THE CHILDREN OF SATAN Black Metal as present day proliferatore of Satanic, Pagan and ancient Germanic myths Paper II: Comparative Mythology, Dept. of Sanskrit, Mumbai University, 2013-14 URMI VAZron of black metal band stabs ‘singer to death for ‘not being Satanic enough’ INTRODUCTION As recently as 16" January, 2014, this news piece about an obsessive fan killing a Black Metal musician for ‘not being Satanic enough’ made international headlines, It shocked the international music fraternity and harked back the early days of Black Metal in the 80s, which was characterised by a lot of violence. Dark lyrics, an extreme subculture and violent imagery are among the hallmarks of Black Metal, which borrows heavily from the darker aspects of Heathen and Germanic in addition to Satanic mythology. Bloodlust, arson and murder characterised the second wave of Black Metal during the 90s, but things had somewhat sobered in the last couple of decades. The news of this murder reminded people how deep ‘Satanic’ influences still run in some parts of contemporary society, (no) thanks to the Black Metal scene. This paper attempts to chronicle the influence of Satanic, Pagan, Heathen and Norse mythology on Black Metal music, the symbols associated with it, theevolution of these myths; and finally to understand how some ancient myths continue to influence popular culture and consequently our lives. Basic tenets Before we move on to exploring the mythological connections of Black Metal here are a few basic concepts explained, based mostly on Wikipedia. Black Metal: Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music, often havit iyrics which deal with the Devil and the supernatural. Often synonymous with Satanic Metal, Black Metal has now incorporated more mythical elements (apart from Satan) into its fold. While some bands continue make pure ‘Satanic or anti-Christian’ music, some others have lyrics about heathen/pagan/Nordic characerters like Odin, Thor, Prometheus, the Vikings, etc. These furthur derivatives, who often reject Satanism, go by the name of V ing Metal and War Metal. Common traits of Black Metal music include fast tempos, shricked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw (lo-fi) recording and unconventional song structures. White/ Unblack or Christian Metal bends borrow from Christian scriptures and imagery for album actInterestingly, there are completely oppposite sub genres called Unblack Metal and White/ Christian Metal too. These have the musi al style and constructs like that of Black Metal, but are ideologically its diametric opposite, promoting Christianity and Christian imagery Death Met Closely linked with Black Metal is Death Metal, which explores themes of violence and often elaborates on the details of extreme acts, including mutilation, dissection, torture, rape, cannibalism, and necrophilia. It sometimes employs Satanic imagery, thus overlapping in places with Black Metal. Death metal bands like The intestinal from Sweden often use gory and violent imagery on their album covers,but the Satanic mati are ako seen Death Metal typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo cha ges. Other loosely related sub genres include Dark Metal, Doom Metal and Thrash MetalSatan: The concept of Satan comes from Abrahamic religions with references found in Jewish, Islamic and Christian texts. His primary traits are deceptive, tempting and evilness. The word ‘Satan’ in Hebrew loosely translates to ‘accuser’ or ‘adversary’, but the character was developed into a full-blown evil one — the devil - subsequently. He is often identified with Lucifer, the fallen angel, who rebelled against God and became ruler of the netherworld. Satanism: The Satanism is a broad term referring to a group of Western religions comprising diverse ideological and philosophical beliefs. Their shared features include symbolic association with, or admiration for the character of Satan, and Prometheus, which are in their view, liberating figures. While it has beea practised by underground groups in one form or another since the early days of Christianity, Satanism as we undestand it today, caught on with the establishment of the Church of Satan in 1966 by Anton La VeyThere are two primary kinds of Satanism ~ theistic and atheistic. Theistic Satanism aka Traditional Satanism, Spiritual Satanism or Devil Worship believes in a deity of Satan and other magical and ritualistic practices. Atheistic Satanism, as perpetuated by La Vey is more philosophical in natur teachings are based on individualism, epicureanism, and "eye for an eye" morality. Unlike theistic Satanists, LaVeyan Satanists are atheists who regard Satan as a symbol of man's inherent nature. La Veyan Satanism was made popular with the publishing of The Satanic Bible in 1969. econ Fn ‘Anton La Vey (right) with famous metal artis, Marilyn Manson Asatra: Asatri is an Icelandic (and equivalently Old Norse) term consisting of two parts, The first is Asa-, genitive of Ass, denoting one of the group of Norse faith, word of honou gods called Asir. The second part, tri, means " eligious faith, belief”. Thus, Asatrd means the "faith/belief in the sir", Asatru is variously known as Heathenism, Paganism, Odinism, FornSidr, revival of historical Wotanism, Theodism, and other names, is the contempor polytheistic Germanic paganism.Prometheus: In Greek mythology, Prometheus (which might mean 'foresight’) ion of re who is credited with the ci s a Titan, culture hero, and trickster man from clay, and who defies the gods and gives fire to humanity. Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, sentenced the Titan to eternal torment for his transgression. A catia painting cepicting Prometheus being ‘eaten alive by Zeus" ease The immortal Prometheus was bound to a rock, where each day an eagle, the emblem of Zeus, was sent to feed on his liver, which would then grow back to be eaten again the next day. Because Prometheus’ gift of fire to mankind enabled progress and civilization, he is known as a champion of mankind The punishment of Prometheus as a consequence of the theft is a major theme of his mythology, and is a popular subject of both ancient and modern art Odin/ Wodan/ Wotan: Odin is a major god in Norse mythology, the Allfather of the gods, and the ruler of Asgard. His name could mean ‘fury’, ‘excitation’, besides 'mind’, or ‘poetry’. His role, like that of many of the Norse gods, is complex. Odin is a principal member of the sir and is associated with war,battle, victory and death, but also wisdom, Shamanism, magic, poetry, prophecy, and the hunt. Odin has many sons, the most famous of whom is the thunder god Thor. Thor: In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility. Thor's hammer and chariot pulled by two. goats are important icons, adopted in the artistic tradition, ‘Thanks to Marvel comics and the recent Hollywood movies featuring Chris Memsworth 35 Thor, this old Norse God has come back into the spotlight.Oskorei/ Wild Hunt: Both Odin and Thor, especially Odin, have been associated with the Wild Hunt or Oskorei. The Wild Hunt is an ancient folk myth prevalent across Northern, Western and Central Europe in which a phantasmal, spectral group of huntsmen with the accoutrements of hunting, with horses and hounds in mad pursuit across the skies or along the ground, or just above it ‘The myth ofthe Wd Hunt soften used to explain the phenomenon of thunderstorms. Thi istration of an Oshorel wees esa as the cover art for Swedish Band, Bathory’ album - Slood Fire Death The Vikings: The Vikings were seafaring north Germanic people who raided, traded, explored, and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia, and the North Atlantic islands from the late Sth to the mid-1 Ith centuries. A romanticised Pi re of Vikings as noble savages began to take root in the 18th century, and this developed and became widely propagated during the 19th-century Viking revival. The received views of the Vikings as violent brutes or intrepid we much modem Viki myth that had taken shape by theBLACK BEGINNINGS - THE FIRST WAVE The Christian world saw the emergence of a cult of Anti-Christian musicians in the early 1980s, who formed Black Metal bands. The first among these, comprising bands like Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer and Celtic Frost set the Satanic stage for this subculture in the Scandinavian nations. In fact, it was British band, Venom's second album, Black Metal, from which this genre gets its name. \Venom band members Mantas, Cronos and Abaddon and the cover ofthe second album, Black Metal Other early bands, which strengthened the Satanic and Pagan associations of Black Metal included the Swedish band, Bathoryand Mercyful Fate. America too witnessed a rise of bands with dark themes, such as Slayer and The M sfits. However, Satanism was always watered down, and '...never seemed to achieve quite the unadulterated level of blasphemy wielded by the British founders of Black Metal..' say Michael Michael Moynihan and DidrikSoderland in their acclaimed book, 'Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of Satanic Metal Underground.’Although a Death Metal band, Dekide made ample use of anth Chistian sy ke the kwerted cross, In thele cover Bands like Deicide, who flamboyantly adopted the upside down cross and resorted to bloody theatrics on stage were exceptions. Death and Thrash Metal with half-baked Satanic ideas, which were popular in the late 80s, began to lose their appeal and the audience wanted something darker and edgier, making way for the second wave. DARKER TIDINGS ~- THE SECOND WAVE Black Metal, at least in its Norwegian “second wave,” is commonly described as Satanic, largely due to the influence of the mass media, which portrayed the genre as such. In fact, much of media fodder was provided by a Norwegian band called Mayhem, established by Oystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth in 1984, along with Jom 'Necrobutcher’ Stubberud and Kjetil Manheim. They were later joined by Varg ‘Count Grishnackh' Vikernes and Per Yngve Ohlin, whose stagename was 'Dead’. Apart from their dark music and ideology, the band drew a lot of controversy with respect to arson, murder and a suicide In 1991, band member ‘Dead’ committed suicide by shooting himself in the head d had a history of self in what seemed like an act of self filling prophecy. De harm and offen cut himself during live performances, Band member Euronymous allegedly clicked a picture of the scene of Dead's suicide and used the image as an album cover to further Mayhem's cause. ‘Mayhem album ‘Dawn ofthe Black Nears featured an image of Dead's corpse In January 1992 Burzum’sVargVikemes gave an interview where he claimed responsibility for a number of church burnings, which led to a moral panic and a media frenzy focused on stories about “Satanism in Norway.” This escalated a year later with Vikemes’s murder of Euronymous, and the convictions of several individuals involved in Black Metal for a number of the church burnings that had occurred in Norway in the early 1990s‘The band Mayhem with Euromymous [U) and Dead (8) The Norwegian documentary film Satan rir media (Satan Rides the Media) clearly shows how the Satanism-label was applied by the media, how dubious “cult expects” validated this, and how the number of arsons drastically increased. Satanism became an identity marker in Black Metal, largely due to the media created Satanism providing a “script” for Norwegian “second wave” Black Metal musicians and fans. Mayhem gave the underground music scene much more than their music. The tradition of black leather outfits, metal spikes, corpse paint can be credited to Euronymous, and Black Metal bands across the world today are seen dressed in similar outfits, using similar Satanic symbols. Yd xX ‘The band Immortal dressed in typical Black Metal gearPOPULAR SIGNS AND SYMBOLS IN BLACK METAL THE INVERTED Used widely as an anti-Christian symbol in the Black Metal CROSS |community, it is in fact, quite Christian in its origin. The the sign of St. Peter, who deemed himself inverted cross too unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Christ, and hence chose an inverted one. However, in the metal music context, an inversion of the primary symbol of Christianity is meant to signify an opposite path THE PENTAGRAM 4 pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha or pentangle or a star pentagon) is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes. In medieval Christian tradition, the pentagram could represent the five wounds of Jesus. In the Renaissance it came to be associated with magic and occultism. The inverted pentagram, as used by English black magician, Aleister Crowley and Anton La Vey, founder of the Satanic Church, came to be associated with Satanism. It is a popular with Black Metal bands and modem day Wiccan cults. Baphomet - from the from medieval Latin Baphometh - is a |term originally used to describe an idol or other deity, which the Knights Templar were accused of worshiping, and subsequently incorporated into disparate occult and mystical traditions A Modem day Black Metal fans use the hand sign of the Baphomet as a customary salute,SKULLS For anyone even remotely aware of the heavy metal culture, | the skull will be a familiar sign. Representing death and destruction, the skull is a favourite element of artists designing extreme metal album covers, The Triquetra is an originally Christian symbol, which | often signifies the Trinity. However, Pagans consider the | symbol sacred too and it might signify three divine elements. | However, some have interpreted it as a hidden symbol for | the number of the Devil - 666, and hence one comes across the Triquetra in the context of Black Metal. THE SIGN OF _| Anarchism has a long-standing relationship with the arts, | | ANARCHY _| particularly music. As a symbol of opposition to any form | of authority, all extreme music embraces anarchy. Punk | | rock is most associated with the sign, although some death and black metal bands employ it occasionally. oe tepals | Other common symbols and themes include the Werewolf, the moon, the colour black, fire, blood, virgins, dark priests, forests, crows, etc—— —— WRIT IN BLACK Apart front symbols, Black Metal carries forth the myths of Satan, and other Pagan characters through its explicit, blasphemous and sometimes downright disturbing lyrics. There are ample Christian and anti-Christian references, like Sabbath, Exodus, Day of Judgment, the pact with the Devil, saerifiees,Black Masses, etc. Such extreme lyrics sway teenagers, who are the largest Consumers of such music. There have also been instances of suicides influenced by such music and ensuing lawsuits. However, dark niyths continue (0 be fostered through the Black Metal underground culture, Here are some instances: + hordes asce Crushing the face of See the horns rive The eternal reign of Satan © Solar Deity ~ Through the hallway of narak Satan... bless my soul? Father... we are yours? There is one god? Dark lord, you're the on (One ofthe few indian fins Motat anh, Sola Bey dhsseet stage etune vompte with sk pmesthy rae and | LLLucifer’ grip upon the throat Ofthe cathotic prien faphsiate eviscerate The holy are deceased Pagan fears? The pastis alive? The past is alive Woefid people with pale faces? Staring obsessed at the moon ? Some memories will never go away? And will forever be here © Burzum dom Other planes lie beyond the reach of normal sense and common roads But they are no less real than what we see or touch or feet Denied by the blind church ‘cause these are not the words of God * Bathory ~ Sacrifice Present at ungodly births In holy paradise I spread eternal dark on earth And raped the mother of Christ © Bathory — Shores in flames Tor of thunder way up high Swing your Hammer that eracks the sky Send the wind to fill our sails and take ws home Guide your sons, us, homeCONCLUSION Religion and the arts have always been carriers of myth. Since music as an art form has a wider appeal than most others, myth in music has been common es, Whether one sings hymns in praise of God, chants across nations and “uly, OF rages against convention, myths are always useful praises of natural b re powerfully in conveying an idea m myths are used mostly for In the realm of Black Metal too, Satanic and Pa artistic purposes than as ideology, Very few Black Metal artists admit to following Satanism in their everyday lives. Their dark costumes and stage ‘rituals’ are more for shock and entertainment value than anything else. There ck Met ices like the murder of the Thai B! are crazed fans and extreme insta artiste are few and far between, Black Metal ‘arrived’ in India around the year 2000, but very little has happened since then, There are not more than five bands that play serious Black Metal. These bands are wholly inspired by their Western counterparts and their music is inspired by the same set of myths and ideas. Avid heavy metal follower and blogger, DevduttNawalkar succinctly sums up the Indian Black Metal scene, “Phere aren't any bands that make studied use of ature and symbols to the best of my knowledge. | can only think of Satanic lit Solar Deity from Bombay who claim to be influenced by Anton Lavey's cult of atanic Bible is nothing but a trussed up self empowerment personality (th course), and Witchgoat from Bangalore who use various hackneyed cliches like inverted crosses, Baphomets and pentagrams as an ironical tool to make fun of fans in India will regularly use flippant salutations like "Hail black metal, Me Satan" but it's little more than juvenile delinquency acted out to appeal to the outsider within, Indian Vedic literature has a formidable canon on atheism that deals with very pertinent questions of existence itself; we don't need to “Indianize’ what is essentially a Judeo-Christian concept.