The Dreamgod
by Elizabeth Barrette
The Dreamgod was a real god once. He walked this world with the other gods in the first days, in the very first days. Feathers of emerald and aubergine and cerulean sheathed his body. Peacock plumes blinked their eyes at nubile maidens, their fluttering strands touching the skin as lightly as eyelashes. Two bird-of-paradise quills quivered behind him, holding between them a gateway to that elusive land. Wheat there was, too, golden streaks in the long green grass of his hair. Flowers there were, creamy calla lilies whose furled shapes hinted at the intimate parts of women, and honey dripped from them, sweeter than sleep after a long hard day. Whoever breathed the intoxicating scent of his blossoms swooned into his arms, dreamswept as limp as fallen petals. His antlers rose in a great brown rack, swept back over his broad shoulders, yet delicate in their geometric perfection. Thunder and birdsong embraced in his voice. Only his eyes were indistinct, indescribable, filled with the white silence of starfire.
In the first days, in the very first days, that was how he walked among them, the gods and the animals, First Woman and First Man. He was the first to be cast from the world of flesh and stone, the first to lose the fine strange body into which he had awakened. When the feathers fell from his shoulders, the gateway to paradise closed. The plants and the animals who picked up the pieces of his body held, each of them, only a small piece of his magic – Stag and Peacock, Wheat and Lily. From his bones there grew the first entheogens, the god-leafed ones – Datura and Amanita, Mescal and crazy old man Marijuana. They rebuilt the bridge that had been broken, connecting the world of flesh to the world of spirit. The other gods just shrugged and went on creating order.
But then the other gods, too, began to fade. They became only echoes in the spirit world, who once had been as solid as stone. The Dreamgod said nothing. He merely spread his feathers against the evening sky and painted it with colors. He breathed through a stand of reeds, then watched First Boy cut the music free from them as he made the first flute. When First Girl came to her womanhood, he kissed her with the flavor of fermented honey on his lips, and watched her wander away to invent mead. Long after the other gods had been forgotten, their tasks finished, the Dreamgod remained. He lives still, a soft half-step away from the world of flesh and stone, because creation and chaos are never wholly finished. For the Dreamgod is the last real god.
In the first days, in the very first days, that was how he walked among them, the gods and the animals, First Woman and First Man. He was the first to be cast from the world of flesh and stone, the first to lose the fine strange body into which he had awakened. When the feathers fell from his shoulders, the gateway to paradise closed. The plants and the animals who picked up the pieces of his body held, each of them, only a small piece of his magic – Stag and Peacock, Wheat and Lily. From his bones there grew the first entheogens, the god-leafed ones – Datura and Amanita, Mescal and crazy old man Marijuana. They rebuilt the bridge that had been broken, connecting the world of flesh to the world of spirit. The other gods just shrugged and went on creating order.
But then the other gods, too, began to fade. They became only echoes in the spirit world, who once had been as solid as stone. The Dreamgod said nothing. He merely spread his feathers against the evening sky and painted it with colors. He breathed through a stand of reeds, then watched First Boy cut the music free from them as he made the first flute. When First Girl came to her womanhood, he kissed her with the flavor of fermented honey on his lips, and watched her wander away to invent mead. Long after the other gods had been forgotten, their tasks finished, the Dreamgod remained. He lives still, a soft half-step away from the world of flesh and stone, because creation and chaos are never wholly finished. For the Dreamgod is the last real god.
Background Information
This poem was originally written for an issue of Star*Line magazine that focused on prose poetry, and a version of it was published therein. The prose poem form is challenging because it lacks the methodical line breaks that characterize most other forms of poetry. Instead it relies on other poetic techniques such as alliteration, allusion, cadence, and repetition. Prose poetry appears often in mythic literature.
This poem was inspired by a great many historic myths and legends. It alludes to various deities, sacred plants and animals, and other concepts all woven together very densely. Here are some references for individual components appearing in this poem.
Dreams have long been associated with the divine, our ancestors, the spirit world, and other mystical matters. Dream interpretation is a popular magical study. There are many dream deities including Morpheus, Oneiros or Oneiroi, Rhiannon, Swapneshwari, and Zhou Gong.
Birds and their feathers are closely associated with magic and spirituality. Peacock is a sacred bird in various traditions. The feathers are associated with magic, especially dreams and visions because of the beautiful "eyes." Birds of Paradise span multiple species with different spectacular plumes, some considered sacred by the people of Indonesia and used in ritual wear.
Wheat ranks among the earliest domestic crops and is associated with gods and goddesses such as Dagon of Tuttul or Demeter. The calla lily was sacred to Minoans and valued by other cultures as well.
Antlers refer to the Horned God, who appears in many guises across different cultures. Sometimes he has antlers like a deer, sometimes horns like a bull or a goat. Likewise the stag is sacred in many traditions.
The Dreamgod's voice draws on thunder, which is a quality of many storm gods and also the thunderbirds. The other aspect is birdsong, used in the wild for courtship and warning; but also a reference to the language of the birds, a divine language or universal tongue.
The mythic figures of First Man and/or First Woman star in creation myths around the world. Their appearance often marks the division between the time of creation and the time of human history, and a shift in the type of stories that the myths tell.
The Dreamgod's body falls apart and its components go their separate ways. Deities are often dismembered to create a world, or for other reasons. Examples include Osiris, Tiamat, and Uranus.
Entheogens are plants with mystical properties, usually hallucinogenic in effect, believed to connect the human and divine realms. Amanita, Mescal, and Marijuana are just a few examples used in traditional cultures. Mescal actually covers two different plants, the peyote cactus and the mescal bean. (Worth mentioning is that the Greenhaven tradition does not include entheogen use, as it lies outside outside our experience, but acknowledges that some other traditions find value in such.)
Like First Man and First Woman, the figures of First Boy and First Girl also appear in myths, usually a little later in a culture's chronology. They are often inventors and their stories explain the discovery of important things. Musical instruments such as the flute and alcoholic beverages such as mead are often invented in myths.
"The Dreamgod" is a melange of mystical imagery from all around the world. It's a good piece for a ritual about dreams, creation, mythmaking, or the magic of plants and animals.
This poem was inspired by a great many historic myths and legends. It alludes to various deities, sacred plants and animals, and other concepts all woven together very densely. Here are some references for individual components appearing in this poem.
Dreams have long been associated with the divine, our ancestors, the spirit world, and other mystical matters. Dream interpretation is a popular magical study. There are many dream deities including Morpheus, Oneiros or Oneiroi, Rhiannon, Swapneshwari, and Zhou Gong.
Birds and their feathers are closely associated with magic and spirituality. Peacock is a sacred bird in various traditions. The feathers are associated with magic, especially dreams and visions because of the beautiful "eyes." Birds of Paradise span multiple species with different spectacular plumes, some considered sacred by the people of Indonesia and used in ritual wear.
Wheat ranks among the earliest domestic crops and is associated with gods and goddesses such as Dagon of Tuttul or Demeter. The calla lily was sacred to Minoans and valued by other cultures as well.
Antlers refer to the Horned God, who appears in many guises across different cultures. Sometimes he has antlers like a deer, sometimes horns like a bull or a goat. Likewise the stag is sacred in many traditions.
The Dreamgod's voice draws on thunder, which is a quality of many storm gods and also the thunderbirds. The other aspect is birdsong, used in the wild for courtship and warning; but also a reference to the language of the birds, a divine language or universal tongue.
The mythic figures of First Man and/or First Woman star in creation myths around the world. Their appearance often marks the division between the time of creation and the time of human history, and a shift in the type of stories that the myths tell.
The Dreamgod's body falls apart and its components go their separate ways. Deities are often dismembered to create a world, or for other reasons. Examples include Osiris, Tiamat, and Uranus.
Entheogens are plants with mystical properties, usually hallucinogenic in effect, believed to connect the human and divine realms. Amanita, Mescal, and Marijuana are just a few examples used in traditional cultures. Mescal actually covers two different plants, the peyote cactus and the mescal bean. (Worth mentioning is that the Greenhaven tradition does not include entheogen use, as it lies outside outside our experience, but acknowledges that some other traditions find value in such.)
Like First Man and First Woman, the figures of First Boy and First Girl also appear in myths, usually a little later in a culture's chronology. They are often inventors and their stories explain the discovery of important things. Musical instruments such as the flute and alcoholic beverages such as mead are often invented in myths.
"The Dreamgod" is a melange of mystical imagery from all around the world. It's a good piece for a ritual about dreams, creation, mythmaking, or the magic of plants and animals.
Photos used under Creative Commons from rightee, AlicePopkorn
