Cheers!
Lets do it again Mr. Thorstein, come on
Argh!
My head!
No please! Stop it, stop it!
Come one. We have survived 2016, we should be celebrating
hur... no no, I don't feel like celebrating
That's because you haven't stop drinking, or eating, since New Year's Eve
Do your thing lad... leave me be!
Hello friends. My name is Arith Härger and today I'm going to talk about the Origins of the Gods
Once again, I have two special guests
Mr. Tico
and Mr. Thorstein
[ indistinct babbling ]
and I reckon he won't bother us much, at least for today
Now, before we start, let me explain what this is all about
This subject will be divided into three videos
The first video will start at the Palaeolithic Era, all the way to the Mesolithic Era
the second video will be the Neolithic Era
and the third, and last video, will be the Chalcolithic to the Bronze Age
in each of these historical periods different deities were worshiped
and that's exactly what I will be talking about
Feeling confused already, Mr. Thorstein?
My head is... spinning...
Right
Let me explain better then
for now, lets just focus on this video
Gods are worshiped according to human needs
and in different periods in history, human needs vary
as such
a deity whose field of expertise coincide with the greater need of that time
is worshiped more often than another
I could be speaking of an pantheon of gods
but I will use the Norse gods as an example of the kind of deities who were worshiped during prehistoric times
Is it better now Mr. Thorstein?
huh... yes, yes... yes...
great
Since this first video will start in the Palaeolithic Era
let me say that I will not go all the way back to where the Palaeolithic Era started
lets just go back 40.000 years ago
which marks the Cave Art period
and then, all the way to 12.000 years ago, which marks the end of the last glacial period
and then from that point on I will go to the Mesolithic Era
Stone Age art begins with an amazing depiction of animals
the abundance of animal images makes it likely that the earliest religions and spiritual practices of our ancestors
were very much concerned with beasts
mind that I'm speaking of religion here
as an early activity with a certain foundation in the organization of beliefs
already turning away from the shamanic rituals and spirituality at this point in history
Cave Art offers a wealth of brilliantly drawn naturalistic animal images
and the caves in which this art was created, might have been the very first temples of the Palaeolithic Era
The great amount of animal images depicted in Cave Art
is understandable
this was a hunter-gatherer society which was in contact with animals all the time
they had to know how animals lived, how they behaved, so they could easily hunt them
So I don't think that their major concern was with the fertility of animals
because most cave art has no human images at all
and when they do, they are often in a process of transformation
in the Palaeolithic art, the transformation of a human into an animal was something essential
well...
it's too early in the morning, and he's sleeping
either that or he's bored
[ Loudly Snoring ]
Well, it's probably too early in the morning
as I was saying...
I don't think that during the Palaeolithic Era our ancestors were very much concerned with fertility
in their art you can see that not all the animals they hunted and consumed were depicted
for instance
most of the animals depicted in cave art, were the largest, the fastest, the strongest animals
such as horses, aurochs, mammoths, boars
So I don't think fertility here was a major concern
I think our ancestors were amazed with the skills and the abilities of certain animals
So I think that the very first subject to be concerned in these earliest religions
was Animal Power
and that's where shapeshifting enters
to shapeshift into an animal, a certain animal, to obtain its abilities and skills
so I think that the very first deities to be worshiped, were the shapeshifting kind
I completely put fertility aside as a major concern during the Palaeolithic Era
you see...
fertility was for Neolithic farmers
those who domesticated the land and animals
and during the Ice Age fertility meant a lot of mouths to feed
and overpopulation meant starvation
hunter-gatherer groups kept their population below a certain threshold
and this includes abortion and infanticide
this seems cruel, of course...
but when the size of a certain community exceeds its natural resources, there is a big problem
too many mouths to feed meant starvation, as I've said
and it was probably better, or at least less abominable, to kill children at birth, than letting a lot of people starve to death
with this being said you can be certain that fertility wasn't considered a blessing during this time
you have to keep in mind that this was the Ice Age
and it was danger everywhere
and a constant fight for survival
Now, lets go to the deities that were probably worshiped during this time
Gods be good! Finally!
Before the creation of the sun calendar
people's lives and daily routines were guided by the phases of the Moon
the oldest structures found in archaeological excavations
well, not counting with primitive dwellings, but major structures
were Lunar Calendars
So, probably, the very first deities to be worshiped during the Palaeolithic Era
were the deities connected with the Moon
and...
giving an example of a Norse deity connected with the Moon
is the god Mani
the god, of course, of the Moon, and the god of night and darkness
Hunters had a very nocturnal life
because it was easier to hunt, and to move from one place to another
without being seen by rival tribes
and lets face it
humans' greatest enemy weren't the animals out there in the wilds
but other human beings
the phases of the Moon marked the time people spent from one place to another
or
how many phases of the Moon it took to go from here to there and back
just like Bilbo Baggins
the Moon also has a great influence on the tides
and knowing how it moves across the sky
it was vital for these people in relying on the sea to gather their food
by knowing the phases of the Moon, people could predict when the tide would be out
and when to coordinate their gathering of shellfish
now, I know I've spoken about shapeshifting, and we will get to that later
but right now during the Palaeolithic Era
I think that the most worshiped deities of this time, were the deities concerned with the Moon
and the phases of the Moon
because of what I've just said
as I've said this was a time of constant struggle
the fighting for survival
our human ancestors in this period, during the Palaeolithic Era
experienced the wildest form of living
they did not control fire, yet
so they had to rely on their wits, and on their abilities
agility and strength
to fight against all the natural world
in the Palaeolithic Era people lived in small communities
tribes
and each tribe needs a chieftain
to guide people from one place to another
during the harsh weather, into very primitive and dangerous forests
and
to say who is going to hunt, who is going to gather
to control the situation
and this reminds me of a Norse deity whose essence was probably in the deities worshiped during this time
I'm talking, of course, about Angrboda
Angrboda is the wolf-chieftess, the wolf-mother
she is the chieftess of the tribes of Jötunheim
and Jötunheim is the most primitive realm of the Norse cosmology
it's filled with dangerous and dark forests, deep lakes and very tall mountains covered with snow
and Angrboda is this motherly figure concerned with the members of the tribe
but at the same time she is as cruel and harsh as the landscape around her
and she has to be like that in order to make the best decisions for the welfare and survival of the tribe
So the essence of Angrboda was very much carved in the chieftains of the tribes of the Palaeolithic Era
So that's why I think that other deities worshiped during the Palaeolithic Era
were deities concerned with leadership
but a very specific leadership
the leadership of someone who has to live and survive under harsh conditions
and in a very dangerous and wild environment
Now, speaking of Angrboda of course I have to speak about her consort - Loki
and it's pronounced "Loke"
but for the sake of this video and a better understanding I will keep saying "Loki"
Now, Loki is the trickster god of mischief
but I think that is a very christian concept in trying to make this deity look - the Evil One
before that Loki was a deity connected with shapeshifting
and as I've said already, shapeshifting was essential in Cave Art
and as you well know, Loki was able to shapeshift into many different animals
including an horse
and that was exactly the animal into he shapeshifted the most
and it is interesting to see that 60% to 70% of Cave Art is exactly that - Horses
and in this we can see that another deity worshiped during the Palaeolithic Era
was a deity very much like Loki, or Loki is very much similar to this older deity
now, I think that Loki perfectly summarizes the passage between the Palaeolithic Era to the Mesolithic Era
along with other two deities
Skadi and Ullr
Now, both Skadi and Ullr are the gods of winter and hunting
and as we have seen, the Palaeolithic Era was a constant winter during the Ice Age
and the major concern of our ancestors during that time was hunting
and why have I said that Skadi and Ullr are perfect for this transition between the Palaeolithic Era to the Mesolithic Era?
because both of them are also the gods of archery
and bow-hunting
and during the Mesolithic that was one of the major discoveries, or major creations of our human ancestors
the bow
now, returning to Loki
I think he is a very good deity which summarizes, again, this passage between the Palaeolithic Era and Mesolithic Era
because Loki is a deity connected with fire
and in truth he is a fire god
and what was the major thing that happened during the Mesolithic Era?
in fact the most important thing of them all
it was the ability to control fire to our own benefit
now, I'm not saying that people found out about fire
because I'm sure they knew what fire was
but they just didn't knew how to control it
and it was precisely in the Mesolithic time that they started to control fire
and this was a major evolution for the human species
now you have probably noticed that Mr. Tico is always disappearing
he's constantly going to the bathroom
[ Snoring softly ]
and Mr. Thorstein fell asleep again
Now, I am sorry but I have to go back to Angrboda and her relationship with Loki
because I find this very interesting
and I'm sure neither Mr. Tico nor Mr. Thorstein share this opinion
but I'm going to say it anyway
now, Loki is Angrboda's consort
and Angrboda represents darkness and the wild nature
and it also represents the tribe
and therefore she represents the Palaeolithic Era
on the other hand
Loki represents fire
and, as such, he represents the Mesolithic
now, in the myth, Angrboda had a vision that Loki one day would come and master her
and that's exactly what happened during the Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic Era
Fire came and we were able to control it
and through fire
we could put all the darkness and all the wild creatures at bay
and there was no need to be afraid anymore
now, this metaphor of the relationship between Angrboda and Loki
gives us a hint that these two deities might be the oldest deities in the Norse pantheon
now, this also indicates that this story might be the remnants of a very old oral tradition
from this time
from the time between the Palaeolithic Era to the Mesolithic Era
now, it is intereting to see how Loki came to be
his father was Fárbauti and his mother was Laufey
and in the myth it is said that when Fárbauti looked upon Laufey
love struck him like lightning
now, this may be a metaphor for the creation of fire
because from this love
this love that struck Fárbauti like a lightning bolt
came...
Loki!
and...
from lightning it is possible to create fire
but Loki isn't the only deity associated with fire
we also have... Thor
Well, it is pronounced Tur/Tor
but I'll just say it "Thor"
well, Thor is, of course, as you well know
associated with fertility
but Thor will stay for the Neolithic period
however
I think it's interesting and it's important to talk about Thor, here in this first video
about the Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic
now, as you see...
Thor before being associated with the fertility of the land and a god of fertility in general
Thor was associated with fire and humanity
because he was the deity to bring fire to humanity
he was the deity to bring protection and warmth to humanity
so there it is
during the Mesolithic times, there were probably deities worshiped...
who are...
very similar to Thor, or vice versa
what is also interesting here
is how fire was created
as I've said...
the birth of Loki, and the myth of the birth of Loki
of lightning creating fire
it happens with Thor
Thor is associated with the lightning and associated with the oak tree
you see...
the bark of an oak tree is a poor conductor of lightning
as such
unlike other trees
when oaks are struck by lightning they explode
now, when this happens it creates a field of flaming wooden bits
that can be collected to start a fire or carry fire around
and again...
this association...
this metaphor
of Thor being associated with lightning and the oak tree
might be... the...
a hint of a very old oral tradition in how fire was created
maybe our ancestors...
well...
of course they knew about fire, but maybe they started to control it when they saw that lightning struck an oak tree
for instance...
and they collected the wooden bits and they were able to control fire in that manner
well, of course, Thor seems to be, also, a very old deity
but from the Mesolithic Era
but he will be a major deity during the Neolithic period
which I will leave to the next video
now, still speaking of the Palaeolithic Era and the Mesolithic Era
I will have to return to Angrboda and Loki
but...
also to their children
and look who's back
now, the children of this couple
is... a perfect mixture...
what is happening?...
now, as I was saying
Loki's children with Angrboda
are a perfect mixture of the wild nature of Angrboda and the Palaeolithic
with the knowledge of fire, or the knowledge that fire brought
the knowledge that Loki brought...
to... the...
primitive realm of Jötunheim
what you have to understand is the major importance of fire in the human communities
in these early human communitues
it wasn't just for cooking
but also... with fire people gathered around it
and knowledge was exchanged between many different tribes
people would gather around the fire to exchange wisdom
and that was very important
that was the key...
for the human evolution
because from this moment on humans started to evolve rapidly
so Loki's children are the representation of this knowledge that was gained when fire was controled
now, the very first of Loki's children was Hel or Hela
the goddess of the underworld
and, of course, the very first gods to be worshiped might have been the gods of death
because death as always been present in human history
and of course our ancestors even during the Palaeolithic
were very much concerned with death
because they decorated the graves of their ancestors
they were concerned in burying them
and, of course, they would decorate their skulls
and paint them with red ochre
and everything...
so there was a concern with death, and there were these...
these first rituals
and where would our ancestors place, or bury the...
the ancestors - their dead
precisely in the caves
the very first temples of our human ancestors
so Loki's daughter might be another very old deity of the Palaeolithic Era
however
in the myth...
before Hel was born
there was another goddess of death, a goddess controlling the underworld
and the underworld at that time was called Jormungrund
not to be confused with Jörmungandr - the world serpent
now, when the old goddess of the underworld died, or went away
Hel, the daughter of Loki, came to rule the underworld
and the underworld was no longer called Jormungundr
but it was called Helheim in honor to the goddess Hel
now, this metaphor is the representation of how death came to be so complex
when...
when our ancestors probably started to share their wisdom
and share their adventures and their knowledge about things
so death was, obviously, a major concern, as it is today
but during those times
it was turned into a very complex subject
during those gatherings around the fire
and that's what Hel is
Hel is the daughter of fire and the daughter of the wilds
the daughter of knowledge
so... Hel became a very complex goddess
death became a very complex subject
Hel was not just the goddess of the underworld
She was the goddess of the death-rituals
the religion around death
the goddess of how important death is in the creation of life
because there is no life without death
because death generates life
now, another of Loki's children is the world-serpent called Jörmungandr
in many cultures since the first steps of humankind towards a religious path
there has always been tales about a cosmic serpent
now, with the coming of christianity this world serpent became and evil creature of the seas
ready to devour the world, ready to destroy it
but Jörmungandr essence was not that at the beginning
Jörmungandr was a symbol of protection, and wisdom, and also power and magic
the world serpent wraps and protects the world
and it is a symbol of the boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead
and this connects the world serpent with its sister - Hel - the goddess of the underworld
the goddess of the world of the dead
and...
Jörmungandr is the link between the living and the dead
the very thing that protects this world
again, this serpent is Loki's child
so it is a symbol of power and wisdom
and only with wisdom can we protect the world
now, the last one of Loki's children is Fenrir
the wolf god
now, if Hel represents the world of the dead
and Jörmungandr represents the boundary between the world of the dead and the world of the living
Fenrir will represent our own world
now, of course, you have all heard that Fenrir is the lord of destruction and chaos
therefore it turned him into an evil being, an evil deity
however, Fenrir represents balance
because there is no order without chaos
now, in nature all things come to an end
in order to create new life
such as death creates new life, so does destruction and chaos
the terrible destructive power of nature creates life
and that's exactly what our ancestors witnessed during the Mesolithic period
you see...
during the Palaeolithic Era
it was the Ice Age which ended 12.000 years ago
everything was covered in ice and snow
everything was very dark and gloomy
and since the climates had changed so much
with the destructive power of the floods
and the earth itself trembling and spitting fire
from all of this chaotic atmosphere new life was created
fauna and flora flourish
and our ancestors witnessed all of those changes
and the knowledge of it was passed down from generation to generation
which created these metaphors, these tales, these myths
these earliest religions
with these climate changes during the Mesolithic
it was the perfect opportunity for humans to survive
there was no need to just hunt big creatures
there were a lot of new different smaller creatures easy to catch
there were different herbs and berries
now humans could also fish
and it was safer to fish in the river without being attacked by a thirsty wild creature
and with fire humans started to settle in a specific place
to get all the new resources in that area
and then move to another place
but this was the beginning of human settlements
so as you can see
Fenrir represents life
which is created through chaos
and these are the three Loki's children with Angrboda
the very mixture of...
of wild nature and the knowledge that fire brought
the complexity of death
and life
so...
summarizing...
I do believe that the very first deities that our ancestors worshiped
were the deities connected with the Moon
connected with shapeshifting
connected with...
the leadership of tribes
and also connected with wild nature and fire
and at last the complexity between life and death
now, I've already talked about Thor
because I think he also belongs to the kind of deities that were worshiped during the Mesolithic period
because he is connected with fire
but on the next video, on the second part
I will talk about the deities of the Neolithic
and Thor, and other deities, of course
will be represented in those deities of the Neolithic period
Well, I hope you have enjoyed this video and please subscribe if you want to see more videos
or if you want me to continue to do more videos
all the links to my social media are down below at the description
Thank you for watching and Tack för idag!
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