@jantilli3807

8 years ago

In Finnish mythology after Väinämöinen makes the first kantele, and starts playing it, it's beauty draws all the creatures of the forest to gather around him to listen. There was something magical and sacred to the instrument. In old poetry it was almost always depicted that the playing happened in some kind of mountain, or in  a boulder by the water. You can make there a strange parallel between the musical instrument and the place itself. Those are all places which resonate. Usually you find old rock paintings in places which resonate. They are sacred places. If you want to go look for old rock paintings, search for rapids. You will find a lot of paintings by the rapids. And it is not only the beauty of the rapids which makes such place sacred, but the s o u n d it makes. In ancient world echo was persofinied and linked to all sort of spirit creatures. You can see why all sorts sound reflecting surfaces, boulders and caves, were thought of as places were spirits reside. In Finland old rock paintings are almost always found in steep lakeside beachrocks found in narrow straits where the sound conditions differ considerably from more open places. Again, the echo. These kind of places were alive, they were living creatures and people either wanted to communicate with them, or perhaps sometimes they were even afraid of them. These places were in themselves like giant musical instruments which drew the people towards them. Previously it was mentioned that "the performer (can) transform whatever (feeling) she has in heart (into something else)". The music gives her something. Old folk wanted something from the rocks too. Here you can find pictures of hands from the rocks, people painted their hands with red ochre (a powerful blood like substance) and put them on the rocks. Sometimes they would draw mooses and put the image of their hands on the moose. It is thought that this ritual was a way to draw energy from the powerful spirits which lived in these places.

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