The prophetic books of the English poet and artist William Blake contain an invented mythology, in which Blake worked to encode his spiritual and political ideas into a prophecy for a new age. This desire to recreate the cosmos is the heart of his work and his psychology. His myths often described the struggle between enlightenment and free love on the one hand, and restrictive education and morals on the other.

Sources

Among Blake's inspirations were

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and politica ...

's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 16 ...

'' and '' Paradise Regained'', the visions of Emanuel Swedenborg and the near- cabalistic writings of

Jakob Böhme Jakob Böhme (; ; 24 April 1575 – 17 November 1624) was a German philosopher, Christian mystic, and Lutheran Protestant theologian. He was considered an original thinker by many of his contemporaries within the Lutheran tradition, and his firs ...

. Blake also included his own interpretations of

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

ism and

paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

The Fall of Albion

The longest elaboration of this private myth-cycle was also his longest poem, '' The Four Zoas: The Death and Judgment of Albion The Ancient Man'', written in the late 1790s but left in manuscript form at the time of his death. In this work, Blake traces the fall of

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...

, who was "originally fourfold but was self-divided".Watershed Online
Retrieved on 2008-08-29 This theme was revisited later, more definitively but perhaps less directly, in his other epic prophetic works, '' Milton: A Poem'' and '' Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion''. The parts into which Albion is divided are the four Zoas: * Tharmas: representing instinct and strength. * Urizen: reason and conventional society; a cruel god resembling the

Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized p ...

Demiurge In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the demiurge () is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. The Gnostics adopted the term ''demiurge'' ...

. *

Luvah In the mythological writings of William Blake, Luvah is one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. He represents love, passion, and rebellious energy. His Emanation (female counterpart) is Vala; ...

: love, passion and emotive faculties; a Christ-like figure, also known as Orc in his most amorous and rebellious form. * Urthona, also known as Los: inspiration and the imagination. The Blake pantheon also includes feminine ''emanations'' that have separated from an integrated male being, as Eve separated from Adam: *The sexual Enion is an emanation from Tharmas. *The intellectual

Ahania Ahania is the Emanation, or female counterpart, of Urizen, Zoas of reason, in William Blake's mythology. She is the representation of pleasure and the desire for intelligence. Although Urizen casts her out as being the manifestation of sin, she i ...

is an emanation from Urizen. *The nature goddess Vala is an emanation from Luvah. *The musical Enitharmon is an emanation from Los (Urthona). The fall of Albion and his division into the Zoas and their emanations are also the central themes of '' Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion''. Rintrah first appears in '' The Marriage of Heaven and Hell'', personifying revolutionary wrath. He is later grouped together with other spirits of rebellion in the ''

Visions of the Daughters of Albion ''Visions of the Daughters of Albion'' is a 1793 poem by William Blake, produced as a book with his own illustrations. It is a short and early example of his prophetic books, and a sequel of sorts to ''The Book of Thel''. Plot The central narra ...

'': *The loud and lustful Bromion. *The "mild and piteous" Palamabron, son of Enitharmon and Los (also appears in ''Milton''). *The tortured mercenary Theotormon.

The mythology and the prophetic books

Scholarship on Blake has not recovered a "perfected" version of Blake's myth. The characters in it have to be treated more like a repertory company, capable of dramatising his ideas (which changed, over two decades). On the other hand, the psychological roots of his work have been revealed, and are now much more accessible than they were a century ago. ''America a Prophecy'' is also one of the "prophetic works". Here, the "soft soul" of America appears as Oothoon. Other works concerning this pantheon: *''

America a Prophecy ''America a Prophecy'' is a 1793 prophetic book by the English poet and illustrator William Blake. It is engraved on eighteen plates, and survives in fourteen known copies. It is the first of Blake's '' Continental prophecies''. Background ...

'' *'' The Book of Urizen'' *''

The Book of Los ''The Book of Los'' is a 1795 prophetic book by the English poet and painter William Blake. It exists in only one copy, now held by The British Museum. The book is related to the ''Book of Urizen'' and to the '' Continental prophecies''; it is ...

'' *''

The Book of Ahania ''The Book of Ahania'' is one of the English poet William Blake's prophetic books. It was published in 1795, illustrated by Blake's own plates. The poem of the book consists of six chapters. The content concerns Fuzon, a son of Urizen, a ''Zoa' ...

'' *''

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, William Mythopoeia