Examining the Nexus of History and Legend

 The major area within Lore that fascinates me is the nexus between history and legend. What makes certain historical people legends? Why do some people and their exploits become mythic, and not others? How did these particular historical figures embed themselves into the public imagination?

 I became first aware of this phenomena with Davy Crockett. I had learned that he was probably taken prisoner of war after the Battle of the Alamo (1836), and later killed. Both the Alamo and Crockett loom large in people’s imaginations for different reasons. The Battle of the Alamo became a powerful story of martyrdom for Texas independence. Meanwhile Crocket was famous for his tales of his frontier exploits. Since the Disney series of the 1950s featured him dying during the battle, various people have objected to the notion of Crockett being a prisoner. However, there is confusion about where and when he died. Perhaps because of this murkiness, people refer that Crockett died a heroic death. His dying at the Alamo would number him amongst the Texan martyrs.

 Then there is the story of how Eliot Ness brought Al Capone (Alphonse Capone) to justice. Because of “The Untouchables,” the memoir of Ness during his days as a U.S. Treasury Agent in Chicago, and later the TV program that featured his exploits, people believed that he had put the notorious gangster Capone in prison. However, it was the IRA agent Frank Wilson, and his special task force who brought the charges of income tax evasion against Capone in 1931. Few people realize that Capone was convicted for not paying his federal income taxes, and not for his other heinous crimes.
 Did this epic story come from Ness igniting the public imagination with his colorful memoir? His writing makes for a compelling story of good overcoming evil. Since Capone seemed to be such a monster, and Ness so incorruptible and heroic, the two men became yoked together in a Christian morality play of good versus evil. Becoming larger than life, Ness and Capone morphed into equal and opposing forces locked in a titanic struggle.

 Is there a nexus between notoriety and mystery that propels someone to be a legend? Consider the continual popularity of the infamous mobster, Lucky Luciano (Salvatore Lucania (1897-1962)). What makes him memorable while his contemporaries are relatively forgotten? Although Frank Costello (Francesco Castiglia), a friend of Luciano, became known as the “Prime Minister of the Mob,” few outside of crime history have heard of him. Meanwhile, popular culture made Luciano “Public Enemy Number One.” Stories about his scars, attempted murder, and gangster life abound. Often, these tales have been embellished around a small grain of truth.  Many people viewed Luciano as the successful antihero, who thwarted authority. By living vicariously through his exploits, they could feel powerful themselves.

 Various historians have studied to understand how Luciano could have such a broad effect society and economics. How did he have a lasting impact that Capone did not? If Crockett was not connected to the Battle of the Alamo, how would he be remembered? How did one person become a name mentioned in passing, whilst another is a subject of serious study and fascination?

 I would like to explore how someone like Luciano became a factor in people’s lives. Was he, the catalyst who changed organized crime and law enforcement? What was his archetypical role in crime, history, and culture? What was the difference between Luciano and the others? What is the power of archetypes in history? With a focus on the crime history of the U.S. during the 1920s and 1930s, I would compare and contrast Luciano with other colorful gangsters to understand why.

Works Used.
Cipollini, Christian, “Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend.” 2014. Strategic Media: Rock Hill, SC. Print.
Minister, Christopher, “The Biography of Davy Crockett.” About.com. 2014. Web. http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/thehistoryofmexico/p/Biography-Of-Davy-Crockett.htm .
“Did Davy Crockett Die At the Alamo?” 2014. Web. http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/TexasIndependence/p/Did-Davy-Crockett-Die-In-Battle-At-The-Alamo.htm .
 Tucker, Neely, “Eliot Ness and Al Capone, The Men, the Myths, and the Bad Man in the Dark.” The Washington Post. 18, February 2014. Web. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/eliot-ness-and-al-capone-the-men-the-myths-and-the-bad-man-in-the-dark/2014/02/18/8223c47a-95aa-11e3-afce-3e7c922ef31e_story.html .

A Very Brief History of the Tarot

In Northern Italy during the early Renaissance, the Tarot developed as a card game, much like today’s Bridge. It later became a gambling card game. In Europe, people still see the Tarot as a card game. The Tarot’s use for divination did not occur until the 1800s in England.

Meanwhile, playing cards came to Europe from Moslem Spain. They consisted of the four suits with a court of a king and two males. The Tarot deck of today is the merger of the Tarot’s Major Arcana, the Fool, the Queens, and playing cards. (The Joker originated in the United States in the 1850s for use in Poker and Euchre games.)

The Tarot deck familiar to people in the United States is the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) one. Named for the company that published the deck and its creators, RWS was created in the early 1900s. Arthur Edwards Waite wrote an overview of the traditions, history, and commentary for each Tarot card. In addition, he changed some of the Major Arcana from the traditional Marseilles deck. Meanwhile, his illustrator, Pamela Coleman-Smith revolutionized the Minor Arcana with her pictures. (Before that, the Minor Arcana were done in geometric patterns.)

In the 1940s, Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris developed the Thoth Deck to update the RWS deck. Crowley infused the Thoth Deck with symbolism of the occult. Therefore, many people today often find this brightly colored deck more difficult to read.

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Many Tarot decks have animals in them, and the animals add to the meanings of each card. For example, the lion and crab are in several cards. Lion represents strength, while the crab represents the moon and water.

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Tarot card from "Australian Animal Tarot" by Ann Williams-Fitzgerald

"A History of Pagan Europe"

Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick, “A History of Pagan Europe”, (Routledge U.K., 1995, Reprint 2005, ISBN 0-415-15804-4)

People new to Paganism will benefit greatly from this book. By tracing Pagan religious history from early Crete to modern Europe, Jones and Pennick introduce people to the depth of Pagan philosophy. By placing the European peoples in their Pagan religious milieu, the authors eliminate various Christian filters. Unlike many other books, Jones and Pennick do not assume that monotheism is the epitome of Western civilization.

By detailing Christian versus Pagan thought, the authors give the readers a solid grounding in Paganism. In discussing Roman piety, the authors write, “Interesting the Latin word superstitio simply meant religious practice which was outside the State rituals…private religion which could well be duly registered…. The Romans regulated people’s actions; the Greeks with finer sophistication, also judged people’s attitudes,” (p. 49) What I conclude from this is that Pagans usually regarded the structure of worship to be the most important.

This book expands on the tensions between Pagans and Christians. Two concepts in the Christian religion put them on the offensive. As a rule, Pagans were tolerant of other Pantheons, as long as the State Gods were properly honored. Christians, on the other hand, regarded the belief in any God but theirs (heresy) was a sin. Sin, another alien concept, baffled many Pagans. People break laws but they do not ‘stain their souls’. To “save” them, Christians had to forcibly convert Pagans.

What surprised me is the durability of Paganism. Instead of disappearing, it forced Christianity to adapt to it. For example, many early Christian saints are Pagan Gods in disguise. Many Pagan customs are intertwined with Christian holidays. Few Christians, today, know that many of their holidays are Pagan High Holidays, with a Christian flavor.

After discovering the varieties of various Pagan faiths, the reader takes heart that people can go back to their ancestral faiths. The history of Paganism in Europe is a fascinating one. Rather than the progression to monotheism that many histories present, this book shows how Pagan philosophies borrowed from each other. Each had their own specific focus but adapted from others. Celts borrowed from the Romans, while the Finns borrowed from the Norse. The Gods remain eternal, worshipped in Their various Aspects by peoples.