The Cyclops

This article discusses the find of a rare albino cyclops shark.  The shark, literally, has one eye in the middle of its head.  As one comment said, "it looks like Mike Wazowski." 

What is most interesting, however, is that the article also mentions that other animals - and people - are sometimes born with the same rare condition.  The genetic abnormality that causes it also appears to cause numerous other problems, including brain abnormalities, but the fact remains that something long-thought by most to be completely false is possible.

Homer writes of a group of such people in his poem, The Odyssey.  They are a family of large individuals who all appear to have a fairly low intelligence level.  Polyphemus, the Cyclops with whom Odysseus becomes entangled, falls for a fairly elementary deception - when asked what his name is, Odysseus responds "Noman."  After having his eye gouged out by the hero of the poem, Cyclops' brothers call out to him, "Who has done this?"  Polyphemus' response is, "Noman is taking me by force!"

We know that the Cyclops is large enough to grab two men up in his hands, but we also know that he is small enough to herd and milk goats.  This is not, then, a creature who towers twenty feet over people, but is, perhaps, something a little smaller - nine, ten, maybe even twelve feet.  While such a height is definitely outside the normal development of humans, it is not outside the realm of possibility.  The late Andre the Giant was a mere 7'4" tall, and he could easily detain an average-sized man with one hand.

If, and we know this is true, a living creature can be born with one eye, then is it not possible that such a person could survive?  From what we gather from Homer, the Cyclops was genetically abnormal and mentally unstable, two characteristics that are known to accompany cyclopian conditions.
 
Now, let's take a weird turn and address the fact that the Turkish epic, Dede Korkut, tells a story of a large, cannibalistic cyclops, who lived in mountain caves.  But wait!  There's more!  In Albania, Hajnjeri would regularly invade villages to eat people, and in a remote section of France, the Basque people believed in a vicious, one-eyed giant who lived in the mountains with them, and regularly attempted to steal some of them away for his own consumption.  What is interesting about the Basque people is that they were isolated from all other human contact for centuries -in other words, they had never read Homer. 

But wait, if the Cyclops existed, then are we also to believe that Circe and her abilities existed?  Did Calypso truly have an enchanted island?  Did the crew really turn into pigs?  I'm not suggesting this.  What I am suggesting is that, even if parts of Homer's poem are false, we cannot immediately rule out the rest of it. 

And that is a lesson we can take with us no matter which ancient story we are reading.     

Norse Creation

In the beginning, there was only The Void.  The Void remained for many years, until Muspell emerged in the South.  Muspell was volcanic, with plumes of steam, fire, and ash.  In the North, Niflheim came into being, and it was a frozen land of ice and wind.

The Void was between them, and the Eleven Rivers flowed into The Void.  The Void was temperate and calm, until the two realms began to meet in it.  Niflheim began to freeze the Northern part of The Void, and Muspell began to melt the Southern part.  All was disorder and chaos, and from the drops of water life was created.  Ymir, the ancestor of the frost giants, emerged from this water.

While Ymir slept, the sweat from his arms and legs created a man and woman, as well as his son.  The man and woman came from his left armpit, and his son came from his legs.  While he slept and the ice of The Void continued to melt, Audumbla, the Cow, was created.

Audumbla nourished Ymir with her milk, and sustained herself on the salty ice of Niflheim.  Buri, another being, appeared, and he had a son named Bor.  Bor married Bestla, and their three sons were Odin, Vili, and Ve.

The sons of Bor killed and dismembered Ymir, and used his body to fashion the world.  His body, bones, and blood made the mountains, islands, and rivers of the world.  The maggots that emerged from his flesh were used to make the Dwarves.  The Dwarves were placed at the four corners of the earth, and their job was to hold the sky.

The sons of Bor took the coal from Muspellheim and made the sun, moon, and stars, and placed them in the sky.  The created the world in the form of a ball, and surrounded it with water.

The frost giants were at war with the humans, so the sons of Bor created Jotunheim in which the giants could dwell.  For themselves, they created a fortified place known as Midgard.  In the midst of Midgard, the sons of Bor used an Ash and an Elm to create the first man and woman.  Their names were Ask and Embla, and they are the parents of the entire human race.
 
With the frost giants safely at a distance, Odin, Ve and Vili set up markers for measuring seasons, days, and years.  Night and Day were ruled by chariots, whom Odin set in the sky.  Hrimfaxi the horse pulled the chariot of Night, and Skinfaxi the mare pulled the chariot of Day.  The chariots circled the world every two half-days. 

Mundilfari, one of the men, had two children.  His daughter was named Sun, and she had a fiery beauty.  Mundilfari's son was named Moon, and he had a radiant glow.  When the children were older and in their prime, Odin kidnapped them, placing them in the sky.  Sun drove the chariot of the sun, and Moon drove the chariot of the moon.  Moon guided the moon through the sky, making determinations on its phases, keeping ahead of the wolf Hati Hrodnitnisson, which tries to devour her.  Sun, who has no taste for phases, guides the sun through the sky, keeping ever-ahead of the wolf Skoll.

These actions, though, are futile.  One day, Ragnarok will happen, and both the sun and the moon will be devoured by these wolves.  This is how we will know that the End of Days has arrived.

The Myth of Fire

Back when man was new, no one knew how to make fire.  At night, they were cold, and during the day, they were hungry, for they had no way to cook food.  But Fuxi felt pity for the people, and so sent a thunderstorm down into the forest.  The trees burned with the lightning, and the people were afraid.  But one of them felt the warmth coming from the fire, and called everyone to him.

The people, rather than cold, could now stay warm.  But there were also animals in the forest, and many of them were killed by the lightning, and their flesh began to cook.  When the people smelled the enticing aroma of the cooking meat, they tried some, and then learned how to cook.  So from then on, day after day, the people would light branches, and keep the fire going.

But one day, the young man in charge of keeping the fire going fell asleep, and the fire went out.  Having grown accustomed to warmth, light, and food, the people were more terrified than before, and were at their wits' end.  Fuxi came to the first young man (the one who discovered the use of fire) in a dream, and told him that he could find fire in the country of Sui Ming.  So the young man awoke and set out to find Sui Ming.

After many struggles and many days, the young man reached Sui Ming, but found it to be a place of total darkness.  There was no fire - there was not even a hint of the sun or moon.  Sui Ming had no light, and the young man, confused and (slightly) scared, sat down under a great tree whose roots stretched for thousands of miles in all directions.  Its branches hung thick and dense overhead, and the young man expected it to be dark under the tree, as well.

But it was not.

As the young man watched, flashes of light would spark around the tree.  Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were birds who pecked at the tree, causing sparks, and that the wood of the tree could cause fire.  So he broke off a branch from the tree, and used it to bore a hole in the tree's trunk.  At long last, smoke drifted from the hole as he drilled, and a fire started.

The young man went home, taking his new skill with him.  Now, the people have a fire that will never go out, because they can always make fire.  They are never cold, nor hungry, nor afraid, and they named the young man "Sui," because he brought them fire.

-Chinese Mythology

Giants and Amazon

Hey, everyone!  I just wanted to send an update on something that (to me) is exciting.  In the last twenty-four hours, Giants has jumped more than 1.1 million spots on the Amazon sales rank!  Now, to be fair, this still leaves it at #55,113, but to be honest, I'm not looking for a best seller here, I'm just happy that this is the highest it has ever been.  That means that more and more people are reading this book and discovering that it takes more faith to not believe the Bible, than it does to believe the Bible.  And that, friends, is the whole point of writing my books:  to meet the Bible and, through that, to meet the God of the Bible.  So thanks for purchasing my book, and keep sharing the Gospel with other people!

-Charles