Elves
I am a big believer in there being a basis in fact for many things spoken of in mythology. And Elves are an area that I think can explain a lot. Early Norse and Germanic lore devided Elves into three groups.
The Light Elves are man sized creatures, not unpleasant to look at, with magical or God like powers. They are very much like the Nymphs of the Greek and Roman myths. They were almost God like in their long lives and powers.
Then there are the Dark Elves, a more unfriendly folk that aren’t as large or as fair of skin. The Brownies of Scotland or the Leprechaun of Ireland might be Dark Elves. The Dwarves common to many cultures are much like the Dark Elf. Unfriendly may be too strong a word, but these are the ones blamed for mischief against people. It was said that of a Light Elf was like sunshine a Dark Elf was like pitch.
Lastly is the Black Elf. An even more black hearted and mean spirited creature of small size, these may well be the Goblin, the Gremlin, or even a Demon.
Almost every culture ever studied has references to something like these entities. Fair skinned, by comparison, God like folk. Smaller folk of similar appearance who shy away from people, and small dark spirited beings that seem to thrive on causing trouble for man.
Here in Indiana we have the Indian legend of the Pukwugi, a small people who look like human children. They live in the woodlands along rivers, often in cave like holes in the hills and banks above the flood line. ( Think primitive Hobbit) In the summer they build shelters of bent sticks and branches covered with leaves and grass.
Even today we find beings that seem to match these. As stories of the Little people live on.
Today however the beings aren’t seen as Elves, but as Aliens. The tall fair beings are called the Aryans, the small mean ones are the Blues. And just as in old they are sometimes seen together. And they are still said to bedevil humans.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Bogyman
I have a theory. I think that oral history is alive and well in the high technology era.
AND I think that some of the stories being told are thousands of years older than many think.
Oral history is nothing more than asking your Grand Father about what he did in the war, then re-telling the story to a friend or family member.
I was at a genealogy group meeting and was listening to such stories about people’s families when I realized what was happening. And I realized that it matched my theory.
When a child cried at night a woman hushed the child with a warning that the Bogeyman would come and take them away if they weren’t quiet. This story was passed down from generation to generation until the actual identity of the Bogeyman was lost to time. Or a man warns a child to stay away from the waters edge at a lake because of snakes. Snakes are of no real danger in most areas today so why the warning? Could it be the residue of a warning of some ancient predator that once lurked in most streams? A snake like or reptilian creature that took small creatures along the bank as crocodiles do today? Maybe even the same creature that spawned the dragon stories so common in many early cultures.
I believe that these stories once had a basis in fact. All we need to do is find it.
What will future generations think of some of our stories.
A thousand years from now, after we have collapsed from over population, or Global Warming, or what ever calamity you wish, and the earth’s population consist of bands of hunter gatherers and small farmers. When they sit at night and tell stories what will they talk about.
Will they tell about the Star Men who once visited the moon? About the great kings and their fantastic weapons that could burn a city beyond the horizon? Or maybe about how the tribe of Sim lived two lives at once. One here and now and another in some strange ether world of the Online.
Or if we do survive, and advance, will they tell tales about the days when we fought over the remains of long dead animals like some strange carrion feeders.
We assume that all we know and accept will survive the ages, but will it really be as we see it?
AND I think that some of the stories being told are thousands of years older than many think.
Oral history is nothing more than asking your Grand Father about what he did in the war, then re-telling the story to a friend or family member.
I was at a genealogy group meeting and was listening to such stories about people’s families when I realized what was happening. And I realized that it matched my theory.
When a child cried at night a woman hushed the child with a warning that the Bogeyman would come and take them away if they weren’t quiet. This story was passed down from generation to generation until the actual identity of the Bogeyman was lost to time. Or a man warns a child to stay away from the waters edge at a lake because of snakes. Snakes are of no real danger in most areas today so why the warning? Could it be the residue of a warning of some ancient predator that once lurked in most streams? A snake like or reptilian creature that took small creatures along the bank as crocodiles do today? Maybe even the same creature that spawned the dragon stories so common in many early cultures.
I believe that these stories once had a basis in fact. All we need to do is find it.
What will future generations think of some of our stories.
A thousand years from now, after we have collapsed from over population, or Global Warming, or what ever calamity you wish, and the earth’s population consist of bands of hunter gatherers and small farmers. When they sit at night and tell stories what will they talk about.
Will they tell about the Star Men who once visited the moon? About the great kings and their fantastic weapons that could burn a city beyond the horizon? Or maybe about how the tribe of Sim lived two lives at once. One here and now and another in some strange ether world of the Online.
Or if we do survive, and advance, will they tell tales about the days when we fought over the remains of long dead animals like some strange carrion feeders.
We assume that all we know and accept will survive the ages, but will it really be as we see it?
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