Labrys is the term for a doubleheaded axe, known to the Classical Greeks as pelekys (πέλεκυς)[1] or sagaris, and to the Romans as a bipennis. The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape split and cut Wood, Harvest timber, as a Weapon Sagaris was the Greek name for a weapon used by Scythian tribes by the Persians, Mossynoeci, and others and according to Aristarchus
The labrys symbolism is found in Minoan, Thracian, Greek, and Byzantine religion, mythology, and art, dating from the Middle Bronze Age onwards. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The labrys also appears in African religious symbolism and mythology (see Shango).
The labrys was formerly a symbol of Greek fascism. The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece From 1936 to 1941, Greece was ruled by an authoritarian regime under the leadership of General Today it is sometimes used as a symbol of Hellenic Neopaganism. Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism (also Hellenic Reconstructionism) refers to various reconstructionist movements that revive ancient Greek religious practices As an "LGBT symbol" it represents lesbianism and female or matriarchal power. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender ( LGBT) communities have adopted certain Symbols and symbolates for A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women Female (♀ is the Sex of an Organism, or a part of an organism which produces ova (egg cells Matriarchy is a term which is applied to gynocentric form of Society, in which the leading role is by the Female and especially by the Mothers
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Etymology
In English the first appearance of "labrys" is reported in OED from Journal of Hellenic Studies XXI. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English 108 (1901): "It seems natural to interpret names of Carian sanctuaries like Labranda in the most literal sense as the place of the sacred labrys, which was the Lydian (or Carian) name for the Greek πέλεκυς, or double-edged axe. In Antiquity Labraunda (alternatively Labranda Λάβρανδα in the mountains near the coast of Defining Lydia Aside from a legend related by Herodotus, who states that the name Lydia came from king Lydus at the time of the fall of Troy Municipalities of Caria Cramer's detailed catalog of Carian towns in Classical Greece is based entirely on ancient sources " And, p. 109, "On Carian coins indeed of quite late date the labrys, set up on its long pillar-like handle, with two dependent fillets, has much the appearance of a cult image. In the practice of Religion, a cult image is a man-made object that is venerated for the Deity, spirit or Daemon that it embodies or represents "
The non-Greek word "labrys" first appears in Plutarch as the Lydian word for axe (Greek Questions, 45):
- Herakles, having slain Hippolyte and taken her axe away from her with the rest of her arms, gave it to Omphale. Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c Defining Lydia Aside from a legend related by Herodotus, who states that the name Lydia came from king Lydus at the time of the fall of Troy Hercules is the Roman name for the Mythical Greek hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. In Greek mythology, Hippolyta or Hippolyte (Ἱππολύτη is the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical Girdle she was given by her father For the city in Sicily formerly called Omphale see Daedalium. The kings of Lydia who succeeded her carried this as one of their sacred insignia of office, and passed it down from father to son until Candaules. Candaules (Κανδαύλης also known as Myrsilos (Μυρσίλος was a king of the ancient Kingdom of Lydia from 735 BC to 718 BC. Candaules, however, disdained it and gave it to one of his companions to carry. When Gyges rebelled and was making war upon Candaules, Arselis came with a force from Mylasa to the assistance of Gyges, slew Candaules and his companion, and took the axe to Caria with the other spoils of war. Gyges (Γύγης was the founder of the third or Mermnad dynasty of Lydian kings and reigned from 716 BC to 678 BC (or from c Milas (ancient Mylasa Μύλασα) is an ancient city in southwestern Turkey. Municipalities of Caria Cramer's detailed catalog of Carian towns in Classical Greece is based entirely on ancient sources And having set up a statue of Zeus, he put the axe in his hand and called the god, "Labrandeus," labrys being the Lydian word for 'axe'[2]. In Antiquity Labraunda (alternatively Labranda Λάβρανδα in the mountains near the coast of
Archeology suggests that the veneration of Zeus Labraundeos at Labraunda was far older than Plutarch imagined. As with its apparent cognate, "labyrinth", the word entered the Greek language as a loanword, so that its etymology, and even its original language, is not positively known. In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth ( Greek λαβύρινθος labyrinthos) was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The loanword labyrinth was used in Greek, but the designation "The house of the Double Axe" for the palace at Knossos is an imaginative modern innovation.
Minoan civilization
The term, and the symbol, is most closely associated in historical records with the Minoan civilization, which reached its peak in the 2nd millennium BC. The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. Some Minoan labrys have been found which are taller than a human and which might have been used during sacrifices. The sacrifices would likely have been of bulls. The labrys symbol has been found widely in the Bronze Age archaeological recovery at the Palace of Knossos on Crete. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Knossos (alternative spellings Knossus, Cnossus, Greek Κνωσός kno̞ˈso̞s also known as the Knossos Palace is the largest [3] According to archaeological finds on Crete this double-axe was used specifically by Minoan priestesses for ceremonial uses. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities Of all the Minoan religious symbols, the axe was the holiest. To find such an axe in the hands of a Minoan woman would suggest strongly that she held a powerful position within the Minoan culture.
In the Near East and other parts of the region, eventually axes of this sort are often wielded by male divinities and appear to become symbols of the thunderbolt, but in Crete, unlike the Near East, this axe is never held by a male divinity, only by female divinities and her priestesses. B Syria - Belka Woman from Damascus Arab from Baghdadjpg|thumb|Inhabitants of the Near East late nineteenth century Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the [4] .
The bull is a symbol of Zeus and indeed the labrys is associated with an archaic symbol of the thunder deity whom Zeus and others become as storm gods wielding their thunder weapons and are found in familiar motifs of Indo-European mythology. Examples are the Nordic god Thor, who hurls his mjollnir to cast thunder and lightning upon the earth, or Indra, who uses his favourite weapon the vajra. Similarly, Zeus throws his Keravnos to bring storm. The labrys, or pelekys, is the double axe Zeus uses to invoke storm.
"Many points go to prove that the double-axe is a representation of the lightning (. . . ). The worship of it was kept up in the Greek island of Tenedos and in several cities in the south-west of former Hellenic Asia Minor, and it appears in later historical times in the cult of the thundergod of Asia Minor (Zeus Labrayndeus). An impression from a seal-stone shows the double-axe placed together with a zigzag line, which represents the flash of lightning" states Chr. Blinkenberg in The thunder weapon in religion and folklore; a study in comparative archaeology, 1911: 19. Control over a frightening natural phenomenon such as lightning always has been a chief reason for propitiation of deities.
In feminist interpretations (particularly by Marija Gimbutas) however, it is also interpreted as a symbol of the Mother Goddess and compared to the shape of a butterfly rather than an axe. Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate Marija Gimbutas ( Marija Gimbutienė) ( Vilnius, January 23, 1921 – Los Angeles, United States February 2 A mother goddess is a Goddess, often portrayed as the Earth Mother who serves as a general Fertility deity the bountiful embodiment of the Earth. A butterfly is an Insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a Robert Graves interprets it as the symbol of the moon of the great goddesses, with the two curved edges indicating the waxing and waning phases on either side of a full moon. Robert Graves (24 July 1895 &ndash 7 December 1985 was an English Poet, Translator and Novelist.
Ancient Greece
The word labyrinthos (Mycenaean daburinthos[5]) is probably connected with the word labrys. In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth ( Greek λαβύρινθος labyrinthos) was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Mycenaean is the most ancient attested form of the Greek language, spoken on the Greek mainland and on Crete in the 16th to 11th centuries BC, before the In the context of the Classical Greek myth of Theseus, the labyrinth of Greek mythology is frequently associated with the Minoan palace of Knossos and has a long tradition of use that extends before any written records explain the traditions. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c For other uses see Theseus (disambiguation Theseus (Θησεύς was a Legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Knossos (alternative spellings Knossus, Cnossus, Greek Κνωσός kno̞ˈso̞s also known as the Knossos Palace is the largest
On Greek vase paintings, a labrys sometimes appears in scenes of animal sacrifice, particularly as a weapon for the slaying of bulls. Animal Sacrifice is the Ritual killing of an Animal as part of a Religion.
On the "Perseus Vase" in Berlin (F1704; ca 570–560 BC), Hephaestus ritually flees his act of slicing open the head of Zeus to free Athena whose pregnant mother Zeus swallowed to prevent her offspring from dethroning him. Hephaestus (hɨˈfiːstəs or /hɨˈfɛstəs/ Greek Hēphaistos) was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. Over the shoulder of Hephaestus is the instrument he has used, the double-headed axe. The more usual double-headed instrument of Hephaestus is the double-headed smith's hammer so the symbolism is important. Zeus swallowing the goddess symbolized the progressive suppression of the earlier traditional religious beliefs, symbolically dethroning the goddess, Metis, but allowing Athene (her daughter) to be "born" of Zeus because her worship was so pervasive and wide-spread that it could not be suppressed. In Greek mythology, Metis (Μῆτις was of the Titan generation and like several primordial figures an Oceanid, in the sense that Metis was born of That is likely the reason the labrys was depicted as the instrument used by Hephaestus (who much earlier had been a consort of the Earth goddess) to release Athene.
On Greek coins of the classical period (e. g. Pixodauros, etc. ) a type of Zeus venerated at Labraunda in Caria that numismatists call Zeus Labraundeus stands with a tall lotus-tipped sceptre upright in his left hand and the double-headed axe over his right shoulder. In Antiquity Labraunda (alternatively Labranda Λάβρανδα in the mountains near the coast of Municipalities of Caria Cramer's detailed catalog of Carian towns in Classical Greece is based entirely on ancient sources
The double-axe also appears in Thracian art. Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe On the Aleksandrovo kurgan fresco, it is probably wielded by Zalmoxis. The Aleksandrovo tomb is a Thracian Burial mound and Tomb excavated near Aleksandrovo, South-Eastern Bulgaria, dated to circa Zalmoxis ( Greek Ζάλμοξις, also known as Salmoxis, Σάλμοξις Zamolxis, Ζάμολξις or Samolxis Σάμολξις
Popular contemporary culture
During the period of the 4th of August Regime (1936-1941), the labrys was used as main symbol of the Greek Fascist Youth EON (Ethniki Organosi Neolaias), as the regime's leader, Ioannis Metaxas believed the symbol to be the first symbol of all Hellenic civilizations. From 1936 to 1941, Greece was ruled by an authoritarian regime under the leadership of General From 1936 to 1941, Greece was ruled by an authoritarian regime under the leadership of General General Ioannis Metaxas (Ιωάννης Μεταξάς ( April 12, 1871 January 29, 1941) was a Greek General and It is also used by black metal fans in Greece as a symbol of Greek Neopaganism. Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It often employs fast tempos shrieked vocals highly distorted guitars played with Tremolo picking, Further, it is used by Cretan folklore preservation societies and associations both in Greece and abroad, on occasion with the alternate English spelling "lavrys". As an LGBT symbol, the labrys is also used to represent lesbianism and feminism. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender ( LGBT) communities have adopted certain Symbols and symbolates for A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate [1]
Notes
- ^ the term for a single-bladed axe being hēmipelekys "half-pelekys", e. g. Il. The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient 23. 883.
- ^ Λυδοὶ γάρ ‘λάβρυν’ τὸν πέλεκυν ὀνομάζουσι 2. 302a.
- ^ C. Michael Hogan, Knossos, Modern Antiquarian (2007)
- ^ Dartmouth College: Minoan Religion
- ^ da-pu2-ri-to-yo (KN Gg 702), daburinthoyo potnia meaning "Lady of the Labyrinth".
See also
External links
- Pagan Protection Center list of symbols, includes an article on Labrys. Sagaris was the Greek name for a weapon used by Scythian tribes by the Persians, Mossynoeci, and others and according to Aristarchus The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape split and cut Wood, Harvest timber, as a Weapon The francisca (or francesca) is a Throwing axe used as a weapon during the Early Middle Ages by the Franks, among whom it was a characteristic Fasces (ˈfæsiːz a Plurale tantum, from the Latin word fascis, meaning "bundle" symbolize summary power and Jurisdiction Bronze Age Swords appear from around the 17th century BC, evolving out of the Dagger.
- Metaxas Project: Inside Fascist Greece
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