Can we ever really change?

Veles (белес)

While being the god of the Underworld, Earth, and Waters, Veles is also considered a trickster deity akin to Loki in Norse mythology. He is also connected with magic and sorcery. Veles is described as the god of livestock and farmers who punishes those who go against him with sickness. It is also suggested in multiple myths that he was a shapeshifter, often in the form of a snake or a dragon. In addition to horses, cows, goats, and sheep, Veles is also associated with wolves, reptiles, and blackbirds (specifically ravens and crows). His name is primarily mentioned in 16th-century Czech records, here his name has the meaning of ‘dragon’ or ‘devil’. His realms were in the roots of the tree. The primary chronicle is a detailed record of early Kievan Rus and it mentions the god Veles multiple times.

Veles’ idol did not stand next to others on the hill where the prince’s palace was, but was in the city marketplace lower down. This indicates that the worship of Perun and Veles had to be done separately for several reasons. One being that Perun and Veles were enemies and so it would be wrong to place the two in such close proximity to one another, and secondly was that while it was correct to place Perun’s idol high on mountains, Veles was supposed to remain down in the lowlands.

Dazbog (дажьбог)

In most surviving images, he is shown with a glowing halo around his head and an orb in his hand. Both of which are represent the sun. Dazbog is the god of the Sun, fire, light and weather. When winter ends, Dazbog brings the light from the sun and rain to help new life begin again. Because of this, Dazbog is viewed as a god of life. The primary tale about Dazbog is that he lived in a palace made of gold in a land of never-ending summer and wealth. The morning and evening were known as the Zoryi and were his daughters. The Zoryi would open the palace gates to allow Dazbog to leave in the morning. Later in the evening, Zoryi closed the gates and in different versions of the myths, the sisters are combined into the single goddess Zorya. In some stories, Dazbog starts out in the morning as a young, strong man but in the evening he is elderly and weak. He is reborn every morning. At night Dazbog crosses the great ocean with a boat pulled by geese, wild ducks, and swans. Dazbog is said to be the son of Svarog the god of the sky and celestial fire, and the brother to Svarozhich. He is married to the moon goddess Mesyats, who is his opposite.

Stribog (стрибог)

Stribog was the god of the wind and is also the son of Perun. They both ruled over the sky. All winds, no matter if they are from land or sea, small or great, are considered as his grandchildren. His symbolic animal and messenger was the eagle. He is represented as an old white-bearded man with a large horn which we uses to call the winds. There are several possible interpretations of his name. Stribog could originally have been an epithet meaning ‘father god’. The ‘stri’ root can be linked to the proto-indo-european ‘-ster- , which can also seen in the verb

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‘sterno’ from Latin, meaning ‘spread’ or ‘distribute’ which links back to him being the god of winds as well as distributing wealth.

Simargl (симаргл)

Simargl is the god of the flame, and he is said to be Perun’s second on command. Simargl ia a shapeshifter who could be found in the form of a warrior surrounded by fire, or as a large winged dog. His wife is known as Kupalnitsa, the goddess of the night, who is also his opposite like how Dazbog the Sun is married to Masyats the moon, and Perun dry sky god is married to Mokosh, the moist earth goddess.

Zorya, the solar goddess keeps Simargl chained to the star Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor which prevent shim from breaking free and destroying the constellation and then causing the end to the world. He is the god of physical fire unlike Svarog, who is the god of celestial fire. There is however, little else documented on Simargl. Historical sources barely say anything of his purpose, attributes, or how he was worshipped.

Mokosh (мокошь)

Mokosh is the only goddess in Vladimir’s temple. Mokosh watches over women’s work, women’s destiny, and childbirth, similar to Artemis in Greek mythology. Her role is broad and diverse and also encompasses weaving. She is the mother earth and spins destiny. Mokosh is considered the supreme Slavic goddess and she is loosely comparable to the Greek Titan Gaia. She has power over the earth, water, and death. As mother earth, she is considered the most important goddess and sometimes she is depicted as the only goddess. She guards cattle against disease and people from drought, sickness, and unclean spirits. Unfortunately, surviving images of Mokosh are rare. As she is the moist earth goddess, she is the opposite of Perun, the dry sky god’s.

Xors (хорс)

Very little was actually documented on him, however we know that he would have been the god of the Sun. He also has connections with both illness and heath. Xors travelled from one side of the sky to the other throughout the day and remained underground during night. Based on the situation of his statue in Vladimir’s temple, it is believe that he would have been the second most influential deity in the time that Vladimir ruled. However, he is not to be confused with Dazbog. Both were solar gods, but while Xors represented the sun in and of itself, Dazbog symbolized the power that the sun held, especially its healing power.

- Hero B (Re)

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Can we ever really change?

Can humans ever truly change, physically or mentally? In this article I will look at whether we can fully change, physically and psychologically, or if our changes can only alter who we are, not make us a different person. I will look at cell regeneration, scars and tattoos, popular acclaim and the influence of our past.

One argument that people can change, physiologically, is that our cells regenerate every seven years, so we change and become many completely different people throughout our lives. Every part of us that we experienced the past with is gone, so as we go into the future acting as the new people we have become we have no physical links to our past and can continue unattached. This is a common misconception. Although this is true for most cells, the otic capsule in our ears, the enamel in our teeth, the lenses in our eyes and the neurons in our nervous system never regenerate. Although most of us falls away and is replaced by new cells, some parts of our physiology will always remain the same so we can never truly become a different person as there are some parts of us that are our permanent companions throughout our lives.

Another part of our identity that is unchangeable is scars and tattoos. Scars are constant reminders of our past experiences and tattoos can be a way of expressing ourselves to others throughout our lives. Scars don’t disappear when our cells are replaced because when the skin is wounded, it triggers the production of scar collagen, which is different from the normal protein collagen that skin is made of. Scar collagen doesn’t die and isn’t replaced like other skin cells, so remains present and visible. These scars are reminders of an event in our lives that permanently changed our looks and potentially our personality as it is from our past experiences that we can develop our opinions and reactions. Tattoos also don’t disappear as cells regenerate because the ink particles that make up the tattoo are too large to be ingested by white blood cells so aren’t removed like other foreign bodies, allowing them to continue to colour your skin. Tattoos are a way of revealing your character as you can choose how you present yourself to the world through the tattoo you choose to keep with you for your entire life. Even if your personality develops, there will always be that reminder of who you used to be, so you can never truly erase it and become completely different. Tattoos are a physical connection to who we were in the past or are in the present.

One way we can’t become fully different, even if we change, is by popular acclaim. No matter how much you change your looks or your personality, you will always be considered by others to be you. You will always be associated to your past as people see you as the person you’ve been throughout your life, not just who you are in the present. This can be displayed using the thought experiment Theseus’s ship (or Trigger’s Broom for the more intellectual among us). The ship goes on many voyages and is damaged each time, with pieces being replaced until the whole ship is made of different parts to the ones the ship was originally made from. Is it still Theseus’s ship? Although it may physically be another ship, people would still consider it to be Theseus’s ship as the ship is viewed as part of its past as well as how it is in the present. Each piece replaced part of the original ship at some point and continued to be used for the further voyages as Theseus’s ship. The purpose and use of the ship carried on with the new parts so the material may be different but the ship is treated as Thesues’s ship. People are also considered to carry with them meaning from their past, so even if you’ve changed significantly, people will still see you as a combination of the person you used to be and the one you are now.

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We can also never fully change because we are shaped by our past experiences. We learn from our past experiences to gain the personality we currently have. Our opinions and reactions are based on the events that have happened previously in our lives, so we can never fully become different because our past will always influence how we act and respond. Even if a past event has convinced you to change your personality, the past is still relevant as it is shaping those differences, connecting them forevermore to the personality you have before. We learn from our past mistakes and change how we act accordingly, so can only ever become an improved version of our past self. If someone reacts adversely to something you say, you learn not to repeat the mistake in the future and use the memory to alter you future actions.

These arguments can be summed up as predeterminism. Predeterminism is the belief that all events, and human actions, have already been determined. Even if we believe we have free will, the choices that we make are the only choices we could’ve possibly made, so they aren’t really drastically determined by us. They are simply an extension of all our past decisions, and who we are. This is usually supported with causal determinism, which says that there is a chain of prior actions and events stretching infinitely back through time that determine what future events will occur. As these actions are predetermined, humans cannot change what future events will come from them. This means that even if we think we’ve changed drastically, we’ve really only become what we were always going to be based on our past actions. Our “new” self is simply a continuation of who we were and what we did. We can never truly change because we can’t become more than the result of our past selves and actions, tying us permanently to them.

In conclusion, although we can change we can never become truly different as we will always have some physiological characteristics that we are incapable of losing, like certain cells that aren’t replaced or scars and tattoos that we’ve gained in our past. We will also always be considered to be ourselves. Our past actions live on in people’s memories and are associated with us no matter how much we change. Finally, our past selves also live on as they shape our current personalities. We learn from and improve upon our past actions, which shapes our current opinions and personalities, which are key parts of who we are. Although changes can be made, our past will always play a guiding role on our today.

- Lottie J (Re)

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A Review of the HATA trip to Bath

Bath is a city of huge cultural and historical importance for England, and our HATA group had the pleasure of visiting it. Most widely known for its ancient Roman baths, it has been a tourist destination since the 18th century due to the ‘magical’ properties of the springs that run beneath the city. Whilst the extraordinary monuments of the 16th and 17th centuries, like the Gothic Abbey built by Robert and William Vertue, stand out as some of Bath’s finest, our group’s focus was on the 18th century, arguably even more fascinating.

This period is considered to be the golden age of Bath, and the sites we visited did not disappoint. Between 1730 and 1830 Bath was rebuilt; the previous Baroque style was replaced by a Renaissance style called ‘Palladianism.’ This was inspired by the Italian architect Palladio who worked in Venice in the late 16th Century during the Renaissance, and as a pupil studying this period, I found it incredibly interesting to see the influence the developments of Italy have had on the rest of the world. Not only was Bath inspired by the new techniques from Italy, but Palladianism swept through the rest of Britain from 1715 and became the dominant form of Georgian architecture.

Bath was reliant on tourism, and therefore its elegant and magnificent design attracted thousands of visitors each winter, making Bath the prominent cultural and social centre of the time. Not only did the grand Palladian buildings attract people, but Richard Nash, who ran Bath’s entertainments, could also be credited. He organised the assemblies, dances and concerts that took place in the Lower and Upper Assembly Rooms; it is here the orchestras would play, as the holidaymakers would dance, drink and court. Unfortunately, the Lower Assembly Rooms are not longer standing, but our group visited the Upper Assembly Rooms, built by John Wood the Younger in the 1760s. Here, in the ballroom, we heard a magnificent orchestral concert performed by the Nash Ensemble. Transformed by pieces composed by Mozart, Beethoven, and Dvorak, we got a great sense of the rich cultural life of Bath, whilst surrounded by Palladian architecture, a truly magical experience.

The golden age of Bath has left behind several other major monuments, many of which we visited. We started our day in the Georgian extension to the north of the city centre where we visited the Royal Circus, built by John Wood the Elder from 1754 and the Royal Crescent, built by his son, John Wood the Younger, from 1767. The classical revival Italians had wished for during the Renaissance is clear to see here; the Royal Circus is inspired by the Roman Colosseum! Interestingly, each major monument was linked to the next by a simple street, making them even grander. For example, Gay Street, which connected the beautiful Queen Square to the Royal Circus, and Brock Street, connecting the Crescent to the Circus. John Wood the Elder and his son are responsible for much of the town planning of North Bath, which reflects a time when Bath was at its most sophisticated and grand. In the decades to come, architects would be inspired by their developments, building more crescents along the hillsides of Bath and then elsewhere, for instance Bristol, London, and Edinburgh. 32

Alongside the Woods, the architect Thomas Baldwin made the biggest impression on Bath. His greatest works include Bath Street which connected his ‘Cross Bath’ to the elegant Pump Room, a place for daytime assemblies and concerts. More importantly, his Guildhall, the main room adorned with gold and green, was the climax of the 18th century interior design. Whilst a centre for town government, it was also home to vast entertainment, highlighting the nature of Bath’s culture; you can still hear concerts here today! Baldwin was also responsible for expanding Bath out to the east, across the river Avon, by building the most monumental street in England, Great Pulteney Street. His works are inspired by Robert Adam, and the pair built more ‘Roman-style’ buildings; however, the overlap with Palladianism is vast.

Bath continued its role as a spa for the next century and Palladian buildings continued until around 1840. Whilst Hitler bombed Bath, notably the Lower Assembly Rooms, in the 20th century, more destruction came from Bath’s own city council from the 1950s. They destroyed many of Bath’s beautiful Georgian buildings, and the south was devastatingly replaced by a bus station and supermarkets. This demolition stopped in the 1970s, after the publication of a book called ‘The Sack of Bath’, and conservationists managed to rescue the rest of the city. We can visit Bath today in all its grandeur, and see the range of architecture: Roman, Gothic, Palladian and Victorian, that fills its streets.

Thanks to this trip, I can appreciate the impact Bath has had on the rest of England and realise how much more there is to the city than just a Christmas shopping centre! The influence of the Renaissance period on this English city and the way it transformed Bath into something resembling a great global capital is truly fascinating and I urge anyone interested in cultural developments to visit the extraordinary city of Bath.

- Erin B (L6)