Origin As Power
According to Eliade, in the archaic worldview, the power of a thing resides in its origin, so that "knowing the origin of an object, an animal, a plant, and so on is equivalent to acquiring a magical power over them". The way a thing was created establishes that thing's nature, the pattern to which it should conform. By gaining control over the origin of a thing, one also gains control over the thing itself.
Eliade concluded that, if origin and power are to be the same, "it is the first manifestation of a thing that is significant and valid". The Sacred first manifested itself in the events of the mythical age; hence, traditional man sees the mythical age as the foundation of value.
Read more about this topic: Eternal Return (Eliade)
Famous quotes containing the words origin and/or power:
“The essence of morality is a questioning about morality; and the decisive move of human life is to use ceaselessly all light to look for the origin of the opposition between good and evil.”
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“How oft when men are at the point of death
Have they been merry! which their keepers call
A lightning before death: O, how may I
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Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,
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Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,
And death’s pale flag is not advanced there.”
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