Fragments of Greek Mythology in the Amazigh music/poetry

As indigenous peoples of North Africa, Amazigh people have had a long history of interacting with the most prominent Mediterranean civilizations. This cross-cultural effect is illustrated by many incidents. One of them is the famous Greek deity Poseidon who’s –according to Herodotus- is originally North African. This is not something new, for there is not a 100% pure culture because each society - viz its cultural system- is influenced by another one or built on/emerged from the debris of a previous one. In this article, I am not going to focus on all the aspects of this Greeko-Amazigh interculturalism. First of all, because there are many academic studies which have been done by experts on the topic, and also an article of a few pages is not really sufficient to cover all the aspects. In this article however, I will use Amazigh arts (Music/Poetry) to show how the effect of this antic historical interplay transcended time and is still alive in the cultural memory of the Amazigh people.  It is worth noting that I am not an expert in Mythology (nor in anything to be honest) but I grew up in a society that sanctifies nature, beauty and arts. As I have mentioned in a previous article, the Imazighen have got an exceptional relationship with the language, although ironically, many people including the Amazigh themselves do not consider the current standard Tamazight as a language and claim that it has been created for “Ideological” purposes. This –although out of the topic and I just to make this idea clear- is irrelevant and reflects a weak exposition to historical scholarship.  All the languages that we’re now using today were once impractical and “futile” vernacular dialects, with no history. In Europe, Latin was for centuries after the fall of Rome the lingua franca and the only one accepted in the intellectual arena. It has gained its legitimacy due to its historical importance as the language of ancient Rome and thus the language that the Catholic Roman church has chosen and imposed upon all the European states. The Latin language as history witnesses was relegated by Europeans because it resisted evolution and was strictly attached to its ivory towers and refused to interact with the socio-historical changes, therefore, Europeans have cherished and empowered their languages thus elevating them to the degree in which they are today. A similar problem is now facing Arabic in North Africa especially. I say that this language is doomed to extinct within the coming years in spite of the immense efforts of some and that is the aim behind this article, essentially to show how a cultural link that existed Three thousand years ago is still alive despite the continuous attempts to brainwash and to “acculturate” and to “Civilize” e.i to depersonalise.

When I hear the term “Greek Mythology” the first thing that comes into my mind is Zeus. The king of the gods of mount Olympus and the hero that freed his siblings from their bestial father Kronos, who devoured them in their cradle. He fought the Titans and cut his father into pieces and was then named a King. In the famous Myth of Zeus and Prometheus, the latter was punished by the former to be bound into a rock and an eagle was sent to devour his liver every day only to get regenerated the next. The choice of this bird of prey is not ex nihilo. In fact, the eagle in Greek Mythology is the emblem of Zeus. In the Amazigh poetry, the eagle is the symbol of numerous characteristics such as nobility and honour, virtue and bravery, liberty and pride. All these characteristics can actually be attributed to Zeus, especially because he was known for his promiscuity which is also a trait that often accompanies the eagle in the Amazigh poetry. 

For instance, in a traditional song from Ait Baamrane –a region in southern Morocco- the following lines are praising this exceptional bird: 

Oh noble eagle, 

Endowed with a trait of exquisite worth,

A prideful soul that cannot be displaced,

Nor yield to any slight or indignity of earth.

All feathered creatures, far and wide,

In awe of your grandeur, stand in admiration,

For it is your bravery, your valiant stride,

That dignifies all avian creation.

Thus, the secret of your greatness lies,

In the deeds that make you rise,

In other songs, other features are attributed to the eagle. In a song by Raiss Said Achtouk for instance, the singer/poet warns white doves from this ruthless, salacious creature who is lurking them and says

Oh, blue-eyed doves, 

Take heed and heed my warning clear,

For the eagle, fierce and hungry, doth fly,

Seeking naught but sustenance to appear

            

As I have mentioned before, Zeus was known for his womanising attitude. In fact, many myths are simply stories about him chasing women and enticing the jealousy and anger of Hera, his legitimate wife. More qualities are being ascribed to Zeus. In one of his most celebrated songs, Rais Omar Wahrouch laments the situation of the Amazigh youth which immigrated to France to work in the coal mines or in other jobs leaving behind their homeland, their families and their lovers..

I will never forgive the automobiles,

O Eagle!

Because of them, I left my home

O Eagle!

The Myth of Prometheus also carries another similarity between the two cultures. The punishment that the rebel gained was his liver being devoured by a bird of prey. Ancient Greeks believed that the liver was the source of human emotions and so do Imazighen throughout North Africa. 

The term “Tasa/Liver” is basically related to love and passion and affiliation and generally all the profound emotions. In Tamazight, the equivalent of a Heartbreak is literally “Liver blast”. We also say “Tasa” when referring to someone we love, generally in all the ways the concept of “Heart” is used yet with the liver instead. Sidi Hemmou Taleb (17th century Amazigh poet ) has many poetic verses that are now taken as proverbs and idioms, and in which this assumption is artistically illustrated

O steel

If you would only soften for me

To make a chain of you

For this liver of mine

Who is chasing an apathetic beloved

 As the previous song by Rais Said Achtouk denotes, the dove in Amazigh poetry symbolises alluring beauty that enthrals and beguile men. It is also an emblem of love, delicacy and innocence and in sometimes even capriciousness. In most of the poems, this “Dove” is begged to pay attention and to behave as eccentric as she usually does. She is implored to stay indoors and to beware the hunters. I think that the Dove – which in most cases is white-  stand for the famous Greek deity Aphrodite,  Olympian goddess of beauty and love and pleasure. 

In the same song by Rais Said Achtouk he continues:

Prithee, guard your steps!

As you might fall a prey to the hunters  

The great Amazigh poet Rais Hajj Mohamed Demsiri uses the symbol in many of his songs, one of them – very popular here in Southern Moroccan suburbs is this one:

The dove is alone,

Gloomy

For his companion is abroad.

When this song first appeared in the 1960s/70s, most of the Moroccan youth were working in France. They come back for a few weeks every year. Some of them got married in those conditions, thus the beautiful newlyweds were left in solitude. In these conditions, such a song was enough to make a woman cry her eyes out when remembering her beloved husband who is risking his life in the French mines or in the Spanish fishing boats.  This symbol was not created by Hajj Demsiri and in fact dates long back to the days of Sidi Hemmou:

 Nothing more breaks my heart

Than the poor orphan dove

Who has lost her father and mother

Following the same tradition Rais Lhajj Belaid – The father of Southern Moroccan Amazigh Music also known as Tirruysa- also made songs about this white pigeon and said:

White pigeon,

I want to be with you

If you love me,

I shall always be yours

All these songs accredit some identical characteristics to the dove. She is unpredictable and often misled by her beauty – Just like Aphrodite who was the reason behind the Trojan war- and all these poets are begging her to change that attitude for the sake of her divine beauty.

Last but not least, there is a proverb in Tachelhit which says “Izwar L’haqq s imi n tazzwit /Truth came first from the mouth of the Honeybee”. The story starts when God was creating the animals, and told them that they could choose their characteristics. The honeybee saw how the snake asked God to kill anyone it stings, so she wanted the same trait. However, the poor bee had a Freudian slip and instead she said “I want to die whenever I sting someone”. In ancient Greek Mythology, this story is known as “The story of Zeus and The honeybee”. It takes place during Zeus and Hera’s wedding. 

The king of gods announced that whoever could devise the most original wedding dish would be granted the opportunity to ask any favour they pleased. All the living creatures have participated with all sorts of dishes, yet the gods were immensely satisfied with honey. It was the first time they have ever tasted something of the sort. The same story is repeated in the Roman mythology with Jupiter, the only difference is probably the wedding tale. In the Roman version, the honeybee decided to make a gift for Jupiter in order to ask him the same request and got the same sanction.

As I said at the beginning , I am not a specialist therefore everything that I have mentioned above is a personal interpretation which is a result of my humble study of Greek mythology (the basics) and my personal fascination with the Amazigh arts.