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Tricksters are mythic figures notorious for exaggerated biological drives and well-endowed physique; partly divine, partly human, and partly animal, often amoral and comic troublemaker. Tales of tricksters are ironic arenas in which corporeality and transcendence, the individual and society, meaning and the absurd, are mediated and celebrated.
Apart from Loki, Pan is probably the best known western trickster god, and an Ur-fertility deity, who with his human torso and goat legs and horns represents an anthropomorphic synthesis of man and nature, and as such, the animalistic and primal urges in our (un-) consciousness; he basically eats, sleeps and fucks without recourse.
As with all such early religions, this early animistic worship was usurped in time by more modern fertility religions (in the Mediterranean it was probably by way of Apollo, Dionysus, Attis and eventually the Christ). This is a typical anthropological movement: from the worship of fertile Earth deities towards that of fatherly Sky gods.
In the case of the pantheistic Greeks, many gods are allowed to happily co-exist. Pan teaches Apollo to play the panpipes, or accompanies Dionysus, whenever he and his followers decided to whore the countryside. (crazy sex gods + wild women + clay dildos and wine = a good night out in Ancient, and probably Modern, Greece).
In the case of the monotheistic church of the Christ however, the creative Pan figure (amoral sexuality, chaotic inspiration) cannot co-exist as a form of worship alongside the humble hanging god and so is relegated to that of a destructive adversary figure. He therefore becomes demonised, an evil spirit or Devil. The term Devil is really a convenient tag for all that guilt-ridden man has come to fear in both himself and the world (which Pan, conversely, rejoices in.
Where Christianity succeeds (figuratively speaking) is in reducing the world to a belief in diametrically opposed forces (Good v Evil, Truth v Lies, God v Satan, whereas, remember that in Greek Pan literally means EVERYTHING.)
Demonised: The term Satan is related to a Mazdaian name (Ahriman-Sheitan), a djinn whose sin was lack of submission to Ormazd Allah (God). The idea of Lucifer (the bringer of light) is indeed close in spirit to Prometheus (the bringer of fire), who opposed the will of God and suffered because of it. Basically this is a subtle form of social and psychological conditioning – disobedience to God or The Law will not be tolerated. The wages of sin are death.
In this way Satan is an essentially tragic figure (as presented by Milton especially).
Coyote, Raven and Spider seem to be purer tricksters; chaotic and benevolent. Don’t really know much about them. Try reading My Life in the Bush if Ghosts for stories of trickster-type African spirits.
Loki meanwhile is really a world of his own, neither a force of creation nor a fallen angel. He is quite unlike the biblical Tempter/ Satan in his actions, although his masterminding of the death of Baldur and his scene stealing show in Ragnarok makes him a kind of anti-Christ.
None of this may be true… down the rabbit hole, with a little help from bartleby.com
[ 14-09-2001: Message edited by: RedRunningLord ] |
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