Symbolism of Mountains in Mythology.

It is said that in myths lie messages. So what have all the myths tried to tell us through the mountains? Mountains have provided refuge to truth-seekers, hermits, and even to ordinary men. With their beauty, mystery and transcendence, they can help lift our lives above the grime and dirt associated with the plains below.

High places have always been seen as a place for spiritual quest. Midway between the heaven and earth, mountains were a place where people like Moses could meet their god. Mountains are perceived to take you closer to the heavens. Let us analyse the symbolic value of the mountains more closely:

1.The movement upward: When our gaze moves up, it’s an expression of
elevation, a rise which is very positive

2.Highness: The height, at which a mountain stands, signifies the
difference in altitude, from where one observes it to where the mountain
is. This symbolises the majesty, steadiness, stability and superiority.

3.Every ascension symbolises a movement from the basic to beyond; a sense
of surpassing the ordinary to extra-ordinary. It embodies a movement of
going beyond the human condition. The struggle, the effort that takes
one to the highest peak is also mans achievement of the highest quality

4.A mountain seems away from the ground (of mortals) and seems to touch
the skies (heavens the abode of the gods). The top of the mountain seems
to ‘touch’ the heavens and is thus seen as the centre where the earth
meets the heaven.

5.The unreachable – The passage to the beyond may be possible or may not
be possible for the humans. But this highly valued ‘un-climbableness’ of
mountains symbolises the un-reachableness of the absolute – the absolute
virtue, power or immortality.

Till today to conquer a mountain is seen as a human and spiritual feat. When we are saddened by the transient nature of our earthly existence mountains through their sheer lasting quality can challenge us to look beyond ourselves and to hope for unending life.

However, the symbolism varies from culture to culture. In some cultures the ascension or trying to achieve the unachievable is considered as a violation. To set out to achieve this ascension in Tibetan or Hindu traditions is not seen as a good sign. It is a sign of arrogance and disrespect for the resident of the mountains, i.e. the Supreme Being, the God. But in the Chinese tradition, the climbing of a mountain is seen as a sacred journey.

Mountains in Mythology.

Since time-immemorial, there has been an aura of mystery surrounding that of a mountain. It is visibly massive, evoking a sense of power and majesty, quite un-traversable by a layman. It is also a treasure trove, as in it, the mountains hold the source of rivers, rare plants and animals and layers of gold and silver.

But mythology does not have the trappings of science, so it takes the liberty of expressing mountains in its own way. Probably that is why a mountain is explained as an evidence of Earth's yearning for the Sky. For example, the ancient Egyptians showed the sky, Nut, as a female deity whose star-filled body arches over that of her consort, the earth. His desire is manifest in the way his body responds to hers, and an imposing mountain can remind us of this physical attraction.

While Egyptian mythology takes shelter in this artful expression, let us see how mythologies of different cultures have expressed mountains in their myths.

In Indian myths, mountains have always been regarded as holy beings, with its own sense of divinity. It is said that earlier mountains had wings and thus would keep flying here and there troubling and crushing creatures by sitting on them. Indra cut off the wings and made them stationary. The wings became clouds and till date they cling to the mountain tops, in a sense of celestial romance!

Indian mythology is replete with mountain gods all with their own myths and stories, like Himavan, Mainaka, Kailash, Vindhyas, etc. Of all, Mt. Meru has a special significance as it is considered to be a pivot to the three worlds around which all the heavenly bodies revolve. According to the epic Ramayana, all mountains are said to be created from the bones of the demons Madhu and Kaitabha who were killed by Vishnu.

In the Greek mythology, though there aren’t any mountain gods as such. Here the mountains were referred to as sacred places as they were regarded as “homes of gods”. Each and every mountain was said to have its own bearded god. Mountains were occasionally depicted in classical art as bearded old men rising up from behind their craggy peaks. Gaia is supposed to have created the mountains as ‘graceful haunts of the goddess Nymphai who dwell in the narrow valleys of the mountains.’

In the Egyptian system of writing mountains are depicted in the form of two peaks with a valley in between. Symbolically the mountain was an image of the universal mountain whose peaks were imagined to be holding the sky.

A number of other well known mythologies like the Judeo-Christian, Mayan, Sumerian, Chinese/Tibetan, and lesser known mythologies, like the Lithuanian, Romanian, Nordic, Bulgarian, Persian, etc. also have references to Mountains with a sense of awe and mysticism.

With some differences, nearly all the cultures have references of mountains in their mythology. Mountains are an integral part of every mythology. From the time when science had not given answers to natural phenomena’s to the times when mountains have become a part of landmark and subject of every child’s study, mountains continue to be a part and parcel of every culture and its lore. Its magnificence and its solidity and the resultant enormity makes it’s a subject of awe and mysticism which have been so well woven in mythology by the early thinkers.