| The Axe & the Oak One of the most fascinating books on language roots and word origins is a relatively unknown book called The Axe Was God, by Henry Binkley Stein, self-published in 1959. The following information on the axe was gleaned from his book and is shortened for space. It’s important for understanding the significance of the axe and its origins and its later effects on our entire worldwide culture. Pronounce this word several times before you begin (Achk), like the first part of Jack without the J. This will help. “The word ‘Jackel’ was called ‘Shagal’ in Persia, both syllables of which mean ‘God.’ In the Egyptian painting of the ‘judgement of the soul,’ the Jackel’s head is placed over the balance, to judge. The Hebrew coin the ‘Shekel’ originates from the word ‘Shakal,’ which means to weigh. The Arabian word ‘Sheik,’ or ‘Scheik’ is a title of dignity belonging to a chief of the tribe or clans. The word for the ‘Golden Wolf’ in French is ‘Chacal.’ In the Eleusinian mysteries, the Greek god Dionysus, also Iaachus, there being no ‘J’ would have been ‘Jack.’ Plato states there were 3 judges of the dead -- Minos, Radamantus, and Iaachus. Thus a judge of the dead in Greek was ‘Iaacus’ and in Egypt is ‘Jackel,’ the same word for the same office. (Editor: Remember to interchange I and J accordingly. Also remember to repeat the words to yourself so that you can hear the way they sound.) “There is also a powerful connection between ‘Jack’ and ‘John.’ ‘John’ originates from IO which means ‘God,’ or blue sky, now purple as in our words ‘Iodine’ and ‘Violet.’ Places such as the Island ‘Iao’ in Scotland or ‘Ionia’ in Asia were named by the sun-worshippers, the same as Jeho, there being no ‘J,’ the word is ‘Ieho’ or ‘Io.’ Since ‘John’ was the word for ‘God’ in Greek, and ‘Jack’ the same meaning in Greek or Egyptian, they were the same ‘Jack’ and ‘John.’ Today ‘Iach’ is the name of God in Siam. The most significant feature of the ‘Double-Axe’ is that it was here that the ‘K's’ of the alphabet was translated to the ‘X,’ a letter originally not in the alphabet. ‘X’ in the Celtic language is ‘Amhancoll’ or the Sacred ‘C.’ The ‘K’ is the vertical ‘Axe,’ while the ‘X’ is the double ‘K,’ or the ‘Double-Axe.’ The Latin translation of ‘Axe’ is ‘Securis,’ from which our word ‘Security’ is derived, and security in Rome rested within the control of the ‘Axe.’ Power was the basis of the Fascist government and the translation of the word ‘Fasces’ is ‘the Axe sign.’ The Axe of Justice is carried by the ‘Jack of Hearts,’ incidentally, which we will cover in another section. In the playing cards, the ‘Ace’ is the ‘Ak’ and outranks the King. “The ‘Oak’ was named after the ‘Axe.’ The ‘Oaks of Dodana’ was the home of Zeus. The earliest Greeks were the ‘Achaeans.’ Stein goes on to say: “whence they came is not definitely known, but in 2000 BC, their very name indicates an association with the ‘Priesthood of the Axe.’ ‘Ithaca’ when translated means a ‘piece of the oak’ or of the ‘axe.’ The ‘Acropolis’ was their high city of Garden and connotes |
the ‘axe.’ ‘Achilles’, their beloved hero, held a name literally translated as the Axe God, which he literally was. The ‘Academy’ was the sacred grove where Plato and others taught, and bore reference to the tree, the oak, the ‘axe.’ As in Rome, force was the prerogative of Zeus, and should one disobey the command of the Oracle, death was the penalty. ‘Ach’ is the byword of the Germans. ‘God’ is a good translation that fits in well as a word of exclamation or appeal (‘Ach, meins Gott’). Charlemagne is buried at ‘Aachen,’ the ‘Aix La Chapel of France,’ literally, the ‘Chapel of the Axe,’ or in Hollandish, ‘Aken’ the Axe. ‘Aachen’ was the Heathen capital of Europe and there are numerous places not far from there which evidence a pre-Roman culture of the ‘Axe’.” (35) Every thunder-god is associated with the oak including Zeus, Juppiter, Hercules, The Dagda, Thor, Odin, as well as every other thunder-god, and equally, Jehovah, and Allah. (36) The oak tree attracts more lightning than any other tree and is known for its flint production as well. Lightning was seen as god’s axe as it struck down the trees in the forest. The Double Axe Pillar shrines have been found within the Minoan palaces, made from limestone and engraved with the double-axe. The pillars have plants growing out of them, but there are images on gold rings in which the plants also grow out of animals. (37) If we look at the original design of early axes, we can see the mushroom shape is conspicuous (00a, b, c, j). Even early double axes retain this similar shape. We must remember that the images we see on engravings are often representations or symbols and not always meant for literal interpretation. When we see the actual artifact itself, it usually reveals more about the truth to its original nature than an image of it is capable of. A seal impression from Zakros, eastern Crete from the Middle Minoan III period shows the goddess with butterfly wings resembling the double-axe imagery (00e). This is said to be the goddess Labrys, of Mochlos. Here we have what is a real example of the goddess being mixed with the double-axe in the form of a butterfly. The Double-Axe is very important as a sacred symbol and most holy religious symbol in ancient Minoan Crete. It’s called a Labrys, Sagarus, or a Halbryce. The word Labryos is believed to be derived from the Lydian word for ‘axe’ and sounds very similar to Labyrinth, which it may be related to. As a butterfly, she symbolizes transformation and rebirth. As the axe, she signifies life and death as the mother goddess, and as an esoteric secret symbol of the mushroom, all of these functions are fulfilled. (38) (35) The Axe was God, Henry Binkley Stein, 1959; The Language of the Goddess, p. 290 (36) The White Goddess, p. 176 (37) The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe, p. 79-80 (38) ibid, p 186-7 |