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 Re: you don't have to! 173 messages | Select a forum: |
| "Not sure *all* cultures do or always have done. You are assuming a lot. Did they before fairly advanced language?" The motifs of Rock Art do kind of suggest a fairly abstract turn of mind. But then again many of the Paleolithic cave paintings are filled with human forms. I think that the human form is probably a more basic symbol than language - in fact, I think it's <i>the</i> most basic symbol. "You're honouring them, but not necessarily worshiping them." Interesting point, this. What's the difference between <i>honouring</i> and <i>worshipping</i>. I like to think that I honour my gods without worshipping them, because <i>worship</i> seems to somehow imply a loss of dignity on the part of the worshipper. I like to think its possible to honour without worship, and also that a deity can be a deity without worshippers, just honourers. "One sun god. One wind god. One water god. I'm saying one nymph at a well became top-nymph of the nymphs at the well, not of all nymphs everywhere." Fairy nuff, I take your point. Its perhaps a little more complicated than that, mind - a sky god could be thought of as a Sun god in some respects though remaining distinct from the deity that personifies the Sun itself. This was the case in Ancient Egypt where Ra was the solar disk itself but the Sun was also the eye of Horus, who had a special name (Harmakhis, if memory serves - Horus of the Horizon, it means) to refer to his solar aspect. I do basically take your point, though. I like your story about the cave. I'm not sure that fear is the only motive for leaving an offering, mind. You seem to be saying that in order for a spirit to become a god there needs to be a cult spring up around it, with more than one person making regular offerings. Isn't it true to say that the cave spirit meant the same thing to the man who first found the cave as it did to later "worshippers"? From the perspective of that one man's psychology the cave spirit was a (not the) deity, as far as I can see. "Spirit" and "deity" are vague terms and there's no clear dividing line between them. I get the feeling that this debate is just semantics - you call them "spirits" I call them "deities" but we mean the same thing. You say tomayto and I say tomahto. Perhaps you think I use the word deity innappropriately? We need definitions... Reply | with quote |  24th September 2003ce 15:37 In reply to: Re: you don't have to! (FourWinds)4 replies: Re: you don't have to! (Moth) Sources (morfe) Re: you don't have to! (FourWinds) Re: you don't have to! (FourWinds) |
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