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Indo-European Mythology 1, Requirement 8g
Discuss how the following seven elements of ADF's cosmology are (or are not) reflected in the myths of two different Indo-European cultures. For this question, please use the same two cultures as a basis of comparison for the entire question. (minimum 100 words each)
Tree
In Celtic myth, the sacred tree (called Bile in Irish), and it is
watered by the waters of heaven and seems to help transport the souls of the
dead to the otherworld (and so has connections with various portions of the
world). (Ellis, 122) In Vedism, the sacred center is often referred to as its
own direction, (MacDonnell, 9) and could possibly be regarded as a
representation of the "center" aspect of the Tree. Regarding the
"tree" as "phallus" (a common explanation for its
centrality to ritual), we have the word śiśnadevah,
meaning "those who have a phallus for their deity," which indicates
that phallic worship was known to the Vedics, but it was not until post-Vedic
times that the phallus or linga became widely worshipped as symbolic of
Shiva's (a Hindu deity) generative power. It seems that the Vedics found
phallus worship to be repugnant, and Indra is called upon to destroy the śiśnadevah,
and also slays them to win the treasure of the hundred-gated fort.
(MacDonnell, 155) In ADF ritual, the tree acts as the axis of the ritual, the
sacred center. It seems to adequately reflect both the tree of the Celtic
world and the center of the Vedic.
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