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Indo-European Mythology 1, Requirement 7c
Explain how each of the following elements of ADF ritual does or does not resonate with elements of two different Indo-European cultures. You need not use the same two cultures as a basis of comparison for each element. For example, you may compare and contrast the concept of the Earth Mother in Greek and Vedic cultures, and Deities of the Land in light of Irish-Celtic and Breton-Celtic cultures. (minimum 100 words each)
Deities of the Sea
In Norse mythology, we have the deity Aegir, who is associated with mead,
poetry, and plenty, but also with destruction and greed and anger. The sea is
not conceptualized as a forgiving place, and neither as Aegir. (Davidson,
128-129 Aegir was known as the earth-shaker, and presided over earthquakes and
storms. (Davidson, 131) Poseidon, in Greek mythology, was also a sea deity
called "earth-shaker" and was known as equally unforgiving and
violent. Often, he is called the "tamer of horses and a savior of
ships," and it is noted that he surrounds the land with his waters. He is
emphatically not a fertility, given the perception of the oceans as
"barren" and "unharvested" among the Greeks. (Morford
& Lenardon, 102) ADF does not often deal with these particular deities,
though following Hurricane Katrinia in 2005, there was a good discussion on
deities of the sea for use in ritual.
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