The Solstice Lady

As the light dwindled in the sky and the days grew shorter, the ancients wondered what was happening to the sun. Their shamans and storytellers supplied the answers.  Gods and goddesses were fighting for the survival of all life, playing games in the sky or battling each other for supremacy. 

Ancient peoples worked to be in balance with the forces of nature as they understood them.  Many cultures carefully watched the sun so that they would know when to plant, when to harvest and when to batten down the hatches for winter.

What people do not know or understand, they make up stories to explain.

What the ancients feared, they named so that they could understand it in some way.

There are common patterns with Deities representing the sun or the light as the central theme.  At latitudes where the tilt of the earth causes the sun to dip very low, tales are told where the threat to the sun is mortal so the people must come forward in the sun's defense. Closer to the equator,  we will sometimes see the sun as simply losing interest or a diminishing of its capacity to perform its duty so the festivals and ceremonies are to remind of, or bind it to, its task

These days, most people think back on the mythical explanations that forces of nature were gods and goddesses as quaint legends. We know better.

We have forgotten what it is to huddle in a fire-lit cave while thunder splits the night sky with sound and shakes the earth around us, so we no longer need know the names of the thunder gods to assure us there is some kind of order in the universe

Mesopotamia- Ishtar Descends to the Underworld

The Queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, had been widowed and in her grief and rage, she decided that her sister, Ishtar should be alone as well.

She sent the dragon, Tiamat, to abduct Tammuz, the god of growing, husband of Ishtar.

Ishtar knew that to go to the underworld was to take a journey from which no traveler returns but she was the goddess of passions, the goddess of battle and the goddess of love so how could she not fight for her beloved?

She made her preparations carefully, knowing there would be an ordeal ahead.

Erishkigal was a temperamental and changeable opponent.

The Queen of the Overworld would have to call upon all the reserves of her strength to bring her husband home to the light.

She gathered unto her a magnificent crown, gold jewellery and a fine robe.

She descended to the underworld and arrived at its gates to be challenged by Neti, chief gatekeeper of the underworld. Neti was distrustful at the sight of this brilliant visitor, and just knew that Ishtar's arrival meant trouble was brewing. The Gatekeeper of the Netherworld challenged the visitor to give her name.

I am Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven, on my way to the East."

When Ishtar was pressed to explain why a living woman wished to enter the realm of the dead, she told Neti that she had come to be with her sister at this time of grief to witness the funeral rites of Ereshkigal's husband, Gugalanna.

This message was sent on ahead to Ereshkigal at her palace.

The Queen of the Underworld was a sly creature of spite and malice that she had been separated from the overworld-- all that now mixed in good measure with her grief at the loss of her husband.

She had spitefully taken something of Ishtar's and was certain that this uninvited visitation had more to do with the capture of Tammuz than with Ereshkigal's loss

Ishtar's claim of sisterly support was clearly a bald lie and the audacity of this sent the grief stricken Ereshkigal to the edge of fury

“She has come to my land dressed in the finery of her life, bearing the seven attributes of feminine allure. Lock the seven gates against her," Erishkigal instructed the gatekeeper, "Let her through each gate, one by one, but at each portal you must deprive her of one of her stations of royalty. Let the Holy Priestess of Heaven enter my realm bowed low.”

Neti returned to the gates, locking each one behind him as he approached the brilliant, vibrant being that awaited there

Ishtar glowed in the murky underworld like a firefly in fog.

The gatekeeper told Ishtar she could enter. When she did, he reached up and took from her the crown of golden light which was the symbol of her queenship.

Each gate required a toll.

As Neti removed her golden hip girdle from her and then next, her lapis measuring rod… at each gate, she asked why the price.

Neti told her each time that the ways of the Underworld must be obeyed. Ishtar must not question.

At the final of the seven gates of the underworld, Ishtar was stripped of her royal breech cloth. So she was naked and bowed low when she entered the throne room of Erishkigal.

As the Queen of the Heavens moved across the floor to, her sister rose from her throne.

As if Ishtar were one of the dead, her sister commanded forth the judges of the underworld, the Annona, to move and surround Ishtar that they might pass their judgements upon her . Ishtar protested that she lives and that she was a guest of the bereaved.

But Ereshkigal looked upon her sister with the eyes of death, her words angry from enduring her exile and neglect so far below the light below while her sister flourished in the sun with her God of Fertility.

The Queen of the Nether Realms transformed her sister into the lump of rotting meat Ereshkigal ordered that this carcass be hung on a meat hook on her palace wall so she might enjoy it at her leisure.

Above the ground...three days pass, and three nights as well, and still Ishtar had not returned from her trip to the Underworld so her faithful servant Ninshubur, sought out someone to save her mistress.

Ishtar's father and grandfather both judged the queen's choice to go-saying Ishtar knew what she was getting into and she could get herself out of it.

Neither of them would cross the unpredictable and frightening Ereshkigal.

The faithful servant, Ninshubur went then to Ishtar's mother's father, Enki, who turned out to be very concerned about the violence that could be occurring between his grand daughters.

In the days since Tammuz had been taken, Enki had witnessed the loss of fertility from the land. Now with Ishtar gone only three days, the world lacked light as well.

Wise grandfather Enki saw that Ereshkigal was in grief and had chosen to take it out on her sister. Enki knew that Ereshkigal had been terribly lonely in the underworld until her husband had eased that solitude. Enki knew that Ereshkigal had never felt understood, never believed anyone actually empathized with her plights. And now that her husband was gone, these pains had been recalled to her again.

So Enki built two creatures, the Kurgarra and the Galatur. He gave them the ability to turn themselves into flies and he supplied them with the food and water of life carry with them to the underworld.

Enki knew that, though the sisters are in opposition to each other, they were also part of one another. Though Ereshkigal does not know it, the devastation she wreaked upon the life force of Ishtar would have an unexpected effect on the Queen of the Underworld.

Without knowing why, Ereshkigal had been in pain as a woman about to give birth because her life force, which she shared unknowingly with Ishtar, was threatened.

Enki's creatures, the Kurgarra and the Galatur would enter the Underworld in the form of flies. They would fly to the Queen's side where they would listen to her cries of grief and pain. They would echoe those cries of pain to draw Ereshkigal from her isolation.

As Enki had predicted, when the Kurgarra and the Galatur manifested themselves by her side where they joined in her wails of pain and grief and rage. Ereshkigal was comforted and filled with uncharacteristic gratitude.

In a fit of largesse, the grateful Queen offered her guests anything they might wish of her domain in return for their empathy. The creatures refused all offers of riches, and eventually told the Queen of the Underworld that their only desire was the rotted carcass that still hung upon the wall of the throne room.

Ereshkigal was reluctant to give up her prize but she had offered anything. She tried to tempt them with other prizes but failed for the pair would accrpt no other reward.

Ereshkigal relented and gave the creatures the corpse of Ishtar, as they desired. The pair sprang forward to feed the stricken Queen of the Heavens the food and water of life, which resurrected Ishtar there on the spot.

Ereshkigal was infuriated by this apparent trickery. She decided to avenge herself on this treacherous pair but Ishtar spoke up, to tell her sister she must stay her hand. Ishtar pointed out that her sister's pain has been eased by the company and the empathy of these beings that their grandfather had sent. The Galatur and the Kulbarra had done a great service and were prepared to remain in the underworld to keep company with her Ereshkigal.

And so, Ishtar was allowed to make her way further into the underworld where she rescued Tammuz. The Goddess of the Light was able return the God of Fertility to the world.

Polynesian- Maui Captures The Sun

Have you ever seen the sky when the sun is streaming down in beams that reach all the way to the Earth?

Some call it the fingers of God or the eye of God- to the ancient Polynesians these were the legs of the sun upon which it dashed across the sky day after day.

Queen Liliuokalani's family chant.

"Maui became restless and fought the sun
With a noose that he laid.
And winter won the sun,
And summer was won by Maui."

https://www.sacredtexts.com/pac/maui/maui07.htm

The tale of Maui snaring the sun is told far and wide by various Polynesian folks- from the Maori of New Zealand to the native folk of Hawaii.

The story is that of the great God Maui, who was bore to Hina-of-the-fire on a seashore. Separated from his mother, Maui was adopted by the gods, who raised this mischievous and troublesome human as their own. Maui was not the perfect model human beauty but he certainly kept the gods busy. He raised islands out of the ocean, he taught the humans how to coax fire from wood and eventually, one day, he decided to set off and find his mother Hina-of-the-fire.

Along his way, he threw the sky up above the mountains where it remains to this day. Maui had many adventures before he was reunited with his mother. She was delighted he had found her.

Maui told his mother he had noticed that the sun hurried across the sky so quickly that there was barely enough time for work to be done. The fishermen had just gotten in place to toss out their nets and already it was time to return home. The plants did not ripen.

His mother, a masterful maker of fabric, gave him strong strands of twisted fiber before she sent him to his grandmother – who cooked the sun's breakfast. His grandmother lived high in the mountains next to a massive wiliwili tree which was the place where the sun paused to eat breakfast every morning.

When his grandmother found out who he was, she wondered why he had come. Maui claimed that he had come to capture the sun, for it traveled too quickly through the sky

The crone instructed him on how he might catch the sun. She made space for Maui to hide in the branches of the wilwilli tree. She gave him a magical stone to use as a battle axe and told him to watch for the first leg of the sun to come up over the horizon,

“Catch that with the first of your ropes and fasten it to the tree. Do this with each of the the ropes your mother fashioned for you. Once the sun is securely fastened to the tree, move in with the stone axe and you will be able to land your blows upon the body of the sun”

As instructed, Maui hid himself in the branches of the great tree and waited.

Soon the first leg of the sun crept over the mountainside, that first ray of the sun starting to illuminate the day. Immediately, Maui rose and threw his fibre rope, capturing the first leg of the sun and tying it to the mighty tree. This he did with each of the sun's legs until the sun was truly entangled within the branches of the great wiliwilli tree.

Realizing all of his legs were caught, the sun tried to escape by sliding back down the mountain but Maui pulled on the ropes until the sun was forced to rise again. Then Maui caught up his magic stone axe and braved the extreme heat to move up close and use the axe to strike at the sun- to break eight of the sun's sixteen legs.

So for half the year the sun moves swiftly across the sky and the days are short for the sun is on its good legs

The other half the year the sun is slower across the sky because he's limping and we have Maui-trickster to thank for our long days of enjoying the warmth and glory of the sun.

Inuit- Raven Steals the Sun

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada and Alaska

The Inuit of North America and Greenland tell the tale of the trickster, Raven, who, in this case, was instrumental in returning the light to the sky.

Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada and Alaska

The Inuit of North America and Greenland tell the tale of the trickster, Raven, who, in this case, was instrumental in returning the light to the sky.

There was once a wizard named Tupilak, and he was a very mean man.

He had many magical things but his most prized possessions were a pair of boots. These boots allowed him to take very looooong steps, so that he could travel far across the tundra in one single movement.

Tupilak did not care for other people much at all. One day he decided he did not want to be with other people anymore so he put on his magical boots that let take loooong steps. He stepped right up the sky, took out his hunting knife and cut a hole in the sky which he crawled through.

There was another world on the other side of the sky which was dark and cold. But Tupilak was a pretty dark and cold fellow himself so this world suited him just fine. He built a house for himself there. When his house was built, he went back through the hole in the sky to get his wife. He told her to pack up everything they owned so she might come with him to their new home.

Well, Tupilak's wife had a few things to say about the new world. She was not happy in the constant darkness, there were no neighbours and she was lonely. Tupilak gave her a daughter to care for to alleviate her lonliness.

To solve the light issue, was a bigger problem but Tupilak was up to the challenge. He gathered up his hunting knife and two sturdy canvas bags which he reinforced with his magics. Finally he put on his magic boots that let him take looooong steps. He stepped over to the hole that led back to the world which he crawled through. Then he stepped right up to the sun and popped it into one of his magical bags. Using a sinew rope, he tied the bag tight very securely and slung it over his shoulder.

As daring as that may seem, to steal the sun, Tupilak was not yet done.

He stepped right over to the moon and snatched the moon into the second bag.

Then Tupilak took the sun and the moon back through the hole which shut the world off entirely from the light .

Meanwhile, the Raven was taking a nap. He would lift his head now and then to check if it was light out, if it was time to wake, but each time he saw the darkness so he assumed he could just go back to sleep. He didn't realize anything was wrong until people started coming around to knock on his door calling that they were cold and starving, asking him to do something on their behalf. The Raven spoke with these people and discovered what had happened.

He was not exactly a kind fellow, not the sort to go out of his way to help another unless there was something in it for him- but he knew right away that this must be the work of Tupilak.

The Raven and Tupilak had matched wits a few times so the Raven was pleased to have a chance to defeat the evil wizard once again. He assured the people he would regain the sun and moon for them. He found the hole Tupilak had cut in the sky so went to confront Tupilak.

As he flew toward the hole, the Raven realized he would not be able to simply confront Tupilak and expect him to hand over the prize. He would have to watch this strange new world for a time to figure out how to steal the sun and moon back.

Eventually, Raven saw Tupilak's lovely daughter. So, he changed himself into a feather that floated down the stream into her drinking water. Very soon she had a baby that was none other than the Raven in disguise.

Tupilak and his wife were the proudest of grandparents, and the mother doted on this baby that was really the Raven. They gave him everything he wanted. It was a pretty good life but the baby that was the Raven was constantly turning his gaze up to the two canvas sacks that hang near the ceiling of the house.

One day when Tupilak was out hunting, the baby reached up for the canvas bags, as if he wanted to play with them. The grandmother and mother denied this demand, trying to distract the baby but it didn't work. The baby got very mad that he could not have his way. He started to make a fuss, then a ruckus, and then a whole heap of red faced, mouth open wailing that probably was audible across the tundra to Tupilak though the wizard was far away hunting.

The women were frantic to quiet the baby so finally they relented. When they give the baby the bag which contained the moon he calmed right down. Mother and grandmother were relieved. Yet, the moment they let their guard down, the Raven began to work at the sinew ties with a lot more dexterity in his baby fingers than one would suspect possible. In a blink of an eye, the moon was loose. It popped up to the ceiling like a helium balloon then out the chimney up into the sky.

Tupilak saw the moon rise up, bump through the sky and escape through the hole, back into the world. He was wearing his favorite boots, so he took a loooong step to try and catch the moon but he was too late. He returned to his home in a rage where he demanded to know which of the women released the moon.

When they tell him the story and draw his attention to the baby, his rage drained as his heart softened at the sight of the little one. Tupilak was so smitten with his grandson that he could forgive him any offense. He told his wife to be more careful.

The Raven waited a while until Tupilak left to hunt once again before the baby started demanding the bag containing the sun.

Again, at first, his mother and grandmother resist, doing their best to try to sidetrack his demands, to ignore his tantrums but in the end, Tupilak's wife brought down the last canvas sack.

Before she handed it over to the baby, she tied the sinew rope secure with a second knot. Try as he might, The Raven could not make his baby's hand undo that double knot so he had to make a new plan.

He snuck away to where he had hidden his Raven cloak, donned it to transform himself back into his true form. Knowing his time was short, he took the sinew cord in his beak and made for the hole between the worlds as fast as he could fly

He heard Tupilak shout far off and without even looking over his shoulder he knew that his old foe had taken up the chase, using those magical boots that allowed Tupilak to take such looooong steps.

But, Tupilak had been far away when he realized there was a problem so it would take him quite a few looooong steps to reach the hole he had cut in the sky.

he did not make it in time to prevent the Raven from scoooching through the hole in the sky where he used his sharp beak to free the sun from its bag. The sun escaped and rose into the sky, bringing back heat and life to everything its rays touched.

Tupilak was defeated so he turned back.

He does try to steal the light again, year after year, but that just invites the Raven to come and get it back

Celtic- The Oak King Slays the Holly King

For the Druids and the Celtic peoples, the forest was the cathedral of the holy. Each tree became known to hold a type of power, to represent a certain constant, to have influence over certain areas. Seasonally, certain trees gained prominence while others faded away until their time returned. The Oak tree, significant for its towering height and its magnificent strength became the symbol of long life and wisdom- a tree of kings… The stretching of its mighty branches over the lesser trees of the forest was seen as protective. The Oak was considered to represent the season of growth. Alongside the Earth Mother- the Oak King ruled the land as crops and flowers and livestock flourished under the summer sun.

The Oak King and the Holly King are brothers.  They are twins and it is not an uncommon theme in myth that twins cannot both flourish at once. As in the case of the Oak and Holly Kings, only one can be in his prime at a time. Each represents the missing half of the other, they are one but not the same- they are light and mystery… one reaching up and one in decline

At midsummer, the summer solstice, the brightest moment of the year- the Oak King is slain by the Holly King, the dark king representing the decline of the sun and the return of the world into dormancy and darkness. From that day onward the year is dying.

The evergreen nature of the Holly is particularly significant in the Winter months. When the leaves drop from the great Oak and strip it barren to the icy winds, the Holly is still fully cloaked in its coat of sharp and thorny green leaves. Thus, the holly tree represents immortality and victory beyond death, beyond the darkness but, in the form of the Holly King, it also represents the dying side of the year .

At Winter Solstice the Oak King rises once again from slumber and slays the Holly King. Now with the Oak King once more in reign there will be the guarantee of the fertility of the growing year, the promise of days getting longer and longer and the knowledge that the forests will once more flourish and be filled with the rustling of the leaves of the trees.

(FYI: The companion bird of the Oak King is the robin- which is why the sight of the first robin of spring is significant. It means the Oak King is returning to prominence)

Japanese- Amaterasu Retreats to the Cave

The sun goddess Amaterasu was one of three siblings alongside the Moon (Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto) and the Storm (Susa-nowo). So magnificent was she, so brilliant, that the father god, Izanagi, gave her a place in the Plain of the Heaven, allowing her dominion of the sky. Susa-nowo, the storm, dark and moody, was given dominion over the seas but he was unhappy with this so began to rage and howl without cease. The oncoming sound was so terrible that the mountains began to shrink and the seas ran dry to escape his lamenting. So, Izanagi banished Susa-nowo, who insisted that before he left, he must make a farewell to his sister, the Sun. The turbulence of the visiting approaching storm alarmed Amaterasu, who took up her bow to defend against an enemy.  Susa-nowo was amused, he assured her that he had simply come to make a farewell. But her guest did not leave. He stayed on in the hospitality of her home, this uninvited guest, and the storm made trouble by breaking down the divisions in people's rice fields, filling in irrigation ditches and making life generally unpleasant for all around him.

Amaterasu made excuses for him until the day he flayed a horse and threw the body through the window into the chamber where the sun-goddess and her ladies were weaving. The bloodied horse sent looms and shuttles flying and hurt some of Amaterasu's companions. Infuriated by his dishonourable behaviour, Amaterasu took herself away to the Cave of Heaven and locked herself away so that she could have some peace.

The world was plunged into darkness. There was no longer a day and a night.

It had become night without end.

Eight hundred of the gods gathered in the bed of the Tranquil River of Heaven to contribute to a plan that might placate or please Amaterasu enough to coax her from her self imposed exile. Those of the venerated ancestors who were the thinkers came up with a plan which called for a collaboration of the divine beings.

The birds of eternal night were gathered to sing their enduring song in hopes that it would draw the Sun to the mouth of the cave in curiosity. Rock and iron were harvested from holy rivers and mountains to create a mirror. An eight ft string of 500 exquisite jewels was manifested to adorn an evergreen tree. This magnificent 500 branch Sakaki tree was uprooted from the Heavenly Mt Kagu in hopes that its beauty would please the Heavenly Ancestor (who was supposed to be) Shining in the Sky.

The string of precious jewels was used to secure the middle branches of the tree so that the mirror was prominently displayed. The lower branches were hung with white and blue streamers as placations.

Finally, the goddess of mirth and laughter, Ama-No-Uzume, stepped to the mouth of the cave and started to dance for the absent goddess. A foot stomping, breast baring, skirt lifting, lewd and lascivious dance that so entertained the gathered gods that they started to laugh. It was this merry laughter that drew the curiosity of the sullen sun goddess. Amaterasu peeked out of the cave to see what was so funny.

Immediately the gods rushed to shove the mirror up to the mouth of the cave. Amaterasu had never seen her own reflection in a mirror, this sight drew her forth from the cave. A sacred rope of rice straw, or shimenawa, was stretched across the mouth of the cave to prevent her retreating once again.

      African -  Sunman Grows Old

The San peoples, also known as the Bushmen, are members of various Khoe, Tuu, or Kx'a-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer groups that are the first nations of Southern Africa, and whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_people

There is a tale from the Bush Men of Africa about the Sun Man, who was born in a time of total darkness, with the sun in one of his armpits.

Every time he lifted an arm, the world was flooded with warmth and light, things started to grow.... so it very quickly became his job to stand in the middle of the village all day with his arms up in the air.  Eventually, as he aged, he would no longer stand but sat on the ground so that the sun never rose very high in the sky.  He napped a lot. It was not very long before the children of the village started to sneak up while he was asleep so that they might lift his arm and allow the life giving heat and light to escape.

There came a call from a neighboring tribe that the Bushmen might share the bounty of the sun. One of the tribal mothers drew the children aside, telling them what they must do so that the Sunman’s light could shine for all.

And so the children edged their way over to the slumbering Sunman. The tribal mother had told them that they must entreat the Sun to remain true so they spoke thus to him as they lifted him up above their heads, spinning him slowly at first.

“Oh Grandfather. Become the Sun for us. Remain in the sky for all to see. You must make the light that will allow the rice to grow. You must make the heat that will allow the rice to dry....”

As they spoke, the children spun the Sunman faster and faster until he lifted into the sky above them all,

“You must warm the ground in the summer. You must shine everywhere and chase the darkness away.”

In the sky, the Sunman became a ball of fire beaming down onto all below and so he remains today.

Chumash- Celestial Sport

The Chumash are a Native American people who historically inhabited the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what is now San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, extending from Morro Bay in the north to Malibu in the south. They also occupied three of the Channel Islands: Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel; the smaller island of Anacapa was likely inhabited seasonally due to the lack of a consistent water source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumash_people

For the Chumash people, each night was an event in a year long drama played out in the sky. There above the desert, the Moon kept score over a ball game called Peon, which was ever in process between two celestial teams.

One team was the Sun and Slo’w (Golden Eagle aka Venus as the Evening Star). The other team is that of the Sky Coyote (Polaris/ The North Star) and Morning Star (aka Venus rising before the Sun). 

The stakes were high and the final tally of the scores was made on the night of the Winter Solstice. On this night, the Chumash knew that the Sun was particularly dangerous to them. If his team lost to the Sky Coyote (again) he could be very angry with the humans.

When the Sky Coyote won the game, he would enter the Sun's pantry and distribute all the goodies to the humans. Wild game such as geese and deer, as well as flora such as acorns would be available to the people. The Sky Coyote's victory ensured that there would be rain and food for the next year. If the Sun lost, his temper might impact them in some way but if he and Slo’w won the game, there would be drought which would be the death of the Chumash way of life. If the Sun won the Peon game on the night of Winter Solstice, the price he extracted was human lives.

The Chumash knew themselves to be interconnected with the inherent magic of their world, so they turned their attention to assisting the Sky Coyote's team with all the power they knew themselves to have. Chumash of all levels in the community would come forward to entreat the Sun for service, to make requests. Private and public rituals were performed to 'pull' the Sun back onto a northward trajectory and back into the cycle of the year

Greek- Persephone Stolen from the World

Persephone, daughter of Demeter, was so lovely she attracted the eye of Hades, King of the Underworld. One day as Persephone gathered flowers, a crack formed in the earth in front of her and drew her downwards to Hades.

Soon, Demeter, goddess of all living things, “Mother Nature” if you will, noticed her daughter was missing. She searched and searched until her quest so consumed her that vitality drained from the world. Leaves changed colour, starved for nutrients and fell from the trees, crops died off, animals were listless.

Still Demeter searched and the earth grew barren and cold.

Finally Demeter was told by Helios (who is a bit of a gossip, if you ask me) that Hades had taken her child for his wife. Demeter hurried to Zeus to demand he arrange for a rescue. Instead, she discovered that Zeus and his brother, Hades had an agreement not to intervene in each other's realm. Persephone was now part of the underworld so she was under the rule of Hades. To interfere would mean the Olympians would go to war with the underworld.

Zeus had to refuse Demeter. He told Demeter that Persephone's fate was decided.

Demeter was dissatisfied with this decision so she took her leave of Zeus to go forth where she withdrew all of her influence from the world. Snow fell, people and animals starved or froze. Until the day that Zeus came to her to demand she restore fertility and warmth to the lands. Demeter was quite clear that she would not obey until her daughter was in her arms once more.

Negotiations reopened with Hades.  It was decided that for 6 months of the year, Persephone could live with her mother. During those months the Earth would be fruitful. On Winter Solstice, she returned to her husband in the Underworld. Demeter withdaws her grace from the world until Summer Solstice, when Persephone returns.

Tlingit- Raven tricks Seagull

The Tlingit are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language, in which the name means 'People of the Tides' wiki

When the Great Spirit created the world, he had gifted the animals with cedar boxes containing all that they would need. Some boxes contained mountains, some trees... from some of these cedar boxes had flowed the mighty rivers where the fish flourished now.

But the box containing the daylight had been given to the Sea-gull and the Sea-gull had chosen not to share the contents of his box. He had decided to keep the light for himself, using it sparingly when he chose to journey far distances.

And though Sea-gull was stingy, he was not crafty like his friend Raven, who was irked that Sea-gull was hoarding the light. The cedar boxes from the Great Spirit had been meant for all to share so it was not right that Sea-gull kept the light all for himself when the other animals were so limited by the darkness.

Raven went to his friend and requested that Sea-gull share the light with him, for with all his cleverness, he would certainly be able to think of ways to use light to his advantage.

Sea-gull refused to share his treasure so Raven decided to trick it from him.

So Raven gathered up some bristly burdoch and other thorny plants, scattering them along the ground between Sea-gull's home and the waters. Then he raised a hue and a cry- yelling out in alarm that the fishing boats had come untethered and a strong wind was drawing them out to sea. He cawed for Sea-gull to help save the boats.

Sea-gull stumbled from his sleep and rushed outside to assist, his bare feet plunging into the thorny trap that Raven had set.

He oouched and owed and hop/ staggered back to his bed, howling in agony at his offended feet.

When Raven renewed his cries for help with the boats, Sea-gull lamented that his boat would be lost for he could not walk on his feet.

Raven volunteered to help Sea-gull's afflicted feet and arrived to assist, making a great show of his service - pulling forth the thorns and brambles, but instead he pressed them deeper into Sea-gull's feet.

Sea-gull howled in outrage at the clumsiness and Raven complained that he could not see what he was doing. Perhaps Sea-gull could open the cedar box of the light a little so that the task of helping with his affronted feet would be easier.

So stingy Sea-gull reached for his cedar box and opened it just the tiniest crack so that the merest hint of light trickled forth

Raven, exasperated, pressed even harder on the thorns in Sea-gull's feet, causing the gull to cry out in pain and revile his would be helper.

Raven complained again that there was not enough light to see what he was doing and coaxed Sea-gull to offer more light from the cedar box that had been given him by the Great Spirit.

And as Sea-gull leaned to comply, Raven tripped with contrived clumsiness to knock the cedar box to the floor. The lid of the box fell free, releasing the daylight into the world.

Try as he might, Sea-gull was unable to gather the spilled light back into captivity so his treasure was lost, freely shining daylight into the world for all to share (as had been intended by the Great Spirit to begin with)

Raven made haste to apologize for his folly but secretly was very pleased with himself and one can hear him cawing to himself in pleasure about it to this day.

Norse- Baldr Returns from the Underworld

The Norse myth of the battle between light and dark has to do with the twin gods Baldr and Hodr. Baldr, the god of illumination, who is associated with the sun, is disturbed by a dream foreseeing his own death. When pressed on his melancholy he admits this seemingly prophetic dream to his mother, Frigga. The goddess of childbirth and mothers, Frigga was not about to stand around and do nothing so she went to Midgardh (Earth) where she extracted from all things (fire and water, iron and all metals, earth, stone, trees, poisons, birds, beasts, and sickness of all kinds) that they would do no harm to Baldr. This effectively rendered Baldr, the Beautiful, the god of light, invulnerable.

Quickly, the best entertainment for the confrontational and combative gods of Asgardh was the throwing of dangerous objects at Baldr so they could all share the enjoyment of watching things bounce off him harmlessly.

Loki, the Trickster, was holding a bit of a grudge with Odin over the treatment of his own children by the Mighty Allfather. He decides he cannot stand this game. His envy of Baldr becomes too much to bear. He shapeshifts himself into an old crone and pays a visit to Frigga extracting from her, in their afternoon of conversation, the secret vulnerability of the invulnerable Baldr. There had, indeed, been one thing on Midgardh that she had not approached with the entreaty to preserve her son. The seemingly harmless mistletoe. With this knowledge well in hand Loki skinks off to fashion, some say a spear, some a dart, but all myths agree that it was a missile weapon whose sharp tip was formed of mistletoe. 

Loki arrives at the game where the gods are hurling spears at Baldr. He discovers Hodr, the blind twin brother of Baldr, hovering nearby. Loki asks why he isn’t playing. When Hodr complains he has no weapon, Loki offers him the spear, (or dart) even kindly suggesting he will assist Hodr in lining up to throw. The projectile flies true. Baldr is struck dead, fulfilling his dreadful precognition. Baldr descends to the underworld where he is the guest of Hel, the Goddess of the Underworld. (Those who die in glorious battle are escorted up to Valhalla (and Sessrymnir). Those who are murdered, or die of illness, fall under the protection of Hel, in misty Niflheim, in the roots of the great tree, Yggdrasil)

So Frigga, Mother of the Gods, stood over her treacherously betrayed son's body. No mother could take such a senseless death lightly. She sent a messenger to the Queen of the Underworld requesting what price for her son’s life, for all that lives is in mourning over the loss. Hel requires proof of this claim, allowing that if every being on Midgardh would actually cry for the loss of the light, she would be convinced. If even one being did not cry, Baldr could not return. In the Yule version of this tale, all of the living beings, birds, bees, beetles, fish and  human, call out for the return of the god of light. Baldr is thus rescued by his mother who, in her joy, kisses every man who stands beneath the mistletoe with her.

Chinese-  Gong-Gong Headbutts the Pillar of the Sky

Gong-gong, the God of Floods, had the head of a red headed man with the body of a massive black serpent. Descended from the Flame Emperor, the dragon was said to have been equal parts cruel, ambitious and stupid. (A trifecta of villainy) Gong-gong became dissatisfied with the heavenly court not long after Zhuanxu, the Sky Emperor, was given the Throne of Heaven. Zhuanxu cared little for his fellow gods, nor for the mortals below.

Gong-gong and a group of supporting gods made an attempt to rebel. There ensued a prolonged and devastating battle which whittled away Gong-gong’s allies one by one. Gong-Gong, himself, was so mighty, the Emperor could not vanquish him, only drive farther and farther northwest. The wounded and defeated dragon caused much damage as his pursuers forced his retreat to Mount Buzhuo, that mighty pillar which supported northeast direction of the sky.

When it was clear that his bid to take the Throne of Heaven had failed, in a terrible rage, Gong-gong slammed his head against the mountain. The impact on that pillar was so devastating that the sky was torn as the support was shifted off its base. Mount Buzhuo could no longer support the northeast direction.

As that cornerstone of the heavens shifted its alignment, it caused the sky to tilt northwest, forcing the land to the southeast where it seemed clear it would be swept into the sea.

On Earth there was tremendous flooding, people were fleeing for their lives as the very heavens, sun, moon and stars were knocked out of balance

The creator goddess, Nŭ Kua, saw the plight of the people and returned from the heavens to see what might be done to mend her creation. With tremendous effort, Nŭ Kua was able to repair the damage to the Pillar but she was not able to compensate for the damaged alignment of the sky, which is why we experience the solstices and equinoxes.

The Chinese say this misalignment of Mount Buzhuo is also the reason all the rivers in China flow toward the southeast while the sun and moon travel northwest.

Nipmuck- Great Spirit Teaches Gratitude

The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are descendants of the indigenous Algonquian peoples of Nippenet, 'the freshwater pond place', which corresponds to central Massachusetts and immediately adjacent portions of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The ancient Nipmuck lived in a world that had never seen snow, nor ice. Their weather was always warm. Yet, people being people, they complained about the weather all the time. Some felt it was too hot and others became angry when the Creator sent them rain. The Creator listened to the disgruntled complaining for generations. Eventually he allowed the sun to travel away from the villages of the Nipmuck people. The waning sun meant shorter days and longer, colder nights. Soon, the trees started to change colour and leaves started to rain down in the chilly winds. Birds took themselves south to warmer lands. The people added layer after layer of warm clothing. They insulated their homes with thick furs but still the cold infiltrated and made them miserable. The cold ever increased, the nights got longer and people started to die from the extreme weather.

The people called out to the Great Spirit for mercy, asking for the sun to return. The Great Spirit heard their entreaties and felt that the lesson had been learned. He directed the sun to bring its light and life giving heat back to the people. But, to remind them of this lesson of gratitude for each day, he put in place a new season. During this new winter time, the leaves would fall and the animals would retreat from the cold making it difficult to find food. And so the people learned to be grateful for every day, no matter the weather.

Sámi- Beiwe Brings the Sun

The Sámi people (/ˈsɑːmi/; also spelled Sami or Saami) are an indigenous Finno-Ugric people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula within the Murmansk Oblast of Russia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1mi_people

The hearty Sámi people live in the Arctic and subarctic areas of Scandinavia and Russia. Their home is so far North that on the day of Winter Solstice – the sun does not clear the horizon at all. In fact, the sun disappears for over a month at these extremes.

To call back the light, they looked to their sun goddess, Beiwe (aka Beaivi or Bievve) who pulls the sun across the sky in a structure like a wagon or chariot formed of reindeer bones. Not only does she return the light, but Beiwe's return means the greenery that feeds the reindeer will grow. Since the reindeer keep the Sámi alive, Beiwe is considered the Mother of Humankind.

It was understood by their people that constant darkness was a strain on the soul, driving people to despair and madness. The goddess Beiwe was called upon to restore mental health to those who were afflicted by darkness. Thus this deity was a bringer of renewed life to people's souls as well as their environment.

Sacrifices of white animals (usually reindeer, as the Sámi are interdependent with these) were made to entice Beiwe to return with the light. People painted butter around their doors to sustain the sun goddess, and her reindeer, on her journey.

Hungarian- Csodaszarvas The Miraculous Deer

On December 21st, the Csodasvarvas, the Miracle Stag, carries the sun in its horns across the river to begin the new year.

(Magyar folk song, translated by S.Tomory)

A whirling cloud rises in the distance,
Miracle Stag emerges from there...
Miracle Stag has a thousand branches

On thousand branches thousand shining candles
Flickering candle-lights are the shining stars of Heaven,
They begin to shine unlit, unblown do they die out.

Legend says that when the brothers Hunor and Magor set out to make their fortune, they came upon a magnificent hind.  Unable to get close enough to make a kill, the brothers followed the beast to the land they would one day rule. Hunor was the forefather of the Huns, while Magor's descendants are the Magyars. There is evidence that the hind  held a place of honour in Hungarian spiritual life before the coming of Christianity. (The deer is generally recalled in myth as a stag, though the term “szarvas” could refer to either sex.)

Abenaki -HOW GLOOSCAP FOUND THE SUMMER

Today 2000 Abenakis live on two reserves in Quebec, and another 10,000 Abenaki descendants are scattered throughout New England. Only the Canadian Abenaki tribe is officially recognized, but there are at least three Abenaki bands in the United States: the Sokoki and Mazipskwik Abenakis of Vermont and the Cowasucks of Massachusetts.

The Wawaniki were a mighty race who lived very near to the sunrise. Long ago, these Children of Light, for so they called themselves, had a daring and benevolent master known as Glooscap.

There came a time, in that land so very near to the sunrise, that it grew extremely cold. Frost and then snow covered everything, threatening their corn. Their fires could no longer keep the people warm enough.

His people were in danger from famine and from cold so Glooscap traveled north until he came to a land that was ice as far as the eye could see.

In a massive wigwam coated in hoarfrost, Glooscap found the great giant whose breath froze the land. Winter offered his guest a pipe and began to tell the tales of the days when his influence covered the entire world.

The voice of the giant was so musical as he skillfully wove the images of the white and silent realm before time. This frost charm lulled Glooscap to sleep there beside Winter's fire. Like a bear in hibernation, he languished for six months before his mighty constitution was able to break the hold of Winter's spell and make an escape.....

It was not long before the Loon, who knows all the tales, those fabricated and well as those that were true, related to Glooscap that there was a land to the south which was the opposite of the Winter Giant's realm. There dwelled a giantess who was said to be all powerful. Certainly, this Summer Giantess could vanquish the Northern Giant.

Glooscap took himself to the edge of the sea where he sang a song woven with magic that must be obeyed by whales. He summoned a carrier to take him south.

The whale took him into warm waters, leaving him off at an island that was lush with more greens than Glooscap had ever imagined. Upon the island he found a gathering of girls around a dancing woman wearing a crown of flowers. The dancer was radiant, her arms overflowing with a cascade of posies. The air of satisfaction and plenty that flowed from this woman left Glooscap in no doubt that this must be Summer.

He leapt forward to capture her, refusing to release her until she agreed to pit her might against the Winter Giant. Winter welcomed Glooscap into his wigwam again already planning how he would lull the man to sleep again.

Glooscap was prepared for this so instead of allowing the giant to weave the spell of winter once again, the ham told stories of his own. His charms were enough to distract Winter while Summer's influence started to be felt.

Sweat trickled down WInter's face. His wigwam started to drip as its coating of ice melted. He knew then that the charm he had cast upon Glooscap's land had been broken.

Summer further established her supremacy by returning life to the earth. Withered leaves turned green, dead crops plumped back to fertility, streams started to flow freely again. Seeing Summer standing boldly out on the green grass, Winter knew he had been stripped of all his ferocity and power.

He conceded the land to her. Summer refused, having her own lands to care for. She made him a deal. "Now that you see I am more powerful than you, I will allow you to retain the northern lands. You may snow and hail and ice to your heart's content all year round. I will never bother you there.

This land depends on snowfall so you may return here to rule for half the year- and I expect that the winters will be milder than they have been. For the other six months of the year, I will return to rule the land.

And so that is why the seasons that so affect the lives of the Children of Light, who live so very near to the sunrise.

Mewuk/ Miwok- How The Robin Got Its Red Breast

The traditional Miwok (MEE-wuk or MEE-wahk) homeland was in central California. The territory of the Mewan tribes comprised the lower slopes and foothills of the Sierra Nevada between the Cosumnes River on the north and Fresno Creek on the south, with the adjacent plain from the foothills to Suisun Bay, and also two smaller disconnected areas north of San Francisco Bay--one in the interior, reaching from Pope Valley to the south end of Clear Lake, the other on the coast, from Golden Gate northerly nearly to the mouth of Russian River.