Quakes!

By Jing Villamil

THIS talks not of the gooey chocolatey fudge which one rams whole and fast into one’s mouth in heavenly but sinful decadence. Rather, this talks of quakes that grumbled, rumbled and crumbled rocks unto uncovered heads, crushing skulls and bodies and homes and workplaces.

Once upon an ancient time, it was believed that life not only existed above ground. Gods and undergods, creatures of all sizes, beauties and uglies lived and rested and slept beneath the earth. And, of course, earth moved whenever these creatures stirred!

On the other hand, poker-faced Chinese and twinkly-eyed Indians swore to heaven, clasped their hands and bowed their heads in sincere pledge of truth, that – earth is carried by elephants carefully on their snouts while standing on the back of a giant turtle which, in turn, balanced on top of a cobra!

According to Greek mythology however (and this would be the more popular belief) – earth quaked when one, if not the most bad-tempered, moody and violent of their Olympian gods went madly crazily ballistic! And probable cause would be – he felt he was deeply insulted (true, implied or imagined), by another god or by man. He would strike the ground with his trident with all his super strength and the ground would quake and part and take unto its depth everything along its angry path, from ocean bottom to the highest land peak. The waters would retreat far from the shores and gather itself huge and mighty for one sweeping swallow of what was earth and structures and wiggly fish and animals and humans. That was why this god was nicknamed Earthshaker!

We know Earthshaker as Poseidon who, together with his two siblings, divided the world among the three of them. They drew straws to decide who ruled which. Zeus drew the skies, Hades drew the underworld, and Poseidon drew the seas. There was only one mention of this private but monumental division of properties, so childish yet so binding – Homer’s Iliad.

And because of his influence on seas and oceans which occupy more than three-fourths of the world at large (his Roman myth counterpart is Neptune), Poseidon assumed the task of protector of all waters. Sailors on submarines, ships or vintas prayed to him for safe passage as they went on their watery sojourn. Fisherfolks, swimmers, divers or mere floaters, too, just to make sure one did not insult or anger this very influential but so temperamental god.

He was also god of storms and horses! His official ride was a horse and a chariot! And this additional fact has got nothing to do with earthquakes (or perhaps, there is!) – Poseidon is Greek word for “husband”; thus he was worshipped as a most effective fertility god. This was further enhanced by the power he was known to have held over women (like his brothers Zeus and Hades) and his brash flaunting of his rugged fresh-from-a-seabath, including clinging seaweeds (bagong-ligong pakiramdam!) masculinity.

When the earth shifts its weight, when its many monster- mouths open to grumble and rumble, when horses thunder their hooves neighing for a life-or-death chase – you do not look to the sea or to towers or to the far hills and mountains, though the last two is better than the first.

You run with your loved ones to a wide, open space.

And pray to Him, our Lord. Our God.

Only our God can calm down this god.

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