Zeus and the Hanged Man

beanu

I just saw this on Wikipedia for Zeus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus#Zeus_and_foreign_gods
He was raised by a nymph named Adamanthea. Since Cronus ruled over the Earth, the heavens and the sea, she hid him by dangling him on a rope from a tree so he was suspended between earth, sea and sky and thus, invisible to his father.

Hows that for a hanged man association?

B
 

Yygdrasilian

Hangatýr, God of the Hanged

I ween that I hung on the windy tree,
Hung there for nights full nine;
With the spear I was wounded, and offered I was
To Odin, myself to myself,
On the tree that none may ever know
What root beneath it runs.

No bread did they give me nor drink from a horn,
downwards I peered;
I took up the runes,
screaming I took them,
then I fell back from there...


-Hávamál
 

beanu

Yeah, I know that one,
but it just says hung from a tree. It doesn't say upside down.

Also, my pattern says I should find Jupiter/Zeus in that position (Chesed = Mercy).
If it was Thor, it'd be a good match, but its Odin - wrong generation.
 

Ross G Caldwell

beanu said:
Yeah, I know that one,
but it just says hung from a tree. It doesn't say upside down.

Also, my pattern says I should find Jupiter/Zeus in that position (Chesed = Mercy).
If it was Thor, it'd be a good match, but its Odin - wrong generation.

That account of Zeus doesn't say upside-down either. It could have been a rope around the chest.

Can you find depictions of this story from antiquity or the middle ages? (I haven't yet).
 

Bernice

I like the Wodan version best.

But for the historical tarots' Hanged Man, I believe it depicts a 'shame' hanging - thief/traitor etc.

All these wonderful, and sometimes far-reaching, theories of mystical encodings in the 78 cards are exciting and appealing, but seem to ignore the provable factual truths about its origins........ (at this time)

Bee :)
 

beanu

looks like in most version he was lowered in his cradle, not by the ankle, anyway.

That quote of 5 alternate legends for zeus appears everywhere. Haven't found the origin for it yet.