Passover mythology

How does Eliyyahu (a.k.a Elijah/Elias) manage to get to absolutely every Passover seder? Why it must be with his chariot of fire drawn by horses of fire (rekeb ēsh wə‐sûsê ēsh רכב אש וסוסי אש)! The Greeks identified Elias with the sun god Helios due to a superficial similarity in their names and in their conveyances (although their names are etymologically unrelated, אליהו Ēliyyāhû being Afro‐Asiatic and Ήλιος Hēlios Indo‐European), and Eliyyahu is frequently portrayed in a fire chariot not unlike Helios’ sun chariot.

This is a detail of a fresco in Rila Monastery, Bulgaria, portraying Eliyyahu (Saint Elias) and his chariot of fire (from a larger picture on Wikimedia, in the public domain).

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[I]t is easily seen how, by a scarcely perceptible change of sound, the great god Helios could be transmuted into Elias. Helios drove round the world in his fiery chariot, drawn by horses. Elias went up to heaven in a similar conveyance. Helios produced rain and storm, and so did Elias by the fervor of his prayer on Mount Carmel. Elias brought down fire from heaven and so did the great sun‐god. Hence the parallel between the two was too tempting to be passed over.

—J. Theodore Bent, “Paganism in England,” The Gentleman’s Magazine 262, Jan. 1887, 36.

From Facebook Wall to Surface Web, 27 December–2 January 2009.

▴ …found another reason to be on a low-carbohydrate diet: Bread is scary. —2 January (HoldTheToast Press) { , }

▴ My pictures of my birthday dinner at Ichi Umi 一海, Murray Hill, Manhattan, and “Daddy” at Vlada, Midtown/Hell’s Kitchen. —1 January {}

▴ …wonders if you can find the picture of him in this article. —1 January (Jeffrey Tastes) { , }

▴ —1 January (The Thinking Atheist on YouTube) { }

▴ …is curious whether you say “twenty ten” or “two thousand ten.” —1 January { }

▴ Imani, the final Kwanzaa principle, comes from Arabic إيمان iman (faith), from the same root as Hebrew אמונה emuna (faith) and אמן amen. —1 January { }

▴ Happy Gregorian New Year from the vantage point of the North American Eastern Time Zone! —1 January { }

▴ The name of the Karamu feast on the sixth day of Kwanzaa comes from Arabic كرم karam (generosity), also the source of the name كريم Karim. —31 December { }

▴ The Kwanzaa principle of Nia (purpose) derives from the Arabic نية niyya (intent). Maybe Hebrew פניה peniyya and כונה kawwana are related? —30 December { }

▴ —29 December (morn1415 on YouTube via Unreasonable Faith) { }

▴ The Kwanzaa kinara not only resembles the Ḥanukka menora {מנורה}, they have the same Semitic root as Hebrew נר nēr (lamp), Arabic نور nûr (light). —29 December { }

▴ …is yet another atheist who appreciates minarets {منائر‎}. —29 December (Friendly Atheist) { , }

▴ I was recently talking to a friend about the “rock’n’roll en español” to which I used to listen in the 1990s. “Ay Tenochtitlán” is a good example. —28 December (seguridadsocialrock on YouTube) { }

▴ …bought half-price Christmas chocolate at Walgreen’s on his weekly carbohydrate day. —28 December { }

▴ The Kwanzaa principles of Ujima (collective work) and Ujamaa (cooperative economics) both come from Arabic جمع jamaʻa (gather together). —28 December { }

▴ The seven principles of Kwanzaa are “nguzo saba” in Swahili, from Arabic سبعة sabʻa (seven), the same root as Hebrew שבעה šibʻâ (seven). —27 December { }

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mi7bMS3Y.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed.

From Facebook Wall to Surface Web, 13–19 December.

▴ …tightened the light bulb on the last day of Ḥănukkâ {חנכה} and wishes the audio quality of this last-day video were better. —18 December (cutegal85 on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ —18 December (TurkishStylo92 on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ …thinks God is incredible, and loves wordplay. —18 December (Bigot Blog, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …is owed thirty cents by Delish…Halal. —18 December (my photograph, Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …enjoys nature photography. —17 December (guardian.co.uk, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …ate so much salad his jaw aches. —17 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ My pictures of the Jackson Heights Food Group’s eating Eastern European cuisine at U Dzika {and then donating clothing, Jackson Heights, and subsequent meal, Shangri-La Express, Elmhurst}. —16 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed, Jackson Heights Life|FriendFeed)

▴ My further pictures of winter in Jackson Heights. —16 December (Facebook)

▴ …dreamed that, when he investigated the noises he had heard, he saw a chimpanzee climbing the fire escape. —15 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
☺ Sundown today began my birthday on the Hebrew calendar (28 Kislēw {כסלו}). Yes, I was born during Ḥanukka. —14 December (See Sound Squiggle on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …didn’t much care for their Europeanized pronunciation until Dudu Zar {דודו זר} started singing. Happy Ḥanukkâ to all! —13 December (dayingale on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …dreamed he was in what was promoted as a huge store but was essentially a big train car that traveled from one shopping center to another. —13 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mSYosNVG.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed.