Ancient Psychedelia: Alien Gods & Mushroom Goddesses
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| The Wheel as Mushroom Cap Though not as obvious as the axe or double-axe, the wheel appears to be inspired by the mushroom as well. We see the round circle which represents the cap and we see the spokes which emanate from the center outward supporting the entire frame. This is how a mushroom looks from the underside of the cap when looking at the gills. Though we are not left with much evidence for this, we do see the mushroom represented as a wheel in both Hindu and Buddhist art, and it is portrayed and it is portrayed similar to the way in which a mushroom cap would appear, with larger and smaller striations (18d).   (18d) Temple of the Sun, Konark, India c. 1250 AD Arrows, Spears & Sword Handles as Mushroom Stems Mushroom shapes lead to a wide variety of symbolism and it may have led early man to the idea of creating a piercing tool like an arrow for use in hunting. The “arrow-head” is a common object found worldwide in aboriginal cultures and it may be no small coincidence that this hunting tool, along with the spearhead, are shaped just like a mushroom. If the axe shape was borrowed from the mushroom, it should not surprise us to see other tools which borrowed from the mushroom shape and symbolism. In future chapters we will see how the arrow became a very common symbol representing the mushroom when used by the gods and goddesses, in mythology. For instance, the archer Cupid from Greek mythology, who was a cherub, was an archer. In addition, many times ancient images of sword handles are shaped like the mushroom, and several coins and artifacts are shown in this book which portray this imagery. The Arch of Septimius Severus depicts winged Victory carrying a trophy from 203 AD (97a). |
 (97a) Detail of the Arch of Septimius Severus Winged Victory carrying trophies. 203 AD The Shield as a Mushroom Cap Starting in Greece, on coins from 150 BC, we see the shield portrayed not as a shield but as a giant mushroom cap, with either bumps, such as the scabs found on A. muscaria or the spoke-like lines emanating from the center outward. There are lots of depictions I have found on Greek and Roman coins which lend evidence to support this suggestion. Examples include an early Indo-Greek Bakrian coin, c. 155-130 BC, likely depicting Athena with thunderbolt and shield (49b) and an early Graeco-Roman coin, c. 27 BC-14 AD (98a).  (49b) Indo-Greek, Baktria. Menander I Soter c. 155-130 BC  (98a) Augustus of Lycia, Phaelis Athena c. 27 BC-14 AD |
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