The world of mythological themes has been influenced by two differentiated ways of life. On one side, we had the palaeolithic north western African groups of hunting individuals, who created a type of myth, while on the other side, we had western Europe neolithic community groups – which archaeological evidences direct to a Near Eastern origin -, who had other clearly defined beliefs and rituals. These two clearly differentiated ways of life and social organisation resulted, with the pass of time, into the shape of two great mythological themes: a patriarchal male godship form versus a matriarchal Goddess myth theme.
This neolithic community group shaped a mythological structure that reached many regions, even continents, becoming the main theme throughout Europe. Palaeolithic Ireland though, detached from main land, isolated from mainstream European thought patterns, with groups of people living out of walrus, seal and whale fishing, influenced also Europe and its mythological themes, which were not the ones inherited from Neolithic community groups. In Ireland is found a different mythology from the one coming from Greece and the one created by the celts, who inhabited those areas on a later date.
This pre-homeric matriarchal myth theme is found on the surface on Olympian myth and on Greek cults. It is also found in Irish tale storying classics, such as the variety of mythological tales mentioned by Robert Graves in “The White Goddess”. The same matriarchal myth origins are found in many other places. It is not the same the Virgin Mary of the Cathedral of Guadalupe in Mexico than the one found in Notre Dame. The Mexican Virgin Mary is close to the Serpent Goddess Coatlicue, while the French Mary is close to the Gallo-Roman Venus shrine. This same Mother Goddess Isis is camouflaged, assimilated by Mary in the Mediterranean. Evidences all over the world of this all-supportive, all-inclusive naked female goddess are found.
Seems as if the Queen of the Martyrs ended up being the only survivor (of the naked goddess) coming from Palaeolithic cults. It evolved into the mother goddess of life, death and resurrection and turned into a dark magic mysterious and dangerous female goddess. In Crete, between 2500 and 1250 BC and in the Indus Valley, in Harappa and Mohenjodaro, around also that time, appeared a myth related to the twin queens with a child, who becomes God, all forming the “divine family”. In Sumer, the dead and resurrected god Dumuzi-Absu, appears with two goddesses, the living goddess Innana, who later became Aphrodite and the death queen Ereshkigal, who became Persephone. All these characters sound familiar to Greek Historians and Hellenic myth readers. It is as if the previous matriarchal mythological theme was hidden beneath the surface of powerful patriarchal myths. It is as if intentionally communities tried hard transforming this matriarchal myth into a cult of male godship.
Greek mythology though was influenced by various themes. On one side we have the emotional religion of the pre-greek population, with a mystical tendency on their thought. Then we have Indio-Germanic invading groups, who entrusted the protection of the unwritten laws of their patriarchal order to the gods. However, patriarchal Olympian pantheistic thought dominated and succeed in Greece. This new coming mythological belief system did not have an Indio-Aryan or Semite origin, neither brought this paradise theme or followed the Mother-Goddess of life and death, who transmitted control without fear. These themes appearing on Greek mythology seem to be inheritance of a previous matriarchal way of thought.
The mother goddess, or Mother Right, as is found in Ireland, connected with the waxing and waning of the moon, with the cow in Ancient Egypt and in opposition to the Sun God Re, the Solar lion eagle god. The cow goddess Hathor in Ancient Egypt, whom four legs are the four pillars of the quarters of the earth and her belly the firmament, brings us to this mother goddess, who embraces and is part of everything in nature. Poseidon, being connected with the bull and the trident, living beneath the water, seems to take part of this responsibility of the Mother goddess. In Sumer, we find the golden bull head on the harp, which symbolises the music of moon bull connecting with the queen of death. A transition seems to pass from female to male godship.
The story of the Minotaur is no less than a transition to man god. In the language of mythology, the image of the Minotaur equates the idea of the moon bull god with that of the moon man or king. It seems as the stories mix male godship with symbols that prior to this transformation process, belonged to the Mother Right. In Crete though preponderated goddesses and female cults, which points at a Mother Right myth governing there, just as in Ireland during Palaeolithic times. This mind thought system though collapsed together with Crete and its female dominated hierarchy of gods and goddesses, giving life to what became Homeric myth.
The transformation of myth from matriarchal to patriarchal would go through steps. It is in India and Greece where forms and spreads the appearance of this goddess, who is both benign (cow) and terrible (lioness), associated with growth, nourishment and death of all beings, particularly vegetation. This goddess will come symbolised by the tree of life. At the same time, another theme developed, the moon bull god, connected with the waning and waxing of the moon, with the trident, and who practiced regicide to bring back life to earth.
Therefore, two mythological themes came from one preceding kingship of Sumer and Egypt, and one they expanded around the world through trade. This resulted in exceptional findings, such as Minoan art influence in various areas of the British Islands. These pieces of work were stone age art forms made at times when it was believed that within two phases of myth making process, it passed from mother earth goddess story telling to a new most powerful sun god and male dominated myth form.
This transformation can definitely be felt on the Mycenaean heroic age of Agamemnon, Menelaus, Nestor and Odysseus, the long productive world age of warrior Gods’ sons. These kind of stories supported the theme of the whole ancestry line, which purposely reinforced the ego, releasing royalty from the overrule of the priestly and the stars, transforming the state from a hieratic to a dynastic system, and therefore conquering the latter the whole world, transforming forever myth and so human mind thought.
Panacas 