Germanic Folktales One: Simonside Hills, Northumbrian.
Current mood: In agony (had my foot operated on!)

The Duergar of The Simonside Hills

(From Freddie Grice's  Folktales of the North Country (1944), based on an old folktales)

Not very far from the town of Rothbury in Northumberland lies a range of dangerous hills called the Simonside Hills.  The shepherds who live on these hills do not care to be away from home after night has fallen, or when the fog is thick, for there are many ravines and steep places where one false step in the dark or in the mist may mean death.  Much less do strangers, who do not know these hills as well as the shepherds, care to be lost in them?  Indeed, few strangers ever attempt to cross the moors in the dark.  But once a young man, who was trying to reach the town of Rothbury, found himself benighted there.  He had meant to reach the town before sunset, but he had lost his way, and now found himself many miles from his destination, without a single light to guide him.  He tried to keep to his path in the dark, but soon lost it.  A shepherd, by recognising this hill and that stream, might have picked his way home; but it was the first time that this traveller had been among these hills, so very wisely he decided to look for some little cave or sheltered place where he could spend the night.  He was just about to settle down with his back against a big overhanging rock that he thought would screen him from the wind, when he saw not very far away, a glimmering light.  "Perhaps it is some shepherd's house," he thought, "and I can shelter there."  So he began to pick his way very carefully through the bracken and over the stones towards the light.

When he reached it, he found that the light came from a little hut built of wood and roofed with thick sods.  It was just such a hut as the shepherds sometimes use during the lambing time, and the light came from a little fire that was burning on the floor between two rough grey stones.  On the right-hand side were two great logs as thick as gate-posts.  How relieved the traveller was when he saw this snug little place, for he knew that the greatest enemy of the benighted wanderer was the cold night air.  He piled some of the smaller sticks on the fire, pulled his coat round him, and sat down on one of the grey stones.

He had scarce sat down when into the hut walked a most surprising little figure.  It was a dwarf, who stood no higher than the traveller's knee.  His coat was made out of a lamb's skin, his trousers and shoes of moleskins, and his hat of green moss, decorated with a tall feather from a cock-pheasant.  He came in without a greeting, and sat down on the other grey stone, and scowled at the traveller as if to ask what he was doing there.  The young man was surprised and too startled to ask who the fairy was, and by-and-by, when he recovered himself, he was glad he had not spoken, for the little man kept on scowling at him as if seeking for some reason to pick a quarrel.  "This is a duergar," said the traveller to himself.  "I must do nothing to offend him, for I know that these dwarfs mean harm to mortals, and fly into a rage very quickly."  So he kept still and stared back at the dwarf.

Presently the fire began to die down, and the traveller could feel the cold air creeping into the room.  It began to nip his fingers and his toes.  Nevertheless, he did not stir, until the cold began to creep up his arms and legs and make him shiver.  The dwarf did not seem to feel the cold at all, but at last the man felt that he could stand it no longer.  Reaching forward he took a handful of the small sticks that lay on the right-hand side of the fire, and threw them on the dying embers.  No sooner had he done that than the duergar gave him a worse scowl than ever.  Leaning over to the gate-post - and through it was twice his size and twice as thick as his own body, he smashed it across his knee as if it were matchwood.  Then he threw the pieces on the fire, as if to say, "Any child can break pieces of kindling sticks.  Take the other post, and see if you can break that."  But the traveller, seeing that this was a kind of trap for him, never stirred, but kept on staring at the dwarf as motionless as a statue.

By-and-by the fire died down again, but the man kept on staring at the dwarf and never moving a finger, and the dwarf scowled back at him. The room grew darker and darker and colder and colder, till suddenly, away down in a valley, a cock crew.  And as soon as the cock had crowed, the dwarf disappeared, and with him the hut and the fire.  The traveller looked up.  The sky in the east was turning grey, and by its dim light he saw that he was still sitting on the big grey stone.  But it was the topmost stone of a dark, rugged precipice.  Had he leaned over to the left to reach the other gate-post, as the dwarf had challenged him to do, he would have fallen down the cliff and killed himself.

Notes: Similar names for Dwarves in other Germanic languages:

Danish: Dværg
Deutsch: Zwerg
Dutch: Dwerg
Norwegian: Dverg
Swedish: Dvärgar

12:51 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

The Death of The Northumbrian Dialects
Current mood: stressed

People who know me must be aware that my English is generally 'Queen's English', however, recently I have found that I am the only person in my life who uses the northern 'Growel' rather than 'Growl', 'Hjem' (YEM) for home (I do this rarely though), 'Bairn' for child, 'Plodge' for wading in mud, 'Gadgie' for a man wearing a flat cap (possibly a phrase originating with the Romany 'Gypsy' people), 'Aye' meaning yes and many more.....

This is most odd and frustrating. As a few of you know, I love Old English, other Old Germanic languages (such as Gothic and Old Norse) and Scandinavian languages and can even speak quite a bit of OE, Swedish and German, it may not come to you as a surprise to learn that I prefer the more Angle and Norse inspired dialect of 'Geordie'. Sadly this dialect and all the other Northern dialects are dying out and being replaced by 'Standard English', a language with too much Latin inspiration.

Language experts have predicted that what is left of Geordie could vanish once and for all in 30 years!

The Northern dialects (including Yorkish and 'Mackem') are to my ears the most beautiful of the English dialects and it is a shame that it is being replaced with the more vulgar 'Standard English'!

Any way that is enough for the night.

Ahm ganin tuh cot!!!

Currently listening : The Soft Parade By The Doors Release date: 29 August, 2006

1:12 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Interesting News Articles

British children are unhappy et cetera:

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/special/200702/kt2007021416274211440.htm

An attack against human rights?:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/14/nterror114.xml

"How mun! Me burberry is protestin'!" The Burberry protests:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/6359041.stm

9:48 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

All I have to say about Valentine's day is........
Current mood: depressed

BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!!!

9:45 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Archetypes, Stereotypes and Racism

There are, in my opinion, three types of stereotypes; positive stereotypes (the template or prototype), entertaining stereotypes (mainly used in comedies) and the negative stereotype (a racist, sexist, ageist caricature). The template is a positive stereotype created to guide people's actions. A mother, for example, will try to follow the motherly stereotype featured in books, magazines, on television and on the radio. Positive stereotypes are connected to 'archetypes', I shall get the archetypes out of the way first.

Archetypes

The Swiss Psychologist (and Philosopher) Carl Gustav Jung (who, I must confess, I have the greatest of admiration for) wrote many works about archetypes, including archetypes from mythology (such as Siegfried/Sigurd - the Hero). Jungian archetypes include the Mother, the Child, the Father the Mana, the Shadow, the Persona, the Anima and the Animus, the Trickster and the Self. It is important to note that archetypes are actually in all of us, and have been described as aspects, functions or complexes. Archetypes appear in mythology, legends, literature and our own dreams and (Jung had a dream featuring the Prophet Elijah and another featuring Philemon - who would become Jung's spirit guru - both are the 'Wise Old Man' archetype… also called the Senex). Jung's ideas regarding archetypes were a big inspiration on the famed mythologist, Joseph Campbell The most important archetypes are the Persona, the Ego, the Shadow, the Anima/Animus, and the Self (which is the totality of the Psyche). The archetypes can be envisioned as a solar system with the Self as the sun, the other main archetypes as planet and the lesser archetypes as moons. It is also worth noting that Carl Jung's archetypes are somewhat inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche (who, I must confess, I dislike immensely). The individual needs to acknowledge these archetypes when he or she undertakes 'The Hero Cycle'.

The Hero Cycle

In mythology 'The Hero Cycle' is an important journey or quest that a hero must take when he comes of age, he is usually helped by a Mentor (the Senex). He must fight monsters and villains (the Shadow) and a rescue the Damsel (the Anima). It is also worth noting that the hero is usually a member of a royal family (usually all deceased apart from the hero) who grows up as a lesser, unaware of his birth right and special powers,. The tale of Sigurd (or Siegfried) is perhaps the best example of the Hero Cycle. Sigurd is a prince of Xantern who is sent to be a fosterling of the Dwarf, Regin, who tries to turn Sigurd to greed. Sigurd is aided and advised by a wise old man (Odin in disguise), he fights Fafnir the Dragon, meets damsels and becomes immortal through the power of myths (in other words he dies but is reborn as a Germanic Folk hero - being possessed positively by the Self). Myths like the story of Sigurd symbolise the Ego in the process of individuation.

Hopefully, I will explain how one must accomplish this quest simplistically without leaving too many loose ends, which is not really an easy task due to the complexity of Jungian writings.

Individuation

Individuation is the process of wholeness, the uniting of the opposites. First we unite good and evil (recognising the Shadow) then we unite masculinity and femininity (recognising the Anima/Animus) then we unite the body with the Psyche (realising the Self). Jung's concept of the duality of man and Individuation gains him criticism from materialistic psychologists and respect from transpersonal psychologists. In my opinion Carl Jung's recognition of important archetypal figures in dreams, mythology, legends, art and literature was very important to the world of western psychology, whether you agree with Carl Jung's idea of individuation or not.

The Important Archetypes

The Persona:
A person's public image, the creation of Society. The Persona is a mask (Persona is Latin for 'mask' or 'character') or an act, the image we present as ourselves. This image usually follows social norms and regulations. Sometimes the persona is a deception who we ourselves sometimes believe is us. Carl Jung said of the persona, in his The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, "Whoever looks into the mirror of the water will see first of all his own face. Whoever goes to himself risks a confrontation with himself. The mirror does not flatter, it faithfully shows whatever looks into it; namely, the face we never show to the world because we cover it with the persona, the mask of the actor. But the mirror lies behind the mask and shows the true face."

The Persona is perhaps the built in archetype the most connected with stereotypes. Roles like the teacher, policeman, mother, father and student are all Personas. As I mentioned before, humans sometime 'believe' that they are Personas and become to attached to them. A Teacher should not stay in that role all the time just as a student shouldn't, remaining in those specific roles makes it harder to communicate with other parts of the Psyche and also other people.

In dreams and myths the Persona does not appear as person but as the clothes the Ego wears (e.g. Herakles' lion skin).

The Ego:
The Ego ('I') is the centre of the consciousness (but not the totality). Called the 'I' because it is literally your conscious mind, your identity. It is important that the Ego does not identify with the public image, the Persona.

In dreams and myths the Ego is the crusading Knight, the heroic demi-God, the heroic Norseman or any other form of mythical hero.

The Shadow:
The Shadow is literally a cess pit for all the waste and decay of the human Psyche and is also a character built from all the waste and the options we did not follow and is the Polar opposite of us. All the dark urges, wants and general abilities we never pursued end up in here when they are disowned (for example, a man who becomes a runner may have to disown swimming). The shadow has more than one layer. The top layer is home to the unconscious thoughts made of elements from experiences, this the rationally explicable unconscious. The bottom, the collective conscious, is independent of the rationally explicable unconscious and also the conscious mind.

It is the first step of the Individuation process, which Jung called the "First Act of Courage". It is important to get in touch with the Shadow before all the other archetypes. Acknowledging that one has a dark side is a rather discomforting feeling however it is very important and helps us understand who we are. It is important to remember that everyone has dark thoughts and urges and having them doesn't make you an evil person, on the contrary it could be argued that the Shadow helps to makes us good people. Thinks we hate can be attributed to the Shadow; a lot of the time when people see or hear about something that is 'evil', they feel guilty, these feelings can lead to social changes for the better. It is worth noting that the Shadow is not really evil just irrational and can be rather empathetic with others.

Confronting the Shadow can be very distressing and almost all sources and articles you can find about the Shadow suggest undertaking this task with the help of a Jungian Psychologist or at least a very trustworthy friend, my paper will not try to disagree with the other people who have written about Jung or Jung himself. Confronting the Shadow is rewarding and can help people to understand and cope with their problems.

In dreams, the Shadow can manifest itself as something someone despises, though it may act as an ally or an enemy, it is always of the same gender as the individuals. Mark Vandebrake believed the Dwarves (Old Norse: Dvergar) of Germanic mythology to be 'Shadows'. Another Germanic mythological creature is the Doppelgänger (literally 'Double Walker') is a double of a living person. The Doppelgänger looks exactly like a living person yet is usually completely opposite to them. The Doppelgänger, in Folklore, usually offers bad advice or acts in a rather unfriendly manner to it's human double. The Doppelgänger giving bad advice could represent the Shadow taking control of man's actions. It could be argued that the Doppelgänger is indeed a manifestation of the Shadow and that to defeat it you must recognise it as a part of you. In the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the kind-hearted Dr Henry Jekyll turns into the cruel Mr Edward Hyde, who is his Shadow.

The Shadow is thus a stereotypical monster (Like Grendel or a Dragon), the polar opposite of the hero who must overcome it.

Anima and Animus:
The Anima is the (symbolic) feminine side of a man and the Animus is the (symbolic) masculine side of a woman. Unlike the Persona, the Anima/Animus is built up of characteristics we are not meant to show in public. In most stages of society men were meant to be strong, brave and dominant whereas women were meant to be delicate, caring and passive. Men were meant to bring home the money whereas women were meant to look after the children. Society is not quite like this now however there are still distinctive characteristics associated with both men and women, the Anima/Animus is the opposite gender (symbolically) to the individual. Getting in touch with the Anima/Animus is the second step of the individuation process. Both sexes must take the 'Hero Myth Cycle' and accept it's hardships (AKA find a job and become an individual) to better understand the Self. The best way to understand the Anima/Animus concept is envisioning a Yin Yang, both joined together and both containing a little bit of each other. The Yin (white) is male and the Yang (black) is feminine. ?



Like the Shadow, the Anima/Animus can possess and can be projected. The Anima/Animus qualities onto the members of the opposite sex (I am not sure how this would work with Homosexuals but I presume something similar will happen) who the individual (or more correctly the 'un-individual') knows nothing about, causing an instant fascination or infatuation, when the individual doesn't recognise the qualities of the Anima/Animus as being part of the personality. All the 'manly men' (e.g. men with no female qualities) types have not recognised their Anima and women who have no male qualities have not recognised their Animus.


The Self:
The Self is transpersonal and the most powerful part of the Psyche and is powered by the collective unconscious. It is the coherent whole, the unified unconscious and conscious. Jung said of the Self:

"As an empirical concept, the self designates the whole range of psychic phenomena in man. It expresses the unity of the personality as a whole.... it is a transcendental concept, for it presupposes the existence of unconscious factors on empirical grounds and thus characterizes an entity that can be described only in part, but for the other part, remains at present unknowable and illimitable"

Jung also described the Self as a 'conglomerate soul' (a clustered soul), the Self is the centre of the Psyche and that which binds all the other parts together. The Self contributes to mankind survival as a species, it is mankind's creative element. The Ego is not the subject of the Self but it does not oppose the Self, it orbits the Self as do all the other archetypes. There is no real empirical proof of the Self and Jung says that the "step beyond science is an unconditional requirement of the psychological development". Individuation is becoming aware of the Self, the final step of this process is called Self-realising. Realising the Self (individuation) is the integration of the personality. The inflation of the Ego is the danger of individuation.

In dreams and mythology the Self can appear as the guide/teacher (the Senex 'Wise Old Man' or the Magna Mater 'The Earth Mother') and the object of the quest (like the Holy Grail or the Dragon's gold).


Pride and Prejudice - Stereotypes and Caricatures

Stereotypes are false impressions of people, commonly used for quick judgements or racism. A likely cause of prejudice and negative stereotyping is tensions between two groups of people (e.g. 'whites' and 'blacks', 'Old' and 'Young' etc..) competing for land and other necessities (as Muzafer Sherif and Carolyn Wood Sherif's Robber's Cave tests showed). Theodor Adorno's theory of the 'Authoritarian Personality' does not quite fit in my mind though it is likely that someone with a personality type similar to Adorno's theory could have been the instigator for such hatred to other people battling for survival. Albert Bandura's idea (as demonstrated by his Bobo doll experiment) that the young imitate their parents or other authority figures is also a likely cause of ongoing prejudice.

Some have argued that stereotypes are bad because making judgements about people is morally wrong or that stereotypes are greatly inaccurate, others argue that stereotypes are good because they help us make quick judgements about people when we have little time to fully assess them. Most people, however, agree that there is both good stereotypes and bad stereotypes, I agree with this however I like to think of three classes of stereotypes; the positive stereotype, the negative stereotype and the entertaining stereotypes. As mentioned earlier positive stereotypes are archetypes like the Hero, the Wise Old Man and the Mother, negative stereotypes are racist and discriminating. Entertaining stereotypes are characters in comedies and novels used to ridicule the idea of stereotypes and are more often than not the creation of comedians belonging to the group they are stereotyping (Jewish comedians, like Lenny Bruce, use the Jewish stereotype for comedic effect. African-American comedians, like Chris Rock, use the African-American stereotype for comedic effect).

Certain caricatures are connected to stereotypes (e.g. the caricature of the Jew with his big nose and beard). While the art of Caricature is generally a form of comedic art making grotesque images by exaggerating individual's features, it can also be used for racism. I will also be dealing with the caricatures (or racist images) of the stereotyped groups below.

Negative caricatures and stereotypes stand between communication between people that may get along if everyone looked and sounded the same, had the same politics and the same religion.

Common Stereotypes

The Jew:
Jews have been figures of persecution from the medieval period to the 20th century. Jews were seen as vicious, monstrous heretics with the goal of harming good, honest people whether young or old. Some 9not all) Government and Church officials (such as Martin Luther) sanctioned the killing of Jews in many countries throughout Europe, this led to massacres. Jews were accused of blood libel (the drinking of child's blood in a bloody heretical ritual mocking the Eucharist ), host desecration (the defiling of Holy wafers), deicide (God-killing - the 'killing' Jesus) and black magic amongst other crimes. Usually anti-Semitism came in the form of anti-Judaism however some believed that the Jews were an evil 'race'. Jews were commonly seen as greedy, blood sucking usurers with an unhealthy love of money which has some basis in fact though Jews are not greedy. In medieval Europe Jews were not allowed many jobs and all the unpleasant jobs like Tax-collecting and usury (money lending) was one of the jobs open to them. Jews are not allowed to lend money to other Jews however they are allowed to lend money to gentiles, which made Christians consider them as sinners (though some Christians did indeed borrow money from Jews).

At times Jews were forced to wear certain 'accessories' out side of the Ghettos (were Jews were confined), which would include a star of David, a yellow or red hat (Judenhut in German) and black clothes due to Sumptuary Laws. The 18th century saw the end of the Sumptuary Laws in most countries however Nazi's reinstated them in Germany in 1933, when Hitler gained power. Orthodox Jews still wear black clothes, which leads to people thinking that all Jews do. The well-renowned car manufacturer Henry Ford ran the anti-Semitic magazine called 'The Dearborn Independent' which would publish the famous anti-Semitic forgery The Protocols of The learned Elders of Zion

The stereotypical of a Jew is not quite the same today, but he is still seen as a man with a large nose, fairly thick lips, a prayer hat, prayer belt (a Gertel), a prayer shawl, pockets full of money and a greedy nature. Common professions associated with Jews are solicitors, taxmen and salesmen. Most Jews are nothing like this stereotype and some Christians like the Amish can be confused with Orthodox Jews. It is worth noting that Orthodox Jews also are discriminated by some other types of Jews. Messianic Jews are also isolated by some Jewish people (in fact they are not allowed to pray with other Jews). The 'actor' Mel Gibson recently spoke out against the "evils of Zionism" and of course got away with it due to his wealth and influence, I wouldn't be surprised if he makes films until the day he dies. At the same time people are failing to separate Judaism from Israel and are thus attacking all the Jews of this Earth for the 'wrongs' of Israel.

Famous Jewish stereotypes are Fagin (from Dickens' Oliver Twist), the Jewish Princess, the good Jewish boy, the Jewish Mother and Shylock (from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice). Shylock however gives voice to many Jews of the medieval period and Shakespeare obviously considers Jews to be as human as Christians are. Some members of the audience of The Merchant of Venice must have been shocked and moved by Shylock's "Hath a Jew not eyes…." speech. Shylock highlights the hypocrisy of the medieval Christians by pointing out that he is feed by the same food and made out of the same substances yet he is treated differently to Christians. In the end of the play Shylock have to pick between death or communion, he picks communion but his life was cut short all the same. He was exiled by his old Jewish friends and exiles only to be a figure of mistrust in the Christian community (as a Jew recently converted to Christian were feared and their loyalty to Christ constantly questioned). Shylock is an ant-intolerant character disguised as a stereotype, and it is worth noting that Shakespeare seems to have believed that people imitate violent people if they constantly face violence (Shylock is hardly mild yet his violence is explained as being the product of prejudice). The Merchant of Venice can be seen as an answer to Christopher Marlowe's disgustingly prejudice The Jew of Malta. It is worth noting that Barabas the Jew of Malta is not devoid of humanity however he is nowhere near as sympathetic as Shylock. Marlowe also attacks Catholics and Muslims in his work.

The Negro:
African people, 'Negroes', have long been stereotyped. In the past Africans were thought of as uncivilised savages with hardly any sense in their skulls. The negative stereotype of the Negro led to many people theorising that Great Zimbabwe was the land of Sheba. J. Theodore Bent theorised that the Phoenicians built Great Zimbabwe, this theory was of course rubbish. People were asking "How could the savage build such mighty constructions?" or even worse "the Negro is like a child, he thinks like a child" - similar disgusting rhetoric would be repeated during the years before the American Civil War. Such pro-Slavery writers like William Gilmore Simms wrote pro-slavery novels that depicted African Americans as slave like people who needed to be guided by the patriarchal plantations owners. Pro-slavery novels like The Sword and The Distaff by W.G. Simms were clearly attacks on the abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin and it's author Harriet Beecher Stowe. The African was thought of as being closer to a Chimpanzee than a Whiteman. Josiah Clark Nott and George Robert's Indigenous Races of The Earth even produced evidence that the Negro was a close relative of the Chimpanzee; the book featured a picture of a Negroid skull, a Caucasoid skull and a Chimpanzee skull. The Chimpanzee skull and the Negroid skull are both featured in profile yet the Caucasoid skull is only in semi-profile, this was obviously to exaggerate the size of the Negroid alveolar ridge. The 'Black Savage' was considered so radically different from a civilised European that they even put them into 'Human Zoos' (or Ethnological Village) along with savage Europeans (Sámi people) and savage Asians and Galibis (people that lived in the Lesser Antilles).

Today African Americans are rarely thought of as a 'race' fit only to serve the Whiteman however they are seen as ghetto trash with big thick lips and who only excel at athletics. The African American has his own way of talking and absolutely loves Rap music and hip hop……or at least the stereotype does.

The Christian:
Christians stereotyped? Surely not! White, Middle-Class, American Christians are the ones who do all the stereotyping. Regarding Christianity and their Christ as the arch-villains of the Earth seems to be the thing these days though Christian persecution is not really new. In the days of Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish Priests persecuted the early Christians, though this was more of 'persecution of Jews' as proper Christianity had not formed yet and was merely another Jewish sect. The enlightened Pharisee Gamaliel the Elder was the main defender of the early Christian even though he was a devout Jew (the Pharisee are noble and peaceful though). Gamaliel saved both Peter and John, however even his influence could not stop the persecution of Christians. The first Christian martyr, St Stephen, was stoned to death by the Sanhedrin (the council of Jewish judges). St Paul of Tarsus, was himself a persecutor of the Christians before his conversion to Christianity when meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus). Christians were also slaughtered when they refused to fight in the Bar Kokhba rebellion
The old stereotype of a Christian in Judea was possibly similar to the medieval Jewish stereotype, a blaspheming blood drinker.

In 1830s America strong anti-Catholicism appeared in places like New England. Many books featuring the anti-Catholic stereotypes the wicked Nun and the lustful Priest contributed to the feeling of fierce hatred to the Catholic Church. In WWII Christians suffered some degree of persecution from the Nazis (not as much as Jews did though) and Italian Fascists.

In more recent years Christianity has become a by-word for stupidity in many circles. Recently Dan Brown published the controversial The Da Vinci Code which contained negative Catholic stereotypes (like the evil Monk). The publishing of The Da Vinci Code led to the publishing of many other works about Christian conspiracies, it is hard to find a book shop that doesn't sell a large selection of works about Jesus' alleged escape (after being impaled on a cross?) from Judea, the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus of the Holy Grail being Mary Magdalene.

The current Christian stereotype is of an idiot with bigoted, racist views that believes the Book of Genesis to be the absolute truth about the creation of the world.

Other Stereotypes:
There are many other stereotypes that I have not been able to mention; the squinty buck toothed robo-obsessed Jap, the Nazi German, the good but uncivilised Native America, the Mafia Italian, the rude Frenchman, the communist Chinese citizen and the evil suicidal Muslim are but a few of them.

Stereotypes Used For Comedy

As mentioned earlier, many comedians use stereotypes for comedic effect. The Jewish comedian Jack Benny used a negative stereotype of the Jew for his comedy show. The character, also called Jack Benny, was a greedy miser prone to self-congratulating and vanity……he was also the polar opposite of the real Jack Benny! Another Jewish comedian, Lenny Bruce, used to tell jokes about Jews that could be considered racist (his comedic act is rather shocking but in my opinion funny). Many African Americans mock the black stereotype. A large amount of Chris Rock's comedy act revolves around race relations and the African American stereotypes, as does Eddie Murphy's act.

In the 1970s there was a show called Mind Your language! about foreigners trying to learn English. The Foreigners were stereotypes. Most of the stereotypes were played by people of their respective ethnicity/group, the Swede was played by the famed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's (of Virgin Spring and The Seventh Seal fame) daughter Anna and the Pakistani was played by the Bangladeshi actor Dino Shafeek (who also appeared on It Ain't Half Hot Mum as Char Wallah Muhammad). Though the jokes revolved around the stereotypes of foreigners, the main theme of the series was the difficulty of the British language.

Nature or Nurture?

Before we, humans, can try to overcome negative stereotypes, we must first ask ourselves whether such views of others are down to nature or nurture. Some would say that we are born with such prejudice in our heads, other will say that we learn to be prejudice. I would say that it is a bit of both. Hating things is naturally and an important part of free will however overstepping the mark is wrong and dangerous. Society can influence peoples mind to a great extent and I think that the worst types of stereotypes and intolerances are down to nurture, which would explain why nearly all the Germans in WWII believed the anti-Semitic propaganda whereas the Danes did not. In my view everyone has intolerant ideas (like a great deal of 'other evils') hidden in the unconscious. I belief these intolerant views are unlocked by certain events that happen in peoples life, everyone is born with both good and evil waiting inside of them. Certain events in Hitler's life (the marriage of his father and his cousin, the death of his father when he was young, the constant failure of trying to get recognised as an artist etc…) unlocked the evil that lurked in his soul, if Hitler's life had been different he could have been a Saintly man.

Due to man's inability to live a peaceful coexistence with others (including fellow humans), I doubt we will ever be able to defeat negative stereotypes, which is a great pity. I think we can reduce prejudice by encourage better 'race relations' and community spirit. What mankind needs is a common goal, as demonstrated by Sherif's Robber's Cave experiments. Someone no doubt will argue that Government have created common goals for the different ethnicities and religions which have not worked, however I don't believe that the Government has down enough for race relation. Such newspapers like The Sun (which I absolutely detest with a passion) is allowed to post things like "today a black gang beat a white man to death". As long as we encourage the view that there is more than one race true good race relations will not happen. Race is a concept, not a fact. It restricts groups from identifying with each other and causes people to feel bad about themselves.

The fight against intolerance whether it is against racism, anti-religion etc will be hard but worth it. We may not be able to eradicate prejudice but we can cut it down to a manageable size if the Governments of the world will only try harder.

Thank you for reading,
Alan


Major Sources:

Jung, Carl. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.
Jung, Carl. Psychology and Western Religion
Snowden, Ruth. Teach Yourself: Jung.
Campbell, Joseph. The Portable Jung.

10:36 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

"Imagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for...."
Current mood: peaceful

Imagine

http://h1.ripway.com/Beowulf/Imagine.mp3

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

- John Lennon

It would be a much better world if people followed Mr Lennon's advice. Humans are too greedy and violent, always grasping for money. Next time you want something you cannot have or see someone you dislike, just "imagine", as that is all we can do unless mankind pulls itself together.
 

Currently listening : Imagine By John Lennon Release date: 11 April, 2000

9:47 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Lebensborn

After watching a show about the Lebensborn Programme (and ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad) I was horrified.

December 12, 1935.

Intent on forming a pure master race, the Nazi Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler put in motion the Lebensborn, the 'Source of Life'. The Lebensborn programme did produce Fascists in Norway, though these where not the Lebensborn children.

After the war the women who became pregnant with children due to a relationship with German soldiers were treated badly in nearly ever country. The Norwegian Government and a number of it's people went one step ahead of the others and maltreated the 'War Children' also. A lot of the children were sent to Insane Asylums and branded retarded just because their fathers were German. A lot of the children were abused by the Social workers. One person was sexually abused. His abusers said it was therapy. Another person who was kept in a Farmer's barn tied up. Whenever he, the Farmer, wanted sexual satisfaction he used to come into the barn and get it.

Because of their upbringing in Asylums most are not very well educated. An Academic at Oslo University, who killed himself, obvioulsy didn't know about his past for most of his life and it is obvious thet other didn't know that he was a son of a German.

This show was also about ABBA's darker-haired singer, Anni-Frid 'Frida' Lyngstad. She was lucky, she excaped Norway with her Mother and settled down in Sweden to live with her Grandmother. If she remained in Norway she would have been branded as a 'retard' and most likely forced into vile sex with 'Social Service' perverts like a lot of theother poor children. Children do not deserve it, humans do not deserve this, not even a real Nazi deserves the abuse the mothers and children got in Norway.

The Norwegian Government isn't very king to those born because of the Lebensborn Programme. Which Shows you that Norway isn't as perfect as it seems to be. What was the crime of the 'War Children'? They were born. They were declared retards and sexually abused yet the current Government isn't doing much to make up for it.

I find it funny that Sweden is mocked for selling Iron ore to the Germans (which they did. They also helped Danish Jews, Allied Spies etc), yet the Norwegian during and just after the war were allowed to practice their own form of fascism (they declared the 'War Children' genetically inferior and set them to places very much like Concerntration camps...........just as the Nazi's did with the Jews).

I want to make it clear that the Norwegians I have met are good people, I just am begining to dislike the Norwegian Government as they strike me as hypocritical. We shouldn't blame the crimes of the older Generations on the younger Generation Norwegians which is what the Nazis did to the Jews and the post-war Norwegian Government did to the War Children . All the younger Norwegians I have ment are brilliant people who I think we lead Norway into a brighter future.

Peace,
Alan

5:25 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Why Sweden shouldn't feel ashamed of their war years.

1. Germany had a brilliant military force, Sweden didn't.

2. Germany had conquered many nations.

3. Germany kept putting pressure on Sweden.

4. Sweden had a trade agreement with Britain as well as Germany. The German Blockade stopped Sweden exporting all the goods Britian needed (Sweden used to export more to Britain and Germany) but it still was able to export a few goods.

5. Sweden was building an armed forces because it thought that Germany would invade.

6. Sweden granted Asylum to Norwegian and Danish Jews and also others from Finland, Denmark and Norway. This couldn't have been done unless the Swedes kept their trade agreement with Germany.

7. Norwegian Soldiers were trained at Swedish army bases.

8. Due to the contact Sweden had with Germany, the Swedish intelligence could get important information. Count Folke Bernadotte (related the the Royal Family) saved hundreds of Concerntration camp prisons (Jews, Gypises etc..) and Raoul Wallenberg saved hundreds of Hungarian Jews.

9. Sweden was thinking of joining the Allies to save Denmark ("Operation Rädda Danmark") and then save Norway. Sweden didn't have to invade Norway with the Allies but it did let the US use it's airports.

5:25 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Viscious Anti-Christian Hypocritical Tolkien Fans! No Wonder I am Agnostic!
Current mood: bored

Tolkien is one of the 20th century's greatest Authors loved by thousands......even viscous anti-Christians.

The most famous anti-Christian 'Tolkien fan' is Varg Vikernes a murderer and church burner from Norway (which had a high percentage of Christians for years hence the very old stave churches). Mr Vikernes thought that burning beautiful historic buildings just because he hates Christianity is a decent thing to do. He is greatly inspired by 'The Lord of The Rings' and claims to have mastered 'Black Speech' the language of Mordor. He seems to have forgotten that JRR Tolkien was a very devoted Catholic and much of his works reflect Christianity. Mr Vikernes most likely likes the works of Snorri Sturluson, a Christian writer of numerous works about Norse Mythology.

As a lot of you know I have a great respect for the Norse Religion and people who know me will no doubt know that I have a lot of views regarding them which some Jews and Christians will call 'heresy' but I am sick to death of the fanatical pagans I am encountering. Asatru is a decent enough religion and I am a member of two anti-racism Asatru but sadly a lot of fascists and racists have infiltrated it. Here is what one particular Asatruar said about burning churches (which he is against but not for the right reasons):

"While we must recognize the ills that Christianity has done to us, we must also not be so short sighted to think that once Christianity is gone, then surely all of Europe will return to their ancestral roots, as this is clearly not the case when religions such as Islam are making far more gains around the world and especially in Europe. His actions of burning down churches, while ideologically sound and have a certain justification to them, are not practically sound in the real world outside of a group of black metal kids.!"

He is quick to forget that Norsemen raided peaceful Christian Churches in Northumberland (where I live), raped Nuns and butchered Monks. He also forgets that Ethelfrith (pagan King of Northumbria....too which modern day Northumberland is a part of) massacred a group of praying Welsh Monks who couldn't resist them and so became Martyrs. Saying that the Norsemen where usually not intolerant against other religions, most accepted Jesus as a god they just though their Gods were more powerful.....perversely the Norse Gods seemingly were inspired by Jesus especially Baldr who attempts to resurrect himself (maybe he found a Bible or something?) and fails. Baldr is one of the most Christian characters in any works. Please note that I am not stating that Baldr is a fake and a lie, I am not qualified to and neither is anyone else.

Please Note that a lot of the above is personal belief....though someone will no doubt want to attack me for it!

I think the anti-Christian element of some of the Asatruar may be due to some sort of insecurity. Perhaps their parents where devoted Christians but also abusive. The anti-Christian (and anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish) beliefs of the Asatruar really puts a lot of people off Asatru and thus makes people treat them as a non-official religion which in many ways is a shame.

JRR Tolkien will be appalled at some of the readers. What if a new JRR Tolkien had died because this anti-Christianity? We would be deprived of another literary genus. What if JRR Tolkien was killed by an 'anti-Christian'?

It is funny that people point out all the fanatics in Christianity and Islam yet always fail to mention 'heathen' groups of hate. All Religions should be treated with respect and no place of worship should be destroyed and no member of a religion should be killed for his beliefs.

Regards,
Alan

Currently listening : Ring Ring By ABBA Release date: 16 October, 2001

10:11 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos

The Perfect Economic Ideology.
Current mood: contemplative

As I have just posted on someone's blog the faults of communism I have decided to write a bit about my views on communism and my 'Economic Ideology'.

I just want to clear something up. Socialism and communism are really two different things though communism started as a form of socialism and has the same principle. Socialism started as a movement focusing on welfare and co-operation whereas forms of communism have become competitive and has little regard for welfare (I am referring to Sovietism and Maoism).

Capitalism come under attack by a lot of Pro-communists and Socialist for numerous reasons. I agree that capitalism has a lot of faults, more so than communism (I think that capitalism and fascism have the most faults in them). Capitalism doesn't look after people as well as it could and should but does Sovietism?

If you examine a number of alleged communist countries of the world you will find poor Human rights records, poverty, censorship, dictatorship, police and military brutality, intolerance, greed (yes greed. 'Communist' Governments are usually greedy) and slavery (the people of China, for instance, where 'slaves' to an opressive regime similar to capitalism).

In China Mao Tse-tung launched a campaign called 'The Great Leap Forward' in 1958; this would become one of the vilest actions by the Chinese 'Communist' Party. Peasants where forced to work in the fields all day and create steel and iron. The peasants had to create iron and steel whether they liked it or not. Their source for steel and iron: their own possessions. Pots, pans, chairs anything that could be turned into steel and iron where put into local furnaces. Anyone against this move where kicked out of power and humiliated. 'The Great Leap' forward brought about one of the worst famines in Chinese history. The non-scientific means of gathering grain and the banning of private production of food caused mass starvation. Peasants had to create steel and iron for nothing. The steel and iron could not be used for much, they where just crude lumps. So they starved needlessly. Forcing people to work is slavery in my opinion. What happened to the freedom that Maoist communism promised?

In China and many other countries intelligent people like Doctors, Teachers, Professors and many others where killed so the communist leaders (who were sometimes Doctors and such also) had no real opposition. Students where only taught about the 'greatness of Mao'. Is this freedom?

The cause of such bad actions by the Governments lies in the misinterpretation of the ideologies of Karl Marx and others. Despite their claims freedom is not part of Stalin's approach to Marxism....it is impossible to allow freedom while forcing people to work for the good of the commune. Choice is freedom, Sovietism is not choice. Forcing people to create iron and labour in the fields is not choice. Censoring books and films is not freedom.

Capitalism is far from perfect. Greed is very possible in the capitalist countries as is neglect .

The perfect society would be a society that looks after the people that cannot look after themselves while not forcing others to work for the good of the commune. We should be allowed to question economic ideologies and dogmatic religions but not insult people due to race, faith, height or weight....these are personal, deep-rooted matters, economic ideologies are not or at least shouldn't be and blind devotion should always be questioed. We need a Government which consists of intelligent ordinary folk like you and me instead of pompous power hungry fools. Intolerance should be stamped out by proper education which should be educating (unlike Maoist China's 'education'!!) and fun. We should teach them morals, science, history, politics and encourage reading. People should have a right to read communist and capitalist books and even be supportors of their own ideology. The Soviet Union, USA and Nazi Germany censored the media, something that is disgracefully wrong. Capitalism, facism and false communism are plagues upon the Earth;they promises freedom, fairness and equality yet delivers none of these things. They take away individualism and free thought.

Regards,

Alan
 

P.S. Sorry about this being a little rushed.

Currently listening : Ring Ring By Abba Release date: 28 June, 2001

5:12 AM - 6 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Black Elves - A Theory
Current mood: thoughtful

The Svartálfar (Literally 'Black Elves') or Dokklfar ('Dark Elves) are a bit of an enigma. The only person who uses the Svartálfar (that we know of) is Snorri Sturluson, though this isn't surprising as most of what we know of Norse Mythology comes from his writings and he seems to have gathered a lot of information. Some people believe that the Black Elves are really the Dwarves and that Snorri invented the term for them....this does not really fit well into my mind. Snorri used Dwarves in his Eddas so he would have no real need to call them Black Elves also if you dig deep enough you may find references to them.

I am surprised that other Mythologist have not theorised that the Southern Scandinavian 'Trolls' are indeed Black Elves. Unlike the Trolls of Northern Scandinavian which are Giants, the Southern Troll is human sized, lives in mounds and occasionally has a tail. This 'Troll' is very much like the Huldrefolk of Norway which are almost indistinguishable from Elves. The fact that Black Elves get confused with Dwarves is not really surprising as Trolls (the Giant kind) also did despite their differences.

The Trolls of Southern Scandinavia can fit with Snorri's description:

"That which is called lfheim is one, where dwell the peoples called Light-elves but the Dark-elves dwell down in the earth, and they are unlike in appearance, but by far more unlike in nature. The Light-elves are fairer to look upon than the sun, but the Dark-elves are blacker than pitch"

Conclusion: I think that Black Elves are one and the same as Southern Scandinavian Trolls. I would also say that the Huldrefolk are likely to be Black Elves.

Regards,
Alan

P.S. I am going to TRY to dig up some more evidence to support this soon.

4:38 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Intolerance

We live in a society that preaches justice and tolerance. Britain and America are apparently 'civilized' countries however intolerance is, contrary to what the Governments say, a staple of modern day society. Muslims are forced to live in 'ghettos' in some English cities due to racist yobs who support the BNP no doubt. I have already discussed the controversy regarding the Burqa and the fact that people use it to say that Muslims don't want to fit into society. This is a load of hogwash. This idea of burqas causing a divide between the Muslims and the non-Muslims is a load of rubbish invented to ingratiate cacogens who seem to rule society!

Society is quick to say that the cacogens aka chavs aka yobs are just normal misunderstood youngster (and mature adults with the minds of children!) yet chavs are the ones who cause friction between ethnic groups. We should welcome multi-culturalism as long as it brings something good to the country, and Islam does bring something good and interesting to our country.

The word 'Jew' is used as an offensive name by many people in my area. Some people seem to be ashamed of the fact that they may have Jewish ancestry. Why? Jews are usually noble people and, as much as I hate stereotyping, they are usually good at businesses. I have a lot of respect for Judaism.

Christians and Muslims are getting a lot of hassle at the moment, Muslims are branded as terrorist misfits while Christians are branded as evil people who start religious wars. Both accusation are false and impolite. Christianity preaches peace and love. Slavery, torture and murder are against the teachings of Jesus Christ. The same goes for Muslims. Terrorists do not represent real Muslims and if any Cleric says they do then he really should pay more attention to the Qu'ran and the teachings of Mohammad. Anyone who uses religion to justify war is not a true believer in their religion, unless of course he is a follower of a war like religion (which Judaism, Christianity and Islam are not).

People tend to forget that there are Atheist fanatics and normal Atheists just as there are Religious Fanatics and normal Religious people. Fascism, contrary to what some Atheists think was an extreme form of Atheism  ....a very extreme form(Mussolini was Atheist and he is its creator) , though some Religious groups are Fascist. A lot of Nazis were extreme Atheist though some were part of an 'Aryan cult'. Hitler himself called Jesus "A bastard son of a Jew" though some people seem to think he was Catholic (he also killed many Nuns who helped Jews hide from the Nazis). Speaking of Arianism; I have never seen such  disgusting and moronic intolerance. Aryans are a race of people from around Persia (modern day Iran), in theory Jews are more likely to be related to Aryans than Germanic blondies!

Anti-religious feelings and racism run riot in todays society. It makes you wonder how much more civilized we have actually become? I hear people talk about how civilized our countries are yet I see loads of things that can be deemed uncivil. I believe we should let people believe what they want to believe (whether Religious or Atheist) and live in peace regardless of skin color. The word race should not apply to people with different skin colors to other people as we are all one race; 'human' and we all deserve respect.

Currently reading : Tales of mystery and imagination By Edgar Allan Poe Release date: 1936

6:20 PM - 11 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

What is love?

This is an argument that pops up in philosophical discussion regularly. Can love be defined? Some would say no. One of the things people say is "love has no definition!".
As much as I love philosophy I would say that love can be defined. one of the things people get confused with love is sexual attraction. A twist on the old "Love means never having to say you're sorry" used in the film 'The Abominable Dr Phibes' is actually more accurate than the original: "Love means never having to say you're ugly"
In a loving relationship looks mean nothing, in fact you will be able to see beauty that goes down deeper than attractiveness. If you loved someone that was attractive before meeting with an unfortunate accident you would still love her or him if you really loved that person to begin with and were not just attracted to the person.
Love is something that goes deep down but can still be defined. To like something more than life itself is love. To risk your life to save someone is love. To feel upset and longing when someone dies is love. Love is caring, love is power. Love is something you can see, touch and feel if you only look in the right places.
Love is something special, the most important thing in the world. It is something I know I would go to hell and back for, something I would give up my life for.

There is only one 'Love' and though it is hard to define, it is the same for everyone deep down.

9:33 AM - 6 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

The Meaning of Life?

What is the meaning of life?

Many Philosophers, Scientist and Monty Python have asked the same question. Many people believe it is to be in a union with the divine or to pursue immortality. Others say it is to accumulate wealth. Scientist say it is simply to reproduce. But why reproduce if there is no meaning to it? Scientists however are not the best people to ask as they have prejudices against such question. Though the balance of physics and metaphysics is surely the best way to live.

The more Theological views are that we should all love and receive love or we should be good to everyone or that our family and memory is the meaning of life. In my opinion all three are correct. We should all treat others with kindness, compassion and respect. We should love and care about our family and friends and we should live a good life. We should look hatred in the face and laugh, and then we will find the meaning of life.

9:17 AM - 4 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Treachery

"A plague upon you, murderers, traitors all!
I might have saved her; now she's gone for ever!
Cordelia, Cordelia! stay a little. Ha!
What is't thou say'st? Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low, an excellent thing in woman.
I kill'd the slave that was a-hanging thee." - From King Lear Act V, scene II by William Shakespeare

I am sure we have all met traitors in our lives. Humans are very deceptive and cunning. The worst kind of traitor is the 'Fake Friend'. This particularly nasty form of traitor demands no respect from me or indeed from a lot of people. There is hardly anything more disgusting than betraying a friend when the chips are down, these are people who you trusted and shared your thoughts and opinions with and then they just use them against you!

It is hard to spot a 'Fake Friend' as they are especially cunning however one of the things that they all seem to have is no sense of humour and a sort of arrogant, self-righteous attitude towards people.

Traitors can destroy lives and make people paranoid but don't worry there will be real friends who will usually come to the rescue. Real friends are almost like relations, they may fall out but then they make up unlike 'Fake Friends', who, once their colours have been revealed never make up with you and usually turn into your greatest enemy.

Mankind has had a long history of treachery from the murder of Julius Caesar to Thomas Wilson Dorr of Rhode Island. Humans seem to excel at such things as treachery, violence and corruption instead of good things like loyalty, respect and kindness.

The world would become a better place if backstabbing and lying would only dissolve into nothing. Sadly that is most likely never going to happen!

Thank God everyone isn't treacherous!

Currently listening : Bach: Six Unaccompanied Cello Suites By Yo-Yo Ma Release date: 25 October, 1990

4:07 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment