Category: Mythology

Spinning’s Symbolic Meaning in European Myth

10/1/2017

*This article is an excerpt from "Habitrot and The Wood Maiden: Spinning Goddesses and Imagery in European Tradition ," European Fairy Tales Series Vol VII.

Frigga Spinning the Clouds, by John Charles Dollman, 1909

We have discussed the role of the Fates in European folk tradition and briefly mentioned that they are typically depicted as three female spinners. However, as it has been discussed in previous volumes of this series, definitions can be somewhat blurry, and representations of figures tend to bleed into one another.

There is certainly an association with spinning and weaving with the conception of fate and destiny. In fact, the concept of our fate, called Wyrd in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, is conceptualized as a great web made up of strands that are spun by the three spinners (the Fates, called the Norns in Germanic tradition). Wyrd can be seen as a cosmic tapestry of your life that exists in the spiritual plane.

Dvoeverie – The Slavic Double Faith

9/9/2017

*This article is an excerpt from "The Three Golden Hairs: Slavic & Germanic Myth in Czech Folklore," European Fairy Tales Series Vol VI.

"Firebird and Princess Vasilisa" artist unknown

I argue quite strongly that the phenomenon of holding a hybrid form of religion occurred clear across Northern Europe, from Britain clear to Russia. However, the manifestation of it occurred much more strongly in Slavic lands than elsewhere. In fact, the ancient faith of the Slavs was so overtly prominently practiced by the peasantry that the Slavs began to be referred to as the people of two faiths. Dvoeverie is a Russian word that is typically translated as “dual belief” or “double faith.”

Fate, Destiny, & Guardian Spirits in European Fairy Tales

9/8/2017

Art by Galileo Chini

Since starting the European Fairy Tales Series, I've been struck with just how much of the ancient native European worldview is embedded within our folk and fairy tale tradition. There are several ways that this appears, but one important theme found in a majority of fairy tales is the concept of fate and destiny.

The Slavic Mystery: Searching for the Lost Myths of the Slavs

8/8/2017

Sirin (left) and Alkonost (right) "Birds of Joy and Sorrow" by Viktor Vasnetsov'

When I set out to look more deeply into Slavic mythology to understand how it survived in fairy tales, such as was the case in the Western European paradigm, I discovered that the language barrier means that there is not a great deal of research on this topic available in English to the general public. So, I've been collecting the books that I can find, and wanted to give you a bit of information on what I've learned thus far and a rundown of a few of the best books that I've yet found for people who want to learn more about the Slavic folk tradition.

Recalibrating Our Worldview to Understand the Past

7/23/2017

*This article is an excerpt from "Aschenputtel: Animism and Ancestor Veneration in Grimms' Cinderella," European Fairy Tales Series Vol V.

"Spirit of the Night" by John Atkinson Grimshaw

Understanding our lost native beliefs can be difficult for modern minds to wrap their heads around. We are so cut off from our deep roots that, today, our own indigenous belief system feels foreign to those who are unfamiliar with it.

Furthermore, both Abrahamic religion and science based rationalism (which tends to be atheistic) view the world in a linear and literal way that is incompatible with the flexible and more free flow understandings of organic ethnic-spirituality (which was the native spirituality of all indigenous peoples in the world before adopting “revealed religions”).

Life Lessons Learned from Myth and Fairy Tales

7/19/2017

Art by John William Waterhouse

Years pouring over the myths and tales passed down by our ancestors through centuries to millennia will lead to great personal revelation and insight to those who think deeply and contemplate what they've read. This is true for all cultures, and I firmly believe all people of all backgrounds have something very important to gain by delving deeply into the mythic tradition of their blood ancestors.

These stories have important insight to share with us if we move beyond the surface and look deeper. They provide guidance for our regular everyday lives. And, today, as I am processing a personal tragedy, I felt the urge to share how the rich lexicon of European folk belief helps me personally process bumps along the road and direct me upon my life's journey in the hope that this gift can be passed on to others.

Indigenous European Spirituality Encoded in the Folk Tradition

6/13/2017

A Fairy Tale by Arthur Wardle

Over several years of studying indigenous European belief (paganism, mythology), and then studying the folk tradition (folklore, folk customs, holiday traditions, witch trial records), I began to realize that the idea that paganism died out after conversion to Christianity was simply preposterous. Native European spirituality remained an incredibly powerful force in the consciousness of the European people well into the modern era.

How Fairy Tales Helped Me Cope with Devastating Loss

4/30/2017

"Once Upon A Time," by Henry Meynell Rheam, 1908

Fairy tales have been written off as simple stories for children. And, while children do become absorbed in the tales of the land of Faerie, these stories have layers of deep meaning that are applicable to people of all ages. We tend to think of "mythology" as somehow a higher status of literature than fairy tales. Maybe that's due to the conception of their antiquity, and the complex worlds with pantheons that represent a cast of characters whose exploits we can follow.

But, what we don't realize is that fairy tales exist within the lexicon of myth. Many fairy tales have origins that extend back into the murky haze of pre-history. Others build off of patterns and influences from those very ancient tales, and still others were formed during eras when indigenous spirituality was suppressed by the authorities, and so elements of the old religion were preserved in coded form.

By peeling back the layers, we can find deep spiritual insight and guidance in fairy tales that can give us comfort, direction, hope, and other psychological-emotional support.

The Spring Goddess Archetype and Our Collective Unconscious

4/25/2017

Jung's Collective Unconscious

Carl Jung believed that there was a pool of knowledge or understandings that we as humans access on a subconscious level. He called it the "Collective Unconscious."

The theory holds that certain archetypes are remembered in the deep recesses of our mind. Jung's theory holds that our conscious mind is influenced by our subconscious whether or not we are aware of it.

In fact, sometimes the issues we experience consciously are influenced by our unconscious.

Therefore, developing a deep understanding of the cultural archetypes common to our ancient cultures and unlocking the hazy memories we have inherited can help bridge the unconscious with the conscious and lead to a more holistic view of the self and the wider world.

Slavic Myth in Modern Pop Culture

4/23/2017

Slavic mythological art by Victor Korolkova.

The Slavic people possess an ancient culture filled with beautiful clothing, traditional dances, ethnic cuisine, and their own tradition of mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. Despite their rich canon of myth, Slavic mythology gets much less attention than other European groups.

I have long felt that Celtic and Germanic myth has taken a backseat to the Greco-Roman pantheon in the Western consciousness. But those groups have seen resurgence in interest in recent years. Slavic mythology has also experienced growing interest, however much of it has been cut off from the English speaking world in a way that Celtic and Germanic myth has not.

So, I am thrilled to see Slavic cultural tradition finally making a splash in the modern pop culture scene which in turn makes the rounds in the English speaking media.

<<Previous