Double Faith

Rosanne

Ancient Memories.

I have often wondered why there are not cards in the hand painted series of The Devil and The Tower, yet they appear in in early woodblock sets. This Pair are cards 15 and 16 seems to have stayed in this position, but have been called House of God or The Fire (16).
I wonder if their absence shows what is called ‘Double Faith’ (or actually denial of double faith.)
the phenomenon called dvoeverie (double faith). On the one hand, peasants and farmers eagerly accepted baptism, masses and the new Christian holidays. On the other hand, they still persisted performing ancient rites and worshiping old pagan cults, even when the ancient deities and myths on which those were based were forgotten.
Wikipedia.
The Catholic Church never solved the problem of Dvoeverie, (the coexistence of Christian symbols and saints’ names with traces of older, pre-Christian beliefs).
So who are these icons of pre-Christian belief?
One answer may be Purun and Vales- the cosmic fight between them that later translated to God and the Devil.
Purun: he is suh (dry, as opposite of wet; he is god of thunder and lightning, which causes fire), (strikes/sunders/pursues/kills; he is a god of thunder and storms, destructive and furious) with (arrow/stone/lightning; Perun's weapons, are of course, his bolts of lightning. He fires them as arrows which are so powerful they explode and blow up stones when they hit them)., and fireballs
Vales: Veles is a subterranean god associated with waters, earthly and wet, lord of the underworld, who rules the realm of the dead from down in the roots of the World Tree.
So Perun is a giver of rain to farmers, god of war and weapons, invoked by fighters. Veles is a god of cattle, protector of shepherds, associated with magic and commerce.

In European history Perun became Saint Michael or Saint George for example and woolly, cattle horned, bearded Vales became the Devil.

It makes me understand the half rendition of the ‘Tower’ in the Cary Yale sheet where there appears to be a beastie (cattle) beside the tower.

I have been reading about the pre- Christian beliefs of the area of Croatia, because of a very interesting post by Huck #34 in the ‘History of Things’ thread in this forum.

~Rosanne
Cary Yale sheet page 286 Kaplan Vol 11
 

Rosanne

Ooops, I did not explain hy the cattle beastie mightbe besides the Tower, and the book I am reading is too long to paraphase, so I ent to google and copied a short explanation.
The Book says "Vales'' but every else says 'Veles"

The reason of enmity between the two gods is Veles' theft of Perun's cattle. It is also an act of challenge: Veles, in the form of a huge serpent, slithers from the caves of the Underworld and coils upwards the Slavic world tree towards Perun's heavenly domain. Perun retaliates and attacks Veles with his lightning bolts. Veles flees, hiding or transforming himself into trees, animals or people. In the end he is killed by Perun, and in this ritual death, whatever Veles stole is released from his battered body in form of rain falling from the skies. This Storm myth, as it is generally referred to by scholars today, explained to ancient Slavs the changing of seasons through the year. The dry periods were interpreted as chaotic results of Veles' thievery. Storms and lightning were seen as divine battles. The following rain was the triumph of Perun over Veles and re-establishment of world order.

The myth was cyclical, repeating itself each year. The death of Veles was never permanent; he would reform himself as a serpent who would shed its old skin and would be reborn in a new body. Although in this particular myth he plays the negative role as bringer of chaos, Veles was not seen as an evil god by ancient Slavs. In fact, in many of the Russian folk tales, Veles, appearing under the Christian guise of St. Nicholas, saves the poor farmer and his cattle from the furious and destructive St. Elias the Thunderer, who, of course, represents the old Perun. The duality and conflict of Perun and Veles does not represent the dualistic clash of good and evil; rather, it is the opposition of the natural principles of earth, water and substance (Veles) against heaven, fire and spirit (Perun).

Whereas in Christianity the conflict is a clash beteen good and evil.
~Rosanne
 

DavidMcCann

I have often wondered why there are not cards in the hand painted series of The Devil and The Tower, yet they appear in in early woodblock sets.
But there are! The "Charles VI" has a Tower. The Visconti-Sforza lacks both but I seem to remember that one of them was only lost in the 19th century.
 

Huck

But there are! The "Charles VI" has a Tower. The Visconti-Sforza lacks both but I seem to remember that one of them was only lost in the 19th century.

You're right with tower in the Charles VI deck.
But in the PMB deck one of the two missing pips was lost during 19th century, not the two missing trumps.
 

Rosanne

Hi David- I should have been more particular and said Visconti Hand painted cards.
Those two cards we now say are 15 and 16 are not in any remaining decks of the Visconti type. Some say they are missing- I believe 'never were there'.
I thank you for your interest though.

~Rosanne