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Written by Lilith Ashtart
© Copyright 2001-02
Ø Romans and Greeks
As
afore-mentioned, Lucifer comes from the Latin (lux + ferre) and it is many times
named as being the Morning Star. The primal representation adopting this name
can be found in Ancient Rome, where originally it was used to name Venus planet
when it announced the birth of the sun. However, this idea of a God of Light,
associated with The Mourning Star, instead of the Dawn dated of a much more
remote time, being used by Socrates and Platao. As Edith Hamilton's Mythology
we can find in this Idea a God of Light which was linked with the Sun (Helios)
and Hermes.
As
one archetype, Lucifer was considered in Roman Mythology as being the son of
Astraeus and Dawn, or of Cephalus and Dawn. For the Greeks the planet is
represented as 2 brothers: Eósforo and Hespero. He was the father of Ceyx,
Daedalion and of the Hesperides. Ceyx was a fair king, who maintained peace in
his kingdom, Tersalia, and its beauty almost always was equivalent to his own
father’s. The Hesperides were the guardians of the golden apples, which Juno
gained as a wedding present, being assisted by the Dragon.
Lucifer is "the beautiful genius of the flowing golden curls,
sung and glorified in all the ancient epithalamihe, who at the fall of the
night, leads the nuptial cortège and delivers the bride into the arms of the
bridegroom." (Carmen Nuptiale; ver Mythol. de 1a Grèce
Antique, Decharme) as said in the first edition of the magazine Lucifer.
The epitalamios were ancient
nuptials corners, used originally not only for the pagan Greeks, but also by the
first Christians, one more fact that proves that originally Lucifer was not
considered as the enemy of the god of the Christians and men.
Eosforo
(Phosphoros) is the bright Morning Star, while Hespero (Vesper, Nocturnus,
Noctifer) is the name given to Venus when it sends its first rays if light in
the darkness of night. In the Iliad we can find passages referring to these two
brothers, in which Phosphoros, when he emerges from the Oceans waters, announce
the approach of divine light, while Hespero is considered during all the
nightfall the most splendid of all starts which are brightening in the sky.
The vision
about Lucifer to be the liberator of humanity, a bold rebel who brings to men
the god’s wisdom, and because of this, he suffers the torments provoked by the
rage of God (but he rather endure it than submitted himself to an arbitration
rule) suffers many influences of the Greek myth of Prometheus.
Prometheus
was one of the Titans. He and his brother Epimeteu became the responsible for
men creation not only because of their physical, but also because of their
skills. Having spent all his recourses on other animals, Epimeteu didn’t know
anything special he would give to men, seeing that the men should be superior to
all animals. Running over to Prometheus, who, with Minerva’s help, (who was
his protector), went to the skies and brought to fire the men in a light
fire torch in the car of sun. Jupiter became furious due to the robbery of the
heaven’s fire and punished Prometheus, chaining him to a Caucaso rock, where
daily his liver was devoured by a vulture. The
fire robbed by Prometheus is not the physical fire, much more than that,
I believe that the myth refers to “the mind fire”, which allowed men
liberate themselves to lead their lives by themselves, the “fire of gods”
that we have and than allow us to become our own god.
We
can also notice a resemblance with Apollo, the Sun God. This theory is based in
its title of Porter of Light, literal translation of its name, which can
associate it in cabala to Tiphareth, the Sun Sephirah, while being the Mourning
Star he is associated with Netzach, the Venus Sephirah. In Tiphareth began the
first great initiation to the meaning of Superior God.
Tiphareth is located in the center of the Life Tree, and in its direction
the powers of the other Sephiroths flow. Other point that relates the Tiphareth
is the vice of this Sephirah, the pride. As will be discussed afterwards, this
is the sin of Lucifer according to some religions, what would have put him away
from god’s grace.
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Lilith Ashtart - For my Fallen Angel HP
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