Greek and Germanic Mythology
in the Light of Esotericism
GA 92, 93
7 October 1922, Berlin
I. The Prometheus Saga
You will have come to realise from many of my lectures that a deep significance underlies the world of saga, that myths are the expression of esoteric truths. Today I should like to speak of one of the most interesting of these sagas, one that has a bearing on the evolution of our fifth root-race.1Root-races. The root-races are the main periods of earth-evolution The fifth root-race is the fifth main period. At the same time I shall be able to show you that the esotericist can pass through three stages in the understanding of saga. First, the sagas live in one or other of the peoples and are understood exoterically in their literal meaning. Then disbelief in their literal interpretation begins, and educated people search for their symbolic meaning. Behind these two interpretations are hidden five others, for every saga, has seven interpretations. The third stage is the one in which they can, in a way, be taken literally again. Of course, you have first to come to understand the language in which they are expressed. To-day I want to speak of one that is not very easy to understand, I want to speak of the Prometheus saga.
In a chapter in the second volume of her Secret Doctrine2The Secret Doctrine. Vol. 2, Part 2, Section 6. (pp. 546 – 556 in the third edition.) Madame Blavatsky refers to this saga, and what she writes will enable you to see what a profound meaning is hidden in it. Nevertheless, it is not always possible to say the last word in published works. To-day we can go a little beyond the explanations given by Blavatsky.
Prometheus belongs to the world of Greek saga. He and his brother Epimetheus are the sons of a Titan, Japetus. The Titans are themselves sons of the ancient Greek god Uranus and his wife Gaia. Uranus means ‘heaven’, and Gaia ‘earth’. And let me draw your attention to the fact that Uranus is to the Greeks the same as Varuna to the Indians. Thus Prometheus is a Titan and one of the sons of Uranus, as is also his brother Epimetheus. Chronos (Time) usurped the throne of his father Uranus and obtained the rulership for himself. For this he was in his turn dethroned by his own sons and, with all the other Titans, cast into the underworld. Only Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus remained loyal to Zeus during these events. They fought side by side with Zeus against the other Titans.
Now Zeus had created the human race. But humanity had become rebellious, hence he wanted to exterminate it. Then Prometheus made himself humanity's representative. He devised a plan to give men the means whereby they could save themselves and be no longer entirely dependent upon the help of Zeus. Thus we are told that Prometheus taught men the use of writing and of the arts, but above all the use of fire. Because of Zeus's anger Prometheus was chained to the Caucasus, and was forced to endure there much suffering over a long period.
Further, we are told that the gods, with Zeus at their head, then caused Hephaestus, the god of the smiths, to make a statue of a woman. This female statue was provided with all those external attributes which adorn human beings of the fifth root-race. This woman was Pandora. She was sent to bring gifts to mankind, first to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Prometheus warned his brother not to accept the gifts, but the latter allowed himself to be persuaded. All these gifts of the gods, except one, were showered upon humanity. They constitute for the most part human miseries and sufferings. Only the gift of hope was withheld in Pandora's box.
Thus Prometheus was chained to the Caucasus and a vulture gnawed continuously at his liver. But he knows something which will ensure his rescue. He knows a secret of which even Zeus is ignorant, a secret which Zeus is trying to discover. But Prometheus does not betray the secret, although Zeus sends to him Hermes, the messenger of the gods.
Now in the course of the story we are told of a remarkable release. Prometheus can only be freed through the intervention of an initiate. Such a one “was Hercules, who performed the twelve labours. The execution of these twelve labours was the achievement of an initiate. They symbolise the twelve tasks of initiation. Moreover it is said of Hercules that he had undergone initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries. Nevertheless someone had to be sacrificed, and so Chiron the centaur was sacrificed for Prometheus Chiron was already suffering from an incurable malady. He was half animal and half man. That is how Prometheus was rescued.
This is the exoteric saga of Prometheus. In it lies the whole history of the fifth root-race, and in it real Mystery-truth is hidden. The story was told in Greece as genuine saga; but it was also represented in the Mysteries, so pupils in the Mysteries had a knowledge of the destiny of Prometheus before them. And in Prometheus and his destiny they were meant to see the past and the future of the whole of the fifth root-race. You will only be able to understand this if you bear in mind one thing.
In the middle of Lemuria there came about for the first time what we call incarnation, incarnation in the sense in which we have human beings to-day. Mankind was guided by great leaders and teachers whom we call ‘the sons of the fire mist’. To-day the fifth root-race is also guided by great initiates, but our initiate are different from the leaders of mankind at that time. You must now come to understand what this difference was. There is a great difference between the leaders of the two preceding root-races and those of our fifth race. The leaders of those races too were united in a White Lodge. But they did not undergo their earlier evolution on our earth planet, but in another environment. They descended to earth already mature, descended as human beings of higher development, in order to instruct men who were still in their infancy, in order to teach them the first arts which they needed. This period of instruction lasted through the third, fourth, and right into the fifth root-race.
This fifth root-race originated in a little band of men who were singled out from the previous root-race. They were led into the Desert of Gobi and later dispersed over the earth. Their first leader, the leader who gave the impulse for this evolution of mankind, was one of those whom we call the Manus, he was the Manu3The Manu of the fifth root-race. In the English version of An Outline of Occult Science, this Being is called ‘the leader of the Christ-initiates’ or ‘the leader of the Christ-oracle’. (p. 177 in the 1949 edition). of the fifth root-race. This Manu is still one of those leaders of the humanity who descended at the time of the third root-race, one of the leaders who had not gone through their evolution only on the earth but who brought maturity to earth with them.
It was not until the fifth root-race that the development of men such as we are ourselves began, the development of men who, like us, have undergone their evolution on the earth alone, men who have evolved from their lowest stages entirely on the earth.
Thus we have some human beings who are already exalted Leaders and Masters, and others who strive to become such Leaders. Within the fifth root-race, therefore, we have Chelas and Masters4Chela means pupil of the Mysteries; Master means teacher in the Mysteries. who have passed through all that our earth has passed through. One of the Masters who has the guidance of the fifth root-race is destined to undertake the guidance of the sixth. The sixth root-race will be the first to be guided by an earthly Brother as its Manu. The earlier Masters surrender the leadership to mankind.
With the dawn of our fifth root-race we have the beginning of all that we call the development of the arts, the development of skill and dexterity. The Atlanteans still led quite a different life. They had no inventions and discoveries. They worked in an entirely different way. Their technique and their skill were quite different. It was only with our fifth root-race that what we call engineering and craftsmanship in our sense developed. The most important discovery was that of fire. You must be quite clear about this, you must be quite clear how much of our widespread engineering, industry and craftsmanship depends upon fire. I think that the engineer will agree with me when I say that without fire nothing of modern engineering would be possible, so that we may say that the discovery of fire was the fundamental discovery, the discovery that gave the impulse to all others. And you must also understand that at the time when the Prometheus saga arose, the term ‘fire’ comprised everything in any way connected with warmth. Fire was also understood to be the cause of lightning. Fire was the comprehensive expression for the causes of all phenomena of warmth.
The consciousness that humanity of the fifth root-race stands under the sign of fire is what is primarily expressed in the Prometheus saga. And Prometheus is none other than the representative of the entire root-race. His brother is Epimetheus. Prometheus means ‘thinking in advance’, Epimetheus means ‘thinking afterwards, reflecting’. There you have the two activities of human thought, clearly contrasted in the man of reflection and the man of forethought The reflecting man is the man who allows the things of this world to work upon him, and then thinks; such thought is the Kama-Manas5Kama is the astral body, Kama-Manas the intellectual or Mind-soul, the lower Manas. thinking. To-day the man of the fifth root-race still thinks predominantly like Epimetheus. However in so far as he does not merely allow what is already there to work upon him, but becomes an inventor or a discoverer, to that extent he is a Prometheus. Inventions could never be made if all men were like Epimetheus. An invention occurs when a human being creates something that was not there before. It is first there in thought and then the thought is converted into reality. That is Prometheus-thinking. This Prometheus-thinking in the fifth root-race is Manas-thinking.6Manas. Here is meant the higher Manas. In the book Theosophy Rudolf Steiner calls it ‘the spirit-filled Consciousness-soul’ or ‘Spirit-Self’. (p. 57, revised English edition, 1954). Kama-Manas and Manas run like two streams side by side in the fifth root-race. The Manas-thinking will gradually become more and more widespread.
This Manas-thinking of the fifth root-race has yet another peculiar characteristic, which we understand if we look back to the Atlantean root-race. In Atlantis there was more of an instinctive thinking which was still bound up with the life-force. The Atlantean root-race was still able to make motor-power from the force in seeds. Just as to-day we have in our railway coal-yards a kind of reservoir of power for the movement of engines and freight, in the same way the Atlanteans had stores of plant-seed containing power, which they were still able to convert into power to drive those air-ships which are described in Scott Elliott's book on Atlantis.7The Story of Atlantis, by W. Scott-Elliott, published by the Theosophical Publishing Co., London, 1896. See also Rudolf Steiner's Atlantis and Lemuria. The spirit of the Atlantean man was still able to subjugate living nature; the spirit of the fifth root-race can only control lifeless nature, the latent forces that lie in stone, in minerals. Thus the Manas of the fifth root-race is chained to the mineral forces, as the Atlantean race was bound up with the life forces. All Promethean force is chained to the rock, to the earth. Hence, too, Peter is the rock upon which the Christ built. It is the same as the rock of the Caucasus. The man of the fifth race has to seek his evolution on the physical plane. He is chained to the inorganic forces.
Try to acquire an idea of what we mean when we speak of this engineering, this technology, of the fifth root-race. What is its purpose? Viewing the matter generally, you will see that when intelligence, the power of Manas is applied to the inorganic, to the mineral world, the results of all these powers of invention and discovery, however prodigious, are by and large in the service of human egotism, of men's personal interests. Starting from the earliest inventions and going on right up to the telephone, one of our latest inventions, you will see what mighty forces have been made serviceable to us. But what ends do they serve, what is it that we transport by rail and steamer from foreign lands? Foodstuffs. We order food by telephone. It is really human karma that begins with these inventions and discoveries in the fifth root-race. This is what an objective study of the matter must make clear to us. Then we shall understand that the higher man, that higher man who has been plunged into matter, is in fact, during the fifth root-race, chained to it. Therefore it is in matter that his karma will reach its fulfilment.
If you enter into esoteric realms, you will find that man's principles have a specific relationship with his organs. Sometime I will explain this more fully. To-day I will mention only that our seven principles have a specific relationship with the organs of the human body.
First we have what we call the physical. This has an occult connection with the upper part of the face, with the root of the nose. When the physical structure of man took its start (man was formerly purely astral, and then built himself into the physical), it began with this part; the physical structure began at the root of the nose and built itself up from that point, so that the esotericist recognises the root of the nose as belonging to what is essentially physical-mineral.
The second principle is Prana, the etheric body; with this we associate the liver. The liver has a specific occult connection with the etheric body.
Then comes Nama, the astral body. This has developed its activity in the structure of the digestive organs, represented by the stomach. If the astral body did not have the specific stamp in man which in fact it has, then the human digestive organs, including the stomach, would not have the specific form which they have to-day. If you study firstly the physical basis of the human being, secondly his etheric body, and thirdly his astral body, you have what in the fifth root-race is fettered to the mineral element.
Through his higher bodies man wrests himself from his fetters again, and mounts up to something higher. Kama-Manas works its way up again, in Kama-Manas man frees himself again from the pure nature-basis. Therefore there is an occult connection between Kama-Manas and the organ through which man is severed from his nature-basis. There is an occult connection between the lower Manas and the umbilical cord. If there were no Kama-Manas in man, then the embryo would not be severed from the mother in this manner.
If we pass on to the higher Manas, we find that it has a similar occult connection with the human heart and with the blood.
Buddhi (Life-Spirit) has an occult connection with the larynx, and Atma (Spirit-Man) with what fills out the entire man, with the Akasha contained in man.
These are the seven occult, relationships. In considering them we have to stress the importance for our fifth root-race of the relationships with the etheric and the astral bodies. And if you bear in mind what I said earlier of the control by the Atlanteans over Prana (the life-force permeating the etheric body) you will see that in one way the Atlantean stood at a still lower stage. His etheric body still had the original relationship with the external ethers and because of this he controlled the Prana of the outer world. Because man has risen to one stage higher, his work has become one stage lower. That is a law. If there is an ascent on the one hand, there must be a descent on the other. Whereas formerly man worked on Kama from Prana, now he has to work with Kama on the physical plane.
You will see how profoundly the Prometheus saga symbolises these occult connections. A vulture gnaws at Prometheus's liver. The vulture symbolises Kama, which really destroys the forces of the fifth race. The vulture gnaws at the human liver, the basis of life; so does this force of the fifth root-race gnaw at the essential life-forces of man, because man is chained to mineral nature, to Peter, to the rock, the Caucasus.
During the fifth root-race only human initiates are able to bring release to fettered man. Hercules, a human initiate, has to go all the way to the Caucasus in order to set Prometheus free. It is thus that the initiates will wrest men from their bondage.
The human being who still has a connection with the animal nature—the centaur Chiron—must make a sacrifice. The man of earlier times must be sacrificed. The sacrifice of the centaur is as important for the development of the fifth root-race as man's release by initiates.
It is said that in the Greek Mysteries the future was foretold to men. This does not mean that people were given a vague abstract account of what was to happen in the future, but they were given indications as to the paths that are to lead over into the future. The great Mystery-drama of Prometheus is an expression of what is to evolve as human capacity.
By the three generations of gods—Uranus, Chronos and Zeus—we have to understand three Beings who were leaders of men one after another. Uranus means heaven, Gaia the earth. If we go back beyond the middle of the third race, the Lemurian, we find no men as we now know them, but one man, who is called in the secret doctrine Adam Cadmon8Adam Cadmon. See also Rudolf Steiner's lecture given at Oxford, 22nd August, 1922, which appears in English in the book Man's Life on Earth and in the Spiritual World.—the man who is still without sex, who does not yet belong to the earth, who has not yet evolved the organs for earthly sight, who still belongs to the Uranus-nature, to heaven. By the marriage of Uranus with Gaia there arose the man who descended into matter, and thereby stepped into Time. Chronos (Time) becomes the ruler of the second generation of gods from the middle of Lemuria right up to the beginning of Atlantis. The Greeks symbolised these leading Beings as, first of all Uranus, later Chronos, and after that they went over to Zeus. But Zeus is still one of the leaders who did not undergo their training on earth, he is still one of the immortals, as in fact were all the Greek gods.
During the fifth root-race mortal man is expected to stand on his own feet. This humanity of the fifth root-race is represented by Prometheus. The fifth race was the first to acquire human skill and the primeval art of fire-making. Zeus is jealous of this race, the race in which men come to have their own initiates, initiates who in the sixth race will take the lead into their own hands. But humanity has to pay the price for this. Hence its primordial initiate must first of all take upon himself the sum of all suffering. Prometheus is the archetype of the initiate of the fifth root-race, one initiated not only into wisdom but into deed. He runs through the whole gamut of suffering, and is released by the man who makes himself mature enough to free humanity little by little and to lift it above the mineral realm.
The saga thus expresses great cosmic truths. That is why I said at the outset that anyone who reaches the third interpretation may take it literally once more. Every saga undergoes change. It is derived from primordial times and transforms itself at a certain point There is a point in every saga at which it is to be taken literally again. In the Prometheus saga you have the vulture gnawing at the liver. That can be taken quite literally. The vulture gnaws at the liver of the fifth root-race. This Promethean struggle with suffering is repeated in the fifth root-race in every single man. What is here expressed in the saga is to be taken quite literally. Without this struggle the destiny of the fifth race would be quite different.
Thus sagas can be interpreted in three ways. First there is the exoteric meaning, secondly the allegoric—the human struggle—thirdly, the occult significance, where again a literal interpretation enters in. From this you will see that so far as these sagas can be interpreted in this way, they originate in the Mystery Schools, and are no less than the record of what has been revealed in those schools as the great destiny of man. Just as I was able to show you that Odin represents what took place in the Druid Mysteries, so in Prometheus we have what the pupil of the Greek Mysteries experienced to give him energy for life in the future.9Unfortunately no report exists of the lectures to which Dr. Steiner here refers, but reference can be made to his lectures given in Berlin, 29th, April, 1st and 6th May, 1909, published in Dornach, 1955, under the title “Isis and Madonna, Altearopaische Mysterien, Die eurapaischen Mysterien und ihre Eingeweihten. (Not yet published In English)
Die Prometheus-Sage
Ich habe das letzte Mal versucht, Ihnen zu zeigen, wie die Einweihung in den alten Druidenlogen geschah. Heute möchte ich etwas ausführen, was damit zwar verwandt ist, was vielleicht aber doch scheinbar etwas weiter abliegt. Aber wir werden sehen, wie wir das Verständnis unserer Menschheitsentwicklung immer mehr und mehr in seiner Tiefe uns werden erwerben können.
Sie haben wohl aus meinen verschiedenen Freitagsvorträgen ersehen, daß die Sagenwelt der verschiedenen Völker einen tiefen Gehalt hat und daß die Mythen der Ausdruck von tiefen, esoterischen Wahrheiten sind. Nun möchte ich heute sprechen von einer der interessantesten Sagen, von einer Sage, die im Zusammenhange steht mit der ganzen Entwicklung unserer fünften Wurzelrasse. Dabei werden Sie zu gleicher Zeit sehen, wie der Esoteriker immer drei Stufen des Verständnisses der Sagenwelt durchmachen kann.
Zunächst leben die Sagen in irgendeinem Volke, und sie werden exoterisch, äußerlich-wörtlich genommen. Dann beginnt der Unglaube an diese wörtliche Auffassung der Sagen, und es versuchen die Gebildeten eine symbolische, eine sinnbildliche Deutung der Sagen. Hinter diesen zwei Deutungen stecken aber noch fünf andere Deutungen, denn jede Sage hat sieben Deutungen. Die dritte ist diejenige, wo Sie in der Lage sind, die Sagen wiederum in einer gewissen Weise wörtlich zu nehmen. Allerdings müssen Sie erst die Sprache verstehen lernen, in der die Sagen verfaßt sind. Heute möchte ich über eine Sage sprechen, deren Verständnis nicht so leicht zu erlangen ist, über die Prometheus-Sage.
In einem Kapitel im zweiten Bande der «Geheimlehre» von H. P. Blavatsky werden Sie etwas darüber finden und daraus auch ersehen, welch tiefer Gehalt in dieser Sage steckt. Dennoch ist es nicht immer möglich, in gedruckten Schriften die letzten Dinge zu sagen. Heute können wir noch ein wenig über die Ausführungen in der «Geheimlehre» von H. P. Blavatsky hinausgehen.
Prometheus gehört der griechischen Sagenwelt an. Er und sein Bruder Epimetheus sind die Söhne eines Titanen, Japetos. Und die Titanen selbst sind die Söhne der ältesten griechischen Gottheiten, von Uranos und seiner Gemahlin, der Gaia. Uranos würde, ins Deutsche übersetzt, bedeuten «der Himmel» und Gaia «die Erde». Ich bemerke noch ausdrücklich, daß Uranos im Griechischen dasselbe ist wie Varuna im Indischen. Ein Titan also, ein Nachkomme des Uranos und der Gaia, ist Prometheus und ebenso sein Bruder Epimetheus. Der jüngste der Titanen, Kronos, die Zeit, hat seinen Vater Uranos entthront und sich selbst der Herrschaft bemächtigt. Dafür wurde er wiederum von seinem Sohne Zeus entthront und mit allen Titanen in den Tartaros, den Abgrund oder die Unterwelt, verstoßen. Nur der Titan Prometheus und sein Bruder Epimetheus hielten zu Zeus. Sie standen damals auf der Seite des Zeus und kämpften gegen die anderen Titanen.
Nun wollte Zeus aber auch das Menschengeschlecht, das übermütig geworden war, vertilgen. Da machte sich Prometheus zum Anwalt des Menschengeschlechts. Er sann darauf, wie er dem Menschengeschlecht etwas geben könne, womit es sich selbst retten könne und nicht mehr bloß angewiesen sei auf die Hilfe des Zeus. So wird uns erzählt, daß Prometheus den Menschen den Gebrauch der Schrift und der Künste gelehrt habe, namentlich aber den Gebrauch des Feuers. Dadurch aber hat er den Zorn des Zeus auf sich geladen. Er wurde wegen dieses Zornes des Zeus an einen Felsen des Kaukasus angeschmiedet und mußte dort lange Zeit große Qual erdulden.
Es wird uns ferner noch erzählt, daß nunmehr die Götter, Zeus an der Spitze, den Hephaistos, den Gott der Schmiedekunst, veranlaßt haben, eine weibliche Bildsäule zu verfertigen. Diese weibliche Bildsäule war von den Göttern mit allen Eigenschaften ausgestattet worden, welche der äußere Schmuck des Menschengeschlechts der fünften Wurzelrasse sind. Diese weibliche Bildsäule war die Pandora. Pandora wurde von Zeus veranlaßt, unheilbringende Gaben an die Menschheit heranzubringen, zunächst an den Bruder des Prometheus, an den Epimetheus. Zwar warnte Prometheus den Bruder, diese Gaben anzunehmen; dieser ließ sich aber dennoch bereden und nahm von Pandora die unheilbringenden Gaben der Götter an. Es wurde alles auf die Menschheit ausgeschüttet, nur eine, die gute Gabe, wurde zurückbehalten: die Hoffnung. Die andern Gaben waren Plagen und Leiden für die Menschheit; nur die Hoffnung wurde in der «Büchse der Pandora» zurückbehalten.
Prometheus wird also angeschmiedet am Kaukasus, und an seiner Leber nagt fortwährend ein Geier. Hier duldet er. Er weiß aber etwas, was eine Bürgschaft für seine Rettung ist. Er weiß ein Geheimnis, das selbst Zeus nicht weiß, das dieser aber wissen will. Prometheus verrät es indessen nicht, trotzdem Zeus den Götterboten Hermes zu ihm schickt.
Nun wird uns im Laufe der Sage seine merkwürdige Befreiung erzählt. Es wird erzählt, daß Prometheus nur befreit werden kann durch das Eingreifen eines Eingeweihten, eines Initiierten. Und ein solcher Initiierter war der Grieche Herakles - Herakles, der die zwölf Arbeiten verrichtet hatte. Die Verrichtung dieser zwölf Arbeiten ist die Leistung eines Initiierten. Es sind dies zwölf Initiationsprüfungen, symbolisch ausgedrückt. Außerdem wird von Herakles gesagt, daß er sich in die eleusinischen Mysterien habe einweihen lassen. Er vermag Prometheus zu retten. Es mußte sich aber noch jemand stellvertretend opfern, und es opferte sich für Prometheus der Kentaur Chiron; er war halb Tier, halb Mensch. Er litt da schon an einer unheilbaren Krankheit, [war aber eigentlich unsterblich. Um sterben zu können, opfert er sich.] Er erleidet den Tod, und Prometheus wird dadurch gerettet. Das ist die äußere Struktur der Prometheus-Sage.
In dieser Sage liegt die ganze Geschichte der fünften Wurzelrasse, und es ist in ihr wirkliche Mysterienwahrheit eingeschlossen. Diese Sage wurde in Griechenland wirklich erzählt. Aber auch in den Mysterien wurde sie dargestellt, so daß der Mysterienschüler das Schicksal des Prometheus wirklich vor sich sah. Und in diesem sollte er die Vergangenheit und Zukunft der ganzen fünften Wurzelrasse sehen. Das Verständnis hierfür können Sie nur erlangen, wenn Sie eines berücksichtigen.
In der Mitte der lemurischen Rasse war erst das [erreicht], was man als die Menschwerdung bezeichnet - Menschwerdung in dem Sinne, wie wir heute Menschen haben. Diese Menschheit wurde geführt von großen Lehrern und Führern, die wir als die «Söhne des Feuernebels» bezeichnen. Heute wird die Menschheit der fünften Wurzelrasse auch geführt von großen Eingeweihten, aber unsere Eingeweihten sind anderer Art als die damaligen Führer der Menschheit.
Diesen Unterschied müssen Sie sich jetzt klarmachen. Es ist ein großer Unterschied zwischen den Führern der zwei vorhergehenden Wurzelrassen und den Führern unserer fünften Wurzelrasse. Auch die Führer jener Wurzelrassen waren vereinigt in einer weißen Bruderloge. Diese hatten aber ihre vorherige Entwicklung nicht auf unserem Erdplaneten durchgemacht, sondern auf anderen Schauplätzen. Sie waren auf die Erde herabgestiegen schon als reife, höhere Menschen, um die Menschen, die noch in ihrer Kindheit waren, bei ihrer ersten Entstehung zu unterrichten, sie die ersten Künste zu lehren, die sie brauchten. Diese Lehrzeit dauerte durch die dritte, vierte, ja bis in die fünfte Wurzelrasse herein.
Diese fünfte Wurzelrasse hat ihren Ursprung genommen von einem kleinen Häuflein Menschen, die ausgesondert worden waren aus der vorhergehenden Wurzelrasse. Sie wurden herangezogen in der Wüste Gobi und verbreiteten sich dann strahlenförmig über die Erde. Der erste Führer, der den Impuls gegeben hat zu dieser Menschheitsentwicklung, das war einer der sogenannten Manus, der Manu der fünften Wurzelrasse. Dieser Manu gehört noch zu jenen Führern des Menschengeschlechts, die zur Zeit der dritten Wurzelrasse herabgestiegen sind. Das war noch einer der Führer, die ihre Entwicklung nicht nur auf der Erde durchgemacht haben, sondern die ihre Reife hereingebracht haben auf unsere Erde.
Erst in der fünften Wurzelrasse beginnt die Entwicklung von solchen Manus, die Menschen wie wir selbst sind, die wie wir ihre Entwicklung nur auf der Erde durchgemacht haben, die sozusagen von der Pike auf sich auf der Erde entwickeln. Wir haben also Menschen, die höhere Führer- und Meisterpersönlichkeiten schon sind, und solche, die sich bemühen, Führer- und Meisterpersönlichkeiten zu werden, so daß wir innerhalb der fünften Wurzelrasse Chelas und Meister haben, die zur früheren Wurzelrasse gehören, und Chelas und Meister, die alles durchgemacht haben, was Menschen von der Mitte der lemurischen Zeit an durchgemacht haben. Einer der Meister, die die Führung der fünften Wurzelrasse haben, ist dazu auserschen, die Führung der sechsten Wurzelrasse zu übernehmen. Die sechste Wurzelrasse wird die erste sein, die von einem Erdenbruder als Manu geleitet sein wird. Die früheren Meister, die Manus der anderen Welten, geben an den Erdenbruder die Führung der Menschheit ab.
Mit dem Aufdämmern unserer fünften Wurzelrasse fällt zusammen alles das, was wir die Entwicklung der Künste nennen. Die Atlantier hatten noch ein ganz anderes Leben. Erfindungen und Entdeckungen hatten sie nicht. Sie arbeiteten in ganz anderer Weise. Ihre Technik und ihre Kunst waren ganz anders. Erst mit unserer fünften Wurzelrasse entwickelte sich das, was wir in unserem Sinne Technik und Künste nennen. Die wichtigste Erfindung ist die Erfindung des Feuers. Machen Sie sich das einmal klar. Machen Sie sich klar, was heute in unserer ausgebreiteten Technik, Industrie und Kunst von dem Feuer abhängt. Ich glaube, der Techniker wird mir Recht geben, wenn ich sage, daß ohne das Feuer gar nichts von der ganzen Technik möglich wäre. So dürfen wir sagen: mit der Erfindung des Feuers war die grundlegende Erfindung, der Impuls für alle anderen Erfindungen gegeben.
Dazu müssen Sie noch nehmen, daß man unter dem Feuer in der Zeit, als die Prometheus-Sage entstand, alles dasjenige verstand, was irgendwie mit Wärme zusammenhing. Man verstand darunter auch die Ursache des Blitzes. Die Ursachen aller Wärmeerscheinungen wurden zusammengefaßt unter dem Ausdruck «Feuer». Das Bewußtsein davon, daß die Menschheit der fünften Wurzelrasse unter dem Zeichen des Feuers steht, das drückt sich zunächst in der Prometheus-Sage aus. Und Prometheus ist nichts anderes als der Repräsentant der ganzen fünften Wurzelrasse.
Sein Bruder ist Epimetheus. Zunächst übersetzen wir uns einmal die zwei Worte: Prometheus heißt auf deutsch der Vor-Denkende, Epimetheus heißt der Nach-Denkende. Da haben Sie die zwei Tätigkeiten des menschlichen Denkens klar auseinandergelegt: in den nachdenkenden Menschen und in den vordenkenden Menschen. Der nachdenkende Mensch ist derjenige, welcher die Dinge dieser Welt auf sich wirken läßt und dann hinterher denkt. Ein solches Denken ist das kama-manasische Denken. Von einem gewissen Gesichtspunkt aus gesehen heißt Kama-Manas-Denken: zuerst die Welt auf sich wirken lassen und dann hinterher denken. Der Mensch der fünften Wurzelrasse denkt heute noch hauptsächlich wie Epimetheus.
Insofern aber der Mensch nicht das, was schon da ist, auf sich wirken läßt, sondern Zukunft schafft, Erfinder und Entdecker ist, insofern ist er ein Prometheus, ein Vordenker. Niemals würden Erfindungen gemacht werden können, wenn der Mensch nur Epimetheus wäre. Eine Erfindung wird dadurch gemacht, daß der Mensch etwas schafft, was noch nicht da ist. Zuerst ist es im Gedanken da, und dann wird der Gedanke umgesetzt in die Wirklichkeit. Dieses ist das Prometheus-Denken. Dieses Prometheus-Denken ist innerhalb der fünften Wurzelrasse das manasische Denken. Kama-manasisches und manasisches Denken gehen wie zwei Ströme nebeneinander her in der fünften Wurzelrasse. Allmählich wird das manasische Denken immer weiter und weiter ausgebreitet.
Dieses manasische Denken der fünften Wurzelrasse hat noch eine besondere Eigentümlichkeit. Das verstehen wir, wenn wir zurückblicken auf die atlantische Wurzelrasse. Diese hatte mehr ein instinktives Denken, welches noch in Verbindung war mit der Lebenskraft. Die atlantische Wurzelrasse war noch imstande, aus der Samenkraft eine Bewegungskraft zu bilden. Wie heute der Mensch in den Kohlenlagern eine Art Reservoir hat an Kraft, die er in Dampf verwandelt zur Fortbewegung der Lokomotiven und Lasten, so hatte der Atlantier große Lager von Pflanzensamen, welche Kräfte enthielten, die er umwandeln konnte in Fortbewegungskraft, von der getrieben wurden jene Fahrzeuge, die in Scott-Elliots Broschüre über die Atlantis beschrieben werden. Diese Kunst ist verlorengegangen. Der Geist des atlantischen Menschen bezwang noch die lebendige Natur, die Samenkraft. Der Geist der fünften Wurzelrasse kann nur die leblose Natur, die im Stein, in den Mineralien liegenden Werdekräfte besiegen. So ist das Manas der fünften Wurzelrasse gefesselt an die mineralischen Kräfte, wie die atlantische Rasse gebunden war an die Lebenskräfte. Alle Prometheus-Kraft ist gefesselt an den Felsen, an die Erde. Daher ist auch Petrus der Fels, auf den Christus baute. Es ist dasselbe wie der Fels des Kaukasus. Der Mensch der fünften Wurzelrasse hat auf dem rein physischen Plan seine Entwicklung zu suchen. Er ist gefesselt an unorganische, an mineralische Kräfte.
Versuchen Sie einmal, sich einen Überblick darüber zu verschaffen, was es heißt, wenn man von dieser Technik der fünften Wurzelrasse spricht. Wozu ist sie da? Wenn Sie sich einen Überblick verschaffen, so werden Sie schen - so großartig und gewaltig auch die Resultate sind, wenn die Verstandeskraft, das Manasische angewendet wird auf das Unorganische, das Mineralische —, daß es trotzdem im großen und ganzen zuletzt der menschliche Egoismus ist, das menschliche persönliche Interesse, wozu alle diese ganzen Kräfte der Erfindungen und Entdeckungen der fünften Wurzelrasse angewendet werden.
Gehen Sie von der ersten Entdeckung und Erfindung aus und gehen Sie herauf bis zum Telefon, bis zu unseren neuesten Erfindungen und Entdeckungen, so werden Sie sehen, wie zwar große und gewaltige Kräfte durch diese Erfindungen und Entdeckungen uns dienstbar gemacht worden sind - aber wozu dienen sie? Was holen wir mit Eisenbahn und Dampfschiffen aus fernen Ländern? Wir holen uns Nahrungsmittel, wir verlangen durch das Telefon Nahrungsmittel. Im Grunde ist es das menschliche Kama, das nach diesen Erfindungen und Entdeckungen in der fünften Wurzelrasse verlangt. Das ist das, was man sich in objektiver Betrachtung einmal klarlegen muß. Dann wird man auch wissen, wie jener höhere Mensch, welcher hineinversetzt wird in die Materie, in der Tat während der fünften Wurzelrasse an die Materie gefesselt ist dadurch, daß sein Kama die Befriedigung innerhalb der Materie verlangt.
Wenn Sie im Esoterischen sich umsehen, so werden Sie finden, daß die Prinzipien des Menschen in Beziehung stehen zu ganz bestimmten Organen des Körpers. Ich werde Ihnen dieses Thema noch genauer ausführen; heute will ich nur anführen, mit welchen Organen unsere sieben menschlichen Prinzipien in einer bestimmten Beziehung stehen.
Zunächst haben wir das sogenannte Physische. Das steht in einer okkulten Beziehung zu dem oberen Teil des menschlichen Gesichts, zur Nasenwurzel. Der physische Bau des Menschen, der einmal angefangen hat - früher war der Mensch ja bloß astral und baute sich hinein in das Physische -, nahm seinen Ursprung von dieser Partie aus. Die Physis ging davon aus und baute zuerst an der Nasenwurzel, so daß der Esoteriker die Nasenwurzel als dem eigentlichen Physisch-Mineralischen zugeteilt erkennt.
Das zweite ist Prana, der Ätherdoppelkörper. Ihm ist esoterisch zugeteilt die Leber. Dieses Organ steht zu ihm in einer gewissen okkulten Beziehung. Dann kommt Kama, der Astralkörper. Der wiederum hat seine Tätigkeit entwickelt beim Aufbau der Ernährungsorgane, die ihr Sinnbild im Magen haben. Würde der Astralkörper nicht diese ganz bestimmte Ausprägung haben, die er im Menschen hat, dann würde auch nicht dieser menschliche Ernährungsapparat mit dem Magen diese bestimmte Form haben, die er heute hat.
Wenn Sie den Menschen betrachten, erstens in seiner physischen Grundlage, zweitens in seinem Ätherdoppelkörper und drittens in seinem Astralkörper, so haben Sie, wie Sie sehen, die Grundlage, die gefesselt ist an das, was die mineralische Fessel der fünften Wurzelrasse ausmacht. Durch die höheren Körper hebt sich der Mensch schon wieder heraus aus dieser Fessel und steigt zu Höherem hinauf. Kama-Manas arbeitet sich schon wieder herauf. Da befreit sich der Mensch schon wieder von der reinen Naturgrundlage. Deshalb gibt es eine okkulte Beziehung von Kama-Manas zu dem, wodurch der Mensch aus der Naturgrundlage herausgehoben, abgeschnürt wird. Dieser okkulte Zusammenhang ist der zwischen dem niederen Manas und der sogenannten Nabelschnur. Gäbe es kein Kama-Manas in der menschlichen Gestalt, dann würde der Embryo nicht in dieser Weise von der Mutter abgeschnürt werden.
Gehen wir zum höheren Manas, so hat es eine ebensolche okkulte Beziehung zum menschlichen Herzen und zum Blut. Budhi hat eine okkulte Beziehung zu dem menschlichen Kehlkopf, zu dem Schlund und zu dem Kehlkopf. Und Atma hat eine okkulte Beziehung zu etwas, was den ganzen Menschen ausfüllt, nämlich zu dem im Menschen enthaltenen Akasha.
Das sind die sieben okkulten Beziehungen. Wenn Sie sich diese vorhalten, so haben wir als die wichtigsten für unsere fünfte Wurzelrasse hervorzuheben diejenigen zu dem Ätherdoppelkörper und zu Kama. Und wenn Sie das dazunehmen, was ich vorhin gesagt habe von der Beherrschung des Prana durch die Atlantier - die Lebenskraft ist das, was den Ätherdoppelkörper durchzieht -, so werden Sie sich sagen können, daß der Atlantier in einer gewissen Beziehung noch um eine Stufe tiefer stand. Sein Ätherdoppelkörper hatte noch die ursprüngliche Verwandtschaft mit allem Ätherischen der Außenwelt, und er beherrschte dadurch das Prana der Außenwelt. Dadurch, daß der Mensch eine Stufe höher gestiegen ist, ist die Arbeit eine Stufe tiefer geworden. Das ist ein Gesetz: daß, wenn auf der einen Seite Aufstieg erfolgt, auf der anderen Seite ein Abstieg erfolgen muß. Während der Mensch früher am Kama gearbeitet hat vom Prana aus, muß er jetzt mit Kama auf dem physischen Plane arbeiten.
Nun werden Sie verstehen, wie tief die Prometheus-Sage diesen okkulten Zusammenhang symbolisiert. Ein Geier nagt dem Prometheus an der Leber. Kama ist symbolisiert in dem Geier; es verzehrt eigentlich wirklich die Kräfte der fünften Wurzelrasse. Der Geier nagt dem Menschen an der Leber, an der Grundlage, und so nagt diese Kraft der fünften Wurzelrasse an der eigentlichen Lebenskraft des Menschen, weil der Mensch gefesselt ist an die mineralische Natur, an den Petrus, den Fels, den Kaukasus. Damit mußte der Mensch seine Prometheus-Ähnlichkeit bezahlen. Deshalb muß der Mensch seine eigene Natur bezwingen, damit er nicht mehr angeschmiedet ist an das Mineralische, an den Kaukasus.
Nur diejenigen, welche während der fünften Wurzelrasse als menschliche Eingeweihte entstehen, können dem gefesselten Menschen die Befreiung bringen. Herakles, ein menschlicher Eingeweihter, muß selbst zum Kaukasus dringen, um den Prometheus zu befreien. So werden die Initiierten den Menschen herausheben aus der Fesselung, und opfern muß sich, was dem Untergang geweiht ist. Opfern muß sich der Mensch, der noch im Zusammenhang ist mit dem Tierischen: der Kentaur Chiron. Der Mensch der Vorzeit muß geopfert werden. Das Opfer des Kentauren ist für die Entwicklung der fünften Wurzelrasse ebenso wichtig wie die Befreiung durch die Eingeweihten, durch die Initiierten der fünften Wurzelrasse.
Man sagt, daß in den griechischen Mysterien den Leuten die Zukunft prophezeit wurde. Darunter verstand man aber nicht ein vages, abstraktes Erzählen dessen, was in der Zukunft geschehen sollte, sondern die Angabe derjenigen Wege, die den Menschen in die Zukunft hineinführen, was der Mensch zu tun hat, um sich in die Zukunft hinein zu entwickeln. Und was sich als Menschenkraft entwickeln sollte, das wurde vorgestellt in dem großen Mysteriendrama des Prometheus.
Man hat sich nun vorzustellen unter den drei Göttergeschlechtern Uranos, Kronos und Zeus drei aufeinander folgende führende Wesenheiten der Menschen. Uranos heißt der Himmel, Gaia die Erde. Wenn wir zurückgehen hinter die Mitte der dritten Wurzelrasse, der Lemurier, dann haben wir noch nicht den Menschen, den wir jetzt kennen, sondern einen Menschen, den die Geheimlehre «Adam Kadmon» nennt, den Menschen, der noch ungeschlechtlich ist, den Menschen, der vorher noch nicht der Erde angehörte, der noch nicht die Organe entwickelt hat zum irdischen Schauen, der noch dem Uranischen, dem Himmel angehörte. Durch die Vermählung des Uranos mit der Gaia entstand der Mensch, der in die Materie herabstieg und damit zugleich in die Zeit einrückt. Kronos — Chronos, die Zeit - wird der Herrscher des zweiten Göttergeschlechts von der Mitte der lemurischen Zeit an bis herein in den Anfang der atlantischen Zeit. Die führenden Wesenheiten sind symbolisiert bei den Griechen zuerst unter dem Uranos, später unter dem Kronos, und dann gingen sie über auf Zeus. Zeus aber ist noch einer derjenigen Führer, welche ihre Schule nicht auf der Erde durchgemacht haben. Er ist noch einer, der zu den Unsterblichen gehört, wie eben die ganzen griechischen Götter noch zu den Unsterblichen gehörten.
Die sterbliche Menschheit soll sich während der fünften Wurzelrasse auf eigene Füße stellen. Diese Menschheit wird repräsentiert durch den Prometheus. Sie erst brachte die menschlichen Künste und die Urkunst des Feuers. Auf sie ist Zeus eifersüchtig, da in der Menschheit heranwachsen ihre eigenen Eingeweihten, die in der sechsten Wurzelrasse die Führung in die Hand nehmen werden. Das muß sich aber die Menschheit erst erkaufen. Daher muß ihr Ureingeweihter die ganzen Leiden zunächst auf sich nehmen. Prometheus ist der Ureingeweihte der fünften Wurzelrasse, derjenige, der nicht nur in die Weisheit, sondern auch in die Tat eingeweiht ist. Er macht die ganzen Leiden durch, und er wird befreit durch denjenigen, der heranreift, um die Menschheit allmählich freizumachen und sie hinauszuheben über das Mineralische.
So stellen uns die Sagen die großen kosmischen Wahrheiten dar. Deshalb sagte ich Ihnen auch im Eingang: derjenige, der zur dritten Deutung aufsteigt, vermag sie wieder wörtlich zu nehmen.1Siehe Hinweis. Bei der Prometheus-Sage haben Sie das Fressen des Geiers an der Leber. Das ist ganz wörtlich zu nehmen. Der Geier frißt wirklich an der Leber der fünften Wurzelrasse. Es ist der Kampf des Magens mit der Leber. In jedem einzelnen Menschen wiederholt sich während der fünften Wurzelrasse dieser prometheische Leidenskampf. Vollständig wörtlich ist das zu nehmen, was hier in der PrometheusSage ausgedrückt ist. Wäre dieser Kampf nicht da, dann wäre das Schicksal der fünften Wurzelrasse ein ganz anderes.
Es gibt also zunächst drei Ausdeutungen der Sagen: erstens die exoterisch-wörtliche, zweitens die allegorische - der Kampf der menschlichen Natur -, drittens die okkulte Bedeutung, wo wieder eine wörtliche Interpretation der Mythen eintritt. Daraus können Sie ersehen, daß diese Sagen alle - wenigstens alle diejenigen, welche eine solche Bedeutung haben - aus den Mysterienschulen herrühren und nichts anderes sind als die Wiedergabe dessen, was in den Mysterienschulen als das große Drama des Menschheitsschicksals dargestellt worden ist. Wie ich Ihnen bei den Druidenmysterien zeigen konnte, daß [die Sage von] Baldur nichts anderes darstellt als das, was im Inneren der Druidenmysterien sich vollzogen hat, so haben Sie im Prometheus das, was der griechische Mysterienschüler im Inneren der Mysterien erlebt hat, um Kraft und Energie zum Leben in der Zukunft zu gewinnen.
The Legend of Prometheus
Last time, I attempted to show you how initiation into the ancient Druid lodges took place. Today, I would like to elaborate on something that is related to this, but which may seem somewhat more distant. However, we will see how we can gradually gain a deeper understanding of the development of humanity.
You have probably seen from my various Friday lectures that the legends of different peoples have a deep meaning and that myths are the expression of profound esoteric truths. Today I would like to talk about one of the most interesting legends, a legend that is connected with the entire development of our fifth root race. At the same time, you will see how the esotericist can always go through three stages of understanding the world of legends.
First, the legends live in a particular people, and they are taken exoterically, outwardly, literally. Then disbelief in this literal interpretation of the legends begins, and the educated attempt a symbolic, allegorical interpretation of the legends. Behind these two interpretations, however, there are five other interpretations, for every legend has seven interpretations. The third is the one where you are able to take the legends literally again in a certain way. However, you must first learn to understand the language in which the legends are written. Today I would like to talk about a legend that is not so easy to understand, the legend of Prometheus.
In a chapter in the second volume of The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky, you will find something about this and also see the deeper meaning behind this legend. Nevertheless, it is not always possible to say everything in printed writings. Today, we can go a little further than the explanations in The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky.
Prometheus belongs to Greek mythology. He and his brother Epimetheus are the sons of a Titan, Japetus. And the Titans themselves are the sons of the oldest Greek deities, Uranus and his wife, Gaia. Uranus, translated into English, means “the sky,” and Gaia means “the earth.” I would like to point out that Uranus in Greek is the same as Varuna in Indian mythology. Prometheus is therefore a Titan, a descendant of Uranus and Gaia, as is his brother Epimetheus. The youngest of the Titans, Kronos, the god of time, deposed his father Uranus and seized power for himself. For this, he was in turn dethroned by his son Zeus and banished with all the Titans to Tartarus, the abyss or the underworld. Only the Titan Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus remained loyal to Zeus. They sided with Zeus and fought against the other Titans.
But Zeus also wanted to destroy the human race, which had become arrogant. Prometheus then became the advocate of the human race. He pondered how he could give the human race something with which it could save itself and no longer be dependent on the help of Zeus. We are told that Prometheus taught humans the use of writing and the arts, but especially the use of fire. This, however, incurred the wrath of Zeus. Because of this, he was chained to a rock in the Caucasus and had to endure great suffering there for a long time.
We are also told that the gods, led by Zeus, then had Hephaistos, the god of blacksmithing, make a female statue. This female statue had been endowed by the gods with all the characteristics that are the outward adornment of the human race of the fifth root race. This female statue was Pandora. Pandora was persuaded by Zeus to bring disastrous gifts to mankind, first to Prometheus' brother, Epimetheus. Prometheus warned his brother not to accept these gifts, but he allowed himself to be persuaded and accepted the disastrous gifts of the gods from Pandora. Everything was poured out upon humanity, except for one good gift: hope. The other gifts were plagues and suffering for humanity; only hope was kept in Pandora's box.
Prometheus is thus chained to the Caucasus, and a vulture gnaws at his liver continuously. Here he endures. But he knows something that is a guarantee of his salvation. He knows a secret that even Zeus does not know, but which Zeus wants to know. Prometheus does not reveal it, even though Zeus sends the messenger of the gods, Hermes, to him.
Now, in the course of the legend, we are told of his remarkable liberation. It is said that Prometheus can only be freed through the intervention of an initiate, someone who has been initiated. And such an initiate was the Greek Heracles—Heracles, who had performed the twelve labors. The performance of these twelve labors is the achievement of an initiate. These are twelve initiation tests, symbolically expressed. It is also said of Heracles that he was initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries. He is able to save Prometheus. However, someone else had to sacrifice himself in his place, and the centaur Chiron, who was half animal, half human, sacrificed himself for Prometheus. He was already suffering from an incurable disease, [but was actually immortal. In order to die, he sacrifices himself.] He suffers death, and Prometheus is thereby saved. This is the outer structure of the Prometheus legend.
This legend contains the entire history of the fifth root race, and it holds real mystery truths. This legend was actually told in Greece. But it was also presented in the mysteries, so that the mystery student could actually see the fate of Prometheus before him. And in this he was to see the past and future of the entire fifth root race. You can only understand this if you take one thing into account.
In the middle of the Lemurian race, what is called the incarnation of the human being was first achieved — incarnation in the sense in which we have human beings today. This humanity was guided by great teachers and leaders whom we call the “sons of the fire mist.” Today, the humanity of the fifth root race is also guided by great initiates, but our initiates are of a different kind than the leaders of humanity at that time.
You must now understand this difference. There is a great difference between the leaders of the two previous root races and the leaders of our fifth root race. The leaders of those root races were also united in a white brotherhood. However, they had not undergone their previous development on our planet Earth, but in other places. They had descended to Earth as mature, higher human beings in order to teach the people who were still in their infancy during their first emergence, to teach them the first arts they needed. This period of teaching lasted through the third, fourth, and even into the fifth root race.
This fifth root race originated from a small group of people who had been separated from the previous root race. They were raised in the Gobi Desert and then spread out across the Earth in a radial pattern. The first leader who gave the impulse for this development of humanity was one of the so-called Manus, the Manu of the fifth root race. This Manu still belongs to those leaders of the human race who descended at the time of the third root race. He was one of the leaders who not only underwent their development on Earth, but also brought their maturity to our Earth.
It is only in the fifth root race that the development of such Manus begins, who are human beings like ourselves, who, like us, have undergone their development only on Earth, who, so to speak, develop from scratch on Earth. So we have people who are already higher leaders and master personalities, and those who are striving to become leaders and master personalities, so that within the fifth root race we have chelas and masters who belong to the earlier root races, and chelas and masters who have gone through everything that human beings have gone through since the middle of the Lemurian period. One of the masters who has the leadership of the fifth root race is destined to take over the leadership of the sixth root race. The sixth root race will be the first to be led by an Earth brother as Manu. The former masters, the Manus of other worlds, will hand over the leadership of humanity to the Earth brother.
The dawn of our fifth root race coincides with everything we call the development of the arts. The Atlanteans had a completely different life. They had no inventions or discoveries. They worked in a completely different way. Their technology and art were completely different. It was only with our fifth root race that what we call technology and art in our sense developed. The most important invention is the invention of fire. Think about that for a moment. Think about how much of our widespread technology, industry, and art today depends on fire. I believe that technicians will agree with me when I say that without fire, none of our technology would be possible. So we can say that with the invention of fire, the fundamental invention, the impulse for all other inventions, was given.
You must also take into account that at the time when the Prometheus legend arose, fire was understood to mean everything that was somehow connected with heat. It was also understood to be the cause of lightning. The causes of all heat phenomena were summarized under the term “fire.” The awareness that the fifth root race stands under the sign of fire is expressed first in the Prometheus legend. And Prometheus is nothing other than the representative of the entire fifth root race.
His brother is Epimetheus. Let us first translate the two words: Prometheus means “the one who thinks ahead,” and Epimetheus means “the one who thinks after.” Here we have clearly distinguished the two activities of human thinking: the thinking person and the forward-thinking person. The reflective person is the one who allows the things of this world to affect them and then thinks about them afterwards. Such thinking is kama-manas thinking. From a certain point of view, kama-manas thinking means first allowing the world to affect you and then thinking about it afterwards. The human being of the fifth root race still thinks mainly like Epimetheus today.
But insofar as human beings do not allow what is already there to affect them, but instead create the future and are inventors and discoverers, they are Prometheans, forward thinkers. Inventions would never be possible if human beings were only Epimetheans. An invention is made when human beings create something that does not yet exist. First it exists in thought, and then the thought is translated into reality. This is Promethean thinking. This Promethean thinking is the manasic thinking within the fifth root race. Kama-manasic and manasic thinking run side by side like two streams in the fifth root race. Gradually, manasic thinking spreads further and further.
This manasic thinking of the fifth root race has another special characteristic. We understand this when we look back at the Atlantean root race. This race had more instinctive thinking, which was still connected with the life force. The Atlantean root race was still able to form a force of movement from the seed force. Just as humans today have a kind of reservoir of energy in coal deposits, which they convert into steam to propel locomotives and loads, so the Atlanteans had large stores of plant seeds containing forces that they could convert into the power of movement that drove the vehicles described in Scott-Elliot's brochure on Atlantis. This art has been lost. The spirit of the Atlantean human being still conquered living nature, the seed power. The spirit of the fifth root race can only conquer lifeless nature, the forces of becoming that lie in stone and minerals. Thus, the manas of the fifth root race is bound to the mineral forces, just as the Atlantean race was bound to the life forces. All Promethean power is bound to the rock, to the earth. That is why Peter is the rock on which Christ built. It is the same as the rock of the Caucasus. The human being of the fifth root race must seek his development on the purely physical plane. He is bound to inorganic, mineral forces.
Try to get an overview of what it means when we speak of this technique of the fifth root race. What is its purpose? If you get an overview, you will see that, however magnificent and powerful the results may be when the power of the intellect, the manasic, is applied to the inorganic, the mineral, it is nevertheless, on the whole, human egoism, human personal interest, to which all these powers of invention and discovery of the fifth root race are applied.
Start with the first discovery and invention and work your way up to the telephone, to our latest inventions and discoveries, and you will see how great and powerful forces have been made available to us through these inventions and discoveries — but what do they serve? What do we get from distant countries with railroads and steamships? We obtain food; we demand food by telephone. Basically, it is human Kama that demands these inventions and discoveries in the fifth root race. This is what must be clearly understood from an objective point of view. Then we will also know how that higher human being, who is placed into matter, is in fact bound to matter during the fifth root race because his Kama demands satisfaction within matter.
If you look around in esotericism, you will find that the principles of the human being are related to very specific organs of the body. I will explain this topic in more detail later; today I just want to mention the organs with which our seven human principles are related in a specific way.
First, we have the so-called physical. This is occultly related to the upper part of the human face, to the root of the nose. The physical structure of the human being, which once began — in earlier times, the human being was merely astral and built itself into the physical — originated from this part. The physical began there and first built itself at the root of the nose, so that esotericists recognize the root of the nose as belonging to the actual physical-mineral realm.
The second is prana, the etheric double body. Esoterically, the liver is assigned to it. This organ has a certain occult relationship to it. Then comes kama, the astral body. It in turn developed its activity in the formation of the digestive organs, which have their symbol in the stomach. If the astral body did not have this very specific form that it has in humans, then the human digestive system with the stomach would not have the specific form that it has today.
If you look at the human being, first in his physical foundation, second in his etheric double body, and third in his astral body, you see that you have the foundation that is bound to what constitutes the mineral bond of the fifth root race. Through the higher bodies, the human being already rises out of this bondage and ascends to something higher. Kama-manas is already working its way up again. There, the human being frees itself again from the pure natural foundation. That is why there is an occult relationship between Kama-manas and that which lifts the human being out of the natural foundation and cuts it off. This occult connection is between the lower manas and the so-called umbilical cord. If there were no Kama-Manas in the human form, the embryo would not be cut off from the mother in this way.
Moving on to the higher manas, it has an occult relationship to the human heart and blood. Budhi has an occult relationship to the human larynx, the throat, and the voice box. And Atma has an occult relationship to something that fills the entire human being, namely the akasha contained within the human being.
These are the seven occult relationships. If you consider these, we must emphasize those relating to the etheric double body and to Kama as the most important for our fifth root race. And if you add to this what I said earlier about the Atlanteans' control of prana—the life force that permeates the etheric double body—you will be able to say that the Atlanteans were, in a certain sense, one step lower. His etheric double still had its original connection with everything etheric in the outer world, and through this he controlled the prana of the outer world. Because human beings have risen one step higher, the work has become one step lower. It is a law that when there is an ascent on one side, there must be a descent on the other. Whereas in earlier times man worked on the Kama from the prana, he must now work with the Kama on the physical plane.
Now you will understand how deeply the Prometheus legend symbolizes this occult connection. A vulture gnaws at Prometheus' liver. Kama is symbolized in the vulture; it actually consumes the forces of the fifth root race. The vulture gnaws at the liver of the human being, at the foundation, and thus this force of the fifth root race gnaws at the actual life force of the human being, because the human being is bound to the mineral nature, to Peter, the rock, the Caucasus. This is how the human being had to pay for his similarity to Prometheus. That is why man must conquer his own nature so that he is no longer bound to the mineral, to the Caucasus.
Only those who emerge as human initiates during the fifth root race can bring liberation to bound man. Heracles, a human initiate, must himself go to the Caucasus to free Prometheus. In this way, the initiates will lift humanity out of its bondage, and that which is doomed to destruction must be sacrificed. The human being who is still connected to the animal must sacrifice himself: the centaur Chiron. The human being of ancient times must be sacrificed. The sacrifice of the centaur is just as important for the development of the fifth root race as the liberation by the initiates, by the initiates of the fifth root race.
It is said that in the Greek mysteries, people were told their future. However, this was not understood as a vague, abstract narrative of what was to happen in the future, but rather as an indication of the paths that would lead people into the future, what people had to do in order to develop into the future. And what was to develop as human power was presented in the great mystery drama of Prometheus.
We must now imagine three successive leading beings of humanity among the three divine families of Uranus, Cronus, and Zeus. Uranus is the sky, Gaia is the earth. If we go back beyond the middle of the third root race, the Lemurians, we do not yet have the human beings we know today, but rather a human being whom the Secret Doctrine calls “Adam Kadmon,” a human being who is still asexual, who does not yet belong to the earth, who has not yet developed the organs for earthly vision, who still belongs to Uranus, to the heavens. Through the marriage of Uranus and Gaia, man came into being, descending into matter and thus entering time. Kronos — Chronos, time — became the ruler of the second race of gods from the middle of the Lemurian period until the beginning of the Atlantean period. The leading beings were symbolized by the Greeks first under Uranus, later under Kronos, and then they passed over to Zeus. Zeus, however, is still one of those leaders who did not complete their schooling on Earth. He is still one of the immortals, just as all the Greek gods still belonged to the immortals.
During the fifth root race, mortal humanity is to stand on its own feet. This humanity is represented by Prometheus. It was he who first brought the human arts and the primal art of fire. Zeus is jealous of him, because humanity is giving rise to its own initiates, who will take the lead in the sixth root race. However, humanity must first pay for this. Therefore, its original initiate must first take all the suffering upon himself. Prometheus is the original initiate of the fifth root race, the one who is initiated not only into wisdom but also into action. He goes through all the suffering and is liberated by the one who matures to gradually free humanity and lift it out of the mineral realm.
This is how the legends present the great cosmic truths to us. That is why I said at the beginning: those who ascend to the third interpretation are able to take them literally again. In the Prometheus legend, you have the vulture eating the liver. This is to be taken quite literally. The vulture really eats the liver of the fifth root race. It is the battle of the stomach with the liver. This Promethean struggle is repeated in every single human being during the fifth root race. What is expressed here in the Prometheus legend is to be taken completely literally. If this struggle did not exist, the fate of the fifth root race would be completely different.
So there are three interpretations of the legends: first, the exoteric-literal; second, the allegorical—the struggle of human nature; and third, the occult meaning, where a literal interpretation of the myths comes into play again. From this you can see that all these legends — at least all those that have such a meaning — originate from the mystery schools and are nothing more than a reproduction of what was presented in the mystery schools as the great drama of human destiny. Just as I was able to show you in the Druid mysteries that [the legend of] Baldur represents nothing other than what took place within the Druid mysteries, so in Prometheus you have what the Greek mystery student experienced within the mysteries in order to gain strength and energy for life in the future.