Tharmas
Encyclopedia
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 is connected to the God the Father aspect of the Christian Trinity and is the begetter of Los. Tharmas is mostly peaceful, and flees during most of his fights with Urizen. He is depicted in various ways ranging from a youth with wings to an old bearded man.
/mate Enion representing sexual urges. He is also represented as a shepherd. Tharmas is connected to the direction point West and his fallen state is to mark the Circumference of the world. His elemental connection is to water and, in turn, to time. His artistic aspect is Painting and his particular sense is Tongue, which represents taste and speech. He represents both free speech but also false speech. In his divine state, Tharmas is peaceful and idyllic. However, during war the among the Zoas, he fights until he is defeated and falls. His name is possibly a back formation from their daughter's name, Enitharmon. Tharmas is the unifier of the Four Zoas. When Tharmas vanishes, he is replaced by chaotic nature.
As connected to the body and sensation, his fallen state's separation from Enion/sex causes him to turn into the spectre Eternal Death. Through Enion, he creates poetic instinct along with the children forms of Urthona/Los and Enitharmon. When separated from Enion, she creates the "Circle of Destiny", and, with it, the Gate of the tongue, which Tharmas is connected to, was closed. He is at conflict with himself, and through the conflict he becomes human. This caused him to hate, and he feels thwarted by being unable to have sex. He seeks out Urthona/Los and Enitharmon to redeem the universe, but Los refuses and Tharmas separates Urthona/Los and Enitharmon, which causes Urthona to become the spectre Los. However, he soon reunites them. Tharmas battles against Urizen, but normally ends up fleeing. During the Last Judgment, Tharmas and Enion are seen as two children and are able to experience and idealistic sexual relationship. They are also able to assume their divine forms and Tharmas awakens both Los the Eternal Prophet and Albion the Eternal Man. They join in with the harvest after the Final Judgment
.
William Blake's mythology
The prophetic books of the English poet and artist William Blake contain a rich invented mythology , in which Blake worked to encode his revolutionary 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...
of William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, Tharmas is one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion
Albion (Blake)
In the complex 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:...
, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. He represents sensation, and his female counterpart is Enion
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 sensation. In her fallen aspect, she is a wailing...
, who represents sexual urges. He is connected to the God the Father aspect of the Christian Trinity and is the begetter of Los. Tharmas is mostly peaceful, and flees during most of his fights with Urizen. He is depicted in various ways ranging from a youth with wings to an old bearded man.
Character
Tharmas is both the last Zoas described but also the first in the number. His aspect as a Zoas is Sensation. As connected to the Trinity, Tharmas is seen as God the Father. As a body part, he is the loins with his EmanationEmanationism
Emanationism is an idea in the cosmology or cosmogony of certain religious or philosophical systems. Emanation, from the Latin emanare meaning "to flow from" or "to pour forth or out of", is the mode by which all things are derived from the First Reality, or Principle...
/mate Enion representing sexual urges. He is also represented as a shepherd. Tharmas is connected to the direction point West and his fallen state is to mark the Circumference of the world. His elemental connection is to water and, in turn, to time. His artistic aspect is Painting and his particular sense is Tongue, which represents taste and speech. He represents both free speech but also false speech. In his divine state, Tharmas is peaceful and idyllic. However, during war the among the Zoas, he fights until he is defeated and falls. His name is possibly a back formation from their daughter's name, Enitharmon. Tharmas is the unifier of the Four Zoas. When Tharmas vanishes, he is replaced by chaotic nature.
As connected to the body and sensation, his fallen state's separation from Enion/sex causes him to turn into the spectre Eternal Death. Through Enion, he creates poetic instinct along with the children forms of Urthona/Los and Enitharmon. When separated from Enion, she creates the "Circle of Destiny", and, with it, the Gate of the tongue, which Tharmas is connected to, was closed. He is at conflict with himself, and through the conflict he becomes human. This caused him to hate, and he feels thwarted by being unable to have sex. He seeks out Urthona/Los and Enitharmon to redeem the universe, but Los refuses and Tharmas separates Urthona/Los and Enitharmon, which causes Urthona to become the spectre Los. However, he soon reunites them. Tharmas battles against Urizen, but normally ends up fleeing. During the Last Judgment, Tharmas and Enion are seen as two children and are able to experience and idealistic sexual relationship. They are also able to assume their divine forms and Tharmas awakens both Los the Eternal Prophet and Albion the Eternal Man. They join in with the harvest after the Final Judgment
Last Judgment
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, or The Day of the Lord in Christian theology, is the final and eternal judgment by God of every nation. The concept is found in all the Canonical gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew. It will purportedly take place after the...
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