[gothic-l] Re: Crescent , star and swan

[tigerlipped]

--- In gothic-l at y..., Ingemar Nordgren <ingemar.nordgren at e...> wrote:

> Hi everybody,
> 
> This new theme about a moon symbol is quite intriguing and connects 
till 
> my own earlier hypothesis already published in my book.
> 
> It is quite evident from Wulfila that the Goths earlier adorned the 
moon 
> and that is also seen on their spear tips being insigned with moon 
and 
> swastika (sun). The  bracteates also show horned horses who, like 
the 
> Ibero-Roman stelae - both pre-christian and christian - also 
showing 
> horns/crescents that quite evidently depict the moon. These are 
also 
> connected just with the eight armed star or a eight sponged wheel 
cross 
> combining moon and sun (sun god and earthgodess). Originally the 
star 
> was used within the Mithras cult and is of Iranian origin. The 
three 
> mags  following the star till the cave/stable where Mithras was 
born. It 
> is later changed to the hebreic star with sich points and the birth 
is 
> moved till Betlehem. These stelae I have closely examined during a 
> research trip on the Iberian peninsula in cooperation with the 
> university of Léon. We have votivestones, not exactly similar but 
still 
> with the same motifs, on the  island of Gotland from approximately 
the 
> 5th to 6th cc.They are comparable with the pre-Christian stelae. 
The 
> horns or ships all have the crescent shape and remind of the 
> Therafrescoes and of the Ibero-Roman stones. There are also clear 
> indications that makes it possible to see similarities to the 
> Vadeniensian stelae and the arrival of this style to Gotland  could 
> possibly depend on contacts with celts in La Tène. An interesting 
fact 
> is  also that just within the former Visigothic realm, after the 
Order 
> of the Templars was dissolved, an earlier unknown  variant of 
Virgin 
> Mary, the Madonna on the  Crescent, pops up and is now established. 
It 
> is well known that the Arians connected Mary with the Moon and she 
> continued the earlier cults of Alma Mater, Isis and Harpokrates in 
the 
> Serapion cult et c. She was the heiress of the fertility godess and 
her 
> sign in Byzantion  was the Tree of Life, often in a gateway. I will 
> return to this further down.
> 
> About the Swan I am more insecure. The Goths had however a special 
> heritage from the Sassanids and the East Roman empire - the 
imperial 
> peacocks. In their Gothic shape they are not very similar to the 
Roman 
> ones but can in Visigothic sculptures not be mistaken for  swans. 
In the 
> Gotlandic stones however they seem more like ducks or geese. The 
Broa 
> stone might possibly be a peacock hen. Still we have the story of 
the 
> Völsungs where three Swan maidens were married to the brethren. 
This 
> definitely belongs to the saga stuff known by the Goths.
> 
> A runic stone in Sparlösa in Västergötland, Sweden is interesting 
in 
> this connection. It depicts a cathedral with twin towers, a ship in 
> shape of a clear moon crescent, a sail with a Christian cross. 
Above the 
> sail there are sitting two birds  that most evidently are peacocks. 
> Beneath the ship is  a kind of spotted leopard and another animal. 
Below 
> there is a rider with a frygian cap and tight trousers pointing a 
sword 
> upwards and accompanied by a dog. Since this is just the 
Ostrogothic 
> mode in the time of Theoderic as shown on Ravenna mosaics I think 
there 
> is a clear connection. The ship with cross is the Virgin Mary and 
this 
> stone indicates Arian Christianity in Sweden between 7th-to 9th 
century. 
> There is a discussion of the runes, who are incomprehensible sorry 
to 
> say, since they give no direct information exept a secondary text 
from 
> probably the 11th c. There are both 24 type futhark and 16-type 
(most). 
> Possibly the introduction of the younger runes could be moved back 
till 
> the 7th century. That is at least what I suppose. The person  who 
carved 
> the stone must either have visited the Ostrogothic realm or been 
told of 
> it by somebody  who had. This person - the teller or carver - 
should 
> have been living at least in the latter half of the 6th century.
> 
> Accordingly I do not find it specially peculiar   hearing about 
this 
> heraldry and I agree it ought to be of Visigothic origin.
> 
> This is reinforced with regard to the paper signs introduced by 
early so 
> called heretics. The Albingenses, Cathares et c. have a direct 
> connection with the old Visigothic realm in Provence and Languedoc. 
> After Reccared joined the pope, starting persecutions of 
disbelievers, 
> specially Jews,many Visigoths ought to have continued as Arians and 
> after 711 there probably remained Arian Visigoths in Northern Spain 
and 
> also in Carcasson, Narbonne and the surrounding area. They might 
have 
> influenced the later upcoming "heresies". The Cathars were known to 
be 
> extremyly tolerant, cultural and peaceful and the tolerance might 
be of 
> Visigothic Arian origin. The closeness to the sun- and moon cult 
within 
> Christianity is another similarity between Arians and Cathars.
> 
> I know there will be opposition to this but this is my decided 
opinion.
> 
> Best regards
> Ingemar

Hello Ingemar:
As you probably know, birds were used as "kennings" for ships by the 
Viking skalds. The Swan-Road, for example, was a kenning for the sea. 
Keel birds were ships, and so on. On the east coast of the Danish 
island, Bornholm, about 225 kms S.W. of Gotland, there is a town 
called, Svaneke. Svaneke is a fishing port dating back, at least, to 
the middle ages. Its official seal incorporates the graceful swan.

Perhaps the mysterious knight who courted and married the Duchess of 
Boullion was a waylaid Viking.;-)

Ben




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