After decades of Bible study and years of attempting to eat kale, I am now firmly convinced that kale is of the Devil. It's sharp, thistle-like leaves are almost the perfect example of the "thorns and thistles" with which God curses man in Genesis 3. But, as with all things, God can redeem it, and He has left a way to cook kale that actually allows it to be edible - and even taste good! This is a really simple recipe that requires very little culinary skill, and it allows you enjoy the benefits of kale without the suffering.
So kale is a really tough leaf, and chewing it can feel like trying to chew a piece of silicone. The key, therefore, is to break down the tough fibers of the leaf. The second issue is flavor - kale tastes like weeds. It's a strange mix of broccoli, cabbage, and grass, and so imparting some kind of flavor is important. So you need lots of cooking and lots of flavor.
With that said, let's get going:
2 T olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
one bunch of kale, washed and finely chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1) Heat oil in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and saute, stirring, for 30 seconds.
2) Add kale, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes. Add vinegar, stirring to incorporate, and cook for another ten minutes. If kale seems dry, add 1/4-1/2 cup water. Add salt and pepper to taste (I do about 1/4t each).
3) Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a tight fitting lid, and let simmer for 1 hour.
4) Remove lid. Kale should be moist and the leaves quite soft. If it's not done yet, cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
5) Remove lid and let simmer for 15 more minutes, or until the water is mostly evaporated. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Thursday, July 12, 2018
Thursday, July 5, 2018
The Myth of Fire, Part 2
The Maori people (Polynesia/New Zealand) also have a story that explains the origin of fire. Now, to be fair, their story begins in medias res, after mankind already has fire. In this story, however, humans have to keep their fires burning continuously, since no one knows how to start a fire. In other words, once the fires goes out, everyone is doomed to eat raw food.
Maui, being a bit of a trickster - as well as a demigod - decided to find out exactly where fire originates, so once everyone was asleep, he ran around and put out all of the world's fires. Then, when everyone woke up to find that they could not cook breakfast, he volunteered to go find more fire.
The source of fire was located inside of a burning mountain, all red and glowing, hot as the sun. Mahuika, the goddess of fire, was more than happy to give Maui one of her toenails, once she discovered that earth had lost all of its fire.
However, after a series of deceptions on Maui's part, after which Mahuika had given up all but one of her toenails and her fingernails, the goddess grew angry, and tried to engulf Maui in flames. He turned into a hawk and fled, but fire had singed his wings, and the waters over which he flew boiled with the heat. She threw her remaining toenail at him, which landed in a tree and embedded the fire in the tree.
Maui brought a branch back, bringing with it fire, which he then gave to the rest of the world (and there was much rejoicing).
On the surface, the story is vastly different from the previous stories. But notice a few of the details:
1) Maui is semi-divine - like Giant and Prometheus, Maui is a supernatural creature, but not one of the chief gods of his culture
2) Maui is a trickster - like Giant and Prometheus, Maui is deceptive, and he uses his deception to his advantage
3) Maui's trickster nature angers the more powerful goddess - like the gods of the Tsimshians, or the gods of the Greek Pantheon, the goddess Mahuika is furious at Maui's attempts to steal her fire
4) That blasted stick - Like Prometheus, who brings fire back in a fennel stalk, and Agni, who brings it back in the pramanthaya, Maui brings fire back in a stick.
5) Source of fire - Maui may not have ascended into the heavens, but he did go to the ends of the earth, and while he may not have retrieved the fire from the sun, he did retrieve it from the largest burning object on earth.
There are other, minor connections - the fact that Giant and Maui both transform into birds, for example - but these five points are interesting. Again, I'm not trying to say that this story is 100% accurate, or that there was even a mountain of fire somewhere on the earth at some point, but these details keep popping up all over the globe, and between cultures that have no relation to each other whatsoever.
This should make us pause and reconsider the narrative of our past that most people so readily accept and believe. Perhaps there really were giants in our ancient past, and perhaps they really were heroes of old and men of renown. And if the Bible is right about that point, what else might it be right about?
For a detailed telling of the story, please click here.
Maui, being a bit of a trickster - as well as a demigod - decided to find out exactly where fire originates, so once everyone was asleep, he ran around and put out all of the world's fires. Then, when everyone woke up to find that they could not cook breakfast, he volunteered to go find more fire.
The source of fire was located inside of a burning mountain, all red and glowing, hot as the sun. Mahuika, the goddess of fire, was more than happy to give Maui one of her toenails, once she discovered that earth had lost all of its fire.
However, after a series of deceptions on Maui's part, after which Mahuika had given up all but one of her toenails and her fingernails, the goddess grew angry, and tried to engulf Maui in flames. He turned into a hawk and fled, but fire had singed his wings, and the waters over which he flew boiled with the heat. She threw her remaining toenail at him, which landed in a tree and embedded the fire in the tree.
Maui brought a branch back, bringing with it fire, which he then gave to the rest of the world (and there was much rejoicing).
On the surface, the story is vastly different from the previous stories. But notice a few of the details:
1) Maui is semi-divine - like Giant and Prometheus, Maui is a supernatural creature, but not one of the chief gods of his culture
2) Maui is a trickster - like Giant and Prometheus, Maui is deceptive, and he uses his deception to his advantage
3) Maui's trickster nature angers the more powerful goddess - like the gods of the Tsimshians, or the gods of the Greek Pantheon, the goddess Mahuika is furious at Maui's attempts to steal her fire
4) That blasted stick - Like Prometheus, who brings fire back in a fennel stalk, and Agni, who brings it back in the pramanthaya, Maui brings fire back in a stick.
5) Source of fire - Maui may not have ascended into the heavens, but he did go to the ends of the earth, and while he may not have retrieved the fire from the sun, he did retrieve it from the largest burning object on earth.
There are other, minor connections - the fact that Giant and Maui both transform into birds, for example - but these five points are interesting. Again, I'm not trying to say that this story is 100% accurate, or that there was even a mountain of fire somewhere on the earth at some point, but these details keep popping up all over the globe, and between cultures that have no relation to each other whatsoever.
This should make us pause and reconsider the narrative of our past that most people so readily accept and believe. Perhaps there really were giants in our ancient past, and perhaps they really were heroes of old and men of renown. And if the Bible is right about that point, what else might it be right about?
For a detailed telling of the story, please click here.
Monday, June 25, 2018
The Myth of Fire
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
Where would mankind be without fire? We wouldn't cook, keep warm, sing cheesy songs, or - and this is the most shocking revelation of all - toast marshmallows. But if I were a betting man, I would bet that one thing few of us ever contemplate is how fire was “invented” (or, perhaps more accurately, “discovered”) in the first place. And when we do, I think we tend to have an almost comical view of the process. Maybe we picture a very frightened caveman being surprised when a lightning bolt strikes a tree and the tree bursts into flames. As the caveman feels the heat radiating from the tree, his eyes widen in understanding. Grabbing a flaming branch and making grunting sounds, he runs off in the direction of his cave-dwelling family, and, amidst their cries and screams of pain, proudly burns them. Later, they forgive him when they eat their first bite of flame-broiled mastodon.
Or maybe we picture a group of primitive men rubbing sticks together, just for fun (movies weren't around yet), and out pops a little smoke and a small flame. Excited, the men promptly singe their eyebrows as they lean in for a closer look.
These are silly, I know, but they’re fairly close to what I have always pictured as the “discovery of fire.” But what if those visions are wrong? What if the discovery wasn’t an accident, but was brought to us by one of a race - hear me out - of ancient giants?
In the Greek story of Prometheus, the Titan and his brother, Epimetheus, combined their resources and created the world, dividing the work between them. As it turned out, the two brothers were somewhat wasteful so that by the time they came to the creation of man, they were out of the resources they needed in order to set man apart from the animals. So Prometheus, being a little bit on the mischievous side (one of his epithets was “trickster”), ascended into heaven, grabbed part of the sun, and brought it back to earth (he is commonly depicted as holding a flaming torch), giving fire to mankind. The gods were angry with this and, after the Titan War, Prometheus was chained to a rock, where his liver was eaten out daily (it regenerated each night so as to be eaten again the next day).
To my knowledge, this is not a question that has ever been explored. Perhaps we would rather picture the cavemen roasting their mastodons, trading one fantasy for what we consider another, more “reasonable” one. The fact remains that speculation is speculation, no matter how reasonable it may seem, but based on the literary evidence, it seems far more likely that mankind received the gift of fire, not from an accident, but from a giant.
-Genesis 6:4
Where would mankind be without fire? We wouldn't cook, keep warm, sing cheesy songs, or - and this is the most shocking revelation of all - toast marshmallows. But if I were a betting man, I would bet that one thing few of us ever contemplate is how fire was “invented” (or, perhaps more accurately, “discovered”) in the first place. And when we do, I think we tend to have an almost comical view of the process. Maybe we picture a very frightened caveman being surprised when a lightning bolt strikes a tree and the tree bursts into flames. As the caveman feels the heat radiating from the tree, his eyes widen in understanding. Grabbing a flaming branch and making grunting sounds, he runs off in the direction of his cave-dwelling family, and, amidst their cries and screams of pain, proudly burns them. Later, they forgive him when they eat their first bite of flame-broiled mastodon.
Or maybe we picture a group of primitive men rubbing sticks together, just for fun (movies weren't around yet), and out pops a little smoke and a small flame. Excited, the men promptly singe their eyebrows as they lean in for a closer look.
These are silly, I know, but they’re fairly close to what I have always pictured as the “discovery of fire.” But what if those visions are wrong? What if the discovery wasn’t an accident, but was brought to us by one of a race - hear me out - of ancient giants?
In the Greek story of Prometheus, the Titan and his brother, Epimetheus, combined their resources and created the world, dividing the work between them. As it turned out, the two brothers were somewhat wasteful so that by the time they came to the creation of man, they were out of the resources they needed in order to set man apart from the animals. So Prometheus, being a little bit on the mischievous side (one of his epithets was “trickster”), ascended into heaven, grabbed part of the sun, and brought it back to earth (he is commonly depicted as holding a flaming torch), giving fire to mankind. The gods were angry with this and, after the Titan War, Prometheus was chained to a rock, where his liver was eaten out daily (it regenerated each night so as to be eaten again the next day).
An important note to keep in mind is that the
name Prometheus comes from the Greek pro
(before) and manthano (to learn). In essence, his name means “Before Learning,”
and so it is clear that to the Greeks, Prometheus and his stunt with fire
occurred very early in earth’s history.
Halfway
around the world in Alaska, we find the Tsimshian legend of Giant and the Mā.
Giant, who is bored and (also) mischievous, descends from his perch in
the clouds, landing on the newly-formed earth.
For fun, he creates some fish (still no movies),
some islands, and some fruit trees, and then he steals something known as the Mā.
This angers the gods, who give chase and, when things go south and it looks like he's going to get caught, Giant breaks the Mā, bringing the sun
and its light to earth. This action
earns Giant the name of Txǟ’msem, or “liar.”
So
here’s what we have so far:
• in
both legends, a supernatural, god-like giant creates part of our world
• in
both legends, the giant is known as either a “trickster” or “liar” (the two
words are
synonymous in many languages and cultures)
• in
both legends he brings either “fire,” or “sunlight” to mankind – either way, it
involves the sun
• in
both legends, he does so early in earth’s history, but after there were people
• in
both legends, his actions anger the other gods
Is
this just a coincidence, or are we seeing Telephone Mythology at work, pointing
back to a time when mankind was brought fire from these “men of renown”? Now, to be fair, the stories are different enough
that I would have simply assumed this was coincidence if I hadn’t stumbled
across the Vedic hymn devoted to Agni, the Hindu god of fire.
In the legend, Agni brings celestial
fire down to earth, giving it to Bhrigus, one of the foremost of the Ŗsis (the Ŗsis were a group of wise and learned sages who, at least in the literature, appear to be immortal. Their function was to carry education - that is, the tools of language, mathematics, engineering, and the arts - down through the ages, in order to restore civilization each time the earth is destroyed). The tool Agni uses to do this is called a pramantha. It is a stick used to stir the cauldrons of
the Brahmins, and is often a symbol for various mystical concepts.
So
now we can add the following information to this list:
• In one legend, fire is brought by a
giant named Prometheus, in a different legend, it is
brought down using a tool called by an eerily similar name.
Now, I’m just speculating here, but
we might possibly have a large insight into the ancient world. Could it be – not do we know for sure – but could it be possible that the means of creating fire
was invented or discovered by an early giant? Is it possible that this giant then shared
his discovery with the rest of mankind?
If so, wouldn’t that act then make him a “[hero] of old” in the minds of
other humans? Would that action have
sparked jealousy among his fellow giants, perhaps stirring up hatred – even
racism – between the two groups? Is it possible that this story was passed on
from generation to generation, throughout the Diaspora, changing into varied,
but still similar, forms?
To my knowledge, this is not a question that has ever been explored. Perhaps we would rather picture the cavemen roasting their mastodons, trading one fantasy for what we consider another, more “reasonable” one. The fact remains that speculation is speculation, no matter how reasonable it may seem, but based on the literary evidence, it seems far more likely that mankind received the gift of fire, not from an accident, but from a giant.
While we have to be careful not to begin assuming that every story we read is true, three separate cultures depicting three very similar stories (with very similar words and concepts) is a difficult coincidence to swallow. Though the Bible is rather mum on what it means to be one of these "heroes of old and men of renown," it is not too far-fetched to wonder if part of this renown involved giving us the means to stay warm and cook our food. And, while I find it highly unlikely that some giant traveled to the sun in order to bring us fire, this does not immediately negate the possibility that their discovery of fire helped out the rest of us.
Monday, June 11, 2018
The Queen of the Serpents (Repost)
I posted this myth many years ago, but I thought it was worth another go.
Once there was a fisherman who had a beautiful daughter, named Egle. Egle used to bathe in the sea every morning. Once, as she emerged from the sea and went to gather her clothes, a large serpent rose up out of the folds of the garment and spoke to her.
"If you will marry me," he hissed, "I will return your clothes."
"But how could I, a woman, marry a serpent?" Egle asked, distraught.
"Then you will be shamed by your nakedness," the crafty serpent replied. So Egle consented, and took the serpent home to meet her family. Her father and brothers treated it poorly, but to no avail, for the next day, a hundred serpents were waiting in the yard of the fisherman's hut, all of them having come to take part in the wedding of their beloved Prince (for that is who the serpent was, the Prince of the serpents).
And so the two of them were married, and the Prince took his bride to his castle under the water. There, he transformed into a handsome young man, and Egle was very glad she had married him. By and by, the King died, and her husband, Zilvinas, became King of the serpents. The King (and now the Queen), soon had three beautiful children, and all lived quite happily. But by and by, Egle became homesick, and asked to see her family.
Zilvinas agreed, and told his wife that she could return tot he surface for as long as she wished. When it was time for her to come home, she only had to speak his name, and he would send a wave to carry them back to the Kingdom. "But," he said, "if the wave is bloody, then you know I have died, and you must not come here again."
So Egle and her children went to see her father and brothers. But the brothers were cruel, and beat the half-human children. Egle begged them to stop, but they would not rest until they learned the secret of how to kill Zilvinas. In her distress, she told them how to summon him, and the brothers went to the seashore and called out to him. He appeared, and they killed him.
Egle, however, did not know what they had done, and, seeing an opportunity to escape, she grabbed her children and ran to the seashore. She called for her husband, but the wave that washed ashore was bloody, and she knew what had happened. In her despair, she cried out that she and her children might be turned into trees, and the gods listened to her and obeyed.
Once there was a fisherman who had a beautiful daughter, named Egle. Egle used to bathe in the sea every morning. Once, as she emerged from the sea and went to gather her clothes, a large serpent rose up out of the folds of the garment and spoke to her.
"If you will marry me," he hissed, "I will return your clothes."
"But how could I, a woman, marry a serpent?" Egle asked, distraught.
"Then you will be shamed by your nakedness," the crafty serpent replied. So Egle consented, and took the serpent home to meet her family. Her father and brothers treated it poorly, but to no avail, for the next day, a hundred serpents were waiting in the yard of the fisherman's hut, all of them having come to take part in the wedding of their beloved Prince (for that is who the serpent was, the Prince of the serpents).
And so the two of them were married, and the Prince took his bride to his castle under the water. There, he transformed into a handsome young man, and Egle was very glad she had married him. By and by, the King died, and her husband, Zilvinas, became King of the serpents. The King (and now the Queen), soon had three beautiful children, and all lived quite happily. But by and by, Egle became homesick, and asked to see her family.
Zilvinas agreed, and told his wife that she could return tot he surface for as long as she wished. When it was time for her to come home, she only had to speak his name, and he would send a wave to carry them back to the Kingdom. "But," he said, "if the wave is bloody, then you know I have died, and you must not come here again."
So Egle and her children went to see her father and brothers. But the brothers were cruel, and beat the half-human children. Egle begged them to stop, but they would not rest until they learned the secret of how to kill Zilvinas. In her distress, she told them how to summon him, and the brothers went to the seashore and called out to him. He appeared, and they killed him.
Egle, however, did not know what they had done, and, seeing an opportunity to escape, she grabbed her children and ran to the seashore. She called for her husband, but the wave that washed ashore was bloody, and she knew what had happened. In her despair, she cried out that she and her children might be turned into trees, and the gods listened to her and obeyed.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Still Going!
Although it has been nine years since Flood Legends was first published (!!!!), the book is still resonating with audiences. It is currently #247 in sales rank for Amazon's "Histriography" category. While that's obviously not a bestseller, for a no-name author in an obscure niche, I'm pretty happy. :-) Thank you all for supporting this project, and I hope to have a new project out to you very soon!
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Japanese Creation Myth
All was utter darkness. There was no light. There was no sound. There were no gods. But then, slowly, the particles of the universe moved, and they made a sound. As the sound grew, so did the particles grow. Some of the particles were heavy, and sank to the bottom; they were the Earth. The lighter particles, made of air and light, rose to the top and became the Heavens.
In the Heavens now there were the Three Creators: The Master, the August Producer, and the Wondrous Ancestor. They looked upon the land, surveying its moving, fluid motions as it floated upon the water. They made the reeds spring up, and from the reeds came two new gods: Izanagi and his wife, Izanami. Other gods and goddesses were born, but it was these two who were given dominion over the Earth.
When Izanami died in childbirth shortly thereafter, Izanagi grew distraught. He descended into Yomi - the land of the dead - to find her. It took him many days to do so, and by the time he had arrived, her body had already begun to decay. Izanagi wept for many weeks. Finally, he dried his eyes, stood up, and left his wife in Yomi.
Because he had been defiled by his time there, Izanagi washed and purified himself, using the rituals of the ancestors. In this washing, three spirits were formed: Susano-o, Amaterasu, and Tsukuyomi, who were the wind, the sun, and the moon, respectively.
-Japanese Myth
In the Heavens now there were the Three Creators: The Master, the August Producer, and the Wondrous Ancestor. They looked upon the land, surveying its moving, fluid motions as it floated upon the water. They made the reeds spring up, and from the reeds came two new gods: Izanagi and his wife, Izanami. Other gods and goddesses were born, but it was these two who were given dominion over the Earth.
When Izanami died in childbirth shortly thereafter, Izanagi grew distraught. He descended into Yomi - the land of the dead - to find her. It took him many days to do so, and by the time he had arrived, her body had already begun to decay. Izanagi wept for many weeks. Finally, he dried his eyes, stood up, and left his wife in Yomi.
Because he had been defiled by his time there, Izanagi washed and purified himself, using the rituals of the ancestors. In this washing, three spirits were formed: Susano-o, Amaterasu, and Tsukuyomi, who were the wind, the sun, and the moon, respectively.
-Japanese Myth
Monday, April 16, 2018
Website
Hey, folks! I'm looking to start up an official website (you know, one with an actual domain name!), and I need some help! Those of you who have your own websites: what platform do you use? What are the positive attributes of it? What are the negative qualities?
Let me know! Thanks!
Let me know! Thanks!
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