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Mythology

The Golem of Prague
The Hound of Ulster: Cuchulain and the Banshee
The Eye of Odin

Theories

The New Olympians
Time Paradoxes and the Phoenix Gate
Avalon's Magic

History in Gargoyles

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The Golem of Prague!

The Legend begins around 400 years ago. The Jewish community was in constant threat of massacres and/or blood libels. The chief Rabbi was the MaHaRa"L (which I think means Rav Meir Halevi) of Prague, he was a great scholar in both Jewish law and mysticism. Rav Loewe was a great rabbi and mystic [Rav = Rabbi], he lived in Prague in the middle ages. His synagogue, the Altnue shul in the show, is the oldest synagogue in Europe [oldest one standing at least].

During his life [and centuries before and after he lived] the Jewish community was persecuted throughout Europe. Communities would move and grow as one place became somewhat better, and then would suffer when the whim of the locals turned against them. One common way of killing Jews was to have a blood libel. A child was killed, his body planted by a prominent Jew's home and the Jews were massacred by people who claimed that the Jews had killed the child for ritual purposes. Sometimes they skipped planting the body and just used a disappearance. To combat these massacres legend says Rav Loewe created a Golem, a soulless being made of clay and usually activated in some way involving different names of God.

The Golem protected the Jews of Prague till at some time it was judged to be either unnecessary or a danger. The Golem was deactivated and placed in the attic of the shul, and a ban was put on entering the attic. Stories continue that a rabbi of a latter generation went as far as the steps and saw the Golem and then banned that as well. An interesting note is that the shul does not seem to have an attic so the idea of a secret one fits nicely.

There are other Golem stories in folklore and mysticism, but this is the most famous. Making the Golem a nearly naked example of art deco statuary was really off though. All the versions of the legend I have heard describe the Golem as without mind or will, but of normal, albeit very strong, human form. [Even if it were less than human in appearance, there is no way medieval Jewry would create a statue wearing so little clothing].

"A female spirit which, in folk belief, is heard to cry when the death of a member of an Irish family is imminent. The designation means 'other worldly woman' and the Banshee is a solitary being. Her cry is described as plaintive and very much like that of a keening woman of this world."*

The Banshee are still part of Irish folk belief to this day. The Banshee appears to have evolved from Badhbh which was another name for the warrior-goddess Mo'r-Rioghain (Morrigan). Morrigan was able to take a variety of forms including a fair maid, old crone with long white hair, animals (cow, crow) and the corpse hungry "scaldcrow" that roamed the battlefields.**

Morrigan is tied to Cuchulain throughout his life and times. "She met Cuchulain once and proffered him her love in the guise of a human maid. He refused it, and she persecuted him thenceforward for most of his life. Warring with him once in the middle of the stream, she turned herself into a water serpent, and then into a mass of water weeds, seeking to entangle and drown him. But he conquered and wounded her and afterward she became his friend. Before his last battle she passed through Emain Macha at night, and broke the pole of his chariot as a warning."*

It should be noted that the term BANSHEE did not come into usage until some point in the 16th or 17th century long after the days of Cuchulain.

Sources:
* MYTH, LEGEND & ROMANCE : AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE IRISH FOLK TRADITION
By: Dr. Daithi O hOgain, Prentice Hall Press, New York 1991.

**CELTIC MYTHS AND LEGENDS
By: T.W. Rollenston, Dover Publications, New York, 1990.

Cuchulain* was the greatest warrior of Celtic mythology. Cuchulain was the mythical hero of the Old Irish Gaelic epic Tain Bo Cualnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) from the cycle of tales centering on the northern kingdom of Ulster. Though not a god, Cuchulain was capable of superhuman feats similar to those of the Greek hero Achilles. There are dozens of stories about him. This one is a very condensed version of his birth and naming. The following text came from my source Celtic Myths and Legends by T.W. Rolleston. Published by Dover Books 1990. And now, the story.

It was during the reign of Conor mac Nessa that the birth of the mightiest hero occurred. The maiden Dectera, daughter of Cathbad, with 50 companions disappeared without a trace. Three years later they reappeared at the Fairy Mound of Angus on the river Boyne. The king requested that Dectera rejoin the court, but she begged off saying she was ill. The next day in the hut where the Ulster warriors slept was a baby, Dectera’s gift. The child was given to Dectera's sister to raise and named Setanta. The Druid Morann prophesied: His praise will be in the mouths of all men; charioteers and warriors, kings and sages will recount his deeds; he will win the love of many. This child will avenge all your wrongs; he will give combat at your fords, he will decide all your quarrels.

When he was older he was sent to the court of Conor to be raised with the other sons of nobility. One afternoon, the King and company were invited to a feast at the home of a wealthy smith named Cullen. Setanta was supposed to go with them but he was in the middle of playing a game so he begged off and told the King he would catch up later. By the time Setanta arrived after dark the party was in full swing. Cullen protected his property with the aid of a large and ferocious dog who roamed the ground. The revelers inside, who had forgotten all about Setanta, heard a terrible sound, the baying of the hound of Cullen. As a group they ran outside, only to find Setanta and the dog dead at his feet.

The warriors made a great deal of the bravery of the lad, but their host was really stricken at the loss of his dog. "Give me," then said the lad Setanta, "A whelp of that hound, O Cullen, and I will train him to be all to you that his sire was. And until then give me shield and spear and I will myself guard your house; never hound guarded it better than I will." And all the company shouted applause at the generous pledge, and on the spot, as a commemoration of his first deed of valor, they named the lad Cuchulain, the Hound of Cullen, and by that name he was known until he died.

Cuchulain was killed by three druids at the command of Medb, queen of Connacht, after his enemies offered him a meal of dog's flesh, forcing him to violate one of two bans: never to refuse a meal and never to eat dog's flesh. He inspired a number of poems and plays by such Irish writers as William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory.

*pronounced Koohoo`lin

Note: Cuchulain's real father was the God Lugh. Dectera had a mortal husband, Sualtam, who passed as Cuchulain's father.

Excerpted from Nordic Gods and Heroes by Padric Colum (Dover Publications, New York, 1996).

Odin, father of the Norse gods, left Asgard the realm in which they dwelt to search for wisdom. He went in disguise. No longer riding his eight legged steed Sleipner, or wearing his golden armor and eagle helmet, he even left his spear behind. Instead, he changed his name to Vegtam, the Wanderer, and he wore a cloak of dark blue and carried a travelers staff.

He traveled through Midgard, the World of Men, and toward Jotunheim, the Realm of the Giants. There he met the giant Vafthrudner, riding a great stag. Vafthrudner was the wisest of all the giants. Vegtam and the giant fell into conversation and then a game of questions. Whoever lost would lose his head to the other.

Vafthrudner ask Vegtam the name of the river that divided Asgard from Jotunheim. Vegtam answered Ifling, who is dead cold but never freezes. The giant then asked what were the names of the horses that day and night drove across the sky. "Skinfaxe and Hrimfaxe " was the reply. The giant grew suspicious and asked one final question. What was the name of the plain where the final battle between the Gods and the Giants would be fought? Vegtam did not hesitate. The plain of Vigard. The plain that is one hundred miles long and one hundred miles across.

It was Odin's turn to ask questions now. "What will the last words Odin will speak to Baldur, his dear son?" The Giant realized he had been had. "Only Odin would know the answer to that question. I cannot." "Then," replied Odin "if you wish to keep your head tell me what price Mimir will ask for a draught from the fountain of wisdom that he guards?" Vefthrudner replied, "He will ask your right eye as his price O Odin."

It was a terrible price that Mimir asked and Odin was troubled. He did not want to lose his right eye for all eternity, yet as he journeyed to the south he saw Surtur of the flaming sword, who would some day join the Giants in their fight against the Gods; and then to the North where Niflheim, the place of darkness and dread lay; he knew he must make the sacrifice to gain wisdom so that he might save the world.

So Odin All-Father journeyed to Mimir's Well under the great root of Ygdrassil, the tree of life and he made his request to the keeper. Mimir agreed that Odin could have his drink, but only if he sacrificed his right eye. The deal was struck and Mimir gave Odin a great horn of water. As Odin drank from the horn everything became clear to him. All the sorrow and trouble that would some day befall both Men and Gods. But he also saw the necessity of it all, and how someday a force would destroy all the evil and despair in the world.

When he was finished Odin plucked out his eye. Though he was in great pain he gave over the eye gladly to Mimir who dropped the eye to the bottom of the Well of Wisdom. There the Eye of Odin stayed, shining up at all who came to that place to see the price the Father of the Gods had paid for his wisdom.

From a gargoyles standpoint I suppose that learning about one's true inner self could be considered the ultimate wisdom.

In "The Mirror" Hudson says there are three races: gargoyles, humans, and Oberon's Children. I thus thought that every legendary creature would turn out to be either a gargoyle or a fairy. But then the New Olympians came along. They aren't Oberon's children, otherwise they would have been called to the Gathering (at least that's what I think, you are free to send me an argument to the contrary). And they most certainly aren't Gargoyles. So what are they????

The New Olympians could be a race of people transformed by sorcery (or science, in more modern times). After all, in "A Midsummer's Nights Dream" Puck gives the character Bottom the head of a donkey, and Anansi (the Spider-Fairy) was busily creating a race of were-panthers. What if the Fay weren't always under Oberon's edict of non-interference? It is clear that they enjoy playing at being gods, and the Greek gods were constantly cursing people who irritated them with bizarre appearances (Medusa, for example). If these curses were carried down to their children, it would explain the New Olympians, who would be the offspring of the original Medusa, the original Minotaur etc. It probably got out of hand, and that's why Oberon reigned in his Children with a non-interference directive, which they have to obey to the current day. Well its just a theory, but it does fit in with Greek mythology I think, as well as add some continuity to the show.

Another support of a Greek connection:

Taurus is descended from the offspring of a Greek princess and a god who had posed as a bull. Proteus is mentioned as the sea god Poseidon's servant in Homer's Odyssey.

In my opinion, they are one of two things: either human/fey hybrids (Oberon was shocked that Titania had found a mate among the humans, indicating that he was not aware that any did) who were born disfigured and so were ridiculed, or, they could be humans. That is humans who either mutated or had some genetic defect that made them look the way they did (maybe even some animal/human hybrids i.e. Minotaur and Centaur, just to name a couple).

Coldsteel uses Medusa as an example of how the fey might have interfered with and changed her appearance. But in classical mythology, she was always like that and had two sisters who looked just like her (she, of course, was the only mortal one though) and Athena did not like her because when Medusa was beautiful she caught her making out with Poseidon in her temple. That's why she and her sisters were changed. If Coldsteel is saying that the fey were the Greek gods, then it makes sense, otherwise no.

First, the Minotaur was the child of Minos' wife (sorry, I forgot her name) and a white bull that was sent to Crete by Poseidon. Also, Proteus was "the old man of the sea" and looked after the seals for Poseidon.

Demeter and I have begun a study on the Gargoyles Addicts page about something called Sudden Onset Metamorphosis -- a disease causing people to change forms.

The New Olympians! They're all ancestors of SOM victims! I mean, think about it!

"...but because of the way we look, humans shunned us!"

SOM affected people as far back as the Grecians. (1) They're mythology is full of instances of changes, sometimes spontaneous, but mostly inflicted. I might go so far as to theorize that SOM was a tool of the Olympian Gods. Some of them might have been Blue class, formulated to the will of the being who wielded it. This triple-helix broke down as time went on, and became the modern Blue class condition. (2) These people, the New Olympians, are decisive proof that the condition existed in that time. Of course, each monster had it's own creation. Normally a woman and bull are incompatible, but could SOM have changed the woman from the inside first, so that her sexual preferences altered, and perhaps the change was completed later? The son would have (at least for conditions which are genetically transferable) the condition also, but it might have been red.

Once upon a time I heard a Greek myth, still my favorite, of a unicorn who spoke with a young hero and gave him good advice. The unicorn, if I may expand a bit, could have been a person with Red class SOM.

I think that the New Olympians were descended from the original Olympians, and the original Olympians were Children of Oberon.

I don't think they have any connection with Oberon's Children. They managed to keep themselves hidden so long that few, if any, would know about them (immortal or not) and Hudson and his clan were too localized in Scotland to know much of the ways of the outside world. Chances are his knowledge of Oberon's children was probably very limited as well.

Okay, since the Gargoyles universe is one run by fate (I think we can agree on that?), there can be no such thing as a temporal paradox. All changes in the past have already been made by the time you decide to make them; therefore, history is unalterable. And when history is unalterable, you can't create a paradox by altering it. It gets pointless to speculate about what-if in this case (What if Goliath hadn't moved fast enough to save Griff? What if the Archmage had missed and not caught his younger self, plummeting to his death?...), because of the fate aspect. Any sequence of events other than the events that happened is, quite simply, impossible.

Goliath: If I didn't fear the damage you would do the time-stream, I'd gladly leave you here.
Xanatos: But you won't. 'Cause you didn't. Time travel's funny that way.
--VOWS

The two most powerful magic items of Avalon, the Phoenix Gate and the Eye of Odin seem to "use" the people who posses them and not the other way around. All the magic of Avalon, whether it involves the skiffs, the Eye of Odin, the Phoenix Gate, or the Wyrd Sisters, seems to be involved with destiny somehow. Think about it, the Phoenix Gate operates a lot like the skiffs do, i.e. it sends people where they need to be, for example it sent Xanatos back in time so he could become rich, which in turn allowed him to free Goliath, who later went on a quest for Avalon. The Gate also caused Arthur to be resurrected from his slumber, and to be sent questing around the world, as well as causing Griff to join him. The Eye of Odin, on the other hand, gives people insights into their, and other people's character. It showed Goliath that even his good intentions toward protecting those he loves could be corrupted, and it also helped him soften his attitude toward Xanatos, by showing him how much Xanatos loved Fox. As Odin says at the end of "Eye of the Storm": "then we have both gained true wisdom, the Eye’s standard gift." I think that the main difference between these two items and human sorcery, like that contained in the Grimorum Arcanorum, is that they always seem to act with a purpose.

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I created almost all of the images on this page from screencaps I got at Agamemnon's Castle. Be sure to visit this castle, as it has screenshots from every single Gargoyles episode.

A big Thank You to all who have contributed to this page by sending me info!!!

The great gargoyles who have sent me information for this page, and who deserve millions of thank yous from myself are:

Ad Astra, Batya "The Toon", Coldsteel, Demeter, Eagle of Arabia, Highlander, Kathy, Keyser Soze, and Paladin

Thanks again you guys!!

Do you have info you want to submit, a topic you'd like to suggest, or a new theory? Just drop me a line with your suggestion, theory, or information. If you are submitting information, please tell me the source. I am trying to properly identify all sources now, so the original authors get credit.

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