The Wheel of Fortune — X

La Roue De Fortune

Tarot de Marsailles: Destiny, fortune, outcome, felicity, godsend, special gain or unusual loss, result, conclusion, inevitability

Roue = Wheel

Sometimes in depictions of The Wheel, the wheel depicted is a small wheel such as the one above which is giving off the vibe of something like a roasting spit, other times the wheel calls to mind a larger wheel, such as the wheel of zodiac which we are "affixed" to at birth, as alluded to in the picture below. 

The Halloween Tarot, art by Kipling West - Flux, unexpected change in luck, New choices, new circumstances. Rolling with the punches, but not passively. 

In either case, whether it is viewed at the macrocosmic or the microcosmic level, with the wheel there is a certain level of impending, or at least possible peril.

Roulette is from French roulette "gambling game played with a revolving wheel," meaning "small wheel (Old French roelete), formed from Late Latin rotella,  diminutive of Latin rota "wheel," also "a potter's wheel; wheel for torture," from PIE root *ret- "to run, to turn, to roll"[OE]

Sometimes God is referred to as the "divine potter." In the Book of Genesis it is written that God made ha adam / "man" out of the dust or clay of the earth. Elsewhere the same symbolism is used.

"Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? Job 10:8-9

In ancient Egypt the creator God, Khnum, was the divine potter. He was said specifically to have fashioned the bodies of humans upon his potter's wheel. We might say, therefore, he fashioned humans upon a roelete "little wheel." Or if we are to think more macrocosmically, the Creator fashions people upon the big "wheel," the rota of the zodiac with earth / you perspective at the hub. 

And whatever anyone's experience is of life, good or ill, it is definitely perilous and torturous (from Late Latin tortura "a twisting") at times. From the moment we leave the luxurious confines of the homogeneously warm womb, we begin to experience the extremes of coldness, loudness, brightness, hunger . . .  bodily functions such as breathing and digestion, which come with unpleasant side effects, such as possible difficult or obstructed breathing (suffication), gas, bloating, pain, bowel movements, diaper rash, etc., we are put in uncomfortable clothing, made to touch grass or get in cold water, etc. It is not easy being human. We are always growing and changing, and our environments are subject to entropy and change. Nothing stays the same and nothing is simple like it was in the womb. 

Living life leads many to ruin from Latin ruina "a collapse, a rushing down, a tumbling(turning/wheeling) down," and everybody in their day will die. It might make one rue "make (someone) sorry," from PIE root *kreue- (2) "to push, strike," the day they were born [forced into the crude, rude, bloody game (roulette) of life]. Hit me with your best shot God! Strike the wheel! Big money, big money! 

And by the way, these are things that could be associated with the Sun, i.e., Ra / Re, who we might say comes to ruin at the conclusion of each day, i.e., swallowed by night, after "rushing down" from his zenith, Re who "strikes" the earth with his harsh rays / Re(s) and made Jonah rue being alive.

When the sun [Ra] rose, God [elohim] provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." Jonah 4:8

And Ra, who traverses the wheel / le roue of the zodiac yearly.

Oh wheel! It is as is fated, as it is willed by God. The gods wield the power of the wheel [from root *kwel- (1) "revolve, move around; sojourn, dwell"]. Thy kingdom come, thy wheel be done.

Shaddowscapes Tarot, by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

"Also known as a wheel window, such windows were often placed above doors and on the western side of the structure in order to maximize light filtering into the interior. At the time of their popularity, they were sometimes called 'Catherine Windows' (named for the spokes of the Catherine wheel on which St. Catherine was tortured.)

They were often laid out in twelve parts, which reflected not only hours of the day, but also the months of the year and the zodiac. Like the Eastern mandala, rose windows often symbolized how various smaller parts could form a harmonious whole and attain perfect unity." -study.com - Rose Windows: History, Design, Symbolism 

We emerge from our mother's wombs, constrained and tightly wrapped, into this new reality from a vulva, which word itself comes from *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve," [with derivatives referring to curved, enclosing objects OE.] At the moment of birth our place is fixed. We then begin to evolve as we revolve from that place. The primordial mound . . . 

Tatanen / Tatenen / Tanen / Tenen / tA - Tnn "risen land," who was associated with Khnum (eg. Temple of Esna, column 4:32-39; who created using his potter's wheel), who was the primordial mound.

In a version of the divination of the parts of the body, a common formula in the afterlife literature, the vulva of the deceased is identified with Tatenen (BD sole 181). In "The Songs of Isis and Neptheys,"Osiris is hailed as "Sacred image of thy father Tatenen," ("The Bremmer-Rhind Papyrus—I," p. 123 [1,16]), and is told that "Thy father Tatenen lifts up the sky [*Nwt] that thou mayest tread over its four quarters; thy soul flies in the east; thou art the likeness of Re [*the Sun], and they who dwell in the Netherworld receive thee with joy, Geb [*the Earth] breaks open for thee what is in him, and they come to thee in peace," ibid., p. 132 [16, 24]). Tatenen Henadology.Worldpress.com, ¶3

When we are born our fortune is set. Originally fortune from Old French fortune was about ones lot "share or portion of life" in any way," that which is given by fate, God or destiny", and carried the meaning of either "good fortune" or "misfortune," from Latin fortuna "chance, fate, good luck." When someone has good fortune, i.e., fors "chance, luck", we say they are fortunate, i.e.,  fortunatus "prospered, prosperous; lucky, happy" (past participle of fortunare "to make prosperous"). But it is strange that when we call an event unfortunate "unlucky" it is still occurring according to ones fortune. It's not as if "unfortunate" people don't have a fortune or fate, and they aren't necessarily unlucky either, in the vast scheme of things. Fortunes can change, and sometimes what appears to be unfortunate can turn out to be, on the contrary, very fortunate. For example, getting kicked off the only flight to your destination (unfortunate?), but then you later learn that the plane has crashed. You are suddenly fortunate for the very same reason you thought you thought earlier you were unfortunate for. 

Spolia Tarot, artwork by Jen May

"Jupiter [*Gk. Zeus] bestows his luck from the background, being the ruler of both good and bad luck." -Jessa Crispin

We might also say one's fortune is like a fore + tune, the name [Gk. όνομα onoma] or a tune / tone spoken by God which fashions a person to be who they are. 

But now thus says the LORD, he who formed you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Isaiah 43:1 ESV

Before I formed thee in the belly [beten] I knew thee; and before thou came forth out of the womb [rechem] I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.  Jeremiah 1:4-5 KJV

 . . . before tuning, before being stretched (by the potter) or living out this existence of becoming or being shaped into something, the fortune is what tells us who we are (our name).

Tune is from "tone" and is said to be from PIE root *ten "to stretch." Compare this to ancient Greek teinein (teinō) "to stretch," and tenon "tendon, sinew" and  tenos "sinew" [which is a kind of cord, from Latin chorda "string of a musical instrument, cat-gut" (from Gk. khorde "string, cat-gut, chord, cord") that can make a chord which makes a sound / music that has a certain character and is named, i.e., C major, A minor, etc. An artist or creator, such as God, creates that which is in accord with the cor / cordis "heart, intellect, mind." We might say we pulled at God's heart-strings or his "cords cordis" and thus were "tuned" into being by his will from the stuff of the earth/matter to be, each, our own unique selves. 

Also certain chords can tune a person back into proper shape or back into health, such as the troubled King Saul who was soothed by David's chord playing. 

And so it was, whenever the spirit of God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. 1 Samuel 16:23 NKJV

In any case, the "ten" vocalization is related to words having to to with stretching and also foundations, such as the first land "stretching" out of the primordial waters, Tatenen, the "risen land."

*ten = stretch

 tA "land" Tnn = which has risen/become distinct [. . . which means that we could say that tatas are mammory "lands" and are our first refuge (the land flowing with milk) as a baby, 

taw taw

X marks the spot, ta da! Or we could say Ta marks the spot, the symbol x originating from the Phoenician taw, which is χ which sounds like tA

taw = χ = tA

χ marks the spot / taw marks a spot on "the risen land" (tatenen)

10 in ancient Egyptian is written with the "animal fetter" / "hoble for cattle" hieroglyph.

The ancient Egyptians had a base ten number system, so 10, ten, X (decem), was literally a foundational building block [tA], or a number which other numbers rise out of [Tnn] such as 100 (10 x10), 1,000 (10 x 10 x 10), . . . 1,000,000 (10⁶).

Ten is a titan "thing of very great importance" of math. And the Titans were the elder or first gods and sometimes described as chthonic gods, 

The hot blast enveloped the chthonic Titans, the indescribable flames reached the divine sky, and sparkling flare of the thunderbolt and lightning dazzled the strongest eyes. - Hesiod, Theogony, p. 24, lines 697- 700, translated by M. L. West

The Fall of the Titans, Cornelis Corneilisz van Haarlem, 1596-1598

Titanomakhía 'Titan battle,' a ten year war

Chthonic is from Gk. χθόνιος khthonios "of the earth, in the earth," from χθών khthōn "the earth, solid surface of the earth,"said to be from PIE root *dhghem- "earth"[OE], which is somewhat similar in vocalization to the PIE root for the word "ten" (and Gk δέκα deka) , i.e., *dekm-. So if PIE root *ten- means "to stretch," and the word in English for the number 10 "ten" comes from PIE root *dekem-, which is similar to PIE root *dhghem- "earth," which is "land," then it seems like there is the possibility that the concept of 10 or  ι  in Greek [iota], could carry the meaning of a number that is a building block / first "land," like [Tatenen] tA "land"  Tnn "risen land" / land stretching out of Nun, and therefore the primordial mound / primordial "earth." 

Or maybe we could say 10 tethers, i.e., fetters, numbers together. Tether being from *deu- "to fasten." The word for 10 in ancient Egyptian is transliterated as mḏw, and said to be pronounced something like medju. It is, interestingly, similar to the ancient Egyptian word for "word, speech," mdw, medu. So ten, medju, is foundational like Tatenen, and "word" or "speech," i.e., medu, is foundational to creation. God created with his word and saw that is was good. He took appropriate measures, i.e., *med- [md] when he created with his mdw "word" and life emerged [*ten-] upon the first land, Tatenen. God meted [from mete (v.) "to allot," which is also from *med-], out a fate, literally "thing spoken (by the gods)" from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say," with his speech, i.e., medu. The divine maker md with mdw and the foundational building block of the mathematical universe, the medju "ten," came into being and it was the central place or the "middle" of creation, middle said to be from Proto-Germanic *medj, from PIE root *medhyo- "middle," also root of Latin medium  "the middle, midst, center; interval" / medius "in the middle, between; from the middle." 

Medulla Oblongata  tethers the spinal chord to the brain stem

"While every part of the brain is important in its own way, the work of the medulla oblongata is essential for sustaining life." -verywellhealth, The Anatomy of the Medulla Oblongata

"It is only about 3cm long, but the medulla is an indispensable nerve tract which contains the control centers for our automatic vital functions. . . The medulla contains four cranial nerves including the hypoglossal nerve which controls tongue movements and muscles involved with speech" [*medu]  -The hindbrain, University of Queensland

Medulla is from Latin medulla literally "marrow" also "pith of plants," both marrow and pith certain types of undifferentiated cells, namely, hematopoietic stem cells and parenchyma cells, and also have the figurative meanings of - marrow "inmost or central part, inner substance, essence," and - pith "essential part, quintessence, condensed substance," so we might say medulla contains the intrinsic and central word (medu) or name / fate of a thing. And the medulla is in the *medj "middle," center, central part, and perhaps the medju "ten," that is, the foundational mater (Latin meaning) "origin, source, mother," or foundational earth / land [Tatenen].

So, we might say at the foundation of the universe, as time wore on, from this place in the middle / center / central part (*medj ) of creation, the primary medu/word of creation, Tatenen, the foundational block, "ten"/medju, or from the first iota (ι), or atom "building block of the universe," more and more was added or built up each "day" (which is "cycle": Day, Night, Day[morning] = One Day) of creation. 

God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Genesis 1:5

If we equate the beginning of the first day to the Big Bang, on this first day we have a cosmic soup of particles that then cools into atoms of hydrogen, then helium, and eventually stars form and there is light. After the first day, there was a second day, and so on until human beings were created on the sixth day. Then on the seventh day, there was the day of rest, so the the end of a cycle / Gk kyklos "circle, wheel, any circular body": the first week. Days upon days, weeks upon weeks, eons upon eons, cycles upon cycles, spirals upon spirals, wheels upon wheels later, we find ourselves here; revolved from the first little packet of light / information; photons, into subatomic particles, into elements, into molecules, and into beings made of more complex information building blocks; RNA and DNA, and it is all very geometric and mathematical in nature.

DNA Tube

Some people do in fact contend, and there is argument to say, that the universe is in actuality made out of mathematics. So in this way, everything that is made would be endowed with this mathematical karma [from Sanskrit karma "action, work, deed; fate"]. Everything is made from and governed by the particular laws of creation and cannot deviate from these fundamental conditions / building blocks of existence, such as the four fundamental forces of nature, namely, gravity, the weak force, electromagnetic force, and the strong nuclear force. What goes up, must come down, if a = b, and b = c, then a = c, whatever you do, creates an action, i.e., karma, as a result.

Dalí Tarot

"The disk in the middle is divided into two parts, indicating human consciousness and the unconscious mind. Both parts of the image complement each other, but differences are also apparent. The lower portion is full of symbols and signs, while the upper areas are empty [* within the inner and outer white rings]. This might suggest that the messages of the unconscious are conveyed through symbols alone." - Dalí Tarot, Wheel of Fortune, Great Resolution, 

In this description of  The Wheel of Fortune from the Dalí Tarot 👆, it says that the upper part indicates human consciousness and the bottom part indicates the unconscious mind. From looking at it, we could say it also calls to mind the Ancient Greek cosmogony of the Universe divided into Sky [Ούρανός Ouranos] and Tartarus [Τάρταρος Tartaros]

The universe was envisioned as a great sphere--or egg-shaped ovoid--with the solid dome of the sky forming the upper half and the inverse dome of the pit of Tartaros the lower. The flat, horizontal disk of the earth divided the interior of the cosmic sphere into two halves-- the homes of men and gods above, and the gloomy, storm-wracked prison of the Titanes below. —theoi.com - Tartaros

. . . the dome above, heaven, and the dome below, the underworld. It is interesting that the treasure, or treasury of symbols is under the plane of the earth, which word in Greek, χθόνιος khthonios, begins with the X-marks-the-spot-like chi [χ]. The gates [732], and threshold to the underworld are also described in the Theogony as being made of bronze khalkion / khalkios, which word also begins with chi, χάλκεον. 

There are the sources of extremities of dark earth and misty Tartarus, of the undraining sea and the starry heaven, all in order, dismal and dank, that even the gods shudder at; and there are the shinning gates and the [χάλκεος] bronze [ούδός] threshold, firmly fixed with long roots, made by no craftsman's hand. And beyond, excluded from the company of the gods, the Titans live, on the far side of the gloomy chasm. —Hesiod, Theogony, p. 27, lines 807-814

And we known from descriptions such as that of Achilles' armor in the Iliad, that χάλκεον khalkion "bronze" can be dazzling. 

He [Achilles] put it [his armor] on, the gifts of the god, which Hephaistos had made for him with much labor. |  First he put around his legs the shin guards, |  beautiful ones, with silver fastenings at the ankles. | Next he put around his chest the breastplate, | and around his shoulders he slung the sword with the nails of silver, | a sword made of bronze [χάλκεον]. Next, the shield, great and mighty, |  he took, and from it there was a gleam from afar, as from the moon, | or as when, at sea, a gleam to sailors appears | from a blazing fire, the kind that blazes high in the mountains | at a solitary station, as the sailors are carried unwilling by gusts of wind | over the fish-swarming sea, far away from their loved ones. | So did the gleam from the Shield of Achilles reach all the way up to the aether. —Iliad 19.368-379

Now that's money! [χάλκος khalkos "copper, brass, money"] 

So, the entrance to the domain of the (chthonic) χθόνιος Titans, is shiny (made of χάλκεον) like treasure (gaza γάζα "treasure" in Gk.), something that would capture the gaze, and perhaps have allure and lure, before it snaps shut and imprisons the body and spirit. 

The eyes are the gateway to the soul.

Inside however, it is a different story, beyond the gates is described with words such as "misty," "loathsome," "dank," "murky," "dark," and a "gloomy chasm" [zoferós Khaos], ζοφερός Χάεος [814], "which even the gods abhor" [809]. 

Then what kind of treasure is this repository of symbols, the unconscious mind, the half of the sphere that supports, or forms the counter balance to heaven and the light of consciousness, that is itself so fearful, monstrous and dark? It certainly suggests that a healthy dose of awe, reverence and respect for its depths and power is in order. Very few mortals are said to have returned from Hades. It takes something more to cross χ the threshold both ways. But perhaps if we employ our inner psychopomps, like Hermes and Hecate to travel between the worlds we can traverse the bronze threshold and mind for treasure there without being sucked into the gloomy chasm and confined for eternity to hell.

And what are the parameters to our portion? Portion from porcioun "allotted part; lot, fate, destiny,"from Latin portionem"share, part," ultimately from PIE root *pere- (2) "to grant, allot. It is the Wheel of Portion, our universe, that is our home. It is what has been allotted to us, it is our part, our share of existence. And this space in which we are living out the drama of our lives didn't just appear out of no where. No, we are literally riding on the backs of giants, that is, the first stars which formed in the cosmic soup of the early universe that first reigned supreme, and created the circumstances necessary in the universe which would eventually form a certain star, that would support a certain little blue planet, that would support life, that would then provide a place for us to be here today, made out of the clay of the earth. 

What science has gathered from peering back in time with powerful telescopes uncannily mirrors the Greek mythology. Scientists say that the first stars were giant stars [so primordial titans] that burned bright and hot for a [relatively] short period of time and were later replaced by their descendant "children" stars (and planets) which then became our "gods," and specifically the gods of our solar system, i.e., the Sun (Helios / Sol / Ra), moon (Selene / Luna), planets and constellations, while they, the progenitor stars, were relegated to "Tartarus," i.e., the black holes at the center of the galaxies.

Another change occurred after the first stars started to form. Theory predicts that the first stars were 30 to 300 times as massive as our Sun and millions of times as bright, burning for only a few million years before exploding as supernovae. . . 

. . . Understanding the first sources [first stars] is critical, since they greatly influenced the formation of later objects such as galaxies. The first sources of light act as seeds for the later formation of larger objects. . . 

. . . Additionally, the first stars that exploded as supernovae might have collapsed further to form black holes. The black holes started to swallow gas and other stars to become objects known as "mini-quasars," which grew and merged to become the huge black holes now found at the centers of nearly all galaxies. nasa.gov-Early Universe

And these black holes even in their extreme terribleness rest so far away, that from our present physical reality that they pose, not only no danger to us here, but provide a stable axis of rotation. Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy is 26,670 light years from Earth. 

And there, all in their order, are the sources of the ends of gloomy earth and misty Tartarus and the unfruitful sea and the starry heaven, loathsome and dank, which even the gods abhor. [740] It is a great gulf, and if once a man were within the gates, he would not reach the floor until a whole year had reached its end, but cruel blast upon blast would carry him this way and that. And this marvel is awful even to the deathless gods. —Hesiod, Theogony, 736-744

In other words, it's so far away that you can't even imagine the distance properly, and is even frightful to the gods, like something being thousands of light years (5.88 trillion miles / year) away, and having  a mass 4.3 million times that of the Sun /(our god) Helios/Sol. It's just far far away, really really far, and really really huge. 🤯 

In ancient Egyptian mythology, the goddess Nut (Nwt) "sky" was the night sky [sometimes depicted with a spherical pot (nu) as her crown and the hieroglyph for her name], she was also depicted as a woman covered with stars arched over the earth as the dome of the heavens, so Nut was our portion of the universe, our dome and domicile. We call the sky "above" heaven (from Old English heofon "our visible sky firmament").

Nut, The Night Sky, The Milky Way

And "below" is hell, which would be the grave, and death. But in actuality it is all just "out there" or "in there" and relative to each of us situated upon this earth in this place in space.

Thoth Tarot, Alister Crowley — Fortune

"This card represents the Universe in its aspect as a continual change of state."

This universe shapes us, she is our cauldron (pot) of transformation, she gives us our universal experience of being alive in the otherwise undifferentiated, cold, dark endless chaos of infinite space, time and consciousness. 

She is our foundation. A definite 10.  So even if this wheel can be tortuous at times, where would we be without it? 

You're lucky to have something to do, and to be somebody.

If we didn't have birthdays, you wouldn't be you. If you'd never been born, well then what would you do? 

If you'd never been born, then well what would you be? 

You might be a fish! Or a toad in a tree! 

You might be a doorknob! Or three baked potatoes! 

You might be a bag full of hard green tomatoes. 

Or worse than all that . . . Why, you might be a WASN'T! 

A Wasn't has no fun at all. No, he doesn't. 

A Wasn't just isn't. He just isn't present.

But you . . . You ARE YOU! And, now isn't that pleasant! —Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!, p.10

Unfortunately, we don't have any other option but to be in motion, given that we are creatures and in the process of becoming or being created, and are therefore not THE Unmovable, Unsearchable, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Eternal Creator God, God. Even Jesus, being born fully human and fully God did not escape tuning and torture. But through our immersion on this little watery planet, in the big waters of the womb of universe, we end up getting turned into Christ [Χριστός] upon that wheel. And that is a treasure, by Jove! 

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4 ESV

So, embrace your cross X and your fate like that "fool" from the Bible. Wheel it and deal it (or deal with it), and who knows, you might just get out of here alive!

 . . . Strange and terrible 

are the HOUNDS of the Barrier.

Follow they consciousness to the limits of space.

Think not to escape by entering your body,

for follow they fast the Soul through angles,

Only the circles will give ye protection,

save from the claws

of the DWELLERS IN ANGLES. . .

. . . Aye, know ye man,

that the Soul who dares the Barrier

may be held in bondage

by the HOUNDS from beyond time,

held till this cycle is completed 

and left behind

when the consciousness leaves.

Entered I my body.

Created the circles that know not angles,

created the form

that from my form was formed.

Made my body into a circle

and lost the pursuers in the circles of time.

But, even yet, when free from my body,

cautious ever must I be

not to move through angles,

else my soul may never be free.

Know ye, the HOUNDS of the barrier

move only through angles

and never through curves of space.

Only by moving through curves

can ye escape them,

for in angles they will pursue thee.

O man, heed ye my warning;

Seek not to break open

the gate to beyond.

Few there are

who have succeeded in passing the Barrier

to the greater LIGHT that shines beyond.

For know ye, ever the dwellers,

seek such Souls to hold in their thrall. . . 

—The Emerald Tablets of Thoth - Tablet VIII: The Key of Mystery, pp. 22; 27-29 

How the Mighty are Fallen

Fall of Icarus, Blondel decoration 1819, Louvre

Icarus (Latin), from Ιkaros (Ικαρος, Greek), Vicare (Etruscan) was the man who flew too close to the sun and fell from heaven (from Old English hoefan "sky, firmament," came to mean "home of God"). In Greek "sky, heaven" is ouranus ούρανός , personified as Father Sky, Ouranus or Uranus in English. Falling from the heavens is more than a fall from the sky, it is a fall from grace.

Daedalus (meaning, "cleaver worker"), made wings out of feathers and wax (keros κηρός Greek) for him and his son, Icarus, to escape from the imprisonment imposed by King Minos.

    A "Wing" or Flight Feather

In modern Greek ftero φτερό (s.) is "feather, wing," and ftera φτερά (pl.) "feathers, wings," pteryx πτέρυξ "wing." From ancient Greek pteron /pterux [pteryx] "feather, wing," this seems to be in the sense of a feather or wing being a "flyer." Pteron is from the verb petomai πέτομαι "to fly" and the root *pet- "to rush, fly." So we might say, the wings Daedalus made were themselves made out of "wings", or feathers, as are the wings of birds. An airplane wing is just a single "wing" in the shape of a bird's flight feather(pinion). Or, we could say that an airplane has a right and left "feather" or flyers, or a pair of wings.

Feather in English comes from Old English feðer [fether] "a feather; a pen" in plural  feðra "wings," from the same root as the Greek, i.e., *pet- "to fly, rush." The English word wing is from, 

late 12c., wenge, "forelimb fitted for flight of a bird or bat," also the part of some insects resembling a wing in form or function, from Old Norse vængr "wing of a bird, aisle, etc[OE].

and this [wenge] replaced the Old English feðra [fethra] "wings (feathers)." 

Wenge is said to be of unknown origin, "perhaps from Proto-Germanic *we-ingjaz, suffixed form of PIE root *we- 'blow' [OE]." In that case a wing would be a thing blowing(we-ing), rather than a feðer a "flyer." The word feather, seems to come from the sense of something either shaped for flying, and/or a component, like what bird wings are made out of, whereas wing isn't from the sense of individual feathers, but rather the sense of some sort of appendage that is used for flight. It's a little confusing in English that the singular "wing" replaced the plural feðra "feathers." We don't normally describe a bird as flying with its feathers, we say it flies with its wings; wings which just happen to be made out of feathers. Whereas in certain other languages, like Greek, the connection between feathers and wings is retained. The English feðer "feather" / wenge "wing" combination seems to mirror the Old Norse(from whence we get the word "wing").  In Old Norse fjoðr is "feather," fiðri "feathers," and vængr "wing."

The connection between wings, feathers and flying is actually visually implicit in ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic writing and iconography. The hieroglyph of a feathered bird wing could be used to represent both djnach "wing," and pA "fly." 

It is also interesting to note that pet, pt [pe Coptic] in ancient Egyptian had the meaning "sky, heaven." And the self created Father god who was the personified primordial mound and was named Ptah. His symbolism had to do with both things in the pet "sky," such as the things used for flying (*pet-), such as feathers and wings, as well as the primordial mound / first land, or we could say rock, petra  πέτρα "stone, rock" in Greek. Ptah was at certain time depicted wearing either a feathered or winged tunic. He was a feathered Father or Pater [Latin]. Therefore, in Ptah we retain a connection for both the word elements in English, which are taken from Greek,  ptero-, as in pteranadon, and the petri- in petrous and petrify.

    Ptah Shown with Rocklike  Head and Feathered(Wing) Tunic, Tomb of Tutankamun, Guilded wood, faience and glass., 1321-1343 BC, 18th Dynasty, Valley of the Kings

The etymology of the name Icarus is unknown. Some sources say that the name Ikaros might come from the Greek word meaning "follower".  This doesn't make a lot of sense if you consider how he did NOT follow his father or his father's instructions. However, it might make sense if you think about sunflowers,  Helianthus annus. They are followers of the sun. There is, in fact, a yellow variety of sunflower named 'Icarus'.

    Yellow Sunflower - a Vicar of the Sun

So, maybe Icarus was a follower like a flower and not a follower, as in, someone who does what he is told. The sunflower (sunfollower) seems to follow the sun out of a love for the warmth and sunlight that the sun radiates. Followers can be thought of as subservient and subordinate, or imitators without their own ideas. Or, a follower may be an adherent to certain teachings, or a way of being, and may be, even, a free spirit, like you might expect a follower of the Sun to be; someone who desires to be powerful and free, like the Sun.

We can say Ikaros fell from heaven when he followed the sun too closely and the keros (wax) melted from his wings. He fell into the sea and there he sleeps with the ikthys (ιχθύς "fish").

    Flight of Icarus, Gabriel Picart, Barcelona, Spain, Modern (2004)

Icarus got carried away by the thrill and freedom he experienced when he was able to fly with wings for the first time. He must have felt powerful and invincible, like a god . . . or a son of a god.

Phaeton actually was a son of a god. He was the son of Helios.

    Phaeton or Helios/Sol/Sun driving the chariot of the Sun, c. 435 B.C.

In this passage from Isaiah we see the fallen shining one, like Phaeton.

How you are fallen (nephal Hebrew) from heaven, O Day Star (Lucifer in Vulgate "light bringer," helel in Hebrew "shining one"), son of Dawn! How you are cut to the ground, you who laid the nations low! Isaiah 14:12

Phaeton  Φαέθων means "shining" from Ancient Greek phainó φαίνω "shine, shed light, appear." He fell from the sky when he daringly attempt to fly his father's (the Sun, Helios Ηλιος) chariot, across the sky and Zeus struck him down because he was scorching the earth.

    Dominique Lefevre 1698-1711, The Fall of Phaeton[The Fall of "Shinning One"], Victoria  and Albert Museum, London

Here Phaeton lies who in the sun-god's chariot fared. And though he greatly failed, more greatly he dared. epitaph on Phaeton's tomb, Ovid, (Metamorphoses 2.325)

Phaeton is also the name given to a son of Dawn, the goddess Eos in Greek, Aurora Latin.

It is an interesting comparison, then, that Jesus, the Son of God, the light of the world John 8:12, who also calls himself the "bright morning star" Rev. 22:16 says, 

    Monstrance with Host and Corpus

"I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!" Luke 12:49

Phaeton tried to prove that he was the son of Helios, but could not control the chariot of the sun and almost scorched the earth, and here Jesus speaks about wanting to do the very thing!  However it is a spiritual, not a literal fire. It is baptism, Greek baptizein "to immerse", immersion in the Holy Spirit. 

"I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I . . . he will will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Matthew 3:11

And, Jesus, like the sun at the solstice, also suffered a fall or death, but rose again after three days, proving himself to be the Son of God. So a fall or death is not always a sign of failure. Just as the grain falls to the ground and "dies," but is reborn.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." John 12:24

There is something to be said for one who dares to do the impossible. And what is more daring and impossible than believing that you are the son of God, and that because of this you can conquer death? Absurd!

    Jesus Superhero Street Art

In Genesis we see the Nephilim are called the offspring of the "sons (bene) of God (Elohim)", they were the "mighty men of renown." Their name, Nephillim, is sometimes translated as "giants".

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God (bene Elohim) came in to the daughters of men (ha'adam), and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men (gibbor) that were of old, the men of renown. Genesis 6:4

Some people connect the name Nephillim to the verb nephal "fall," but there is not agreement upon the etymology or its possible meaning. It is true that these so called "giants" are born, and birthing is sometimes called falling or dropping (thus the term "baby catching"), so these giants did "fall" nephal into this world, even though they are offspring of the so called "sons of God," which seems to be contrasted with the daughters of "the Adam" (i.e., mankind, the people God created out of the earth). We could say they "fall," in that they are brought down to, and even made out of, the earth/ground (adamah) by way of their mothers.

Just because someone is a "giant" or "mighty" does not make him invincible, such as we see with Goliath. Nor even, if one is a king anointed by God, or a son of that king, such as Saul and Jonathan, or any of his army, are they immune to death. In this passage, they are called "the mighty fallen" gibbor nephal.

How the mighty have fallen in the midst of battle! Jonathan lies slain upon your high places. 2 Samuel 1:25 

It takes more than the half-blood of a "son of God" (like the Nephillim) to make a man immortal. Maybe that is indeed the difference. A son of the adam is filled with adom "red" blood (dam Hebrew) and is mortal, but in the veins of the gods and immortals runs golden ichor. 

Maybe golden, like the golden color of the oil from fish, ichthys, that, in past times, was used to light lamps.

    Ichor colored Fish Oil

If Icarus had had ichor in his veins instead of blood, he would not have perished in the sea. Instead, he was mortal and was able to be wounded. 

However, we could say, even though he was not immortal and didn't have ichor for blood, he could have "bled ichor." Ichor is an antiquated term used to refer to the smelly, yellowy, watery discharge from a wound. Fish oil, which is the color of ichor, doesn't smell that great either. I don't know how the ichor of the gods was supposed to smell. I wouldn't think that it would have a bad smell, however, it was said to be deadly toxic to mortals.

Icarus, a.k.a., Vicare to the Etruscans, was no vicar, or substitute for a god, even though he had wings and could fly. We might say as much for many so called vicars of the churches as well. They have their vestments as signs of their spiritual authority, like Icarus donned his wings. However, it is what you do with your power and ability gained through your position that matters. If it is not used well the wings are bound to come off and you will come falling to earth. 

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon (Greek rendering of Babel)
the Great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird . . . Alas! alas! you great city, you mighty[ischuros  ίσχυρός] city, Babylon! In one hour your judgement has come." Revelation 18:2,10

Yes, the mighty can fall.

Icharus was not ischuros[strong, mighty] enough and he fell to his death.

However, sometimes, the fall is not the end of the story, but rather, the beginning as with Adam and Eve, or our beginning, being born into the world. To be born into the world as a mortal is a certain fall from grace. However, when we fall we have the chance to rise, with glory proportioned to the size. What happens when one finds himself/herself fallen, into a world of death? The only way out of it is to become like God. And so this is God's desire for us.

"I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you; and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them in your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." John 17:20-26

So, as we step into this new year, after having just made it through a fall [autumn], as we begin to rise toward the light and the heat of the summer sun. Let us remember our mortality, and how it gives us experience as we turn upon the wheel of the year, but let us also remember we are the children of God and we will always rise after the fall. And we are truly one with God and with each other!

    Wheel of Fortune X