Saturday, August 20, 2005

Ante Diem XII Kalendas September

Modern Date : August 21st

Ante Diem XII Kalendas September
The Consualia

This day (NP), is for special religious observance.

The Consualia is a festival which honors Consus, the god who protects the harvest which is now in storage at this time. The harvest grains were stored in underground vaults, and the temple of Consus was also underground. This shrine was covered with earth all year and was only uncovered for this one day. Mars, as a protector of the harvest, was also honored on this day, as were the lares, the household gods that individual families held sacred. Chariot races were held this day in the Circus Maximus, which included an odd race in which chariots were pulled by mules. As part of the ceremonies, the rex sacrorum would appear in full garb riding his horse-drawn chariot once around the Circus Maximus.

The altar of Consus was buried underground in Rome, since he ruled the subterranean world. The altar was uncovered twice a year, once in August for the harvest, and again on December 19th, and the high priest of the god Quirinus made a sacrifice.

This was also a holiday for horses and other beasts of burden who did not have to work today. Instead they were decorated with flowers and raced in the Circus Maximus.

On this day the Rape of the Sabine women took place under Romulus. Seeing a need to increase the population of Rome, Romulus authorized each Roman to forcibly take women from the visiting Sabines as their wives, but only as appropriate to their social status. A war to avenge this insult was avoided when the kidnapped Sabine women intervened and voluntarilly accepted their Roman husbands, who had been careful to treat them honorably.

August was originally called Sextilis, or the sixth month (after March). It was renamed in honor of Augustus Caesar, the most revered of the Roman emperors.


Zoroastrian New Year
In the Zoroastrian calendar of ancient Persia, the day before the Sun exits Leo and enters Virgo was considered the climactic moment of Solar radiance and power, and was celebrated as the first day of the New Year.


Odin's Ordeal Day Five
This is the fifth day commemorating Odin's Ordeal on the world tree Yggdrasil. Odin rode to Mimir. But the giant did not want to give his knowledge so easily. Therefore, Odin pledged his left eye to the mighty one. Then Mimir showed him the mysteries of this world. Still, the Allfather was not fully satisfied in his quest for wisdom. On the way back through the desolate heath, he came upon a leafless tree. It was the Fogmoon and the frosty twilight permeated the landscape. Suddenly, his coat was caught in the branches of the tree. Odin hung between heaven and earth. In vain, he tried to free himself. Herjafather's white horse "Sleipnir", also called "Glidehoof," circled around him, whinnying. His ravens "Hugin" and "Munin"-thought and memory- flew around him agitatedly and brought the world's thoughts to him. Odin struggled with himself for the ultimate wisdom. Nine nights he hung on the windswept tree. His inner being gradually grew clearer and more luminous. Now he finally found the symbols of life's noblest values. He bent down deeply from the tree. Groaning with extreme exertion, he took up the signs and cut them into the trunk with his sword. Runes he called these sacred glyphs, because they whisper wisdom to the initiated (the word "rune" is related to the German "raunen"= to whisper).

1 Comments:

Blogger Ross Nantz said...

Rune's whisper while Odin made much noise when he came off the tree on/at the end of the 9th day??? 36 and 38... Hmm... Thank you. IT ED is something else!!!

4:14 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home