Glossary

MYTHIC INHERITANCE	For many thousands of years in many cultures, people have been making attempts to picture the universe and find our natural place within it. Until a few short centuries ago the process relied more heavily on conjecture than observation and our view of nature was painted in very broad brush strokes. For the last three centuries or so, another way of seeing has grown in prominence and we have increasingly defined the universe as a system of measurable phenomena catalogued, compared and described in the language of observational science. It has clearly brought huge material advantage; it has also created enormous problems in its wake. But this is not a note about environmental concerns, it is about something much more personal. We have evolved a culture that in one respect at least, demeans us and would cap our imagination. Belief is encouraged in a straightforward view: - ‘If a thing cannot be measured it cannot be true!’ Whereas in truth:- ‘if a thing cannot be measured it simply cannot be measured. ’ It used to be called ‘wondering’. It would clearly be a very bad thing for a nuclear site manager to wonder if the fuel rods are okay fizzing like that, or for a surgeon to wonder what would happen if an experimental snip was made in passing. For most of us though for some part of our time at least, wondering is not a dangerous occupation. In all probability it is quite likely to be a very good thing. The archetypal images and stories that make up our mythic inheritance are the accumulated record of the ability of many hundreds of generations to wonder. They have endowed us with a treasure house, crammed with myth, custom, folklore and legend. It represents our ancestral will to make sense of the material universe, comprehend the immensities, approach the divine. It was the means by which society might reflect upon itself; by which cultures might be defined. Under scientific scrutiny little of what was once advocated would now be accepted to be factually ‘true’ it is instinctive stuff, intuitive, the bi-product of wondering, but that does not diminish it. The people who contributed to our mythic traditions may have differed from us, but they were not lesser than us. We are not sitting on the pinnacle of history. The Czech poet-president Vaclav Havel in a speech delivered in 1994 put it more succinctly: ‘…[Science] which has been the bedrock of industrial civilisation for so long, fails to connect with the most intrinsic nature of reality and with natural human experience. It is now more a source of disintegration and doubt than a source of integration and meaning…. We may know immeasurably more about the universe than our ancestors did, and yet it increasingly seems they knew something more essential about it than we do, something that escapes us…’ This extract opens a paper exploring the cultural context for science written by Professor of Cosmology J. R. Primack for the American Society for the Advancement of Physics. Professor Primack develops a number of fascinating ideas; two in particular have a special bearing on our mythic inheritance. After conducting a poll amongst his students who generally proposed that the universe was enormous ‘out there’ and remote from us. Professor Primack whose business it is to study the stars; presents a view that our earliest ancestors would have instinctively recognised. The universe may be vast, but it is also small, we can reach out and touch it. It is a universe that is tucked snugly around each and every one of us, more than that, in a very tangible, ‘molecular’ way; it is a universe of which we all in fact are physically a part. He also goes on to explore the possibilities for an inclusive vernacular language to express the majesty of all that science has discovered. He advocates the development of something which is essentially human in scale. He proposes a new application for our ancient archetypal mythic imagery in a vibrant re-mix through which to inspire, inform, and to share out the wonder.
OUROBOROS	The Ouroboros symbol is thought to have originated in ancient Egypt. It depicts a dragon or serpent feeding on its own tail and is usually formed into an unbroken circle. It expresses the unity of all things material and spiritual and represents ideas of renewal and regeneration. It proposes that just as the dragon or serpent renews itself by feeding on itself, life is sustained, regenerated and renewed by the same principle. It is believed the image was taken up by the Phoenicians, and later by the Greeks who gave it the name by which it is still generally known - ‘Ouroboros’ - literally it means ‘ to feed upon one’s self’. The Ouroboros symbol has been widely used by people of many cultures during the seven thousand years of its existence. Although it is primarily represented as an unbroken circle, it is also sometime shown twisted into a figure of eight, and is a probable source for the mathematical symbol for infinity. Professor Primack proposes a new use for the Ouroboros symbol as a means by which comparisons of scale within the universe can be illustrated.
THE GREEN MAN	An image that emerges again and again from many cultures throughout the world depicts a man, clothed in, surrounded by, sprouting, or entirely composed of leaves. In Britain he is known as The Green Man and is revealed in three quite distinct forms: He is a powerful character portrayed in ancient mummers plays and morris dance. His costume is usually leafy and his skin, hair and beard will almost certainly be dyed green. He may be known by other names - Jack in the Green or King of the May. As the latter name suggests, his character is generally strongly associated with and probably springs from ancient fertility rites. Another Green Man turns up in pub signs, whose premises have been named in his honour. In this context, he is frequently depicted as a huntsman or archer. In some versions, the figure is clearly Robin Hood himself. His third territory lies amongst the bosses and corbels of ancient churches, where his face, mostly carved in stone, wreathed in and often bringing forth foliage from his eyes and mouth peers down. In all his guises, he portrays a range of characteristics; by turns, frolicsome, foreboding, laughing, leering, purposeful, pensive; it is very difficult to define his central purpose. It has been suggested that he might best be considered as an emissary, an intermediary representing the interests of mankind to the forces of nature. An excellent book on the subject is: GREEN MAN -The Archetype of our Oneness with the Earth. By William Anderson & Clive Hicks. Published by Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-599255-9. Sadly the book is now out of print but should be available through libraries.
THE GREEN KNIGHT.	Clearly a cousin of The Green Man. The Green Knight features in an exquisite 14th century epic poem. ‘Sir Gawain and The Green Knight’. It is couched in the courtly language of the time, but there are many references to much earlier belief systems. The Green Knight, an enormous figure, clad entirely in green, with green skin and hair, riding a green horse, comes crashing into King Arthur’s Court on New Years Day. He is bearing a holly tree in one hand and a fearsome axe in the other. He issues a challenge to Arthur to engage with him in a duel of two blows. He, The Green Knight will submit to his own be-heading there and then, if Arthur swears to submit to the Green Knight’s axe one year later. Sir Gawain accepts the strange challenge as Arthur’s champion. The Green Knight kneels, and with deep unease, Sir Gawain strikes off his head. The Green Knight then rises, takes up his severed head and reminds the dumbfounded Sir Gawain of his oath. It is probable that the anonymous Gawain poet has drawn on earlier accounts of speaking severed heads that were revered as oracles in the sacred groves of the Celts. He would also have been aware of references to martyred Celtic saints, who are said to have walked away bearing their own heads, forgiving and converting the assailants who beheaded them. What follows is an intricate tale of medieval chivalry and honour; the poem also explores some interesting moral territory, as the undetermined moral code of the Green Knight appears to be superior to that of Sir Gawain, the pious Christian knight. As with the Green Man, the Green Knight occupies territory somewhere between man and the forces of nature. He is associated with notions of seasonality. His death and revival is a clear metaphor for the coming of winter and the promise of spring. There are many versions of the epic poem available on the bookshelves and it is an intriguing read.
HERMES	Son of Zeus and the water sprite Maia, Hermes is best known today in his role as the wing-heeled Herald of the Gods. He was a lot more besides. Immediately upon his birth on the slopes of the mountains of Arcadia, he produced proof of his chief characteristics, inventiveness, versatility, trickery and cunning. Born in the morning, he invented the lyre by midday and stole fifty cows from his brother by evening which he hid so skilfully in a cave that no one ever found them. His later duties included assisting at sacrifices. He also escorted the dead to the underworld, was god of sleep and dreaming and is also credited with the invention of writing, mathematics and astrology. In a single epithet that speaks volumes, he is patron of trades people and thieves and is himself the father of Autolicus, the greatest of all thieves. He also personally endowed Pandora, the first woman, with the art of lying and flattering discourse. Small wonder that amongst his greatest assets was nimbleness. It was this quality one assumes, that caught Zeus’s eye and persuaded him to offer this son the central role of fleet footed messenger. [Source]: The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art. - Oscar Seyffert. GRAMERCY.
PAN	Originally, Pan was conceived as an Arcadian god of the hills and the woods, he was a protecting deity of flocks, herdsmen and hunters. The ancients represented him as puck-nosed and bearded with shaggy hair, horns and goats legs and feet. There are two versions of his lineage; in one he is son of Hermes and in the other, of Zeus himself. His unseen presence in the hills and forests could bring on sudden attacks of terror in the lone traveller and it is this alarming aspect of the god’s character that has given rise to the term ‘panic’. Pan is also much associated with amorous adventures and his attentions were not always appreciated. According to Ovid, Pan is said to have formed his ‘Panpipes’ or syrinx from a reed that the nymph of that name had changed herself into whilst fleeing his pursuit. Given his somewhat dissolute nature, it is not surprising that he was one of the revellers in the entourage of the bibulous Dionysus. [Source]: The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art. - Oscar Seyffert. GRAMERCY
DIONYSUS	Dionysus was the god of wine, in one aspect he was represented as a kindly and gentle power, terrible only to his enemies. His gift - wine- was considered to bring strength and healing to the body and gladness and forgetfulness of care to the mind. Classical statues depict him as a soft youth with a dreamy expression, his long hair girded by a band or crown of vine leaves or ivy. Dionysus’s reputation has been very much brought into disrepute by the wild and excessive conduct of his earthly worshippers who were much taken to frenzied and orgiastic partying once ‘the forgetfulness of care’ had kicked in. By the time that Dionysus had transposed into Bacchus of the Roman pantheon, celebrations in his name had become so shamelessly excessive that in 186 BC they were put down with unsparing severity by a decree of The Senate. [Source]: The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art. - Oscar Seyffert. GRAMERCY.
JANUS	Janus was a god peculiar to the Romans and there was no corresponding deity among the Greeks. Despite his late coming, he was considered to be amongst the oldest of the gods, and perhaps hitherto unseen. He was certainly amongst the most exalted; known as ‘The Good Creator’ he was considered to be the beginning of all things. It was he who opened the gates of heaven for the sun each morning and closed them again at night. Janus has two faces; he looks both forward and backwards simultaneously - the moment of transition. He is much associated with doors and gateways, which in themselves are symbolic of moments of transition. In Rome, gateways were known as Januae and arches Jani in his honour. He gives his name to January the gateway to the New Year. [Source]: The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art. - Oscar Seyffert. GRAMERCY
ACANTHUS	According to Vitruvius, Roman author of De Architectura the great contemporary treatise on Classical architecture written between 14 & 16BC; there is an interesting and moving story concerning the acanthus plant as the source of inspiration for the Corinthian pillar head. The symbolic motif was subsequently to become widely used as architectural ornamentation both in the Roman and Byzantine empires and has featured extensively in European grand architecture over the ensuing centuries. Various versions of the story exist, differing only in detail. Central to all of them is the grave of a young girl. It would seem that she had died on the eve of or close to her wedding day. Her grieving family placed a basket on her grave, which contained elements of the wedding feast that was never to be celebrated. To keep the food safe from the attentions of scavenging animals a large stone tile was placed on top of the basket. Sometime later, Callimachus, the architect commissioned to build a new temple at Corinth for some reason that is not explained, comes to the graveside. Over the intervening period, an acanthus seed that had by chance lain beneath the basket had germinated and its distinctive leaves were growing up around it. The fronds had reached as far as the stone tile and in the face of the obstruction had curled away from it in a natural volute. In essence, Callimachus recreated the curling leaves in stone and by so doing began a new order in architecture. However, because of the source of Callimachus’ inspiration, the image was considered to be imbued with great religious significance and the temple at Corinth was the first of generations of sacred building to be adorned with acanthus. It carries two powerful messages: The acanthus itself was a clear reference to life emerging from a grave. It was not initially a reference to resurrection in a Christian sense, but in the sense that life is cyclical. The fact that the leaves would not be deterred by the stone impediment adds a piquant note of great optimism. The drive of life itself will not be deterred.
VIVARI	The term ‘Vivari’ applies to an art form virtually exclusively practiced in the great Italian water gardens laid out generally in the baroque period although there are fine examples of vivari that are much earlier.’ Italian’ gardens were not only built in Italy and the term refers to a style rather than a geographical location. Some of the finest vivari are to be found in the ’Italian’ gardens of the Bishop of Salzburg’s Palace in Austria. In essence, vivari are animated sculptural pieces powered by water and usually triggered by the unwary visitor treading on some hidden device. The rest is down to clever mechanics and plumbing. Vivari are intensely playful but sometimes the sense of fun can be a little extreme. In the Bishop of Salzburg’s garden there are a great many opportunities created to give the unwitting visitor a soaking. In the Medici garden in Florence, the soakings are administered with the chilling delicacy much associated with that family, as a water nymph cast in bronze, rises from the depths and delivers from her nipples two icy needle jets at eye height.
DRAGONFLY	Dragonflies have flitted over ponds, laid their eggs, developed their voracious larvae, emerged from the water, split their skins, taken to the air again and repeated that performance over and over for a staggering 350,000,000 years. Their remains in the fossil record, show some species with a wingspan of 500mm or more, where as many are virtually indistinguishable from their present day counterparts. They have seen the dinosaurs come and go and have survived the cosmic impacts and other traumas that have sent life on earth into cataclysm. Clearly they are a perfectly adapted species. Fairly recently, within the last 3,000,000 years or so, they have observed the emergence of a newcomer - us. For the vast majority of the short period of our existence we dragged our knuckles along the ground before we discovered the latent potential in our opposable thumbs. This is why apply my opposable thumbs to the making of images of dragonflies in copper. It is an act of homage.
LARGE COPPER BUTTERFLY	The ’Large Copper’ butterfly is of course something of a pun in metal. However I hope it is also more than that. The species is now extinct in Britain save for a small colony re-introduced from Holland many years ago which sadly has failed to establish itself beyond its nature reserve. The Large Copper lived in the Fens, and was put under pressure when the land was drained in the last century. It survived but in reduced numbers. It is not an especially beautiful butterfly, but such is the value system of those who by instinct are collectors, that the Large Copper’s scarcity ironically upped its desirability and it was hounded into oblivion. The extinction of the little Large Copper speaks for many extinctions perpetrated by the clumsy capricious hand of man.
CRUCK	The term refers to an ancient system of building in timber, the ‘cruck frame’. A tree with a curving trunk was selected and felled, the limbs were then cut away and the curving trunk split lengthways. Both halves were raised to a vertical position and set opposite each other so that the curves met at the top to form an arch. The structural frame of a house or barn would incorporate a number of pairs of such arches or ‘cruck frames’ erected in series or ‘bays’.