By Angel Snowden – 3/19/12
The Gods are not immortal by nature. From the Greek, Norse,
Celtic, Egyptian, Samarian and so on - every pantheon throughout world history
hosts divine beings that are commonly viewed as being untouchable and immortal.
But in all of these cultures the immortality of the Gods was never presented as
absolute. Instead, it was most often a side effect of certain foods that they
ate in order to retain their youth or by some other naturally reflective
processes of ritualized sleep to renew their power; illustrated as the
setting/rising of the sun, phases of the moon, or changing of the seasons.
If the foods or ritualized sleep was missed or refused the
Gods would lose their immortality and become something just beyond a normal
mortal but could die a mortal death from which there would be no return. This
likely was the core of fear put into the heart of Zeus when Hera imprisoned him
during the Gods Revolt. A fear that he returned to her in kind when the hundred
handers set him free and he chained her to the sky until she relented to his
terms of release.
Because the secret of immortality and much of their power
was a metabolic effect, the essence of that power could be transferred to a
normal mortal for a period of time. There are a lot of myths where it was this
transference that played the pivotal role in the outcome of the events or the
demigod-like abilities displayed by certain individuals; such as Achilles who
was gifted his ability in battle by being gifted Hera’s kholos (rage of her
breasts), which made him virtually unstoppable during the Trojan War.
Hera’s breast milk appears as the pivotal substance in many
myths including the substance that granted Hercules his power and what created
the Milky Way – still named so from the Milk of Hera -milk that would have been
tainted by her eating ambrosia and drinking nectar.
The transference of power and level of temporary immortality
from God to Mortal almost always appears to be done through sexually based
means - nursing, intercourse, kissing etc. because the blood of the Gods itself
(Ichor), which is golden in color and carries the properties of immortality and
power, is extremely toxic to humans. However,
sexually based transference only manifests temporarily.
During secondary transference the immortality and power is a
temporary state of being. Eventually the substance that grants these properties
makes it out of the body just like anything else. Problems arose when it was
discovered that if a child is conceived during intercourse with a mortal the
effect does not wear off and can manifest itself in risky ways. Even the basic
social impact of demigods within mortal society changed the natural course of
human history, as well as evolution, several times over on many continents. So,
a general law was passed the world over across almost all of the pantheons: Sex
with mortals, fine - conception of a child in the exchange, not fine.
After the law was passed the appearance of demigods began to
dwindle even though many of their descendants still traced their lineage back
to the demigod and used that line of decent for anything from getting a loaf of
bread to gaining political power. Hero-cults often emerged as a way for
localized tribes and villages to protect themselves from invaders. Attacking a
village where a demigod was said to have been born was considered ill-advised
for fear of offending the parenting God. Even Christians use this as a means of
protection and status in a global society. But, after death, the powers and
influences remaining of the demigod were contained to local areas. They only
have influence where their body was buried in the earth. Beyond that area they
have no influence at all.
Demigods, like their divine parent, were never immortal by
nature. It was only the abilities they had inherited that set them apart from
the rest of mankind. They normally led very chaotic and painful lives full of
turmoil and being social outcasts. It was almost their destiny to suffer
unimaginable pains and loneliness because of their differences. This only
served to reinforce the idea that demigods should not be conceived in the first
place. Not only will they likely change the natural course of events and defy
fate but they will also live a life of suffering.
Ingestion plays a major role in the abilities of the Gods
and Mortals alike. Zeus ate his first wife in order to gain her wisdom and
increase his power. His father before him did the same with many of his own
children. On the mortal level, eating the flesh of an enemy was viewed as a way
to gain their power in many cultures such as the Maori tribes in Indonesia. But
it wasn’t always flesh eating that granted power and immortality. It also
included all sexually transferable fluids from saliva, to breast milk, to
orgasmic discharges – each achieving a different level of manifestation. Many
fertility rites are based on this principle and in such rites the manifestation
can take place within the earth itself. Having sex in a field just prior to the
planting season was thought to endow the earth itself with the power to create
life and ensure a good harvest.
The primary ingredient that appears in Celtic, Greek,
Egyptian and other cultures for “a food of the gods” is honey. This one
substance appears throughout the ages time and time again in vastly different
cultures as the keyhole to immortality, healing, and power. Its golden color is
reflective of the golden color attributed to the blood of the Gods and within
the natural world it could be extremely guarded by legions of soldiers, even
though humans have developed the ability to extract it safely. Along with honey
- apples, pomegranates, and many other natural foods have been attributed to
the divine diet or as ingredients to specific foods like ambrosia.
Ambrosia with mythical attributes can be made using many of
the ingredients mentioned in various myths. Milk separated by pomegranate juice
(any acid will separate milk curd from its whey) yields a basic Farmer’s Cheese
that is flavored with honey, crushed of apple, sea salt and spices. It’s
simplistic, utilizes all of the ingredients mention in mythical texts, and is
easy to make. 100% pure pomegranate juice should be used as within mythical
context was said to have been created from the blood of Dionysus.
Manifestations of eating “divine foods” or the transference
of fluids from deity to mortal can appear as strength, wisdom, epiphany,
endurance, rage, lust, intimidating presence, metaphysical energy flares, lucid
dreaming, semi-hypnotic states, heightened awareness or senses, extremely high
energy levels, sleeplessness, and a multitude of other temporary traits.
Transference manifests at different logical levels: A kiss – epiphany or
musing. Breast milk – power, rage,
endurance, and wisdom. Intercourse – all-encompassing and manifest for the
longest period of time. But none of the manifestations are absolute or limited.
There really is no way to discern how it will manifest from person to person or
how long the effect will last. And in receiving such a “gift” (if you want to
interpret it that way) one should always consider exactly what the motive is behind
it. Sure, many of the Gods and Goddesses are lustful but there is almost always
a hidden agenda.
Sexually based encounters with deities are just as common
today as they were in the ancient world. More times than not they take place it
an altered state of consciousness, during sleep, and more rarely during ritual
practices. They are often interpreted as flights of fancy, wet dreams, or
hallucination that the participant is never comfortable admitting to. So, the
encounters happen but are rarely purported. Normally it is the deity who
chooses and seduces the mortal. Occasions where the adverse actually worked are
exceedingly rare. But in either case strange events are likely to follow. A
stretch of what they consider to be “good luck”, the epiphany and creation of a
new invention, higher energy levels and sense of serenity, the feeling of being
“blessed” and so on. Rarely do the encounters ever manifest in anything
negative.
The same kind of energy transference happens on the mortal
coil as well. You carry a scrap of every single person you ever kissed, had sex
with, or were emotionally tied to for any length of time. Each and every one of
them is inside you and around you at the same time – part of who you are. Any
elaborate ritual, rite, exotic herb, are expensive shower gel will never make
that wash off. You can turn led into gold. The problem for many is: you can’t
reverse it.
II) Food of the Gods:
Ambrosia (GREEK)
In Greek mythology, ambrosia was a honey-flavored food eaten
by the gods that allowed them to remain immortal. With the ambrosia, they often
drank a honey-flavored drink called nectar. According to legend, each day doves
brought ambrosia to Zeus, the king of the gods, to distribute among the other
deities. [1]
The Apples of Idun
(NORSE)
Iðunn is the goddess of eternal youth and is the wife of
Bragi, the god of poetry. Idun keeps the golden apples that maintain the
eternal youthfulness of the gods. Since the gods are not immortal, the apples
are considered very precious. [2]
Gofannon’s Ale
(CELTIC)
Gofannon, the ‘Divine-Smith,’ was the son of Belenos, the
Sun-God, and Anu, his wife. He was known as Goibhniu to the Irish. Gofannon was
also host of the Underworld feast for which he provided special ale to make the
drinkers immortal. [3]
Bread and Water
(Samarian)
A searcher for eternal life was Adapa, a fisherman who
gained wisdom from Ea, the god of water. The other gods were jealous of his
knowledge and called him to heaven. Ea warned him not to drink or eat while
there. Anu offered him the water of life and the bread of life because he
thought that, since Adapa already knew too much, he might as well be a god.
Adapa, however, refused and went back to Earth to die, thus losing for himself
and for mankind the gift of immortal life. [4]
The Philosopher's
Stone (15th Century ALCHEMY)
The philosopher's stone has been attributed with many
mystical and magical properties. The most commonly mentioned properties are the
ability to transmute base metals into gold or silver, and the ability to heal
all forms of illness and prolong the life of any person who consumes a small
part of the philosopher's stone. Other mentioned properties include: creation of
perpetually burning lamps, transmutation of common crystals into precious
stones and diamonds, reviving of dead plants, creation of flexible or malleable
glass, or the creation of a clone or golem. [5]
Projection of Manna
(Ultra-modern Metaphysics)
Some now lend to the belief that the power and immortality
of the Gods, now cast into very generalized and homogenized lights by the
majority, is directly dependent on the energy projected to them through the
prayer, worship, and ritualized practices of mortals. This view also illuminates
the notion that the Gods ability to influence the world of men is also directly
related to just how many mortals know of them – know their names. Each time a
mortal invokes the name of a God/dess the projection of energy is established
and the invoked God can then feed off the prayers and worship of the mortal who
invoked them.
The same could be said for deified mortals. The Pharaohs, Buddha,
many of the Saints in Catholicism, Jesus, The Popes, Hercules, Achilles, and
even George Washington are all mortal men who achieved immortality through
recognition, worship, and apotheosis. Normally manifesting it what is referred
to as “hero-cults” that tend to remain more localized than any kind of
religion. Hero-cults can be traced back to the geometric Period (9BC) as was
recorded in chthonic rites, Hellenistic, Archaic and Classical Greek periods.
By the historical period, the word “hero” came to mean specifically a dead man, venerated and
propitiated at his tomb or at a designated shrine, because his fame during life
or unusual manner of death gave him power to support and protect the living. A
hero was more than human but less than a god, and various kinds of supernatural
figures came to be assimilated to the class of heroes; the distinction between
a hero and a god was less than certain, especially in the case of Heracles, the
most prominent, but a typical hero. [6]
III) Related Texts:
[1] Epitome - a person or thing that is typical of or
possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class. The classification
could be attributed to almost anything from an emotion, trait, or social group.
[2] Quintessence - the pure and concentrated essence of a
substance. In ancient and medieval philosophy, the fifth essence or element,
ether, supposed to be the constituent matter of the heavenly bodies, the others
being air, fire, earth, and water. This has also been used to describe the
essence of the “soul” or spirit even as it is attributed to mortals. One who
has achieved a concentrated spirit or will might be considered the
“quintessence” of various spiritual views and practices.
[3] Ichor - originates in Greek mythology, where it is the
ethereal fluid that is the Greek gods' blood, sometimes said to retain the
qualities of the immortal's food and drink, ambrosia or nectar.
[4] Menos and Kholos –Rage and determination. Hera naturally transmits the menos and kholos
which sustain and bestialize warriors.
[5] Hera’s Milk - Is sometimes used to explain Heracles'
divine status—Hera's milk would have made him immortal as well as the substance
responsible for the creation of the Milky Way – named after Hera’s breast milk.
Sources:
[5] Theophrastus Paracelsus. The Book of the Revelation of
Hermes. 16th century
[6] Robert Parker, in John Boardman,Jasper Griffin and Oswyn
Murray, eds. Greece and the Hellenistic World (Oxford 1988) "Greek
religion" p. 288; Parker gives a concise and clear synopsis of hero.
