| Where do bands get their names? The origins of band names page. |
| Naming a band can take lots of time and thought. Here I will share mythological stories where some bands got the influence for their name. |
| The coming of order-the division of light from darkness, of the heavens and the earth from the waters-required that the first dragons be conquered, since they were demons of disorder. Their foes were gods, not men, for these leviathans existed long before humankind appeared. Poets of every ancient land spoke of the titanic patterns of their conflicts. From the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia, formed by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, came the earliest tales. There, thousands of years ago, an unknown scribe in the land of Babylon set down on seven clay tablets a story of creation that had already descended through generations of his people by word of mouth. In the beginning, when all was dark and formless, two primal beings came into existence. One was male; the spirit of fresh water and the void, and it was called Apsu. The other was female; the spirit of salt water and chaos, and it was a dragon, composed of elements of dangerous creatures to come. It possessed the jaws of a crocodile, the teeth of a loin, the wings of a bat, the legs of a lizard, the talons of an eagle, the body of python and the horns of a bull. The dragons name was Tiamat. The union of these two creatures spawned the Gods, and one of them killed his father, Apsu. Then, in her dragon’s fury, Tiamat gave birth to a new kind of offspring, a menagerie of monsters to afflict her first brood. She brought forth scorpion men and demon lions, giant serpent’s and-lesser versions of herself-glittering dragons. Chaos reigned in the formless world. In order to defend themselves, the gods called one of their own number as a champion. This was Marduk, who would become lord of the universe. Armed with a net and a club, with poison, with bow and arrow and quiver of lightning bolts, the god Marduk mounted a storm chariot drawn by four swift and violent steeds. He was escorted by the four winds and a mighty hurricane. Thus arrayed in terror, Marduk searched the universe for Tiamat, his dragon mother. He spread his net across the void and caught her in it, and he let fly the winds in her face until they filled and distended her body and she could no longer close her mouth. Then, taking aim with his bow, Marduk shot an arrow between Tiamat’s open jaws, straight down into her heart. Her inner parts were cleft. He split her heart; Marduk rendered her powerless and destroyed her life. He felled her Body and stood upright on it. The death of Tiamat threw her beast brood into confusion, and they fled for their lives. But Marduk caught them all in his net and put them in chains and threw them into the infernal regions. Then he disposed of Tiamat’s own monstrous carcass. He split her skull and severed her arteries; he cleft her body like a fish into its two parts, one which he fashioned the firmament and the other the solid earth. He constructed a great dwelling place for the gods in the heavens and installed the stars and moon, the keeper of time. And with the blood of one of Tiamat’s monster brood, Marduk manufactured human beings to serve the gods, in order that the gods should live in a world to rejoice their hearts. Thus-in the oldest terms-was the world wrought from the disorder of the cosmos. |
| The Story of Marduk and Tiamat Mesopotamian-Babylonian |
| Marduk. Legion, B.War, Morgan. |
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| Marduk Photos by AnneMarie Bowman. Taken in Norrkopping, Sweden, Frbruary 2001. Click for larger views, use browser BACK button to get back to this page. |
| The Story of Ragnarok-Norse("Doom of the Gods"), also called Gotterdammerung, means the end of the cosmos in Norse mythology. It will be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. Three such winters will follow each other with no summers in between. Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all morality will disappear. This is the beginning of the end. The wolf Skoll will finally devour the sun, and his brother Hati will eat the moon, plunging the earth [into] darkness. The stars will vanish from the sky. The cock Fjalar will crow to the giants and the golden cock Gullinkambi will crow to the gods. A third cock will raise the dead. The earth will shudder with earthquakes, and every bond and fetter will burst, freeing the terrible wolf Fenrir. The sea will rear up because Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent, is twisting and writhing in fury as he makes his way toward the land. With every breath, Jormungand will stain the soil and the sky with his poison. The waves caused by the serpent's emerging will set free the ship Naglfar, and with the giant Hymir as their commander, the giants will sail towards the battlefield. From the realm of the dead a second ship will set sail, and this ship carries the inhabitants of hell, with Loki as their helmsman. The fire giants, led by the giant Surt, will leave Muspell in the south to join against the gods. Surt, carrying a sword that blazes like the sun itself, will scorch the earth. Meanwhile, Heimdall will sound his horn, calling the sons of Odin and the heroes to the battlefield. From all the corners of the world, gods, giants, dwarves, demons and elves will ride towards the huge plain of Vigrid ("battle shaker") where the last battle will be fought. Odin will engage Fenrir in battle, and Thor will attack Jormungand. Thor will victorious, but the serpent's poison will gradually kill the god of thunder. Surt will seek out the swordless Freyr, who will quickly succumb to the giant. The one-handed Tyr will fight the monstrous hound Garm and they will kill each other. Loki and Heimdall, age-old enemies, will meet for a final time, and neither will survive their encounter. The fight between Odin and Fenrir will rage for a long time, but finally Fenrir will seize Odin and swallow him. Odin's son Vidar will at once leap towards the wolf and kill him with his bare hands, ripping the wolf's jaws apart. |
| Then Surt will fling fire in every direction. The nine worlds will burn, and friends and foes alike will perish. The earth will sink into the sea. After the destruction, a new and idyllic world will arise from the sea and will be filled with abundant supplies. Some of the gods will survive, others will be reborn. Wickedness and misery will no longer exist and gods and men will live happily together. The descendants of Lif and Lifthrasir will inhabit this earth. * Highlighted indicates names used by Bands/band members currently. |
| A little about NAGLFAR: Hymir is a sea giant, the husband of Hrod, who lives at edge of the heaven. He possessed an enormous cauldron which the Aesir coveted to brew beer in and Thor was sent to obtain it. In the final battle against the gods, Hymir will sail the terrible ship Naglfar, which is made entirely from the nails of the dead. The flood that precedes Ragnarok will free the ship after which the giants will board it and, with Hymir as commander, sail towards the battlefield of Vigrond. |
| For News on Naglfar go here. Or go to their website here. |
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| The Band Ragnarok |
| Under Construction-Bands that got their names from Tolkien and Lord Of The Rings. |
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