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

Apsu to Tiamat, Dummuzi to Inanna

“Dying gods”

Osiris, Dummuzi

Fertility gods

Dummuzi, Marduk

Sorcerer of Trois FreresCaves 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

– Trials to get into afterlife

• Egyptian

– Book of the Dead

• Christian

– Heaven/Hell

• Zoroastrianism

– 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

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.

Some of the Negative Confessions

Kings and Judges Judges

– Many judgments occur in the here and now

– Hebrew Bible

• Punishing group of people

– Sodom and Gomorrah

• Immediate punishments

• 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

• Supernatural events and miracles

– Some sacrifice willingly

• Jesus

• Nanauatzin (Aztec Sun)

– Most don't die prematurely

• Moses

• Muhammad

• Zoroaster

Saviors/Prophets and Sages Sages

– Human exemplars of spiritual behavior and wisdom

• Not divine like saviors/prophets

– Bodhisattvas

• 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

• 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

– Communicate between earthly and supernatural realms

Tricksters

– Hermes: Messenger God

– Thoth: Scribe, inventor of mathematics and astronomy

– Eshu: African, take sacrifices to gods

Tricksters and Shamans Shamans

– First understanding of male divinity

– Mediating presence and spritual warrior between humans and the “Otherworld”

– Enter trances and transform

• 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”

– Gods tell him to go to Snake Village instead

– Stopped by Shaman who warns him about Snake Village

– 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 GoddessesHoly 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

Krishna• Avatar of Vishnu

– Born to destroy evil King Kamsa

– Divine birth, playful as child but using his powers

– Krishna grows older and begins ridding neighborhood of monsters and demons

– Kills Kamsa and other oppressive kings and demons

– 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, non-partisans, 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 RolesKing: 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.