And it came to pass that after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to prophesy among them, saying: Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying -- Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, . . . (Mosiah 12:1).
The most memorable thing about Bangalore for me was the bats, which were enormous and much less nocturnal than you’d expect.
Outside a Nandi temple was a park full of gigantic old trees, and the trees were positively packed with huge bats, bigger than crows, roosting and flying about in broad daylight and making an incredible din. I suppose I already knew in some academic sense that such creatures existed, but still my mind was just not prepared to accept what I was seeing. I kept repeating, "They're bats! I can't believe they're bats..."
By the counsel of Huan and the arts of Lúthien he was arrayed now in the hame of Draugluin, and she in the winged fell of Thuringwethil. Beren became in all things like a werewolf to look upon, save that in his eyes there shone a spirit grim indeed but clean; and horror was in his glance as he saw upon his flank a bat-like creature clinging with creased wings. Then howling under the moon he leaped down the hill, and the bat wheeled and flittered above him.
 |
| Transformed, by Ted Naismith |
I could see he was wearing something that veiled his true nature. . . . He was a big dude. Way taller than normal and also beefy.
I described Gross Gaur as being maybe six foot six and weighing over 400 pounds. There's no werewolf angle in Leo's dream, but the specific adjective he chose back in 2020 -- beefy -- resonates with the other meaning of gaur. Actually, since beefy is a way of calling someone big by comparing them to an ox, I suppose it combines the meanings of gross and gaur in a single word.
Note added: Immediately after posting this (within five minutes), I went to a shop to buy something, and the woman in front of me at the checkout line was wearing a black shirt with this logo on it:
Since I had just posted a photo of a black bull (Nandi is usually depicted as white, but in Bangalore he is black) and discussed the word beefy, this is a pretty direct sync.
The appearance of the name Angus is a happy omen, I think. Gross Gaur himself doesn't seem like a good guy, but Claire -- a Being I trust and still interact with -- is associated with "The True Song of Wandering Aengus."
That 1978 is a link to something, too. I know one of the books or movies I recently referenced was released in 1978, but I can't remember which.
11 comments:
I find all bats amazing - I can hardly believe in them.
We get cute little pipistrelles over our garden sometimes; and at Bristol Zoo we walked through a chamber full of massive fruit bats - it felt like being on another planet.
Bizarrely; even touching a bat is pretty much a capital offence in the UK today - but when I was a kid I helped rescue one from a cat, and restored it to the mother. The reunion was heart-warming! She waddled across the floor of the barn with wings outspread to greet her baby.
I feel the same way, Bruce. We have lots of vespertilionid bats -- the same family as pipistrelles but not that genus. They're remarkably acrobatic in the air.
I thought I was the only one who 'liked' bats! I love being outside at dusk, right in the 10 or so minutes before dark, there's a distinct moment when the birds 'go in' (to wherever they pass the night) and the bats 'come out'.
Years ago I had in mind to build a bat house, as (here in Florida at least) they are beneficial to our environment - we get a lot of mosquitoes, and bats eat an astonishing number (can't remember figure exactly) of them each night. And as well, bat guano is excellent fertilizer for home gardens...
Carol
Every few weeks I spend an evening with my friend Tod (not his real name), taking turns at hosting each other. While we usually just chat and watch movies or play games, this past summer we added late-night walks into the mix. During one stroll around the eucalypt-lined streets near my house, we heard odd screeching noises, and Tod exclaimed it must be a bat. A few times since, we've seen momentary silhouettes or noted audible wing-flapping as one passed overhead, which felt kind of wondrous. Before this I wasn't aware of any bats around here; I'm fairly sure they're grey-headed flying foxes, the largest species in Australia, as in recent years there's been reports of them showing up in new regions, and those silhouettes were easily the size given in link related. (Heh, genus Pteropus. Shouldn't be surprised.)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey-headed_flying_fox
Another friend, J, regularly memedumps on me. About an hour ago came this one, riffing on a scene from the first season of True Detective: https://imgur.com/gallery/rust-cohle-as-dungeon-master-YbrdUDf
I found it: 1978 is when The Wolfen (mentioned in the comments on the Gross Gaur post) was published.
William,
Part 1 of 2
I think I've shared that Marshall and I have had several bats
( I would say at least 10 or so ) come into our house since 1993.
There is not a pattern as to when they appear i.e.
regarding a particular season. Our log house has high beams
and ceilings and is the bats preferred resisting place.
Because our house is somewhat old ( 1986 ) it has settled
and there are many areas where a bat can squeeze into.
A few years ago, Marshall inspected the house looking
for 'droppings' trying to find the bats' entrance
and exits into the house or perhaps if and where
their nests might be.
He found nothing.
We do not have an attic.
We live in the woods, so as you can imagine we have
a lot of birds, including bats. However we've never had
an occurrence of birds flying into the house.
I did have a very odd experience in 2006 about finding a
Cooper's Hawk on the front porch, which if you recall
I shared that experience and photo ( that I took of
the Hawk) with you.
When the bats come into the house it's a nightmare, at
least for us, trying to get the bats out of the house.
I've read that bats don't like noise so I beat on
metal pots and pans to get them to move.
We turn on all the nights.
Marshall holds the door open so that they can exit
out.
Another Very strange occurrence that happened
a few times is that the bats 'hang' on a high celling
beam on MY side of the bed.
So as you can imagine I don't share the same "awe"
of bats( as perhaps others do) at least
not when the bats are inside of our house.
Every time after a 'bat experience' I've asked Marshall
the same question:
'Why do you think this continues to happen
to us? Have you known anybody else who this
has happened to?" This is not a coincidence!!
Marshall 's father's house was in the woods, and
he never had a bat 'problem'.
Working in banking for over 30 years I've interacted
and chit chatted on a personal level
with many many people both
customers and co workers and not once
do I recall a conversation of bats in their house
and that includes family and friends.
After much research ( especially regarding
the symbolic explanation of the bats ) I think
I've figured out WHY they've come.
copy and paste: asterisks mine
"Bat is a *****cow**** goddess in Egyptian mythology
who was depicted as a human face
with cow ears and ****horns*** or as a woman.
Evidence of the worship of Bat exists from the earliest records
of the religious practices in ancient Egypt.
By the time of the Middle Kingdom, after the unification
of Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt, her identity and attributes
were subsumed within that of the goddess Hathor."
~~~```
William
Part 2
Note the cow connection!!
Interestingly in all of my research in the past
about the symbolic meaning of bats,
I NEVER once notice the cow connection
until today.
If it wasn't for the recent' Buffalo
sync streams on your blog and my personal
Buffalo connection with my father,
I don't think I would have connected the two.
So thank you for those puzzle pieces.
What also interesting is this about the Egyptian Bat:
Copy and paste: ( link below )
"Bat became strongly associated with the sistrum
and the center of her cult
was known as the "Mansion of the Sistrum"
The sistrum was a sacred instrument in ancient Egypt.
Perhaps originating in the worship of the goddess Bat,
it was used in dances and religious ceremonies,
particularly
in the worship of the goddess Hathor,
with the U-shape of the sistrum's handle
and frame seen as resembling
the face and horns of the cow goddess"
~~~~~
Again I never really explored the Egyptian Bat
or the sistrum before.
Interestingly the sistrum is shaken like a rattle
to make noise, as I have done to scare
the bats away with the pots and pans.
Also interestingly the Egyptian Deity Hathor
as a Sky Goddess
and Hathor's connections to RA. ( see link )
Regarding your post today regarding the Werewolves ,
if you recall I've shared my 2 wolves
personal experience with you many times on your blog,
so I won't repeat it here;-))
To summarize especially about all my personal bat
experiences and what I've learned is this:
I believe that bats are harbingers of transformation.
Bats hang head upside down much like a baby
getting ready to go through the birth canal.
. Out of the darkness and into the light.
The very last bat who came into our house
was in May of 2024 two months before our
beloved dog Jacob passed over into spirit.
What's odd is that in the last 6 months or so, occasionally,
as I'm drifting off to sleep, I hear the sound of bat wings
so loudly as if they are right behind the headboard of
the bed.
I immediately wake up frantic thinking
that another bat has gotten into the house.
I immediately turn on the light and look around but
no sign of a bat. Marshall does not hear it.
I'm somewhat confused because the headboard of the bed
is right up against a wall and although a bat could squeeze
behind the bed, bats do not nest that close to the floor.
Copy and paste: asterisks mine
"The sound of a bat's wings flapping is often described as
"fluttering"" or "tapping" sound.
. When bats are flying, the flapping of their wings
can create a distinct sound, especially when
they are near human structures
like walls or ceilings.
Additionally, bats may also emit other sounds, such as
****high-pitched echolocation calls*****,
which humans can't typically hear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think the bats are trying to get my attention again.
And last but not least and speaking of Yellow lemons, and Green,
and sistrums' rattles like tambourines check out
this groovy 1967 song by an Ohio based group ( The Lemon
Pipers).
Green Tambourine was one of my fav songs
back in 1967.
I know, I know the song is kinda hokey, but that's
how we roll when we're young, no?
Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5Vz-z4PEkk
I think the bats are trying to get my attention again...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_(goddess)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistrum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_echolocation
William,
I just found more interesting information about bats.
The first is a blog which the writer's
perspective mirrors mine
regarding bats as harbingers of transformation.
Copy and paste: ( link below )
"Bats are remarkable beings, as they are one of the rare
mammals gifted with the ability to fly.
This celestial gift has led to the belief
in their powers of divination, with the capacity
to interpret omens and predict future events.
In many cultures, this ability to soar high above
the earth is seen as a link to the heavens
, giving bats an otherworldly aura/"
~~~~~~
https://sarahmerron.com/bats-are-symbols-of-transformation/
https://www.batcon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/BATSSummer11.pdf
Wlliam,
Your post today is continuing to be VERY interesting indeed!!
While reading your post something else caught my eye
and 'coincidently' connects to several
of my puzzle pieces.
Of course the bat and the wolf being two connections,
but I also have a connection to Beren.
Here's how:
First I couldn't help
but notice that the illustration of the bat
chasing the wolf and the title of the illustration
as: transformed.
As I shared earlier, I believe the bat
is a harbinger and symbolic of transformation.
That connection of Beren to my
puzzle pieces is this:
The name Beren. When omitting
the two vowel E's, Beren becomes a BR-N.
Recall I've commented many times about the BRs.
The name Debra is a BR.
And here is the biggest puzzle piece, at
least for me which I've shared a gazillion
times on your blog.
On 11/22/2018, I had a very intriguing dream which
I titled Oscar.
I won't copy and paste the details of the dream
again but it was because of the Oscar dream and
the symbolism of the dream which led me
to Switzerland and the Octagon ( the Eights).
However in order
to understand the connection to Beren
I need to summarize the dream a bit.
In the dream, I was in a house of what I felt
to be my boyfriend's parents house.
My boyfriend's name was Oscar. We both
were about the age of our late 20's.
Oscar was White, somewhat pudgy. He wore
a reddish-brown Phrygian cap.
I looked out of the living room window of the house
and I saw an expansive view of snow covered
mountains. I felt that Oscar's parents house
was on the top of a mountain.
At one point Oscar's parents Golden Retriever came
over to me and I felt that I had been
in this house before, because the Golden Retriever
seem to know me.
At one point my
brother came over to the house to meet Oscar.
I felt that my brother was there to 'size Oscar
up' to see if he ( Oscar) would meet his( my brother's)
approval.
At one point my brother asked Oscar
a very important question, which I felt that question
was so obscure that not many people
would know the answer which is why my
brother asked the question.
I don't recall what the question was.
Oscar answered immediately and his response
was either Bern or Bernie.
I don't recall exactly which.
My brother immediately gave Oscar his
approval and left the house. I followed
him out the door. It was very cold and
again I felt that we were on a mountain top.
I asked my brother why he was leaving
as Oscar and I had plans to take him out to dinner.
My brother turned around and what was odd
is my brother was a White
guy with red hair, however I felt him to be
my brother and the way my brother looks IRL.
He said that he had to leave with the people
who brought him there.
When I woke up, I immediately googled
red hat, White man, red hair, snow covered mountains
Sweden or Switzerland and lo and behold.
I found the link below. When I opened
the link, I thought: OMG, he looks like Oscar!!!
I was NOT aware of a Phrygian Cap
before the dream.
I also have never known anyone whose name
is Oscar.
The name Oskor or Oscar means deer lover or friend
of a deer.
I'm sure you are aware of Eikþyrnir in Norse Mythology.
Everything is connected.
Here's Oscar
https://www.thoughtco.com/phrygian-cap-bonnet-rouge-1221893
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Beren
William,
I forgot to add, Oscar had red hair.
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