The Hierophant — V

Spolia Tarot

Hierophant: spiritual wisdom, tradition, ritual, beliefs, conformity, institutions, orthodoxy

Hierophant is from late Latin hierophantes, from Greek hierophantēs, literally "one who shows [phainein "to reveal, bring to the light] sacred things," from hieros ιερος "sacred" or "filled with the divine, holy." So we could also say, "one who reveals what is holy or divine."

The main priest of the Eleusinion Mysteries in Ancient Greece was the Ηierophant Ιεροφάντης. 

His principle job was to chant demonstrations of sacred symbols during the celebration of the mysteries. At the opening of the ceremonies, he proclaimed that all unclean persons must stay away—a rule that he had the right to enforce.

Usually old, celibate man with a forceful voice, he was selected from the Eumolpids, one of the original clans of the Ancient Greek city of Eleusis, to serve for life. Upon taking office he symbolically cast his former name into the sea and was thereafter called only hierophantēs. During the ceremonies he wore a headband and a long, richly embroidered purple robe. Brittanica/hierophant

Hiero is from PIE root *eis- (1), forming various words denoting passion, which is the same root as the word ire.

In the book of Daniel the עיךין Irin (Ir [s.]), from Aramaic, are the "watchers".

I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. Daniel 4:13

Certain translations, such as the New American Standard Bible, read angelic watchers. Angels certainly can be described as being passionate in a fearful holy way. Many times they have a certain glow, look or presence that causes everything from desire, awe and admiration (such as the angel guests in Sodom), to discomfort, destruction and death when they are used to carry out Gods wrath (ire) as the angel of death in Ancient Egypt at the time of Moses. 

And what is another word for "watchers" but the things we watch with, namely eyes. This similar sounding word ir/jr in ancient Egyptian, was written with the "eye" hieroglyph. The eye hieroglyph could be used as a determinative/logogram for concepts/words such as make; eye(irt/jrt); see; watch; be blind, and the plural (iri); create, beget, make, do, act, take action, achieve, prepare, treat. So "eyes" 👁👁 indicate a sense of action, and to take action is to go.

Ir "eye" - hieroglyph, photo and drawing by Julie O.

In Latin the verb "to go" is ire: eo, ire, ii, itus.

Another action verb is sowing (L. satus, serere "to sow") which is said to be the origin of the name of the Latin god Saturnus according to Varo(116-27 BCE). In Roman mythology,

He[Saturn] was described as god of time, generation, dissolution, abundance, wealth, agriculture, periodic renewal and liberation. Saturn's mythological reign was depicted as a Golden Age of abundance and peace. After the Roman conquest of Greece, he was conflated with the Greek Titan Cronus. wikipedia/Saturn 

Saturn is a hierophantic type god in the the astrological sense, in which Saturn carries the meaning of limitation (conformity), structure (institutions, ritual), and consistency (tradition).

And interestingly, the planet named after this god is the one planet that looks most eye-like through a telescope (due to its rings).

photo: James Martin, New Mexico 2017

However, Jupiter is the usual planet associated with the hierophant.

Modern astrologers all agree that Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, the sign naturally relating to the house in the birth chart which maps the section of the unconscious mind where one type of religious experiences is registered, is the planet governing religion. The ninth house, however, maps those mental factors not merely relating to religion, but opinions of all kinds which are given public expression; while the position of Jupiter in the chart of birth maps mental factors which relate to faith, devotion, benevolence, good cheer, joviality and veneration; mental factors which more specifically are built into the unconscious mind as Religious thought-elements. Jupiter and the Hierophant, light.org

Jupiter is also eye-like in a way being the biggest planet, and also one of the brightest as seen from Earth with swirling patterns of colors and storms.  

Jupiter from Juno spacecraft on 10th flyby, NASA, the eye in the sky

However, the feast named after the Roman god Saturnus, Saturnalia, is one that we might think of as being more Jupiter-like, in that it was jovial and dionysian. 

Saturnalia was by far the jolliest Roman holiday; the Roman poet Catullus famously described it as "the best of times."So riotous were the festivities that the Roman author Pliny reportedly built a soundproof room so that he could work during the raucous celebrations. history.com

So there is some connection and overlap in concept between this father and son mythological pair. Just as there is more than one face given to the Ghosts/Spirits of Christmas; the Spirit of Christmas Present being more jovial, 

Ghost of Christmas Present, illustration by Sol Eytinge

and the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come, being a more Saturnian or Cronus/Grimm Reaper type figure. . . .

It was shrouded in a deep dark garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing visible, save one outstretched hand. But for this it would have been difficult to detach its figure from the night, and separate it from the darkness by which it was surrounded.

He felt that it was tall and stately when it came beside him, and that its mysterious presence filled him with solemn dread. - A Christmas Carol, Stave IV, The Last of the Spirits

Saturnalia was celebrated in December around the winter solstice, which is modern day Christmastime, the jolliest of holidays. 

And in fact St. Nicholas, being the Bishop of Myra is a hierophantic [saturnian/jovial] figure himself, who is one of the inspirations for our modern day Santa Claus.

Vintage Christmas Card

It is interesting that this jolliest holiday comes at the darkest time of year, a time of year where we may have a lot of cold and ice. Santa Claus is the ice man living in the eternal frostiness of the North Pole. 

Hierophantic figures can come off as kind of cold when they are laying down the law (are you on the naughty list? 🎅🏼), but generally they want to be seen as fatherly and loving, like a papa (Father Christmas). In certain tarot decks the fifth card is named The Pope. Pope is from Greek papas "patriarch, bishop," originally "father".

The Pope, Tarot de Marsalles

Notice the similarity of this statue of Ea, an ancient Mesopotamian god, and La Pape card. Two figures to the base at the left and right sides of the enthroned individual wearing a tiered crown.

Ea, seated, holding a cup. From Nasiriyah, southern Iraq 2004-1595 BCE, Iraq Museum

Enki (Sumerian) / Ea (Akadian), was god of water, knowledge, crafts, creation.

In Sumerian myth "Enki and the World Order," Enki is said to have fixed national boundaries and assigned gods their roles. According to another Sumerian myth Enki is the creator, having devised men as slaves to the gods. In his original form, as Enki, he was associated with semen and amniotic fluid, and therefore with fertility. He was commonly represented as a half-goat, half-fish creature, from which modern astrological figure for Capricorn is derived.  Ea, Mesopotamian Deity - Britannica

As a god of creation and semen (from PIE *semen- "seed," suffixed form of *sē- "to sow")

we could compare him to Saturn (god of agriculture). 

Enki created seven Sages called Abgal in Sumerian, or Apkallu ("wise", "sage", "expert"), in Akkadian, who were "described as fish-men sent by the gods to impart knowledge to people."wikipedia/Apkallu  The Apkallu were also depicted as winged, or winged and bird-headed as well as "fish-men", men in fish cloaks.

Depictions of Apkallu

These angelic-like beings served as, what we could say were,  hierophants "ones who show sacred things". They are credited with giving the mes (divine decrees/moral code) of Enki to humanity before the flood in the form of culture, writing, arts, crafts, law and agriculture.

The Sumerian tablets never actually describe what any of the mes look like, but they are clearly represented by physical objects of some sort. Not only are they stored in a prominent location in the E-abzu, but Inanna is able to display them to the people of Uruk after she arrives with them in her boat. Some of them are indeed physical objects such as musical instruments, but many are technologies like "basket weaving" or abstractions like "victory". It is not clarified in the poem how such things can be stored, handled, or displayed. wikipedia/Me

Later the role was passed on to beings who were only part Apkallu, or only semi-divine, but were still advisors to the kings. Later still, these advisors were entirely human, but still endowed with this specific hierophantic type role, although not divine beings themselves. 

This seems similar in concept to how priests and bishops of the Catholic Church today (who are also celibate and serve for life) are said to be able to act in persona Christi "in the place of Christ" in various respects through the grace conferred to them in the sacrament of Holy Orders.

"Episcopal consecration confers, together with the office of sanctifying, also the offices of teaching and ruling. . . . In fact . . . by the imposition of the hands and through the words of the consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given, and a sacred character is impressed in such a wise that bishops, in an eminent and visible manner, take the place of Christ himself, teacher, shepherd, and priest, and act as his representative (in Eius persona agent)."LG 21 "By virtue, therefore, of the Holy Spirit who has been given to them, bishops have been constituted true and authentic teachers of the faith and have been made pontiffs and pastors."CD2,2 Catechism of the Catholic Church 1558

 

And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Mt. 4:19 ESV

Pope Benedict XVI walks with candle during Easter Vigil Mass in in St. Peter's Basilica, April 3, 2010 (AP Potomacs/PierPaolo Cito)

What is the difference between Le Pape/The Pope, the "Papa", the Hierophant, the fifth trump V, and the Emperor IIII, that protector and defender who creates a safe place to flourish which is indicated by the number four (stability)?

Five can indicate a halt or a pause ✋ when displayed as the fingers of a hand. It can be used to indicate greeting and parting🙋‍♀️, or the number of ayes and nays in a vote 🙋. It is an odd number in the middle between all the other digits 1, 2, 3, 4 - 5 - 6, 7, 8, 9. It is the point of balance between what has come 👈 and what is coming next 👉, so in this respect five is very dynamic, like the eye of the storm which is extraordinary in its ordinariness because of its juxtaposition to the storm, which then transforms it into something almost . . . holy. 

Sometimes a blockage [or adversity] appears to encourage movement in a different direction, rather than to simply prevent movement. A blockage may enlighten a person to the fact that they are on the wrong path and steer them away from danger [such as the story of The Angel and Balaam's Donkey]. The five might be a fist 👊 which is used to punch and knock some sense into a person. Or the five could come as an illness like a "5-er" fever  (Latin febris, related to fovere "to warm, heat"), which can cause hallucinations, fever dreams, or completely knock us out. But in any case after these moments we do tend to see things in a new light. 

Therefore five can be a "viva5ing" vivifying (Latin vivus "alive") force. We "take five" to rest and regroup if we have been doing one thing for too long. Movement in one direction unhindered can cause a type of blindness, especially regarding things sacred, such as our appreciation for the sun over the course of the day. Even something so important for life as the sun can be taken for granted and ignored until it is blocked by the moon during an eclipse. This blockage causes something holy to be revealed. We see the sun's corona "crown," only when this great eye "winks". We watch amazed and even fearful at this fleeting and somewhat fearful revelation. 

Total Solar Eclipse

The job of the Emperor is to maintain a safe space, but the job of the hierophant is to wake people up, or open their eyes to the truth, the orthodox (from Gk. orthos "right, straight, true") and the sacred (from L. sacrare "to make sacred, consecrate, from sacer "sacred, dedicated, holy, accursed"). Sometimes this is done through creating sanctions (from L. sancire to decree, confirm, ratify, make sacred) which can often feel more restrictive or binding than liberating

The Halloween Tarot, art by Kipling West - The Hierophant (Mummy): Being Bound by the outer trappings of religion and societal expectations. A strong need for approval by others. Conformity [by Karen Lee]

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word[logos], you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31-32 ESV

Yet to truly know the sacred, i.e., sacer (L.) is to be free like Seker/Sokar the ancient Egyptian god who was depicted as a hawk or falcon, the "great god with his two wings open". . . 

Memphis was the primary cult centre of Sokar. On the 26th say of the 4th month of akhet (sowing), the festival of Sokar (Choiak) was held there. Egyptians preformed the rituals of hoeing the earth and driving cattle, implying that Sokar was also an agricultural diety. . . Ancient Egypt Online/Sokar

Seker-Osiris

This idea of what is sacred has strong ties to agriculture (and agricultural gods, like Osiris ) where we see the cycle of life unfold, and an analogy is given for resurrection from the dead with the seed that falls into the earth from a dying plant and is thus reborn.

In the New Kingdom Book of the Underworld, the Amduat, he[Seker] is shown standing on the back of a serpent between two spread wings; as an expression of freedom this suggests a connection with resurrection or perhaps a satisfactory transit of the underworld. Despite this, the region of the underworld associated with Seker was seen as difficult, sandy terrain called Imhet . . . wikipedia/Seker

So, here again we see that there is something fearful to the nature of the sacred even though it is at the same time liberating. The region of Seker is the desert (sandy terrain, necropolis, the "wilderness," the place of testing [i.e., heating, as of an earthen pot "testa"]). We might call this place overseen by Seker an accursed [sacer "sacred'] course (from Latin cursus "a running; journey; direction, track navigated by a ship), being one of the areas (hours 4 and 5) traveled by Ra (the Sun) in his solar barque(ship) each night, therefore most sacred, and might even make one a little scared during these darkest hours of the night.

Ra travels the hours of darkness in the sky on his solar barque

The dead who are here referred to are those who have succeeded in entering the dread realm of Seker, but who, for want of influence over the gods there, which could only be obtained by sacrifices and offerings made upon earth, and by the knowledge of mighty words of power, were unable to proceed to the abode of Seker. When they arrived in the AMMAHET, some of them were cast into a lake of liquid fire, or of boiling water, and others were first cut in pieces, and then consumed by fire. Thus there is no doubt that there was a hell of fire in the kingdom of Seker, and the tortures of mutilation and destruction by fire were believed to be reserved for the wicked. The Kingdom of Seker According to the Book AM-TUAT

In this way we might also say that this "sacred course" is a hieros "sacred" course, therefore a hieros cursus "journey", or a . . . hero's journey, the journeys of which are both scary(may feel like a curse) but also enlightening or hierophantic (revealing the sacred).

It is apparent from ancient Egyptian mythology that even certain gods, and not just hērōes "demi-gods", must make these perilous journeys. Such as Ra/Re (the sun) who is consumed by the night and reborn each morning, after navigating the twelve hours or "stages" of darkness in the underworld. Or, Osiris, "god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation"wikipedia/Osiris, who suffered death and was then resurrected,

Osiris seated wearing Atef crown, holding crook and flail accompanied by Nephthys and Isis(his protectors)

Interestingly, the name of the god Osiris, in Ancient Egyptian Wsìr [as shown below],

was written with a "watcher", that is, an eye. Wsìr - watcher. . . Rather ir-y.

 

The name Wsìr in hieroglyphics, aka, Osiris (Ancient Gk. Οσιρις), consisting of the "throne" ws" + "eye" ir + seated god[determinative]. 

The Osirian festivals were not as jolly as those of Saturn, however they did involve satus "sowing" and seeding. 

Plutarch and others have noted that the sacrifices to Osiris were "gloomy, solemn, and mournful. . . "and that the great mystery festival, celebrated in two phases, began at Abydos commemorating the death of the god, on the same day that grain was planted in the ground. The annual festival involved the construction of "Osiris Beds" formed in the shape of Osiris, filled with soil and sown with seed symbolized Osiris rising from the dead. wikipedia/Osiris/Worship

Seeds grown for harvest show this cycle of death and rebirth in a more expedited fashion than seeds that grow into trees. The cycle of a tree can be very opposite, ancient even, such as the Metheuselah Tree (named after the hierophantic biblical patriarch, son of Enoch, grandfather of Noah, who lived for 969 years!), a Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva), which is nearly 4,900 years old.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine, Inyo National Forest, Big Pine, CA [the exact location of Methuselah Tree is kept as a scared mystery(so it won't be disturbed by the profane, i.e., those on the naughty list)].

Old trees seem to be keepers of sacred wisdom. They hold a record of their age and growing conditions upon the earth in their rings. Therefore a tree seems to be a somewhat fitting creature to be personified as The Hierophant, as in this image from Shaddowscapes.

Shaddowscapes Tarot, art by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Some of my kin look just like trees now, and need something great to rouse them; and they speak only in whispers. But some of the trees are limb-lithe, and many can talk to me. Treebeard, Fangorn, "oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-earth"-Gandolf, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers