Northeast earthquake: Was it Loki, Poseidon, or Namazu?



(Loki)



Although some attribute seismic activity to the shifting of the earth’s plates, others claim to know better.  Over the years, earthquake activity has been traced to the struggles of the Norse god Loki, the tantrums of the Greek god Poseidon, and/or the thrashing of the giant Japanese catfish Namazu.

Loki’s numerous struggles have been often brought about by his changeable nature.  Ever the prankster, he has been sometimes good, and sometimes quite the opposite.  His cordial relationship with the Norse gods ended suddenly when he was found to have played a significant role in the death of Baldr “the brave, the good, and the shining god.”  It was Loki who engineered this killing by making a spear out of mistletoe, the one plant that was not under the protective vows of Baldr’s mother, Frigg.  Then Loki tricked Baldr’s brother, Hoor the blind god, into hurling this spear right at Baldr.  According to Wikipedia, this fatal event was the “first in a chain of events which will ultimately lead to the destruction of the gods at Ragnarok.”

Whereas Loki cleverly engineered his destruction, Poseidon often simply lost his cool.  When he felt sufficiently “offended or ignored,”  he would strike the ground with his mighty trident, thus causing “chaotic springs, earthquakes, drowning and shipwrecks.”  That’s because Poseidon was not only “master of waters,” but also “lord of the earth” (aka “Earth-shaker”).  He was apparently so feared that even Alexander the Great stopped at the Syrian shore before the Battle of Issus, and sacrificed a four-horse chariot to Poseidon.

Another aquatic force to be reckoned with has been Namazu, the giant catfish that lives “in the mud beneath the earth.”  Namazu is normally restrained with a stone by the Shinto god Kashima.  Sometimes, however, Kashima slips up and allows Namazu to thrash about.  This is allegedly what causes intermittent earthquakes to occur.  It is also what has resulted in Namazu being worshipped as a yonaoshi daimyojin (“god of world rectification”) by some.

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poseidon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namazu_(Japanese_mythology)

Copyright August 24, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved