Now, their mother had told them,
"It's dangerous around here, boys,
and you can go to the east,
to the south, to the west,
but don't go north."
So they go north.
"Transformations of Myth Through Time",
page 37, by Joseph Campbell
 

The earliest myths tell of a legendary place, and race, which ushered in the age of mankind on this planet. This legendary place is called Hyperborea, and its dwellers the Hyperboreans.

The Hyperboreans were the gods and goddesses of myth and legend who brought the wisdom and secrets of the universe to the earliest inhabitants of this planet. They were responsible for the
Golden Age of mankind referred to in ancient texts. A Golden Age which has since devolved from sublime spirituality to gross materialism.

But who were the Hyperboreans, and where is this Hyperborea which is spoken of in the most ancient of legends?

Before we can understand what and where Hyperborea is, we must first study the etymology, or root meaning, of this word.

Hyper means above, beyond, or over. Boreas means "the north" or "the north winds". Therefore Hyperborea translates as a place that is "above and beyond the Northern winds". It is the polar origin, or polar center, which connects the realm of matter below with the domain of spirit above.

And as this northern polar center is also called the arctic, let us now look into the etymology of the word "arctic". Arctic comes from the Greek arktos meaning "bear; Ursa Major; the region of the north", the Bear being a northerly constellation (from: Online Etymology Dictionary).

Therefore "arctic" refers to the Arctic Bear or Polar Bear which, along with all the other stars in the heavens, rotates around the cosmic or heavenly center as viewed from our planet. This cosmic center is currently occupied by the North Star we call Polaris.

It is the rotation of the stars around this cosmic center which creates the "branches" of the World (or Cosmic) Tree. And, it is this fixed cosmic center, which is invisibly attached to the northern-most point of our planet that creates the axis, or "trunk", of the World (Cosmic) Tree.

This northern celestial mid-point around which the heavens appear to rotate is that sacred center which is also represented, symbolically, by the Dot Within The Circle.

The far northern lands of our planet are barren and inhospitable to humans. And because of this these far northern lands, along with high mountain peaks, have always been considered to be the domains of gods, spirits, and the Wise Holy Men who occupy the borders between realms.

Even in the folklore of today we commemorate these far northern and inhospitable lands every December as we await the arrival of Santa Claus, and his gift-bearing sled, in his annual journey from his home in the North Pole.

And how many children relish the gift of a stuffed polar bear under their Christmas tree?

Yet, as mystical, magical, and intriguing as the legends, myths, and folklore of these far-northern lands are to us, Hyperborea refers to a spiritual and metaphysical (beyond the physical) realm which exists well above and beyond these cold and frigid northern realms of our planet. For Hyperborea is "above and beyond the Northern winds".

However, for the Hyperboreans to have contact with us, there must be a point of entry for them in our realm. This entry point is the northern pole of our planet. This northern pole, or northern axis point of our planet, is where the base, or "trunk", of the World (Cosmic) Tree attaches itself to our world and takes "root".

This northern-most focal point of our planet is where the spiritual realm of the heavens meets, and interacts with, the physical realm of earth.

As this northern-most point is where the four major compass points meet, these four compass points symbolize the four rivers which feed the four major roots of the World Tree.

This northern-most point is also the focal point where all of the lines of longitude merge together and are united as one. Therefore it is also the point from which all of the sub-roots of the World Tree begin their branching-out.

And because all of the longitudinal lines and compass points meet at this one focal point this is also the Omphalos, or navel, of our planet. In other words, it is the central point where the umbilical cord of our planet is connected to the heavens, metaphorically, by way of the "trunk" of the Cosmic (World) Tree.

It is by way of this umbilical cord, or "trunk" of the World Tree which connects heaven and earth, that the heavenly spirits (Hyperboreans) are able to descend upon humanity and bestow their blessed gifts upon us.

It is also by way of this umbilical cord, or "trunk", that those of us who have achieved enlightenment are able to ascend back to that heavenly realm from whence we departed a long, long time ago and become as one again with our spiritual brothers and sisters in that mystical land of Hyperborea which exists "above and beyond the northern winds".

Author: Joseph Panek

http://www.aseekersthoughts.com/2011/12/hyperborea-beyond-northern-winds.html