of love had become a snarling dog. Such was the revenge of Kirkê Polupharmakos (Skilled in Many Potions).
Kirkê brought Great-Hearted Glaukos to see what she had done to Skulla, hoping that she would then have all his love, but he was horrified that she could do such a thing and fled from her into the ocean's depths.
Skulla Deinê (the Terrible) went to hide in a cave by the shore, where she would show her beautiful torso to lure sailors into her cave. When they came to lie with her, her lustful hunger was satisfied by the ravening dog-heads, for this was the only way they could be fed (although they could be placated somewhat by stroking).
She also revenged herself on Kirkê by devouring as many of Odysseus' companions as she was able. Skulla Petraia (Living on Rocks) stayed in this place for many years, until she was mercifully turned to stone.
In ten months - the period of divine gestation - Kirkê bore a daughter from the seed of Glaukos Gnôstês (Soothsayer), whom she named Sibulla (Sibyl).
When the girl was grown she traveled in many lands, and so she was called PhoitôNumphai oreskôoi dolikhomazoi) who call themselves Dianades or Ianades (i.e. the Janae, daughters of Jana), who in turn taught her many secrets, including the ways through the Underworld.
[This meeting is described somewhat differently in The Janid, the mythic history of the Janae.] Then they traveled to Lake Aornos (Lk. Avernus, near Naples), the Mouth of the Underworld, where they established a home in the Great Cave (near Baiae) and she founded the oracular shrine later moved to Kumê (Cumae); among the Cimmerians she was consulted by Aeneas and Odysseus after they left Troy.
Finally she went to the City of the Nymphs (Astu Numpheôn) on Samos, where she lived many years, prophesying from the Cave of the Nymphs there [probably the Spiliani cave]. Later prophetesses were called Sibyls (Sibullai) after her. (Wanderer).
First she went to live in Eruthrai (Erythrae), where she achieved much fame for her prophecies, for when the Achaeans were on the way to Ilion, she told them that Troy would fall and that a Poet (i.e. Homer) would tell lies about the war. Later she went with the Kimmerioi (Cimmerians) to Sardô (Sardinia), where she prophesied to those long-breasted mountain Nymphs (
Her name Phoitô reflects her parentage, for it is equipotent with Audêessa (Speaking Mortal Speech) and Kouros (Lad), that is, Kirkê and Glaukos.After leaving Kirkê, Godlike Glaukos came in human form to Iasôn (Jason) and used his arts to construct the ship Argô; he himself became an Argonaut, in fact, the ship's first steersman.
She was called Hêrophilê (Beloved of Hera) on Samos (where the Goddess is especially honored) because that name is equal to Gathêlos Aitherios (Ethereal), and she lived for a thousand years because Hêrophilê Aitheria is equipotent with Aiôn (Aeon).
She was called Dêiphobê because that name is equal to Skotia (Darkness). She was known by this name as a priestess of both Apollo and Trioditis, a name for Artemis as the Threefold Goddess of the Road. This is all I will say about this Sibulla for now.
Although he never forgot Skulla, Great-Hearted Glaukos had many wives. For example, he loved Ariadne when she was on Dia, but she and Dionysos preferred each other, and Glaukos had to give her up.
Gathêlos also went to Egypt, where he used his craft and bravery to help the Pharaoh to defeat the Ethiopians. In gratitude the Pharaoh offered him his daughter Skotia (Darkness) as wife, and they were married.
They lived happily in Egypt until the Pharaoh [perhaps Akhenaten, 1367-1350 BCE] introduced a new religion that was hostile to the practices of Druids (Druidôn). Therefore, Mighty Gathêlos took Skotia his queen and a large number of followers to seek the land that had been prophesied for them.
(We know that Anthêdôn Gathêlos was destined for Skotia, because Gathêlos and Skotia together equal Anthêdôn.)First they went to Gotthia, where Carthage was later built. Then Gathêlos led them on to found a colony in Galicia in Spain, which is called Brigantia (near modern La Coruña) after the Goddess Brigintis (Brighid), and from there they went to Iernê (Ireland).
![[Blue Man image]](http://web.eecs.utk.edu/%7Emclennan/BA/images/FearGorm.gif)
In time, Glaukos returned to live in the sea, where he was most at home, and spawned the race of Glaukidai (Descendants of Glaukos), or Hoi Glaukoi (the Blue Men), who live in caves beneath the waves.
Although there are now Glaukidai in many parts of the world, their largest number are in Scotland, where Glaukos went after leaving the Mediterranean. The Highlanders call them the "Blue Men" (Na Fir Ghorm) because, like Glaukos, the Blue Men have glossy bluish (gorm) skin, a long gray (glas) face with curly green hair and beard.
Their eyes tend to be small, their noses flat, and mouths large. Their arms are long and their legs are like fish-tails. They are the size of a full-grown man, and very strong.
Some say that the Glaukidai are Gathêlos' descendants by Kirkê, for the plural Glaukidai is equipotent with Gathêlos and Kirkê [i.e. GLAUKIDAI is numerically equal to the sum of GAQHLOS and KIRKH], which is confirmed by the singular GlaukidêsPeople who have seen the Blue Men know that they are not the same as the Selkies (Seal-people), but they often cooperate and accompany each other. Since most of the uneducated folk don't know the origin of the Blue Men, they say that they are fallen angels that were not so guilty as to be thrown into Hell, or that they were people suffering under some punishment or spell.
(Descendant of Glaukos), which is equipotent with Aiaiê (She Who Dwells in Aiaia) and Antitheos (Godlike, an epithet of Glaukos), and also equipotent with Doloessa Leaina (The Lioness Who Speaks with Mortals), that is, Kirkê.
Most of the Blue Men live in caves under the waters of the Minch, the channel through the "Charmed Islands" (Na h-Eileinean) - Lewis and the Shiants - of the Hebrides; indeed this channel is called the Stream of the Blue Men (Sruth nam Fear Gorm).
It is also called the "Current of Destruction," because they say the Blue Men stir up the waves by their incessant swimming. Sailors often observe Blue Men floating from the waist up in the water and know that storms often follow their appearance.
The Blue Men may attack ships or sailors who have mistreated the Selkies and other Seafolk. Sometimes an attack can be averted by engaging the chieftain of the band of Blue Men in a rhyming contest; if the chieftain is sufficiently impressed by the captain's wits, he will leave the ship alone.
Although innocent sailors have little to fear, they nevertheless often sail around the Shiant Islands to avoid the Blue Men's Stream. They sing:
"Oh, weary on the Blue Men, their anger and their wiles!The Blue Men can help mortals in many ways. Therefore, during Hallowtide (the Samhain season), the people light a candle by the sea and pour a libation of new ale into the water, while they pray that the Blue Men will leave seaweed on the beach, which they use for fertilizer. After the ritual, the candle is carefully extinguished.
The whole day long, the whole night long, they're splashing round the isles;
They'll follow every fisher - ah! they'll haunt the fisher's dream -
Where billows toss, oh, who would cross the Blue Men's Stream?"
Like their Great-Hearted ancestor, the Blue Men have a lusty disposition, and often seek love from mortal women. (There are Blue Women - Na Tè Ghorm, hai Glaukai - as well, who are not so often seen, but are just as famous for their amorous inclinations.)
The dark-complexioned offspring of these unions often have webs between their fingers, which become horny crusts after the midwives cut them. By this evidence we know that there is considerable Blue Man blood flowing in Highland veins.
Hear me, Blue Man, hear my call!When the first light of dawn turned the waters gray, she saw an attractive Blue Man emerge from the waves and swim toward her. When he reached her rock, he asked, "What is thy will with me, fair dame?" and she replied that she wanted a lover.
Seven tears I have let fall.
Salty ocean, salty tears:
Come to me, I have no fears!
Stormy ocean, stormy hearts:
We shall play our destined parts!
He was the tallest of them all,Many in our Clan, from that day to this, have denied this liaison, which they consider shameful, but the truth has never been suppressed completely. Eventually Kerling had a child from Gille-Gorm, and as a result even today a few clan members have the blood of the Blue Boy in their veins. Her father Hugh, Lord Lovat, never forgave her.
The broadest in the shoulders too,
With feet as small as they could be.
(Gillegorm's ancestry is shown by his name in Greek Glaukokouros - Blue-Lad, which is equipotent with Leaina - the Lioness, that is, Kirkê - and Megalêtôr - the Great-Hearted One, that is, Glaukos.)During their years together, Gille-Gorm taught Kerling the Glaukou Tekhnê (Art of the Blue Man), which he had learned from his ancestors, and she taught him the arts she had learned as a Priestess of Dana.
Oh curst be the Fraser,(Needless to say, the time for such animosities has long passed!)
and curst be his Clan,
each Hag in her Hovel,
each Child and each Man!
May the Dagda rest upon thy ShouldersThen she went up to the Five Sisters (mountains in Kintail) and cut the Sacred Mothan [Flower of Zeus?], saying as she did the incantation called Am Mothan [The Mothan]:
And protect thee coming or departing;
By thy Heart be Mapon macc Matrôna;
May the Lady Brigit flow upon thee -
O may Wise Brigintis always bathe thee!
Now I pick the Sacred Mothan,She sewed the herb into Crotair's vest under his left arm, in accord with her Craft and thus protected him in his many travels.
As did Mapon macc Matrôna,
In the Holy Name of Dagda,
And of Brigit, Lugh and Danu.
Though in field of furious fighting,
Where no bounds are known to anger,
Be Thou happiness and comfort,
Mighty Mórríghan's protection!
![[GilleGorm image]](http://web.eecs.utk.edu/%7Emclennan/BA/images/GilleGorm.gif)
Further, because Crotair was of the Celtic Church he took no vow of celibacy and so he fathered a son, who was called Gille Fhinnein [Servant of St. Finnan]. And so was born Clan Mac Gill'innein (the Sons of the Servant of St. Finnan).
(By naming themselves after this saint - a common practice in the 14th century - they hoped to disguise their descent from Gille-Gorm, the Blue Man; other descendants kept the name MacGilligorm.)
Chief Gille-Gorm was buried under a large stone cairn, which was visible as late as 1785 (the largest among the Cairns of Drumderfit raised to the slain).
A wooden idol of the Chief was erected near the House of Drumderfit, the estate of some of his descendants, the Lobans of Drumderfit in Easter Ross; it perished when a band of Munros and Sutherlands destroyed the estate during the Jacobite uprising of 1715. Now we say:
Bonnie Boy Blue, come blow your horn,cybershamans (karmapolice) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
The wolf's in the meadow and prowls through the corn.
But where is the Brave Boy who guards his sheep?
He's under a hillock, fast asleep.
Will you awake him? No, not I,
For if I do, the wolf will die!
The Cave of the Centaur[This report was written in the fall of 1997 after a visit to sacred sites in Greece.]
As you requested, I did some checking on centaurs during my recent trip to Greece. I found out much more than I expected. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write it down, but I've had to sort through my notes and make sense out of what happened.
When I got to Athens I called a contact I had been given; he goes by the name "Skorpios" on the Internet. I walked through the busy Plaka to the corner of Hermes and Athena Streets, where we had arranged to meet.
Soon a serious-looking young man in his 20s approached, walking quickly with a lurching roll, which I attributed to leg braces. "Iyia, my friend," he said abruptly (I recognized the modern Greek form of the ancient Pythagorean greeting). "Let's go where we can talk."
He flagged one of the cabs (most of which seemed uninterested in stopping for us) and shouted and gestured at the cabby. We roared off and careened through a sea of cars, in which jubilant Athenians honked horns and waved flags, because earlier that evening (Sep. 5) they had learned that they would host the 2004 Olympics.
After paying the cabby, Skorpios led me up a rather seedy looking street (I was beginning to wonder what I had gotten into) and turned into a tiny alley filled with tables. This was the restaurant. Only the kitchen was indoors; everyone ate in the alley. We squeezed between the celebrating Athenians and wedged ourselves around a tiny table.
The waiter came and after a few animated words with Skorpios, threw the blank order pad on the table in front of him. That was fine with Skorpios; he filled in his favorite dishes and handed it back to the waiter next time he passed. I don't know what he ordered, which is probably just as well. I was enjoying some spicy sausages, when he pointed at them and said, "bulls' balls."
Our conversation was somewhat chaotic, following Skorpios' serpentine stream of consciousness. Here are some snippets:
"These beastly legs are my karma. I did some very bad things in my last life. You know I found an altar to Pan in the woods on Mt. Lykaion; I made a blood sacrifice and met him there. Now I know my task for this life."
"We Greeks have forgotten the ancient ways! All this," sweeping his arm to indicate Athens, "is just a way of getting tourist money." He was getting vehement. "We shit on the altars! I'm telling you we do!" He was almost in tears.
"But one of my Cabirian Brothers is very high up in the church; they don't even know he's one of us. We invoked Eris and now they are in chaos, fighting each other for money. They make their own reality."
"You are 4=7, right?" he asked with no explanation. I wasn't sure what I should say, so I shrugged and he seemed to accept that for an answer. I quickly turned the conversation to centaurs. Soon Skorpios was off and running.
"Cheiron learned his arts from Apollo and Artemis, the secrets of the sun and moon, you see? You know there are two centaurs in the sky; he put Sagittarius there to show the way to the golden fleece.
"Cheiron was so wise because he combined the best of man and beast. This is higher than the alchemical union of male and female, because it unites animal vitality with human wisdom and compassion: a human head and heart united with a stallion's libido!
This union will come in the new aeon, a revolution in heaven as well as earth. That's why Uncle Al" (he means Aleister Crowley) "called it 'lust'. He knew these things; too bad he was so fucked up! Remember this about Cheiron: to grasp him you must embrace his body as well as his mind!
"This is also why Cheiron is the vehicle for Faust to meet Manto, his Soror Mystica; Cheiron is always moving, circulating, but Manto is motionless; they unite the opposites, you see?
"Manto was the Thessalian Sibyl, the psychopompos who initiated Faust into the mysteries of Persephone in the underworld, so he could complete the mystical union with Helene. She leads him to the world axis where sun and moon stand still. Goethe wanted to tell what he knew about the mysteries, but he could not, so he wrote about them under a veil.
So he tells us about Homunculus, a fiery spirit looking for a body. He follows that nymph, Galatea, on the shell of Aphrodite, and they submerge in the salt sea. It's the alchemical union of fire and water by Eros, right? All life comes from the sea! Goethe was a good alchemist! Let him be your guide!"
I showed Skorpios a photo of the centaur skeleton and told him what we know and suspect. He became very excited and said, "You must go to the centaur's cave. Not the big one at the foot of Pelion; that is garbage. And not to Cheiron's cave between Pelion's peaks. Go to the cave near Anilio on the east face.
It's not so high as Cheiron's cave; you will have to climb down to it. The bastards keep it locked now. You will have to get the key from the museum in Anakasia. You must find the kleidouchos, the key holder, of the cave. Don't mention my name or you will never get it. Here, Skorpios will help you find the centaur." He began writing directions on a napkin.
By the time he was done, it was well after midnight so we paid our bill and squeezed back out through the alley. Skorpios snared a cab to get me home (he lives near the restaurant).
I thanked Skorpios for his help and he replied, "Good luck in Volos. You know, that is the place where wild Eris came to the wedding of Thetis of the silver feet." Then he shouted, "Hail Eris!" which made me shudder. As I climbed into the taxi he wagged his finger at me: "Never forget to invite Eris!"
I think she was not far away, since I had another hair-raising cab ride through downtown Athens, this time with a cabby who swerved to try to hit every dog that ventured near the street!
Although my visit with Skorpios had left my head spinning, the next day I rented a little Fiat and drove up the coastal highway to Volos. As soon as I was settled in my room I called the Theophilos Museum in Anakasia and tried to make them understand that I wanted to get the key for the Anilio cave.
After being passed from one non-English speaker to another, a woman named Alexandra came on the phone and she understood what I was asking,
"You will have to make application to visit the cave," she explained. "How long will that take?" I asked.
"One week, maybe two."
"That's no good," I said, "I must leave for Mykonos the day after tomorrow."
"It is impossible then; I'm sorry."
"But I have come all the way from Tennessee to see this cave," I pleaded. "Have you heard about the centaur skeleton at the University of Tennessee?"
There was a moment of silence, and she said, "Be at the museum by 2 o'clock," and hung up. It was already 1:30, so I jumped in the Fiat and screamed up the road that winds northeast from Volos to Anakasia.
When I got to the museum I had to run the gauntlet of guards and others who couldn't understand me. I didn't have much luck explaining what I wanted, so I kept asking for Alexandra. Eventually they took me back to her office and I said that I was the one who had called.
I handed her my business card (hoping she wouldn't notice that it had nothing to do with archaeology), and she led me to the director's office. He glanced at my card and handed it back to her while they spoke in Greek. It didn't look promising.
He turned to me. "Why do you want to go in this cave? There is nothing for the public."
"Because it's said to be a centaur cave and I have a special interest in centaurs. You know, there is a centaur skeleton at the University of Tennessee," I said.
"Yes, I know of that hoax!" he laughed.
"Yes," I laughed along with him, "it's a rather silly joke, but I still would like to visit the cave." Impulsively I added, "A*** said I should see it."
He stopped laughing and stared at me for a moment; then he wrote two phone numbers on a slip of paper while he spoke to Alexandra. She moved to lead me out, but I asked, "What about the application?"
"No application is necessary," he said without looking up from his papers.
It turned out that the first number was for a certain Dr. Mavrogenous, who would show me the cave, and the second was for her friend, where she was often to be found after 4 PM. There was no answer at the first number, and the man who answered at the second knew no English and couldn't comprehend my attempts at Greek.
But I said "Mavrogenous" often enough that he got the idea and put Mavrogenous on. Fortunately she spoke some English, and I said the director had told me that she could take me to the cave; I judge she had already heard this from the director himself, because she said, "Be at the Antiquities Office at 10 tomorrow morning."
When I arrived at the office the next day I found it deserted but for a young woman, in khaki shorts and shirt, wandering among the ruins and spraying something - an herbicide? protection for the stones? - from a spray bottle. She looked up at me and said, "Five minutes!" so I sat down while she finished her rounds.
When she was done she disappeared into the office and returned with a flashlight; she waved me toward her car. She offered her hand and said, "I am Manto Mavrogenous." She must have seen my startled expression, because she explained, "Yes, I was named for the Greek patriot; she was a pirate, you know." I haven't a clue who she was talking about! But I noticed that her left boot had a brass frame over it, some sort of brace I suppose.
As we drove away she asked, "Do you have a light?" and I admitted I didn't, so she stopped in front of small store and said, "Go get a light and batteries." Thus equipped we roared up the narrow, winding road that ascends Pelion's western face.
I thanked Manto for being my guide and told about my difficulties finding the key holder of the cave. "You grasp beyond your reach; that is good," she commented enigmatically. When I pulled out the photo of the centaur skeleton and showed it to her, she went pale and said, "I have heard of this thing."
Soon we left the olive groves and fruit orchards behind, as Mediterranean plants yielded to mountain varieties, and we entered forests of pine, cypress, and plane, interrupted by magnificent views of Volos Bay.
Eventually we cleared Hania Pass and began careening down the wildly twisting road that descends Pelion's steep eastern face. Now extraordinary views of the Aegean Sea alternated with dense forests of beech and chestnut.
We came to the hamlet with the forbidding name Anilio (Sunless), which is perched on the side of a crevasse of breathtaking depth, and Manto turned onto a narrow road - hardly more than a bridle path - that wound down the face of the mountain into an impenetrable forest.
She parked at an unmarked place and we climbed out. She remotely armed her car alarm, which seemed anachronistic and redundant in this wilderness.
We picked our way down the steep, rocky slope, Manto going ahead and showing me step by step where to place my feet. Soon we were deep in the dense woods: mostly beech and chestnut, but also plane, oak and cypress. We frequently encountered rippling brooklets and splashing waterfalls.
The forest's damp, cool, quiet twilight made it seem an alien environment far from the clear, bright Mediterranean sky. Manto stopped from time to time, looking ahead, as though gathering her strength, or perhaps praying.
We seemed utterly alone on earth, yet Manto stopped by a low, flat stone, pulled a small package from her backpack, unwrapped a piece of baklava and placed it on the stone. Although I watched without comment, she explained, "I always bring a gift for Pamphile, the old woman in these woods."
Manto swept her arm around. "This is the Forest of the Pheres. That is the old Thessalian name for centaurs. It is said they lived here before they were driven off to Mt. Pindos."
It was high noon and getting warm when we came to a spring running from a crack in the rocks. Manto washed her face and arms in it and suggested I do the same. In fact, as I recall now, she was quite insistent about it. However, I needed little encouragement and the water was exceptionally revitalizing.
Just beyond the spring we came to a small clearing, bathed in sunlight, in which an ancient fig tree grew from a cleft in the rocks. "This is it," she announced, "the Cave of the Pheres."
I looked into the pit between the rocks. Behind the gnarled trunk of the fig was the mouth of the cave, which was closed by a rusty iron gate. I watched from above as Manto climbed into the pit and pulled the key from her pocket. It was much larger than I expected - about 6" long - and looked very old. Before she put it in the lock she did an odd thing; she stamped her brass boot three times!
Manto seemed to be struggling with the key and after a few minutes climbed out and handed it to me. "Please, you must unlock the gate; it must be your dynamis" (strength?). That was OK with me, so I took the key and saw immediately how unusual it was. It had two obliquely intersecting rings for its wards. She watched me inspect it and asked, "Do you know the Timaeus?" I said, "Not well," and she smiled but said no more.
I climbed into the pit, fit the key into the lock, and turned it quite easily, although it made a scraping sound. I was surprised Manto had experienced so much trouble, but perhaps she got it in crooked.
I pushed the gate open and looked up to her for guidance, but she said, "Go ahead; take the key with you." I took it from the gate and stepped into the twilight of the cave mouth. A moment later Manto joined me.
Just inside was a large stone carved with a Gorgon, presumably for protection. Manto surreptitiously slipped something under its edge. An offering? On the floor I noticed many roots and sprigs of herbs, some quite fresh, apparently put through the gate as offerings.
With Manto leading the way, we made our way past the Gorgon into the depths. Although our flashlights were on, the dark was oppressive, and I could not help thinking that I was descending into the maw of Orcus.
The floor was littered with pot shards and figurines, and even I could tell that they dated to every period from the neolithic, through the Mycenaean, up to the Hellenistic and Roman. In an open area there were modern (but not recent) excavations in the floor, and I wondered if this was the place where the skeleton was found. The size seemed about right.
Then Manto retreated to a dark corner, leaving me to explore on my own. Further back in the cave, as I turned the flashlight toward the right-hand wall, I saw painted images of centaurs that reminded me of the cave paintings in Les Trois Freres.
When I turned my flashlight to the left, my hair stood on end as the light revealed a large double stalactite reaching to the floor. It made such a perfect, life-sized image of a centaur that one might believe that here Cheiron had met the Gorgon Medusa. It even had a crystalline phallus. The stalagmites around the centaur's feet were smooth from the touch of the hands of a thousand generations.
In front of the image a circular hole was broken through the 3 cm. thick crystalline floor; it exposed a deep well filled to the brim with water of perfect transparency. I could not look in it for long, because its great depth made me dizzy. Bestial faces seemed to glare from the depths!
I was a bit disoriented when Manto came, and led me down into a deeper part of the cavern. "This place is for the Three: Persephone, Demeter, and Hecate," she whispered. There was a sudden blaze of light in our flashlight beams: a shining tripod, made of gold I suppose.
In its basin was a fat candle, which Manto lit, and soon strange fragrances filled the air. I remember her saying, "Look through the smoke," which swirled into almost recognizable shapes. I thought I heard her say, "Take the key. Strike the tripod of fire." I remember hearing it ring with a strange tone, but that is all.
I must have been overcome by the fumes in the closeness of the cave, as my recollections are very confused. I remember waking up and finding a cloth over my head. I think I tried to pull it off, but someone stopped m, and I thought I heard Manto say something about a veil protecting me from the Gorgon.
The first clear thing I remember is lying on the cave floor with Manto watching over me. She helped me to my feet and we made our way back to the mouth of the cave, me in the lead. As I came to the gate she said something in Greek, which sounded like, Teliosate tin ierin teleturyian; apodoste ton sto ieron fos - "Complete the highest ritual; restore him to the sacred light."
I stepped out into the sun, and it was so bright it blinded me. When my eyes had adjusted to the glare, I thought to look back for Manto, but a strange reluctance stopped me from doing so. Soon she was at my side. I looked up out of the pit toward the towering summit of Pelion, which was crowned with snowy cumulus clouds.
As I watched, they seemed to take the form of a resplendent queen in her throne. Beside me Manto said, in a hush, "Ixion will be with white-armed Hera tonight."
There is not much more to tell. On the way back I was too confused and overwhelmed to try to talk, and Manto seemed occupied with her own thoughts anyway. The next day I drove back to Athens and caught the 4:50 PM Olympic flight to Mykonos.
I hope this rambling account is of some help. Let me know if you have any further questions about what I learned in Greece.
Best wishes,
John
Philotes, Thou whose arms surround the world,The following "Exercise toward Unity" is one step in this direction.
embracing all together, joined as one,
we contemplate Thee, who cannot be seen,
and feel Thee dwelling in our mortal limbs.
We call Thee Friend, for Harmony's Thy gift,
and Joy Thou'rt named, and Aphrodite too.
When people gather, You arrive unseen;
in lofty clouds You circle like a dove,
and draw us close in bonds of common Love.
Hail, fair Goddess! Khaire!
The partners connect through the sense of hearing.
In this activity the partners connect through the senses of touch and taste.
The three activities together allow the partners to relate through all five senses. (The activities correspond loosely to the second and third sacraments of the Liturgia Philotetos; the first sacrament is also included if each participant engages in self-admiration, (silent) self-praise and self-touch - essentially honoring their own divinity.)
At the end of a pair's time together, they salute each other with some words such as "Thou are God/dess." After all pairs have connected, the Goddess is thanked and the circle is opened.
cybershamans (karmapolice) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
O ţară de mărimea unui oraş se află ascunsă între graniţele a doi giganţi europeni, fiecare având o cultură şi o economie puternică, capabile să €„înghită” şi aşezări mai mari. Cu toate acestea, Andorra a reuşit să se diferenţieze şi să se menţină pe poziţii, adaptând, împrumutând şi inovând de-a lungul timpului. Cu o populaţie de doar 83.000 de locuitori, Andorra primeşte între graniţele sale anual aproximativ 9 milioane de turişti. Atraşi de relieful muntos, de pârtiile de schi întreţinute sau de preţurile mici pe care le practică, vizitatorii sunt surprinşi de obicei de a„încăpătânarea” cu care care micuţa ţară se menţine la suprafaţă.
Principatul Andorrei este un ţinut muntos, aflat între Franţa şi Spania, ale cărui înălţimi înverzite sunt crestate de văi adânci, nelăsând prea multe şanse de dezvoltare, agriculturii. Acest fapt nu i-a speriat prea mult pe locuitori, care îşi importă majoritatea alimentelor, însă care şi-au dezvoltat alte activităţi compensatorii, de natură să crească atât nivelul PIB-ului, cât şi nivelul de trai al rezidenţilor: cultura tutunului, creşterea oilor sau turismul au fost deja împământenite că tradiţii în aceste locuri. În prezent, principală ramură economică este turismul, deoarece relieful şi clima blândă nu lasă loc sau timp de extra-sezon. De altfel, ritmul mai puţin alert al vieţii, i-a propulsat pe locuitorii Andorrei în fruntea Europei în ceea ce priveşte speranţa de viaţă, cu o medie de 83 de ani.
Primele referinţe despre Andorra apar în scrierile istoricului grec Polybius, între 200 şi 118 i.e.n., care povesteşte despre ciocnirea forţelor militare ale Andorrei cu cele ale Cartaginei, în momentul în care Hanibal încerca să treacă cu trupele sale Pirineii pentru a ajunge la Roma. Andorra, aşa cum este ea reprezentată de istorie, era un microstat rural, a cărui populaţie varia între 4.000 şi 6.000 de locuitori.
Una dintre figurile istorice marcante, care a jucat un rol crucial în istoria andorana este Carol cel Mare, cel care a oferit localnicilor o cartă care le garanta recunoaşterea autonomiei, ca răsplată pentru faptele lor de vitejie împotriva arabilor, a căror putere creştea în Europa. Ţara a căzut pentru multă vreme în uitare, nereuşind să iasă din umbra celor două puteri care o înconjurau. Abia în a două jumătate a secolului XX, pe măsură ce fosta societate rurală a devenit un mare centru comercial, numărul populaţiei locale a fost depăşit cu mult de cel al emigranţilor sau turiştilor, dezvoltându-se într-o societate multiculturală.
Andorra vine în întâmpinarea turiştilor pasionaţi de sporturile de iarnă cu o ofertă generoasă de pârtii, potrivite atât începătorilor, cât şi celor care stăpânesc mai bine arta schiurilor. În perioada iernii sezonul turistic este în plină desfăşurare, prin urmare pârtiile vor fi mai aglomerate, iar camerele de hotel mai scumpe.
Zăpada începe să cadă la jumătatea lunii decembrie şi durează până în aprilie, deşi folosirea înlocuitorului artificial prelungeşte sezonul de schi până spre sfârşitul primăverii. Temperaturile din timpul iernii nu scad foarte mult, variind între - 1 grad şi 6 grade Celsius. Este posibil să schiaţi şi să vă bronzaţi pe partie în acelaşi timp, deoarece apariţiile soarelui nu sunt zgârcite în timpul iernii.
În perioada verii temperaturile sunt blânde, iar traseele montane sunt deschise pasionaţilor de excursii. Tot acum, pe lângă vizitarea lăcaşelor de cult, în majoritate de secol XII, va veţi putea bucura şi de festivalurile locale de muzică şi dans, care au loc din iulie până în septembrie. Ofertele hotelurilor în perioadele însorite, când pârtiile de schi nu mai sunt practicabile sunt mult mai avantajoase pentru bugetul turistului, decât cele din timpul iernii, când oferta se adaptează la cerere.
Ceea ce face ca Andorra să fie o ţară deosebită, poate suna pentru majoritatea dintre noi ca fiind o ciudăţenie. Singurul mod în care puteţi ajunge în orice orăşel al ţării se poate face doar cu maşina sau cu autobuzul. Aici nu există cale ferată, deşi guvernul are un plan viitor de a construi un sistem de transport public, care se va numi "Metro Aeri", un sistem de transport la înălţime ce ar traversa râul din oraş. Până atunci, aveţi la dispoziţie 269 de kilometri de drum naţional, dintre care numai 71 sunt nepavaţi.
În Andorra nu veţi putea găsi porturi sau aeroporturi, de aceea dacă plănuiaţi o călătorie cu avionul va trebui să vă orientaţi către Spania sau Franţa, iar de acolo să închiriaţi o maşină sau să folosiţi mijloacele de transport în comun, o reţea destul de bine pusă la punct care leagă Andorra de Spania sau Franţa. Cel mai apropiat aeroport din Spania este Barcelona, iar dacă preferaţi Franţa, ar trebui să vă îndreptaţi atenţia către aeroportul Toulouse-Blagnac. De aici, microbuzele către Andorra sunt zilnice sau puteţi opta pentru un taxi, deoarece din ambele direcţii veţi ajunge la destinaţie în aproximativ 3 ore.
Dacă aveţi mai mult timp la dispoziţie şi vreţi să mai admiraţi peisajele montane, puteţi lua trenul din Barcelona până la La Tour de Carol, aflat la graniţa franco-spaniolă. De acolo există autobuze care vă vor purta către Andorra.
Mai multe informaţii referitoare la transportul în Andorra găsiţi aici.
O pensiune care să includă cazare, câteva mese la restaurant şi excursii la schi vă vor scoate din buzunar între 50 şi 75 de euro pe zi. Dacă vă doriţi un sejur mai luxos, sunt puţine variante, prin urmare, dacă nu va veţi lăsa sedus de oferta duty-shop-urilor nu ar trebui să cheltuiţi mai mult de 150 euro pe zi.
Deşi ţara a adoptat moneda vecinelor ei, este posibil să mai găsiţi preţuri exprimate în pesetas, dar ca să nu fiţi puşi în dificultate, rata de schimb valutar este exprimată lângă preţ. Servicile sunt de obicei incluse în notele de plată, cu toate acestea portarii şi chelnerii îşi aşteaptă bacşişul de 10%.
Ţara nu este membră a Uniunii Europene, prin urmare magazinele duty-free nu au fost desfiinţate. În privinţa hainelor, preţurile nu sunt cu mult mai scăzute decât cele din alte ţări europene, însă regimul de taxe scăzute pe care îl practică Andorra a contribuit la faima preţurilor scăzute din duty-free-uri, în mod special în cea ce priveşte bunurile electronice, parfumuri, ţigări şi alcool. Chiar dacă o călătorie făcută special în acest scop nu se justifică, puteţi găsi aici preţuri cu până la 30% mai ieftine decât în Spania sau Franţa.
Cea mai bună alegere este să vă cazaţi în capitală, Andorra la Vella (Andorra cea bătrână), de unde va veţi putea deplasa cu uşurinţă în orice colţ al ţării, şi asta într-un timp foarte scurt. În mod normal, un sejur de câteva zile va fi suficient pentru vizitarea întregii ţări, asta dacă nu veţi fi prea ocupaţi cu schiatul, principala atracţie în perioada iernii. În apropierea satului La Massna se află două pârtii importante de schi, Arinsal şi Pal, amândouă fiind potrivite atât începătorilor, cât şi celor aflaţi la un nivel intermediar.
Nici lăcaşurile de cult nu ar trebui ocolite. Atât arhitectura exterioară, cât şi cea interioară reprezintă motive suficient de puternice să vă familiarizaţi cu specificul ţării.
Biserica din Sant Esteve este principalul lăcaş de cult al micuţei capitale, care datează din secolul XII şi se remarcă prin stucaturile din lemn şi frescele interioare. Lucrări de reabilitare şi mărire au fost efectuate în anul 1969.
În centrul capitalei se află Casa de la Vall, o clădire din piatră construită în jurul anului 1580, care a aparţinut iniţial unei familii nobile. În prezent, aici se află sediul guvernului, Tribunalul şi Consiliul general. Intrarea în Casa de la Vall este decorată cu armele principalităţii din 1761 şi cu însemnele episcopului de Urgell. Picturile pereţilor din prima sală de la etajul întâi datează din secolul XVI, în vreme ce Camera Consiliului conţine documente importante, unele dintre ele datând încă din timpul lui Carol cel Mare. Bucătăria casei s-a păstrat cu o mare parte din ustensilele folsite în secolul XVI, astfel încât o vizită în această cameră, de obicei ocolită, este echivalentul unei întoarceri în timp.
Dacă sunteţi în drum către Spania vă sfătuim să nu rataţi micuţa localitate Santa Coloma, unde veţi putea vizită biserica Santa Coloma, construită în stil romanesc, care adăposteşte o statuie din secolul XII a Fecioarei din Coloma, îndelung venerată atât de localnici, cât şi de pelerinii catolici. Puţin mai sus de sat se află un castel construit în secolul XII de către Roger Bernat, conte de Foix. Drumul continuă peste un pod medieval, Pont de la Margineda, către Sant Julia de Loria, aflată la 939 metri altitudine, de unde puteţi urca până la biserica Sant Cerni de Nagol, decorată cu fresce în stil romanesc. Clopotniţa bisericii Sant Julia de Loria este construită în stil romanesc, adăpostind şi un crucifix din secolul XVII.
Un pic mai la nord de localitatea Canillo, se ridica cel mai înalt turn de biserică din Andorra. Capela Sant Joan de Caselles, una dintre cele mai frumoase capele din zonă, este datată undeva între secolul XI şi XII. Arhitectura interioară este foarte bine punctată, frescele şi picturile păstrând încă un aer medieval.
Facts
- Permanenta oscilaţie a influenţei franco-spaniole se reflectă şi astăzi în mai toate domeniile, începând de la cultură, economie, până la politică. Conducerea Andorrei este împărţită de secole între preşedintele Franţei, în prezent, Nicholas Sarkozy şi episcopul de Urgell, (oraş al Spaniei), Joan Enric Vives i Sicília. Deoarece nici unul dintre ei nu locuieşte în Andorra, iar funcţia lor este una mai degrabă simbolică, cel care deţine puterea executivă este şeful guvernului actual, Antoni Martí.
- Drapelul Andorrei este asemănător întru-câtva cu cel al României, cu diferenţa că ordinea culorilor este inversată, fiind albastru, galben, roşu, iar în mijloc se află stema ţării andorane.
- Andoranii sunt minoritari în propria lor ţară, deoarece numai un procent de 36% din populaţie este de origine andorana, diferenţa fiind ocupată de spanioli, portughezi şi francezi. Limba oficială a statului este catalană, limbă vorbită şi în Spania, în zona Barcelonei şi a Valenciei, însă majoritatea localnicilor vorbesc şi franceză sau spaniolă.
- Sistemul de învăţământ din Andorra se conformează şi se adaptează suprafeţei mici ale statului şi faptului că este o cultură minoritară. Ceea ce este interesant este faptul că şcolile cu predare în catalană sunt susţinute de guvern, în vreme ce cele în franceză sau spaniolă se susţin singure. Cu toate acestea 35% dintre copiii andorani urmează cursurile în limba franceză, 35% în spaniolă şi abia 29% în catalană.
- După încheierea liceului, cei care vor să urmeze cursuri universitare, trebuie să se orienteze către Spania sau Franţa, deoarece din cauza numărului mic de studenţi ai Universităţii din Andorra, aceasta nu poate dezvolta o programă proprie, fiind mai degrabă un sediu pentru studii la distanţă legat de universităţi din Franţa şi Spania.
- Uitarea în care căzuse Andorra a căpătat proporţii aproape comice, în momentul în care din cauza unei erori de natură birocratică nu a fost menţionată în Tratatul de la Versailles, prin urmare, din punct de vedere oficial, Andorra se mai afla încă în război cu Germania în anul 1957, când eroarea a fost corectată.
sursa descopera.ro
