The Goddess Fortune is the embodiment of femininity, unpredictable luck, material well-being, and boundless happiness. Since ancient times, her image has been associated only with a positive influence on the destinies of people. She manifested herself in care and patronage over the chosen ones, who, by the will of blind chance, regardless of their financial condition and position in society, had the honor of falling under her protection.
The goddess is a kind of amulet primarily for women, girls preparing to get married for the first time, mothers of children born in love and marriage. After all, she herself is a woman, symbolizing femininity, innocence, modesty, compassion and motherhood.
Historical Roots of Deity Worship
Fortuna is the goddess of fortune, the first evidence of whose worship was recorded among the ancient Romans and Italics. During excavations on the territory of modern Italy, they discovered a temple built in the 6th century BC. e., which is no coincidence located next to the temple of Mater Matuta - the patroness of married women, the goddess of fertility.
Initially, the Roman goddess Fortuna was an object of worship for farmers and gardeners; she symbolized fertility and protected the harvest from pests and bad weather. Later, her name became synonymous with innocence; she was considered an object of worship for respectable women who married once, a symbol of motherhood.
The deity was depicted as a beautiful young woman with a cornucopia in her hands, blindfolded, seated on a wheel. Each attribute became an integral part of her image, a unique symbol carrying a hidden meaning, united as a sign of femininity and pure beauty.
On the Internet they quote the words of Elder Cleopas, as if luck is the name of a demon or demon
Here is one text in circulation on the Internet. It is copied and even quoted on a number of Orthodox resources.
More or less educated people are amazed at how widespread various kinds of fiction are becoming.
Due to a translation error, belief in the god Moloch appeared, even images of his statue. But there was no Moloch and he had nothing to do with luck. Photo: upload.wikimedia.org
Here is the text:
“Be vigilant, wish each other well-being and God’s Help, not the devil! I see that in some memorials you mentioned the demon Luck, writing: “About the luck of a daughter,” “About the luck of a son,” “About the luck of a family.” Why did you write the devil in my memorial?
Do you know who Luck was?
It was the biggest demon that mowed down millions of souls. Moloch, or "Luck", was the god of happiness among the Romans, Sumerians and Carthaginians.
What was this god Moloch, or “Luck” as we call him today? His statue, cast from copper or silver, was carried on a two-wheeled cart.
On his back was a copper stove, and in front of him was a copper frying pan; From behind, firewood was thrown into Luck until the statue became hot. And his priests carried axes in their hands, large and sharpened.
What kind of sacrifice did Luck accept?
Only infants from the hands of mothers. They came to the village where you live. They dragged the chariot of Luck with a red-hot frying pan and called, clapping their hands: “Whoever wants good luck, make a sacrifice to Luck!”
Cleopas
Archimandrite
It is attributed to the Romanian Archimandrite Cleopas (Ilie), today he is called Elder Cleopas. But with all due respect to the elder’s merits, it is worth understanding the issue thoroughly. Because anyone can make a mistake.
Elder Cleopas is sure that the word luck is the name of a demon. And this demon is called Moloch. But what is it really?
Image of a deity with a cornucopia
Traditionally, the image of the Goddess is associated with her activities, sphere of patronage and protection. The goddess Fortune with a cornucopia symbolizes a fertile harvest, prosperity in the home, immense happiness, good luck and prosperity, untold wealth and prosperity.
The cornucopia in ancient Greek mythology was depicted as directed upward, always overflowing with flowers, fruits, grapes, and belonged to Plutos, the Greek god of wealth. In the Middle Ages, it acquired the qualities of the Holy Grail, from which those who had the honor of drinking received untold riches, eternal youth and life, and forgiveness of all earthly sins.
Themis, the goddess of justice, patroness of the innocent, was depicted, like the goddess Fortuna, with a cornucopia.
The meaning of the word Moloch and his image in art
The meaning of the word Moloch is unambiguous, if you do not take into account the possible origin from the ritual of sacrifice. In the ancient Hebrew language, the word “melech” meant king. Often the demon appears in a royal guise.
Dictionaries and artists identify Moloch with a soulless killing mechanism that grinds victims without thinking about their feelings and desires. In hot countries there lives a completely harmless, but terrible lizard. The animal has sharp scales sticking out everywhere, which form large horns on its head. The reptile is named after the pagan god.
Supporters of Messianic Judaism see Moloch as the main enemy of Mashiach Shedim - the Messiah. The coming of the Messiah will mark the end of hostility between nations and put an end to the existence of evil. According to legends, on this day the Temple of Jerusalem will be restored, and the Kingdom of the Lord will reign on Earth after the Last Judgment.
It is impossible to sum up the essence of the demon at this stage in the development of history and magical sciences. It is worth remembering how bloody and evil the rituals associated with the idol were. You should not turn to Moloch, as the holy books of Judaism, Christianity and Islam warn about.
Symbolic meaning of the oar
The goddess Fortune with an oar symbolized the choice of the right direction, instructed sinners who had strayed from the righteous path, showing them the true path in life. The paddle is a symbol of movement control. It helps to overcome obstacles and guide the boat to the desired shore, even if the ship is moving against the current.
Also, the oar in ancient Egypt meant power, the ability to manage. The oar, being an attribute of river deities, carries the meaning of the highest knowledge, invincible strength and an infinite number of skills.
The god Moloch did not exist, although infant sacrifice was practiced in ancient times
Demon: what it looks like in Christianity
The ancient world actually knew a deity named Moloch. It was closely connected with the Molk ritual. Its essence is that in case of a difficult situation, a person had to sacrifice his first-born (or several sons).
Location of Canaan, where infant sacrifice was practiced. But they did this not for luck, but to connect with God through sacrifice. Photo: ic.pics.livejournal.com
This is called "substitutionary sacrifice."
In general, such a deity Moloch did not exist. This is simply a consequence of the incorrect transmission of foreign beliefs by Jewish authors. This is just the name of a tradition, not at all personified.
At the same time, the Jews endlessly looked for analogies and tried to identify Moloch with one of their known gods and connect it with the root mlk, which was used in the words “king” and “royal”.
This ritual is attributed to the following civilizations:
- Canaan (Phenicia);
- Carthage.
In Canaan they practiced child sacrifice, but luck had nothing to do with it.
Titus Livy's description of the Punic Wars says that in Carthage children were placed in the empty womb of Moloch. Or they placed it on the hands of Moloch, where the fire was lit.
In the book “History of Assyria” by orientalist Ragozina Z.A. there is a detailed, but not based on archeology, description:
“The statue of Moloch was built specifically for accepting human sacrifices and burning them. She was colossally tall, all made of copper, and empty inside. The head was of a bull, because the bull was a symbol of strength and the sun in its fierce form. The arms of the statue were of monstrous length, and victims were placed on the huge outstretched palms; hands, moved by chains on blocks hidden behind the back, lifted the victims to the hole located in the chest, from where they fell into the flaming inferno, which was placed inside the statue, on an invisible grate, and the ash and coals falling through it formed an ever-increasing heap between the legs of the colossus ... the children were laid alive on the monster’s terrible, red-hot palms.
Relatives were strictly forbidden to show sadness. Children, if they screamed while they were being prepared for the terrible ritual, were calmed down with caresses. As ugly and impossible as it may seem, mothers were obliged not only to be present at the terrible celebration, but to refrain from tears, sobs and any manifestation of sadness, because otherwise they would not only lose all the honor due to them due to the great honor bestowed upon them by the people, but they could bring the wrath of the offended deity upon the entire people, and one reluctantly made offering could destroy the effect of the entire sacrifice and even bring upon the people troubles worse than before. Such a weak-willed mother would be forever disgraced. Drums and flutes maintained a continuous noise, not only to drown out the screams of the victims, but to increase the excitement among the people."
Ragozina Zinaida
Orientalist
Eusebius of Caesarea writes:
“The ancients had a custom according to which, during times of great misfortune due to danger, the rulers of cities or people gave their most beloved child to be slaughtered to the punishing gods - as atonement, instead of general death. Those given up [to slaughter] were killed during the mysteries. So, Cron... when the greatest misfortunes befell the country as a result of the war, he decorated (his son from the nymph Anobet) with a royal outfit and built an altar, and sacrificed him.”
Evsenius of Caesarea
Roman historian
In scientific circles, they express the opinion that Greek authors deliberately denigrated representatives of other nations. The practice of sacrifice existed, but much earlier.
Moloch is not a god, but a distorted name for a ritual.
Human sacrifice was the reason why God allowed the Jews to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan. The Lord said that it was this religion that was disgusting to Him.
The Bible Reference reports that the remains of children who were sacrificed were discovered in Megiddo.
The Bible mentions this ritual in different contexts. Here with condemnation:
“They built high places for Baal in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, to bring their sons and their daughters through the fire in honor of Molech, which I did not command them.”
(Jeremiah 32:35)
But there is also a passage that most likely found its way into the Holy Scriptures from Canaanite sources:
“Give Me the firstborn of your sons; do the same with your ox and with your sheep (and with your donkey). Let them be with their mother for seven days, and on the eighth day give them to Me.”
(Exodus 22:29–30)
So such a ritual existed. But this is not the god Moloch. No statues for sacrifices are known to archeology, nor are prayers to him. So what is “luck”? Daemon? No, it's just a fantasy.
Blindfolded
The goddess Fortuna, depicted with a blindfold, symbolized unexpected luck. A hidden, unknown secret in advance about who will have the opportunity to enjoy all kinds of benefits, unexpected wealth. The blindfold represents the choice of fate, its influence on human life, which is beyond the control of man himself and even the goddess, because she is blind. She does not see to whom she distributes benefits from the cornucopia. She does not divide people into good and bad, poor and rich, she simply, by chance, an independent combination of circumstances, bestows on them her benefits - material gifts.
Fortune is fate, the essence of which is changeable and unpredictable. Fate cannot be predicted, it cannot be seen or predicted. Life is a random set of events, circumstances that force people to make choices, choosing a certain path and building their own lives.
But is a person really capable of changing the course of events himself? Are his decisions predicted by fate long before he makes them? Are people simply puppets in the whirlpool of life events invented by superior minds? There are no answers to these rhetorical questions yet, and perhaps they will never appear.
After all, the answers can only be found out when the opportunity presents itself to learn all the secrets of the spiritual world, the Universe, and understand the meaning of life and death. But, unfortunately, no one will be able to tell the living world about them. After all, for the living it is a closed book, which can only be read after death.
Demon Moloch and how to summon him
Little is known about the demonic entity. MacGregor Mathers considered Moloch one of the archdevils in the Kabbalistic worldview, who is opposed to the heavenly sephira. Other theorists claim that he is the patron of tears, for whom there is nothing better than the tears of mothers shed for children.
There are several working rituals that allow you to come into contact with the entity, although they will not provide direct communication. This makes the essence of the creature unclear - is it a separate demon or a variety of them, specializing in the destruction of enemies and destruction.
The best sacrifice and way to earn the gratitude and favor of a being is to sacrifice a child through burning, but this is not practiced now. There is another option for sacrifice - ask the child to jump over a specially built fire, at the base of which is the seal of Moloch. Thus, the child’s soul will forever be available for the use of the demon, but will not arouse suspicion among others.
Summoning an entity will require a lot of preparation. To punish the offender, you will need a piece of unwashed clothing. You should go into the valley and make a fire there with the seal of Moloch at the base. You should throw a piece of clothing into the fire and say the spell:
In nomine Astaroth Baal Beelzebub et Lucifer Evoco Moloch! Tollite sacrificium! Accede ad eam, et conteram illud comburent eam, et capient eam! Amen. Amen. Amen.
Then jump over the fire. Subsequent rituals can be performed at home using a candle flame. By performing the ritual, an agreement is concluded with Moloch, who will constantly demand new victims. If the entity does not receive the gift within a year, disaster will happen to the caster or his loved ones (most likely a fire).
The real origin of the word “luck” is from the Proto-Slavic “to give”
Any etymological dictionary will explain to us the origin of the word “luck”. This is a separate phenomenon from religion. It was formed from the word “give”, “succeed”. Similar roots exist in various Slavic languages.
The fact that somewhere someone could call their god the god of luck does not mean that from now on there is a stigma on this word or phenomenon. Is it possible to refuse love, starting from the fact that the Roman goddess of love, Venus, is pagan?
Of course not.
What if we suddenly found out that human sacrifices were made to Venus? Also no. What does it change? Some people lived a different religious life that was unacceptable to us. This is their will and their problems. This does not change anything in Orthodoxy.
Takt magazine
That's it, I can't be silent anymore! If I don’t share at least a drop of new thoughts and discoveries, I’ll just be torn apart! As I have already admitted on social networks, in April of this year, while I was quietly collecting material for the continuation of “The Thirtieth Kingdom,” I was seriously captured by the Vikings.
Firstly, I found a saga about the mythical king Gardariki named Svafarlami or Sigrlami - the son of Odin himself. Gardarika, that is, “Country of Cities,” the Scandinavians called Rus', the region starting with Volkhv, Staraya Ladoga, as well as cities located on the Upper Volga with the capital in Veliky Novgorod. And this king lived in the 4th century! Needless to say that Slavic written sources of this time do not exist at all? Thus, it became clear that I could no longer cope without Scandinavia.
And, secondly, at the same time, a friend invited me to a seminar on runes. Fortunately, my fears of seeing as the presenter a kind of “magician-psychic-sorcerer-sorcerer-in-the-tenth-generation”, hung with amulets, talking about love spells and hexes, and “making mysterious eyes”, like Bulgakov, were not justified. The seminar began with a serious historical excursion, with a conversation about the cut of the soul and worldview of the northern person - in general, everything I love! Of course, I asked to become a student, to which the leader made me a counter-offer, which I could not refuse, just like in “The Godfather.”
As it turned out, we had been friends on Facebook for a long time, and Gennady Varda read all my articles on paganism and Jungianism, and read the book. Therefore, it was suggested that I co-write runic tales, because I “write well,” and he has knowledge that he will share with me in the process of creating the book, and, of course, edit my stream of consciousness in accordance with the historical realities of ancient Scandinavia.
By now, about a third of the book of runic tales is ready, and soon we will begin to post some excerpts online. In the meantime, I would like to share with you some thoughts about the phenomenon of “luck” in the Scandinavian sagas or, in a broader sense, about the difference in understanding of this psychological category in the pagan and Christian traditions.
In the Elder Futhark (the main runic alphabet) there is a rune called "Vunyo". If you look at almost any reference book on runes, we will find the following interpretations: “joy”, “bliss”, “prosperity”, “well-being”, “luck”. Joy, bliss and so on, they are, perhaps, the same joy and bliss in Africa. But Scandinavian luck, and among pagans in general, and Christian luck, as well as everything that we now understand by this word, even if we are completely atheists, are, as they say in Odessa, two big differences.
Christian success depends entirely on the will of almighty God, for man is God's servant. The good fortune of a slave is the master's favor, and it can be earned in one single way - obedience and humility, which is the main virtue in the monotheistic tradition (Christianity, Judaism, Islam). Accordingly, success cannot depend in any way on slavish will and desire. All the slave can do is wait and hope for the mercy of the master. You can still suffer more, suffer more intensely, then there is a chance for the master’s pity, and something might go wrong. Thus, luck or fate in the monotheistic tradition are fatal things, which, unfortunately, leads to a passive-contemplative attitude towards the world and, at the same time, to relying solely on chance (= chance, = luck), when problems are solved by themselves, without active participation of the sufferer, or are not resolved at all. This also gives rise to carelessness, self-doubt, impracticality and mismanagement (we can passionately love our homeland in our souls, but we cannot help but litter on the streets) and, at the same time, some absolutely special gloomy pride, mixed with the habit of suffering and humility. Why clean up your own yard, learn new professional skills, take life into your own hands, if we still have a bad Putin? Well, or God doesn’t love, he’s fatally unlucky: “everything is always wrong with me,” “I was born like that,” etc....
So, the “Vunyo” rune is not a slave’s “luck”, depending on God, authority, director, coincidence of circumstances, for a person in the pagan understanding of the world is by no means a slave of numerous gods and spirits. He is their rightful neighbor, often an ally, because God, as we remember, has no other hands...
Therefore, fate, success-failure, happiness, share, luck among the Scandinavians, however, like among the related Slavs in the pre-Christian period (remember Dolya and Nedolya), this is by no means blind fate, not the willfulness of higher powers, not the whim of the gods. Pagan destiny is the true destiny of man.
The most accurate definition of the Vunjo rune will be the Icelandic word “hamingja”, which can be most adequately translated into Russian as “luck”, “luck”, “happiness” (sorry for the not too beautiful word).
That is, this is not a one-time, one-time “luck”, “fortune”, a happy accident, but a certain quality of a person, such as honesty, cowardice, courage, deceit, etc. Or you can also explain this term in terms of a “hairdryer”: “hamingja” is not “luck”, which can fall on a “fraer” and even a “barely”, but “luckiness” is the long-term luck of a risky person, but there is no doubt that the Vikings were real “real boys”.
In the same context, it is impossible not to mention the Russian prince Mstislav, nicknamed Udatny. The ancient Slavic morpheme “udá” simultaneously means “luck”, and “ability”, and “disposition, character”, and “courage, audacity”, and “a reward for the winner, a prize”. That is, this is a kind of “arithmetic mean” between luck and daring. (Oh, I love dictionaries!)
Luck, as understood by the pagan, was manifested not in the act of a higher power, but in the actions of a person, in active, decisive actions. Indecisiveness, caution, and passivity were regarded by the Scandinavians as cowardice, lack of luck and happiness. In addition, luck, like, for example, courage, in the understanding of the pagans, was not something permanent that could be acquired once and for all (the dream of many, isn’t it?). A successful person had to constantly reinforce and strengthen this quality, prove it in action.
Ideas about fate in the pagan worldview are far from Christian fatalism. Yes, there is a certain predisposition, a destiny that the Norns give a person at birth, but how you will manage it, how much you will be able to use it for the benefit of yourself, your family and clan, depends on you. The Vunyo rune is revealed to those who discover their luck under constant strain of moral and physical strength. The knowledge of one’s destiny, of what was “written in one’s destiny,” gleaned from fortune-telling or a prophetic dream, even if this knowledge did not open up the most pleasant and easy prospects, did not frighten a person, but encouraged him to fulfill his destiny with the greatest dedication and honor, while It was believed that it was quite possible to come to an agreement with the gods.
Thus, we come to the conclusion that the concept of “fate,” both among the Scandinavians and our pagan ancestors, is very close to the fundamental concepts of depth psychology of the 20th century! This is Onto In-se in the ontopsychology of A. Meneghetti - “the basic project of nature that forms the human being” or Jung’s Self - our life goal, the best expression of individuality. That is, this is what we need to understand and discover in ourselves, and then embody, despite any obstacles, and then we will have a happy Share, and the gods will be on our side.
And happiness or luck, or rather “success”, is following your real destiny, your life goal, what Jung calls individuation - the path to the Self. Meneghetti calls this self-realization, “the coincidence of human activity in his historical process with his Onto In-se,” in other words, coincidence with the real purpose, the mission that the gods/Absolute/cosmos/nature intended for a particular person (as you wish ). And the greater this coincidence, the more effective the person is, the more optimal her decisions are in any issues, the happier she is, in the end, because the one who does not deceive himself knows neither fear nor melancholy.
And finally, let me give you a quote from the future book that we are writing together with Gennady Varda:
“The road,” continued Floki, “like the path of life, the fate woven by the Norns, never depends on the traveler. The warrior knows this, and that is why he is fearless. Those who do not know their path live their lives in vain and always tremble for their worthless skin. Walk boldly, keep your eyes open so as not to miss the signs of fate, listen to your heart - it will give a sign too, but don’t fall into vanity and despair, if you happen to get lost, then soon there will be a hint. And if you are destined to die, boldly rush into the last battle, and then the Valkyrie maidens will take you straight to Odin’s feast.”
PS Many years ago, in my early youth, one of my friends, when I was not yet a psychologist, “cleared her brains,” told me reproachfully: “Well, this is what I will do if some people like you have an awl in the ass, but I don’t?!” “Well, that’s right,” I laughed, “they inserted it for me in the maternity hospital, but they forgot about it for you.” Although, in fact, my friend was brought from the maternity hospital as a normal child, and I, yes, with a real “gift from the gods” - with a congenital defect. Therefore, unlike my friend, I had to fight for my life from birth, to claw out my “goodness” with teeth and claws. And I don’t need handouts from God, I don’t hope to beg them with humility and submission, my soul is a pagan, and my gods don’t owe me anything, I have arms, legs and a head, so I can easily take the luck myself and share it with great joy her with those around her.
With faith in you and your best present,
Alexandra Sergeeva
