As in Egypt, the Earthly palaces of the gods were
magnificent temples whose splendor indicated their
relative status among worshippers. The Parthenon of
Athena in Athens, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, the
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Apollo’s temple at
Delphi, and the Temple of Demeter at Eleusis are some
of the most famous of these, and two (Artemis’ and
Zeus’) were counted among the “Seven Wonders of
the World.” The central feature of each of these
temples was an enormous statue of the god or goddess.Asgard
As mentioned above, the Norse gods of the
Germanic and Scandinavian peoples dwell in Asgard,
high amid the branches of the great world-tree,
Yggdrasil. There are two races of gods, the Aesir and
the Vanir. After a long conflict, the two groups made
peace and intermarried. The Vanir came to live in
Vanaheim (“home of the Vanir”). Asgard itself
comprises two areas—Gladsheim for the gods and
Vingolf for the Goddesses. Many of the gods and
goddesses have their own splendid homes, such as
Thor’s hall Thruthheim (“strength-home”), and Freya’s
Sessrumnir (“the many-seated”). Odin is chief of all,
and lives with the valkyries (warrior maidens) at
Valhalla, the hall of dead heroes, where he holds his
court. There gods and heroes feast on wild boar and
mead (honey wine).Heaven
Jewish and Christian mythology conceives of
Heaven as a divine region of golden light above the
sky and beyond the stars. The stars themselves have
been seen as little holes in the ceiling of the sky that
the light of Heaven leaks through (the word “ceiling”
comes from the Latin caelum, meaning “sky”). To
traditional Jews, Heaven is solely the abode of the
supreme (and only) God Jahweh, and myriads of
Angels, known as the “Heavenly Host.” The food of
the angels is manna. Only a very few exalted saints
and prophets were admitted into Heaven by being
made angels (just as a few Greek heroes were deified
and allowed entry to Olympus). Such “Blessed Souls”joined the ranks of the Ishim, the lowest order of angels.
Jahweh rules Heaven from a great golden throne,
passing judgement on all who come before him. From
beneath the eternal throne flow rivers of liquid fire.
Four archangels surround the throne. On the right is
Michael, the heavenly scribe, who records the actions
of men and nations. Gabriel stands to the left with his
sword of justice. The other two archangels are Raphael
the Healer and Uriel, absentee ruler over Hell. In
Christian tradition, on Yahweh’s right sits his son
Jesus, and on his left sits Mary, Mother of Jesus.
Christianity opened the gates of Heaven for the
departed souls of all who were “saved” by accepting
Jesus as their messiah, or savior.The great Temple in Jerusalem was considered to
be Jahweh’s literal dwelling-place on Earth. It was
originally built by Solomon in 950 BCE, demolished by
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 587 BCE, rebuilt in 515
BCE, and finally destroyed by the Roman General Titus
in 70 CE. It has not been rebuilt since. However, countless
Jewish synagogues and temples, churches of Jesus,
and cathedrals in honor of “our Lady” Mary have been
erected throughout the world as these faiths have spread.Lesson 6. Lands of the Dead
As universal as belief in spiritual realms inhabited by
the gods are concepts of an afterlife, Underworld, or
land of the dead, inhabited by the departed spirits of
those who have died. In some mythologies, departed
souls simply go to join the gods, and in others they
reincarnate, returning to the mortal world to be reborn
in new bodies.
Burial rites have been traced at least as far back
as the Neanderthals and seem to a universal feature of
the human species. The careful burial of people in ritual
positions, dressed in their finest clothes, accompanied
by food, personal belongings, and other “grave
goods,” implies that the deceased were expected to
awaken into another life beyond the grave. Eventually,Jahweh on Heavenly throne (Malleus Malificarum, 1510)Olympus306 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard
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