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Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2024 4:02 pm
Since the cosmos is associated with order and measure, chaos is connected with the violation of measure. The Egyptian Ra-Atum battles the underworld serpent Apophis, the Indian Indra confronts Vritra, who took the form of a serpent, while the Mesopotamian Enki, Ninurta, or Inanna fights the lord of the underworld, Kur. The Iranian Tishtrya (Sirius) opposes the demon Apaosha. Apophis, Vritra, Kur, and Apaosha restrain the cosmic waters. Enlil or Marduk defeats the dragon-like primordial mother Tiamat, the wife of Apsu, a personification of the dark waters of chaos. In the Bible, there are references to God’s struggle with the dragon or a mythical sea creature representing the watery chaos (Rahab, Tehom, Leviathan). The heroic battle of Yu with the cosmic flood concludes with the killing of the treacherous water lord Gonggong and his “associate” – the nine-headed Xiangliu. The transition from the formless water element to dry land is the most crucial act needed to transform chaos into cosmos. The next step in the same direction is the separation of the sky from the earth, which may essentially coincide with the first act, considering the original identification of the sky with the world ocean. However, the repetition of the act – first downward, then upward – led to the division into three spheres: earthly, heavenly, and underworld. This marks the transition from binary to ternary division. The middle sphere, the earth, contrasts with the watery world below and the heavenly world above. A trichotomous scheme of the cosmos emerges, which includes the necessary space between the earth and the sky. This space is often represented as the cosmic tree.
Further, I also recommend reading about the “world tree.” “The universal tree unites all spheres of existence. Typically, its branches correspond to the heavens, the trunk to the earthly world, and the roots to the underworld.” Even when connecting with Hinduism, there’s also a reference to the word and place called Meru. “Mount Meru is a sacred mountain in the cosmology of Hinduism and Buddhism, where it is depicted as the center of the material universe, considered the abode of Brahma and other devas.” “The Puranas describe its height as 80,000 yojanas”, which “is roughly three times the average distance from Earth to the Moon.” Quite fascinating, isn’t it?
Further, I also recommend reading about the “world tree.” “The universal tree unites all spheres of existence. Typically, its branches correspond to the heavens, the trunk to the earthly world, and the roots to the underworld.” Even when connecting with Hinduism, there’s also a reference to the word and place called Meru. “Mount Meru is a sacred mountain in the cosmology of Hinduism and Buddhism, where it is depicted as the center of the material universe, considered the abode of Brahma and other devas.” “The Puranas describe its height as 80,000 yojanas”, which “is roughly three times the average distance from Earth to the Moon.” Quite fascinating, isn’t it?
- Read the Wikipedia articles: “Sphinx”, and “Tetramorph”