where there's life there's bound to be
music that's not to say that one causes
the other but there's a reason that
silent forests are a spooky poor tent of
Doom in many mythologies music is
associated with the explosion of life
and bursts of creativity but it's also
used to explore the Dark Side of human
nature the desire to manipulate our
surroundings or to control others every
time we play a musical instrument be it
a cosmic conch shell an emotionally
intelligent harp or a heartbreaking liar
we are creating something beautiful and
mysterious but we're also manifesting
our will this tension is evident in the
stories we tell about music the
instruments that make it and the people
that perfect it
In some cultures the sound of music is
associated with the blooming of life
itself Hindu cosmology depicts one of
the principal deities Vishnu holding
ashanka or conch shell during the
churning of the cosmic ocean Vishnu blew
the Conch Shell to sound the first noise
of creation and om that continues to
reverberate throughout the Universe with
its concentric Spirals and deep echoing
sound the shanka is a material
manifestation of Eternal cosmic energy
other creation myths reveal the
importance of music to humans from the
beginning so Marian myth offers us the
tale of ninma the Primeval mother
goddess who shaped the first humans from
fresh underground water her son enki
crowned the second ever human to Grace
the earth a master of the musical arts
and a Chieftain indicating both the
sacred nature of music and its
sensuality to human nature exploring the
links between Life music and creativity
is a common mythical theme in Norse
mythology braggy son of Odin was given a
magical harp and sent on his way to
Asgard from his mother's home in the
land of giants with his harp and the
Magical runes carved on his tongue
braggy's music had the power to bring
plants to life control animals and ward
off harmful spells in these stories
music doesn't just play in the
background instead it actively has the
power to awaken the world from epic
Cosmic ripples to the most delicate
flower if music has these epic Powers
it's no surprise that mythical
characters have used it to exert their
will on the world the leader of the
tuaha de danan from Irish mythology was
dagda a figure of Plenty his cauldron
was always bubbling with stew his Pig
was always growing and his magical Club
had the power to either wound or heal
but perhaps his most powerful instrument
was his four angled harp also known as
the wenya also called The Core queer or
four angled music the harp could put the
seasons in the correct order and control
human emotions no big deal the wenya was
coveted for its powers by the fairy King
brush but when he got his thieving hands
on it the harp fell silent for no one
but the dagda could make it sing when
dagda uttered a charm from afar the harp
came to life and rushed toward its
Master killing nine of the King's Men on
Route another tale of music's ability to
control comes to us in the legend of the
owl husband from the passimacity people
in the northeastern U.S the story tells
of a young woman who refused to marry
her father decreed that whoever made the
Embers of a fading fire blaze with new
Flames could marry his daughter of
course no one could reverse the fires
except for the Wily horned owl who
disguised himself as a handsome Hunter
and used his magical powers to reignite
the fire it was only after their first
night to get other that the woman
perceived his yellow eyes and pointed
ears horrified she fled the owl tried to
trick her again coming to her in a
different disguise but she was able to
perceive his true nature and she eluded
him for a second time Furious he
consulted his sorcerer owl Aunt who
fashioned a Magic Flute with the power
to send anyone who heard its tones into
a love trance at the sound of sweet
music coming from the forest the young
woman was enchanted by the time she
found herself deep in the forest
searching for her love the horned owl
swooped down and snatched her up in his
Talons so music and mythology is usually
beautiful but it often holds the power
to manipulate in the harp that toys with
human emotions or the flute that
entrances unsuspecting Mortals music is
seen as a mysterious and overwhelming
Force that's not to be taken lightly
this complex power is further explored
in myths that examine music as a portal
to the supernatural World in Finnish
mythology the demigod Vina moynan
plucked Fish Bones from the base of a
waterfall to Fashion a magical harp only
he could control its joy-bringing powers
until the sea god Otto stole it for
himself stung vinamoynen wove a second
harp from Birchwood and a maiden's
golden locks he took his new harp with
him deep into the underworld on a hunt
for the sampo a magical device that
could bring Good Fortune with the help
of the harp Vina moinen found the sampo
and lulled the inhabitants of the
underworld to sleep only for them to
awaken and overtake him at the last
minute eventually the sampo was lost
forever like vinamoinen the Greek hero
Orpheus could only wield his music
against Supernatural forces to a point
Orpheus was known as the most masterful
musician who perfected the liar and sang
stunning love poems when his beloved
wife eurydice died by Viper attack
Orpheus ventured into the underworld to
beg for her return with with his
haunting liar he played Sweet and
mournful music to tame the three-headed
guardian of the underworld Cerberus and
soft in the hearts of God's Hades and
Persephone the gods of the underworld
agreed to let eurydice follow Orpheus
back to the land of the living on the
condition that Orpheus did not look back
to check that she was following him just
as they neared the surface Orpheus was
overcome with anxious curiosity he
turned around only to see eurydice
falling back into the clutches of hell
he was so distraught that he spent the
rest of his life alone singing about
Broken Hearts until a volatile group of
women known as The mainads Ripped him to
shreds for his lack of cheer orpheus's
severed head carried on singing and
death and so his music continued to
ReSound here music is the key to the
underworld but it also transcends tragic
circumstances and retains its mysterious
power beyond the grave orpheus's singing
head is not the only ancient instrument
with Supernatural associations in
Chinese mythology Ling Lun was believed
to be the creator of music who invented
the ancient bamboo flute and tuned it to
mimic the sound of the Phoenix to the
Nawa people who lived in what is now
Mexico the death whistle signaled
you guessed it that someone was going to
die it was constructed from Stone and
carved with symbols of death like skulls
and owls while its exact uses are not
known Scholars have suggested that their
players use them to Echo the howling
wind of the spirit world in funeral or
sacrificial rituals in these examples
musical instruments mediate the
relationship between human natural and
spiritual worlds making these
instruments from natural materials and
training the body to play them are acts
that are grounded in the physical world
but when played these instruments evoke
something intangible and mystifying
across Mythology stories about music
often come down to the question of what
we can and can't control in Tales of
Music nudging nature into bloom
exploiting human emotion or
communicating with Divine entities we
see characters trying to direct the
world's most enigmatic forces but we
also Glimpse the power of music to
change our perception and transport us
to other Realms whether it's being used
for good or evil music always retains a
kernel of mystery one that often compels
us to surrender our reason and hopefully
enjoy The Vibes
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