Lexicon of Paganism, Mystery Religions, And Magical Creatures
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Glossary of Terms G
Galdr:
Originally, incantation, and later the word for Northern magic in general.
Galdrastafr: Literally, “stave of incantations.”
A magic sign of various types, made up of bind runes.
Gandr: Projected magical will and power; the wand, staff,
or stave that contains the incantations.
Gargoyle: Gargoyles are often seen near the roofs and doorways
of buildings. The Gargoyle is ugly and dragon like, incorporating demons
and monsters from Paganism into the Gothic Architecture of Christianity.
The French story of the Gargouille tells how the monster lived in the Seine
River and spouted water, overturning boats and flooding houses.
Giants: Greek mythology calls them Gigantes, born from
the blood of Uranus (The Heavens) falling on Gaea (Earth). The Gigantes
fought the gods of Mount Olympus but they were defeated and buried underneath
mountains that became volcanoes. Cyclops were another type of giant in Greek
mythology, and they only had one eye and created the thunderboldt that Zeus
used in his rulership. Cyclops, like Gigantes, loved to eat humans. The
British giants were Gog and Magog, and are today represented by two large
statues in Guildhall in London, erected in the 1400s. Supposedly, they were
destroyed by the founder of London. (They have been replaced twice, once
after a fire in 1600s and then after air raids in the Second World War.)
Another British legend combines Gog and Magog, calling it Gogmagog. Gogmagog
lived near Cornwall, and a soldier eventually pushed the giant off a cliff
which is still called Giant’s Leap today. Another British giant is
called Gargantua (gargantuan in the English language means “huge”).
This was a giant so huge that a football field could easily fit inside his
mouth. He was employed by King Arthur and defeated Gog and Magog. He needed
the milk of 17,913 cows to quench his thirst.
Giants And Magic: Stonehenge was supposedly built by giants,
called the Giant’s Ring in some texts. The giants moved them there
from the remotest parts of Africa and set them up so that whenever the giants
became ill, they would prepare a bath inside the stone ring, and they would
be cured. Merlin suggested to Arthur that he move the stones to England,
and Arthur took his advice and moved them to their present site, believing
the stones had medicinal properties.
Glodhker: Fire pot used in magical rites.
Gnomes: Gnomes, in general, are the elemental earth spirits
the wizard can invoke to serve him. There are also free living gnomes who
reside in mushroom groves and tree trunks. These Gnomes are relatives of
Sylphs and Dwarves, and are good natured and generally helpful.
Goblins: The word goblin comes from the Greek word “kobalos”
meaning “rogue.” The same word is also the root of the German
words kobold or kobolt and the French gobelin. Goblins roam, and don't usually
haunt families or homes. They are miners and metalworkers, more interested
in industry than they are in evil. They are rough around the edges, ugly,
and klutzy, but they are strong and work hard if they decide they want to
do something. Hobgoblins, a type of Goblin, are pranksters and can be extremely
evil.
Godhi: A preist of the Aesir and Vanir. Also known as Goddha.
Goetia: A Medieval method for invoking the 72 Celestial
Demons of the old world, derived from the Judeo-Egyptian magic of King Solomon-Amenhotep
III. Goetia means witchcraft or lesser magic. This is ritual magic in which
the adept stands in a protective circle and calls forth a specific day or
night demon to do his bidding for a specific purpose suited to that particular
demon. See the following elaborate description and instruction in the Goetia
of Solomon and the Lesser and Greater Keys of Solomon, Clavicula Solomonis.
Goth: A now extinct East Germanic language; the word also
refers to the people who spoke this language.
Greek Fire: The mysterious all powerful fire created by
alchemists in an outdoor alchemical vase.
Grindylows: These are water demons; sickly green creatures
who live in ponds and lakes and drag children from the shore in England.
In Lancashire, it is known as the Jenny Greenteeth. In other parts of England
it is called the Nellie Long-Arms. Peg o’ the Well lives in wells.
These tales were most likely invented by parents to keep children away from
a watery death by drowning.
Griffin: The griffin was a creature made of part lion, part eagle,
and representing courage and virtue. They were first originated in India
and guarded gold treasures. The Griffin flies like a dragon, having large
feathered wings and its eyes were like fire. It lives in high mountains
and is impossible to capture. In Greece, Apollo was said to ride a griffin,
and also was the embodiment of Nemesis, the goddess of negation and retribution.
The griffin became a symbol for Jesus Christ as the master of earth and
heaven. At first the griffin was thought to be a satanic symbol but later
became a symbol of the dual nature of Jesus Christ (divine and human). It
was master of earth and sky. The griffin was the enemy of serpents and basilisks,
both demonic beings. Many family crests have a griffin in them.