I Set My Mind On The City
Genesis, Part Three
First events on the likely never ending and wonderful tour of these North Atlantic Islands
Info page on events: Liturgies of the Wild UK Book Tour
Hello friends, Last summer I joined Irish writer and podcaster Blindboy in Truro, Cornwall, for a strange yomp of a conversation on British folklore, Christianity, myth and story. Here’s the podcast, freshly released:
Wintered America
A Stranger in the Bar: Portland Maine
The big departure from Devon didn’t start well as I gazed at the sign at the train station board miserably announcing, ‘All trains to London cancelled due to massive and unwieldy storm. Save yourselves.’
Everyone looked rather tense and children were weeping softly. There was the dreaded ‘rail replacement service’ to get you to Taunton at least, then – fingers crossed – ‘good luck bud’. This would not do. My eyes narrowed to small, angry raisins and I whistled through my teeth. I thought our precious smart phones were made to let us know these things in advance?
Due to a plucky and determined friend I was driven directly to Bloomsbury where I chaired a lively talk for the Temenos Academy with Jonathan Pageau. One glorious Turkish meal later I was bundled up to Cambridge for a Prayer Breakfast with my friend Helen and some research at the Faculty of Divinity. I have my favourite desk now, and a tumbling view over the spires, trees, cattle and river. Scudding clouds and Siberian winds.
It was a long old day but fairly smooth journey from Cambridge, England to Portland, Maine. I read Tolkien on Fairy Tales and arrived to a significant drop in temperature. Major drifts. The crunch of the snow but the warmth of the welcome a grand combination. I came to Portland almost every year between 2006-2019 to be part of the Great Mother Conference (I was its artistic director for a lot of that time). I’m going walking soon, with every layer of clothing I have on.
Thank you for such a vivid response to last week’s segment. In the comments you’ll rarely find me arguing a particular case for interpretations of what’s unfolding, I enjoy all your impressions. I’m sympathetic to the vastness of response. Why did God create Wyrm? Sometimes the story feels like epic poetry, at other moments intimate and emotionally impactful.
Next week we’ll have a break and I’ll be exploring some folk tales from the archive of the wonderful Katherine Briggs. These are stories that are new to me too, which adds a little anarchic crackle to the pursuit. I’m experiencing them fresh just as you are. Then we’ll be back with the story of Noah and a short tour report no doubt.
Dropping us into today’s section: we remember the seven days of creation, the making of First Woman and Man, the encounter with Wyrm and the eating of the fruit, the banishment of the garden. Like many of you, I’m intrigued by the function of Wyrm in this story, as one of God’s creation.
Adam & Eve Banished From Paradise, William De Brailes
And yet….
Though banished from The Good World, Maker kept talking to the First Two. Never stopped.
When the great light slowly shifted to the lesser light, Eve would find herself looking hopefully around in case she saw Maker strolling in the cool of the day. That kind of thing just didn’t happen anymore. You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. She shuddered a little if she saw a slithering thing in the grasses.
Bad, bad memories.
And the way God spoke to them was more often on the inside now, rather than the out. A feeling or a thought from the Good World would come into them, and they knew it was a little message from Maker. But they weren’t to know him in that old way. Adam would be knackered from toiling the ground and soon curl up by the fire and fall asleep, knowing the whole thing would begin again in a few hours.
We don’t know if they liked to talk about the Good World, or if it was just too awful to think about after what had happened.