Religion, Mythology, Metaphysics
(The Study of Threes)
http://threesology.org
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| In The Beginning page 1 |
In The Beginning page 2 |
In The Beginning page 3 |
In The Beginning page 4 |
In The Beginning page 5 |
In The Beginning page 6 |
In The Beginning page 7 |
Since different readers may come to one of the pages in this series other than the first page, it is necessary that the following paragraph be placed on all of the pages:
In The Beginning... that is, after the development of biology and the semblance of culture after the early hominids and initial emergence of what we of today denote as modern man designated by Cro-Magnons. And yet, "the beginning" is not limited solely to western perspectives of early religious thought and later ideological correlations. And though we of today describe many of the early ideas as myth and legend, those in the past may well have viewed such ideas as being factual. Yet, the point to be made in the present series of "threes" examples is that there was and is a current of thought processing which regularly used patterns-of-three to organize information... or at least we of today use patterns-of-three even if peoples in the past had no particular affection for one or another numerological pattern before or after Pythagoras' formula of "numerology"... and is a word conjuring up the ideas of magic, mystery and mysticism... which is closely related to many religious preoccupations involving "non-rational" (or mere philosophical) themes...
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I have three heroes in battle, Mael the tall~ Llyr, with his army~ Caradoc, pillar of Wales. He also names 3 Bards of Britain: Merlin Ambrose~ Merlin the son of Morfyn, (called also Merlin the Wild)~ Taliesin, chief of the bards 3 golden-tongued knights: Gawain, son of Gwyar~ Drydvas, son of Tryphin~ Eliwlod, son of Madag, and Uther 3 honorable feasts of Britain: Feast of Caswallaun, after repelling Julius Caesar from the isle ~ Feast of Aurelius Ambrosius after he conquered the Saxons ~ Feast of King Arthur, at Carleon upon Usk. |
3 Losses by Disappearance, refers to 3 voyages that were set out to find "the green meadows of the sea" (called in the triads Gwerddonau Lion: the Green fairy islands, reposing in sunlight and beauty on Ocean's calm breast). They were supposed to be the abode of the souls of certain Druids, who, not holy enough to enter the heaven of the Christians, were still not wicked enough to be condemned to the tortures of annwn (hell, or the shadow land), and so were accorded a place in this romantic sort of purgatorial paradise.
The 3 voyages are commemorated in the triads:
- In the fifth century a voyage was made by the British king Gavran, in search of these enchanted islands; with his family he sailed away into the unknown waters, and was never heard of more.
- Merlin sailed away in a ship of glass, and disappeared forever.
- Madog sailed in search of America and disappeared forever.
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If you happen to be a tour guide, it's very easy to memorize the facts about the Church of the Trinity in Waldassen, Germany. Since it has: 3 towers & 3 turrets, each turret with 3 dormer windows 3 windows & 3 roofs with 3 openings in each 3 doors in each part of the structure 3 large & 3 small crosses 3 altars & 3 staircases; 3 doorways & 3 columns; 3 lights & 3 niches 3 bays & 3 windows in each bay 3 statues of the Virgin Mary. The designer was George Dientzhofer, the 3rd architect in his family. The church took exactly 33 months, 333 weeks, & 33 days to build. It cost 33,333 florins & 33 kreuzer. |
*** Salem Witchcraft Trials: Fear of witches reached panic proportions after (1) a teenaged girl had an argument with a washer- woman. The next day, the girl had convulsions and complained of pains all over her body. When her (2) younger brother and (3) sister also complained of pains, the washer- woman was brought to trial on the suspicion of being a witch. She was convicted and hanged. (It has been considered that the pains are but one example of other symptoms of a disease caused by a mosquito.)
- 3 parts to each Astrological sign called a decanate or decan.
- Homer & other Greek poets wrote of a legendary ship called a Trireme. The 120 foot long wooden vessels were powered by 170 oarsmen on three levels, whose main task was to ram enemy ships at high speed.
- 3 days; May 9, 11, 13, are when expiatory rites were held to expel the lemurs (ghosts), Evil spirits of the dead who often appeared as skeletons and were known to strike the living with madness. The temples were closed and marriages were prohibited. (Roman Myth) (Is this the origin of our "May Day! May Day! May Day!" call for help?)
- In Irish Folk Tales, the first three days of May were when great powers were given to demons, witches, and fairies by the Evil One. (Is this the Origin of our May-day! May-day! May-day! call for help?)
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- 3 Buddhist existences: Parikalpita-svabhava~ Paratantra-svabhava~ Parinispanna-svabhava
- 3 senseless creatures of Buddhist mythology: Tiger (anger)~ Monkey (greed)~ Deer (love-sickness)
- 3 intoxifications of Buddhism: Hate~ Ignorance~ Lust
- 3-lettered names to denote Buddha: Foh, Fuh, Pot, Put, But (Western culture uses G- O- D to refer to a special figure denoted in religion.)
- 3 body physiques of Buddha: Thin (African?)~ Medium (Indo-European?)~ Obese (Asian?)
Glencairn Museum |
Lanka |
Imagine Hawaii |
- Triad in Occult Philosophy: The Vital Soul~ The Animal Soul~ The Rationalized Soul
- 3-fold law of Karma believed by religious witches: "Magic returns to the sender magnified 3 times."
- 3 patterned philosophy in Moonie religion: One Heart~ One World~ One God
- 3-patterned phrase on Nazi belt buckle: "Gott Mit Uns" (God With Us)
- 3-patterned Nazi Party membership number of Adolf Hitler: 555 (The actual number is said to be 55, but the German Party started membership numbers at 500, in order to give the impression of having a large following.)
3 sixes (666) or 616 have been used to represent the Anti-Christ, Devil, Satan, Evil one, etc.
3 eights (888), in antiquity, was the sacred number of Jesus.
| ihsous = Jesus | ||||
| i | = | iota | = | 10 |
| h | = | eta | = | 8 |
| s | = | sigma | = | 200 |
| o | = | omicron | = | 70 |
| u | = | upsilon | = | 400 |
| s | = | sigma | = | 200 |
| 888 | ||||
The early Christian Sacred Geometers called a circle with a circumference of 888 units "the living Jesus" because the diameter of his circle is 282 units, which is the gematria value of the Greek word bios (BioV), meaning "life."
The Greek alphabet was invented almost one thousand years before the birth of Christ. At the time it was invented, every one of the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet represented a number as well as a sound.
- The first eight letters represent units, (the "0" power of "10").
- The second eight letters represent tens, (the first power of "10").
- The third eight letters represent hundreds, (the second power of "10").
The 8-8-8 structure of the table holding the letters of the Greek alphabet is directly related to the name "Jesus". Since every name and word in the Greek language had a corresponding numerical value, words could be expressed as numbers and numbers could be expressed as words. This made the Greek alphabet a public cipher and immediately encouraged two numerical superstitions called ISOPSEPHIA and GEMATRIA. The total of all the numbers in the Greek alphabet is "3999": (3 + 9 = 12 = 1 + 2 = 3) (3 + 9 = 12 = 1 + 2 = 3) (3 + 9 = 12 = 1 + 2 = 3).
3kh,
The hieroglyphic character below and to the right, can mean "be beneficial, advantageous," or, as a noun (3kht), "something advantageous, usefulness." It can also mean "blessed spirit," as in the name of the heretic Egyptian king Akhenaton. It can also be used to write the words for "horizon," "tomb," the royal uraeus cobra, or the "beneficent" eye of the sun god Rê, all 3kht, or the word for "sunshine," 3khw. The causative, s3kh, can mean "beatify, render blessed" [Alan Gardiner, Egyptian Grammar, Oxford, 1964, p. 550].
- 3 z's (ZZZ), in antiquity, symbolized the Christian Holy one~ Triple Rays~ and the exclamation Sanctus! Sanctus! Sanctus! (Holy! Holy! Holy!)
- 3 S's (SSS): 3 knots or 3 Solomans... With a line (
SSS), it meant The Holy One, (zigzag of effulgence) - The dollar sign of today (one S with (one or) two vertical lines), is believed to be the modern-day usage of the triple Z's or triple S's. (Does the phrase "All Mighty Dollar" come from this?)
- 3 S's (SSS) of modern military men refer to morning routine: Shit~ Shower~ Shave
- Triad in Mesopotamian religion: Anu (An)~ Bel (Enilil)~ Ea (Sumerian Enki)
- 3 Taoist gods: Yu Ch'ing, Pearly Azure~ Shang Ch'ing, Upper Azure~ T'ai Ch'ing, Supreme Azure
- 3 patterned motto of ancient Persian religion: Good thoughts~ Good words~ Good deeds
- 3 ancient Egyptian gods for solar "phases": Horus (morning)~ Ra (noon)~ Atum (dusk)
- 3 Indian deities for solar "phases": Apollo (rising)~ Hari/Vishnu (midday)~ Indra (setting)
- 3 types of Jewish mysticism: The Ecstatic~ The Contemplative~ The Esoteric
- 3 Christian evangelical counsels: Holy obedience~ Perpetual chastity~ Voluntary poverty
- 3 Christian virtues: Faith, symbolized by a cross~ Hope, symbolized by an anchor~ Charity, symbolized by a chalice or light.
- Trinity of the Celtic Brigantian Empire: Virgin~ Mother~ Crone
3 gates: The New Jerusalem
3 mockings of Christ:
1. Struck by Malchus
2. Before Herod
3. Pilate's order to be scourged
Three Marys of the Bible:1. Mary, Mother of Jesus
2. Mary Magdalene
3. Mary Salome
*** In Chinese belief, if the souls of the just were not sent back immediately to a new life on Earth they might go to the dwelling place of the Immortals. The Palace of Immortality contained three gods who were originally human beings but were deified as a result of merit or good fortune: Shou-Lao is the god of long life, Fu-Hsing is the god of happiness, Lu-Hsing is the god of salaries.
3 humans who went to Heaven to perform service, according to Tannaitic sources: Enoch~ Elijah~ Moses
- 3 Greek gods: Zeus~ Poseidon~ Hades (Heaven~ Earth~ Underworld)
- 3 Roman gods: Jupiter~ Neptune~ Apollo (Heaven~ Earth~ Underworld)
- 3 sons of Zeus & Europa: Minos~ Rhadamanthus~ Sarpedon
- 3 sacred Hindu fires: Ahavaniya~ Daksinagni~ Garhapatya
- Jainism: Right Knowledge~ Right Faith~ Right Conduct
- Eschatology: Second Coming~ Resurrection~ Last Judgment
- 3 forms of Odin in Eddic Mythology: Har~ Jafnhar~ Thridi
- 3 mysterious figures amongst Norse gods: Hoenir~ Lodurr~ Mimir
- Ancient Egypt Theban Triad: Amun~ Mut~ and their son Khans
- 3 ancient Egypt central religious figures: Horus~ Isis~ Osiris
- 3-pronged trident: Poseidon
- 3-forked lightning: Jupiter
- 3 items of manufacturer commonly attributed to Vulcan, God of fire and volcanoes: Art~ Arms~ Armor for gods and heroes.
*** The Maya believed 3 stars in the Orion Constellation (Alnitak~ Saiph~ Rigel) were arranged by the gods as a triangular hearth, enclosing the smoke of the fire creation - the nebula.
3 items connected with the story of Prometheus:
- Stole Fire from the gods.
- Chained to a rock by order of Zeus.
- A great Eagle was sent to gnaw on his liver.
(As a side note, I wrote a poem linking an analogy between the story of Prometheus and Native American alcoholism):
American Indian alcoholism that be closely resembles European mythology look only if you dare to see, the distinct parallel in history. Europeans were once viewed as gods--- by innocent Indians in the wilderness gods who carried thunder-sounding rods, and whose white skin evoked a mysteriousness. With these gods came Firewater that was long denied to the Indian but the winter's chill did tend to bother, so the fire of the gods was taken. These white gods then got angry and burdened Indian lives with punishments yet Indian minds were stirred visually, whereby the fire was taken into their tents. Perhaps Greek mythology has provided us with a means to understand the Alcoholic for it portrays one named Prometheus who may represent an archetypal trek. Prometheus stole fire from heaven then was punished by being chained to a rock and just like a sufferer of alcoholism, he too had liver problems a lot. |
 Prometheus had his liver eaten out each day by an eagle but was eventually rescued by Hercules. |
3 Fates (Moirai, Moires) Clotho~ Lachesis~ Atropos (sometimes referred to as the 3 spinners):
- Clotho - the Fate who spins the thread of life; identified with Roman Nona.
- Lachesis - the Fate who determines the length of the thread of life; identified with Roman Decuma.
- Atropos - the Fate who cuts the thread of life; identified with Roman Morta.
Information Source:
Their Roman counterparts were:
1. Decima
2. Nona (goddesses of birth)
3. Morta (goddess of death)
3 moon spinners image:
3 Graces: (in Greek mythology called the charities and according to the Spartans, Cleta was the third).
1. Aglaia
2. Euphrosyne
3. Thalia
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- 3 parts to a Chimera: Head of a lion~ Body of a goat~ Tail of a snake
- 3 monstrous offspring by Loki and Angroboda: Fenrir~ Hel~ Jormungund
- 3 hags possessing immense power in Norse Myth: Urdr~ Verdandi~ Skuld
3-faced goddess in Greek Mythology: Hecate
--- Stardust Designs ---
3 Gorgons: Stheno, Euryale, Medusa (snake-haired sisters in Greek mythology) are sometimes depicted as having wings of gold, brazen claws, and the tusks of boars. Medusa is the only one of the gorgons that is mortal.
 Stheno The mighty |
Euryale The far-springer (Also known as the Wide Flowing Sea) |
Medusa The queen |
Three hypotheses as to how the three sisters were changed into Gorgons by Athena:
- Medusa claimed she was more beautiful than Athena.
- Medusa claimed to have more beautiful hair than Athena.
- Medusa and Poseidon laid together in Athena's temple (Poseidon either raped her or she lay with him willingly.)
The three Graiae sisters, themselves sisters of the Gorgons, always stay together because they have only one eye and one tooth to share amongst themselves.
3 moms (Matronae) of ancient Celtic belief:
An elaboration of the Mediterranean nursing goddess Iono Lucine, this threefold image to the right shows the Mothers holding Baby, Diapers, and Bath sponge. Throughout Celtic Gaul, Spain, and Britain this Iono depiction was deeply revered by the peasantry. This image, dating from perhaps 100 AD, is from the Vertault region in France.
Three different beings made up the different qualities of death according to ancient Greek belief:
- Thantos (male)
- Ker (female)
- Gorgo (female)
3 Roman Furies (female personifications of vengeance) that were called the Erinyes (the Angry Ones) or Eumenides by the Ancient Greeks (Orestes called them the Solemn Ones, or the Kindly Ones):
- Alecto ("unceasing")
- Megaera ("grudging")
- Tisiphone ("avenging murder")
The Parallels Between The Myth Of Orestes And Mental Illness
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3 varieties of the Egyptian sphinx:
- The Androsphinx has the head of a human.
- A Criosphinx has the head of a ram.
- The Hieracosphinx is the hawk-headed sphinx.
 Androsphinx |
 Criosphinx |
 Hieracosphinx |
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3-headed dog that guarded the gate to Hades in Greek Mythology: Cerberus
3 different quantities of heads have been attributed to Cerberus:
- 3 heads
- Some poets have credited him with as many as a hundred.
- Professor Graybill has averaged all the estimates, and makes the number 27.
3 ancient Greek Harpies: Aello, Ocypete, and Celaeno
3 daughters and coachmaker father by Marino Marini |
3 witches and the devil of Eastwick |
3 witches and Macbeth |
3 women of Don Giovanni |
- Typhon: A greek monster with a tremendous voice who was the father of Cerberus, the Chimera, and the Sphinx.
- Triple headed god in Gallic Mythology: Cernunnos
3 precious possessions of Thor: Girdle of strength~ Iron gloves~ Magic hammer
(Compare these to today's construction worker "possessions": Back-brace/tool belt~ Leather gloves~ 16-20 ounce hammer...or jack hammer, or sledge hammer)
- "Thrice-great Hermes" (The Gnostic savior Hermes Trismegistus), was the legendary founder of alchemy in the West.
- Observed by the fiery river, the Tartaruchian angels have iron rods with 3 hooks with which they pierce the bowels of sinners.
- Themis (Right/Divine Justice) and Dike (Human Justice) sat next to Zeus in Olympus.
- Amma is a supreme god of the Dogon tribe of Mali who mated with the Earth 3 times.
- Nzame is the name of the Fan people of the Congo who lived on Earth with 3 sons: White man~ Black man~ Gorilla. Nzame is a shadowy god, impossible to represent in Clay~ Wood~ or Stone.
*** In the Caribbean region of the Americas, the great strength of pre-Columbian art from this region is in stone. Small, Tri-pointed carvings that were often human or Zoomorphic in form, represented the spirits (Zemi) of the land. The Taino culture is famous for these Zemi carvings, which are found in many of the islands, notably Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.
***There is said to be three different groups of Easter Island statues: Those that circle the outer rim of the island and face inward~ Those that face south~ Those at the quarry in the middle of the island.
3 gods of Northern Europe at Upsala in Sweden had 3 images: Odin (or Wodan) as a warrior in mail~ Thor with his scepter holding, as greatest god, the middle place~ and Freyr with his customary phallic symbols of fecundity and peace.
Chian-Lan is a tutelary of Chinese mythological gods or protectors with 3 eyes, the third being in the middle of the forehead.
3 items commonly represented in statuary of Minerva (Roman goddess of wisdom):
- Spindle
- Spool
- Needle
3 divinities solely worshiped in the Roman Capital: Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.
Teiresias's testimony: If the parts of love-pleasure be counted as ten, thrice three go to women, one only to men. (This can be viewed as a 3:1 ratio)
Manfred Barthel, describes Martin Luther's theology as "By grace alone, By faith alone, by Holy writ alone."
3 things necessary for salvation prescribed by John Calvin:
- Loyalty to his church
- Observance of the sacraments of the Lord's supper and baptism
- Obedience to the rule of the civil government.
During the highest development of Druidism, the Bards were the seers and prophets with a spiritual knowledge greater than that of the Druid priests. The later Bards expressed all truth through the operations of Triads. In every sphere of experience, they traced the 3 and regarded it as the way to the understanding of the creation of the physical Earth.
3 orders of Druidism were excluded from warfare:
- Vatis or Ovates are assistants to the sacrificial ceremonies, study natural philosophies & sciences, and dress in green robes.
- Bards study liberal arts such as music, poetry and literature. They commonly wear brown attire, though their ceremonial robes are blue to symbolize genuineness and harmony.
- Druids are the highest order of Druidism. They preside over festivals and ceremonies and in the past were skilled in divination and magic. They wear white robes.
St. Bernadette Soubirous was said to have been entrusted with 3 secrets given to her by the Immaculate Conception between February 11th and March 25th, 1858. (As a sort of general correlation, within the same monthly time period (but different centuries), Romans celebrated the worship of Minerva from the 19th to the 23rd of March.)...[Perhaps history repeats itself in accordance with the prevailing environment, be it culture, race, gender or whatever.]
3 angels during 1 visit have sometimes been said to have taken place, or 3 visitations by 1 angel appearing to 1 or 3 individuals (frequently children or illiterate adults), who say they received a message(s) from an angel, dead family member, Virgin Mary, Jesus, etc...
From the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, translated by F. Max Muller: Then Vidagdha Saklaya asked him: "How many gods are there, 0 Yajnavalkya?" He replied with this very Nivid (Sanskrit: "saying"): "As many as are mentioned in the Nivid of the hymn of praise addressed to the Visvedevas,... 3 and 3 hundred, 3 and 3 thousand. (The same question is asked five more times and the following quantity of gods is given, separately: thirty-three, six, three, two, one.)
Initial Posting (approx.): 29th March 2012... 9:42 AM
Updated Posting: 11th June 2018... 11:21 AM
Herb O. Buckland
herbobuckland@hotmail.com