[Editor’s Note: This and the ensuing eight sequels (all nine parts) are a revised version of the discussion that has taken place in The Mago Circle, Facebook group, since September 24, 2017 to the present. Themes are introduced and interwoven in a somewhat random manner, as different discussants lead the discussion. The topic of the number nine is key to Magoism, primarily manifested as Nine Magos or the Nine Mago Creatrix. Mago Academy hosts a virtual and actual event, Nine Day Mago Celebration, annually.]
Helen Hwang: I am thinking of the Nine Goddess/Mago Symbolism or Nine Numerology. Insights connect the data that I have collected, otherwise seemingly unrelated across cultures and periods. We have reasons to celebrate the nine symbolism among us.
As seen in this discussion below, Hercules is most aptly equated with Huangdi (Yellow Emperor, 2698–2598 BCE), one of the forebear emperors of ancient China, who is alleged to have defeated Chiu (successor of Goma), the representative of Danguk’s Nine Giants (nine sub-states). The Magoist history writes the other way around. Chiu won the war, the archetypal international/global war waged over the defense/overthrow of the Magoist throne. Old Magoists (Danguk founded by Goma) of Nine Queen-led States defended the rebellion of the patrilocal force, represented by the Huangdi. With this victory, Old Magoist Confederacy of nine sub-states was able to maintain gynocentric peace of the ancient world for about five centuries longer until a man, Yao, rose to give a way for the establishment of the first patriarchal rule, ancient China of the Xia Dynasty (c. 2070 BCE – c. 1600 BCE). Nonetheless, patriarchal ethnocentric Sinocentric historiography has proliferated to this day. Yu, the founder of the Xia dynasty, is depicted as the hero who slains the nine-headed snake.
What I am saying is here that the Nine Goddess/Symbolism is pre-patriarchal in origin and possibly speaks of the same event across cultures! The slain of nine-headed snakes or dragons indicates the usurpation of gynocentric rule by a patriarchal hero across cultures.
Let me show you some available information and images to open the discussion.
Lernaean Hydra 1 oz Copper | The 12 Labors of Hercules
“Hercules was sent to slay the Lernaean Hyrda for his second Labor. The multi-headed, snake-like monster was defeated by Hercules after he sliced its one mortal head.
The last day to purchase the 1 oz Copper Lernaean Hyrda was the November 12, 2014. There is, however, time to order the 5 oz Copper Hercules Round, and 5 oz Silver Hercules Round.
To read about Hercules and his 12 Labors, check out our blog for more information.
If you enjoy the 12 Labors of Hercules coin series, take a look at more Silver and Copper coin collections offered by Provident Metals.
After defeating the Nemean Lion, Hercules was sent to slay the Lernaean Hydra for his second labor. The Hydra, a snake-like beast with multiple heads, was raised by Hera to destroy Hercules — making this an inevitable match up. In the face-off between Hercules and Hydra, the son of Zeus used a sword to slice off each of the creature’s necks, according to one popular tale. When the heads grew back, Hercules enlisted his nephew to burn each of the necks to halt regrowth. The Hydra had one mortal head, however; so Hercules used his golden sword to slay the mutant and complete his second labor.
The beast is displayed on the Second Labor coin, to be released in the 12 Labors of Hercules Series.
The reverse features the multi-headed Hydra in a striking position, displaying the daunting task Hercules faced. LERNAEAN HYDRA and II are inscribed.
The familiar obverse portraying Hercules with the Nemean Lion draped over his head as armor is shown on this round, as it will be on each round in the powerful series. “1 oz CMXCIX (999 in Roman numerals) FINE COPPER” is also displayed.
The 1 oz. Copper Lernaean Hydra rounds will only be available for one month from Oct. 12 through Nov. 12. Make sure to keep your 12 Labors of Hercules Series collection current before time runs out!
12 Labors of Hercules
Driven crazy by Hera, Hercules slew his family — only regretful after recovering his sanity. King Thespius purified the son of Zeus, but to atone for his crimes, he was sent to serve King Eurystheus.
Eurystheus ordered Hercules to execute 10 Labors, which were a series of tasks carried out as penance for his actions. Hercules successfully completed all 10, but because his nephew helped with one and he planned to accept payment for another, Eurystheus forced Hercules to finish two more Labors alone.
Hercules’ Labors adhere to the traditional order of the Bibliotheca:
Nemean Lion – Sept. 12, 2014 Lernaean Hydra – Oct. 12, 2014 Ceryneian Hind – Nov. 12, 2014 Erymanthian Boar – Dec. 12, 2014 Augean Stables – Jan. 12, 2015 Stymphalian Birds – Feb. 12, 2015 Cretan Bull – March 12, 2015 Mares of Diomedes – April 12, 2015 Girdle of Hippolyta – May 12, 2015 Cattle of Geryon – June 12, 2015 Apples of Hesperides – July 12, 2015 Cerberus – Aug. 12, 2015
Commemorate the historic battle between Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra with this 1 oz copper round from Provident Metals.”
https://www.providentmetals.com/1-oz-copper-lernaean-hydra-the-12-labors-of-hercules.html
Helen Hwang: I looked for the answer to this question: How many heads did the Hydra originally have? It is nine, which accords with its icons to be shared shortly.
Helen Hwang: Check out Nine-fold or Nine-Headed Phoenix. Not all iconographies of pre-modern China vilify the nine symbolism, which indicates the influence/presence/revival of Magoism. This image is much reminiscent of the blue crane with nine feathers, a Magoist symbol that we have seen in Mago Stronghold, Mt. Jiri during Mago Pilgrimage (to be discussed in another space).
“This Qing-dynasty (1644-1911) print shows the nine-headed phoenix, a being from Chinese mythology with a bird’s body and nine heads with human faces. It is one of several hybrid creatures mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhai jing), where it is said to dwell in the Great Wilds to the North at the mountain called Celestial-Coffer-at-the-Northern-Extremity. This entry is in what may be the most recent section of this work, which may have been composed at any time between the third or fourth century B.C. and the third or fourth century A.D.”
http://weibo.com/1326564030/E6wrIdhsk?type=comment…
Helen Hwang: Japan has a male hero myth slaying 8 headed and 8 tailed snake (number 8 refers to the 8 daughters of the Mago Triad, which makes nine. In Nine Numerology, the number nine is ever present and ever empty; it supports all numbers, while self-canceling):
Susanoo slaying the Yamata no Orochi, by Toyohara Chikanobu
“Yamata no Orochi (八岐の大蛇, “8-branched giant snake”) or Orochi, translated as the Eight-Forked Serpent in English[citation needed], is a legendary 8-headed and 8-tailed[1][2] Japanese dragon.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamata_no_Orochi
Helen Hwang: Back to Lernaean Hydrea, see below:
“HYDRA LERNAIA (Lernaean Hydra) was a gigantic, nine-headed water-serpent, which haunted the swamps of Lerna. Herakles (Heracles) was sent to destroy her as one of his twelve labours, but for each of her heads that he decapitated, two more sprang forth. So with the help of Iolaos (Iolaus), he applied burning brands to the severed stumps, cauterizing the wounds and preventing the regeneration. In the battle he also crushed a giant crab beneath his heel which had come to assist the Hydra. The Hydra and the Crab were afterwards placed amongst the stars by Hera as the Constellations Hydra and Cancer.”
http://www.theoi.com/Ther/DrakonHydra.html
Helen Hwang: See how its images are proliferated throughout history:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra…
Helen Hwang: More here (a demonized dragon image):
“The Lernaean Hydra or Hydra of Lerna, more often known simply as the Hydra, was a serpentine water monster in Greek and Roman mythology. Its lair was the lake of Lerna in the Argolid, which was also the site of the myth of the Danaids. Lerna was reputed to be an entrance to the Underworld and archaeology has established it as a sacred site older than Mycenaean Argos. In the canonical Hydra myth, the monster is killed by Heracles, using sword and fire, as the second of his Twelve Labors.”
https://parody.fandom.com/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra
Lizzy Bluebell: “The Hydra had poisonous breath and blood…”
No doubt because it was related to the oral-gynal PYTHIAS as Olympia’s Oracles who were taken over for ‘interpretation’ by Apollo’s “Priests”. This western version of far more ancient stories and myths which were seeded into Astrological Skylore, hides many layers of inversions of much older myths.
In “Lake Lerna” (an anna-gram for LEARN) it is not difficult to extract the association with divinatory Knowledge gained via Water and Water’s capacity to absorb/carry the information of anything placed into it.
Nor is it much of a stretch to associate the Life-giving Source of Water with the Powers of the Moon over Water – and thus further extrapolate and explain the ancient ‘Battle of the Sexes’ and Battle for the Name of the Male ‘MON-O-God’ as an Astrological Battle between the Sun and Moon for “Who came First” in deciding the Calendar.
Furthermore; I suspect the ‘Underworld Portal’ expresses nothing more than Nightfall and the Dark Hours (Houris/Fates); when the last Lunar Arc or Final Crescent of the Dark Moon (Astrological Lilith) can be seen as ‘The Boat’ appearing in the Eastern Sky just before Dawn – before she disappears in the glare of the Rising Sun for three days – just as Christ did – after his CRUCI-FICTION on the “Christian Cross” – which is nothing other than an allegory for ‘FixingTime’ on a permanent man-made calendar. I do have a lot more to say on this at some point; for example, HER-A-cles is code and so is HER-Cu-les, but there’s too much to say on that to get into it here. As well, there’s the battle between numbers – 9 or ten or twelve as the SECT-ions for the Astrological Pie.
“Lerna was reputed to be an entrance to the Underworld[1] and archaeology has established it as a sacred site older than Mycenaean Argos. In the canonical Hydra myth, the monster is killed by Heracles, more often known as Hercules, using sword and fire, as the second of his Twelve Labors.[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra
(To be continued)
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Re: nine headed serpent – what a riveting post – The images you included helped me visualize the proliferation of these heads across cultures…
On another track I would like to know more about this Blue Crane.
Thanks so much Helen.
Re: Blue crane, we can begin a new discusion about it in The Mago Circle. It is complex! Will do when I have time and tag you, Sara.