FOLKLORE CALENDAR DAY ELEVEN

PANDORA

In 'Heat of the Hunt' Mike the storyteller has a buzzard called Pandora. He flies her out on the moor, and it was on just such a occasion that he caught sight of the beast near Hound Tor.

The name Pandora comes from Greek mythology. She was the first woman, created by Hephaestus at the command of Zeus, and from her line come all of womankind. Her myth is an explanation of how evil came to be in the world, and it describes how she opens a jar (sometimes mistranslated as a box) and releases toil, sickness, diseases and pain. The only thing that remains clinging inside the jar is fragile hope, which is discovered last as some recompense.

In most presentations of Pandora she is shown as a beautiful destroyer and a curse upon mankind, which is in stark contrast to her very earliest appearances in mythology where she is 'the all giving'. An alternative name for her is Anesidora, which translates as 'she who sends up gifts' (from below the earth).

It is no coincidence that Mike chose to name his bird of prey Pandora. He is a character of conflict himself; fascinated by stories but unable to recall his own past. Perhaps, like the jar of myth, his suppressed memories contain a lot of pain, but also the hope which is needed. In 'Lie of the Land' we shall find out!

If you have enjoyed reading this, you might just like Heat of the Hunt Book.

Paperback: www.facebook.com/heatofthehunt

Ebook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heat-Hunt-Helen-JR-Bruce-ebook/dp/B07WK82T62/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KWLN6706U3TQ&keywords=heat+of+the+hunt&qid=1578168810&s=books&sprefix=heat+of+the+hunt%2Caps%2C163&sr=1-1