Ancient Psychedelia: Alien Gods & Mushroom Goddesses
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| Investigating this further, I arrived at a book called The Wasps of Aristophanes by T. Mitchel A.M., from 1835 p. 237-38, in which Telchines and Thelgines are defined, “from ‘to enchant’.” (228) Bochart comes to the same sense from the oriental languages. (229) The learned writer considers them as a mythical personification of all that on islands and sea coasts promotes, hinders, or accompanies civilization. Hence the double characters, favourable and the reverse, in which they often appear in the ancient writings.” This follows a brief writing on these beings as originating from very interesting sources. Continuing from The Wasps of Aristophanes: “We now turn to one [a religion] of which the origin and progress may be in a great degree traced to a mountain, and to the dense forests which covered its top and sides. Such was mount Ida in Phrygia. At the foot of this celebrated hill, or in the islands immediately adjoining it, are found five sects, all partaking of many common religious services, (of their moon-worship, however, we shall not here speak,) and all engaged in something like similar occupations. The names of the sects are, the Curetes, Dactyli, Telchines, Corybantes, Cabiri: their common occupations, metallurgy, medicine, ship-building, and magic arts: these, with certain peculiar dances, performed to the sound of a kettle-drum and cymbal, and the celebration of mysterious rites, are the principle features by which the whole five are distinguished, and who would have unquestionably drawn more of the regards of ancient mythologists, had not the splendor of the Eleusinian Mysteries gradually diminished the lustre of all subordinate ones. Some prodigious conflagration is supposed to have first led to the discovery of the metals which lay concealed in mount Ida (230), and to those secrets of fusion by which the precious metals are best turned to the use of man. What share each more particularly took in the prosecution of arts, in a great degree common to them all, the names of the five sects will give us pretty fully to understand. Among the epithets for the Curetes (for which latter appellation various reasons have been assigned) we find that of ‘earth-born’: and what name more suitable to those, who, descending into the bowels of the earth, and bringing up from thence its precious treasures, naturally passed into metaphoric language for the children of those subterraneous regions, from which they were seen perpetually emerging? When we find their abode sometimes settled at the foot of mount Ida, and sometimes in the isle of Crete, a further inference seems allowable, that with them more particularly the use of the metals was applied to the arts of ship-building. To the Dactyls is more particularly ascribed the art of medicine. These Fingers were therefore employed, not so much in laborious occupations, as in culling the simples which grew about the woods of Ida, in extracting healthful potions from her minerals, and perhaps in composing mystic songs, which gave effect to both. The appellation of enchanters (and what better title could be given to men, who were seen breaking through the bounds of nature, as it were, and bearing the issues of life and death within their hands) rested more particularly on Telchines. The Corybantes, it is clear from the text, distinguished themselves as musicians and dancers; while the religious doctrines of the sects must be traced in the schools of the Cabiri, a name in which we must look either for mighty plant-gods of the second order, or for associates of a secret corporation in which the peculiar doctrines of the sects were explained.” |
According to Greek mythology, Aegyptus was the king of Egypt and a descendant of the cow goddess Io and the river god Nilus and had a brother Daneus, king of Libya. Aegyptus had fifty sons all of whom but one, were murdered by the daughters of Daneus. Farther down the line, one of the daughters of Daneus mates with Zeus and Perseus was born at Mycenae. In another version of the myth, Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danaë, the daughter of Acrisius of Argos. When it was prophesied that he would be killed, he was placed into a chest with his mother and cast out to sea. The chest grounded on the island of Seraphis where the King Polydectes tricked him into leaving to gain the head of Medusa while he pursued a love interest with Danae. The object was to capture Medusa’s head which could turn all who looked into her eyes into stone, and to place it into a bag which would conceal it from view. Perseus was tasked with tricking the Graiae, or sisters of the Gorgons into helping him do this, so he stole their “one eye” and “one tooth” they all shared. (231) In order to kill the Gorgon Medusa, Perseus needed the aid of a shield which would prevent the direct vision of her gaze. This shield is depicted in many paintings, engravings, vases, bowls and other artifacts. Greek coin shield depictions looked much more like the mushroom, with a tassel of some sort hanging down underneath, and included thunderbolts instead of spears (49b, 56a). Roman coins changed this into a shield and a spear, but retained part of the original mushroom-shield identity (55l, m).   R: (56a) Baktria Indo-Greeks Menander I Soter wearing aegis over shoulder, brandishing spear c. 155-130 BC (228) see Eustathius ad. Odyss. I. 57. P. 25. Basil (229) See also a long note on the subject of the Telchines by Creuzer, II, 305 (230) Creuz. II. 304 (231) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Perseus-Greek-mythology |
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