Ogma-Hermes-Gandharva

Ogma-Hermes-Gandharva

Allegory of Eloquence (Hermes-Ogmios), Albrecht Durer

Prominent theories regarding Hermes (Oldenberg 1916, Oberlies 2000) have tended to connect him with Vedic Pushan, pastoral god of travelers and meetings who as such was also associated with commerce and wealth. However, in recent years the well-known comparativist Nick Allen, along with collaborator Roger Woodard, published an article on Hermes that should be taken seriously when considering Hermes and his Vedic analog. This article, “Hermes and Gandharvas,” demonstrates painstakingly that Hermes' mythos resembles in numerous very specific details the myths attached to the class of beings known in Vedic texts as the gandharvas. 

A chief representative among the gandharvas (Narada) is known to have first brought the lyre, a strung tortoise shell, to humanity, as Hermes also is said to have invented the lyre by stringing a tortoise shell; they are the chief embodiments of the musical power, court singers and musical teachers of the gods ("gandharva means 'music,'" as Allen and Woodard say) as Hermes teaches even Apollo the lyre; they are known for their eloquence and often narrate myths, as Hermes also is a god of eloquence who narrates myths; they are often divine messengers and go-betweens as is Hermes; they are associated with raw sexuality, while the boundary marker statues of Hermes known as hermae were known for their prominent phalluses; they have the power of flight or even wings, as Hermes has winged sandals and flies about; a god who is distinct from but "typologically close...and linked" to the Gandharvas (Kubera), as Allen and Woodard say, has a staff or wand with power of inducing sleep, as Hermes has the magical rod (rabdos or caduceus) with the same power. These are perhaps the most crucial among a host of other connections and similarities described by Allen and Woodard. We may add that they are the stand-ins for and proteges of the “Soma” god, intermediary spirits who can pass between worlds, with possible psychopomp roles, while Hermes is closely associated with both the “Soma” god Dionysus and underworld god Hades and is their psychopomp, passing between all worlds in this office. 

As we will see, accepting this theory as an accurate clarification of Hermes' role opens also the possibility of clarifying the identity of the Irish god Ogma. To remind the reader of our framework thus far, we take the “Gandharva” of the various branches to be: Norse Bragi, Welsh Pwyll, Vedic Visvavasu (among other names), and Greek Hermes. The Irish god Ogma has remained a relatively mysterious figure, due mostly to the small quantity of details extant which pertain to him. Ogma has, indeed, occasionally been compared with Hermes, yet if Hermes is seen as a Pushanic god, as is often the case, then the link of Ogma also to Pushan would have very little specific support. Thus the Hermes-Ogma similarities have remained curious but confusing when Hermes is viewed as Pushan. But if we see both Hermes and Ogma as the chief “Gandharva,” rather than as “Pushan,” the picture may make a new kind of sense. 

Key to understanding the essence of Hermes and his connection to the Gandharva is recognizing that Hermes' eloquence is his core feature, and that nearly as foundational is his position as a liminal being who moves between realms. From this liminality, traveling between the boundaries of realms, derives his psychopomp role. From the skill of persuasive eloquence derives the role of herald, messenger, contract negotiator, and from these the well-known connection with trade and wealth. Meanwhile this persuasive eloquence also connects with his traits of trickery, deception, even thievery. His ability of moving between realms also reinforces his connection to roads, travelers, and once again messengership and trade. Considering persuasive eloquence as one of the core traits of Hermes then connects with the most salient and well-known trait of Ogma. Ogma is known as primarily a god of language and his Gaulish parallel as a god of persuasive eloquence. Ogma's name is believed to come from a root meaning “to cut,” referring to the way the writing known as Oghams were cut into wood and stone. He is thus the god of Ogham and its inventor. He is said in the “Ogam Tract” to be skilled in speech and poetry. His assumed Gaulish version, Ogmios, is described by the 2nd century Roman Lucian of Samosata as being depicted with human figures following after him, with chains binding them, chains which issue from Ogmios' mouth. The human figures are said to seem happy to be chained by such chains and are eagerly following the god. He may even be leading the chained mortals on to the Underworld, if we consider a theoretical psychopomp role. Could their seeming happiness then be due to the sweetness of the “Gandharva” eloquence, which in the Vedic and Greek cases is also of the essence of music?

Connected with this shared trait of eloquence, another central parallel between Ogma and Hermes involves the invention of writing. As mentioned, Ogma is known as the inventor of the form of writing known as Ogham, and the god and writing system share a name. Meanwhile, Hermes' Roman cognate Mercury is known for a myth in which he is said to have invented the alphabet by watching the flight of cranes, and for another in which he brought the letters either to or from Egypt. Hermes is also described by Hesiod to have first given mortals speech when he planted this capacity in Pandora. As god of language skill generally, it is logical that the Gandharva would be connected with the origin of writing and speech. In Vedic myth, the Gandharva is said to exchange soma for Vac, the divine embodiment of the spoken word. As divinity of liminal boundaries, the Gandharva is said also to know the “innermost name[s]” of things (RV 10.123.4), “which he reveals to Indra” (Allen and Woodard, Gandharvas and Hermes).

The other important invention of Hermes is said to be that of fire, which he produces in order to sacrifice two of the stolen cattle of Apollo. Specifically he gathers the "firesticks" and then kindles the fire. Thus he also invents the common mode of generating fire for sacrifice, and the fire invention and sacrifice are intimately linked. As for Ogma, he also is interestingly associated with fire. When Bres rules Ireland and subjects the Tuatha De Danann to labor, while Dagda is made to dig trenches, Ogma is made to carry firewood. If this role of firewood carrier indicates the remnant of a once important function, it could go back to an understanding of the “Gandharva” as having an important role in preparing the sacrificial fire or being the first to do so. The Vedic figure known as Pururavas, who becomes a gandharva, brings to earth three kinds of sacrificial fire, "effectively introducing sacrificial fire among humankind" (Allen and Woodard).

Hermes is known as a psychopomp, leading the dead to Hades and associated closely with both Dionysus and the god Hades (who overlap in their subterranean aspects), and this may be yet another traceable link between him and Ogma. Specifically it is Ogma's supposed Gaulish cognate Ogmios who is clearly associated with the underworld and perhaps with the psychopomp role. Two curse inscriptions are known from Bregenz, Austria, in which Ogmios is mentioned in relation to the underworld. In one, the suppliant asks that the target of the curse be “given to (O)gmios, to be co(n)sumed (by) death” (Mees, 2489, CIL III: 11882), while the other seems to associate or identify Ogmios with the lord of the underworld, Dis Pater, saying, “Thi(s) thin(g) D(is) P(at)er with Eracura wi(l)l fix. Ogmios, ('er) 'eal(th), 'heart [etc.]... give 'em over to the spirits” (Mees, Loc. 2456, OeAI-1943-114). While Ogma may be identified obliquely here with the Roman Lord of the Underworld himself, Dis Pater, the curses specifically are invoking Ogmios to deliver the curse victim into the hands of death or the spirits of the underworld, precisely as a psychopomp would be expected to do, and this has been the conclusion of scholars such as Bernard Mees as well (Curse Tablets). And if the second curse actually is identifying Ogmios with Dis Pater, which is certainly not clear, then recall that in the myth of the Welsh, who were probably the closest culture to the Gauls and Austrian Celts for whom we retain a written mythology, the proposed Gandharva Pwyll becomes the double of and stand-in for Arawn, the lord of the underworld, becoming essentially identified with him, sharing his title "Lord of Annwn," and combining kingdoms with him. Thus in a Celtic conception, Ogmios could indeed be both the Gandharva-psychopomp and a co-lord of the underworld. These are not mutually exclusive. Mercury was himself a frequently named god in Roman curse inscriptions, due to his psychopomp role. Lucian also compares Ogmios with Charon, a psychopomp whom Hermes is sometimes shown bringing souls to. Ogmios’ depiction as sunburned and Ogma’s epithet “sun-face” have also been argued to indicate that he is an underworld deity, as the sunburned face of Ogmios is what caused Lucian to compare Ogmios to the underworld gods Charon and Iapetus (Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia), and the path of the sun is consistently associated with the path of psychopomps in Vedic tradition (Savitr, Pushan, etc.).

Ogmios is noted for the description of him wearing a lion skin, a feature which has been one of the main evidences in his supposed connection with Hercules, who also wears a lion skin. This skin has also been one argument against Ogmios/Ogma's identification with Hermes, who is not known for any such apparel. However, this detail can perhaps be seen more clearly when the full gandharva context is understood. The Vedic gandharvas were beings connected with wildness, sometimes depicted as half-bird and exhibiting exuberant sexuality. As such, the lion skin could be read as a symbol of this wild nature, or perhaps simply as a symbol that Ogmios was seen as a hunter (as Pwyll also is a hunter), and in any case does not have any absolute connection with Hercules alone. 

Connected with this skin is the purported great strength of Ogmios, which, on the surface, does not seem central to Hermes. As we have said, Ogmios was identified with Hercules by Lucian, though he specifically emphasized the fact that Ogmios' “strength” came from his eloquence, but this parallel seems to us quite a stretch on the part of Lucian. Irish Ogma for his part was depicted as the champion of Nuada and Lugh, and defeats one third of the Fomorian army himself. He is also the strongman guard of Nuada's hall upon the arrival of Lugh, and when Lugh shows himself equal in strength to Ogma by a stone throwing duel of sorts, Ogma welcomes him and eventually fights for him. But Hermes, though not always thought of in terms of strength, is yet frequently called simply by the epithet Argeïphóntēs meaning “killer of Argus,” referring to the myth in which Hermes slays the [giant] with the hundred eyes, Argus. Hermes slays Argus by hitting him with a stone, as Ogma also throws the flagstone in his competition with Lugh. Thus, built into his most common title is Hermes' role as champion warrior and slayer of a great monster. As for the Vedic Gandharva, as previously discussed, he generally is called a guardian of the soma, and would implicitly require great strength for this role. And just as Ogma is the guardian of Nuada's hall when Lugh arrives, Norse Bragi enacts the role of guardian of Óðinn’s hall (Óðinn seen as a parallel of Nuada in his Varuna aspect). Bragi, the court skald of the gods, is also no weakling, offering to rip Loki's head off in one passage. Thus the role of guardian runs as a through-line connecting all the iterations of the Gandharva, and this in itself implies strength. Besides the skin, Ogmios also carries a club as Hercules sometimes does: however, as Allen and Woodard say, citing Banerjea, "Gandharvas may be shown holding clubs as well as lyres (Allen and Woodard; Banerjea 1956: 352).

Next, it is Hermes who, closely associated with Hades as his attendant psychopomp, brings Persephone out of Hades. This mirrors the previously explored role of the Gandharva, who is the second possessor and caretaker of Surya, wife of Soma. We recall Pwyll in this role sleeping in the bed with the wife of Arawn as the protector of the bride's virginity. Just as Hades and Dionysus are overlapping gods, Hermes is associated with conveying the wife of each one. 

The gandharvas are sometimes described as wind deities (RV 3.38.6; Mayrhofer 1989, p. 461-2), and Ogma is closely tied to the proposed chief wind god, Dagda, generally named as his brother. While the Welsh Horse Twin Pryderi's father is the Gandharva, Pwyll, we know that this is an outlier parentage for the Horse Twin and that it does not match the Irish Horse Twin Aengus' parentage by Dagda. Yet Ogma is Aengus' uncle, and so remains closely connected to Aengus and in a near-fatherly position, shifted only one remove laterally compared to the Welsh case. It seems very likely that Ogma is the closely tied brother of Dagda particularly in Dagda's role as Dagda Donn, that is, the Lord of the Underworld. Thus the fraternal relationship of Ogma and Dagda would parallel the relationship of Pwyll and Arawn as co-lords of the underworld. We could then see the brothers Ogma and Dagda, along with Aengus, son of Dagda, as a closely connected trio of "underworld gods" (several other gods having underworld roles as well), who are also closely connected to the highly important burial mound Brugh na Boinne .

Ogmios is known for the bearded images of his face and this is often seen to contradict the youthful depiction generally given to Hermes. However, in early depictions of Hermes he was often depicted as bearded too, as in the hermae statues.

        

Allen also notes a repeating pattern among the Gandharvas of an initial confrontation and enmity between themselves and a second party, followed by reconciliation and friendship. This is the pattern found in the story of Hermes' theft of Apollo's cattle, followed by their reconciliation and friendship. We see this pattern also in Pwyll's first meeting with Arawn when his dogs have eaten Arawn's stag, and in the end the two parties avoid conflict and even combine kingdoms due to their great mutual amity. The general shape of this pattern also repeats in the case of Ogma. When Ogma and Lugh at first confront one another as if to duel, Ogma throws a massive flagstone at Lugh. Lugh throws it back, and then they join in friendship and Ogma fights as Lugh's champion in battle. Ogma is often found in lists of the three main chiefs of the Tuatha De Danann (his name sometimes substituted by another) and this would match the importance given to Pwyll in the Mabinogion. This importance and the fact that Ogma is said to slay such a large proportion of the opposing army in battle may be due to the importance placed on the power of eloquence by the Celts. As J.A. MacCulloch argues, this role of champion may come "from the primitive custom of rousing the warriors' emotions by eloquent speeches before battle" (MacCulloch, The Religion of the Ancient Celts). This accords with Lucian's claim about how the Celts saw eloquence as strength as well, without trying to make Ogma and Hercules out to be the same god.

Interestingly, Ogma is thought (based on etymological evidence and similarities in their descriptions) to possibly share a name with a Welsh figure, Eufydd fab Don, and possibly also with the similarly named Hefeydd Hen. Hefeydd is said to be father of Rhiannon. A possible variant of the name is found in the poem Y Gododdin, which says that “Hyveidd Hir shall be celebrated as long as there will be a minstrel” (Y Gododdin, stanza 5), while the Gandharva is of course a god of bards, poets, and musicians. 

    

This connection no doubt seems to cast some amount of doubt on our understadning of Ogma and Pwyll both as versions of the Gandharva, since Hefeydd is father of Rhiannon and Pwyll is her husband. However, there are several possible solutions to this difficulty. Most obviously, the Welsh genealogy may be slightly jumbled at this point. Thus it would be possible the Gandharva has simply been “doubled” in the husband and father of Rhiannon. We have already seen how, in comparison with the Greek version, the Welsh seems to “compress” a couple of generations of goddesses into one: there are mother and daughter goddesses in the Greek version (Demeter and Persephone), but only one main Welsh goddess (Rhiannon) in the parallel myth, taking both of these roles. Could Rhiannon being daughter to a Gandharva (Hefeydd) even reflect the idea that Poseidon Hippios, who ravishes the mother goddess Demeter and becomes Persephone's father, is also a Gandharva in disguise, as we have previously theorized, since Hefeydd is in the comparable position genealogically, as father of the goddess who gets trapped in the Otherworld and who parallels Persephone? This is quite complex, but we can picture Pwyll being this Gandharva in his role as the mate of the Horse Goddess (Rhiannon), and Heyfeydd being this Gandharva in his role as father of the daughter who is abducted to the underworld (also Rhiannon). 

Finally, in Vedic myth, there are in fact numerous gandharvas. Indeed they are considered an entire class of being, with certain most prominent chiefs, thus the presence in the Welsh case of two gandharvas in itself would make no specific problem whatsoever. It is possible that other divine court singers in the Irish myths could be representatives of this same class of beings as well, just as it is possible the Norse grouping could theoretically extend beyond Bragi, but this has not been shown at present.

In all, if we move past some of the aesthetic choices found in the common depictions of the gods Hermes and Ogma/Ogmios, which appear to imply a contrast between the strength of the Celtic god and the wispy swiftness of the Greek one, we can see several much stronger through-lines between them: eloquence, inventing writing, carrying firewood or firesticks, being a guardian, being connected to the underworld possibly as psychopomps, etc. As often happens, this god is both things, swift and strong, with one culture emphasizing one trait, and one emphasizing the other. The comparison between Ogma/Ogmios and Hermes has been a popular one in the past (see the painting by Albrecht Durer above uniting Hermes and Ogmios, from the year 1514), going back to Roman times as seen in Lucian's account of Ogmios, wherein he is specifically attempting to counter this standard equivalency by bringing in the figure of Hercules, but with a clearer understanding of the Gandharva it becomes a much stronger comparison and much less easy to dislodge on aesthetic grounds. 

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Works Cited:

Cath Maige Tuireadh

"Hermes and Gandharvas," Nick Allen and Roger D. Woodard, 2014

Homeric Hymn to Hermes

The Mabinogion

The Mahabharata

Oberlies, Thomas. 2000. “Pūṣans Zahnlücken und Hermes Vorliebe für Backwerk: Ererbte Strukturen des Pantheons der ṛgvedischen Religion.” In Bernhard Forssman and Robert Plath (eds) Indoarisch, Iranisch und die Indogermanistik, 369-389. Wiesbaden: Reichert.

Oldenberg, Hermann. 1993 [1916]. The Religion of the Veda. Translated by S. B. Shrotri. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

The Rig Veda

The Works of Lucian, Lucian of Samosata