The Island and Immortality
Watonos
While sometimes obfuscated, a comparative study reveals the many connections to an otherworldly island. Its source of immortality shimmers through ancient myth.
We begin our quest with Homer, who wrote that Calypso lived on the isle of Ogygia which was described as a tree-filled garden with fruiting vines. Her only nourishment: Nektar “Death overcome” and Ambrosia “Immortality”. While there is no origin known for the food of the gods in Greek myth, we can assume that there is a relation to the fruits mentioned here, as we see striking similarities in other myths. Homer locates Circe on the isle of Aeaea. In Telegony, she makes Odysseus’ wife Penelope and their son immortal when they are brought to Aeaea. In addition to this connection to immortality, she also reveals to Odysseus the manner in which Ambrosia is brought to the gods. Homer also mentioned the Elysian plain in the Odyssey, and described it as an idyllic place where Menelaus will be taken instead of dying in Argos. He located the Elysian plain on the western edge of the Earth by the stream of Okeanos.
Helen is compared to the Dawn goddess here.
With this in mind, the following sentence mentioning Circe’s island in the Illiad could hold a lasting remnant from an earlier myth: “the Aeaean isle, where is the dwelling of early Dawn”. Another link to the Dawn goddess has been made in the previous part, namely, Urvaśı the Apsara.
The island’s maiden is also described as the daughter of the Sun, as with Circe, daughter of Helios. Other times she is the daughter of the sea, as with Calypso, daughter of Oceanus, and the Arthurian Morgen “Sea Born”. This familial connection also exists for Circe, as she is the granddaughter of Oceanus.
Elysium was seen as a paradise where honoured heroes would live on, and would later be described as the Fortunate Isles, or the Isles of the Blessed. The similarities between these Homeric isles, and their distinct mention in such an early text, indicates that these iterations were based on a much earlier tradition.
We can also draw a similar conclusion from the Mahabharata, when the divine bird Garuda stole Amṛta "immortality", he flew to several similarly described places, such as Uttarakuru, Alamva, Patala, and the island Ramaniyaka. Amṛta is etymologically related to Ambrosia and has the same meaning, and is, from it’s first mentions in the Rigveda, regarded as a synonym for Soma.
Northern Kurus, or Uttarakuru, was the kingdom of the Vedic Kuru tribe. The trees there are described in the Mahabharata as yielding fruit that tastes of Amṛta and were used as ornaments, and the women there were likened to the Apsaras (water nymphs) in beauty. It was a place where the seasons were always pleasant. In the Puranas it is metioned as the land inhabited by Pururavas and the Apsara Urvaśı, and the birthplace of the Aśvins, the divine horse twins, initiates of the Soma sacrifice. It also has another striking paradisiacal aspect:
Alamva is a sacred place with many divine golden boughed trees, adorned with fruits of gold and silver, washed with the waters of the sea. Patala “Underworld” is the dwelling of aquatic creatures that subsist on the rays of the moon, which can be seen as deriving from Soma, the Vedic lunar deity. Patala is described in the Bhagavata Purana 5.24 as devoid of disease, fear, fatigue, or old age, and it was there that the gods first drank Amṛta.
The island Ramaniyaka had a beautiful fruit-bearing forest “washed by the waters of the sea and resounding with the music of winged choirs”. Which was dear to the Gandharvas and always gave them pleasure. The winged choirs likely refer to the Gandharvas themselves, as they were often described as part bird, and were the musicians of the gods. These show, like the Homeric text, various instances of similarly described otherworldly places, which were likely derived from a common archaic source.
The garden of the Hesperides nymphs of Greek mythology contained golden apples and was widely known as part of the labors of Hercules. It was in fact one of the last labours he completed before becoming immortal, the last being a journey to the underworld. Even though this apple garden was not directly associated with Ambrosia, later mention clearly does make this connection.
In Irish myth, the sons of Tuireann transform into hawks to steal the golden apples of the Hesperides, very reminiscent of the hawk stealing Soma in the Rig Veda, or Garuda stealing Amṛta in the Mahabharata.
A garden of jewels at the edge of the world by the great impassable ocean, is mentioned in The Epic of Gilgamesh. There Siduri, “young woman”, guides the protagonist on his journey for immortality to Utanapishtim’s remote island, beyond the Waters of Death. The island was unknown to mortal men.
Like in the Odyssey and Mahabharata, there are multiple Otherworldly islands mentioned in the Irish myth The Voyage of Bran. The protagonist Bran mac Febail came across a branch of an apple tree of Emain Ablach "Emhain of the Apples", which is elsewhere called Annwn. Soon after he is visited by a mysterious woman urging him to sail to the Isle of Women, which has eternal summer, plentiful food, and no sickness. Almost identical to the description of Elysium, Uttarakuru, and Patala.
The King of Annwn was Arawn in Welsh myth, but he was also called Afallach, which contains the word Afal “Apple”. From this, it should be clear that the Arthurian Avalon “Isle of Apple Trees” is the same as the otherworldly Annwn.
Far to the West, there was another mythical island called Mag Mell "plain of joy", which was achievable through death and/or glory. It was accessible only to a select few, much like Elysium and Uttarakuru. This Otherworld was a place where illness and death did not exist, a place of eternal youth filled with beauty and bliss. Tír na nÓg, “Land of the Young”, is another name for the Irish Otherworld. There immortality is bestowed by the ale at the feast of Goibniu.
The Slavic otherworldly garden Vyraj also lies beyond the sea, and is also linked to apples. Sirin and Alkonost, the birds of sorrow and joy, lived in Vyraj. Those who hear Sirin's song would forget everything, and follow her, and die. Sirin is said to cry in an apple orchard, but when Alkonost comes and dew is brushed off her wings, the apples are grant healing powers.
Apples are a recurring element associated with Ambrosial effects. It lingers in folktales, such as the aptly named The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life. Here an aged king who was becoming blind, heard tell of a garden with rejuvenating apples, and sight restoring water.
As mentioned earlier The fate of the children of Tuireann contains a parallel to the theft of Soma, also reminiscient of the abduction of Iðunn and her apples. Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba, assume the guise of hawks in order to steal sacred apples from the garden of the Hesperides.
Lugh to Brian: “They are the colour of bright gold, and as large as the head of a month-old child; the taste of them is like honey; if he who eats them has any running sore or evil disease it is healed by them; they may be eaten and eaten and never be less. I doubt, O young heroes, if ye will get these apples, for those who guard them know well an ancient prophecy that one day three knights from the western world would come to attempt them.” Once they had obtained the apples, the brothers changed into swans and plunged into the sea.
A silver branch with golden apples from Tír na nÓg is mentioned in the Irish tale Echtra Cormaic, which belonged to Manannán mac Lir, and allowed the mortal Cormaic entrance to the Otherworld, very similar to the earlier mentioned apple tree branch from the The Voyage of Bran. The branch can make people forget their woes, similar to Sirin’s song. Another branch, the golden bough from the Roman text Aeneid, had to be obtained by Aeneas before being allowed to enter the underworld Pluto.
Likewise, before entering the underworld Hades, to complete his final labour, Hercules had to obtain the golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides. Upon completion, he became immortal and married Hebe “youth”. She was the cup-bearer of the gods, serving them Ambrosia. Where in Greek myth the golden apples are not mentioned as Ambrosia which bestows immortality to the gods, the golden apples of Norse myth are explicitly referenced as such. Hebe was typically shown in art, offering a cup to her father Zeus who was depicted as an eagle.
Although Hebe was not mentioned as shape-shifting into a bird herself, it seems likely that Hebe lost several traits to Athena, who was thought to have likely been a bird goddess in Archaic times according to Nilsson as detailed in The Minoan-Mycenaean religion and its survival in Greek religion (1927). Likewise Mayer connected vase paintings of a human headed bird, with Athena, in Hermes (1892). This manifestation would otherwise be considered a Siren. In the Odyssey Athena shape-shifts into a sea eagle. It is by this visage that Nestor identifies her. Athena is also the one responsible for Odysseus’ release from both Calypso and Circe, and the one to return the golden apples to the garden of the Hesperides, that were taken by Hercules. These associations seem more appropriate for Hebe, while Athena is widely regarded as Pre-Greek with Near-Eastern influence, and not of Indo-European origin. The connection between the goddesses endured with their Roman counterparts, evidenced by Juventas’ shrine, located within the temple of Minerva on Rome’s Capitoline hill.
Hebe’s Norse equivalent, Iðunn “ever young”, is the keeper of golden apples which provide longevity to the gods. Iðunn is referred in Haustlǫng as the “dísi bekkjar brunnakrs”. Bekkjar is sometimes translated as “bench”, but a more likely translation would be “brook”, while Brunnakrs means “field of the well”. Two words linking her to water, quite fitting for a role that is often associated with a water nymph, or Swan Maiden. In the same Skaldic poem she is taken by Thjazi in the shape of an eagle, which according to David Knipe is the Indo-European motif "of an eagle who steals the celestial means of immortality." Rydberg convincingly theorized in Investigations in Germanic Mythology that Thjazi and Volund (Wayland) were the same, making the abduction of Iðunn directly analogous to the Swan Maiden myth. Another similarity to that narrative occurs in the same myth, when Loki borrows a magical cloak from Freyja that allow him to take the shape of a falcon, and this also corresponds with the theft of Soma and the stealing of the apples by the children of Tuireann, when birds of prey are tasked to retrieve immortality.
In the Arthurian tale, Vita Merlini, Arthur was taken by ship to Avalon “Isle of Apples” to be healed by Morgan Le Fay. She and her sisters were able to shape-shift and fly "like Daedalus, on strange wings". While she later became distinct from the lady of the lake, it’s quite evident that they were originally the same. In the Draco Normannicus, Morgan is described as being immortal, and having the ability to grant immortality to Arthur with the aid of the herbs found on her isle. Very reminiscent of Circe, who, according to Lycophron's Alexandra, used magical herbs to bring Odysseus back to life after he had been killed by Telegonus. In Bulgarian folklore, a Samodiva's close connection to the forest makes her knowledgeable about magical herbs and cures for all illnesses. While in Irish mythology, the goddess Airmed’s tears for her slain brother produced healing herbs. She was one of the enchanters whose incantation sung over the well of Sláine would heal the mortally wounded.
This well was located at Achad Abla “Field of the Apple Tree”.
Immortality could also be manifested in myth and folklore as protection, healing or rejuvenation. The waters of local nymphs, for example, were considered to have magical healing properties, when used in ritual, a belief that endures to this day, as Christian Mary associated springs of Europe.
In the Argonautica, Thetis anoints Achilles with ambrosia to make him immortal. Later in the Achilleid, Statius mentions submersion in the water of the Styx as the method by which immortality is obtained. This continues the element of the mytheme: the waters of death, which in Norse myth would be the river Gjöll, which seperated the worlds of the living and the dead.
Manannán mac Lir, “Son of the Sea”, was the king of the Irish Otherworld. Seemingly taking over from his father Lir, “Sea”. The Welsh equivalent Afallach is mentioned as the father of Modron, who is regarded as the precursor to the Arthurian Morgen, “Sea born”. Thus we seemingly have a son and daughter of the sea, like the Norse Freyr and Freyja, children of Njordr. In Norse myth, it is Freyja who is the owner of a feathered cloak that allows for metamorphosis into a bird, something usually owned by a Swan Maiden. Freyja also has foreknowledge, is theorized to be a Dawn goddess, and functions as a psychopomp. Though, it is Iðunn that occupied the Swan Maiden role, while Swan Maidens, like the Greek water nymphs are usually the daughters of the sea, as seen lingering in a Russian folktale. In this folktale, the Swan Maiden Vasilisa the Wise will lead the protagonist to her father, the Sea Tsar.
The Viking sagas sometimes reference ship burials, such as Gisla Saga 18, Svarfdæla Saga 24, and Vatnsdæla Saga 23, but there is no indication to the beliefs that prompted these customs. Likewise, the earlier stone ship burial custom of Scandinavia, Northern Germany, and the Baltic, remains mysterious. It is theorized that boat burials are related to Freyr, as they occur frequently in the Uppsala region, traditionally connected to worship of Freyr. The finest ship, Skidbladnir, created by Ivaldi’s sons, was owned by Freyr. As son of the sea god Njordr, he is akin to the Irish son of the sea, Manannán, owner of the similar ship Sguaba Tuinne “wave sweeper”. As mentioned earlier, Manannán was ruler of the Irish Otherworldly island, but as we know there is no such conceptualization in Norse myth. There are a few theories on the practice of ship burials, some say it’s Celtic influence, others say it’s Egyptian, or that it’s pre-Indo-European. What we can say with certainty, is that there is a case to be made for these practices stemming from an Indo-European tradition.
Freyr has also been regarded as the equivalent to the Vedic Aśvins. These horse twins were said to resurrect or rejuvenate mortals, feats that can be expected from the physicians of the gods. The Aśvins performing, supernatural healing and the restoration of youth, what would later be more commonly associated with the equivalent of the foremost Apsara. The Gandharvas, cohorts of the aforementioned Apsaras, were, like their water nymph counter parts, usually described as part bird. They were however also sometimes described as part horse, which might be a conflation with the Aśvins. The Gandharvas’ role as guardians of Soma, and the Aśvins’ role as healers, and initiates of the sacrificial Soma rite, could easily overlap. We have seen that Urvaśı the water nymph and the Dawn goddess might be conflated, this might also be case for their respective companions, the Gandharvas and the Aśvins.
We see two distinct concepts of the Otherworld within Indo-European tradition, that of the island, and the chthonic mound. The Scandinavians have at times combined the two in some of their funeral practices. It seems that these concepts are divided in a similar way as Valhalla and Helheim. One specifically reserved for the valourous chosen few.
In part 3, we will continue our quest for immortality, and look at the connections to the archetypal nine maidens, the Otherworldly progenitor, the crippled smith, and the swan knight.