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 H - I
Hamingja:
A mobile magical force rather like the mana and manitu of other traditions.
Often defined simply as luck, “shape-shifting force” and “guardian
spirit.”
Hamr: The image forming substance that surrounds each individual,
making up physical form. It may be collected and reformed by magical power
according to the will.
Havamal: These are the sayings of the High One, the second
poem of the Elder Edda; it contains words of wisdom, initiatory myths, and
magical songs used by wizards for centuries.
Hermes: He was considered the greatest of all philosophers,
the greatest of all priests, and the greatest of all kings. He was also
said to be thrice born, once of his mother, once of the intellect, and once
from God. He set the standards for all adepts.
Hermeticism: Magical methods, alchemical means and tradition
of Hermes; a way of reading Hieroglyphs to discern their hidden magical
meanings beyond their literary and semantic readings.
Hippocampus: These are sea horses that supposedly pulled
the chariot of Poseidon. The name hippocampus is derived from the Greek
words for horse (hippos) and sea monster (kampos). It was also called a
Hydrippus, reflecting the Greek work for water (hydro). The hippocampus
was thought to be the king of the fishes, but once Christianity began to
debunk myths, the legend changed to incorporate the idea of a golden fish
in the East. This gold fish would lead all the fish from the north, the
south, the west and take them east. Where, we do not know.
Hippogriff: A form of griffin which can be tamed and rode upon
by people.
Holy Grail: It is thought that this is the cup that Christ
drank from at the Last Supper, but many cultures contain the grail myth
from which everlasting life or healing from sickness can be gleaned, like
the Black Cauldron of Plenty from Celtic traditions. Usually this container
is depicted as a very simple, wooden, clay, or stone cup, not a fancy golden
cup used by kings. In the earliest stories about the grail, it was depicted
as a platter, not a cup. In the earliest stories of the grail it is depicted
similar to a platter that would be used in ancient mystery religions. It
is also called the Goblet Of Fire for its blue white flames. This cup, or
cauldron was also supposedly able to determine if a person was worthy of
its contents, and would kill those who were not.
Hugr: A portion of the psychosomatic complex corresponding
to the conscious mind, intellect, and will.
Hugauga: Old Norse term for the mind's eye.
Hvel: Wheel, a spiritual center in the human body where
magical forces are collected, transformed, and assimilated or projected.
Invisibility: Invisibility is a common thread in many legends
and folklore. Hades had a helmet that when he wore it, it made him invisible.
Harry Potter had an invisibility cloak in the Harry Potter books. Bilbo
in the JRR Tolkein series, Lord of the Rings, had a ring that made him invisible.
The Mists Of Avalon story had an entire island that was invisible after
passing through a particular fog bank in a boat. Wizards were often depicted
as casting a mixture into a fire, causing a burst of light, and disappeared
in the burst. Invisibility is portrayed in multitudes of ways. Even wishing
for invisibility is a magical power in some stories.