> What is the symbolism here of the comb and rattle? Why was Orlanth
> so audacious to challenge Yelm at such an early age with such small
> weapons?
Interesting question. The second is easiest to answer - Orlanth has always been one righteous dude. And he was avenging his father after all. He *was* brash and immature, but that's part of the youngest-son-comes-good motif. The Rattle is a noisemaker, part of his stormy being.
The Comb is a bit more puzzling - it's not mentioned at all in the KOS retelling of the myth. Perhaps because it was a comb-bat? Boom boom. (Real world myths sometimes rest on such flimsy linguistic puns). More seriously, perhaps the comb was a headdress the brash young warrior used to draw attention to himself - a cock's comb. In Cherokee custom a comb was used to 'tattoo' the arms of heroes and storytellers, again associated with brave and daring deeds.
Of course, the comb is usually associated with weaving and hence with women. This is my preferred interpretation: the rattle and comb are gifts and symbols of Orlanth's father and mother, Umath and Kero Finn. They state that he has inherited the finest qualities of both, and that he is their hope and blessing. Also, by carrying both male and female symbols, he is truly the agent of freedom for all the tribe - both men and women.
There is a third layer: a rattle is associated with magic (the shaman's rattle used to enter trance, begin an otherworld journey or to frighten spirits etc.). A weaving comb is a symbol of physical work. So the rattle and comb symbolise, for the Heortling retelling the myth today, both the magical realm of the Godplane and the everyday, physical realm. Orlanth is the master of both.
Symbol making is a game you can play endlessly. These are all off the top of my head, and don't preclude other, perhaps more pertinent explanations. And of course, being a myth, part of the meaning comes from you. So there are no 'right' or 'wrong' explanations - merely more powerful or useful ones.
Hope this helps
John
nysalor_at_... John HughesQuestlines: http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/
There was a muddy centre before we breathed.
There was a myth before the myth began,
Venerable and articulate and complete.
>From this the poem springs: that we live in a place
that is not our own, and much more, not ourselves.
And hard it is in spite of blazoned days.
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