Masking European Animism

The ancient peoples of Europe were more fond ofdeveloped. Ourformative roots live in our societies
masks and religious ritual than youwould suspect ifnow", believes Bracegirdle.
you saw Europeans today. Mask wearing andThe links to ancient beliefs can also be found in many
shamanism was partand parcel of everyday life inEuropean languages. Whenwe say in English that we
ancient Western European tradition, say researchers.are going berserk, we even directly refer to the
There are stories abound about African and Northshamanicstate of extasy. The adjective comes from
American tribal shamans but not alot is known aboutthe noun 'berserker', or 'berserk', the Old
ancient European peoples' involvement with maskedNorse for 'wild warriors' or 'champions'. 'Ber' referring
ritual or thepractice of magic. That is why finding outto 'bear' and 'serkr' to 'shirt' or
about similarities between the ideas behindmasks'coat'.
from around the world and those originating fromThese berserkers became frenzied in battle, howling
European soil, is adiscovery of intriguing and reallike animals, foaming atthe mouth, and biting the
beliefs.edges of their iron shields as if they acted in a
The less obvious link of European societies withNikecommercial. Berserker is first recorded in English in
shamanism or religious ritual thanfor instance thethe early 19th century, long afterthese wild warriors
North American native Indian customs or magicceased to exist. This is illustrative of how the
activity in the past isdue to the more 'sanitised' waytradition seeminglyinterrupted, still lived on.
Europe has developed because of churchinterferenceSimilar "Bear Doctors" stories have been found
in people's lives. The church dominance virtuallyamong California tribes. In somecases, the Berserkr
stamped out any paganritual.or Ulfserkr would even eat the heart of the bear or
It was not until after 1960, when the Americanswolf to gain itspower. Another feast of hearts
experienced a revival of theinterest in shamanism,occurs in the seiðr trance, as described above.
that much has become known about the EuropeanNot a lot was known about Western shamanism until
version ofthe practice of magic and mask wearing.it hit the limelight in the 1960and the undoubted
There is more verifyable information aboutthe trueexpert in the field is the late Mircea Eliade, a religion
roots of Western European civilisation than initiallyhistorianwho taught at the Sorborme in Paris and
suspected.later at the University of Chicago.
"The spirit if not the exact practise of shamanismHe described Shamanism, or 'witchcraft' as it is
has been passed on throughreferred to also, as not a religion butmore as a
Europe's generations", one authority on the subject,technique. Shamanism, he says, is 'not strictly
Leigh Ann Hussey, believes. Theearliest recordings ofmedicine men/women,magicians, or healers'. This is
ceremonies involving masks were found in the cavesthe conclusion of extensive studies of the
of thephenomenonaround the world in his book 'Shamanism:
Trois Freres (Three Brothers) in France whereArchaic Techniques of Ecstasy'.
paintings of a Paleolithic scenedepicting EuropeanHebelieves that shamans are not the same as
animism of the first order.priests; they may have coexisted withpriests or even
Ian Bracegirdle, a mask expert, describes the cave: Ahave fulfilled priestly functions as well as shamanic
central figure stands wearingthe head and antlers ofones. A shamanwas more a mystic than a priest or a
a deer. He stands, shaman like, surrounded byminister.
animals.A shaman was not "possessed", as many people
Animals that are important to the culture henow believe, says Eliade. Neitherwas the shaman a
represents. Some of the animals nolonger exist in thismedium or trance channeler. "Shamans control the
area. Ibex, reindeer, bison, stag and horses. Thespirit beingswith whom they work, or at least they
shaman, for thatis what he seems to be, stands, ado not surrender to them. Like a medium orchanneler,
human figure amongst the potential food.a shaman may appear unconscious when working,
It is believed that the paleolithic cave served as abut upon returning, theshaman can tell where he or
place where hunters were initiated.she has gone", he says.
The sorceror or shaman was symbol to sympatheticThe shaman is not the instrument of the spirits.
magic. He wore ears and hornsof a stag, the eyesTraditional shamans cure peoplethrough their trances,
and beak of an owl, the bearded face of an old man,accompany the souls of the dead to the Otherworld,
the tail of awolf, the paws of a bear and the legs ofandcommunicate with the gods. "This small mystical
a dancing shaman. He stood in front ofpainted huntingelite not only directs thecommunity's religious life but,
murals. The Shaman served as mediator betweenas it were, guards its 'soul."
humans and theirvenerated animal kin.Modern day processions where you can still see old
This is pretty much the best evidence in tangiblemasks being worn includeprocessions in which giants
form that we have of our ancestors'animistic beliefs.and witches are displayed. These and
It dates back 10,000 years and is accompanied by anothermasquerades are among the more powerful
abundance ofmyths and stories showing ourtangible links we still have to ancientwitchcraft ritual.
ancestors had plenty of similar ideas. A closeIn well known childrens' stories and folklore narrative,
analogyexists in the stories of Kernunnos, forest godthe links are also obvious.
of the later Celts. The masks expressanimism toDragons for instance are examples creatures
some extent.pervading every alley you can imagineof old folklore
His information is confirmed by Ms Hussey, who wentand mythology, straight into modern times stories.
on a hunt in Europeanshamanism and found when sheDescriptions of thebeast's benevolence vary from
examined ancient sources, that she did not needthe playful Puff (of Peter Yarrow's song) to the
toborrow from other traditions. "It is clear that tribalsinister
Europe had as strong a shamanictradition as, forSmaug in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". Babylonian
example, any of the American Indian tribes," she said.legends portray the Queen of
Summing up the general symbolism that unites masksDarkness as a multi-headed dragon - Tiamat. Walt
from around the globe,Disney's Sleeping Beautyfeatures a battle between
Bracegirdle says that there are many strikingPrince Phillip and the evil Maleficent about a curse
similarities between the ancient culturesof the Pacificthancan only be broken by three fairies. Likewise, the
West Coast of North America and the tribal traditionsGermanic myth "Die Nibelungen"climaxes with the
of Africa. Symbolsthat all these cultures share arebattle between Siegfried and the giant Fafnir, who
relating to fertility, the hunted animal,has transformedhimself into a dragon in an effort to
ancestors,initiation into rites, circumcision, cannibalismbecome more frightening.
real and symbolic, healing and crossingover into theOur reaction to the physical characteristics of the
spirit world for guidance and healing powers or todragon is another element that weshare with and
appease the gods orancestors are the accompanyingwhich connects us to our ancestors. Around the
ideas behind masks.world the beasts aretypically depicted as huge lizards,
Not a lot has been passed on from generation tolarger than elephants on average. Long fangs
generation in any muchrecognisable form or shape,aregenerally accepted as are twin horns of varying
but among the most powerful links is thelength. Western cultures generallyinclude large bat-like
seasonalnature of many traditions we still knowwings giving the dragon the capability of flight. But
about. In the UK, the Green man and theeasterndragons, usually wingless, use a more magical
Hobby horse are two potent examples. "To memeans of flying. Eastern dragons alsotend to be more
there is a tremendous link which isbound up with thesnake-like in nature, albeit with front and rear legs.
very nature of the people we are and how we have