Posted by Jimmy [jimmyjames] on April 08, 1999 at 19:45:04 {vxsc0.TBNkOfSZqlzZ0Uijuk77B9Xg}:
In ancient times (and in modern times), a lot of religous signifigance was attached to the "Big Dipper", Ursa Major. Near the polestar, which was considered by many groups to be the gateway to heaven or the upperworld, it played an important part in ancient mythology based on constellations. In fact, for some groups it seems to be the only constellation with mythology attached to it at all. Some ancients viewed it as the thigh or foot of their highest gods, the bow of a hunter, a plough. More importantly, the cosmic Elk or Bear. Some viewed each of the seven stars separately, but comprising one unit. The Mongols perceived them as Seven Old Men near the sky's navel, the polestar.
This number 7 carried over into much ancient mythology, which in turn may have been borrowed from the Mal'ta Panel, an ancient artifact from Altai that contained 7 spirals, the center spiral of which contained 7 rounds ending in a hole. The image spread across the landmass with migration in an inverted or back-tracking spiral.
Here are some quotes from "Dawn before Dawn" by Geoffrey Ashe, which contains some of this information:
"The Vogul recognize seven
Sons of God; the Vasyuga-Ostyak have seven gods, one for each of the heavens; the Yakut even have seven Supreme Gods. Sevens occur with other deities. The Yurak-Samoyed pay homage to an Earth spirit with seven sons, and their sacred
images have seven faces, or a single face with seven gashes or cuts in it. The Ostyak, on the middle Yenisei, speak of a goddess on a seven-story mountain who writes the fate of each human being at birth on a seven-branched tree. Tatars
have seven gods who likewise record the destiny of newborn children."
"The mystical number 7 apparently plays an important part in the shaman's technique" (quote of Mircea Eliade)
Many more are listed in the book, such as Ugrian visionary women wearing their hair in two braids, where seven seagulls are attached to the end of one and seven goldeneye ducks to the other, etc.
Since Ursa Major, with 7 stars, appears to be associated with heaven and the highest gods in the most ancient mythology, is it merely a coincidence that the Bible has symbolic use of the number 7 in association with heavenly items and the almighty God?