The

prophetic books The prophetic books are a division of the Christian Bible, grouping 18 books ( Catholic and Orthodox canon) or 17 books ( Protestant canon, excluding Baruch) in the Old Testament. In terms of the Tanakh, it includes the Latter Prophets from the ...

of the English poet and artist

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

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 The cosmos (, ) is another name for the Universe. Using the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos, and understandings of the reasons for its existence and significance, are studied in ...

is the heart of his work and his psychology. His myths often described the struggle between enlightenment and

free love Free love is a social movement that accepts all forms of love. The movement's initial goal was to separate the state from sexual and romantic matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery. It stated that such issues were the concern o ...

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 polit ...

'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 1674 ...

'' and ''

Paradise Regained ''Paradise Regained'' is a poem by English poet John Milton, first published in 1671. The volume in which it appeared also contained the poet's closet drama ''Samson Agonistes''. ''Paradise Regained'' is connected by name to his earlier and m ...

'', the visions of

Emanuel Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758). Swedenborg had ...

and the near-

cabalistic Cabalist or Cabalistic may refer to: *Cabal, a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views or interests in a church, state, or other community *Christian Kabbalah, an incorporation of Jewish Kabbalah ...

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. Wh ...

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. ...

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 ''Jerusalem'', subtitled ''The Emanation of the Giant Albion'' (1804–1820, with additions made even later), is the last, longest and greatest in scope of the prophetic books written and illustrated by the English poet, artist and engraver W ...

''. The parts into which Albion is divided are the four

Zoas In the mythology of William Blake, Albion is the primeval man whose fall and division results in the Four Zoas: Urizen, Tharmas, Luvah/ Orc and Urthona/ Los. The name derives from the ancient and mythological name of Britain, Albion. Sources In ...

: *

Tharmas In the mythological writings of William Blake, Tharmas is one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. He represents sensation, and his female counterpart is Enion, who represents sexual urges. He ...

: representing instinct and strength. *

Urizen In the mythology of William Blake, Urizen () is the embodiment of conventional reason and law. He is usually depicted as a bearded old man; he sometimes bears architect's tools, to create and constrain the universe; or nets, with which he ensn ...

: 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 pe ...

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 An Orc (or Ork) is a fictional humanoid monster like a goblin. Orcs were brought into modern usage by the fantasy writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially ''The Lord of the Rings''. In Tolkien's works, Orcs are a brutish, aggressive, ugly, ...

in his most amorous and rebellious form. *

Urthona In the mythological writings of William Blake, Urthona is one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. Specifically, he is the Zoa of inspiration and creativity, and he is a blacksmith god. His fem ...

, 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 In the mythological writings of William Blake, Enion is an Emanation/mate of Tharmas, one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. She represents sexuality and sexual urges while Tharmas represents ...

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 ...

is an emanation from Urizen. *The nature goddess

Vala Vala or VALA may refer to: Religion and mythology * Vala (Vedic), a demon or a stone cavern in the Hindu scriptures * Völva, also spelled Vala, a priestess in Norse mythology and Norse paganism Fiction * Vala (Middle-earth), an angelic being in ...

is an emanation from Luvah. *The musical

Enitharmon Enitharmon is a major female character in William Blake's mythology, playing a main part in some of his prophetic books. She is, but not directly, an aspect of the male Urthona, one of the Four Zoas. She is in fact the Emanation of Los, also m ...

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 ''

''.

Rintrah Rintrah is a character in William Blake's mythology, representing the just wrath of the prophet. Rintrah first appears in '' The Marriage of Heaven and Hell'': "Rintrah roars and shakes his fires in the burdened air" shows him personifying revo ...

first appears in ''

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell ''The Marriage of Heaven and Hell'' is a book by the English poet and printmaker William Blake. It is a series of texts written in imitation of biblical prophecy but expressing Blake's own intensely personal Romantic and revolutionary beliefs. ...

'', 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 na ...

'': *The loud and lustful

Bromion Bromion is a character in the mythology of William Blake. According to S. Foster Damon (''A Blake Dictionary'') he represents Reason, from the side of the poet's mind. Incidence * ''Visions of the Daughters of Albion'', in which he plays a major ...

. *The "mild and piteous"

Palamabron Palamabron is a character in William Blake's mythology, representing pity. He is the brother of Rintrah (wrath), Bromion (scientific thought) and Theotormon (desire/jealousy), represented together as either the Sons of Los or of Jerusalem ...

, 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 D ...

'' *''

The Book of Urizen ''The Book of Urizen'' is one of the major prophetic books of the English writer William Blake, illustrated by Blake's own plates. It was originally published as ''The First Book of Urizen'' in 1794. Later editions dropped the "First". The book ...

'' *''

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 ''Z ...

'' *''

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, William Mythopoeia