Monday 8 July 2002

Pic of the day: Actually, this is none of our tentative fire gods, but Shounen my Avalonian Wizard from Dark Age of Camelot Europe. Hey, it's not like I'm rolling in guys who can encase themselves in fire for my illustrations! You would not want to summon any on the list below:

Promethevs, Loki & Lucifer

Credit where credit is due: I would not have brought up this topic if it hadn't been mentioned by Al Schroeder of Nova Notes. He had noticed the similarities between Promethevs and Loki, and now I feel obliged to add Lucifer to this small group.

They are all fire-gods, each in a different way: Loki's name seems to be derived from an old word for flame, and his dangerous and unstable nature would be consistent with an origin as a former fire god. (Loki did help the Norse gods as often as he betrayed them.) Promethevs stole the fire from the gods and gave it to the humans: He too is thus associated both with fire and with the betrayal of gods. Finally Lucifer: His betrayal against God defines his very being; and he is also portrayed as ruling a domain of fire.

I will briefly mention that in my opinion all of these three are imaginary beings. Contrary to what many Christians may believe, the myth of the beautiful cherub or angel was not originally tied to the story about Satan, the tester of souls. Lucifer ("Light-bringer") is found through conjecture from the poetic story about the king of Tyre, and his fall from grace through wealth and envy. The idea that this king of Tyre was actually the Devil himself seems unknown until the Middle Ages. But as a myth, it is very powerful. It seems to explain how a good God could create an evil Devil. Of course, the idea of the Devil ruling in hell is also fairly new: In ancient Christianity, Hell was the Devil's destination, and he sure wouldn't rule there.

***

It is quite possible that the half remembered Promethevs myth was part of the inspiration for the medieval Lucifer. Or perhaps all these treacherous fire gods are derived from a common archetype. The Promethevs myth tells us that the early humans lived a much simpler life, but also closer to the gods. With fire, they got power: Power to rival the gods, or at least power to be independent. The gods were not happy about this, and punished first Promethevs and then the human race. Fire comes to equal civilization itself; and indeed it can be said that humanity's road towards civilization begins with the discovery of fire. From there, we part ways with the animals forevermore. We gain power, but with power comes responsibility. And with responsibility comes guilt.

As animals we were ruled by our instincts, which were part of creation; and as such we were ruled by the Creator or creators ... one nation under gods, indeed. With fire and toolmaking and civilization came new choices. Free will grew. We lived in a complex world, and there was no longer a simple way. We could no longer do what our hearts told us to do; no civilized man or woman can fully follow their heart. Traditions, taboos, considerations: Now we had to think and move along crooked and branching roads to arrive where our heart already was. And so it still is to this very day. And it all started with fire, our first step away from the garden of Eden that we shared with all the animals.

And yet there is no going back. When we got fire, we were not willing to give it up. When we got to make clothes, we were not willing to give them up. Weapons, bronze, iron, steel ... Now we are devastating whole ecosystems; we are changing the climate; nuclear weapons threaten life as we know it; and we are opening doors that could remove Earth itself from the universe. And there is no going back. There is never any going back.

Trick or treat? Have we been empowered by Promethevs, or tricked to our doom by Lucifer? Or helped and hindered both by a capricious, uncaring Loki?

Whatever the road behind, here we are. Now which way will we choose into the future - if any?