Learn All About The Pagan Sacred Drink
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- Опубликовано: 7 окт 2024
- Pagans drink mead, celebrate Odin for sacrificing an eye to drink from the Well, and pour libations in rituals. But why? Why did the sacred drink become integral to the religious beliefs and practices of Indo-European peoples? It is one of the most enigmatic mysteries and at the same time perhaps the most central phenomenon in Indo-European myth and spirituality. This episode takes a deep sip of the sacred drink of our ancestors - the elixir that keeps the gods immortal and conveys divine insight, inspiration and fertility.
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In the vast tapestry of IE spiritual heritage, a red thread weaves through the heart of rituals, connecting disparate cultures and civilizations-the Sacred Drink. Its origins veiled in the mists of time, this elixir stands as a mysterious yet revered essence that binds the tapestry of beliefs and practices across ancient societies. While shrouded in obscurity, its significance persists as one of the most profound and pivotal elements of early Indo-European spirituality.
Across the ancient pantheon of Indo-European cultures-be it the Vedic rituals of ancient India, the mead halls of Nordic legends, or the mystical practices of the ancient Celts-the Sacred Drink emerges as a central, yet enigmatic, motif. Its consumption symbolizes a conduit to the divine, an offering to the gods, a channel for spiritual enlightenment, and a celebration of life’s cyclical nature.
Let’s start with the word mead. That’s a good place to start. Most pagans, both new and experienced - specially Norse, continental Germanic and Anglo-Saxon pagans - have heard of the mead of inspiration. Some drink mead at their rites and get-togethers. But fewer know how old this word really is, what it means and what kind of beverage it is they’re really drinking.
In the Veda scriptures, the oldest spiritual sources us Indo-Europeans have, the word Madhu is mentioned countless times. What’s interesting about that is that it is always mentioned in conjunction or synonymously with the sacred drink of the Vedics - Soma. The same goes for the Avestan or Persian texts talking about their cognate sacred drink Homa. So in addition to the English word mead and the Norse and modern Scandinavian mjöd and even the Russian word мёд (mjod), we have several ancient sources - written in Indo-European languages - mentioning this word. It must therefore have an older common origin. And it does.
Today’s Persian word for wine - mey - goes back to the Old Iranian and Avestan maδu and mádhu, meaning ’honey’ or ’sweet’. Closely related to this is also the Avestan word maδa- meaning ’intoxication.
In its close relative Sanskrit we also have the word madhu, meaning ’honey, sweet’, ’nectar’ or even ’charming’.
In Welsh we have the word meddw, - meaning “drunk,” - and in Old Irish we have Medb, both with the same meaning and root.
This word and concept is so old that it goes all the way back to Proto-Indo-European, and the word médhu, with the same connotation and etymology.
So it is this word that is used countless times synonymously with the liquid gift they’re incessantly offering to the gods in the Veda texts.
Something that’s sweet as honey, something that is quote unquote ’charming’, that’s to say something that has an influence on you, something that is as sweet as nectar.
In the Upanishads, later Vedic philosophical texts, we can read about the concept Madhu-vidya. Literally meaning ’honey-knower’, or ’knowledge of the sweet’, but really meaning ’to know the divine within everything’ or ’knowing the divine essence within everything’.
So we already have quite a few clues here. We know that we there’s a word - medhu or madhu - that has lived on in an unbroken chain from the PIE to today’s IE languages, associated with a sweet and honey-based alcoholic beverage. We know that the oldest IE languages use the word for sweet and honey interchangeably with their sacred drink Soma/Homa. And we know that its sweetness is to be understood as a symbol of having insight into or access to the divine core.
And if we dig a bit deeper into what the sugar-rich flower liquid nectar - or even the peach variant nectarine - really means, we see that that too goes all the way back to the PIE, via the ancient Greeks, namely meaning ’unkillable’, and thus ’immortal’.
For those who really want more Sanskrit parallells I can also mention that Amrita - another word often used for the sacred drink in the Veda scriptures - also means eternal or immortal. You can almost hear that if you think of the negating prefix a- and adding mortal.
Excellent episode, as always!
Its nice to see you active again brother.
Happy solstice.
It's been a lot with our community, events and charity projects, so the podcast has suffered. Enjoy the new episode!
Very in depth and thorough, highly appreciated.
Thank you! Glad it was of value. And yes, it's an important one.
Good show, soon I’ll be taking my youngest son on a one month expedition in the backcountry; hiking and canoeing, I’m tempted to offer him some “ale” or another “divine” drink at a pivotal moment like after a hardship or some suffering. As a way of bringing him into “adulthood”….
Thank you for sharing! Rites of passage is something we often talk about in our community, and how the lack of them in our society makes youngsters lost and it increases mental unhealth. MEN have to initiate boys. Otherwise boys initiate boys.
In Sumerian and Akkadian mythology, Anzû is a divine storm-bird and the personification of the southern wind and the thunder clouds. This demon-half man and half bird-stole the "Tablet of Destinies" from Enlil and hid them on a mountaintop.
Good show man.
Thank you! I'm glad it was of value for you.
Apparently the Scottish and Scandinavians made a lot of Heather mead, the Heather been covered in Ergot of course.
Interesting! That'd be nice to taste.
The constellation Hercules was associated with the Dog headed goddess Bau-Gula, he was known as The Sitting Dog. It was the healing effects of the war dogs licking tongue, it headed their wounds faster, so the first physician was given a Dogs Head, in Sumerian, Ur-sag means Warrior, "ur" means Dog, "sag" means Head" a Warrior is a Dog-Head, Urgula means both Lion and Great Dog, and Ur-bar-ra means Wolf, 'bar' means "Son", and Ra the Sun God.
Play "She Licker" in reverse, you hear it echo "Hercules", or is it Her Ass, what does "cules" mean, what can dogs do that we can't? Ha Ha Ha
North Star Vega, the Head of the Dog, the North Star Polaris The Dog's Tail, Wepwawet is her Culo, the Wolf Headed son of Set.
Wepwawet and Duamutef are both jackal gods associated with the ancient Egyptians. Wepwawet is known as "the opener of the ways" and is said to find the paths of the dead. Duamutef is the jackal-headed Son of Horus and is known as the Canopic God.
The ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods associated with the black jackal, including Anubis, Wepwawet, and Duamutef. These gods are often depicted with jackal heads on human bodies or as animals. They are said to have helped the Egyptians understand what happens after death and to act as guides and protectors in reaching the afterlife.
Set, Suty, Sutekh, Son of Geb and Nut, Seth is a God of physical vigor and voracious sexual appetite in open conflict with social order and emotional bonds. Set as the Celestial Bull. In this form, He crushed Osiris beneath His thigh, which was later amputated by Horus. Set’s thigh was then chained to the pole star, whereupon it became the Big Dipper (or as the Egyptians called it, “the Bull’s Thigh”). As Sutekh, He was equated with the Hyksos’ chief deity, the thunder god Ba’al Hadad. A reference to the Secret of the Two Partners, or the idea that Set and Horus are really two aspects of the same god. This concept is depicted in Egyptian art as a humanoid figure with both the head of Horus and the head of Set, the Secret of the Two Partners works both ways, and “He of the Two Faces” can also be used as a name for Horus.
Horus placed Set on a Furca, speared him in the side, the lower Rib, part of your loins, that runs down to your groin
Weylyn Wyn means Pure/Blessed Son of the Wolf, Lewallyn Like a Lion/Ruling Roger Famous Spear but slang for Penis, Ha Ha Ha
Hee-Haw Hee-Haw 420
Where's the discord link?
If you're devoted to deepening your Indo-European spirituality you're welcome to join our community. You'll find a link under Contact on our website, or follow the link on our YT profile or on our Instagram profile.
This just popped in my feed and wow
This is exactly what I’ve been missing
Always into spirituality but Christianity feels so forced & wrong
Hard to explain lol but love your content
We are many who never found the answers in the Abrahamic faiths. According to us that's because they reject earthly life and instead worship something in death. And as we often say - we're all pagan by instinct! It is our inner nature. Looking forward to hear more about your new spiritual journey!
I am scared. I hope this is actually good and informative not just wild speculation and madness. Let's see.
Everything that the Hamingja Foundation publishes is well-informed and well-attested. Most likely the most deep-going online. So don't you worry.
Make mine a Bucky
Thank you for commenting, and welcome to the channel!
In Irish, iúl » Knowledge. úll » Apple. the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, macúil Son-like, filial. macúl, m. (gs. & npl. -úil2, gpl. ~).Med: Macula. macula, Med: macúl. s. Ball m; ball » cnag knock » cnag. mucúil, a2. Piggish, swinish. boar » Collach, a male crab. 3. Crude, fleshy, person.
Crab(-apple), fia-úll. Crab-tree, crann fia-úll.
"Alula-- Lewallyn" played in reverse will echo "Lewallyn--Alula", they echo their own name, Lewallyn was born under Alula, the Right Paw of Ursa Major, Lewallyn is Roger, he moved 619 miles away (6+1+9=16, hey that's a 7), now on the hour and minute of birth, Tania is 7 degrees from midheaven, the Left Paw of Ursa Major, 7 hours later, replaced by Menkib, the Left foot of Perseus, 7 degree from midheaven, must be from living in the 97420, 43N Lat by 124W Long, Cupla Shiva's 77. Ha Ha Ha
Hee-Haw Hee-Haw 420
"Her Star--I knock" played in reverse will echo "Tania--Roger", maybe a little too much 420, I forgot to add it.
P.S. Venus has a Pyramidal shaped crater, an eye in it's center, at the bottom, tears rolling away, located at 40 degrees N Lat. by 331 Long. I call it The Weeping Eye of Venus, it has the same name as my wife Jeanne, a DeLuna, meaning 'of Moon', her father's name is Jesus DeLuna, Ha Ha Ha, tell me thats not funny, Jesus of Moon.
Roger is slang for Penis, play the words "Her Star-- Rog Genome--Rog Envy" in reverse, they echo "Evening Star--Morning Star--Roger", isn't that Wyrd.