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Recently i've been reading a great deal about the Indo-European cup-bearer motif, when something astonishing struck me which, sadly, prof. Hutton never had seemed to notice when constructing his rather extremist polemics within his "Pagan Religions", if he were even aware of them (of course, he seems to go to lengths to mitigate IE Studies as equally valid answers to his present subject of interest):
He seems too eager to write off both the Germanic and Celtic literature as either purely Christian 9to one extent or another), or else the work of Christians trying to re-tell Classical myths. However, aside from the simple fact that they didn't seem to have tried very hard to do so, were that their intention, as the Irish evidence bears testament to when compared to the archaeological record of the Celtic Iron Age; but, there is a demonstrable mythic theme within the German texts that is traceable to Hindu epic scriptures. When Odinn steals the mead of poetry he escapes to Asgard in the shape of an eagle, while loosing a few drops for anyone to consume if they so desire. This exact same theme is told of their Hindu coeval, Soma, which is also the drink of the gods when Indra takes the form of an eagle and steals this sacred brew. Of course, in Greece and Rome it was not the drink of the gods that was stolen (Ambrosia) but the cup-bearer himself.
Moreover, this Indo-European theme seems to have peripherally survived in Wales where Cerridwen brewed a wisdom inducing potion that she, through duplicitous skill, got the youth, Gwion to tend her Cauldron. Three drops from this potion (remember the Germanic mead?) splashed out onto his hand which he instinctively imbibes to ease the pain. Cerridwen accuses him of deliberately thieving the wisdom she had brewed for her own child when she pursues him, each shape-shifting, until she swallows him. This ends in Gwion being reborn as the shamanic poet, Taliesin.
So, I am definitely unconvinced by Hutton's eager polemical aggression, especially when such evident IE themes have emerged within the source-data in consideration. Just some food for thought...
Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan
He seems too eager to write off both the Germanic and Celtic literature as either purely Christian 9to one extent or another), or else the work of Christians trying to re-tell Classical myths. However, aside from the simple fact that they didn't seem to have tried very hard to do so, were that their intention, as the Irish evidence bears testament to when compared to the archaeological record of the Celtic Iron Age; but, there is a demonstrable mythic theme within the German texts that is traceable to Hindu epic scriptures. When Odinn steals the mead of poetry he escapes to Asgard in the shape of an eagle, while loosing a few drops for anyone to consume if they so desire. This exact same theme is told of their Hindu coeval, Soma, which is also the drink of the gods when Indra takes the form of an eagle and steals this sacred brew. Of course, in Greece and Rome it was not the drink of the gods that was stolen (Ambrosia) but the cup-bearer himself.
Moreover, this Indo-European theme seems to have peripherally survived in Wales where Cerridwen brewed a wisdom inducing potion that she, through duplicitous skill, got the youth, Gwion to tend her Cauldron. Three drops from this potion (remember the Germanic mead?) splashed out onto his hand which he instinctively imbibes to ease the pain. Cerridwen accuses him of deliberately thieving the wisdom she had brewed for her own child when she pursues him, each shape-shifting, until she swallows him. This ends in Gwion being reborn as the shamanic poet, Taliesin.
So, I am definitely unconvinced by Hutton's eager polemical aggression, especially when such evident IE themes have emerged within the source-data in consideration. Just some food for thought...
Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan
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