EPISODE 30 - HANS IN THE LIBRARY
Hans walked the long way home. He wanted time to try to sort out the volumes of information Jeddah had either said or eluded to. He help but think that there were still pieces of the puzzle missing in spite of the claim that Solomon or any other man in history had mastered all the Mysteries of the Ancient World.
The house was quiet when he arrived. He went to their library of some import and tried to look up various names and subjects to see where authors differed. Matoaka walked by and Hans asked when Rebecca was due home. Mato said she wasn’t sure but the Madame hadn’t said anything about being late. Hans was going to ask her about any symbolism she might be familiar with but decided he wasn’t ready for any more inputs yet. He watched go up the stairs in her usual gliding motion. Seabreeze had told him that Mato had on two occasions buried weapons into Big Bear in battle and lived to tell about it. Hans couldn’t imagine facing Bear in battle, he was quite sure he would run as fast as his legs would carry him away from the sight of battle, especially if he heard Big Bear was coming. He thought back to when he first saw Bear and how the sun dimmed when he arrived on the dock. Was that possible or did just seeing him cause a man to faint slightly and lose for a moment his eyesight.
The next thing he knew, he was pulling various books off the shelving and sitting down in a huge cushioned chair by the table and picked up a book titled, “Kings of England”. It just seemed to open by itself to Henry VIII in the middle so he flipped back to the start of the article so as not to miss the part where he had someone look for documents of high interest to preserve. Born June 28, 1491, a year before Columbus discovered the Americas. Crowned just days before his eighteenth birthday he reigned until 1547, six years of which were as King of Ireland as well. He became Prince of Wales upon the death of his older brother, Arthur. A special dispensation from Pope Julius II was necessary in order to marry his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, with the stipulation of non-consummation.
Following difficulties with Rome over a divorce from Catherine, he killed his wife, married his mistress, split from the Roman Catholic Church, seized assets of the Church, formed the Church of England (Anglican Church), acted essentially as its “Pope”, and just for spite funded the printing of the Bible in English. Proud of his Welch blood, he pushed through the Act of Union of 1536 where Wales was brought under English rule. He increased the size and power of the Navy. In 1533 he introduced legislation against homosexuals with the Buggery Act, making “buggery” punishable by hanging for the next 350 years. He also was an avid gambler at dice, tables, and cards.
Henry was also famous for his six wives. While still legally married to Catherine of Aragon, he secretly married Anne Boleyn, who bore him Elizabeth. He annulled their marriage because of not having a son, and had her executed on trumped up charges of adultery. Third wife was Jane Seymour, who gave him a sickly son and died soon after doing so. His fourth wife was the German Protestant Anne of Cleves, who he disliked from the start and another annulment. Number five, Catherine Howard, a young cousin of Anne Boleyn, who he also had executed for adultery and treason. The sixth was Catherine Parr, a twice widowed, older woman. Between the six women he left three heirs, all of whom sat on the throne, Edward VI, Mary I (“Bloody” Mary), and Elizabeth I.
It is well known that, in later life, King Henry VIII was grossly overweight, and possibly suffered from both gout and syphilis. In his younger days he had been a very active man. At 45 he had a jousting accident and suffered a thigh wound that prevented exercising and became ulcerated and probably indirectly lead to his death 11 years later.
Hans leaned back in his chair when he finished. There was nothing about preserving documents, but he had to admire anyone who defied the most powerful entity in the world at that time. He was somewhat surprised someone wasn’t sent to kill him for doing so. It reminded him that the world is a large place and there are pockets of power throughout the world that don’t see other powerful men as superior in any way.
After a few minutes of rest, Hans picked up the second book, “Mythology”. Quickly turning to H, he skimmed past Hera to Hermes (HUR-meez; Roman name Mercury) and began reading with Mysteries of the Ancients in mind. Hermes, son of Zeus and a mountain nymph (Maia, daughter of Atlas and one of the Pleiades), was a messenger of the gods and guide of dead souls to the Underworld. On his first day of life, he found an empty tortoise shell, saw the possibility as a sounding chamber, strung sinews across it, and created the first lyre. He is the god of shepherds, land travel, merchants, oratory, literature, athletics, weights and measures, and thieves.
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According to legend, Hermes was born in a cave on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. Zeus had impregnated Maia at the dead of night while all other gods slept. When dawn broke amazingly he was born. Maia wrapped him in swaddling bands, then resting herself, fell fast asleep. Hermes, however, squirmed free and ran off to Thessaly. This is where Apollo, his brother, grazed his cattle. Hermes stole a number of the herd and drove them back to Greece. He hid them in a small grotto near to the city of Pylos and covered their tracks. Before returning to the cave he caught a tortoise, killed it and removed its entrails. Using the intestines from a cow stolen from Apollo and the hollow tortoise shell, he made the first lyre. When he reached the cave he wrapped himself back into the swaddling bands. When Apollo realized he had been robbed he protested to Maia that it had been Hermes who had taken his cattle. Maia looked to Hermes and said it could not be, as he is still wrapped in swaddling bands. Zeus the all powerful intervened saying he had been watching and Hermes should return the cattle to Apollo. As the argument went on, Hermes began to play his lyre. The sweet music enchanted Apollo, and he offered Hermes to keep the cattle in exchange for the lyre. Apollo later became the grand master of the instrument, and it also became one of his symbols. Later while Hermes watched over his herd he invented the pipes known as a syrinx (pan-pipes), which he made from reeds. Hermes was also credited with inventing the flute. Apollo, also desired this instrument, so Hermes bartered with Apollo and received his golden wand which Hermes later used as his heralds staff. (In other versions Zeus gave Hermes his heralds staff). Being the herald (messenger of the gods), it was his duty to guide the souls of the dead down to the underworld, which is known as a psychopomp. He was also closely connected with bringing dreams to mortals. Hermes is usually depicted with a broad-brimmed hat or a winged cap, winged sandals and the heralds staff (kerykeion in Greek, or Caduceus in Latin). It was often shown as a shaft with two white ribbons, although later they were represented by serpents intertwined in a figure of eight shape, and the shaft often had wings attached. The clothes he donned were usually that of a traveler, or that of a workman or shepherd. Other symbols of Hermes are the cock, tortoise and purse or pouch. Originally, Hermes was a phallic god, being attached to fertility and good fortune, and also a patron of roads and boundaries. His name coming from herma, the plural being hermai, herm was a square or rectangular pillar in either stone or bronze, with the head of Hermes (usually with a beard), which adorned the top of the pillar, and male genitals near to the base of the pillar. These were used for road and boundary markers. Also in Athens they stood outside houses to help fend off evil. In Athens of 415 BCE, shortly before the Athenian fleet set sail against Syracuse (during the Peloponnesian War), all the herms throughout Athens were defaced. This was attributed to people who were against the war. Their intentions were to cast bad omens on the expedition, by seeking to offend the god of travel. (This has never been proved as the true reason for the mutilation of the herms.) The offspring of Hermes are believed to be Pan, Abderus and Hermaphroditus. Hermes as with the other gods had numerous affairs with goddesses, nymphs and mortals. In some legends even sheep and goats. Pan, the half man half goat, is believed to be the son of Hermes and Dryope, the daughter of king Dryops. Pan terrified his mother when he was born, so much so that she fled in horror at the sight of her new born son. Hermes took Pan to Mount Olympus were the gods reveled in his laughter and his appearance and became the patron of fields, woods, shepherds and flocks. Abderus, a companion of the hero Heracles, is also thought to be a son of Hermes, he was devoured by the Mares of Diomedes, after Heracles had left him in charge of the ferocious beasts. Hermaphroditus (also known as Aphroditus) was conceived after the union of Hermes and Aphrodite. He was born on Mount Ida but he was raised by the Naiads (nymphs of freshwater). He was a androgynous (having the characteristics of both sexes) deity, depicted as either a handsome young man but with female breasts, or as Aphrodite with male genitals. It was Hermes who liberated Io, the lover of Zeus, from the hundred-eyed giant Argus, who had been ordered by Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, to watch over her. Hermes charmed the giant with his flute, and while Argos slept Hermes cut off his head and released Io. Hera, as a gesture of thanks to her loyal servant, scattered the hundred eyes of Argos over the tail of a peacock (Heras’ sacred bird). Hermes also used his ingenuity and abilities to persuade the nymph Calypso to release Odysseus, the wandering hero, from her charms. She had kept Odysseus captive, after he was shipwrecked on her island Ogygia, promising him immortality if he married her, but Zeus sent Hermes to release Odysseus. Legend says that Calypso died of grief when Odysseus sailed away. Hermes also saved Odysseus and his men from being transformed into pigs by the goddess and sorceress Circe. He gave them a herb which resisted the spell. Hermes also guided Eurydice back down to the underworld after she had been allowed to stay for one day on earth with her husband Orpheus. Known for his swiftness and athleticism, Hermes was given credit for inventing foot-racing and boxing. At Olympia a statue of him stood at the entrance to the stadium and his statues where in every gymnasium throughout Greece. Apart from herms, Hermes was a popular subject for artists. Both painted pottery and statuary show him in various forms, but the most fashionable depicted him as a good-looking young man, with an athletic body, and winged sandals and his heralds staff. His Roman counterpart Mercury inherited his attributes, and there are many Roman copies of Greek artistic creations of Hermes.
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Hans closed the book and went upstairs to bed. He was struck on how much the Greek Gods interfered with the lives of mortal men.
In the morning, he asked Seabreeze if she had heard of Hermes and she said of course I have. He was among other things the God of weights and measures and therefore involved with Freemasonry, why do you ask? Hans just looked at her without saying anything.
TO BE CONTINUED