Tag: History

Origins of Freemasonry

Origins of Freemasonry

by Justin Durand

Like no one has ever written on this topic before. But, as it happens, I’m re-reading Freemasonry and Its Ancient Mystic Rites, by C. W. Leadbeater (1986, 1998). The Old Perv. So now I’m thinking about a familiar subject.

Freemasonry has its colorful origin myths. Those are fun, but the modern sensibility is pretty tame. The Illinois Grand Lodge is typical:

“Since the middle of the 19th century, Masonic historians have sought the origins of the movement in a series of similar documents known as the Old Charges, dating from the Regius Poem in about 1425 to the beginning of the 18th century. Alluding to the membership of a lodge of operative masons, they relate a mythologized history of the craft, the duties of its grades, and the manner in which oaths of fidelity are to be taken on joining. The 15th century also sees the first evidence of ceremonial regalia.

“There is no clear mechanism by which these local trade organizations became today’s Masonic Lodges, but the earliest rituals and passwords known, from operative lodges around the turn of the 17th–18th centuries, show continuity with the rituals developed in the later 18th century by accepted or speculative Masons, as those members who did not practice the physical craft came to be known. The minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel) No. 1 in Scotland show a continuity from an operative lodge in 1598 to a modern speculative Lodge. It is reputed to be the oldest Masonic Lodge in the world.” (Freemasonry Origins, The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F & A.M of the State of Illinois, visited Feb. 11, 2019. One of the reasons I chose this one is because my dad was a Freemason from Illinois.)

Somewhere in the froth, everyone seems to forget that medieval craft guilds were like this. The guilds were organized in a typically medieval way around corporate identity. They had patron saints, feast days, processions, craft myths and secrets, and of course elected officers and elaborate ceremonial.

With very little effort, you could sit in a modern Masonic lodge and picture what it would look like if Western esotericism had been poured into a guild of, say candlemakers.

The patron would be St. Ambrose. The major feast would be on December 7. There would be a story about Adam making the first candle, no doubt shown by bees. And another about King Solomon and candles as a metaphor for his wisdom. And no doubt some others built around various Bible verses with themes of light and enlightenment. Scholars would find intriguing parallels to authentic medieval usages, and it would all seem very mysterious.

Certainly, as they say, “There is no clear mechanism by which these local trade organizations became today’s Masonic Lodges”, but I think that misses the larger mystery—How did we end up in a modern world where masons were the only craft guild to make the transition from “operative” to “speculative”? There should be dozens.

More Information

Hyperborean Apollo

Hyperborean Apollo

by Justin Durand

Yesterday I wrote a bit about Doggerland, and that led to mentioning Hyperborean Apollo, and that led to a bit more research because Apollo is one of my enduring interests.

I have a bit about Hyperborean Apollo at Greco-Roman Lore. primarily taken from Robert Graves, Greek Myths § 161.4.

I think it might be worth quoting Diodorus Siculus’ passage about Hyperborea.

“Now for our part, since we have seen fit to make mention of the regions of Asia which lie to the north, we feel that it will not be foreign to our purpose to discuss the legendary accounts of the Hyperboreans. Of those who have written about the ancient myths, Hecateus and certain others say that in the regions beyond the land of the Celts there lies in the ocean an island no smaller than Sicily. This island, the account continues, is situated in the north and is inhabited by the Hyperboreans, who are called by that name because their home is beyond the point whence the north wind (Boreas) blows; and the island is both fertile and productive of every crop, and since it has an unusually temperate climate it produces two harvests each year. Moreover, the following legend is told concerning it: Leto was born on this island, and for that reason Apollo is honoured among them above all other gods; and the inhabitants are looked upon as priests of Apollo, after a manner, since daily they praise this god continuously in song and honour him exceedingly. And there is also on the island both a magnificent sacred precinct of Apollo and a notable temple which is adorned with many votive offerings and is spherical in shape. Furthermore, a city is there which is sacred to this god, and the majority of its inhabitants are players on the cithara; and these continually play on this instrument in the temple and sing hymns of praise to the god, glorifying his deeds. The Hyperboreans also have a language, we are informed, which is particular to them, and are most friendly disposed towards the Greeks, and especially towards the Athenians and the Delians, who have inherited this good-will from most ancient times. The myth also relates that certain Greeks visited the Hyperboreans and left behind them there costly votive offerings bearing inscriptions in Greek letters. And in the same way Abaris, a Hyperborean, came to Greece in ancient times and renewed the goodwill and kinship of his people to the Delians. They say also that the moon, as viewed from this island, appears to be but a little distance from the earth and to have upon it prominences, like those of the earth, which are visible to the naked eye. The account is also given that the god visits the island every nineteen years, the period in which the return of the stars to the same place in the heavens is accomplished; and for this reason the nineteen-year period is called by the Greeks the ‘year of Meton’. At the time of this appearance of the god he both plays on the cithara and dances continuously the night through from the vernal equinox until the rising of the Pleiades, expressing in this manner his delight in his successes. And the kings of this city and the supervisors of the sacred precinct are called Boreades, since they are descendants of Boreas, and the succession to these positions is always kept in their family.”

Diodorus Siculus, Histories II.47 (C. H. Oldfather transl. (1935))

For the mythologically inclined this is quite an interesting story. Hyperborea, an island behind the north wind, is the home of Apollo’s mother, and its inhabitants are connected to the Athenians. Apollo himself visits the island every 19 years. Other sources say the Hyperboreans sent gifts to Apollo’s temple at Delos. These gifts seem to have been amber; its yellow color made it sacred to the sun god Apollo.

I don’t want to leave the impression I have a particular belief that Hyperborea was Britain, or Doggerland, or the remnants of Doggerland. The trade that brought amber to Delos could have come from anywhere in the north, whether Britain, the North Sea, or the Baltic, although if I’m not mistaken, current thinking favors an eastern route south from from the Baltic.

Update Feb. 11, 2019

I came across this interesting piece from Tom Rowsell at Survive the Jive on YouTube: Real Hyperboreans – Ancient North Eurasians.

This channel is usually too racialist for my taste but I do listen from time to time because he’s well-educated.

Here, he sees some reasons from modern research to possibly rehabilitate the Arctic polar origin myth of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. I wouldn’t rush to judgment on this one, but it’s an interesting possibility.

How Many People Have Ever Lived?

How Many People Have Ever Lived?

by Justin Durand

Population growth

Back in the 1970s, an unknown writer said that most of the people who had ever lived were alive then [1]. The idea persists, even though it’s not true.

From what I can find, estimates of the number of people ever born range from 50 to 120 billion, with 6 billion now living.

The number intrigues me on two fronts. First, if people are reincarnated, everyone now alive might have had somewhere between 9 and 20 past lives. That’s a useful number to throw out when gong the rounds with believers.

Second, and more interesting for me, this is a fundamental concept when trying to understand “pedigree collapse” — go back far enough and each of us has more theoretical ancestors than there were people living at the time. Therefore, we must, each of us, descend many thousands and millions of times from the same relatively small number of people. We are each our own cousin many times over.

I was pleased to find an article by Carl Haub at the Population Reference Bureau, How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth? He thinks the number must be about 106 billion, with 6.2 billion living in 2002.

—

1. Some reports say it was Annie Dillard. Some reports say the number was 50%, some say it was 75%.

Battle of Agincourt

Battle of Agincourt

by Justin Durand

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt. I love this day (but don’t tell Laura). On this day in 1415, some 900 stout-hearted Englishmen defeated the flower of French chivalry. On the French side, some 7,000 dead and some 1,500 taken prisoner. On the English side, a mere 100 dead. The numbers are staggering, and give some hint how devastating it was. The French were cocky and made mistakes. And, the English used the longbow, an amazing weapon that was not considered sporting in chivalric circles. For me, Agincourt was the end of Chivalry and the Middle Ages. Thereafter, war becomes increasingly technical and brutal. Before Agincourt, war was the noble occupation of all true men. After Agincourt, war begins to be seen as inhuman. The medieval world is romantic in retrospect, and I love it for that, but I’d rather live in a moral world.

agincourt