theology
Shapeshifting Transformation
Form-mutability as a constitutional property of divine and preternatural beings — gods, heroes, spirits, and their human practitioners possessing inherent capacity to alter form across human, animal, plant, or elemental states. Loki and Odin's transformations in Norse, Math's pigs and Blodeuwedd's owl-shape and Pwyll's exchange with Arawn in the Mabinogion, the Greek Proteus, the Indian dasavatara, Vainamoinen's bird-flight in the Kalevala, Ovid's metamorphoses, the shamanic and witch's capacity for ritual form-change. Distinct from anthropomorphism (divine taking specific human form, single embodiment) in that anthropomorphism establishes a stable form whereas this concept establishes form's plurality and instability.
130 passages · 7 traditions
finnic55
◆The Kalevala | Rune IIb
“Wainamoinen, old and trusty, Thought awhile, and well considered, How to kill the mighty oak-tree, First created for his pleasure, How to fell the tree majestic, How to lop its hundred branches.
Sad the lives of man and hero, Sad the homes…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune IIIa
“AND YOUKAHAINEN.
Wainamoinen, ancient minstrel, Passed his years in full contentment, On the meadows of Wainola, On the plains of Kalevala, Singing ever wondrous legends, Songs of ancient wit and wisdom, Chanting one day, then a second, Si…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune IIId
“Thou wert never seen or heard of When the earth was first created, When were made the ether-spaces, When the air was crystal-pillared, When the Moon was placed in orbit, When the silver Sun was planted, When the Bear was firmly stationed, W…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune IIIe
“Now it was that Youkahainen Comprehended but too clearly What his folly, what the end was, Of the journey he had ventured, Vainly he had undertaken For the glory of a contest With the grand, old Wainamoinen.
When at last young Youkahainen,…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune IVd
“Thus the tearful maiden answered: Therefore do I weep and sorrow, Wretched maiden all my life long, Since poor Aino, thou hast given, Since thy daughter thou hast promised To the aged Wainamoinen, Comfort to his years declining Prop to stay…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune IVe
“Weeping Aino, now disrobing, Lays aside with care her garments, Hangs her silk robes on the alders, Drops her gold-cross on the sea-shore, On the aspen hangs her ribbons, On the rocks her silken stockings, On the grass her shoes of deer-ski…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune IVg
“As the tear-drops fall and mingle, Form they streamlets three in number, And their source, the mother's eyelids, Streamlets formed from pearly tear-drops, Flowing on like little rivers, And each streamlet larger growing, Soon becomes a rush…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune Va
“'S LAMENTATION.
Far and wide the tidings travelled, Far away men heard the story Of the flight and death of Aino, Sister dear of Youkahainen, Fairest daughter of creation.
Wainamoinen, brave and truthful, Straightway fell to bitter weepin…”
Show all 55 →celtic47
◆The Mabinogion | Tale THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAINl
““My lord Arthur,” said Gwalchmai, “here is Owain, who has vanquished me, and will not take my arms.” “My lord,” said Owain, “it is he that has vanquished me, and he will not take my sword.” “Give me your swords,” said Arthur, “and then neit…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAINq
“And we were thrown into a state of stupor, and while we were thus, the demon who owns this Castle slew all our husbands, and took from us our horses, and our raiment, and our gold, and our silver; and the corpses of our husbands are still i…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWCs
“Thou seest the many lovely maidens that there are in this Court; thou shalt have her whom thou best likest for the lady of thy love.” “Lady, I came not hither from my country to woo; but match yourselves as it liketh you with the comely you…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC}
“And he destroys the branches of the best trees in the forest, and he kills every animal that he meets with therein; and those that he doth not slay perish of hunger.
And what is worse than that, he comes every night, and drinks up the fish…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENb
“Then said she unto him, “I declare to thee, that it is thy destiny not to be suited with a wife until thou obtain Olwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr.” And the youth blushed, and the love of the maiden diffused itself through all his…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENh
“Garanwyn the son of Kai, and Amren the son of Bedwyr, and Ely Amyr, and Rheu Rhwyd Dyrys, and Rhun Rhudwern, and Eli, and Trachmyr (Arthur’s chief huntsmen).
And Llwyddeu the son of Kelcoed, and Hunabwy the son of Gwryon, and Gwynn Godyvro…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENi
“Uchtryd Varyf Draws (who spread his red untrimmed beard over the eight-and-forty rafters which were in Arthur’s Hall).
Elidyr Gyvarwydd.
Yskyrdav and Yscudydd (two attendants of Gwenhwyvar were they.
Their feet were swift as their though…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENj
“Gwenllian Deg the majestic maiden.
Creiddylad the daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint.
(She was the most splendid maiden in the three Islands of the mighty, and in the three Islands adjacent, and for her Gwythyr the son of Greidawl and Gwynn th…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENo
“And these are Nynniaw and Peibaw whom God turned into oxen on account of their sins.” “It will be easy for me to compass this.” “Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get.
Seest thou yonder red tilled ground?” “I see…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENp
“It is needful for me to wash my head, and shave my beard, and I require the tusk of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd to shave myself withal, neither shall I profit by its use if it be not plucked alive out of his head.” “It will be easy for me to compa…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENw
“Said Arthur, “Which of the marvels will it be best for us now to seek first?” “It will be best to seek for the two cubs of Gast Rhymhi.” “Is it known,” asked Arthur, “where she is?” “She is in Aber Deu Cleddyf,” said one.
Then Arthur went…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENy
“And thence he sent Menw the son of Teirgwaedd to see if the precious things were between the two ears of Twrch Trwyth, since it were useless to encounter him if they were not there.
Albeit it was certain where he was, for he had laid waste…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENz
“And the third day Arthur himself encountered him, and he fought with him nine nights and nine days without so much as killing even one little pig.
The warriors inquired of Arthur what was the origin of that swine; and he told them that he…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWEN{
“And he slew Huandaw, and Gogigwr, and Penpingon, three attendants upon Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr, so that Heaven knows he had not an attendant remaining, excepting only Llaesgevyn, a man from whom no one ever derived any good.
And together with…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWEN|
“Twrch Trwyth went from there to between Tawy and Euyas, and Arthur summoned all Cornwall and Devon unto him, to the estuary of the Severn, and he said to the warriors of this Island, “Twrch Trwyth has slain many of my men, but, by the valou…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale THE DREAM OF RHONABWYg
“And upon his feet were hose of fine Totness, and shoes of parti-coloured leather, clasped with gold, and the youth was of noble bearing, fair of face, with ruddy cheeks and large hawk’s eyes.
In the hand of the youth was a mighty lance, sp…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale PWYLL PRINCE OF DYVEDb
““Show me how I may.” “I will show thee.
Behold thus it is thou mayest.
I will make firm friendship with thee; and this will I do.
I will send thee to Annwvyn in my stead, and I will give thee the fairest lady thou didst ever behold to be…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale PWYLL PRINCE OF DYVEDc
“And when he came to the Ford, a knight arose and spake thus.
“Lords,” said he, “listen well.
It is between two kings that this meeting is, and between them only.
Each claimeth of the other his land and territory, and do all of you stand…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale PWYLL PRINCE OF DYVEDd
““Lord,” said they, “thy wisdom was never so great, and thou wast never so kind or so free in bestowing thy gifts, and thy justice was never more worthily seen than in this year.” “By Heaven,” said he, “for all the good you have enjoyed, you…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale PWYLL PRINCE OF DYVEDj
“Take therefore another wife of whom thou mayest have heirs.
Thou canst not always continue with us, and though thou desire to remain as thou art, we will not suffer thee.” “Truly,” said Pwyll, “we have not long been joined together, and ma…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale PWYLL PRINCE OF DYVEDn
“So the boy was given to Pendaran Dyved, and the nobles of the land were sent with him.
And Teirnyon Twryv Vliant, and his companions, set out for his country, and his possessions, with love and gladness.
And he went not without being offe…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale BRANWEN THE DAUGHTER OF LLYRd
““Llassar Llaesgyvnewid; he came here from Ireland with Kymideu Kymeinvoll, his wife, who escaped from the Iron House in Ireland, when it was made red hot around them, and fled hither.
And it is a marvel to me that thou shouldst know nothin…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MANAWYDDAN THE SON OF LLYRd
“And some of the dogs ran before them and came to a small bush which was near at hand; but as soon as they were come to the bush, they hastily drew back and returned to the men, their hair bristling up greatly.
“Let us go near to the bush,”…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MANAWYDDAN THE SON OF LLYRg
“And if thou doest right, thou wilt not meddle with the creature, but wilt let it go.” “Woe betide me,” said he, “if I would not hang them all could I catch them, and such as I have I will hang.” “Verily, lord,” said she, “there is no reason…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MANAWYDDAN THE SON OF LLYRh
“It has been robbing me, and I am inflicting upon it the doom of a thief.” “Lord,” said he, “rather than see thee touch this reptile, I would purchase its freedom.” “By my confession to Heaven, neither will I sell it nor set it free.” “It is…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MANAWYDDAN THE SON OF LLYRi
“And the third night came unto me my wife and the ladies of the Court, and besought me to transform them.
And I transformed them.
Now she is pregnant.
And had she not been pregnant thou wouldst not have been able to overtake her; but sinc…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYa
“THIS IS THE FOURTH PORTION OF THE MABINOGI Math the son of Mathonwy was lord over Gwynedd, and Pryderi the son of Pwyll was lord over the one-and-twenty Cantrevs of the South; and these were the seven Cantrevs of Dyved, and the seven Cantre…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYb
“Swine are they now called.” “Who owneth them?” “Pryderi the son of Pwyll; they were sent him from Annwvyn, by Arawn the king of Annwvyn, and still they keep that name, half hog, half pig.” “Verily,” asked he, “and by what means may they be…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYc
“Thou mayest exchange them for that which is better.
And I will give these twelve horses, all caparisoned as they are, with their saddles and their bridles, and these twelve greyhounds, with their collars and their leashes as thou seest, an…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYe
“But first I will cause thee to have compensation, and then will I have amends made unto myself.
As for thee, I will take thee to be my wife, and the possession of my dominions will I give unto thy hands.” And Gwydion and Gilvaethwy came no…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYf
“Now these three, such are they:— The three sons of Gilvaethwy the false, The three faithful combatants, Bleiddwn, Hydwn, and Hychdwn the Tall.” Then he struck the two with his magic wand, and they resumed their own nature.
“Oh men,” said h…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYg
““Who is the boy that followeth thee?” she asked.
“This youth, he is thy son,” he answered.
“Alas,” said she, “what has come unto thee that thou shouldst shame me thus?
wherefore dost thou seek my dishonour, and retain it so long as this?…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYh
“And a good enough name it is.
Llew Llaw Gyffes be he called henceforth.” Then the work disappeared in seaweed and sedges, and he went on with it no further.
And for that reason was he called the third Gold-shoemaker.
“Of a truth,” said s…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYi
“Lo, I hear the tumult of the men approaching.” “I will do so, gladly.” So she armed him fully, and that right cheerfully.
“Hast thou finished arming the youth?” said he.
“I have finished,” she answered.
“I likewise have finished,” said G…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYj
““Verily,” said Blodeuwedd, “the Chieftain will speak ill of us if we let him at this hour depart to another land without inviting him in.” “Yes, truly, lady,” said they, “it will be most fitting to invite him.” Then went messengers to meet…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYk
““By making a bath for me by the side of a river, and by putting a roof over the cauldron, and thatching it well and tightly, and bringing a buck, and putting it beside the cauldron.
Then if I place one foot on the buck’s back, and the othe…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYl
“Said the man of the house to the swineherd, “Well, youth, hath thy sow come in to-night?” “She hath,” said he, “and is this instant returned to the pigs.” “Where doth this sow go to?” said Gwydion.
“Every day, when the sty is opened, she g…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYm
“And they passed through the river Cynvael, and went towards a court that there was upon the mountain, and through fear they could not proceed except with their faces looking backwards, so that unawares they fell into the lake.
And they wer…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale THE STORY OF LLUDD AND LLEVELYSb
“And by the common counsel of the nobles, Lludd the son of Beli went to Llevelys his brother, king of France, for he was a man great of counsel and wisdom, to seek his advice.
And they made ready a fleet, and that in secret and in silence,…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale THE STORY OF LLUDD AND LLEVELYSc
“And last of all, after wearying themselves with fierce and furious fighting, they will fall in the form of two pigs upon the covering, and they will sink in, and the covering with them, and they will draw it down to the very bottom of the c…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINa
“In times past there lived in Penllyn a man of gentle lineage, named Tegid Voel, and his dwelling was in the midst of the lake Tegid, and his wife was called Caridwen.
And there was born to him of his wife a son named Morvran ab Tegid, and…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINb
“And just as she was about to stoop upon him, and he was in fear of death, he espied a heap of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn, and he dropped among the wheat, and turned himself into one of the grains.
Then she transformed herself in…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINc
“Elphin of notable qualities, Be not displeased at thy misfortune; Although reclined thus weak in my bag, There lies a virtue in my tongue.
While I continue thy protector Thou hast not much to fear; Remembering the names of the Trinity, Non…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINe
“Now when Elphin had been put in a tower of the castle, with a thick chain about his feet (it is said that it was a silver chain, because he was of royal blood), the king, as the story relates, sent his son Rhun to inquire into the demeanour…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINg
“And so, when the bards and the heralds came to cry largess, and to proclaim the power of the king and his strength, at the moment that they passed by the corner wherein he was crouching, Taliesin pouted out his lips after them, and played “…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINh
“I have been with my Lord in the manger of the ass: I strengthened Moses through the water of Jordan; I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene; I have obtained the muse from the cauldron of Caridwen; I have been bard of the harp to L…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINm
“containing the Graal in Welsh, as early as the time of Henry I.
I had hoped to have added this to the present collection; but the death of Col.
Vaughan, to whom I applied, and other subsequent circumstances, have prevented me from obtaini…”
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◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Ceremonial Magic and Sorceryb
“Man, incapable of controlling his own appetites, is not equal to the task of governing the fiery and tempestuous elemental spirits.
Many a magician has lost his life as the result of opening a way whereby submundane creatures could become…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Elements and Their Inhabitantse
“The imagination of the Greeks peopled the regions of earth and sea with divinities, to whose agency it attributed the phenomena that our philosophy ascribes to the operation of natural law." Thus, in behalf of the plant it worked with, the…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | American Indian Symbolismg
“To secure this information, Hunahpu pulled a hair from his leg, which hair then became a strange insect called Xan ; buzzing along the black road, the Xan entered the council chamber of the princes of Xibalba and stung the leg of the figure…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | American Indian Symbolismi
“Concerning these rolls, Colonel Carrick Mallery writes: "To persons acquainted with secret societies, a good comparison for the Midewiwin charts would be what is called a trestleboard of a Masonic order, which is printed and published and p…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | American Indian Symbolismk
“Pisces, their ashes turning into man-fishes , and later back into human form." It would seem more appropriate to assign the river of blood to Aries and that of mud to Taurus, and it is not at all improbable that in the ancient form of the l…”
◆Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi) | Introductiona
“Behind the veil of all the hieratic and mystical allegories of ancient doctrines, behind the darkness and strange ordeals of all initiations, under the seal of all sacred writings, in the ruins of Nineveh or Thebes, on the crumbling stones…”
◆Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi) | 14. Transmutationsa
“SPHERA LUNAE SEMPITERNUM AUXILIUM St.
AUGUSTINE questioned seriously whether Apuleius could have been changed into an ass by a Thessalian sorceress, and theologians have long debated about the transformation of Nebuchadnezzar into a wild b…”
◆Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi) | 14. Transmutationsc
“She accused him when he wished to withdraw from her, and the conversion of this young woman was a revenge, for there is nothing more cruel than depraved passions.
An influential society, which intervened in the trial of Grandier for the de…”
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◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1b
“Hail to the giver!
| a guest has come; Where shall the stranger sit?
Swift shall he be who, | with swords shall try The proof of his might to make.
[1.
This stanza is quoted by Snorri, the second line being omitted in most of the Prose…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1h
“In a brother's slayer, | if thou meet him abroad, In a half-burned house, | in a horse full swift-- One leg is hurt | and the horse is useless-- None had ever such faith | as to trust in them all.
89.
Hope not too surely | for early harve…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1i
“50 Foul scorn was my meed | from the crafty maid, And nought from the woman I won.
* * * 103.
Though glad at home, | and merry with guests, A man shall be wary and wise; The sage and shrewd, | wide wisdom seeking, Must see that his speech…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1o
“A sixth I know, | if harm one seeks With a sapling's roots to send me; The hero himself | who wreaks his hate Shall taste the ill ere I.
153.
A seventh I know, | if I see in flames The hall o'er my comrades' heads; It burns not so wide |…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Voluspo | Section 1f
“Lothur : apparently an older name for Loki, the treacherous but ingenious son of Laufey, whose divinity Snorri regards as somewhat doubtful.
He was adopted by Othin, who subsequently had good reason to regret it.
Loki probably represents…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Voluspo | Section 1i
“On all sides saw I | Valkyries assemble, Ready to ride | to the ranks of the gods; Skuld bore the shield, | and Skogul rode next, Guth, Hild, Gondul, | and Geirskogul.
Of Herjan's maidens | the list have ye heard, Valkyries ready | to ride…”
gnosticism4
◆Pistis Sophia | Document FIRSTe
“And having come, coming unto the World I came unto the midst of the Rulers of the Sphere, I was the likeness of Gabriel the angel of the Aeons, and knew me not the Rulers of the Aeons.
But they were thinking that I am Gabriel the angel.
I…”
◆Pistis Sophia | Document SECONDe
“And the Self-willed dispatched out of the Height in the thirteenth Aeon, he dispatched another great power of light, it came down unto the Chaos as an [125 ] arrow flying, that he should help his emanations, and take away the lights of the…”
◆Pistis Sophia | Document THIRD}
“And the tenth chamber there are many Rulers in it seven heads of dragon to each of them in their original face, and he who is over them all they are wont to call his name in their Place, Xarmarokh.
And eleventh chamber, there are many Rule…”
◆Pistis Sophia | Document THIRD
“These (commands) are those which are wont the Rulers of the great Destiny of the Aeons they are wont to deliver them (him, MS ) to the counterfeit spirit: and are wont the Rulers, they are wont to call the Ministers of the Aeons amounting t…”
renaissance_hermeticism4
◆Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter XXIX — What Things Are Under the Power of Mercury, and Are Called Mercurial | Chapter XXIX, Section 1
“CHAPTER XXIX. What Things Are Under the Power of Mercury, and Are Called Mercurial . Things under Mercury are these: Amongst Elements, water, though it moves all things indistinctly. Amongst humors, those especially which are mixed, as also…”
◆Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter XXXVI — Of the Union of Mixed Things, and the Introduction of a More Noble Form and the Senses of Life | Chapter XXXVI, Section 1
“CHAPTER XXXVI. Of the Union of Mixed Things, and the Introduction of a More Noble Form and the Senses of Life . Moreover , we must know, that by how much the more noble the form of anything is, by so much the more prone and apt it is to rec…”
◆Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter XLI — XLI. Of Sorceries, and Their Power | Chapter XLI, Section 1
“CHAPTER XLI. Of Sorceries, and Their Power . The force of sorceries is reported to be so great that they are believed to be able to subvert, consume and change all inferior things, according to Virgil's muse: Mœris for me these herbs in Pon…”
◆Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter XLV — Of Collyries, Unctions, Love-Medicines, and Their Virtues | Chapter XLV, Section 1b
“Also by divers rites, observations, ceremonies, religions and superstitions; all which shall be handled in their places.
And not only by these kind of arts are passions, apparitions and images induced, but also things themselves, which are…”
mesopotamian1
◆Epic of Gilgamesh: Tablet VI — Ishtar and the Bull of Heaven | Tablet VI, Section 1b
“(Sooth), thou shalt vouch (?) for the truth (?) of (this) list—Thy maidenhood's consort, Tammuz, each year dost make him the cause of Wailing , (then cometh Next) the bird Roller gay-feather’d thou lovedst, and (yet) thou didst smite him 50…”