Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism Part 9

Figures 129, 130, 131, are, like the preceding four, copied from various antique gems; Fig. 129 represents a steering oar, _le timon_, and is usually held in the hand of good fortune, or as moderns would say "Saint Luck," or _bonnes fortunes_; Fig. 180 is emblematic of Cupid, or Saint Desire; it is synonymous with _le dard, or la pique_; Fig. 131 is a form less common in gems; it represents the hammer, _le marteau qui frappe l'enclume et forge les enfans_. The ancients had as many pictorial euphemisms as ourselves, and when these are understood they enable us to comprehend many a legend otherwise dim; e. g., when Fortuna, or luck, always depicted as a woman, has for her characteristic _le timon_, and for her motto the proverb, "Fortune favours the bold." we readily understand the _double entente_. The steering oar indicates power, knowledge, skill, and bravery in him who wields it; without such a guide, few boats would attain a prosperous haven.

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Figure 132 is copied from plate xxix. of Pugin's Glossary of Ecclesiastical Ornament (Lond., 1868). The plate represents "a pattern for diapering," and is, I presume, thoroughly orthodox. It consists of the double triangle, see Figures 20, 80, 81, 82, pp. 82, 88, the emblems of Siva and Parvati, the male and female; of Rimmon the pomegranate, the emblem of the womb, which is seen to be full of seed through the "_vesica piscis," la fente, or la porte de la vie_. There are also two new moons, emblems of Venus, or _la nature_, introduced. The crown above the pomegranate represents the triad, and the number four; whilst in the original the group which we copy is surrounded by various forms of the triad, all of which are as characteristic of man as Rimmon is of woman.

There are also circles enclosing the triad, a.n.a.logous to other symbols common in Hindostan.

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Figure 133 is copied from Moor's _Hindu, Pantheon_, pi. ix., fig. 8.

It represents Bhavhani, Maia, Devi, Lakshmi, or Kamala, one of the many forms given to female nature. She bears in one hand the lotus, emblem of self-fructification,--in other similar figures an effigy of the phallus is placed,--whilst in the other she holds her infant Krishna, Crishna, or Vishnu. Such groups are as common in India as in Italy, in pagan temples as in Christian churches. The idea of the mother and child is pictured in every ancient country of whose art any remains exist.

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Figure 184 is taken from plate xxiv., fig. 1, of Moor's _Hindu Pantheon_. It represents a subject often depicted by the Hindoos and the Greeks, viz., androgynism, the union of the male and female creators.

The technical word is Arddha-Nari. The male on the right side bears the emblems of Siva or Mahadeva, the female on the left those of Parvati or Sacti. The bull and lioness are emblematic of the masculine and feminine powers. The mark on the temple indicates the union of the two; an aureole is seen around the head, as in modern pictures of saints. In this drawing the Ganges rises from the male, the idea being that the stream from Mahadeva is as copious and fertilising as that mighty river.

The metaphor here depicted is common in the East, and is precisely the same as that quoted in Num. xxiv. 7, and also from some lost Hebrew book in John vii. 38. It will be noticed, that the Hindoos express androgyneity quite as conspicuously, but generally much less indelicately, than the Grecian artists.

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Figure 135 is a common Egyptian emblem, said to signify eternity, but in truth it has another meaning. The serpent and the ring indicate _l' andouille and l' anneau_. The tail of the animal, which the mouth appears to swallow, is _la queue dans la bouche_. The symbol resembles the _crux ansata_ in its signification, and imports that life upon the earth is rendered perpetual by means of the union of the s.e.xes. A ring, or circle, is one of the symbols of Venus, who carries indifferently this, or the triad emblem of the male. See Maffei's _Gemme_, vol. iii., page 1, plate viii.

Figure 136 is the _vesica piscis_, or fish's bladder; the emblem of woman and of the virgin, as may be seen in the two following woodcuts.

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Figures 137, 138, are copied from an ancient Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, printed at Venice, 1524, with a license from the Inquisition; the book being lent to me by my friend, Mr. Newton.

The first represents the same part as the a.s.syrian "grove." It may appropriately be called the Holy Yoni. The book in question contains numerous figures, all resembling closely the Mesopotamian emblem of Ishtar. The presence of the woman therein identifies the two as symbolic of Isis, or _la nature_; and a man bowing down in adoration thereof shows the same idea as is depicted in a.s.syrian sculptures, where males offer to the G.o.ddess symbols of themselves. Compare Figs. 68, 64, 65, 66, pp. 48 seq.

If I had been able to search through the once celebrated Alexandrian library, it is doubtful whether I could have found any pictorial representation more ill.u.s.trative of the relations.h.i.+p of certain symbolic forms to each other than is Figure 138. A circle of angelic heads, forming a sort of sun, having luminous rays outside, and a dove, the emblem of Venus, dart a spear (_la pique_) down upon the earth (_la terre_), or the virgin. This being received, fertility follows.

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In Grecian story, Ouranos and Ge, or heaven and earth, were the parents of creation; and Jupiter came from heaven to impregnate Alcmena. The same mythos prevailed throughout all civilised nations. Christianity adopted the idea, merely altering the names of the respective parents, and attributed the regeneration of the world to "holy breath" and Mary.

Every individual, indeed, extraordinarily conspicuous for wisdom, power, goodness, etc., is said to have been begotten on a woman by a celestial father. Within the _vesica piscis_, artists usually represent the virgin herself, with or without the child; in the figure before us the child takes her place. It is difficult to believe that the ecclesiastics who sanctioned the publication of such a print could have been as ignorant as modern ritualists. It is equally difficult to believe that the latter, if they knew the real meaning of the symbols commonly used by the Roman church, would adopt them.

The last two figures, symbolic of adoration before divine s.e.xual emblems, afford me the opportunity to give a description of a similar wors.h.i.+p existent in Hindostan at the present time. My authority is H.

H. Wilson, in _Essays on the Religion of the Hindoos_, Trubner and Co., London. "The wors.h.i.+ppers," he remarks, vol. i., p. 240, "of the Sakti, the power or energy of the divine nature in action, are exceedingly numerous amongst all cla.s.ses of Hindoos--about three-fourths are of this sect, while only a fifth are Vaishnavas and a sixteenth Saivas. This active energy is personified, and the form with which it is invested depends upon the bias of the individuals. The most favourite form is that of Parvati, Bhavani, or Durga, the wife of Siva, or Mahadeva."

"The wors.h.i.+p of the female principle, as distinct from the divinity, appears to have originated in the literal interpretation of the metaphorical language of the Vedas, in which the _will or purpose to create_ the universe is represented as originating from the creator, and consistent with him as his bride." "The Samavedaf for example, says, the creator felt not delight being alone; he wished another, and caused his own self to fall in twain, and thus became husband and wife. He approached her, and thus were human beings produced." A sentiment or statement which we may notice in pa.s.sing is very similar to that propounded in Genesis, ch. i. 27, and v. 1, 2, respecting Elohim--viz., that he created man and woman in his own image, i.e., as male and female, bis.e.xual but united--an androgyne.

"This female principle goes by innumerable cognomens, inasmuch as every G.o.ddess, every nymph, and all women are identified with it. She--the principle personified--is the mother of all, as Mahadeva, the male principle, is the father of all."

"The homage rendered to the Sakti may be done before an image of any G.o.ddess--Prakriti, Lakshmi, Bhavani, Durga, Maya, Parvati, or Devi--just in the same way as Romanists may pray to a local Mary, or any other.

But in accordance with the weakness of human nature, there are many who consider it right to pay their devotions to the thing itself rather than to an abstraction. In this form of wors.h.i.+p six elements are required, flesh, fish, wine, women, gesticulations and _mantras_ which consist of various unmeaning monosyllabic combinations of letters of great imaginary efficacy."

"The ceremonies are mostly gone through in a mixed society, the Sakti being personified by a naked female, to whom meat and wine are offered and then distributed amongst the company. These eat and drink alternately with gesticulations and mantras--and when the religious part of the business is over, the males and females rush together and indulge in a wild orgy. This ceremony is ent.i.tled the _Sri Chakra or Purnabhisheka_, the Ring or Full Initiation."

In a note apparently by the editor, Dr. Rost, a full account is given in Sanscrit of the _Sakti Sodhana_, as they are prescribed in the _Devi Rahasya_, a section of the _Rudra Yamala_, so as to prove to his readers that the _Sri Chakra_ is performed under a religious prescription.

We learn that the woman should be an actress, dancing girl, a courtesan, washerwoman, barber's wife, flower-girl, milk-maid, or a female devotee.

The ceremony is to take place at midnight with eight, nine, or eleven couples. At first there are sundry mantras said, then the female is disrobed, but richly ornamented, and is placed on the left of a circle (Chakra) described for the purpose, and after sundry gesticulations, mantras, and formulas she is purified by being sprinkled over with wine.

If a novice, the girl has the radical mantra whispered thrice in her ear. Feasting then follows, lest Venus should languish in the absence of Ceres and Bacchus, and now, when the veins are full of rich blood, the actors are urged to do what desire dictates, but never to be so carried away by their zeal as to neglect the holy mantras appropriate to every act and to every stage thereof.*

* The above quotations from Wilson's work are selections from his and his Editor's account. In the original the observations extend over eighteen pages, and are too long to be given in their entirety: the parts omitted are of no consequence.

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It is natural that such a religion should be popular, especially amongst the young of both s.e.xes.

Figures 139 to 158 are copied from Moor's _Hindu Pantheon_; they are sectarial marks in India, and are usually traced on the forehead. Many resemble what are known as "mason's marks," i. e., designs found on tooled stones, in various ancient edifices, like our own, "trade marks."

They are introduced here to ill.u.s.trate the various designs employed to indicate the union of the "trinity" with the "unity," and the numerous forms representative of "_la nature" A priori_, it appears absurd to suppose that the eye could ever have been symbolical of anything but sight; but the mythos of Indra, given in _Ancient Faiths_, second edition, Vol. n., p. 649, and p. 7 _supra_, proves that it has another and a hidden meaning. These figures are alike emblematic of the "trinity," "the virgin," and the "four." Figure 154 is from Pugin, plate v., figure 3. It is the outline of a pectoral ornament worn by some Roman ecclesiastic in Italy, a. d. 1400; it represents the Egyptian crux ansata under another form, the T signifying the triad.

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Figures 155, 156, are different forms of the sistrum, one of the emblems of Isis. In the latter, the triple bars have one signification, which will readily suggest itself to those who know the meaning of the triad.

In the former, the emblem of the trinity, which we have been obliged to conventionalise, is shown in a distinct manner. The cross bars indicate that Isis is a virgin. The cat at the top of the instrument indicates "desire," Cupid, or Eros. Fig. 155 is copied from plate ix., R. P.

Knight's _Wors.h.i.+p of Priapus_.

Figure 157 represents the cup and wafer, to be found in the hands of many effigies of papal bishops; they are alike symbolic of the sun and moon, and of the elements in the Eucharist. See Pugin, plate iv., figs.

5, 6, represents a temple in a conventional form; whilst below, Ceres appears seated within a horse-shoe shaped ornament.

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This, amongst other symbols, tends to show what we have so frequently before observed, that the female in creation is characterised by a great variety of designs, of which the succeeding woodcuts give us additional evidence.

Figure 159 represents the various forms symbolic of Juno, Isis, Parvati, Ishtar, Mary, or woman, or the virgin.

Figures 160, 161, 162, are copied from Audsley's _Christian Symbolism_ (London, 1868). They are ornaments worn by the Virgin Mary, and represent her as the crescent moon, conjoined with the cross (in Fig. 160), with the collar of Isis (in Fig. 161), and with the double triangle (in Fig. 162).

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Figure 163 represents a tortoise. When one sees a resemblance between this creature's head and neck and the linga, one can understand why both in. India and in Greece the animal should be regarded as sacred to the G.o.ddess personifying the female creator, and why in Hindoo myths it is said to support the world.

In the British Museum there are three a.s.syrian obeliscs, all of which represent, in the most conspicuous way, the phallus, one of which has been apparently circ.u.mcised. The body is occupied with an inscription recording the sale of land, and also a figure of the reigning king, whilst upon the part known as the _glans p.e.n.i.s_ are a number of symbols, which are intended apparently to designate the generative powers in creation. The male is indicated by a serpent, a spear head, a hare, a tiara, a c.o.c.k, and a tortoise. The female appears under precisely the same form as is seen on the head of the Egyptian Isis, Fig. 28. The tortoise is to this day a masculine emblem in j.a.pan. See Figs. 174, 175.

But there is no necessity for the animal itself always to be depicted, inasmuch as I have discovered that both in a.s.syrian and Greek art the tortoise is pourtrayed under the figure which resembles somewhat the markings upon the segments into which the sh.e.l.l is divided. In symbolism it is a very common thing for a part to stand for the whole; thus an egg is made to do duty for the triad; and a man is sometimes represented by a spade. A woman is in like manner represented by a comb, or a mirror; and a golden fleece typifies in the first place the "grove," which it overshadows, and the female who possesses both.

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It has been stated on page 19 _supra_, that Pausanias mentions having seen at some place in Greece one figure of Venus standing on a tortoise, and another upon a ram, but he leaves to the ingenious to discover why the a.s.sociation takes place.

It was this intimation which led me to identify the tortoise as a male symbol. Any person who has ever watched this creature in repose, and seen the action of the head and neck when the quadruped is excited, will recognise why the animal is dear to the G.o.ddess of amorous delight, and that which it may remind her of. In like manner, those who are familiar with the ram will know that it is remarkable for persistent and excessive vigour. Like the cat, whose salacity caused it to be honoured in Egypt, the ram was in that country also sacred, as the bull was in a.s.syria and Hindostan.

In fact, everything which in shape, habits, or sound could remind mankind of the creators and of the first part of creation was regarded with reverence. Thus tall stones or natural pinnacles of rock, the palm, pine, and oak trees, the fig tree and the ivy, with their tripliform leaves, the mandrake, with its strange human form, the thumb and finger, symbolised Bel, Baal, Asher, or Mahadeva. In like manner a hole in the ground, a crevice in a rock, a deep cave, the myrtle from the shape of its leaf, the fish from its scent, the dolphin and the mullet from their names, the dove from its note, and any umbrageous retreat surrounded with thick bushes, were symbolic of woman.

So also the sword and sheath, the arrow and target, the spear and s.h.i.+eld, the plough and furrow, the spade and trench, the pillar by a well, the thumb thrust between the two fore-fingers or grasped by the hand, and a host of other things were typical of the union which brings about the formation of a new being.