MORTON

THE PAGAN AND THE PRIEST: 

THE PAGAN AND THE PRIEST THOMAS MORTON AND THE MAYPOLE OF MERRY MOUNT AMERICAN LITERATURE I

THE INFAMOUS MAYPOLE: 

THE INFAMOUS MAYPOLE A PAGAN SYMBOL FOR THE PURITANS SAW AS WORSHIP OF IDOLS— THE DEVIL!

JOHN WINTHROP: 

JOHN WINTHROP FIRST GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS HE DETESTED THE SYMBOL OF THE MAYPOLE AUTHOR OF A MODEL OF CHRISTIAN CHARITY ENVISIONED NEW ENGLAND AS “A CITY ON A HILL”

THOMAS MORTON: 

THOMAS MORTON LAWYER, NATIVE AMERICAN TRADER EXTREMELY WELL EDUCATED… IN CONTRAST TO THE PRIMARILY SELF-TAUGHT PURITANS HE AND THE PURITANS HAD A DIFFERENT IDEA OF “FUN”

THE PURITANS, OF COURSE, SAW MORTON AS THE DEVIL: 

THE PURITANS, OF COURSE, SAW MORTON AS THE DEVIL

BUT THEY HAD THEIR REASONS: 

BUT THEY HAD THEIR REASONS He was a supporter of the Church of England, and King Charles I. The Puritans opposed the “Romish” practices of the church. In their eyes, Morton and the church contained “Pagan” elements.

King Charles I: 

King Charles I A REALLY NICE GUY, HE PERSECUTED INDIVIDUALS WHO DID NOT SHARE HIS PARTICULAR RELIGIOUS VIEWS.

BACKGROUND OF THE MAYPOLE: 

BACKGROUND OF THE MAYPOLE THE MAYPOLE HAS A LONG HISTORY— GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE DEVIL, OF COURSE.

Slide9: 

THE MAYPOLE IS A PAGAN FERTILITY SYMBOL, A PHALLIC ARCHETYPE, IN THE PURITAN MIND AND THIS CONCEPT HAS A LONG HISTORY IN THE COSMIC WAR BETWEEN DARK AND LIGHT.

Slide10: 

BELTANE OR MAY DAY (MAY 1) REPRESENTS THE RETURN OF THE SUN AFTER A LONG, COLD WINTER MAY DAY IS THE TIME OF NEW LIFE, NEW BEGINNINGS QUEEN OF THE MAY

Slide11: 

SAWHAIN (OCTOBER 31) END OF THE YEAR IN CELTIC MYTHOLOGY —THE BEGINNING OF THE DARK TIME

Slide12: 

MORTON MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE CELTIC CONNECTION, BUT… CLASSICALLY TRAINED, HE WAS OBVIOUSLY AWARE OF THE ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN TRADITIONS THAT THE PURITANS SO FEARED AND IDENTIFIED WITH WITCHCRAFT AND SATANISM. OBVIOUSLY, NEITHER GROUP LIKED THE OTHER. BOTH, HOWEVER, WERE HEIRS TO PERSECUTION OF “WITCHES” AND SATAN. THE SPANISH INQUISITION WASN’T THAT FAR IN THE PAST. THAT’S WHY HE TAUNTED THEM.

Slide13: 

THE PURITANS MISINTERPRETED THE CONCEPT OF FLORA AND MAIA. THEY THOUGHT THE MAYPOLE HONORED THE ROMAN GODDESS FLORA, RATHER THAN MAIA, THE GODDESS OF SPRING. FOR THE PURITANS, FLORA WAS A WHORE. MORTON, WITH HIS SUPERIOR EDUCATION, TAUNTS THE PURITANS FOR THEIR LACK OF AND CONTEMPT FOR THE WISDOM OF ATHENA AND MINERVA. IN THEIR HATRED OF CLASSICAL STUDIES THEY REVEAL UNSOPHISTICATED MINDS. WHATEVER, THE MAYPOLE WAS STILL ABOUT FERTILITY.

Slide14: 

FLORA WAS AN UNSAVORY FIGURE IN THE PURITAN MIND.

Slide15: 

ROMAN GODDESS MAIA, GODDESS OF SPRING PERHAPS THE PURITANS WERE A BIT CONFUSED BETWEEN THE TWO. MAIA APPEARS NOT QUITE AS CHASTE AS FLORA. SHE GOT AROUND. THE GODDESS’ NAME IS WHERE WE GET THE MONTH OF MAY.

Slide16: 

THIS IDEA OF SEXUALITY WAS PARAMOUNT IN THE PURITAN MIND. FOR THEM, SEXUAL UNION WAS FOR PROCREATION, NOT RECREATION. ONE MIGHT SAY THAT THEY WERE SEXUALLY CONSTIPATED. PERHAPS THIS EXPLAINS THEIR INHERENT FEAR OF THE MAYPOLE AS A PHALLIC OR FERTILITY SYMBOL THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE FULLY UNDERSTOOD, ESPECIALLY IN REGARD TO MORTON’S ALLUSIONS TO BACCHANALIA AND SATURNALIAN REVELS. —MORTON’S CLASSICAL KNOWLEDGE BASE ONCE MORE EXHIBITED.

Slide17: 

BACCHANAL ANCIENT GREEK FESTIVAL OF WINE, WOMEN, AND SONG, NAMED IN HONOR OF BACCHUS (ALSO CALLED DIONYSUS) CONSIDERED BY THE PURITANS AS AN ORGY OF DRUNKENNESS AND DEBAUCHERY

BACCHUS/DIONYSUS: 

BACCHUS/DIONYSUS GOD OF DRUNKENESS AND REVELRY, HE WAS A TRUE PARTY ANIMAL!

Slide19: 

CONNECTED TO AND MODELED UPON THE FIGURE OF THE GREEK PAN THE SATYR—PART MAN PART BEAST ORIGINALLY A FOREST SPIRIT ONE OF THE FORMATIVE IMAGES IN THE CREATION OF THE HALLOWEEN SATAN

Slide20: 

IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY, THE FEASTS OF BACCHUS WERE CELEBRATED IN SPRING AND AUTUMN THAT IDEA CONNECTS US TO THE CELTIC BELTANE (MAY DAY), AND SAWHAIN (HALLOWEEN) GET THE PICTURE?

Slide21: 

THE ROMAN SATURNALIA FESTIVAL OF SATURN, HELD ABOUT DECEMBER 17 IN CELEBRATION OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE LOTS OF PARTIES AS NOW AROUND CHRISTMAS MARDI GRAS AND LATIN AMERICAN CARNIVAL ARE ALSO DESCENDED FROM THIS HOLIDAY

Slide22: 

SO MORTON WAS PERSECUTED BY THE PURITANS, ARRESTED A NUMBER OF TIMES, AND SENT BACK TO ENGLAND HE JUST RETURNED TO CHALLENGE THEIR IDEAS AGAIN, KNOWING THAT THIS WOULD SERIOUSLY IRRITATE THE PURITANS, TO HIS GREAT DELIGHT. EVENTUALLY HE TIRED OF THIS SPORT, AND ON HIS FINAL RETURN HE LEFT AND LIVED IN MAINE, WHERE HE DIED.

Slide23: 

MORTON AND THE PURITANS REPRESENTED TWO OPPOSING VIEWS THE WAR BETWEEN DARKNESS AND LIGHT HAS ANCIENT ROOTS, AND CONTINUES TODAY