The Male Divine
Early Role of the Male Divine
Dispute over male images
Marija Gimbutas: “Male figurines constitute only 2 to 3 percent of all Old European figurines, and consequently any detailed reconstruction of their cult role is hardly possible.”
Various other scholars claim that over half of figures cannot be identified definitively as either male or female.
Early Role of the Male Divine
Relationship to “Great Goddess”
Many early male gods are consorts to goddesses
“Dying gods”
Apsu to Tiamat, Dummuzi to Inanna
Osiris, Dummuzi
Fertility gods
Dummuzi, Marduk
Sorcerer of Trois Freres Caves near Ariege, France (13,000 BCE)
“God” of Trois Freres
Dying/Fertility God from which all other Gods stem from
“Shaman” of Trois Freres Possessor of magic powers Mediates between the people and spirit world
Classifying the Male Divine
Not typically associated with reproductive and seasonal cycles
Life, Death, Regeneration not as applicable
Sociopolitical
Offices held, roles in society
Examples that come to mind?
Classifying the Male Divine
Sociopolitical
Fathers and Sons
Kings and Judges
Saviors and Sages
Tricksters and Shamans
Lords of Destruction and the Underworld
Note: Many of these overlap, and many male deities play multiple roles
Fathers and Sons
Fathers
Embody male principle of fertility
Energizes life potential of female
Becomes detached after the sexual act
Often detached and eventually confrontational with offspring Role in Campbell's heroic cycle?
Often the principle authority figure
To be respected and feared
Fathers and Sons
Categories of Fathers
The Celestial CEO
Patriarchs who delegate responsibilities to other gods Active: Zeus, Odin Aloof: Anu, Atum
The Unapproachable Father
God too frightening, detached, or powerful to be approached Need intermediary gods to communicate
Human too frail to bear awesomeness of God “No one comes to the Father, but through me.” - Jesus (John 14:6) Burning Bush
Fathers and Sons
Sons
Humanizes more frightening aspects of father
Obedience and submission of son to father
Theme of sacrifice common
Relationship between father and son reflect cultural norms
Apollo and Hermes have positive relationships with Zeus
Wise and crafty gods
Hephaestus and Ares have negative relationships with Zeus
Physically deformed and bloodthirsty
Kings and Judges
Kings often overlap with father-gods
Depicted as heavenly kings
Focus shifts from role of patriarch to the role of monarch
Safety, peace, prosperity come from godly powers.
“You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks the darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side, and then thousand at your right hand; but it shall not approach you” (Psalms: 5-7).
When gods struggle for power, mankind suffers
Hurrian myth (N. Mesopotamia)
Kings and Judges
Hurrian Myth
Anu defeats Alalu (primordial god)
Kumarbi (Alalu’s son) bites off Anu’s genitals
Kumarbi becomes pregnant with Anu’s son (Weather God)
Weather God and Kumbari battle
Two versions of end
Version 1: Kumbari creates a stone monster named Ullikummi, spirals out of control and they both need to kill it
Version 2: Weather God defeats Kumbari by slaying his son/monster Hedammu
Moral
“When elephants fight, the grass is trampled.” – African Proverb
Kings and Judges
Judges –
Rewarding those whose actions conform to his will and punishing those whose deeds do not
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Trials to get into afterlife •
Egyptian –
•
Christian –
•
Heaven/Hell
Zoroastrianism –
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Book of the Dead
Judgment Day
Differences in afterlife, though •
Sumerian underworld same for everyone, how seen on Earth matters
Negative Confessions and Weighing of the Heart
Ma’at = balance
Some of the Negative Confessions Hail, Ta-retiu, who comest forth from the night, I have not attacked any man. Hail, Unem-snef, who comest forth from the execution chamber, I am not a man of deceit. Hail, Unem-besek, who comest forth from Mabit, I have not stolen cultivated land. Hail, Neb-Maat, who comest forth from Maati, I have not been an eavesdropper. Hail, Tenemiu, who comest forth from Bast, I have not slandered [no man]. Hail, Sertiu, who comest forth from Anu, I have not been angry without just cause. Hail, Tutu, who comest forth from Ati (the Busirite Nome), I have not debauched the wife of any man. Hail, Uamenti, who comest forth from the Khebt chamber, I have not debauched the wife of [any] man. Hail, Maa-antuf, who comest forth from Per-Menu, I have not polluted myself. Hail, Her-uru, who comest forth from Nehatu, I have terrorized none. Hail, Khemiu, who comest forth from Kaui, I have not transgressed [the law]. Hail, Shet-kheru, who comest forth from Urit, I have not been wroth. Hail, Nekhenu, who comest forth from Heqat, I have not shut my ears to the words of truth. Hail, Kenemti, who comest forth from Kenmet, I have not blasphemed. Hail, An-hetep-f, who comest forth from Sau, I am not a man of violence. Hail, Sera-kheru, who comest forth from Unaset, I have not been a stirrer up of strife. Hail, Neb-heru, who comest forth from Netchfet, I have not acted with undue haste. Hail, Sekhriu, who comest forth from Uten, I have not pried into matters. Hail, Neb-abui, who comest forth from Sauti, I have not multiplied my words in speaking. Hail, Nefer-Tem, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have wronged none, I have done no evil. Hail, Tem-Sepu, who comest forth from Tetu, I have not worked witchcraft against the king. Hail, Ari-em-ab-f, who comest forth from Tebu, I have never stopped [the flow of] water. Hail, Ahi, who comest forth from Nu, I have never raised my voice. Hail, Uatch-rekhit, who comest forth from Sau, I have not cursed God. Hail, Neheb-ka, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not acted with arrogance. Hail, Neheb-nefert, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not stolen the bread of the gods. Hail, An-af, who comest forth from Maati, I have not snatched away the bread of the child, nor treated with contempt the god of my city. Hail, Hetch-abhu, who comest forth from Ta-she (the Fayyum), I have not slain the cattle belonging to the god.
Kings and Judges
Judges –
Many judgments occur in the here and now
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Hebrew Bible •
Punishing group of people –
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Immediate punishments •
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Sodom and Gomorrah
Cain and Able
According to the Westboro Baptist Chuch, God punished Boulder
“And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:11-12).
Saviors/Prophets and Sages
Saviors/Prophets –
Savior bridges the gulf between the father-god and human children •
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Some sacrifice willingly • •
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Supernatural events and miracles Jesus Nanauatzin (Aztec Sun)
Most don't die prematurely • • •
Moses Muhammad Zoroaster
Saviors/Prophets and Sages
Sages –
Human exemplars of spiritual behavior and wisdom •
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Bodhisattvas •
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Not divine like saviors/prophets
Goal is to help others achieve enlightenment (not a messenger of God like saviors, though)
Saints •
Exceptional degree of holiness, sanctity, and virtue
Saviors/Prophets and Sages
Sages –
Bodhisattvas • •
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Avalokiteśvara/Dalai Lama Gautama Buddha
Saints •
St. Thomas Aquinas • •
•
Summa Theologica Subjects such as existence of God, his nature, the trinity, roles of angels, and money lending
Shibli (Sufism) •
Goes “crazy” to prove a point
Tricksters and Shamans
Why group these two together? –
Both cross boundaries
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Communicate between earthly and supernatural realms
Tricksters –
Hermes: Messenger God
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Thoth: Scribe, inventor of mathematics and astronomy
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Eshu: African, take sacrifices to gods
Tricksters and Shamans
Shamans –
First understanding of male divinity
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Mediating presence and spritual warrior between humans and the “Otherworld”
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Enter trances and transform •
•
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Take on animal characteristics Good fortune for hunts
Hopi story of young man and Snake Village
Tricksters and Shamans
Shamans –
Hopi story of young man and Snake Village –
Young Man (YM) questions existence of gods, wants to go to “Lower Place” –
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Stopped by Shaman who warns him about Snake Village – –
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Gods tell him to go to Snake Village instead
Gives him protective herb Greeted warmly at village
Returns with a wife from Snake Village
Tricksters and Shamans
Shamans –
Hopi story of young man and Snake Village –
–
Returns with a wife from Snake Village, pregnant with son Angers her, she leaves but gives him son who can change between human and snake form
Lords of Destruction and Underworld
Represent greatest fears –
Death, disease, misfortune, supernatural malevolence
–
Come in form of famine, pestilence, war, winter
War –
Shiva, Kali, Ares/Mars
Also represent cycle of life –
Osiris, even Hades have roles in fertility and seasons
Mictlantecuhtli, Aztec King of the Dead
Koshchei (Russian Lord of Death)
Male Divine: Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
Background
6th book of the Hindu epic Mahabharata
Narrative of the Kurukshetra War (1200 BCE) Conflict between Aryan families of Pandava and Kaurav for supremacy
Bhagavad Gita
Arjuna
Prince and leader of Pandava army
Son of Indra
Warrior caste
Krishna
Charioteer and friend of Arjuna
Avatar of Vishnu
Male Divine figure
Bhagavad Gita
The Setting
Arjuna about to lead his army into battle
Faces the enemy and sees friends, family, teachers on the opposing side
Existential crisis
Consults Krishna
Bhagavad Gita “They are teachers, fathers, sons, and grandfathers, uncles, grandsons, fathers and brothers of wives, and other men of our family, I do not want to kill them even if I am killed, Krishna; not for kingship of all three worlds, much less for the earth! “What joy is there for us, Krishna, in killing Dhristarashtra's sons? Evil will haunt us if we kill them, through their bows are drawn to kill. Honor forbids us to kill our cousins...how can we know happiness if we kill our own kinsmen? If Dhristarashtra's armed sons kill me in battle when I am unarmed and offer no resistance, it will be my reward.” Saying this in the time of war, Arjuna slumped into the chariot and laid down his bow and arrows, his mind tormented by grief.
A Bit About Hinduism
Pantheism
Brahman = Cosmic Energy
Goal is to reach enlightenment and reunite with Brahman
Nirvana
Reach nirvana by shedding yourself of bad karma
Reincarnated until achieve enlightenment
Karma determines what caste you are reincarnated into
Four Purusarthas (goals in life)
Dharma – Spiritual and social righteousness
Artha – Wealth
Kama – Sensual pleasure
Moksa – Spiritual liberation, renouncing the world (key to enlightenment)
Gods and Goddesses Holy Trinity • Brahma: Creator of the Universe • Vishnu: Ensure triumph of good over evil • Shiva: God of creation but also destruction
Indra • King of Gods, Storms and War
Ganesh
Vishnu • Protector/Creator God • Avatars = Earthly incarnations to rid world of danger • 10 Avatars • • • • •
Matsya = Flood myth Rama = King Ravana Krishna = King Kamsa Buddha = End suffering Kalki = End of days
•
Avatar of Vishnu
Krishna
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Born to destroy evil King Kamsa
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Divine birth, playful as child but using his powers
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Krishna grows older and begins ridding neighborhood of monsters and demons
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Kills Kamsa and other oppressive kings and demons
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Eve of battle of Kurukshera, preaches to Arjuna the Bhagavad-Gita
A Bit About Hinduism
Caste System
Designated, immovable social classes
Priests Warriors/Rulers Artisans/Merchants Unskilled workers Untouchables (non-caste) Origins
Historical: Aryan invasion of Harappan Civ
Religious: Rig Veda
Caste System
Historical Origins
Invasion of Aryan tribes into Indus River Valley (1500 BCE)
Started as a warrior families acknowledging superiority of kings and priests
Those who rejected the warrior lifestyle and settled for agriculture or trade
Bottom class developed for people adopting unskilled labor
Secondary purpose of separating the “superior” Aryans from “inferior” natives
Caste System
Religious Origins
Rig Veda
Brahma is chopped up by the Gods into four pieces. The mouth was the priests and kings, both arms made the warriors, the thighs the merchants, and the feet made the workers
Why this is important
Explains why Arjuna is having such a difficult time
“Krishna, how can I fight against Bhishma and Drona with arrows when they deserve my worship? It is better in this world to bed for scraps of food than to eat meals smeared with the blood of elders I killed at the height of their power while their goals were still desires.
“The flaw of pity blights my very being; conflicting sacred duties confound me what I seek! I see nothing that could drive away the grief that withers my senses: even if I won kingdoms of unrivaled wealth on earth and sovereignty over gods.”
Arjuna told this to Krishna; then saying, “I shall not fight.”
Questions • How does Krishna help Arjuna reconcile his moral conflict between his duties as a warrior, but also his duty to respect his family, elders, and life in general?
• What do these teachings show us about the Hindu world view? • What roles of the Male Divine does Krishna fit here? Give specific examples
Pick out quotes
Notable Quotes • You grieve for those beyond grief, and you speak words of insight; but learned men to no grieve for the dead or the living. Never have I not existed, not you, nor these kings; and never in the future shall we cease to exist.
• As a man casting off worn garments taketh new, so the Body-Dweller, casting off a worn-out body, enters into another that is new. • Arjuna, you must learn to endure fleeting things – they come and go! • Our bodies are known to end, but the embodied self is enduring, indestructible, and immeasurable; therefore, Arjuna, fight the battle!
Notable Quotes • When suffering does not disturb his mind, when his craving for pleasures has vanished, when attraction, fear, and anger are gone, he is called a sage whose thought is sure. • When, like a tortoise retracting its limbs, he withdraws his senses completely from sensuous objects, his insight is sure. • Brooding about sensuous objects makes attachment to them grow; from attachment desire arises, from desire anger is born. From anger comes confusion; from confusion memory lapses; from broken memory understanding is lost; from loss of understanding, he is ruined.
Notable Quotes • [The disciplined man] is set apart by his disinterest toward comrades, allies, enemies, neutrals, nonpartisans, foes, friends, good and even evil men. • A man of discipline should always discipline himself, remain in seclusion, isolated, his thought and self well controlled, without possessions or hope.
Male Divine Roles King: I see you blazing through the fiery rays of your crown, mace, and discus, hard to behold in the burning light of fire and sun that surrounds your measureless presence. You are to be known as supreme eternity, the deepest treasure of all that is, the immutable guardian of enduring sacred duty Destruction: I am time grown old, creating world destruction, set in motion to annihilate the worlds…[the warriors] are already killed by me. Father: You are father of the world of animate and inanimate things, its venerable teacher most worthy of worship, without equal. Shaman: The whole thing Savior and Judge as well.