The Magical Carpet of Therion
By: Konstantina Peyou

Rock and metal music have always been fascinated by the field of fantasy and mythology, as well by the mysteries concerning both. They have always been charmed by the ancient past, specially that particular moment in time where the past is so intricately mixed with fantasy and all is lost in a play with imagination, longing and mystery. Countless are the names, the songs and the albums of the bands that have borrowed their own naming and whole subjects from some book concerning fantasy or history. And some of these bands have worked on that material so fine that –together with this forceful and unique music- have managed to sweep us off to unrivaled journeys that one can enjoy only with his soul and his imagination.

And what is more natural for a band like Therion that have always been involved with the area of fantasy and mostly of the occult, to deal with similar subjects in their latest album. So, for one more time, Christopher Johnsson let the verse part of Therion’s latest work in the experienced and capable hands of Thomas Karlsson, member of the Dragon Rouge, who has delivered 21 songs that plainly have to do with the area of fantasy and myth with a taste of occult... just in case we forget what Therion are about!

The names of the two albums are themselves a proof of the general course of the songs’ themes, avoiding whatsoever to overwhelm and confine them. Here, we have to deal with two milestones of mythology –maybe of history, as some like to believe- of the human race. From one hand, Lemuria, a land that some claim that it was the continent joining India to Australia, with a reputation and prestige similar to those of Atlantis. From the other, Sirius B, the star worshipped by the Egyptians long before the existence of civilization on earth and according to which they had based their calendar. As you can see, we have to do with two magnet-subjects of curiosity and fantasy on earth and space!

Starting from Lemuria, which even though is the fifth song in the CD it is also the one that is the title of the album, we plunge ourselves into the blue waters of the oceans in search of Lemuria, a land so old that has been evolved into myth, even though it is believed that the Vatican itself has proof of its existence deep in its secret dungeons. Lemuria, even though many tend to confuse it with Atlantis, existed either before or at the same time with the most famous sunken island. Lemuria was also known as Pacifica or Mu. The prevailing opinion is that its citizens where hermaphrodite creatures that were made of energy and communicated with each other by telepathy, and that had reached a high level of intelligence and civilization. As far as the sinking of Lemuria and the doom of all its citizens are concerned it is believed that it was due either to the mishandling of the powers of its civilization or to a series of volcanic eruptions in the area that destroyed the whole continent. Even though, in the 19^th century Lemuria was used by the anthropologists of the time to explain the distribution of the races on the planet, the matter was soon abandoned from the scientific circles and became one of the favorite subjects of the occultists and theosophists.

Further up our imaginary journey that Karlsson is taking us we see that in “Lemuria” there is a lot of material drawn from Greek mythology. Who doesn’t know the fearsome Typhoon, son of Gaia and Tartarus, and his battle against the first gods of Olympus? With his mate, Echidna, at his side and thanks to their terrifying looks, they managed to intimidate the gods, even though their plans failed when they came face to face with Zeus’ wrath. Today’s reminder of that clash is Aetna’s volcano, under which, according to the legend, Zeus confined Typhoon, who, to this very day, seethes with anger and throws up lava and dust.

Furthermore, another piece of early Greek mythology is Prometheus, a character that has played a very significant part in the beliefs of our ancestors, since they believed that it was him they had to thank for the use of fire, the most important precondition for survival. He was the ancient Greeks’ first hero, the demigod who, for their sake, opposed Zeus and paid the price, chained on mount Caucasus and with an eagle -maybe the offspring of Typhoon and Echidna- coming everyday to tear of his liver, which at night grew back, only to be ripped of the next day in that never ending torture. Finally, after thirty thousand years, Zeus showed mercy and sent Hercules to kill the eagle and free the prisoner Prometheus.

And the influence of the rich material ancient Greece has to offer continues in “An Arrow From the Sun”, that speaks of Abaris the Hyperborean  and his travel around the world. Abaris is mentioned by Herodotus and Plato, who claim that he traveled all over the world with an arrow, without taking any food. He is also regarded as some kind of healer and priest, to whom the ancient Greeks attributed a temple of Persephone at Sparta. Abaris is said to have written plenty of books on cures and medicines as well as a report of Apollo’s visit to the Hyperboreans.

In our journey to mythology, we meet Quetzalcoatl and we move to another continent, for this name seems to hold a very special place in the pantheon of almost every Mesoamerican tribe. Quetzalcoatl was a god of great importance and influence in the everyday life of his believers. Furthermore his abilities and capabilities were so many that his element tends to be mixed into other gods making him an inseparable part of the religious system of his era. Quetzalcoatl is also linked to astrological and cosmological phenomena as well as to planets like Venus and Mercury. But he has been a historical figure too, as a man whose actions were too intense and important to be recorded in history that have evolved into myth.

Leaving mythology behind and entering a bit into the haunts of the occult we meet Abraxas, which has been used by a sect of the 2^nd century to symbolize the Supreme Being or the god that was worshipped by its followers. They attributed many great mysteries to this name because it contains the seven greek letters, which, numerically, equaled number 365, the number of days of the year. They even related him to Jesus. None the less, Abraxas may had been an Egyptian god, while other mythologists consider him a demon with a head of a lion or a bird. In particular, the mystic word abracadabra has its roots in Abraxas.

And stepping finally to the early history of Europe we salute the fearless gothic tribes, their leader Berik and their attempt to crush the tyrannical Rome and the Christian dominance that had been trying to vanish every part of paganism since the beginning of time.

And so, effortless, after our voyage with the Three Ships of Berik, we meet another mystical part of pagan worship, the runes. The runes are an ancient method of seeing the future which is unbreakably tied to the religious and magical practices of the ancient tribes of the north. The theory of Uthark, claimed by the Swedish professor Sigurd Agrell, is believed to be the dark and mystical side of the runes’ system -which is based on the shifting of rune Fe from the first place to the last and consequently of all the rest-  a version known only to a few, apparently with Thomas Karlsson himself amongst them since he has written a book on this theory.

In “Lemuria”, having traveled in the myths and in history, we enter the world of dreams as well. The world of Swenderborg’s dreams, the scientist, the statesman and the visionary  of the 18^th century, who claimed to have been in touch with the angels. The last 27 years of his life, Emmanuel Swenderborg was devoted to the research of the kingdoms of Heaven and Hell, to the search of the afterlife and to his contact to demons and spirits. Without ignoring the presence of God, he believed that His will was that man should know all this knowledge, that Swenderborg unfolded in many of his works.

And even though, as many tend to believe, “Lemuria” is a work that could easily stand on it’s own in the competitive field of metal market, the journey doesn’t stop here. The pause we have to take in order to change the CD in our stereos is just a stop, a breath we are to take so we can be hurled into space, to the stars and Sirius B, realizing that it doesn’t matter how you look at it –whether you are on earth enchanted by the dark dome filled with the innumerable flickering stars, or in space looking down at this wonderful blue planet- this journey into the magic of the myth and past is equally fascinating.

In any case, isn’t the way the terrestrial and the extra terrestrial world is entangled with the supernatural mystical by itself? In the same way, the “Blood of Kingu”, like a primal invocation to Kingu, the Mesopotamian demon and second consort of goddess Tiamat, calls to us to remind us our roots since the legend has it that the young god Marduk killed Kingu and from his blood created man. All of us, one way or another, hide inside us a small (or a big) god, isn’t that so?

Consequently, talking of gods, we meet the Son of the Sun, Ra. This famous Egyptian god was a deity representing the Sun and the creation. Usually he is depicted as a man with a head of a hawk and sometimes the solar sphere replaces the body or his eye. But, having in mind that all the old religions are characterized by the duality, Ra is connected with the underworld as well.

The underworld of the ancient Greeks was meant to be the abode of Persephone after her abduction by Pluto. In “Dark Venus Persephone” is unveiled the tragic story of Persephone, who, being the object of Pluto’s love and lust, was snatched by him and ended up being the Queen of the Underworld. But, due to the fact that all myths represent an aspect of nature itself, Zeus, realizing the pain of Persephone’s mother, Demeter and it’s consequences on the kingdoms of plants and animals, allowed Persephone to leave the underworld and visit her mother for six months every year, a fact that symbolizes the seasons and the death and rebirth of nature.

The lyrics of the “Sirius B” songs seem to deal almost exclusively with the benign and evil deities of every religion. As if he wants to put emphasis on something, Karlsson put inside this mixed pantheon two men. The name of one of the two is so known that competes in fame and notoriety with some mythological gods – or should I say... demons? Well, meet Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, also known as the Mad Monk, the man that played a significant role in the shaping of the history of the Romanov dynasty. Even though some of today’s historians consider him just a pawn in a political game, he is largely believed to have been the evil mind behind a series of power games. The chance to materialize his ambitions was given to him when in 1905 the Tsar Nicholas II and his wife approached him in order to heal their son since he had build a reputation of healing by prayer. Though he was known as a monk, Rasputin’s life was far from religious. He was a perverted man. His teachings, especially after he joined the sect of the Khlysty, spoke of requiring grace through the most demeaning act of every kind, and more specifically through sin. But being involved too deeply into intrigues and plots, he was sure to meet his own doom, falling victim to his own game. Rasputin suffered a terrible death from the hands of his two executioners, Prince Yusupov and the Grand Duke Dmitri Romanov, leaving behind him a long veil of mystery as to his dubious personality.

The second man that seems to have a special place in the lyrics of “Sirius B” is the Greek-Armenian occultist George Ivanovich Gurdjief. His teachings, which himself called Esoteric Christianity were very similar to the Hindu and Buddhist traditions and were a series of focus exercises of movements and practices of meditation that aimed in exploring the inner being of each man.

Of course, in a material charged with so many legends, sagas and traditions, there is always a seat saved for the Hindu influence. According to Hindu scriptures, Kali Yuga is “the Year of Kali”, which has started about 5100 years ago (3100 B.C.)  and will end after exactly 432000 years. According to Indian cosmology, there are four time cycles with Kali Yuga being the last and more negative. When this cycle comes to its end, there is going to be a kind of Judgment Day, the sinners will be punished and the world, as we know it, will cease to exist and a new era will begin, that of the Golden Age.

The journey continues. What is that in front of us? Is it an oasis or just a mirage? It’s “The Wondrous World of Punt”. Historians place this magical place somewhere in the eastern Africa while the song lulls our ears, speaking of a lost earthly paradise in the desert, a haven for the tired cameleer and the weary traveler. But, it’s such a pity! Our eyes were tricked by the wicked games of the desert and it was just a play of our imagination! There is nothing there... Maybe we’ll find this wondrous world in another journey. This one takes us elsewhere...

The Yezidis are a subset of the Kurdish people that in the wake of the 20^th century became known as the “Devil Worshippers” – something that is not quite accurate. The term Yezidi comes from the ancient Iranian word that means angel or divine creature. So, it would be right to call them “Angel Worshippers” even though, in reality, the angel they worship is the Devil. For the Yezidis, the name of the Devil is Melek Taus and his is the Peacock-Angel. But, opposing the Christian –even the Muslim- religion this Melek Taus is not the fallen and evil angel but a powerful and mighty Archangel who is responsible for the creation of this world that he made himself by joining together the pieces of the Primal Pearl or Cosmic Egg – variations of myths concerning the cosmogony.

From the other hand, the name of Sirius itself has been connected to some cosmogonic myths, because, the song of the title of the album, doesn’t only speak about the influence that Sirius had over the Egyptians, as we all know, but mostly about the mysterious connection of the star to an African tribe, the Dogon, who claim that Sirius is accompanied by another invisible smaller star which they place among the most important celestial bodies. The Dogon call Sirius by the name “sigi tolo” and it’s tiny invisible partner “po tolo” that means “deep beginning”, connecting it to the smallest seed they know and name “po” considering it the first of the eight seeds made by their creator, Amma. Of course, it’s a mystery why this strange African tribe should consider an invisible star as the cradle of cosmogony.

Taking this matter a bit further, we meet Dagon, the God of the Philistines, who, from his waste up is a man and from his waste down a fish. Dagon is believed to have come from Sirius even though later he was associated with the sea since his own name derives from the word dag which means fish. He is also a deity that often symbolizes the Devil himself.

And the journey ends... And we come to the conclusion that 100 minutes of music can make you travel on earth and space, in time and place. 100 minutes full of mystery and knowledge that with an inseparable tie become one with the music and unfold at your feet the magic carpet which is ready to take you wherever your imagination will order it. So hop on this carpet and with Therion as your guide roam in places that many people may think about but few dare to visit...

Konstantina Peyou