Michael Wynn's Occult Reference Library
NYMPH,NYMPHS

Return to Occult Library Index

18276066 GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 1

qiie humani favoris copiam erogabat. eidem secunda beneficii loco liberalitatis excellentiam condonavit. tertia vero, protervioris ingenii invideutiorisque studii femina, sororum indulgentiorem aspernata consenstim, ideoque earum donis officere cupiens, futuris pueri moribus parsimoniae crimen affixit' here they are called sisters, which i have found nowliere else in ok authorities; and the third nymph is again the illnatured one, who lessens the boons of the first two. the only difference is, that the norns do not come to the infant, but the father seeks out their dwelling, their temple (see suppl^ the weaving of the norns and the spindle of the fays give us to recognise domestic motherly divinities; and we have already remarked, that their appearing suddenly, their haunting of weus and s

ALEISTER CROWLEY ACROSS THE GULF

this, i was confirmed therein. truly with the gods i went! for in a little while i came to a pool of water and a tall palm standing by. i plunder in that cool wave; my strength came back, albeit slowly; yet with one wave of my hand in the due gesture the fiends all vanished; and in an hour i was sufficiently restored to call forth my friends from the pool- the little fishes my playmates- and the nymph of the pool came forth and bowed herself before me and cooked me the fishes with that fire that renders water luminous and sparkling. also she plucked me dates from the tree, and i ate thereof. thus was i much comforted; and when i had eaten, she took my head upon her lap, and sang me to sleep; for her voice was like the ripple of the lakes under the wind of spring and like the bubbling of a

d i ate thereof. thus was i much comforted; and when i had eaten, she took my head upon her lap, and sang me to sleep; for her voice was like the ripple of the lakes under the wind of spring and like the bubbling of a well and like the tinkling of a fountain through a bed of moss. also she had deep notes like the sea that booms upon a rocky shore. so long, long, long i slept. now when i awoke the nymph had gone; but i took form my bosom a little casket of certain sacred herbs; and casting a few grains into the pool, repaid her for her courtesy. and i blessed her in the name of our dead lady isis, and went on in the strength of that delicious meal for a great way. yet i page 23 gulf.txt wist not what to do; for i was as it were a dead man, although my age was barely two and twenty years. wh

ALEISTER CROWLEY LIBER 777

, to propitiate their local fetish, would flatter him with the title of creator; philosophers, with a wider outlook, would draw identities between many gods in order to obtain a unity. time and the gregarious nature of man have raised gods as ideas grew more universal; sectarianism has drawn false distinctions between identical gods for polemical purposes. thus, where shall we put isis, favouring nymph of corn as she was? as the type of motherhood? as the moon? as the great goddess earth? as nature? as the cosmic egg from which all nature sprang? for as time and place have changed, so she is all of these! what of jehovah, that testy senior of genesis, that lawgiver of leviticus, that phallus of the depopulated slaves of the egyptians, that jealous king-god of the times of the kings, that m

the mowing men. the scythe handle is a tau. 25 the daughter of the reconcilers, the bringer-forth of life. the figure of diana huntress* 26 the lord of the gates of matter. the child of the forces of time. the figure of pan or priapus* 27 the lord of the hosts of the mighty. a tower struck by forked lightning* 28 the daughter of the firmament. the dweller between the waters. the figure of a water-nymph disporting herself* 29 the ruler of flux and reflux. the child of the sons of the mighty. the waning moon* 30 the lord of the fire of the world. the sun* 31 the spirit of the primal fire. israfel blowing the last trumpet. the dead arising from their tombs* 32 the great one of the night of time. should contain a demonstration of the quadrature of the circle* 32 bis.table of correspondences 33

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

eauty of a rose without a rose before them. for such, is this method of most use; yet let them know that there is this danger therein, that they may mistake the gross body of the symbol for the idea made concrete thereby. 32 "considerations of further danger to those not purged of material thought- let it be remembered that in the nature of the love itself is danger. the lust of the satyr for the nymph is indeed of the same nature as the affinity of quicklime for water on the one hand, and of love of ab for ama on the other; so also is the triad osiris, isis, horus like that of a horse, mare, foal, and of red, blue, purple. and this is the foundation of correspondences. but it were false to say "horus is a foal" or "horus is purple. one may say "horus resembles a foal in this respect that

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK WITHOUT TEARS

rpose of finding new worlds to conquer. his first objective is the astral plane; its discovery, the classification of its tenants, and their control. all his early practises therefore are devoted to exploring the worlds which surround (if you choose, or if your prefer- are contained in) the object of sense. if there is a tree in your garden, you want to find out whether that tree is occupied by a nymph or a nat, and if so, what are they like? how do they act? how can you make them useful to your purpose? it is in fact the ordinary every-day scientific method of exploration. the only difference is that in the course of one's experiments one becomes aware of parts of the nature of the object to be examined which are subtler and perhaps more powerful, nearer to reality, than those which ordin

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE OLD AND NEW COMMENTARIES TO LIBER AL

significance than appears? scorpio, the zodiacal sign of death, is really the sexual or reproductive function of nature. it is the earth-transcending eagle, the self-restoring serpent, and the self-immolating scorpion. in alchemy it is the principle of putrefaction, the "black dragon, whose state of apparent corruption is but a prelude to the rainbow-coloured spring-tide of the man in motley. the nymph of spring, syrinx, the trembling hollow reed which needs but breath to fill the world with music, attracts pan, the goat-god of ecstatic lust, by whose work the glory of summer is established anew. it is obvious that "the length of thy longing" varies with the number of potentialities to be satisfied. in other words, the more complex the khu of the star, the greater the man, and the keener h

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE SWORD OF SONG

e tarot. the other tarot symbols can be traced by any one who possesses, and to some degree understands, a pack of the cards. the occult views of the nature of these symbols are in some cases crowley s own. ambrosii magi hortus rosarum 111 intellectus. deus. h. et s. v. a. luna. quid umbratur in mari. deo duce comite ferro. vestigia nulla retrorsum. pearls, big and round like the breasts of a sea-nymph; and they gleamed round like moons. she held in leash the four beasts, but he strode boldly to her, and kissed her full on the lips. wherefore she signed and fell back a space, and he pressed on. now at the end of the darkness a fire glowed: she would have hindered him: clung she to his neck and wept. but the fire grew and the light dazzled her; so that with a shriek she fell. but the beasts

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 5

ing! and may none fall who will attain the sword, the balances, the crown! and that which thou hearest is but the dropping of the dew from my limbs, for i dance in the night, naked upon the grass, in shadowy places, by running streams. many are they who have loved the nymphs of the woods, and of the wells, and of the fountains, and of the hills. and of these some were nympholept. for it was not a nymph, but i myself that walked upon the earth taking my pleasure. so also there were many images of pan, and men adored them, and as a beautiful god he made their olives bear double and their vines increase; but some were slain by the god, for it was i that had woven the garlands about him. now cometh a song. so sweet is this song that no one could resist it. for in it is all the passionate ache

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 3 3

things, i renounce unto thee the whispers of the desert, and the moan of the simoom, and all the silence of the sea of 13 dust; so that i may be lost in the atoms of thy glory, and be consumed in the unutterable joy of thine everlasting rapture. 5. o my god, thou mighty one, thou creator of all things, i renounce unto thee the green fields of the valleys, and the satyr roses of the hills, and the nymph lilies of the meer; so that i may wander through the gardens of thy splendour, and be consumed in the unutterable joy of thine everlasting rapture. 6. o my god, thou mighty one, thou creator of all things, i renounce unto thee the sorrow of my mother, and the threshold of my home, and all the labour of my father's hands; so that i may be led unto the mansion of thy light, and be consumed in

ithin the valleys! i deny thee by the powers of mine understanding; crown me in the unity of thy might, and flash me as a scarlet tongue into thine all-pervading nothingness; for thou art all and none of these in the fullness of thy not-being. 4. o thou god of the nothingness of all things! thou who art neither the crown of the flaming storm; nor the opalescence of the abyss: o thou who art not a nymph in the foam of the sea; nor a whirling devil in the sand of the desert! i deny thee by the powers of mine understanding; bear me in the unity of thy might, and pour me forth from out the cup of thine all-pervading nothingness; for thou art all and none of these in the fullness of thy not-being. 5. o thou god of the nothingness of all things! thou who art neither the formulator of law; nor th

, evoe! i adore thee, iao! o thou wild anarch of the hills, pale glooming above the mists of the earth! i adore thee, evoe! i adore thee, iao! o thou moonlit peak of pleasure, that art crowned by viper tongues of forked flame! i adore thee, evoe! i adore thee, iao! o thou wolfish head of the winds, that frighteth the snow-white lamb of winter! i adore thee, evoe! i adore thee, iao! o thou dew-lit nymph of the dawn, that swoonest in the satyr arms of the sun! i adore thee, evoe! i adore thee, iao! o thou mad abode of kisses, that art lit by the fat of murdered fiends! i adore thee, evoe! i adore thee, iao! 65 o thou sleeping lust of the storm, that art flame-gorg'd as a flint full of fire! i adore thee, evoe! i adore thee, iao! o thou soft dew of the evening, that art drunk up by the mist o

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 6 2

om pax["purple light off, white light on["he seats" sor. gemini "upon his throne. she plays her babe- music<gemini. the will of the gods be accomplished["all depart" 108 the rite of luna officers luna "silver robe and veil. violin. artemis. the lady of the moon" cancer "amber robe. cup. warden of the holy graal" taurus "orange robe. bow and quiver. the lord of the bow" a nymph "white robe. the head of the dragon" a satyr "black robe. the tail of the dragon" pan "black robe, tom-tom "in the east luna is throned, cancer on her right, taurus on her left. beyond these the satyr and the nymph. at the apex of a descending triangle, upon the earth, pan" 111 the rite of luna "one reciteth "the twelvefold certitude of god" from" 963 "the veil is withdrawn" cancer. 333-333

my robe? taurus. chastity. cancer. 1. what is my weapon? taurus. vigilance. cancer. 1. whom do we serve? taurus. the lady artemis. cancer. 1. how many are her servants? taurus. nine. cancer. 1. who are they? taurus. three for the dew; three for the rain; and three for the snow. cancer. 1. who are the great officers? 113 taurus. thyself, the warden of the holy graal. myself, the lord of the bow. a nymph, a satyr- pan. 1. and pan! cancer. brother pan, i command thee to honour our lady artemis. taurus. bear the cup of libation! cancer. 333-333-333 [pan" recites chorus from swinburne's "atalanta" when the hounds of spring are on winter's traces. the wolf that follows, the fawn that flies. taurus. the goddess stirs not. cancer. silence is the secret of our lady artemis. pan. hath no man lifted

ver stronger than i, a moon to swallow the sun! may he be like a lily-white goat, crisp as a thicket of thorns, with a collar of gold for this throat, a scarlet bow for his horns! cancer. may our lady artemis be favourable! taurus. may our lady artemis never be awakened [nymph "comes forward and dances her virginal dance" pan. of what worth is the gold in the mine? cancer. brother pan, be silent. nymph. bear the cup of libation! cancer. 333-333-333. pan["recites" mother of light, and the gods! mother of music awake! silence and speech are at odds; heaven and hell are at stake. by the rose and the cross i conjure; i constrain by the snake and the sword; i am he that is sworn to endure- bring us the word of the lord! by the brood of the bysses of brightening, whose god was my sire; by the lo

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 6

time! grey eyes that crave the chrism of crime! blanched face like a note on a clarion! red mouth like the sun through simoon, typhoon! hurricanes howl, howl in her heart; serpents sleep in her smile; i hear horrible happenings long ago, direful deeds, weirds of woe, 43 things beyond history and art in the tresses that tumble over her ear! in what grim gloom did satan get this child on what wood-nymph dishevelled? whence was the wind that swayed the woods on their bestial beatitudes? or what garden of rose and violet lay under the moon wherein they revelled? she is like a poppy-petal. all the seas of sleep are hidden under the languorous eyelids, whose lashes are long and strong to bruise my heart where her lusts like hornets settle on sacred leaves, on flowers forbidden. she is like a dr

n recent centuries these terms have become confounded. although there were troubadours during the time of the templars, they didn't go around battle fields entertaining the troops! our modern system of composers and performers is directly derived from that of the troubadours and jongleurs> esquires "etc, to these" said omar "an arabian emir. his band of warriors" laylah "his newly-wedded bride" a nymph "and children attendant on her" act i scene "the desert. in the foreground, a walled well with a lever. three palms. tall grasses. the ground is uneven. in the background other palms, among which are several military charges, held by esquires. around the well are knights templars, armed, reposing. also" jocelyn "a troubadour" jocelyn["sings to his harp: noon slumbers softly in the palms; the

water flows out" rinaldo. i love you. laylah. i am a speck of dust in the simoom. rinaldo. let it whirl! there is no more christian and saracen, but man and woman- as it was in the beginning and for ever shall be "he has borne her in his arms to the tall grasses. she struggles uselessly. they are now invisible" laylah. help me, o god of battles! rinaldo. god is love["music. from the well issues a nymph dressed in silver and azure gauze, with jewels and roses in her hair. after her a cluster of children] 79 the nymph["sings] in the well where i dwell, it is cool, it is dusk; but the truth of my youth is a palace of musk. truth comes bubbling to my brim; light and night are one to him! in the dark you may mark the slow ooze of my springs, but you know not the glow where the soul of me sings

omar. no! you shall not sleep to-night, white fairy of paradise, black-eyed gazelle of the wilderness! laylah. be gentle with me. i ache. i have been stung by a scorpion. said omar. there are no scorpions in the winter. where is the wound [laylah "puts her hand to her heart, and falls fainting limp across the saddlebow] call ibrahim, the wise physician! on to the houses["exeunt. the voice of the nymph of the well, faintly from below "truth comes bubbling to my brim: love and hate are one to him] curtain. 82 persons of the tragedy act ii laylah "wife of sidi omar" silman "her son by sir rinaldo de la chapelle" othman. akbar:"her sons by sidi omar" mohammed. fatma "her aged nubian nurse" ledmiya "a young handmaiden, musical. other waiting-women. pipe-slaves" abdul khan "an eunuch. other eun

ARADIA GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES

we are not told that it was thebreathing of the god air(who was the inspiring soul of ancient music, and the bellariaof modernwitch-mythology) on the dried filament of the tortoise, which suggested to hermes the making aninstrument wherewith he made the music of the spheres and guided the course of the planets. as formrs. browning, she leaves out syrinxaltogether, that is to say, the voice of the nymph still lingeringin the pipe which had been her body. now to my mind the old prose narrative of these myths ismuch more deeply poetical and moving, and far more inspired with beauty and romance, than arethe well-rhymed and measured, but very imperfect versions given by our poets. and in fact, suchwant of intelligence or perception may be found in all the classic poems, not only of keats, but o

BLAVATSKY H P ANTHROPOGENESIS

independent beings, who were the psychic and spiritual parents of man, as the lower pitar devata (the pitris) were the progenitors of his physical body. that third and holy race consisted of men who, at their zenith, were described[[footnote(s* this is explained in the section which follows this series of stanzas in the allegory from the puranas concerning kandu, the holy sage, and pramlocha, the nymph alleged to have hypnotised him (vide il, commentary after st.i, a suggestive allegory, scientifically, as the drops of perspiration, which she exuded, are the symbols of the spores of science (vide infra* this will be explained as we proceed. this unwillingness to fashion men, or create, is symbolized in the puranas by daksha having to deal with his opponent narada, the "strife-making asceti

"vishnu-purana" book iii, chap. 2* in the oldest ms. of "vishnu-purana" in the possession of an initiate in southern india, the god is not indra, but kama, the god of love and desire. see text further on[[vol. 2, page] 175 a saint- hypnotised. the reverse that we find in all the puranic allegories, and not without good esoteric reason. the king of the gods (or indra) sends a beautiful apsarasas (nymph) named pramlocha to seduce kandu and disturb his penance. she succeeds in her unholy purpose and "907 years six months and three days* spent in her company seem to the sage as one day. when this psychological or hypnotic state ends, the muni curses bitterly the creature who seduced him, thus disturbing his devotions "depart, begone" he cries "vile bundle of illusions. and pramlocha, terrifie

prometheus was, he had made them participators of every bliss on earth. plato (timaeus, p. 22, and clemens alexandrinus (strom. 1, p. 380) say that phoroneus was the first man, or "the father of mortals" his genealogy, which assigns to him as his father inachos, the river, reminds one of that of prometheus, which makes that titan the son of the oceanid clymene. but the mother of phoroneus was the nymph melia; a significant descent which distinguishes him from prometheus. melia, decharme thinks, is the personification of the ash-tree, whence[[vol. 2, page] 520 the secret doctrine. according to hesiod, issued the race of the age of bronze (opera et dies, 142-145; and which with the greeks is the celestial tree common to every aryan mythology. this ash is the yggdrasil of the norse antiquity

n one symbol. the poets attribute to atlas, as to proteus, a superior wisdom and an universal knowledge, and especially a thorough acquaintance with the depths of the ocean: because both continents bore races instructed by divine masters, and because both were transferred to the bottom of the seas, where they now slumber until their next reappearance above the waters. atlas is the son of an ocean nymph, and his daughter is calypso "the watery deep (see hesiod's theogony, 507-509, and odyssey 1, 51: atlantis has been submerged beneath the waters of the ocean, and its progeny is now sleeping its eternal sleep on the ocean floors. the odyssey makes of him the guardian and the "sustainer" of the huge pillars that separate the heavens from the earth (1, 52-53. he is their "supporter" and as bot

rimaspes were a scythian people, and were also credited with but one eye (geographie ancienne, vol. ii, p. 321) it is they whom apollo destroyed with his shafts (see supra* ulysses was wrecked on the isle of aeaea, where circe changed all his companions into pigs for their voluptuousness; and after that he was thrown into ogygia, the island of calypso, where for some seven years he lived with the nymph in illicit connection (odyssey and elsewhere. now calypso was a daughter of atlas (odys. book xii, and all the traditional ancient versions, when speaking of the isle of ogygia, say that it was very distant from greece, and right in the middle of the ocean: thus identifying it with atlantis[[vol. 2, page] 770 the secret doctrine. the third race to lose their all-penetrating spiritual eye. th

became more and more hyperborean and unfit to be inhabited by those who were fast developing into physical men, for they now had to deal with the climatic variations. the dragon will not allow latona "to bring forth (the sun to appear "she is driven from heaven, and finds no place where she can bring forth" until neptune (the ocean, moved with pity, makes immovable the floating isle of delos (the nymph asteria, hitherto hiding from jupiter under the waves of the ocean) on which latona finds refuge and where the bright god[[delios] is born, the god, who no sooner appears than he kills python, the cold and frost of the arctic region, in whose deadly coils all life becomes extinct. in other words, latona-lemuria is transformed into niobe-atlantis, over which her son apollo, or the sun, reigns

BLUE EQUINOX

to their supposed madmen, men only seek to assure each other that they are not themselves mad[[footnote(s* revue des deux mondes, 1865, pp. 157 and 158. end of vol. it 197 special supplement the way. 3 may morn the artist represents the dawn of the day following the witches. rout. the witch is hanged, and the satyr joyfully looks out from behind the tree; in the background all is spring, and the nymph dances joyfully to the piping of the shepherd. the picture is symbolical of the new aeon. from the blasted stump of dogma, the poison oak of .original sin. is hanged the hag with dyed and bloody hair, christianity, the glyph thus commemorating .sa vie horizontale et sa mort verticale. the satyr, a portrait of frater d.d.s, one of the teachers of the master therion, represents the soul of the

ed the hag with dyed and bloody hair, christianity, the glyph thus commemorating .sa vie horizontale et sa mort verticale. the satyr, a portrait of frater d.d.s, one of the teachers of the master therion, represents the soul of the new aeon, whose word is do what thou wilt; for the satyr is the true nature of every man and every woman; and every man and every woman is a star. the shepherd and the nymph in the background represents the spontaneous outburst of the music of sound and motion caused by the release of the children of the new aeon from the curse of the dogma of original sin, and other priestly bogies. love is the law, love under will. 5 hymn to pan .frix .rwti periarc j d nepi man. p n p n p n p n liplagkte, kullan.aj cionokt poi petra.aj p deir doj f nhq, qe n corop i nax .soph

CHYMICAL WEDDING OF CHRISTIAN ROSENKREUTZ

into the right seas, where all the sirens, nymphs, and sea-goddesses were waiting for us; wherefore they immediately dispatched a seanymph to us to deliver their present and offering of honour to the wedding. it was a costly, great, set, round and oriental pearl, the like of which has never been seen, neither in our world nor yet in the new world. now the virgin having friendlily received it, the nymph further entreated that audience might be given to their entertainments, and to make a little stand, which the virgin was content to do, and commanded the two great ships to stand in the middle, and the rest to encompass them in a pentagon. after which the nymphs fell into a ring about, and with a most delicate sweet voice began to sing as follows: i naught better is on earth than lovely nobl

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

eeding from the shoulders. the first mention of these beings was in connection with the expulsion of adam and eve from the garden of eden, and they are frequently spoken of in later biblical history. sometimes the cherubim have two or more faces, and sometimes are of composite animal form. chesed the jewish kabalist name for mercy (see also kabala) chesme a cat-shaped well (or fountain) spirit or nymph of the turks. she was said to lure youths to death much in the same manner as the germanic lorelei. chevalier, marie george (1889) a retired engineer and director of experiments for the association francaise d etudes metapsychiques. chevalier was born september 30, 1889, in bar-le-duc (meuse, france, and studied at dijon academy, receiving bachelor s degree in science (1908) and arts (1909

inary course of events. these adepts are not permanent inhabitants of the earth, and, while a few remain, most of them have already returned to venus, the time of crisis during which they assisted having now passed. lorelei name of the tall rock on the right bank of the river rhine, near st. goar, germany, that is noted for its remarkable echo. it has given rise to the legend of the lorelei water nymph, whose siren song lures sailors to their doom. in turn, this story has affinity with the legend of holda, queen of the elves, who fascinates men, who become doomed to wander with her forever. the lorelei legend is of comparatively recent origin, a creation of the writer klemens brentano in his ballad story lore lay (1800) and retold in heine s famous poem die lorelei. lorian association new

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

ce that conceived it. there are prehistoric nature deities, borrowed from indigenous tribes; gods of the sabines, from whom the young colony stole its wives; gods of the etruscans, and of the egyptians, greeks, and persians. the temple of jupiter on the capitol contained the altar of an ancient deity, a stone-god, terminus, the spirit of boundaries. in the temple of diana of the grove, a fountain nymph was worshiped. additional instances of this kind abound. belief in spirits in addition to the gods, the spirits needed to be propitiated. indeed the objects offered to the roman for veneration were seemingly numberless. apuleius gave a description of popular supernaturalism when he told of a country road where one might meet an altar wreathed with flowers, a cave hung with garlands, an oak t

e runic workbook. new york: sterling publishers, 1986. rupa in theosophical teachings, rupa denotes form, appearance, or the physical body, the most gross of the seven principles of encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. rupa 1331 which personality consists. it is a term originating in hindu philosophy denoting the subtle essence of form (see also mayavi-rupa) rusalki the lovely river nymph of southern russian legend endowed with human beauty and the gentle characteristics of the mermaids of northern european nations. shy and benevolent, she lived on the small alluvial islands that stud the rivers or in the detached coppices of their banks. her pastime and occupation was to aid in secret the poor fishermen in their laborious and precarious calling. the rusalki (also spelled rus

s called jhad, or tree, apparently because he is a favourite dwelling-place for spirits. in the dakkhin it is believed that the spirit of the pregnant woman of churel lives in a tree, and the abors and padams of east bengal believe that spirits in trees kidnap children. many of these tree spirits appear in the folk-tales. thus, devadatta worshipped a tree which one day suddenly split in two and a nymph appeared who invited him to go inside the tree. in there was a heavenly palace of jewels and vidyatprabha, the maiden daughter of the king of the yakshas [supernatural beings; in another story the mendicant heard inside a tree the yaksha joking with his wife. sources: crooke, william. religion and folklore of northern india. humphrey, milford: oxford university press, 1926. the tree of life

EVERBURNING LAMPS

s are intimately related, the ancient name of egypt being chm or land of ham, from which the title chymia, in greek chemi and ges cham is derived. the learned kircher writes in a.d. 1650 that several travellers in egypt found in his time burning lamps in the tombs at memphis. numa pompilius, king of rome, who certainly experimented with the natural electricity of the clouds, built a temple to the nymph egeria, and made in it a spherical dome, in which he caused to burn a perpetual flame of fire in her honour; but in what manner this flame was produced we have no knowledge. nathan bailey, in his "brittanic dictionary" 1736, remarks that in the museum of rarities at leyden, in holland, there were two of these lamps, only partially destroyed. a lamp still burning was found during the papacy o

FAUST

, dance madly, hov ring round him here, for since he s solemn and yet kind, man s happiness he has in mind. even beneath the azure, vaulted roof he ever kept slumber far aloof; yet purling brooks seek him in quest and soft airs cradle him to rest. and when he sleeps at mid of day, no leaflet stirs upon its spray; health-giving plants with balsam rare pervade the still and silent air. then may the nymph in joy not leap and where she stood, she falls asleep. but when at unexpected hour, his voice is heard in all its power, like crack of lightning, roar of sea, then no one knows which way to flee. brave warriors into panic break, and in the tumult heroes quake. hence honour to whom honour s due, hail him who led us here to you! deputation of gnomes [to great pan. when the treasure rich and sh

FRANCIS A YATES GIORDANO BRUNO AND THE HERMETIC TRADITION

speech are translated by mclntyre in his giordano bruno, pp. 55-7. 2 op. lat, i (i, pp. 20 ft. on this genealogy of wisdom, and its inclusion of lucretius and palingenius, see above, p. 247. 3 ibid, pp. 21 ff. at least, such is my interpretation of the confused and excited imagery in which bruno expresses his gratitude to wittenberg and calls down blessings upon her. 4 see above, p. 289. there is nymph and river imagery at the end of the wittenberg speech. 5 "he revealed a plan of founding a new sect under the name of philosophy (documenti, p. 60. 6 "he (bruno) said that formerly the works of luther were much prized in germany, but that after they had tasted of his (bruno's) works they sought for no others, and that he had begun a new sect in germany, and if he could get out of prison he w

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

elated, the ancient name of egypt being chm, or land of ham, from which the title chymia, in greek chemix1/-ltand ges cham'y'l)sxo/-lis derived.thelearned kircher writes in a.d. 1650 that several travellers in egypt found in his time burning lamps in the tombs at memphis. numa pompilius, king of rome, who certainly experiment255 ed with the natural electricity of the clouds, built a temple to the nymph egeria, and made in it a spherical dome, in which he caused toburna perpetual flame of fire in her honour; but in what manner this flamewas produced we have no knowledge. nathan bailey, in hisbrittanicdictionary,1736, remarks that in the museum of rarities at leyden, in holland, there were two of these lamps, only partially destroyed. a lamp still burning was found during the papacy of pauli

GRIMM TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 2 1883 COMPLETE

ted loki must anyhow be understood as a hostile one (of giant s or devil s kin; his very name of the swart one points that way. the unuttered god may be likened to the ayvcoo-to? oeos (acts 17, 23, still more to the word that osinn whispered in the ear of his son baldr s corpse, as it ascended the funeral pile: a secret which is twice alluded to, in saem. 38a and hervarars. p. 487; so an etruscan nymph speaks the name of the highest god in the ear of a bull. 1 it has already been suggested (p. 815) that presentiments of a mightier god to come may have floated before 1 0. mailer s etr. 2, 83, with which must be conn, the medieval legend of silvester (conrad s poem, pref. p. xx. suktk. 825 the heathen imagination, like the promise of the messiah to the jews.1 the world s destruction and its

les tell us how the bodies of the persecuted and slain, espe cially women, assumed forthwith the figure of a flower, a bush, a tree (p. 653, without leaving any matter behind to decay or be burnt; nay, life and even speech may last while the transforma tion is taking place. thus daphne and syrinx, when they cannot elude the pursuit of apollo or pan, change themselves into a laurel and a reed; the nymph undergoing transformation speaks on so long as the encrusting bark has not crept up to 1 percy 3, 123; variant in kob. jamieson 1, 33-4. 2 therefore der rebe (vine) belongs to tristan s grave, diu rose to isote s, as in eilhart and the chap-book; uirich and heinrich made the plants change places. 828 souls. her mouth. viutler tells us, the ivege-warte (ohg. wegawarta, wegapreita, plantago, w

n all her splendid dresses; the indians call it kalpa vriksha (tree of wishes) or manor-atha-day&lt;aka (wish- giving, somadeva 2, 84. beside the dresses of sun and moon, the gold-hen and seven chickens (p. 728) are contained in the nut. fortuna carries a horn ofplenty (p. 870. the goat amaltheia s horn supplied the nymphs who had nursed zeus with all they wished for; another legend makes the nymph amaltheia possess a bull s horn, which gave in abundance all manner of meat and drink that one could wish. a scottish tradition has it, that if any one can approach a banquet of the fairies, take away their drinking-bowl or horn, and carry it across a running stream without spilling, it will be to him a cornucopia of good fortune; if he break it, his good days are done (r. chambers pp. 32-3

HELENA BLAVATSKY NIGHTMARE TALES

under the plane tree to the naiads of calirrhoe'scrystal fountain? did not the swift-footed nymphs frolic at his beck and call to the sound of the magic fluteof the arcadian shepherd- who was himself? behold, the goddess of love and beauty herself descendingfrom on high, attracted by the sweet-voiced notes of his violin. yet there came a time when he preferredsyrinx to aphrodite- not as the fair nymph pursued by pan, but after her transformation by the mercifulgods into the reed out of which the frustrated god of the shepherds had made his magic pipe. for also, withtime, ambition grows and is rarely satisfied. when he tried to emulate on his violin the enchanting soundsthat resounded in his mind, the whole of parnassus kept silent under the spell, or joined in heavenly chorus;but the audi

ate on his violin the enchanting soundsthat resounded in his mind, the whole of parnassus kept silent under the spell, or joined in heavenly chorus;but the audience he finally craved was composed of more than the gods sung by hesiod, verily of the mostappreciative melomanes of european capitals. he felt jealous of the magic pipe, and would fain have had it athis command "oh! that i could allure a nymph into my beloved violin- he often cried, after awakening from one of hisday-dreams "oh, that i could only span in spirit flight the abyss of time! oh, that i could find myself forone short day a partaker of the secret arts of the gods, a god myself, in the sight and hearing of enrapturedhumanity; and, having learned the mystery of the lyre of orpheus, or secured within my violin a siren,there

HP LOVECRAFT POETRY AND THE GODS

a, weary moon on the river of the sky. out of the mists gleamed godlike the torm ot a youth, in winged helmet and sandals, caduceus-bearing, and of a beauty like to nothing on earth. before the face of the sleeper he thrice waved the rod which apollo had given him in trade for the nine-corded shell of melody, and upon her brow he placed a wreath of myrtle and roses. then, adoring, hermes spoke "0 nymph more fair than the golden-haired sisters of cyene or the sky-inhabiting atlantides, beloved of aphrodite and blessed of pallas, thou hast indeed discovered the secret of the gods, which lieth in beauty and song. 0 prophetess more lovely than the sybil of cumae when apollo first knew her, thou has truly spoken of the new age, for even now on maenalus, pan sighs and stretches in his sleep, wis

LIBER 777

, to propitiate their local fetish, would flatter him with the title of creator; philosophers, with a wider outlook, would draw identities between many gods in order to obtain a unity. time and the gregarious nature of man have raised gods as ideas grew more universal; sectarianism has drawn false distinctions between identical gods for polemical purposes. thus, where shall we put isis, favouring nymph of corn as she was? as the type of motherhood? as the moon? as the great goddess earth? as nature? as the cosmic egg from which all nature sprang? for as time and place have changed, so she is all of these! what of jehovah, that testy senior of genesis, that lawgiver of leviticus, that phallus of the depopulated slaves of the egyptians, that jealous king-god of the times of the kings, that m

the mowing men. the scythe handle is a tau. 25 the daughter of the reconcilers, the bringer-forth of life. the figure of diana huntress* 26 the lord of the gates of matter. the child of the forces of time. the figure of pan or priapus* 27 the lord of the hosts of the mighty. a tower struck by forked lightning* 28 the daughter of the firmament. the dweller between the waters. the figure of a water-nymph disporting herself* 29 the ruler of flux and reflux. the child of the sons of the mighty. the waning moon* 30 the lord of the fire of the world. the sun* 31 the spirit of the primal fire. israfel blowing the last trumpet. the dead arising from their tombs* 32 the great one of the night of time. should contain a demonstration of the quadrature of the circle* 32 bis. 31 bis. table vi (continue

LIBER ASTARTE

beauty of a rose without a rose before them. for such is this method of most use; yet let them know that there is this danger therein, that they may mistake the gross body of the symbol for the idea made concrete thereby. 32. considerations of further danger to those not purged of material thought. let it be remembered that in the nature of the love itself is danger. the lust of the satyr for the nymph is indeed of the same nature as the affinity of quicklime for water on the one hand, and of the love of ab for ama on the other; so also is the triad osiris, isis, horus like that of a horse, mare, foal, and of red, blue, purple. and this is the foundation of correspondences. but it were false to say .horus is a foal. or .horus is purple. one may say .horus resembles a foal in this respect

LIBER CCCXXXV ADONIS

of liesse not to me.but to her! 3rd maiden. here the quintessence of dream and delight, evoking the presence of savour to sight! 4th maiden. list to the trill and the ripple and roll of a tune that may thrill thee through sense to the soul! 5th maiden. look on the fairest, the masterless maid! ere thine eye thou unbarest, i flicker, i fade. all. wake! as her garland is tossed in the air when the nymph meets apollo, our forehead is bare. we divide, we disperse, we dislimn, we dissever, for we are but now, and our lady for ever [they go out. esarhaddon. i dreamed of thee! dreams beyond form and name! it was a chain of ages, and a flash liber cccxxxv 6 of lightning.which thou wilt.since.oh i see nothing, feel nothing, and am nothing.ash of the universe burnt through! astarte. and i the flame

LIBER LIBERI VEL LAPIDIS LAZULI

own the precipice of being 14. even to the abyss, annihilation. 15. an end to loneliness, as to all. 16. pan! pan! io pan! io pan! 2 i 1. my god, how i love thee! 2. with the vehement appetite of a beast i hunt thee through the universe. 3. thou art standing as it were upon a pinnacle at the edge of some fortified city. i am a white bird, and perch upon thee. 4. thou art my lover: i see thee as a nymph with her white limbs stretched by the spring. 5. she lies upon the moss; there is none other but she: 6. art thou not pan? 7. i am he. speak not, o my god! let the work be accomplished in silence. 8. let my cry of pain be crystallized into a little white fawn to run away into the forest. 9. thou art a centaur, o my god, from the violet blossoms that crown thee to the hoofs of the horse. 10

LIBER LXVII THE SWORD OF SONG

7 instead. t.s] 6 the 22nd key of the tarot. the other tarot symbols can be traced by any one who possesses, and to some degree understands, a pack of the cards. the occult views of the nature of these symbols are in some cases crowley.s own. opus prima materia. a. o. custodes.4 sapiens dominatibur astris. s. s. d. d. ambrosii magi hortis rosarum 79 pearls, big and round like the breasts of a sea-nymph; and they gleamed round like moons. she held in leash the four beasts, but he strode boldly to her, and kissed her full on the lips. wherefore she signed and fell back a space, and he pressed on. now at the end of the darkness a fire glowed: she would have hindered him: clung she to his neck and wept. but the fire grew and the light dazzled her; so that with a shriek she fell. but the beasts

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

piritual babes? sallust gives a key to the esoteric interpretation of the attic rituals. cybele, the great mother, signifies the vivifying powers of the universe, and atys that aspect of the spiritual intellect which is suspended between the divine and animal spheres. the mother of the gods, loving atys, gave him a starry hat, signifying celestial powers, but atys (mankind, falling in love with a nymph (symbolic of the lower animal propensities, forfeited his divinity and lost his creative powers. it is thus evident that atys represents the human consciousness and that his mysteries are concerned with the reattainment of the starry hat (see sallust on the gods and the world) the rites of sabazius were very similar to those of bacchus and it is generally believed that the two deities are id

n three hundred and a thousand years. paracelsus maintained that they live in conditions similar to our earth environments, and are somewhat subject to disease. these creatures are thought to be incapable of spiritual development, but most of them are of a high moral character. concerning the elemental ethers in which the nature spirits exist, paracelsus wrote "they live in the four elements: the nymph in the element of water, the sylphes in that of the air, the pigmies in the earth, and the salamanders in fire. they are also called undin, sylvestres, gnomi, vulcani &c. each species moves only in the element to which it belongs, and neither of them can go out of its appropriate element, which is to them as the air is to us, or the water to fishes; and none of them can live in the element b

is natural that the water spirits should most often be symbolized as female. there are many groups of undines. some inhabit waterfalls, where they can be seen in the spray; others are indigenous to swiftly moving rivers; some have their habitat in dripping, oozing fens or marshes; while other groups dwell in clear mountain lakes. according to the philosophers of antiquity, every fountain had its nymph; every ocean wave its oceanid. the water spirits were known under such names as oreades, nereides, limoniades, naiades, water sprites, sea maids, mermaids, and potamides. often the water nymphs derived their names from the streams, lakes, or seas in which they dwelt. in describing them, the ancients agreed on certain salient features. in general, nearly all the undines closely resembled huma

MOTTA MARCELO THE COMMENTARIES OF AL

significance than appears? scorpio, the zodiacal sign of death, is really the sexual or reproductive function of nature. it is the earth-transcending eagle, the self-restoring serpent, and the self-immolating scorpion. in alchemy it is the principle of putrefaction, the 'black dragon, whose state of apparent corruption is but a prelude to the rainbow-coloured spring-tide of the man in motley. the nymph of spring, syrinx, the trembling hollow reed which needs but breath to fill the world with music, attracts pan, the goat-god of ecstatic lust, by whose work the glory of summer is established anew. it is obvious that 'the length of thy longing' varies with the number of potentialities to be satisfied. in other words, the more complex the khu of the star, the greater the man, and the keener h

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS E

. seeing, however, that year by year, as winter appears, all her glory vanishes, her flowers fade, and her trees become leafless, they poetically expressed this process of nature under the figure of a lost love. she [19]was said to have been tenderly attached to a youth of remarkable beauty, named atys, who, to her grief and indignation, proved faithless to her. he was about to unite himself to a nymph called sagaris, when, in the midst of the wedding feast, the rage of the incensed goddess suddenly burst forth upon all present. a panic seized the assembled guests, and atys, becoming afflicted with temporary madness, fled to the mountains and destroyed himself. cybele, moved with sorrow and regret, instituted a yearly mourning for his loss, when her priests, the corybantes, with their usua

lted position as the wife of the supreme deity, combined with her extreme beauty, caused her to become exceedingly vain, and she consequently resented with great severity any infringement on her rights as queen of heaven, or any apparent slight on her personal appearance. the following story will signally illustrate how ready she was to resent any slight offered to her. at the marriage of the sea-nymph thetis with a mortal called peleus, all the gods and goddesses were present, except eris (the goddess of discord. indignant at not being invited, she determined to cause dissension in the assembly, and for this purpose threw into the midst of the guests a golden apple with the inscription on it "for the fairest" now, as all the goddesses were extremely beautiful, each claimed the apple; but

r attributes, worship, festivals &c, being precisely identical. the romans were indebted to sicily for this divinity, her worship having been introduced by the greek colonists who settled there. the cerealia, or festivals in honour of ceres, commenced on the 12th of april, and lasted several days. aphrodite (venus. aphrodite (from aphros, sea-foam, and dite, issued, the daughter of zeus and a sea-nymph called dione, was the goddess of love and beauty. dione, being a sea-nymph, gave birth to her daughter beneath the waves; but the child of the heaven-inhabiting zeus was forced to ascend from the ocean-depths and mount to the snow-capped page 63 summits of olympus, in order to breathe that ethereal and most refined atmosphere which pertains to the celestial gods. aphrodite was the mother of

ff to the summit of mount parnassus, he drew from his quiver two darts of different workmanship.one of gold, which had the effect of inspiring love; the other of lead, which created aversion. taking aim at apollo, he pierced his breast with the golden shaft, whilst the leaden one he discharged into the bosom of the beautiful daphne. the son of leto instantly felt the most ardent affection for the nymph, who, on her part, evinced the greatest dislike towards her divine lover, and, at his approach, fled from him like a hunted deer. he called upon her in the most endearing accents to stay, but she still sped on, until at length, becoming faint with fatigue, and fearing that she was about to succumb, she called upon the gods to come to her aid. hardly had she uttered her prayer before a heavy

c powers, but her prophecies were never believed. for instance, she warned her brother paris that if he brought back a wife from greece he would cause the destruction of his father's house and kingdom; she also warned the trojans not to admit the wooden horse within the walls of the city, and foretold to agamemnon all the disasters which afterwards befell him. apollo afterwards married coronis, a nymph of larissa, and thought himself happy in the possession of her faithful love; but once more he was doomed to [76]disappointment, for one day his favourite bird, the crow, flew to him with the intelligence that his wife had transferred her affections to a youth of haemonia. apollo, page 82 burning with rage, instantly destroyed her with one of his death-bringing darts. too late he repented of

ius for music [81]when he sang to the sweet tones of his lyre, he charmed all nature, and summoned round him the wild beasts of the forests, who, under the influence of his music, became tame and gentle as lambs. the madly rushing torrents stopped their rapid course, and the very mountains and trees moved from their places at the sound of his entrancing melodies. orpheus became united to a lovely nymph named eurydice, the daughter of the sea-god nereus, whom he fondly loved. she was no less attached to him, and their married life was full of joy and happiness. but it was only short-lived; for aristaus,[31] the half-brother of orpheus, having fallen in love with the beautiful eurydice, forcibly endeavoured to take her from her husband, and as she fled across some fields to elude his pursuit

this sacrilegious attempt on the divine person of zeus, was severely chastised, and even beaten, by her enraged spouse, as a punishment for her rebellion and treachery, whilst poseidon was condemned, for the space of a whole year, to forego page 114 his dominion over the sea, and it was at this time that, in conjunction with apollo, he built for laomedon the walls of troy. poseidon married a sea-nymph named amphitrite, whom he wooed under the form of a dolphin. she afterwards became jealous of a beautiful maiden called scylla, who was beloved by poseidon, and in order to revenge herself she threw some herbs into a well where scylla was bathing, which had the effect of metamorphosing her into a monster of terrible aspect, having twelve feet, six heads with six long necks, and a voice which

upposition, that the god of fire must be busy at work with his men in the depths of the earth, and that the mighty flames which they beheld, issued in this manner from his subterranean forge. the chief representative of the cyclops was the man-eating monster polyphemus, described by homer as having been blinded page 115 and outwitted at last by odysseus. this monster fell in love with a beautiful nymph called galatea; but, as may be supposed, his addresses were not acceptable to the fair maiden, who rejected them in favour of a youth named acis, upon which polyphemus, with his usual barbarity, destroyed the life of his rival by throwing upon him a gigantic rock. the blood of the murdered acis, gushing out of the rock, formed a stream which still bears his name. triton, rhoda,[39] and benth

he is in full armour, her hair is dishevelled, and she bears a scourge in one hand, and a lance in the other. page 128 a temple was erected to her on the campus martius. before the entrance to this edifice stood a pillar, over which a spear was thrown when war was publicly declared [117] nike (victoria. nike, the goddess of victory, was the daughter of the titan pallas, and of styx, the presiding nymph of the river of that name in the lower world. in her statues, nike somewhat resembles athene, but may easily be recognized by her large, graceful wings and flowing drapery, which is negligently fastened on the right shoulder, and only partially conceals her lovely form. in her left hand, she holds aloft a crown of laurel, and in the right, a palm-branch. in ancient sculpture, nike is usually

ion, he encountered great opposition from lycurgus, king of thrace, and pentheus, king of thebes. the former, highly disapproving of the wild revels which attended the worship of the wine-god, drove away his attendants, the nymphs of nysa, from that sacred mountain, and so effectually intimidated dionysus, that he precipitated himself into the sea, where he was received into the arms of the ocean-nymph, thetis. but the impious king bitterly expiated his sacrilegious conduct. he was punished with the loss of his reason, and, during one of his mad paroxysms, killed his own son dryas, whom he mistook for a vine. pentheus, king of thebes, seeing his subjects so completely infatuated by the riotous worship of this new divinity, and fearing the demoralizing effects of the unseemly nocturnal orgi

dales. dryades, or tree nymphs. the tree nymphs partook of the distinguishing characteristics of the particular tree to whose life they were wedded, and were known collectively by the name of the dryades. the hamadryades, or oak nymphs, represent in their peculiar individuality the quiet, self-reliant power which appears to belong essentially to the grand and lordly king of the forest. the birch nymph is a melancholy maiden with floating hair, resembling the branches of the pale and fragile-looking tree which she inhabits. the beech nymph is strong and sturdy, full of life and joyousness, and appears to give promise of faithful love and undisturbed repose, whilst her rosy cheeks, deep brown eyes, and graceful form bespeak health, vigour, and vitality. the nymph of the linden tree is repre

epresented as a little coy maiden, whose short silver-gray dress reaches a little below the knee, and displays to advantage her delicately formed limbs. the sweet face, which is partly averted, reveals a pair of large blue eyes, which appear to look at you with wondering surprise and shy mistrust [169]her pale, golden hair is bound by the faintest streak of rose-coloured ribbon. page 196 the tree nymph, being wedded to the life of the tree she inhabited, ceased to exist when it was either felled, or so injured as to wither away and die. nymphs of the valleys and mountains. napaa and oreades. the napaa were the kind and gentle nymphs of the valleys and glens who appear in the train of artemis. they are represented as lovely maidens with short tunics, which, reaching only to the knee, do not

ch was dedicated to the winds, and on its sides were their various representations. the ruins of this temple are still to be seen. pan (faunus. page 199 pan was the god of fertility, and the special patron of shepherds and huntsmen; he presided over all rural occupations, was chief of the satyrs, and head of all rural divinities. according to the common belief, he was the son of hermes and a wood nymph, and came into the world with horns sprouting from his forehead, a goat's beard and a crooked nose, pointed ears, and page 200 the tail and feet of a goat, and presented altogether so repulsive [172]an appearance that, at the sight of him, his mother fled in dismay. hermes, however, took up his curious little offspring, wrapt him in a hare skin, and carried him in his arms to olympus. the gr

ally very noisy. he was a great lover of music, singing, dancing, and all pursuits which enhance the pleasures of life; and hence, in spite of his repulsive appearance, we see him surrounded with nymphs of the forests and dales, who love to dance round him to the cheerful music of his pipe, the syrinx. the myth concerning the origin of pan's pipe is as follows:.pan became enamoured of a beautiful nymph, called syrinx, who, appalled at his terrible appearance, fled from the pertinacious attentions of her unwelcome suitor. he pursued her to the banks of the river ladon, when, seeing his near approach, and feeling escape impossible, she called on the gods for assistance, who, in answer to her prayer, transformed her into a reed, just as pan was about to seize her. whilst the love-sick pan was

at lampsacus, his birthplace. asses were sacrificed to him, and he received the first-fruits of the fields and gardens, with a libation of milk and honey. the worship of priapus was introduced into rome at the same time as that of aphrodite, and was identified with a native italian divinity named mutunus. asclepias (asculapius. asclepias, the god of the healing art, was the son of apollo and the nymph coronis. he was educated by the noble centaur chiron, who instructed him in all knowledge, but more especially in that of the properties of herbs. asclepias searched out the hidden powers of plants, and discovered cures for the various diseases which afflict the human body. he brought his art to such perfection, that he not only succeeded in warding off death, but also restored the dead to l

d with their flocks, believing that this ordeal would purify them from sin. page 212 the name palatine, which originally signified a pastoral colony, is derived from this divinity. her offerings were cakes and milk [182] picus. picus, the son of saturn and father of faunus, was a woodland divinity, gifted with prophetic powers. an ancient myth relates that picus was a beautiful youth, united to a nymph called canens. the sorceress circe, infatuated by his beauty, endeavoured to secure his love, but he rejected her advances, and she, in revenge, changed him into a woodpecker, under which form he still retained his powers of prophecy. picus is represented as a youth, with a woodpecker perched upon his head, which bird became henceforth regarded as possessed of the power of prophecy. picumnus

complishing himself. he informed his nephew that the shade of phryxus had appeared to him in his dreams, and entreated him to bring back from colchis his mortal remains and the golden fleece; and added that if jason succeeded in obtaining for him these sacred relics, throne, kingdom, and sceptre should be his [215] story of the golden fleece. athamas, king of boeotia, had married nephele, a cloud-nymph, and their children were helle and phryxus. the restless and wandering nature of nephele, however, soon wearied her husband, who, being a mortal, had little sympathy with his ethereal consort; so he divorced her, and married the beautiful but wicked ino (sister of semele, who hated her step-children, and even planned their destruction. but the watchful nephele contrived to circumvent her cru

pitably received by the inhabitants, who spread before them plentiful banquets and sumptuously regaled them. while his friends were feasting, heracles, who had declined to join them, went into the forest to seek a fir-tree which he required for an oar, and was missed by his adopted son hylas, who set out to seek him. when the youth arrived at a spring, in the most secluded part of the forest, the nymph of the fountain was so struck by his beauty that she drew him down beneath the waters, and he was seen no more. polyphemus, one of the heroes, who happened to be also in the forest, heard his cry for help, and on meeting heracles informed him of the circumstance. they at once set out in search of the missing youth, no traces of whom were to be found, and whilst they were engaged looking for

the island of libibaon before the sirens could reach him, and there he remained for many years. and now the argonauts approached new dangers, for on one side of them seethed and foamed the whirlpool of charybdis, whilst on the other towered the mighty rock whence the monster scylla swooped down upon unfortunate mariners; but here the goddess hera came to their assistance, and sent to them the sea-nymph thetis, who guided them safely through these dangerous straits. the argo next arrived at the island of the phaaces, where they were hospitably entertained by king alcinous and his queen arete. but the banquet prepared for them by their kind host was unexpectedly interrupted by the appearance of a large army of colchians, sent by aetes to demand the restoration of his daughter. medea threw he

ence he was called alexander, or helper of men. it was about this time that he settled the famous dispute concerning the golden apple, thrown by the goddess of discord into the assembly of the gods. as we have already seen, he gave his decision in favour of aphrodite; thus creating for himself two implacable enemies, for hera and athene never forgave the slight. paris became united to a beautiful nymph named oenone, with whom he lived happily in the seclusion and tranquillity of a pastoral life; but to her deep grief this peaceful existence was not fated to be of long duration. hearing that some funereal games were about to be held in troy in honour of a departed relative of the king, paris resolved to visit the capital and take part in them himself. there he so greatly distinguished himse

ld be despatched to reconnoitre the country; and on lots being drawn by odysseus and eurylochus, it fell to the share of the latter to fill the office of conductor to the little band selected for this purpose. they soon came to a magnificent marble palace, which was situated in a charming and fertile valley. here [312]dwelt a beautiful enchantress called circe, daughter of the sun-god and the sea-nymph perse. the entrance to her abode was guarded by wolves and lions, who, however, to the great surprise of the strangers, were tame and harmless as lambs. these were, in fact, human beings who, by the wicked arts of the sorceress, had been thus transformed. from within they heard the enchanting voice of the goddess, who was singing a sweet melody as she sat at her work, weaving a web such as i

PHILIP NEIL MYTHS LEGENDS EXPLAINED

earch for the secret of everlasting life, the sumerian hero gilgamesh crosses the ocean of death in search of utnapishtim, the sole survivor of the great flood. but utnapishtim tells him: there is no permanence. do we build a house to stand for ever, do we seal a contract to hold for all time? do brothers divide an inheritance to keep for ever, does the flood-time of rivers endure? it is only the nymph of the dragonfly who sheds her larva and sees the sun in his glory. from the days of old there is no permanence. utnapishtim s lesson is repeated in a haunting little aztec poem, addressed perhaps to the lord of life quetzalcoatl, who descended to the underworld to restore humanity to life (see pp. 98 99: can it be true that one lives on earth? not forever on earth; only a little while here

odysseus (see pp. 64 65. persephone persephone was the daughter of demeter and zeus. she was seized by hades to be his bride in the underworld (see pp. 28 29. hestia hestia, zeus sister, was goddess of the hearth and a sworn virgin. she was more important to the romans than the greeks and was venerated as vesta, and served by the vestal virgins. gods of olympus athena athena, zeus daughter by the nymph metis, was goddess of war and wisdom. her approach was very different from that of the brutal war-god ares. she was born from zeus head and is usually shown wearing armour. ares ares, the god of war (see p. 27) was the only son of zeus and hera. his militant agression was often pitched against the strategy of athena (see above. aphrodite was his lover. zeus is the first, zeus is the last, th

tself this was represented by the god helios. hephaestus hephaestus, the lame blacksmith god (see pp. 26 27, was the son of hera produced without a mate, although some sources say that zeus was his father. he was married to aphrodite. pan the goat-god pan (see pp. 42 43, the son of hermes, was the god of pastures and wild places. he was very lustful and is typically shown, as here, carrying off a nymph. four winds the winds, zephyrus (see pp. 35 5, eurus, notus, and boreas (see p. 43) and the stars were the children of the titan astraeus, and eos, the dawn. hear us blessed goddess, beloved wife sister of zeus, goddess of the moon and stars, shine joy and peace upon us orphic hymn to hera the creation t he greeks had several creation myths. in one, euronyme, the goddess of all things, divid

water into clay; athena, the goddess of wisdom, breathed life into him. whereas the other animals hung their heads to look at the ground, prometheus stood man upright, his head held high with his gaze to the stars. chained to a rock by zeus, prometheus was doomed to 30,000 years of agony. he escaped the full term, however, by warning zeus of the oracle that foretold that any son borne to the sea nymph thetis, with whom zeus was in love, would be greater than his father (later, she married a mortal and gave birth to achilles, see p. 63) freed by heracles (see pp. 50 51, with zeus consent, prometheus joined the immortals on mount olympus by swapping his own mortality with the immortality of the centaur cheiron (see p. 39, who, accidentally wounded by heracles, was doomed to an eternity of s

in love hades carries persephone away. according to ovid s roman version of the story, aphrodite (venus) instructed eros (cupid) to pierce the underworld god with an arrow of desire for his niece, in order to demonstrate her power over the other gods. royal trident hades struck the ground with his trident to open up a way to the underworld, where he took persephone to be his queen. weeping water nymph when hades seized persephone, the nymph cyane rose from the lake and rebuked him but he ignored her. desolate, cyane wept so much that her blood turned to water, and she dissolved. when persephone s grieving mother demeter came looking for her, all the mute cyane could do was bear up persephone s lost girdle on the surface of the water. cerberus hades galloped over the fields, guarded by cer

rtist may also be referring here to the story of zeus taking the form of a snake and enveloping persephone in his coils. the rape of pers eph one by christoph schwartz (or shwarz (1545 92) the painting shows the early part of the story of persephone, when her uncle, hades, whisks her into his infernal chariot and carries her off to be his queen in the underworld. he ignores the pleas of the water nymph cyane, who sees what is happening and tries to stop him. chariot snake ornament the story of demeter t he daughter of cronos (saturn) and rhea (ops, demeter was sometimes portrayed with a horse s head. one of the olympians, she left olympus in despair when persephone disappeared. one day, she came to eleusis, near athens, where she stayed with the king and queen in the guise of an old nurse

nd eurydice 30 lord of the dead hades was made ruler of the dead when he and his brothers zeus and poseidon drew lots for the lordship of the sky, the sea, and the underworld. the earth was left as common territory, though hades rarely ventured there except when absolutely necessary as he did when he seized persephone to be his bride (see pp. 28 29. orpheus and eurydice orpheus was married to the nymph eurydice, whom he loved dearly. one day she was walking by the banks of a river when she met the shepherd aristaeus. amazed at her beauty, aristaeus immediately fell in love and pursued her through the countryside. eurydice fled, but as she ran, she stepped on a snake. the bite proved fatal. desolate at her loss, orpheus determined to journey into the underworld (from which no living mortal

he would not join in their revels. only his head survived this floated down the river hebrus singing, and was washed ashore on the island of lesbos, where it began to prophesy, until it was silenced by apollo. aristaeus, the shepherd who chased eurydice, was a son of apollo, and he taught mankind the art of beekeeping. for his part in eurydice s death, the gods destroyed his bees. his mother, the nymph cyrene, advised him to ask the advice of the sea god proteus. proteus told him to make offerings to the shade of eurydice; when he did so, the bees recovered and swarmed up. orpheus orpheus was revered as a great poet and musician the son of the muse calliope and the son or pupil of apollo. orpheus charmed all the nymphs with his music, but was indifferent to them until he met the lovely eur

suggests the drops of blood that fell to the ground as adonis lay dying, charged by a wild boar. where these drops fell, there sprang up blood-red anemone flowers. aphrodite wept as she clasped him in her arms. i shall sing of aphrodite, born on cyprus who brings sweet gifts to mortals and whose lovely face ever shines with a radiant smile. homeric hymn to aphrodite echo and narcissus echo was a nymph who, because she offended one of the gods, was doomed not to speak, except to repeat the last syllable of whatever had been said to her. some say that hera (juno) laid this curse on her, exasperated by her constant chatter; others that it was pan (see p. 42, annoyed by her cloying love. it was her misfortune to fall in love with narcissus, the beautiful son of the river cephissus and the nym

hile hunting in the forest, accidentally comes upon artemis and her nymphs bathing. the virgin goddess is horrified, tries to cover herself, and will avenge herself by turning actaeon into a stag to be hunted down and killed by his own hounds. crescent moon artemis wears a crescent-moon diadem in her hair, showing her also to be a moon goddess. callisto, tricked by zeus callisto, artemis favorite nymph, caught the eye of zeus, who seduced her disguised as artemis. artemis was furious when she learned of this and banished callisto, even though she had tried to resist zeus advances. shortly afterward, when callisto gave birth to a son, arco, zeus jealous wife, hera (juno, turned her into a bear and callisto fled. arco was rescued and 15 years later pursued and caught his mother during a hunt

ked them both up into the sky where they became the constellations of the great bear and arctophylax, or guardian of the bear. artemis and actaeon 37 sacred grotto artemis is seen bathing in her secret cave at the heart of the valley of gargaphie near thebes. she carved the arches from the living rock, and made the pool from a spring of pure water. daughter of the river artemis is attended by the nymph crocale whose father was ismenus, god of the river ismenus in boeotia, near thebes, and a son of apollo and the nereid, melia. as crocale binds her hair, artemis suddenly starts back in horror at the sight of actaeon. artemis maids of honor the six nymphs depicted here are crocale, nephele, hyale, rhanis, psecas, phiale just a handful of artemis huge retinue which included 60 ocean nymphs, w

h her cousin, artemis, and like her she is closely associated with the moon. in her triple aspect she is said to represent selene (luna) in heaven, artemis on earth, and persephone (proserpine) in the underworld (see pp. 28 29. apollo and daphne 38 apollo and daphne apollo, the god of archery, music, prophecy, and light, was very powerful, but not always successful in love. his first love was the nymph daphne, who refused him. apollo s fiery passion and daphne s cold resistance were both the fault of eros (roman cupid, who, angry at jokes apollo had made, shot him with a golden arrow to make him fall in love, and daphne with a leaden one so that she would reject him. apollo pursued daphne with loving entreaties, all of which she spurned, as far as the banks of the river peneus. here, just

ut zephyrus, the west wind, also wished to be hyacinthus friend, and in a fit of jealousy caused his death by blowing apollo s discus off course while the two were having a sporting match. the blue hyacinth flower appeared where the young man s blood fell. apollo and da phne by giovanni battista tiepolo (1696 1770) this painting shows the god apollo reaching out to clasp in his arms the reluctant nymph daphne. she has called to her father, the river god peneus, who answers her plea and is turning her into a laurel tree. eros hides behind daphne. daphne daphne rejected apollo when she was a nymph; as a tree she still trembled and shrank from his kisses and caresses. eros, god of love the god of sexual desire, eros, was often portrayed as a spiteful child, who delighted in causing mischief w

e, eros, was often portrayed as a spiteful child, who delighted in causing mischief with his arrows of desire. apollo apollo, his halo showing his role as the god of light, had special care for flocks and herds. this relates to his stint as a herdsman for king admetus work given to him by his father zeus as punishment for killing the cyclopes (see box below. 39 apollo and daphne daphne, the water nymph pursued by apollo, was also loved by a mortal, leucippus. leucippus followed her disguised as a maiden, but the jealous apollo advised the nymphs to bathe naked. when leucippus removed his clothes, his deception was discovered and the nymphs tore him to pieces. river god daphne s father listens to her desperate pleas and saves her. the oar and the overturned water urn are traditional symbols

ives a sign. apollo even the swan sings of you. as it lands upon the banks of the river peneus. the sweet-singing bard sings of you first and last with his high-tuned lyre. hail lord! hear my song. homeric hymn to apollo this greek votive relief dating from the 5th century bce shows a family sacrificing a bull to asclepius and his daughter hygeia. asclepius asclepius was the son of apollo and the nymph coronis. but coronis took a human lover, ischys, and, in a fit of anger, apollo killed her. he soon repented and told hermes (mercury) to rescue his unborn child from her womb. apollo then entrusted the child, asclepius, to cheiron (see box, who educated him, and he grew up to be the god of health and medicine. athena (minerva, also helped him by giving him two vials of blood from the medusa

lytus, theseus dead son (see p. 57, hades (pluto) the god of the underworld complained to zeus, who felled asclepius with a thunderbolt. apollo retaliated and killed the cyclopes (see p. 64) who had made the thunderbolt. zeus later restored asclepius to life. cheiron cheiron was the greatest of the centaurs, who were half-man, half-horse. he was the son of cronos (roman saturn, see p. 23) and the nymph philyra, to whom cronos had appeared as a horse. the other centaurs were descended from centaurus, a grandson of ares (mars, who mated with the mares on mount pelion. unlike the gentle and intelligent cheiron, the centaurs were uncivilized and brutish. apollo taught cheiron archery, medicine, and music; he, in turn, tutored apollo s son asclepius, as well as the hero jason and his own great

an, the god of wild and lonely places. goat-god here, pan plays a flute, rather than the pan pipes. this is another indication, coupled with the presence of athena, that the artist confused elements of the story of marsyas with that of pan. laurel wreath apollo is crowned with a wreath of wild laurel from parnassus. it signifies his mastery of the creative arts, and recalls his fated love for the nymph daphne, who was turned into a laurel tree (see pp. 38-39. god of music apollo, the god of music, played the lyre the stringed instrument invented for him by hermes (mercury, pan s father. it was played by either strumming or plucking with a plectrum. a whispered secret when apollo turned his ears into those of an ass, midas hid his shame under a turban. only his barber knew the truth. at las

d an expectation of good things. ass s ears midas was the only one to disagree with tmolus judgment; he preferred pan s simple flutings. apollo, enraged that anyone so stupid should be allowed to have human ears, transformed midas ears into those of an ass long, gray, and hairy. the creation of pan s pipes the story of pan s invention of the pan pipes from river reeds following his pursuit of the nymph syrinx is alluded to here. these two satyrs, also half-man, half-goat, sit by a clump of reeds on the banks of a river. the judgment of midas by gillis van coninxloo (1544 1607) this painting shows the end of apollo and pan s musical competition when apollo has already cursed midas with ass s ears. there are also references to other stories, including pan s invention of the pan pipes, and th

ial rites. these later became the roman lupercalia, a festival dedicated to the fertility god faunus. half-goat pan s goat-form inspired the conventional depiction of the christian devil; some writers see the devil-worship of the european witchcult as a continuation of the rites of pan. pan and syrinx by fran ois boucher (1703 70) this painting shows pan, who has fallen in love with the beautiful nymph syrinx, pursuing her to the banks of the river ladon. as he reaches to embrace her, she calls on the river goddess to help her to escape. hermes, messenger of the gods hermes was pan s father. a son of zeus by maia, the eldest of the pleiades, he helped zeus to woo the princess io by lulling the 100- eyed guard dog argus to sleep with the story of pan s pursuit of syrinx. the messenger of th

her, only to discover the couple had exchanged clothes in their loveplay and he was embracing hercules. hercules kicked pan out of bed and across the floor. caduceus, a messenger s emblem in ancient greece to ensure safe passage winged sandals for swift travel hermes hermes, shown here on a greek red-figure cup dating from the late 5th century bce, is depicted as an athletic young man. beautiful nymph syrinx was so beautiful that she was often mistaken for her mistress, the goddess artemis. the only way to tell them apart was that syrinx carried a bow made of horn and artemis one of gold. chaplet of fir pan wears a chaplet of fir on his head, a reference to pitys, a lover who was transformed into a fir tree. river goddess the river goddess heard syrinx s cries and came to her rescue. clas

hem apart was that syrinx carried a bow made of horn and artemis one of gold. chaplet of fir pan wears a chaplet of fir on his head, a reference to pitys, a lover who was transformed into a fir tree. river goddess the river goddess heard syrinx s cries and came to her rescue. clasping her in her arms, she transformed her into a clump of reeds, thus disappointing pan in his amorous pursuit. chaste nymph syrinx was a nymph of the virgin goddess artemis (diana, see pp. 36 37, who demanded chastity from her attendants. pursued by pan, she was run to ground on the banks of the river ladon, where, unable to escape and terrified of artemis fury, she called upon the river goddess to help her. the river ladon the river ladon is shown here as a nymph with a water jar. in some versions of the story

SCHLAGER NEIL WORLD RELIGIONS REFERENCE LIBRARY

p and experienced the twists and turns of fate. that man is odysseus, who has been away from his wife and his kingdom for many years. odysseus fought at troy for ten years before he began his long journey home. at the start of the odyssey, odysseus has spent seven years on the island of ogygia. there, odysseus, the only greek who has not yet returned home from the war, is being held by calypso, a nymph who has cast a spell over him because she wants odysseus as her husband. odysseus had angered the sea god poseidon (the brother of zeus, the king of the gods) by blinding polyphemus the cyclops, poseidon s son. poseidon was responsible for making odysseus s return home so difficult. at the same time odysseus s wife, penelope, is being courted at home in ithaca by a large number of suitors, w

erished, fools, who devoured the oxen of helios hyperion: but the god took from them their day of returning. of these things, goddess, daughter of zeus, whencesoever thou hast heard thereof, declare thou even unto us. now all the rest, as many as fled from sheer destruction, were at home, and had escaped both war and sea, but odysseus only, craving for his wife and for his homeward path, the lady nymph calypso held, that fair goddess, in her hollow caves, longing to have him for her lord. but when now the year had come in the courses of the seasons, wherein the gods had ordained that he should return home to ithaca, not even there was he quit of labours, not even among his own; but all the gods had pity on him save poseidon, who raged continually against godlike odysseus, till be came to h

of olympian zeus. then among them the father of gods and men began to speak, for he bethought him in his heart of noble aegisthus, whom the muse: a greek goddess who oversees art, song, poetry, and science. sacked: destroyed. citadel: fortress, castle. striving: trying with great effort. sore: greatly. devoured: consumed, ate. helios hyperion: the greek sun god. whencesoever: from whatever place. nymph: a woodland or water-dwelling goddess. ordained: decided. labours: burdens. howbeit: however. sundered: broken. twain: two. uttermost: greatest. hetacomb: sacrifice. bethought: thought. world religions: primary sources 77 the odyssey son of agamemnon, farfamed orestes, slew. thinking upon him he spake out among the immortals: lo you now, how vainly mortal men do blame the gods! for of us the

SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON ZANONI A ROSICRUCIAN TALE

umed. she was unconscious all the while of her own loveliness. she had thrown aside her hood and veil; her hair, somewhat disordered, fell over the ivory neck which the dress partially displayed; and as her dark eyes swam with grateful tears, and her cheek flushed with its late excitement, the god of light and music himself never, amidst his arcadian valleys, wooed, in his mortal guise, maiden or nymph more fair. zanoni gazed at her with a look in which admiration seemed not unmingled with compassion. he muttered a few words to himself, and then addressed her aloud "viola, i have saved you from a great peril; not from dishonour only, but perhaps from death. the prince di, under a weak despot and a venal administration, is a man above the law. he is capable of every crime; but amongst his p

of the same lamp, yet all may differ on the text, for the lamp only lights the characters, the mind must divine the meaning" the object of a parable is not that of a problem; it does not seek to convince, but to suggest. it takes the thought below the surface of the understanding to the deeper intelligence which the world rarely tasks. it is not sunlight on the water; it is a hymn chanted to the nymph who hearkens and awakes below "zanoni explained by" mejnour: contemplation of the actual, science. always old, and must last as long as the actual. less fallible than idealism, but less practically potent, from its ignorance of the human heart. zanoni: contemplation of the ideal, idealism. always necessarily sympathetic: lives by enjoyment; and is therefore typified by eternal youth("i do no

STEINER RUDOLF CHRISTIANITY AS MYSTICAL FACT

initiate he is still chasing illusions, from whose power he must break loose. odysseus has to accomplish the passage between scylla and charybdis the novice vacillates between spirit and sense, not yet able to realize the full value of the spiritual, though the sense-world has lost its former meaning. a shipwreck ends the lives of all odysseus companions; he alone escapes, being befriended by the nymph calypso who cares for him for seven years. eventually, at the behest of zeus, she permits him to return to his homeland. here the mystai attain to a level where all their fellow aspirants fall short, and only one, odysseus, is found worthy. the one who is worthy enjoys for a time seven years in accordance with the number-symbolism of the mysteries the tranquility of a gradual initiation-proc

THE KEY TO THE MYSTERIES

om the bank, and skims, singing, upon the joyous waves; the child wishes to follow it, he puts his hand upon the chain, he detaches the ring. antiquity divined the mystery of the attraction of death, and represented it in the fable of hylas. weary with a long voyage, hylas has arrived in a flowered, enamelled isle; he approaches a fountain to draw water; a gracious mirage smiles at him; he sees a nymph stretch out her arms to him, his own lose nerve, and cannot draw back the heavy jar; the fresh fragrance of the spring put him to sleep; the perfumes 120 of the bank intoxicate him. there he is, bent over the water like a narcissus whose stalk has been broken by a child at play; the full jar falls to the bottom, and hylas follows it; he dies, dreaming that nymphs caress him, and no longer he

THE STAR IN THE WEST BY CAPTAIN FULLER A CRITICAL ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY

first sight it may appear to the casual reader of this essay, that the superscription on its cover is both froward and perverse, and contrary to the sum of human experience. this however i trust he will find is not the case, and, as ianthe, will discover that after the mystic union has been consummated, the beautiful daughter of ligdus and telethusa was as acceptable a young husband as ever wooed nymph on the shaded slopes of ida. much has been written concerning stars, both terrestrial and celestial, and not a little regarding that capricious star which gleamed over the humble manger-bed of the son of man. dark seas of blood have long since lapped that star of the morning into the crimson oblivion of day, whose empurpled strife has also rumbled into the distance as the droning of some dro

whole face filled with fire and shapen as kisses. and those arms and kisses and mad movements of quick love burnt up his being, and his life was lost in woman fs love at last *the argonauts, vol. ii, p. 100. this was the love, or rather lust, of gthat filthy sorceress. h we are now rapidly approaching the realms of the abnormal; for good and evil are the toys of love as well as those of fate. the nymph and the satyr, the fair and the faulty alike are the guests of these amorous shades *mysteries: lyrical and dramatic, vol. i, p. 90. the virility of lust is vividly illustrated in gthe blood-lotus h: foam whips their reeking lips, and still the flower-witch nestles to my lips, twines her swart lissome legs and hips, half serpent and half devil, till my whole self seems to lie in her; her kis

various stages of illuminism, till he stands out from the illusions of his birth, and becomes one with that higher glow of glory in exalted states of ecstasy or samadhi *pentecost, vol. ii, p. 173. crowleyanity has now led us through the realms of sceptical idealism, in which rationalism has been found completely wanting as a constructive force, and through which we have travelled with satyr and nymph and many other profaners of the sanctuary. and, as of old, the scented courtezans revelled in the mysteries of eleusis, and the vine of iacchus was trampled by bacchic feet, so to-day we find once again the farces of aristophanes redacted on the grand stage of the world on which the great actors have played their part, and have retired behind the scenes. so once more, much to the joy of litt

THE SECRET RITUALS OF THE OTO

here are also loves of gods for nymphs, bacchus for the ariadne, zeus for io, pan for syrinx; there is no end of these. and satyrs, fawns, centaurs, dryads, a thousand gracious tribes, leap lightly and lustfully through their legends. again we have the loves of fairies for mankind, and the commerce of the beni elohim with the daughters of men; and yet again the marriage of orpheus with eurydice a nymph, and the fatal nets that laura, melusina, the sirens, lilith and many another cast for men. it is even said that to every neophyte of the order of a\a\ appeareth a demon in the form of a woman to pervert him; within our own knowledge have not less than nine brethren been utterly cast out thereby. there are also vain loves, as that of ixion for hera, of actaeon for artemis. consider of this

n conjugal union ratified by every god so firmly that death itself is the gate to its fullest and permanent enjoyment. and the soul is to beget itself as a child for a new incarnation upon the body of the great goddess. as it is written, so be it spoken unto you! o thou who hast formulated thy father and made fertile thy mother! ii. acceptance of the devotion of a lower or partial being such as a nymph or elemental in such wise that it is thereby redeemed and made a perfect soul through the death which it must pay as the price of union with man. iii. the deliberate and well-considered creation of new orders of being. x of great marriages file//c /documents%20and%20settings/michael..0secret%20rituals%20of%20the%20o.t.o/p3c2.html (6 of 12 [12/28/2001 2:05:25 pm] the secret rituals of the o.t

TWO ESSAYS ON THE WORSHIP OF PRIAPUS

the general active power of the deity, conducted by his two great attributes of creation and destruction. on the choragic monument of lysicrates at athens, bacchus is represented feeding a tiger; which shows the active power of generation feeding and nourishing the active power of destruction.3 on a beautiful cameo in the collection of the duke of marlborough, the tiger is sucking the breast of a nymph; which represents the same power of destruction, nourished by the passive power of generation. 4 in the museum of charles townley, esq, is a group, in 1 liv. i, c. 3. 2 table xliii, fig. 26. 3 stuart s athens, vol. i, c. 4, plate x. 4 see plate xviii, engraved merely to show the composition, it not being permitted to make an exact drawing of it. of priapus 75 marble, of three figures;1 the m

TYSON DONALD SOUL FLIGHT

ism, it was common for astral travelers to interact with all manner of strange and exotic spiritual beings. one of the most common types was the fairies. interactions with angels were also frequent. ritual magicians and witches sometimes projected into infernal realms and held commerce with spirits they believed to be demonic. mythic creatures such as the sphinx, harpie, satyr, centaur, and water nymph were also encountered on a regular basis, since greek mythology was a part of any classical education. expectation allowed astral travelers to reach the realms in which these creatures dwell and to interact with them. the general belief in the nineteenth century that these esoteric creatures do not exist was in large measure responsible for inhibiting spiritualists from reaching their realms

is completely human in appearance, the baby will be completely human also. marriages with spirits marriages between spirits and humans are possible. we know that they were recognized in ancient times, because records of these unions have been recorded in historical accounts and were regarded by the authors as factual. one of the most famous is the marriage between king numa of rome and the water nymph egeria, who dwelled in a spring within a sacred grove near the porta capena in the south wall of the old city of rome. the king went to her at night and received instruction in the making of religious laws, for which he was in later centuries renowned. although the satirist juvenal called egeria the king's mistress, others refer to her as his wife. the roman historian varro believed that the

WICCA EIGHT SABBATS OF WITCHCRAFT

ear into halves. halloween (also called samhain) is the celtic new year and is generally considered the more important of the two, though may day runs a close second. indeed, in some areas- notably wales- it is considered the great holiday. may day ushers in the fifth month of the modern calendar year, the month of may. this month is named in honor of the goddess maia, originally a greek mountain nymph, later identified as the most beautiful of the seven sisters, the pleiades. by zeus, she is also the mother of hermes, god of magic. maia's parents were atlas and pleione, a sea nymph. eight sabbats of witchcraft get any book for free on: www.abika.com 17 the old celtic name for may day is beltane (in its most popular anglicized form, which is derived from the irish gaelic 'bealtaine' or the

18276066 GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 1

ia, about whose name several inscriptions of like import^ remove all doubt; but the word has also given rise to forced and unsatisfying interpretations. in other inscriptions found on the lower part of the ehine there occur compounds, whose termination(-nehis -nchahus, dat. plurals fem) seems to contain the same word that forms the first half of nehalennia; their plural number appears to indicate nymphs rather than a goddess, yet there also hangs about them the notion of a mother [see ch. xyi, the walacliuriun. 3 (isis. the account in tacitus of the goddess isis carries us much farther, because it can be linked with living traditions of a cultus that still lingered in the mid. ages. immediately after mentioning tlie worship of j\iercurius, hercules, and mars, he adds (cap. 9: i'ars suevoru

perit spccum: easdem esse constabat, quae eum insecabili veste quondam donaverant. they now give him more counsel, and are called ityinpliac? 1 in the wallacliian marchen 201, three wood-wives bathing have tlieir crowns taken from them- sedete bellonae, descendite ad terram, nolite in silvam volire! tain memores estote i'ortnnae meae([uam est honiinum quililiet cibi atf^ne patriae. 3 three otjier nymphs appear directly alter, and prepare enchanted food lor balder with the spittle of snakes, p. 43. a 'femina silvestris et immanis' ia also mentioned by saxo p. 125. 432 wise women. this seems no modern distorted view, to imagine the maids of war, that dwelt in osin's heavenly company, that traversed air and flood, as likewise haunting the woodlaiid cave; therefore feaxo was right to call them

the great, seems to have made it doubtful whether berhta was charlemagne's mother or his great-grandmother] 436 wise women. ares; in 4, 440 and 5, 518 "epc^ dfiorov fie/xavta with ares, who is also followed by ae2fio; and ^6/3o (p. 207-8. and lastly, the charites are nearly allied; and there was supposed to be a special charis of victory. still nearer to our wood-wives stand particular classes of nymphs, especially those whom theocritus 5, 17 names ta9 xiixvdha^ vv^t^a, or those called vvfjic^at akolfirjroi, seivai deal dypolcota; 13, 44. the graceful myth of swan-wives appears indeed to be unknown to the greeks and romans, while we teutons have it in common with the celts; yet a trace of it remains in the story of zeus and leda (p. 338, and in the swan's prophetic song, as in the indian n

ABRAMELIN1

lar part of it which they direct. such races, superior to man in intuition, and magical powers; inferior to him in other ways; superior to him in their power in a particular current of an element; inferior to him in only partaking of the nature of that one element; are of necessity to be found constantly recurring in all the mythologies of antiquity. the dwarfs and elves of the scandinavians; the nymphs, hamadryads, and nature spirits of the greeks; the fairies good and bad of the legends dear to our childish days the host of mermaids, satyrs, fauns, sylphs, and fays; the forces intended to be attracted and propitiated by the fetishes of the negro-race; are for the most part no other thing than the ill-understood manifestations of this great class, the elementals. among these, some, as i h

ALEISTER CROWLEY LIBER 777

itches and wizards 13 lymphatic systems lemures, ghosts 14 genital system succubi 15 head and face mania, erinyes [euminides] 16 shoulders and arms gorgons, minotaurs 17 lungs ominous appearances, banshees 18 stomach vampires 19 heart horror, dragons 20 the back mermaids (and l, its zodiacal opposite, banshees 21 digestive system incubi, nightmares 22 liver fairies, harpies 23 organs of nutrition nymphs and undines, nereids &c. 24 intestines lami, stryges, witches 25 hips and thighs centaurs 26 genital system satyrs and fauns, panic-demons 27 muscular system furies, chim ras, boars (as in calydon &c. 28 kidneys, bladder &c. water nymphs, sirens, lorelei, mermaids (cf. f) 29 legs and feet phantoms, were-wolves 30 circulatory system will o the wisp 31 organs of circulation salamanders 32 exc

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

ma alpha-pi-omicron delta-epsilon-iotarho- alpha-delta-omicron-sigma phi-alpha-nu-eta-theta, omega theta-epsilon-omega-nu chi-omicron-rho-omicron-pi-omicron-iota alpha-nualpha- xi soph. aj. thrill with lissome lust of the light, o man! my man! come careering out of the night of pan! io pan! io pan! io pan! come over the sea from sicily and from arcady! roaming as bacchus, with fauns and pards and nymphs and satyrs for thy guards, on a milk-white ass, come over the sea to me, to me, come with apollo in bridal dress (shepherdess and pythoness) come with artemis, silken shod, and wash thy white thigh, beautiful god, in the moon of the woods, on the marble mount, the dimpled dawn of the amber fount! dip the purple of passionate prayer in the crimson shrine, the scarlet snare, the soul that sta

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 3

g an immense banquet in the first development of your intoxication. colours will take an unaccustomed energy and smite themselves within your brain with the intensity of triumph. delicate, mediocre, or even bad as they may be, the paintings upon the ceilings will clothe themselves with a tremendous life. the coarsest papers which 96 cover the walls of inns will open out like magnificent dioramas. nymphs with dazzling flesh will look at you with great eyes deeper and more limpid than are the sky and sea. characters of antiquity, draped in their priestly or soldierly costumes, will, by a single glance, exchange with you most solemn confidences. the snakiness of the lines is a definitely intelligible language where you read the sorrowing and the passion of their souls. nevertheless a mysterio

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 4 2

ette is eminently suited as a moral sedative for young girls when they reach sixteen or thereabouts and are beginning to wonder how they got into this funny world. 334 the devil "let us giggle" theodorus "hush, you have committed a horrible black magical act, you have slept with. leila["a creamy girl "good heavens, sir, i faint; call a policeman" theodorus "become acquainted with the queen of the nymphs. sister helen["nursing expert "a douche, smelling salts, eau de cologne, quinine" theodorus "from the abode of. brotherhood you are expelled["sobs, to the british museum you must go["snuffles, and read["pause 'the secret symbols of the rosicrucians" the devil "tut, tut. dear sisters, the train has stopped, we are at streatham hill- let us get out" alicia de gruys. on the loose. by george ra

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 4 3

k! the charger gains stride after stride with little pains upon the lumbering, flapping thing. he stabs the lamb, and splits the brains of that majestic-seeming king. he clips the wing and pares the claw- what turns to laughter all his joy, to wondering ribaldry his awe? the beast's a mere mechanic toy, fit to amuse an idle boy! 39 xv sir palamede the saracen hath come to an umbrageous land where nymphs abide, and pagan men. the gods are nigh, say they, at hand. how warm a throb from venus stirs the pulses of her worshippers! nor shall the tuscan god be found reluctant from the altar-stone: his perfume shall delight the ground, his presence to his hold be known in darkling grove and glimmering shrine- o ply the kiss and pour the wine! sir palamede is fairly come into a place of glowing bow

race! the dream breaks, and sir palamede wakes to the glass of his fool's face "ah 'sdeath (quod he "by thought and deed this brute for ever mocketh me. the lance is made a broken reed, the brain is but a barren tree- for all the beautiful design is but mine own geometry" with that his wrath brake out like wine. he plunged his body in, and shattered the whole delusion asinine. all the false water-nymphs that flattered he killed with his resounding curse- o fool of god! as if it mattered! so, nothing better, rather worse, out of the blue bliss of the pool came dripping that inveterate fool! 62 xxiii now still he holdeth argument "so grand a beast must house him well; hence, now beseemeth me frequent cathedral, palace, citadel" so, riding fast among the flowers far off, a gothic spire he spi

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 4

ecorded: may 4th. prithivi-apas.177 45 m. also went on an astral journey to japan. in which i found myself crossing great quantities of coral-pearl entangled with seaweed and shells. after having journeyed for some time i came to a spot where i saw the form of a king standing above that of venus who was surrounded by many mermaids; they all had the appearance of having just been frozen. above the nymphs bowing towards them were many pale yellow angels chained together, and amongst them stood archangels of a pale silver which flashed forth rays of gold. above all was the formless light. the archangels showed me curious types of horned beings riding along a circle in different directions. 5th. concentration on this resulted in many strange dreams. position 1.178 6th. concentration on 32 m. t

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 6

e; there is no sound in the nerveless silences of the fading world; there is a quiver of light on the river of life; we are unwed, my rose, nor knoweth each the other; we are undone, my rose, my secret rose, my unknown rose! and still the autumn woods are rustling dumbly with sodden leaves made brown by wind and rain; and the satyrs are fled under the earth to hide from the sunless world, and the nymphs are faded to air, to be reborn in the sun-light: there is no more joy, for mournfulness is fallen on the world, and decadence and decay and the odour of eld. 151 the spirit sleeps; the rose of the world is buried under the soil of every star that glows, a hanging lamp, under the firmament. there shall be no more roses, no more roses, until the spring of the stars shall fall on the world. th

ARADIA GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES

e sei la reginadei cacciatori regina delle notte,tu che sei la cacciatricepi potente di ogni,cacciator ti pregopensa un poco a noi!to diana.lovely goddess of the bow!lovely goddess of the arrows!of all hounds and of all huntingthou who wakest in starry heavenwhen the sun is sunk in slumberthou with moon upon they(sic) forehead,who the chase by night preferrestunto hunting in the daylight,with thy nymphs unto the musicof the horn thyself the huntress,and most powerful: i pray theethink, although but for an instant,upon us who pray unto thee! 24 then virgil taught them also the scongiurazioneor spell to be uttered when good fortune or aught isspecially required.the conjuration of diana.bella dea del arco del cielo!delle stelle e della luna!la regina pi potentedei cacciatori e della notte!a t

BLAVATSKY H P ANTHROPOGENESIS

sphere- is in reality the cosmic principle mahat, and the fifth human- manas in its dual aspect: as connected with buddhi; and as allowing himself to be dragged down by his kama-principle (the body of passions and desires. this is demonstrated by brahma telling the conquered god that his frequent defeats were due to karma, and were a punishment for his licentiousness, and the seduction of various nymphs. it is in this latter character that he seeks, to save himself from destruction, to destroy the coming "babe" destined to conquer him- the babe, of course, allegorizing the divine and steady will of the yogi- determined to resist all such temptations, and thus destroy the passions within his earthly personality. indra succeeds again, because flesh conquers spirit (diti is shown frustrated i

BLUE EQUINOX

es. love is the law, love under will. 5 hymn to pan .frix .rwti periarc j d nepi man. p n p n p n p n liplagkte, kullan.aj cionokt poi petra.aj p deir doj f nhq, qe n corop i nax .soph. aj. thrill with lissome lust of the light, o man! my man! come careering out of the night of pan! io pan! io pan! io pan! come over the sea from sicily and from arcady! roaming as bacchus, with fauns and pards and nymphs and satyrs for thy guards, on a milk-white ass, come over the sea to me, to me, come with apollo in bridal dress (shepherdess and pythoness) come with artemis, silken shod, and wash thy white thigh, beautiful god, in the moon of the woods, on the marble mount, the dimpled dawn of the amber fount! dip the purple of passionate prayer in the crimson shrine, the scarlet snare, the soul that sta

BOOK T

is horse's feet is the sea. from the cup issues a crab. book t page 6 of 26 http//www.private.org.il/gd/book-t.html 13/10/2002 graceful, poetic, venusian, indolent, but enthusiastic if roused. ill dignified, he is sensual, idle and untruthful. he rules the heavens from above 20 degree of aquarius to 20 degree of pisces, thus including the greater part of pegasus. fire of water king of undines and nymphs. x. the queen of the thrones of the waters queen of cups a very beautiful fair woman like a crowned queen, seated upon a throne, beneath which is flowing water wherein lotuses are seen. her general dress is similar to that of the queen of wands, but upon her crown, cuirass and buskins is seen an ibis with opened wings, and beside her is the same bird, whereon her hand rests. she holds a cup

e holds a lotus in the hand upon the ibis. she is imaginative, poetic, kind, yet not willing to take much trouble for another. coquettish, goodnatured and underneath a dreamy appearance. imagination stronger than feeling. very much affected by other influences, and therefore more dependent upon dignity than most symbols. she rules from 20 degree gemini to 20 degree cancer. water of water queen of nymphs or undines. xi. the prince of the chariot of the waters king of cups a winged kingly figure with winged crown seated in a chariot drawn by an eagle. on the wheel is the symbol of a scorpion. the eagle is borne as a crest on his crown, cuirass and buskins. general attire like king of wands. beneath his chariot is the calm and stagnant water of a lake. his armour resembles feathers more than

nt issues from the cup, and has its head tending down to the waters of the lake. he is subtle, violent, crafty and artistic; a fierce nature with calm exterior. powerful for good or evil but more attracted by the evil if allied with apparent power or wisdom. if ill dignified, he is intensely evil and merciless. he rules from 20 degree libra to 20 degree scorpio. air of water prince and emperor of nymphs or undines. xii. the princess of the waters; the lotus of the palace of the floods knave of cups a beautiful amazon-like figure, softer in nature than the princess of wands. her attire is similar. she stands on a sea with foaming spray. away to her right a dolphin. she wears as a crest a swan with opening wings. she bears in one hand a lotus, and in the other an open cup from which a turtle

ues. her mantle is lined with swans-down, and is of thin floating material. sweetness, poetry, gentleness and kindness. imaginative, dreamy, at times indolent, yet courageous if roused. when ill dignified she is selfish and luxurious. she rules a quadrant of the heavens around kether. earth of water book t page 7 of 26 http//www.private.org.il/gd/book-t.html 13/10/2002 princess and empress of the nymphs or undines throne of the ace of cups. xiii. the lord of the winds and the breezes; he king of the spirits of air knight of swords a winged warrior with crowned winged helmet, mounted upon a brown steed. his general equipment is as that of the knight of wands, but he wears as a crest a winged six-pointed star, similar to those represented on the heads of castor and pollux the dioscuri, the t

BUCKLAND RAYMOND COMPLETE BOOK OF WITCHCRAFT

most macho man has feminine aspects just as the most traditionally-feminine woman has male aspects. so it is "pan a greek nature and fertility deity, originally native to arcadia. as such he is god of goatherds and flocks and is usually represented as a very sensual creature; a shaggy human to the loins with pointed ears, goat's horns and legs. he wanders among the mountains and valleys, pursuing nymphs or leading them in their dances. he is quite musical and is the inventor of the syrinx, or 'pipes of pan. he is considered to be a son of hermes" putnam's concise mythological dictionary joseph kaster, putnam, ny 1963 lesson two: beliefs/ 15 with the deities. the god has feminine aspects as well as masculine, and the goddess has masculine as well as feminine. i will examine this in more det

CHYMICAL WEDDING OF CHRISTIAN ROSENKREUTZ

t joy though thousand generations come return into eternity. when they, with most admirable concert and melody, had finished this song, i no more wondered at ulysses for stopping the ears of his companions, for i seemed to myself the most unhappy man alive, because nature had not made me, too, so trim a creature. but the virgin soon dispatched them, and commanded us to set sail from there; so the nymphs went off too, after they had been presented with a long red scarf for a gratuity, and dispersed themselves in the sea. i was at this time aware that cupid began to work with me too, which yet tended by a very little towards my credit, and forasmuch as my giddiness is not likely to be beneficial to the reader, i am resolved to let it rest as it is. but this was the very wound that in the fir

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

ries about from one place to another to hide them from men. it is he who, with his companions gaziel and fecor, shakes the foundations of houses, raises the tempests, rings the bells at midnight, causes specters to appear, and inspires a thousand terrors. anathema the name was given by the ancients to certain classes of votive offerings, to the nets that the fisherman laid on the altar of the sea nymphs, to the mirror that lais consecrated to venus, and to offerings of vessels, garments, instruments, and various other articles. the word was also applied to the victim devoted to the infernal gods, and it is this sense that is found among jews and christians, referring either to the curse or its object. the man who is anathematized is denied communication with the faithful, and he is deliver

akis (or bacis) derived from a greek term for speaker, used as a general term for prophets and oracles in ancient greece from the eighth to sixth century b.c.e. there were three well-known oracles bearing that name who are mentioned by suidas, the first a boeotian, the second an arcadian, and the third an athenian. the most famous one was from boeotia and was supposed to have been inspired by the nymphs of the corycian caves. his bailey, e. h. encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. 146 oracular verses were said to have been impressively fulfilled. he is cited by herodotus and pausanias. balan according to johan weyer, a great and terrible demon monarch among the infernal powers. he has three heads, those of a bull, a man, and a ram. joined to these by the tail is a serpent, the

lock, first drafted in 1711, states, the rosicrucians are a people i must bring you acquainted with. the best account i know of them is in a french book call d le comte de gabalis, which both in its title and size is so like a novel, that many of the fair sex have read it for one by mistake. according to these gentlemen, the four elements are inhabited by spirits, which they call sylphs, gnomes, nymphs, and salamanders. they say, any mortals may enjoy the most intimate familiarities with these gentle spirits, upon a condition very easy to all true adepts, an inviolate preservation of chastity. the book is also cited by bulwer lytton (1803.1873) in his occult novel zanoni. sources: de villars, abbe. comte de gabalis. 1821. reprint, london: methuen, 1941. reprint, quakertown, pa: philosphic

: levi, eliphas. transcendental magic. london: redway, 1896. reprint, new york: samuel weiser, 1970. encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. elementals 489 elementary spirits the unseen entities said to inhabit the four elements; they are composed of the finest essence of each element. the creatures of the air are called sylphs; of the earth, gnomes; of fire, salamanders; and of water, nymphs or undines. the abbe de villars (1635.ca. 1673) is often cited as an authority on the subject, since he published a treatise entitled comte de gabalis (1670, from which a good deal of what follows is drawn. according to this work, before the fall, the creatures of the elements were subject to adam in all things. by means of certain performances this ancient communication may be restored, an

somewhat fierce in appearance, but really of a docile nature. they are interested in the sciences and are subtle. they are officious toward the sages and hostile toward the foolish and the ignorant. their wives and daughters are of a masculine type of beauty, such as that of the amazons. the seas and rivers are inhabited as well as the air, and the beings dwelling there are designated undines, or nymphs, by the sages. the female population much exceeds the male, the women being so exceedingly beautiful that among the daughters of men there is none to equal them. the earth is filled almost to the center with gnomes, beings of small stature that guard subterranean treasure, minerals, and precious stones. they are ingenious, friendly toward men, and easy to command. they provide the children

nd merlin, to mention a few.are declared to have been the children of elementary spirits. the salamanders, the comte de gabalis goes on to say, are composed of the most subtle particles of the sphere of fire, conglobated and organized by the action of the universal fire, so called because it is the principle of all the motions of nature. the sylphs are composed of the purest atoms of the air; the nymphs, of the most delicate particles of water; the gnomes, of the finest essence of earth. adam was in complete accord with these creatures because, being composed of that which was purest in the four elements, he contained in himself the perfections of these four species and was their natural king. but since by reason of his sin he was cast into the excrements of the elements, there no longer e

e of other elements, will become in a very short time a sovereign means of exalting the fire within us and make us, so to speak, of an igneous nature. thereafter, the creatures of the fire will become our inferiors, and, delighted at the restoration of mutual harmony between themselves and the human race, they will show toward man all the goodwill they have for their own kind. sylphs, gnomes, and nymphs are more familiar with humans than are the salamanders, on account of their shorter term of life, and it is therefore easier to get in touch with them. to restore its dominion over the sylphs, gnomes, or nymphs, the human race must close a glass full of air, earth, or water and expose it to the sun for a month, after which its various elements must be separated according to science. this pr

rking, good-tempered, and patient. anyone who would seek dominion over any of these must practice their virtues but carefully avoid their faults, thus conquering them, as it were, on their own ground. each species can dwell only in its own proper element. thus a sylph may not invade the sphere of a salamander, or vice versa, while both would be decidedly out of their element in the regions of the nymphs or the gnomes. four rulers have been set over the four species.gob, ruler of the gnomes; paralda, of the sylphs; djin, of the salamanders; and necksa, of the nymphs. the dwellers in each element are assigned a point of the compass, which is where their special kingdom lies. to the gnomes is given the north, to the salamanders, the south, to the sylphs, the east, and to the undines, the west

rmy of sorcerers and thought that they had come to poison the fruits and fountains. these unfortunate persons were thereupon put to death, along with many others suspected of ties to the sorcerers. the nature of these spirits was collated in the comte de gabalis with the oracles of antiquity, and even with the classic pantheons of greece and rome. pan, for example, was the first and oldest of the nymphs, and the news of his death, communicated by the people of the air to the inhabitants of the waters, was proclaimed by them in a voice that was heard sounding over all the rivers of italy. the great pan is dead! the scholar of occultism and mysticism a. e. waite considered the angels evoked in medieval magic, as well as the devils of the witchcraft sabbat, to be higher or lower elementals. o

n in bavaria. there he claimed to have encountered a sect of secret rosicrucians from whom he acquired many mystical insights. he was president of the theosophical society in germany for a brief period, but eventually resigned to found independent societies. during his later years he spent much time in the untersberg mountains near salzburg, austria, where he believed he encountered gnomes, water nymphs, and other nature spirits and also wrote his more memorable books. he died at kempten, bavaria, august 7, 1912. hart, hornell (norris) encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. 696 sources: hartmann, franz. an adventure among the rosicrucians. boston: occult publishing, 1887. in the pronaos of the temple of wisdom. london: theosophical society, 1890. reprint, chicago: aries press

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

, sowing, and bee-keeping. a deity presided over streets and highways; cloacina served as goddess of the sewers, while the lowly mephitis was the spirit of bad smells. spirits of evil, such as robigo, the spirit of mildew, also had to be propitiated by pacificatory rites. in rome there was an altar to fever and bad fortune. from the country came silvanus, god of farms and woods, and his fauns and nymphs with picus, the woodpecker god who fed the twins romulus and remus with berries. each deity or spirit possessed some influence, and had to be approached with proper rites. the names of these spirits were inscribed on tablets, indigitamenta, which were in the charge of the pontiffs (priests, who thus knew which spirit to evoke according to need. most of these spirits were animistic in origin

shing society, 1896. incidents in the life of madame blavatsky. london: george redway, 1886. the mahatma letters to a. p. sinnett. edited by a. t. barker. london: t. fisher unwin, 1924. the occult world. london: trubner, 1881. the occult world phenomena, and the society for psychical research. london: george redway, 1886. the rationale of mesmerism. boston: houghton, mifflin, 1892. sirens the sea nymphs of greek mythology whose hypnotically sweet song lured mariners to their deaths. the island of the sirens had a meadow strewn with the bones of the victims of these deadly nymphs. in homer s odyssey, odysseus has to steer his vessel past the island and takes the precaution of having his men fill their ears with wax to avoid hearing the siren song, while he himself is lashed to the vessel s

agittariae or belomancy, and the common casting of dice. the following are the more classical methods: sortes thriaecae, or thriaen lots, were chiefly used in greece; they were pebbles or counters distinguished by certain characters that were cast into an urn, and the first that came out was supposed to contain the right direction. this form of divination received its name from the thriaej, three nymphs supposed to have nursed apollo and to have invented this mode of predicting futurity. sortes viales, or street and road lots, were used both in greece and rome. the person that wanted to learn his fortune carried with him a certain number of lots, distinguished by several characters or inscriptions. walking to and fro in the public ways he asked the first boy whom he met to draw, and the in

ich man on the path of life can discern the true from the false and so direct his efforts correctly by means of the mental faculties which he has learned versailles adventure encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. 1634 to use. it is the antithesis of avidya (ignorance. both terms are borrowed from hindu religious philosophy. viedma a russian name for a witch (see slavs) vila vili were nymphs who frequented the forests at the bases of the eastern alps. according to popular belief, they could be seen traversing glades, mounted on stags, or driving from peak to peak on chariots of clouds. old serbian ballads tell how marko, the great hero of ancient serbia, was joined in a bond of brotherhood with a vila, who showed to him the secrets of the future. at that period, serbia was a mi

FAUST

pay no heed to any other. for all that we are not to blame; as we are patient, so be ye the same! giants the wild men of the woods- their name, in the hartz mountains known to fame. in nature s nakedness and might they come, each one of giant height, a fir tree s trunk in each right hand, around their loins a bulging band, apron of twigs and leaves uncouth; such guards the pope has not, in truth. nymphs in chorus [surrounding great pan. he s really here- of this world-sphere the all we fete in pan the great. ye gayest ones, surround him here, dance madly, hov ring round him here, for since he s solemn and yet kind, man s happiness he has in mind. even beneath the azure, vaulted roof he ever kept slumber far aloof; yet purling brooks seek him in quest and soft airs cradle him to rest. and w

ou here again? sphinxes yes! go and mingle with the airy train. we long ago are wont, from egypt coming here, to sit enthroned to the thousandth year. respect to our position you must pay. thus rule we lunar, rule we solar day. at the pyramids our station, we look on the doom of races, war and peace and inundation, with eternal changeless faces. by the lower peneus peneus surrounded by waters and nymphs. peneus wake and stir, ye whispering bushes, softly breathe, ye reeds and rushes, rustle, willows by the river, lisp, ye poplar sprays a-quiver, to my interrupted dream. fearful, stirring breezes wake me and mysterious tremors shake me from my rippling, restful stream. faust [stepping to the edge of the river. if i dare such fancies harbour, deep within the tangled arbour of these twigs and

y the river, lisp, ye poplar sprays a-quiver, to my interrupted dream. fearful, stirring breezes wake me and mysterious tremors shake me from my rippling, restful stream. faust [stepping to the edge of the river. if i dare such fancies harbour, deep within the tangled arbour of these twigs and bushes noises sounded as of human voices. wave doth seem a very chatter, zephyr sounds a jesting patter. nymphs [to faust. ah, best were it for thee to lie here, reviving in coolness thy members worn out by their striving, the rest thus enjoying that from thee doth flee; we ll rustle, we ll murmur, we ll whisper to thee. faust i am awake! oh, let them stay me, those peerless forms, and let them sway me as mine eye sees them in its quest. what thrills run through my every member! do i but dream? do i

mong them one seems peerless, in his self-love proud and fearless; through the throng he sails apace, swells his plumage like a pillow, he, a billow breasting billow, speeds on to the sacred place. the others to and fro, together, swim with unruffled, radiant feather, or soon in stirring, splendid fray seek to divert each timid beauty away from any thought of duty to save herself if save she may. nymphs sisters, hearken, lend a hearing at the river s verdant shore; if i err not, more and more sounds of horse s hoofs are nearing. would i knew who in swift flight brings a message to this night! faust i believe the earth s resounding to a steed that s hither bounding. turn there, my glance! a most auspicious chance, can it be hither faring? o marvel past comparing! a rider s trotting on towar

ps his scanty fare. springs leap and plunging brooks unite in revel; already gorges, slopes, and meads are green. upon a hundred hillsides broken level the moving, fleecy herds spread out are seen. with measured step, divided, steady, horned beasts draw near the dizzy ledge s fall, but shelter for them all is ever ready in hundred caves arched in the rocky wall. pan shields them there, enlivening nymphs are dwelling in bosky chasms moist, refreshened lee, and, yearningly toward higher regions swelling, aloft crowds branch-abounding tree on tree. primeval woods! the mighty oak is standing with branch on branch crooked wilfully and bowed; the gentle maple, with sweet juice expanding, shoots cleanly upward, playing with its load. and in that silent realm of shadows warm mother s milk for chil

FRANCIS A YATES GIORDANO BRUNO AND THE HERMETIC TRADITION

lind men" which is the conclusion 1 ibid, pt. i, dial. 4, and pt. ii, dial. 1 dial, ital, pp. 1010, 1094; williams, i, p. 96; i i, p. 30- ibid, pt. ii, dial. 4 dial, ital, p. 1164; williams, ii, pp. m- 1 2. 284 giordano bruno: heroic enthusiast and elizabethan and the culmination of the whole work' these nine blind men bewail their blindness in nine poems, and then, when a sacred urn is opened by nymphs, they receive their sight, and as nine illuminati, sing nine songs to the accompaniment of nine different instruments of music. beyond the obvious allusion to the nine spheres, there is in the nine illuminati, so bruno explains in the dedication to sidney,2 a reference to the "nine orders of spirits" of the christian theologians, that is, to the pseudo-dionysian celestial hierarchies. thus

s toto divisus ab orbe" that is in the british isles, described as situated "in the bosom of ocean, of amphitrite, of the divinity".2 in the actual description in the text of the vision in which the nine became illuminated, the connection with england and with elizabeth is made even more strikingly. when the nine, after all thenwanderings, come to the british isles they meet with "lovely graceful nymphs of father thames" of whom one is the chief, and it is in the presence of this one that the urn opens of its own accord, the vision is seen, the nine become the nine illuminati' it is clear that the one in whose presence the mystic truth unveils itself, is the unique diana, the amphitrite, in short, the "diva elizabetta (the suspicions of the inquisitors were justified about this, who thus b

e brought in the deus pater, the mens, dwelling in light inaccessible, but who could be seen in his shadows and vestiges, in the infinite universe and the innumerable worlds, and ending with the suggestion that it is here, in wittenberg, whither come all the nations of the world in search of truth, that the truth will be found.3 just as he had suggested in england, when the urn opened amongst the nymphs of thames, that perhaps here it would be found.4 in mocenigo's delation to the inquisition against bruno, he reports him as having said that he had intended to found a new sect under the name of philosophy.5 other informers made the same insinuation, adding that bruno had said that the sect was called the "giordanisti" and appealed particularly to the lutherans in germany.6 it has occurred

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

led it, and burned the sacred images.theartemisiawere the festivals of the greek artemis, who became at a later date the goddess diana of the romans. she was fabled to be a daughter of zeus, the king of gods, by latona, and was a sister of apollo, who was often considered to represent the sun, and so diana was called the goddess of the moon. diana was deemed to be a chaste maiden goddess, and her nymphs were vowed to modesty and abstinence from sexual love. she was famous as devoted to hunting, and alsotomusic and the dance. she was mistress of the animal world, guardian of youth, patroness of temperance, and preserver of civil rights. the artemisia were mystic festivals, held each spring in many districts of greece, as at delphi, syracuse, cyrene and ephesus. theelapheboliawas also a fest

GLOBAL FREEMASONRY

ks assembled on all solemn occasions, the more secret rites were performed and libations poured forth in much pomp to the bona dea" sir robert walpole's son horace, one of dashwood's political enemies and certainly a stranger to the abbey, mocked "whatever their doctrines were, their practice was rigorously pagan: bacchus and venus were the deities to whom they almost publicly sacrificed; and the nymphs and the hogsheads that were laid in against the festivals of this new church, sufficiently informed the neighbourhood of the complexion of those hermits" the membership roll of the medmenham monks no longer exists, if it ever did, but the names most reliably associated with the group include dashwood's brother, john dashwood-king; john montagu, earl of sandwich; john wilkes; george bubb dod

GRIMM TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 2 1883 COMPLETE

elanus, lacum habens magnum. ad quern certo ternpore multitude rusticorum, quasi libamina lacui illi exubens, 1 sup. i, 342: the lazy maid, on carrying home her first grass, is ducked or splashed, to prevent her going to sleep over grass-cutting. 2 the spirits cannot abide spitting (p. 514. 3 villoison in maltebrun, annales de voy. 2, 180. artemidorus s oneirocrit. 2 27 (reiff 1, 189) admits well-nymphs: vt^ai re yap dvw iv r fotari. fauriel: rb aroleibv tov holy watees. lakes. 597 linteamina projiciebat ac pannos qui ad usum vestimenti virilis praebentur: nonnulli lanae vellera, plurimi etiam formas casei l ac cerae vel panis, diversasque species unusquisque juxta vires suas, quae dinumerare perlongum puto. veniebant autem cum plaustris potum cibumque deferentes, madantes animalia et per

600 elements. the greeks and romans personified their rivers into male beings; a bearded old man pours the flowing spring out of his urn (pp. 585. 593. homer finely pictures the elemental strife between water and fire in the battle of the skamander with hephaestus: the river is a god, and is called ava%y od. 5, 445. 451. the indian ganges too is an august deity. smaller streams and fountains had nymphs set over them. 1 in our language, most of the rivers names are feminine (gramm. 3, 384-6, there must therefore have been female watersprites. twelve or eighteen streams are specified by name in seem. 43b. sn. 4. i single out leiptr, by whose clear water, as by styx or acheron, oaths were sworn. seem. 165a: at eno liosa leiptrar vatni/ a dabmon of the ehine is nowhere named in our native tra

HELENA BLAVATSKY NIGHTMARE TALES

ly gave up his practical studies in the occult, and from that day, though asdevoted as ever in thought to the beautiful grecian gods, he surrendered himself entirely to his art. of hisclassic studies he had retained only that which related to the muses- euterpe especially, at whose altar heworshipped- and orpheus whose magic lyre he tried to emulate with his violin. except his dreamy belief inthe nymphs and the sirens, on account probably of the double relationship of the latter to the muses, throughcalliope and orpheus, he was interested but little in the matters of this sublunary world. all his aspirationsmounted, like incense, with the wave of the heavenly harmony that he drew from his instrument, to a higherand a nobler sphere. he dreamed awake, and lived a real though an enchanted lif

ightmare talesthe ensouled violin63 from parnassus; but, as an alchemist transmutes lead into gold, so he transformed everything on his way intoa song of hesiod or anacreon. every evening, while fiddling for his supper and bed, whether on a green lawnor in the hall of a rustic inn, his fancy changed the whole scene for him. village swains and maidens becametransfigured into arcadian shepherds and nymphs. the sand-covered floor was now a green sward; theuncouth couples spinning round in a measured waltz with the wild grace of tamed bears became priests andpriestesses of terpsichore; the bulky, cherry-cheeked and blue-eyed daughters of rural germany were thehesperides circling round the trees laden with the golden apples. nor did the melodious strains of thearcadian demigods piping on their

HP LOVECRAFT POETRY AND THE GODS

t these hath apollo crowned, and these have i set in places apart, as mortals who have spoken the language of the gods. long have we dreamed in lotosgardens beyond the west, and spoken only through our dreams; but the time approaches when our voices shall not be silent. it is a time of awakening and change. once more hath phaeton ridden low, searing the fields and drying the streams. in gaul lone nymphs with disordered hair weep beside fountains that are no more, and pine over rivers turned red with the blood of mortals. ares and his train have gone forth with the madness of gods and have returned deimos and phobos glutted with unnatural delight. tellus moons with grief, and the faces of men are as the faces of erinyes, even as when astraea fled to the skies, and the waves of our bidding e

INITIATION INTO HERMETICS

for the deeper he penetrates into god s workshop, the more humble and receptive he will become. the first task that the magician is facing in the tenth step is to win his way to the knowledge of the sphere of the elements. with his mental body he will visit the different spheres of the elements, transfer himself to the kingdom of the gnomes, or earth-sprites, afterward to the kingdom of the water nymphs. he gets to know the kingdom of the fairies and finally that of the salamanders, the so-called kingdom of fire. to a non-magician all this will be rubbish and he will regard it as a utopian idea. but neither fairy tales nor sagas exist for the true adept, because they are to be understood as a sort of symbolism concealing many deep truths. it is the same thing with all the gnomes, nymphs, f

are different groups of intelligences among the earth sprites in the world of the gnomes. he will meet gnomes who are able to give him a lecture on alchemy. when at last the magician feels quite at home in the kingdom of gnomes, and when he has made all the experiments that these beings were able to teach him, then he is allowed to visit the kingdom next to it, namely that of the water sprites or nymphs. in the very same way he may look for a water sprite in his magic mirror, and he will find that there exists a significant likeness to a human being. there is hardly any difference to be noticed in shape or size. usually the water sprites, called nixies, mermaids, or nymphs, are very attractive females although there are male water sprites or mermen too. as for visits to the kingdom of wate

ISIS UNVEILED

is the genins who called the world into existence* out of the 'dark water' say the nazarenes; and bicbardson's persian, arabic, and english lexicon asserts that the word bahdk means 'raining" but the bahak-zieo of the nazarenes cannot be traced so easily to bacchus, who "was the rain-god" for the nazara were the greatest opponents of bacchus- worship" bacchus is brought up by the hyodes, the rain-nymphs" saya preller* and dunlap ahows furthermore* that at the conclusion of the religious mysteries the priests baptized (washed) their monuments and anointed them with oil. ah this is but a very indirect proof "die jordan baptism need not be shown a substitution for the exoteric bacchic rites and the ubations in honor of adonis or adoni whom the nazarenes ab- horred in order to prove them [the

K AMBER THE BASICS OF MAGICK

pentacles north uriel water cups west gabriel fire wands south michael air swords east raphael elementals the magical elements are said to be peopled by spirits and mythological entities called elementals or nature spirits. these are grouped into four main categories- gnome (earth) undine (water) salamander (fire) sylph (air) the basics of magick get any book for free on: www.abika.com 14= dwarfs nymphs jin (genies) fairies elves tritons storm angels brownies mermaids hobgoblins mermen lepricauns sirens harpies elementals are usually only visible to those with clairvoyant sight and are more likely to be seen at night in the mountains or country away from cities- especially if you are tired or sleepy. although elementals exist naturally, it is also possible to create one which will exist fo

LEWIS JAMES SATANISM TODAY AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION FOLKLORE AND POPULAR CULTURE

m appolion has also been used to mean hell itself as a place. see also demons; satan for further reading: godwin,malcolm. angels: an endangered species. new york: simon and schuster, 1990. ronner, john. know your angels. murfreesboro, tn: mamre, 1993. apsaras apsaras, a word derived from the sanskrit ap, which means water, refers to a form of spiritual being found in hinduism and buddhism. as the nymphs of south asia, they are best known for their inordinate interest in sex. they are said to reside alternately in the sky or in trees. the mistresses of the gandharvas, they are shapeshifters who are fond of bathing. the apsaras are also singers and dancing girls. alternately, in the vedas, the most ancient religious texts of hinduism, the apsaras performed the role of valkyries, escorting th

he incubi could impregnate mortal women, and that succubi could become pregnant by mortal men. it was, for instance, rumored that merlin the magician was the offspring of such a union. this notion of semidemonic children was useful for explaining such phenomena as deformed babies. incubi were sometimes referred to as demon lovers. also, some writers asserted that succubi were the same as the wood nymphs of european folklore. mortals who willingly responded to the seductive wiles of these beings risked damnation. a papal bull issued by pope innocent viii in 1484, for instance, asserted that: many persons of both sexes, forgetful of their own salvation, have abused incubi and succubi (kramer and sprenger 1970 [1486, xliii xlv. some of the church fathers, such as st. anthony, asserted that de

LIBER 141

a loose page in the japanese vellum bound note-book in which de arte magica was written) man is god therefore can create spirits by ceremonial masturbation on talismans as god first did. to be done peri ton broton tais abrotais erotos "o thou who hast formulated thy father and made fertile thy mother" 1. great adepts babalon- nuit. 2. isis- venus- aphrodite- astarte. 3. artemis- vesta- maria. 4. nymphs. in all cases death to be entrance into copulation, begetting yourself on them for new incarnation. woman adepts use corresponding male goou: liber 777 vel p rolegomena s y m b o l i c a ad s y s t e m am sceptico-mystic vi explicand fundamentum hieroglyphicum sanctissimorum scient summ v a\a\ publication in class b i 777 the following is an attempt to systematise alike the data of mysticis

LIBER 777

itches and wizards 13 lymphatic systems lemures, ghosts 14 genital system succubi 15 head and face mania, erinyes [euminides] 16 shoulders and arms gorgons, minotaurs 17 lungs ominous appearances, banshees 18 stomach vampires 19 heart horror, dragons 20 the back mermaids (and l, its zodiacal opposite, banshees 21 digestive system incubi, nightmares 22 liver fairies, harpies 23 organs of nutrition nymphs and undines, nereids &c. 24 intestines lami, stryges, witches 25 hips and thighs centaurs 26 genital system satyrs and fauns, panic-demons 27 muscular system furies, chim ras, boars (as in calydon &c. 28 kidneys, bladder &c. water nymphs, sirens, lorelei, mermaids (cf. f) 29 legs and feet phantoms, were-wolves 30 circulatory system will o the wisp 31 organs of circulation salamanders 32 exc

LIBER CXCVII STORY OF SIR PALAMEDES

k! the charger gains stride after stride with little pains upon the lumbering, flapping thing. he stabs the lamb, and splits the brains of that majestic-seeming king. he clips the wing and pares the claw. what turns to laughter all his joy, to wondering ribaldry his awe? the beast.s a mere mechanic toy, fit to amuse an idle boy! 33 xv sir palamede the saracen hath come to an umbrageous land where nymphs abide, and pagan men. the gods are nigh, say they, at hand. how warm a throb from venus stirs the pulses of her worshippers! nor shall the tuscan god be found reluctant from the altar-stone: his perfume shall delight the ground, his presence to his hold be known in darkling grove and glimmering shrine. o ply the kiss and pour the wine! sir palamede is fairly come into a place of glowing bow

ace! the dream breaks, and sir palamede wakes to the glass of his fool fs face .ah .sdeath (quod he .by thought and deed this brute for ever mocketh me. the lance is made a broken reed, the brain is but a barren tree. for all the beautiful design is but mine own geometry. with that his wrath brake out like wine. he plunged his body in, and shattered the whole delusion asinine. all the false water-nymphs that flattered he killed with his resounding curse. o fool of god! as if it mattered! so, nothing better, rather worse, out of the blue bliss of the pool came dripping that inveterate fool! 55 xxiii now still he holdeth argument .so grand a beast must house him well; hence, now beseemeth me frequent cathedral, palace, citadel. so, riding fast among the flowers far off, a gothic spire he spi

LIBER LIBERI VEL LAPIDIS LAZULI

or our red powder of projection is beyond all possibilities. 40. there are few men; there are enough. 41. we shall be full of cup-bearers, and the wine is not stinted. 42. o dear my god! what a feast thou hast provided. 43. behold the lights and the flowers and the maidens! 44. taste of the wines and the cates and the splendid meats! 45. breathe in perfumes and the clouds of little gods like wood-nymphs that inhabit the nostrils! 46. feel with your whole body the glorious smoothness of the marble coolth and the generous warmth of the sun and the slaves! 47. let the invisible inform all the devouring light of its disruptive vigour! 48. yea! all the world is split apart, as an old grey tree by the lightning! 49. come, o ye gods, and let us feast. 26 liber liberi vel lapidis lazuli 50. thou

LIBER LXXVIII

ns is a peacock with opened wings. he holds a cup in his hand, bearing the sigil of the scale. beneath his horse's feet is the sea. from the cup issues a crab. graceful, poetic, venusian, indolent, but enthusiastic if roused. ill dignified, he is sensual, idle and untruthful. he rules the heavens from above 20 of k to 20 of l, thus including the greater part of pegasus. b of c king of undines and nymphs. 16 liber lxxviii x the queen of the thrones of the waters queen of cups a very beautiful fair woman like a crowned queen, seated upon a throne, beneath which is flowing water wherein lotuses are seen. her general dress is similar to that of the queen of wands, but upon her crown, cuirass and buskins is seen an ibis with opened wings, and beside her is the same bird, whereon her hand rests

issues. her face is dreamy. she holds a lotus in the hand upon the ibis. she is imaginative, poetic, kind, yet not willing to take much trouble for another. coquettish, good-natured and underneath a dreamy appearance. imagination stronger than feeling. very much affected by other influences, and therefore more dependent upon dignity than most symbols. she rules from 20 c to 20 d. c of c queen of nymphs or undines. xi the prince of the chariot of the waters king of cups a winged kingly figure with winged crown seated in a chariot drawn by an eagle. on the wheel is the symbol of a scorpion. the eagle is borne as a crest on his crown, cuirass and buskins. general attire like king of wands. beneath his chariot is the calm and stagnant water of a lake. his armour resembles feathers more than s

om the cup, and has its head tending down to the waters of the lake. he is subtle, violent, crafty and artistic; a fierce nature with calm exterior. powerful for good or evil but more attracted by the a description of the cards of the taro 17 evil if allied with apparent power or wisdom. if ill dignified, he is intensely evil and merciless. he rules from 20 g to 20 h. d of c prince and emperor of nymphs or undines. xii the princess of the waters; the lotus of the palace of the floods knave of cups a beautiful amazon-like figure, softer in nature than the princess of wands. her attire is similar. she stands on a sea with foaming spray. away to her right a dolphin. she wears as a crest a swan with opening wings. she bears in one hand a lotus, and in the other an open cup from which a turtle

bears in one hand a lotus, and in the other an open cup from which a turtle issues. her mantle is lined with swansdown, and is of thin floating material. sweetness, poetry, gentleness and kindness. imaginative, dreamy, at times indolent, yet courageous if roused. when ill dignified she is selfish and luxurious. she rules a quadrant of the heavens around kether. e of c princess and empress of the nymphs or undines throne of the ace of cups. xiii the lord of the winds and the breezes: the king of the spirits of air knight of swords a winged warrior with crowned winged helmet, mounted upon a brown steed. his general equipment is as that of the knight of wands, but he wears as a crest a winged six-pointed 18 liber lxxviii star, similar to those represented on the heads of castor and pollux th

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

t warfare between good and evil and the final triumph of the former, the immortality of the soul, the last judgment, the resurrection of the flesh and the fiery destruction of the universe-[these] are some of the resemblances which, whether real or only apparent, enabled mithraism to prolong its resistance to christianity" the rites of mithras were performed in caves. porphyry, in his cave of the nymphs, states that zarathustra (zoroaster) was the first to consecrate a cave to the worship of god, because a cavern was symbolic of the earth, or the lower world of darkness. john p. lundy, in his monumental christianity, describes the cave of mithras as follows "but this cave was adorned with the signs of the zodiac, cancer and capricorn. the summer and winter solstices were chiefly conspicuou

erning the worship of the feminine or maternal principle, richard payne knight writes "by attracting or heaving the waters of the ocean, she naturally appeared to be the sovereign of humidity; and by seeming to operate so powerfully upon the constitutions of women, she equally appeared to be the patroness and regulatress of nutrition and passive generation: whence she is said to have received her nymphs, or subordinate personifications, from the ocean; and is often represented by the symbol of the sea crab, an animal that has the property of spontaneously detaching from its own body any limb that has been hurt or mutilated, and reproducing another in its place (the symbolical language of ancient art and mythology) this water sign, being symbolic of the maternal principle of nature, and rec

rn with a perpetual flame and you may set this lamp in any place where you please" the greek oracles the worship of apollo included the establishment and maintenance of places of prophecy by means of which the gods could communicate with mankind and reveal futurity to such as deserved the boon. the early history of greece abounds with accounts of talking trees, rivers, statues, and caves in which nymphs, dryads, or d mons had taken up their abodes and from which they delivered oracles. while christian authors have tried to prove that oracular revelations were delivered by the devil for the purpose of misleading humanity, they have not dared to attack the theory of oracles, because of the repeated reference to it in their own sacred writings. if the onyx stones on the shoulders of israel's

owered his feet into the cavern. thereupon his entire body was precipitately click to enlarge the dodonean jupiter. from historia deorum fatidicorum. jupiter was called dodonean after the city of dodona in epirus. near this city was a hill thickly covered with oak trees which from the most ancient times had been sacred to jupiter. the grove was further venerated because dryads, fauns, satyrs, and nymphs were believed to dwell in its depths. from the ancient oaks and beeches were hung many chains of tiny bronze bells which tinkled day and night as the wind swayed the branches. some assert that the celebrated talking dove of dodona was in reality a woman, because in thessaly both prophetesses and doves were called peleiadas. it is supposed that the first temple of dodona was erected by deuca

eally living entities, many resembling human beings in shape, and inhabiting worlds of their own, unknown to man because his undeveloped senses were incapable of functioning beyond the limitations of the grosser elements. the civilizations of greece, rome, egypt, china, and india believed implicitly in satyrs, sprites, and goblins. they peopled the sea with mermaids, the rivers and fountains with nymphs, the air with fairies, the fire with lares and penates, and the earth with fauns, dryads, and hamadryads. these nature spirits were held in the highest esteem, and propitiatory offerings were made to them. occasionally, as the result of atmospheric conditions or the peculiar sensitiveness of the devotee, they became visible. many authors wrote concerning them in terms which signify that the

the air. they are the highest of all the elementals, their native element being the highest in vibratory rate. they live hundreds of years, often attaining to a thousand years and never seeming to grow old. the leader of the sylphs is called paralda, who is said to dwell on the highest mountain of the earth. the female sylphs were called sylphids. it is believed that the sylphs, salamanders, and nymphs had much to do with the oracles of the ancients; that in fact they were the ones who spoke from the depths of the earth and from the air above. the sylphs sometimes assume human form, but apparently for only short periods of time. their size varies, but in the majority of cases they are no larger than human beings and often considerably smaller. it is said that the sylphs have accepted huma

ourney with her to the tower of olympus, where the medicines necessary to the resurrection of the six royal persons could alone be found. c.r.c. and his companions followed virgo lucifera to the seashore, where all embarked on seven ships disposed according to a certain strange order. as the ships sailed across the lake and through a narrow channel into the open sea, they were attended by sirens, nymphs, and sea goddesses, who in honor of the wedding presented a great and beautiful pearl to the royal couple. when the ships came in sight of the tower of olympus, virgo lucifera ordered the discharge of cannon to signal their approach. immediately a white flag appeared upon the tower and a small gilded pinnace, containing an ancient man--the warden of the tower--with his white-clad guards cam

jupiter lightning, the heaven, the sun, or the moon: for these are gods whose semblances and manifestations we behold before our very eyes in the sky when it is cloudless and bright. the temples of minerva, mars, and hercules will be doric, since the virile strength of these gods makes daintiness entirely inappropriate to their houses. in temples to venus, flora, proserpine, spring-water, and the nymphs, the corinthian order will be found to have peculiar significance, because these are delicate divinities and so its rather slender outlines, its flowers, leaves, and ornamental volutes will lend propriety where it is due. the construction of temples of the ionic order to juno, diana, father bacchus, and the other gods of that kind, will be in keeping with the middle position which they hold

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS E

, dethroned his father cronus, became supreme god in his stead, and was universally venerated as the great national god of the greeks. page 14 page 15 anxious to preserve the secret of his existence from cronus, rhea sent the infant zeus secretly to crete, where he was nourished, protected, and educated. a sacred goat, called amalthea, supplied the place of his mother, by providing him with milk; nymphs, called melissae, fed him with honey, and eagles and doves brought him nectar and ambrosia.[4] he was kept concealed in a cave in the heart of mount ida, and the curetes, or priests of rhea, by beating their shields together, kept up a constant noise at the entrance, which drowned the cries of the child and frightened away all intruders. under the watchful care of the nymphs the infant zeus

may have suggested the idea that it was able to contemplate the splendour of divine majesty unshrinkingly. the oak-tree, and also the summits of mountains, were sacred to zeus. his sacrifices consisted of white bulls, cows, and goats. zeus had seven immortal wives, whose names were metis, themis, eurynome, demeter, mnemosyne, leto, and hera. metis, his first wife, was one of the oceanides or sea-nymphs. she was the personification of prudence and wisdom, a convincing proof of which she displayed in her successful administration of the potion which caused cronus to yield up his children. she was endowed with the gift of prophecy, and foretold to zeus that one of their children would gain ascendency over [31]him. in order, therefore, to avert the possibility of the prediction being fulfille

with which her brows are also garlanded, though sometimes she merely wears a simple riband in her hair. demeter, as the wife of zeus, became the mother of persephone (proserpine, to whom she was so tenderly attached that her whole life was bound up in her, and she knew no happiness except in her society. one day, however, whilst persephone was gathering flowers in a meadow, attended by the ocean-nymphs, she saw to her surprise a beautiful narcissus, from the stem of which sprang forth a hundred blossoms. drawing near to examine this lovely flower, whose exquisite scent perfumed the air, she stooped down to gather it, suspecting no evil, when a yawning abyss opened at her feet, and aides, the grim ruler of the lower world, appeared from its depths, seated in his dazzling chariot drawn by f

dure, and greeted this fairest of all created beings with a glad smile of friendly welcome. here she was received by the seasons, who decked her with garments of immortal fabric, encircling her fair brow with a wreath of purest gold, whilst from her ears depended costly rings, and a glittering chain embraced her swan-like throat. and now, arrayed in all the panoply of her irresistible charms, the nymphs escort her to the dazzling halls of olympus, where she is received with ecstatic enthusiasm by the admiring gods and goddesses. the gods all vied with each other in aspiring to the honour of her hand, but hephastus became the envied possessor of this lovely being, who, however, proved as faithless as she was beautiful, and caused her husband much unhappiness, owing to the preference she sho

combined with the dignity of a goddess; the drapery falls in careless folds from the waist downwards, and her whole attitude is the embodiment of all that is graceful and lovely in womanhood. she is of medium height, and the form is perfect in its symmetry and faultless proportions. aphrodite is also frequently represented in the act of confining her dripping locks in a knot, whilst her attendant nymphs envelop her in a gauzy veil. the animals sacred to her were the dove, swan, swallow, and sparrow. her favourite plants were the myrtle, apple-tree, rose, and poppy. the worship of aphrodite is supposed to have been introduced into greece from central asia. there is no doubt that she was originally identical with the famous astarte, the ashtoreth of the bible, against whose idolatrous worshi

eable. when towards evening he descends the curve[26] in order to cool his burning forehead in the waters of the deep sea, he is followed closely by his sister selene (the moon, who is now prepared to take charge of the world, and illumine with her silver crescent the dusky night. helios meanwhile rests from his labours, and, reclining softly on the cool fragrant couch prepared for him by the sea-nymphs, recruits himself for another life-giving, joy-inspiring, and beauteous day. it may appear strange that, although the greeks considered the earth to be a flat circle, no explanation is given of the fact that helios sinks down in the far [63]west regularly every evening, and yet reappears as regularly every morning in the east. whether he was supposed to pass through tartarus, and thus regai

ied by the early greeks. she too had her own chariot, which she drove across the vast horizon both morning and night, before and after the sun-god. hence she is not merely the personification of the rosy morn, but also of twilight, for which reason her palace is placed in the west, on the island aaa. the abode of eos is a magnificent structure, surrounded by flowery meads and velvety lawns, where nymphs and other immortal beings, wind in and out in the mazy figures of the dance, whilst the music of a sweetly-tuned melody accompanies their graceful, gliding movements. eos is described by the poets as a beautiful maiden with rosy arms and fingers, and large wings, whose plumage is of an ever-changing hue; she bears a star on her forehead, and a torch in her page 73 hand. wrapping round her t

eto, and was born beneath the shade of a palm tree which grew at the foot [69]of mount cynthus, on the barren and rocky island of delos. the poets tell us that the earth smiled when the young god first beheld the light of day, and that delos became so proud and exultant at the honour thus conferred upon her, that she covered herself with golden flowers; swans surrounded the island, and the delian nymphs celebrated his birth with songs of joy. page 75 page 76 the unhappy leto, driven to delos by the relentless persecutions of hera, was not long permitted to enjoy her haven of refuge. being still tormented by her enemy, the young mother was once more obliged to fly; she therefore resigned the charge of her new-born babe to the goddess themis, who carefully wrapped the helpless infant in swad

condition, he turned to convince himself that his beloved wife was really behind him. the glance was fatal, and destroyed all his hopes of happiness; for, as he yearningly stretched out his arms to embrace her, she was caught back, and vanished from his sight for ever. the grief of orpheus at this second loss was even more intense than before, and he now avoided all human society. in vain did the nymphs, his once chosen companions, endeavour to win him back to his accustomed haunts; their power to charm was gone, and music was now his sole consolation. he wandered forth alone, choosing the wildest and most secluded paths, and the hills and vales resounded with his pathetic melodies. at last he happened to cross the path of some thracian women, who were performing the wild rites of dionysus

udden death to men and animals, she is also able to alleviate suffering and cure diseases. like apollo also, she is skilled in the use of the bow, but in a far more eminent degree, for in the character of artemis, who devoted herself to the chase with passionate [88]ardour, this becomes an all-distinguishing feature. armed with her bow and quiver, and attended by her train of huntresses, who were nymphs of the woods and springs, she roamed over the mountains in pursuit of her favourite exercise, destroying in her course the wild animals of the forest. when the chase was ended, artemis and her maidens loved to assemble in a shady grove, or on the banks of a favourite stream, where they joined in the merry song, or graceful dance, and made the hills resound with their joyous shouts. as the t

raceful dance, and made the hills resound with their joyous shouts. as the type of purity and chastity, artemis was especially venerated by young maidens, who, before marrying, sacrificed their hair to her. she was also the patroness of those vowed to celibacy, and punished severely any infringement of their obligation. the huntress-goddess is represented as being a head taller than her attendant nymphs, and always appears as a youthful and slender maiden. her features are beautiful, but wanting in gentleness of expression; her hair is gathered negligently into a knot at the back of her well-shaped head; and her figure, though somewhat masculine, is most graceful in its attitude and proportions. the short robe she wears, leaves her limbs free for the exercise of the chase, her devotion to

and her son to the sea-shore, when, seeing page 122 no hope of escape, she flung herself with her child into the deep. they were kindly received by the nereides, and became sea-divinities under the name of leucothea and palamon [112] the sirens. the sirens would appear to have been personifications of those numerous rocks and unseen dangers, which abound on the s.w. coast of italy. they were sea-nymphs, with the upper part of the body that of a maiden and the lower that of a sea-bird, having wings attached to their shoulders, and were endowed with such wonderful voices, that their sweet songs are said to have lured mariners to destruction. ares (mars. ares, the son of zeus and hera, was the god of war, who gloried in strife for its own sake; he loved the tumult and havoc of the battlefiel

ing flames in which his mother perished, when he appeared to her in all the splendour of his divine glory. the motherless child was intrusted to the charge of hermes, who conveyed him to semele's sister, ino. but hera, still implacable in her vengeance, visited athamas, the husband of ino, with madness [125]and the child's life being no longer safe, he was transferred to the fostering care of the nymphs of mount nysa. an aged satyr named silenus, the son of pan, took upon himself the office of guardian and preceptor to the young god, who, in his turn, became much attached to his kind tutor; hence we see silenus always figuring as one of the chief personages in the various expeditions of the wine-god. dionysus passed an innocent and uneventful childhood, roaming through the woods and forest

ysa. an aged satyr named silenus, the son of pan, took upon himself the office of guardian and preceptor to the young god, who, in his turn, became much attached to his kind tutor; hence we see silenus always figuring as one of the chief personages in the various expeditions of the wine-god. dionysus passed an innocent and uneventful childhood, roaming through the woods and forests, surrounded by nymphs, satyrs, and shepherds. during one of these rambles, he found a fruit growing wild, of a most refreshing and cooling nature. this was the vine, from which he subsequently learnt to extract a juice which formed a most exhilarating beverage. after his companions had partaken freely of it, they felt their whole being pervaded by an unwonted sense of pleasurable excitement, and gave full vent t

rls. in one hand he bears the thyrsus, and in the other a drinking-cup with two handles, these being his distinguishing attributes. he is often represented riding on a panther, or seated in a chariot drawn by lions, tigers, panthers, or lynxes. being the god of wine, which is calculated to promote sociability, he rarely appears alone, but is usually accompanied by bacchantes, satyrs, and mountain-nymphs. the finest modern representation of ariadne is that by danneker, at frankfort-on-the-maine. in this statue she [130]appears riding on a panther; the beautiful upturned face inclines slightly over the left shoulder; the features are regular and finely cut, and a wreath of ivy-leaves encircles the well-shaped head. with her right hand she gracefully clasps the folds of drapery which fall awa

assist every morning in yoking the celestial horses to the glorious chariot of the sun, which they again help to unyoke when he sinks to rest. in their original conception they were personifications of the clouds, and are described as opening and closing the gates of heaven, and causing fruits and flowers to spring forth, when they pour down upon them their refreshing and life-giving streams. the nymphs. the graceful beings called the nymphs were the presiding deities of the woods, grottoes, streams, meadows &c. these divinities were supposed to be beautiful maidens of fairy-like form, and robed in more or less shadowy garments. they were held in the greatest veneration, though, being minor divinities, they page 193 had no temples [166]dedicated to them, but were worshipped in caves or gro

were supposed to be beautiful maidens of fairy-like form, and robed in more or less shadowy garments. they were held in the greatest veneration, though, being minor divinities, they page 193 had no temples [166]dedicated to them, but were worshipped in caves or grottoes, with libations of milk, honey, oil &c. they may be divided into three distinct classes, viz, water, mountain, and tree or wood nymphs. water nymphs. oceanides, nereides, and naiades. the worship of water-deities is common to most primitive nations. the streams, springs, and fountains of a country bear the same relation to it which the blood, coursing through the numberless arteries of a human being, bears to the body; both represent the living, moving, life-awakening element, without which existence would be impossible. h

w, rippling tones; the soft purling of the brook as it rushes over the pebbles, or the mighty voice of the waterfall as it dashes on in its headlong course; and the beings which they pictured to themselves as presiding over all these charming sights and sounds of nature, corresponded, in their graceful appearance, with the scenes with which they were associated. oceanides. the oceanides, or ocean nymphs, were the daughters of oceanus and tethys, and, like most sea divinities, were endowed with the gift of prophecy. they are personifications of those delicate vapour-like [167]exhalations, which, in warm climates, are emitted from the page 194 surface of the sea, more especially at sunset, and are impelled forwards by the evening breeze. they are accordingly represented as misty, shadowy bei

e delicate vapour-like [167]exhalations, which, in warm climates, are emitted from the page 194 surface of the sea, more especially at sunset, and are impelled forwards by the evening breeze. they are accordingly represented as misty, shadowy beings, with graceful swaying forms, and robed in pale blue, gauze-like fabrics. the nereides. the nereides were the daughters of nereus and doris, and were nymphs of the mediterranean sea. they are similar in appearance to the oceanides, but their beauty is of a less shadowy order, and is more like that of mortals. they wear a flowing, pale green robe; their liquid eyes resemble, in their clear depths, the lucid waters of the sea they inhabit; their hair floats carelessly over their shoulders, and assumes the greenish tint of the water itself, which

ith their movements the melodies which seem to hover over the sea, whilst others scatter liquid gems around, these being emblematical of the phosphorescent light, so frequently observed at night by the traveller in southern waters. the best known of the nereides were thetis, the wife of peleus, amphitrite, the spouse of poseidon, and galatea, the beloved of acis. the naiades. the naiades were the nymphs of fresh-water springs, lakes, brooks, rivers &c. as the trees, plants, and flowers owed their nourishment to their genial, fostering care, these divinities were [168]regarded by the greeks as special benefactors to mankind. like all the nymphs, they possessed the gift of prophecy, for which reason many of the page 195 springs and fountains over which they presided were believed to inspire

e train of artemis. they are represented as lovely maidens with short tunics, which, reaching only to the knee, do not impede their swift and graceful movements in the exercise of the chase. their pale brown tresses are fastened in a knot at the back of the head, whence a few stray curls escape over their shoulders. the napaa are shy as the fawns, and quite as frolicsome. the oreades, or mountain nymphs, who are the principal and constant companions of artemis, are tall, graceful maidens, attired as huntresses. they are ardent followers of the chase, and spare neither the gentle deer nor the timid hare, nor indeed any animal they meet with in their rapid course. wherever their wild hunt goes the shy napaa are represented as hiding behind the leaves, whilst their favourites, the fawns, knee

PHILIP NEIL MYTHS LEGENDS EXPLAINED

allop shell. aphrodite scallop shell wet hair foam the birth of aphrodite some sources say that aphrodite was a daughter of zeus, but in the poet hesiod s account, she was born from the seafoam (aphros) that gathered around the genitals of uranus after they had been cut off and flung away by his son cronos (saturn see p. 23. the drops of blood that fell became the furies, giants, and the ash-tree nymphs called the meliae. aphrodite came to shore at paphos in cyprus. as she stepped onto land, grass grew under her feet. also called anadyomene she who emerges she was accompanied by eros (desire) from the beginning. aphrodite and ares 27 goddess of sensual pleasure while hera (juno) blessed the marriage bed, aphrodite, her daughter by zeus, was the goddess of love and passion. she offered aid

s depicted here are crocale, nephele, hyale, rhanis, psecas, phiale just a handful of artemis huge retinue which included 60 ocean nymphs, who acted as maids of honor, and 20 river nymphs, who looked after her clothes and her dogs. artemis, goddess of hunting, used her skills to protect her mother leto in the sacred grove at delphi, striking down the giant tityus who was trying to rape her. water nymphs of artemis artemis was always attended by water nymphs, both naiads spring, river, and lake nymphs and nereids, or sea nymphs. in classical mythology, every principal spring and river was inhabited by one or more naiads. unarmed godd ess unprotected, her bow and arrow in the care of her nymphs, artemis could do nothing but dash spring water in actaeon s face. at the first touch of water, he

god daphne s father listens to her desperate pleas and saves her. the oar and the overturned water urn are traditional symbols of a river god. spiteful child eros, the cause of apollo s unhappy love affair, hides from the god behind daphne. he is sometimes punished for his deeds, particularly by artemis (diana) and athena (minerva) who both represent chastity. daphne was one of artemis retinue of nymphs (see pp. 36 37. arrows it was apollo s role as the archer god that led him to be identified with the sun, whose rays fall like arrows to earth, and earned him the name phoebus, the bright. the laurel was sacred to apollo as a result of his love for daphne. at his shrine at delphi, his high priestess, pythia, chewed a laurel leaf before uttering an oracle. the answers given in her divinely i

own great-grandson achilles (see pp. 52 53 and p. 63. cheiron was an immortal, but ceded his immortality to prometheus (see pp. 24 25) to escape an eternity of pain after heracles accidentally wounded him (see p. 51. zeus granted him the lesser immortality of the skies, where he is the constellation centaurus. king midas 40 a vain boast the god pan, playing his pipes to a group of impressionable nymphs on mount tmolus, boasted that his music was better than that of the god of music, apollo. apollo challenged him to a contest, with the mountain god as judge. king midas midas, king of phrygia, was unlucky in his dealings with the gods. doomed (at his own request) in his early years as king to turn everything that he touched into gold, he learned his lesson and wanted only to live a simple c

ayed so beautifully that the judges could not decide between them until apollo challenged marsyas to play upside down, which was possible on apollo s lyre but not on the flute. apollo hung the impudent challenger on a pine tree and flayed him alive; so much blood flowed from the tortured satyr that it created the river marsyas. some say the river was formed from the tears of his fellow satyrs and nymphs, in grief at his torment. this greek ivory statue, c. 200 bce, shows the satyr marsyas tied to a tree before apollo exacts his vicious revenge. pan and syrinx 42 pan and syrinx pan (roman faunus) lived on earth in arcadia, rather than on mount olympus with other gods (see pp. 22 23. although essentially a good-natured god, he was extremely lustful and was renowned for pursuing nymphs, such

andfather (see p. 45, so ruled tyryns and mycenae instead. here, he founded the family of the perseids, from which heracles was descended (see pp. 50 51. when perseus first set off to find the gorgon medusa, he was told by athena to seek out the three graiae, the gorgons sisters. the graiae, hideous old hags with just a single eye and tooth between them, would tell perseus how to find the stygian nymphs who would help him to overcome medusa. when the graiae refused to help him, perseus snatched their single eye as they passed it between themselves. held to ransom, they told him what he needed to know. he then threw the eye into a lake so that they could not warn the gorgons of his plans. love at first sight the infant eros (cupid, with his flaming torch, indicates that perseus is in love w

the scene undetected by the other gorgons, thanks to the magic helmet that made him invisible. bronze shield perseus carries a bronze shield, which was lent to him by athena. she warned him not to look at medusa directly, but to look at the reflection in the bronze shield, to avoid being turned into stone. athena later set medusa s head on the shield and carried it as part of her armor. vengeful nymphs the sea nymphs, or nereids, were offended by andromeda s mother and called on poseidon to avenge them. he sent a tidal wave and a terrible monster to maraud the coast of ethiopia. flesh-eating sea monster the sea monster ravaged the coast, devouring men, women, and children. an oracle had told the king that it could only be assuaged by the sacrifice of his daughter. perseus rescuing androme

to maraud the coast of ethiopia. flesh-eating sea monster the sea monster ravaged the coast, devouring men, women, and children. an oracle had told the king that it could only be assuaged by the sacrifice of his daughter. perseus rescuing andromeda by charles-antoine coypel (1694 1752) this painting shows perseus about to rescue andromeda from the sea monster. the sea is raging, and the angry sea nymphs look on in dismay. andromeda s distraught parents and the crowds on the city walls pray to the heavens and beseech perseus to succeed. magical gifts perseus received help in his quest from the stygian nymphs. they lent him three magical items left in their care: hermes winged sandals, hades helmet of invisibility, and a bag in which to put the gorgon s head. perseus and andromeda 47 chained

es winged sandals, hades helmet of invisibility, and a bag in which to put the gorgon s head. perseus and andromeda 47 chained maiden andromeda was chained to a rock on the phoenician coast as the final sacrifice to the monster. she was the daughter of cepheus, king of joppa, and his wife cassiopeia. boastful mother cassiopeia had boasted that she and her daughter were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, thus bringing down poseidon s vengeance upon the coast. divine father lightning in the sky shows the presence of zeus, who fathered perseus in a shower of gold. distraught father when king cepheus asked the oracle of horned ammon (that is, the egyptian god amun, here assimilated into classical myth) how to turn aside poseidon s anger, he was told that the only way was to sacrifice andromed

her up in a cave to die, refusing the pleas of haemon, his son and antigone s betrothed, to forgive her. on the advice of the seer teiresias, he finally relented. but on opening the cave, he found that antigone had hanged herself. cursing his father, haemon killed himself. the labors of hercules 50 hercules did not know where to find the garden of the hesperides where the golden apples grew. the nymphs of the river eridanos told him that the shapeshifting sea god nereus knew the answer. hercules wrestled with nereus to force him to answer his question. the god transformed himself into all kinds of creatures, but hercules held him fast, and at last he had to reveal the secret. hercules was a semi divine hero, the child of zeus (roman jupiter) by alcmene, a mortal. although zeus meant him t

colchis, the argonauts met with many dangers, but always escaped by strength or stratagem. early on, they benefited from the superhuman strength of hercules who singlehandedly deflected an attack by a group of six-armed earth giants. but hercules left the crew before reaching colchis (although he did return later, distraught at the loss of his friend hylas who had been pulled into a well by water-nymphs entranced by his beauty. other dangerous challenges on the voyage included a boxing match with king amycus (who was used to winning and slaughtering his opponents, won by polydeuces, the inventor of boxing (see p. 60; navigating the clashing rocks, which moved and smashed anything in their way; and resisting the perilous charms of the sirens (see p. 64, when the bard orpheus drowned out the

nter a cave to shelter from a storm that has blown up while they have been out hunting. in the cave, they admit their love for each other and thereafter aeneas is dido s consort. aeneas aeneas follows dido, accompanied by cupid. like dido, aeneas had been married but his wife, creusa, had died on the journey. he had a son called ascanius, who in virgil s aeneid is almost adult. dido and aeneas 67 nymphs the heavens were witness to the marriage of dido and aeneas within the cave. lightning flashed, and nymphs wailed upon the mountaintops, for they knew that this moment would lead to dido s death. jealous king this figure may be achates, aeneas armorbearer and companion. but his glowering looks suggest that he is iarbas, the king of libya. iarbas was in love with dido but she rejected him. w

clytemnestra m agamemnon castor polydeuces pollux fates athena minerva aeneas eros cupid the nine muses cadmus m harmonia (mortal (goddess) theseus m ariadne m phaedra demeter ceres poseidon neptune x aethra (mortal) hades pluto hestia vesta hera juno m persephone proserpine hebe m heracles hercules ares eileithya mars zeus jupiter aristaeus m autono actaeon gaia x uranus titans giants other sea nymphs cyclopes leto eos helios selene luna epimetheus m pandora mnemosyne coeus x phoebe themis crius thea x hyperion prometheau1 the order of phosphorus introduction booklet 2003 2 the order of phosphorus 2003 succubus publishing for the order of phosphorus members only. the purpose and intent of the order of phosphorus/toph. magick is elevation to ascend. the entire focus of magick is to initia

REGARDIE ISRAEL THE COMPLETE GOLDEN DAWN

th opened wings. he holds a cup in his hand, bearing the sigil of the scale. beneath his horses' feet is the sea. from the cup issues a crab. graceful, poetic, venusian, indolent, but enthusiastic if roused. 111- dignified, he is sensual, idle, and untruthful. he rules the heavens from above 20" of aquarius to 20' pisces including the greater part of pegasus. fire of water. king of undines and of nymphs. book 't x queen of the thrones of the waters. queen of cups a very beautiful fair woman like a crowned queen, seated <149> upon a throne, beneath which is flowing water, wherein lotuses are seen. her general dress is similar to that of the queen of wands, but upon her crown, cuirass and buskins is seen an ibis with opened wings, and beside her is the same bird, whereon her hand rests. she

lotus in the hand upon the ibis. she is imaginative, poetic, kind, yet not willing to take much trouble for another. coquettish, good-natured, underneath a dreamy appearance. imagination stronger than feeling. very much affected by other influences, and therefore more dependent upon good or ill-dignity than upon most other symbols. she rules from 20" gemini to 20" cancer. water of water. queen of nymphs and undines. xi. prince of the chariot of the waters. king of cws a winged kingly figure with a winged crown, seated in a chariot drawn by an eagle. on the wheel is the symbol of a scorpion. the eagle is borne as a crest upon his crown, cuirass and buskins. general attire like king of wands. beneath his chariot is the calm and stagnant water of a lake. his scale armour resembles feathers mo

serpent issues from the cup, and has its head tending down to the waters of the lake. he is subtle, violent, crafty and artistic. a fierce nature with calm exterior. powerful for good or evil, but more attracted by the evil, if allied with apparent power or wisdom. if ill-dignified, he is intensely evil and merciless. he rules from 20" of libra to 20' scorpio. air of water. prince and emperor of nymphs and undines. xiz. princess of the waters and lotus of the palace of the floods. knave of cups a beautiful amazon-like figure, softer in nature than the princess of wands. her attire is similar. she stands on a sea with foaming, spray. away to her right is a dolphin. she wears as a crest on her helmet, belt and buskins, a swan with opening wings. she bears in one hand a lotus, and in the oth

ars in one hand a lotus, and in the other an open cup from which a turtle issues. her mantle is lined with swans-down, and is of thin floating material. sweetness, poetry, gentleness, and kindness. imagination, dreamy, at times indolent, yet courageous if roused. ill-dignified, she is selfish and luxurious. she rules a quadrant of the heavens around kether. earth of water. princess and empress of nymphs and undines. throne of the ace of cups. the golden dawn: volume iv book eight swords xi1. lord of the winds and breezes. king of the spirit of air. knight of swords a winged warrior with crowned and winged helmet, mounted upon a brown steed, his general equipment is as that of the knight of wands, but he wears as a crest awinged six-pointed star, similar to those represented on the heads of

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART II

enied its messiah, and the hebrew letters were effaced, at least for the blinded eyes of the jews. the roman persecutors dishonoured hellenism, and it could not be restored by the false moderation of the philosopher julian, surnamed perhaps unjustly the apostate, since his christianity was never sincere. the ignorance of the middle ages followed, opposing saints and virgins to gods, goddesses and nymphs; the deep sense of the hellenic mysteries was less understood than ever; greece herself did not only lose the traditions of her ancient cultus but separated from the latin church; and thus, for latin eyes, the greek letters were blotted out, as the latin letters disappeared for greek eyes. so the inscription on the cross of the saviour vanished entirely, and nothing except mysterious initia

in spite of the brilliant and maladroit special pleadings of its illustrious advocates. to will well, to will long, to will always, but never to lust after anything, such is the secret of power, and this is the magical arcanum which tasso brings forward in the persons of the two knights who come to deliver rinaldo and to destroy the enchantments of armida. they withstand equally the most alluring nymphs and most terrible wild beasts. they remain without desires and without fear, and hence they attain their end. does it follow from this that a true magician inspires more fear than love? i do not deny it, and while recognizing abundantly how sweet are the attractions of life, while doing full justice to the gracious genius of anacreon and to all the youthful efflorescence of the poetry of lo

ROBERT KIRK WALKER BETWEEN WORLDS

mptory and [over] curious search into these [fairy] abstrusenesses, so [we may use the examples of] histories of an ages [which] give as many plain examples of extraordinary occurrences as [may] make a http//www.dreampower.com/kirk_wbw/pg_30.htm (2 of 8 [10/9/2001 12:34:46 am] robert kirk- walker between worlds(pages 30-39) modest inquiry not contemptible. how much is written of pygmies, fairies, nymphs, sirens, apparitions, which though not the tenth part [being] true, yet could not spring [out] of nothing? even english authors relate of barry island in glamorganshire [saying] that [upon] laying your ear unto a cleft of the rock [the] blowing of bellows, striking of hammers, clashing of armour [and] filing of irons will be heard distinctly [this noise has occurred] ever since merlin encha

] such as pythagoras' doctrine of transmigration; socrates' daemone that gave him precautions of future dangers; plato's classing them into various vehiculated species of spirits; dionysius areopagita's marshalling [of] nine orders of spirits [from] superior [to] subordinate; the [classical] poets [in] their borrowing from the philosophers, and adding their own fancies of fountain, river, and sea nymphs, wood, hill and mountain inhabitants, and worldwide copyright 1990, 1998-2001 ,rjstewart, all rights and permissions reserved http//www.dreampower.com/kirk_wbw/pg_40.htm (9 of 9 [10/9/2001 12:34:55 am] robert kirk- walker between worlds(pages 50-59) flip to page# the secret commonwealth 50 that every place and thing in cities and countries had special invisible regular gods and governors. c

SATANIC RITUALS

aves. i gaze upon the massive hoards that suffocate, like peter's fish pulled from the lake of life's sweet waters. to perish in heaven's foul vapors shall be their doom! the fate of fools is justice! i am the tempter of life that lurks in every breast and belly; a vibrant, torpid cavern, nectar laden, with sweetest pleasures beckoning. i am a thrusting rod with head of iron, drawing to me myriad nymphs, tumescent in their craving! i am rampant carnal joy, an agent borne of ecstasy's mad flailing! through jagged ice, my father leers with cavernous eyes, below the sphere of earth that is my mother, moist and fertile whore of barbarous delights! my body is a temple, wherein all demons dwell. a pantheon of flesh am i [priest receives bone from acolyte and places it in an upright position betw

THE GOD OF THE WITCHES

time when he was the only deity in his own locality. all representations of him arenecessarily late, after the fifth century b.c; but even in the earliest forms his characteristics are the same, the the god of the witcheschapter i. the horned god8long narrow face, the pointed beard, the small horns, and the goat's legs. scenes of his worship show himfollowed by a dancing procession of satyrs and nymphs, while he plays on the pipes which bear his name. hisappearance should be compared with the little dancing god of the palaeolithic people (plate ii, and also withthe figure of robin goodfellow (plate x. as a godling beloved of the people he is like enkidu, whom healso resembles in having hoofs. though our knowledge of him dates only to the late iron-age, his worship isobviously of high anti

THE STAR IN THE WEST BY CAPTAIN FULLER A CRITICAL ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY

thereby the purest that love can make, was to be demanded, and freely given. the sacrifice of a woman fs honour to save her lover; in fact to become a prostitute in body, and a virgin in spirit. he, zeus, is gweary of women fs old lascivious breed, h and of gthe large luxurious lips of ganymede. h no freshness, no restraint, no virgin breast, no lips gwithout a taint of lewd imagining, h all the nymphs of those green wooded slopes, all are as brazen and cold as the meretrices of a suburrian lupanar, the fire of love having burnt itself out to the ashen lassitude of satiety. at length the god finds her asleep under some shady tree, and creeps towards her. little loath to waken her caresses, and let noon fade into midnight in the amorous swoon *the tale of archais, vol. i, p. 21. his volupt

ew find their way out, and still fewer attempt so difficult a task. hence churches and brothels. if john, however, does not marry mary, ann squalls, but as the jailer can always let himself out of the prison, so can man, if he does not drop his keys through some matrimonial grating. ann then locks up mary in that bastille of despair which is called piccadilly (this is no paradox. hence prudes and nymphs. thus nature is scouted and thumped on the nose because she is essential, and man is enthroned in her stead and smacked on the back because he happens to be moral. hence universities and lunatic asylums. in love, mankind eternally verges between folly and knavery, because man is a non-essential being, and nature an un-moral power. but before we enter on the above idea as demonstrated in the

TURNER ROBERT ARBETEL OF MAGICK

tions with the chief of the evil spirits; such were they who wrought by the minor gods of the heathens. the fifth division is, that some do act with spirits openly, and face to face; which is given to few: others do work by dreams and other signs; which the ancients took from their auguries and sacrifices. the sixth division is, that some work by immortal creatures, others by mortal creatures, as nymphs, satyrs, and such-like inhabitants of other elements, pigmies &c. the seventh division is, that the spirits do serve some of their own accord, without art; others they will scarce attend, being called by art. among these species of magick, that is the most excellent of all, which dependeth upon god alone. the second, them whom the spirits do serve faithfully of their own accord. the third i

TWO ESSAYS ON THE WORSHIP OF PRIAPUS

ater; so that this composition, apparently so whimsical, represents the universe between the two great prolific elements, the one the active, and the other the passive cause of all things. the creator being both male and female, the emanations of his creative spirit, operating upon universal matter, produced subordinate ministers of both sexes, and gave, as companions to the fauns and satyrs, the nymphs of the waters, the mountains and the woods, signifying the passive productive powers of each, subdivided and diffused. of the same class are the genetullidej, mentioned by pausanias as companions to venus,3 who, as well as ceres, juno, diana, isis &c, was only a personification of nature, or the passive principle of generation, operating in various modes. apuleius invokes isis by the names

things;1 though there is every reason to believe that the poet himself was ignorant of its meaning, and only related it as he had heard it. the ammonian platonics adopted the same system of attraction, but changed its centre from the sun to their metaphysical abstraction or incomprehensible unity, whose emanations pervaded all things, and held all things together.2 besides the fauns, satyrs, and nymphs, the incarnate emanations of the active and passive powers of the creator, we often find in the ancient sculptures certain androgynous beings possessed of the characteristic organs of both sexes, which i take to represent organized matter in its first stage; that is, immediately after it was released from chaos, and before it was animated by a participation of the ethereal essence of the cr

em to have been only poetical corruptions of it, which, extending by degrees, produced that un-wieldly system of poetical mythology, which constituted the vulgar religion of greece. the fauns and satyrs, which accompany the androgynous figures on the ancient sculptures, are usually represented as ministering to the creator by exerting their characteristic attributes upon them, as well as upon the nymphs, the passive agents of procreation: but what has puzzled the learned in these monuments, and seems a contradiction to the general system of ancient religion, is that many of these groups are in attitudes which are rather adapted to the gratification of disordered and unnatural appetites, than to extend procreation. but a learned author, who has thrown infinite light upon these subjects, has

e act of killing and devouring some other animal. on an ancient sarcophagus found in sicily he is represented devouring a horse,2 and on the medals of velia in italy, devouring a deer;3 the former, as sacred to neptune, represented the sea; and the latter, as sacred to diana, the produce of the earth; for diana was the fertility of the earth personified, and therefore is said to have received her nymphs or productive ministers from the ocean, the source of fecundity.4 the lion, therefore, in the former instance, appears as a symbol of the sun exhaling the waters; and in the latter, as whithering and putrifying the produce of the earth. on the frieze of the temple of apollo didym us, near miletus, are monsters composed of the mixt forms of the goat and lion, resting their fore feet upon the

poets as at variance with each other and wrangling about the little intrigues and passions of men. hence too, as the symbols were multiplied, particular ones lost their dignity; and that venerable one which is the subject of this discourse, became degraded from the representative of the god of nature to a subordinate rural deity, a supposed son of the asiatic conqueror bacchus, standing among the nymphs by a fountain,1 and expressing the fertility of a garden, instead of the general creative power of the great active principle of the universe. his degradation did not stop even here; for we find him, in times still more prophane and corrupt, made a subject of raillery and insult, as answering no better purpose than holding up his rubicund snout to frighten the birds and thieves.2 his talent

TYSON DONALD NEW MILLENNIUM MAGIC

way of drawing the nonagram is in the form of three inter- locking triangles descending in a chain: this figure is very common in magic. it is a way of saying that since the trini- ty is perfect, the next emanation following it must begin something entirely new at the center, which is the point of all origins. the greeks personalized this ninefold division of the universe into the muses, who were nymphs assigned to the nine classes of arts. originally there were only three muses-mneme, melete, and aoide. as greek understanding developed, it was found necessary to make a further threefold subdivision into nine, which retained the perfect wholeness of the trinity. cornelius agrippa recorded the renaissance assignment of these goddesses to the nine spheres of the heavens: 1) calliope (primum

Return to Occult Library Index



Related Matches
333 air ancient aphrodite apollo artemis bacchus blood blue bow cancer cave child children crown crowned dead death degree deity devil diana divine eagle ears earth element elements evil eye fairies father fire form fountain gnomes goat god gods goddess gold golden greek greeks hades heart heaven heavens hercules hermes horse horus human isis jupiter king kingdom lightning lord lotus lust magic mermaids monster moon mortal mother mount mountain mountains nature nymph nymphs ocean odysseus order orpheus pan persephone perseus poseidon power powers queen red rites roman rome rose sacred salamanders satyr satyrs sea secret set seven sirens sky soul spirit spirits star sun symbol symbols taurus temple three throne transformed tree truth underworld undines universe venus virgin wands war water waters white wisdom women world worship youth zeus


http://www.hollywoodinsiders.net
MWLibCreator Ver.2 By:Michael Wynn