"THE SEA KING"
Amphitritonian Royal Post
2005
by Eric Whollem
Edition of 100, plus ten artist proofs
86 x 63 mm.
Copyright by the artist.
POSEIDON, GREEK GOD OF THE SEA
POSEIDON'S TRIDENT
Poseidon is known for his trident, a three pointed spear
that he carries in his hand. This spear is more than a
fisherman's tool. It has special meaning in the ancient
mysteries.
The three prongs represent the Triple Goddess. For
the Greeks this may well represent the three aspects
of Aphrodite: the maiden, the matron, and the crone.
The Maiden is Pandemos. The Matron is Marina.
And the Crone is Urania.
In the Eleusinian Mysteries of Delphi the trident was
"the rod of initiation" carried by the hierophants.
This rod was considered to grant to the neophyte
the inspiration of illumination, which is to say
initiation into the mysteries.
GREEK SEA GODS AND GODDESSES
There were many sea gods for the ancient Greeks.
Oceanos, the great progenitor of the sea, and Tethys,
his sister, were father and mother of many of the sea gods
and goddesses, which together with the sea nymphs and
Naiads of the springs, were called the Oceanids.
Uranos (Ouranos) was god of the Sea Sky or Ether.
His wife was Gaia. This couple were the primordial
progenitor divinities of beings on land and sea.
Uranos and Gaia were the parents of Oceanos, a Titan.
The Greeks conceived the Titans to be giant gods and
goddesses.
Tartarus was the god of the subterranean waters, the
River Styx and the Abyssos (the sea). He is equated with
Charon. Tartarus fathered with Gaia a number of Titans.
Thus: 1) the Ether or waters of the Sea Sky, 2) the material
plane of the oceans and earthly waters, and 3) the waters of
the lower worlds were ruled by a triad of oceanic gods and
goddesses: Uranos and Gaia, Oceanos and Tethys, and Tartarus
with Gaia.
Poseidon comes later in Greek mythology, but summarizes
the mermaid and merman gods of the ancient Aegean. (In one
sense his trident might symbolize the three-fold division of
the waters described above; this is speculative.) Poseidon
was the offspring of the Titans, Cronos and Rhea.
THE UPPER AND LOWER WATERS
The idea of the upper and lower waters is found in ancient
Mesopotamian mythology, also in Gnosticism. In the Bible
the waters "above the firmament" are mentioned in Genesis.
I speculate that the firmament represents the foundation of
the material world. The waters above the firmament could
correspond to archaic notions of the Ether or Sea Sky. In
ancient astronomy the constellations are filled with aquatic
symbolism. The night sky is seen as an ocean.
This quotation from Genesis will throw some light on how
the ancients viewed notions of the cosmic waters:
"And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of
the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters
which were under the firmament from the waters which
were above the firmament: and it was so. And God
called the firmament Heaven."
The term firmament seems to indicate the physical earth.
The waters below the firmament would correspond to archaic
notions of the subterranean waters such as the Greek River
Styx or the Abyssos. The waters above the firmament would
be the Ether of the Sea Sky. The phrase, "God called the
firmament Heaven," could be explained to indicate how at
this point in creation Eden was a paradise on earth.
BELOW IS A VIDEO
WHICH PRESENTS MORE
OF MY AMPHITRITONIAN STAMPS
ERIC WHOLLEM
THE MYSTERY OF THE MERMAIDS
Thus mermaid and merman symbolism is quintessential in
understanding human intellectual history, our mythology,
our astronomy, our astrology, and our metaphysics. In the
Bible the tribe of the priests of Israel was that of Levi, which
relates to Leviathan, the great whale. And later in the Talmudic
teachings it is said that when one enters heaven one dons the
scales of fish. This fish symbolism carries over to Christianity.
But the Buddhists regarded their heaven as an ocean. And
major Hindu gods like Vishnu and Shiva either carry the
trident or have fish tails (as in Vishnu's second or Matsya
--"fish"--incarnation).
In Celtic lore the heavenly Otherworld is in the sea. In
cultures across the world the dimension of the waters
is conceived as Heaven.
It is no mistake that on so many archaic churches in Europe
mermaids are carved in great number. Often mermaids are
sculpted or painted with wings. Though this is not commonly
known, mermaids have been regarded as angels for thousands
of years.
COVER OF THE BOOK
MYSTERY OF THE MERMAIDS
***
Ideas outlined here are summaries of material presented in
my book, " The Mystery of the Mermaids: Goddesses and
Gods of the Sea." Questions on these matters can be addressed
to me by email or in the comments section below.
______________
My posts on INITIATION may be of interest to readers:
This link will take you to my posts on MERMAIDS:
Those interested in my FAUX POSTAGE STAMPS should check out:
BELOW ARE
A FEW SAMPLE
STAMPS FROM
AMPHITRITONIA
(Copyright
by the
artist)
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE
THE LOTUS POOL
HIPPOCAMPUS
My posts on MYTHOLOGY can be accessed on this link:
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Artist stamps, artistamps, cinderella stamps, fantasy stamps, faux postage, mail art, micronation stamps by
Eric Whollem.
MYTHOLOGY/ MYTHOGRAPHIC ART/ INITIATION
*
