Baldur:

god in Germanic mythology; in Norse mythology a son of Odin & Frigga, with numerous brothers (Thor and Váli).  In the 12th century, Danish accounts (by Saxo Grammaticus & others) tell his story; the Eddas (compiled in Iceland in the 13th century)  also contain numerous references to the death of Baldur as both a great tragedy to the Norse gods & a harbinger of Ragnarök.  He is a great, shining hero, beautiful; he dreams of his death & is killed thru trickery by Loki

and see Chapter VI page 187

 

Heliand (Christ the King):

epic poem in Old Saxon, dated first half 9th century; the title means saviour in Old Saxon & the poem is a Biblical paraphrase recounting the life of Jesus in the alliterative verse style of a Germanic epic.  It is the largest known work of written Old Saxon, popular and widespread

 

Avalon:

legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend, first appearing in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 Historia Regum Britanniae ("The History of the Kings of Britain") as where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged, & later where Arthur was taken to recover from being gravely wounded at the Battle of Camlann.  It has become a symbol of Arthurian mythology, similar to Arthur's castle Camelot.

 

communion of the Grail Templers:

The Knight Templars founded 1128, were suppressed in 1312, and have no obvious connection with the Holy Grail sagas, based on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, le Conte du Graal (written in French). This lack of connection however did not deter Wolfram von Eschenbach (1160-1220).  His Parzival, (written circa 1220) was the first work in German to focus on the Grail; in it he calls the knights guarding the Grail Kingdom templeisen, apparently a conscious fictionalisation of the templarii.

 

Frigga:

see Chapter VIII page 267

 

Frau Holle:

see Chapter VIII page 267

 

provenance:

place or source of origin, chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object; the primary purpose of tracing provenance is to provide contextual & circumstantial evidence for its original production or discovery, by establishing its later history; the practice has particular value authenticating objects & is considered the hallmark of modern "scientific " history.

 

“numen”:

divine power or spirit; a deity, especially presiding locally or believed to inhabit a particular object; in Spengler’s usage, he is referring to the creative Soul of the Culture as opposed to its form

 

Christian Eastern faith:

reference to the Greek or Eastern Orthodox Christian Church as well as the many other eastern Churches (the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Catholic Church, the Nestorian Church, churches of Syriac Christianity such as the Assyrian Church, and the Coptic churches)

 

Classical:

a term Spengler uses to denote Apollonian Culture/civilization

 

Arabian:

a term Spengler uses to denote Magian Culture/civilization

 

Western Cultures:

a term Spengler uses to denote Faustian Culture/civilization

 

instrumental music:

for Spengler Faustian instrumental music was the pinnacle of artistic endeavour & expression.  It emerged in the Renaissance, gained full form in the Baroque period & entered its final phase during the Classical (from 1750) & Romantic (from 1820) periods.

 

centuries between Caesar & Constantine:

Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC & died 44 BC; Constantine the Great was born in 272 AD and died in 337 AD.  Thus the period Spengler refers to (the Spring time of the Magian Culture) are the 315 years between 44 BC and 272 AD.

 

Syrian Baal:

see Chapter VI page 209

 

Isis:

originally an Egyptian god dating back to the Old Kingdom (2686-2181 BC), one of the main characters of the Osiris myth.  In the Hellenistic age (323–30 BC), when Egypt was ruled & settled by Greeks, Isis was worshipped by Greeks & Egyptians & this practise spread into the wider Mediterranean world.  Greeks gave her traits taken from Greek deities (the invention of marriage & the protection of ships at sea).  Isis retained strong links with Egypt.  When Rome absorbed Hellenistic culture (1st century BC) the cult of Isis became a part of Roman religion.  Her adherents were but a small % of the Empire’s population but were found all across its territories.  They developed distinctive festivals (eg the Navigium Isidis) & initiation ceremonies resembling other mystery cults.

 

Mithras (transformed in Syrian soil;

aka Mithraic mysteries, a Roman mystery religion centred on the god Mithras; inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity Mithra; however the Greek Mithras was linked to new & distinctive imagery & its practice lacks continuity with the older version; very popular among the Imperial Roman army from the 1st to the 4th century AD.  The roots of this syncretic cult are in lands adjacent to Syria.  Plutarch says in 67 BC the pirates of Cilicia (a province on the SE coast of Asia Minor, near Syria) practiced the "secret rites" of Mithras.  Archaeological evidence from 1st century BC, in Commagene (a region slightly north of Syria), reflects "reverence paid to Mithras".  King Antiochus I (69–34 BC) erected colossal statuary of Mithras at Mount Nemrut (also north of Syria); he is depicted in a Phrygian cap & Parthian clothing.

 

Manichaean legends:

see Chapter II page 72 Chapter VI pages 183, 209, 211 Chapter IX page 306

 

Gnostics:

see Chapter I pages 18, 20 Chapter VI page 214 Chapter IX page 306