Searching for the Queen of Sheba

 Who is this woman - whose name crops up when we think of wealth and beauty? Where is the country of Sheba? Was she real?

Let's take a look.

According to the Bible, the Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem to visit King Solomon "with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones" (I Kings 10:2). "Never again came such an abundance of spices" (10:10; II Chron. 9:1–9).
 
Yet the Queen of Sheba is mentioned not only in Christian traditions, but also Jewish and Islamic traditions as well. Which one, if any is true?

Where was the country of Sheba?

Most researchers agree that Sheba is possibly the South Arabian kingdom of Saba, now known as Yemen.

 Saba had a virtual monopoly had a monopoly on frankincense. 
The city of Marib in Saba would have wealth accumulated to such an extent that the city became a byword for riches beyond belief throughout the Arab world.

Its people, the Sabeans - a group whose name bears the same etymological root as Saba - lived in South Arabia between the tenth and sixth centuries BC. Their main temple - Mahram Bilqis, or temple of the moon god (situated about three miles from the capital city of Marib) - was so famous that it remained sacred even after the collapse of the Sabean civilisation in the sixth century BC - caused by the rerouting of the spice trail. 

Saba was known by the Hebrews as Sheba, and it survives today (Saba = Sa'abia = Saudi Arabia). Reference History Files

It has also been suggested though archaeological evidence that during the10th Century BC, Ethiopia and Yemen were ruled by a single dynasty probably based in Yemen. Since the political and cultural ties between ancient Yemen and Ethiopia seem to have been strong in that era, the Queen of Sheba may have reigned over both Ethiopia and Yemen. It makes sense then that she could have been either Yemeni or Ethiopian in race.

Who was she then?

Possibility 1.

The Ethiopian Queen - Makeba 
 

Every country has an epic tale - and Ethiopia's appears to be the Kebra Nagast or "Glory of Kings." This tells the story of a queen named Makeda from the city of Axum who traveled to meet the King Solomon of Jerusalem.
The Queen stayed in Jerusalem for some months... and unsurprisingly King Solomon fell in love / lust with her.
As Makeda's visit neared its end, Solomon asked her to stay in his own, private wing of the castle.
Not wanting to offend him, she agreed, but made Solomon promise not to get frisky or fresh with her.
Solomon reluctantly agreed to her stipulation but only if Makeda agreed to one of his own. Makeda must not take anything belonging to the King, if she did, well, then then he could be as frisky and fresh as he wanted with her.

Being a wily fellow, Solomon ordered a spicy and salty dinner for her. Which she ate. That night, he placed a glass of water beside Makeda's bed. Naturally from the salty meal - she woke up thirsty, and drank it.

Upon drinking the water, Solomon entered her room and said that she'd drunk his water... and now he could do with her what he wished.

No surprise then that Makeda and Solomon had sex - and when she returned to Ethiopia, she was pregnant with his child.

In Ethiopian tradition, Solomon and Sheba's child, Emperor Menelik I, founded the Solomonid dynasty, which continued until Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed in 1974. Menelik also went to Jerusalem to meet his father, and either received as a gift (or possibly stole) the Ark of the Covenant, depending upon the version of the story. Although most Ethiopians today believe that Makeda was the biblical Queen of Sheba, many scholars give preference to a Yemeni origin, instead. Reference

Possibility 2.

The Yemeni Queen Bilqis

An important component of Yemen's claim on the Queen of Sheba is the name. We know that a great kingdom called Saba existed in Yemen during this period, and many historians believe that Saba is Sheba. There is also the Temple of Mahram Bilqis that adds weight to the argument.

 Islamic folklore holds that the Sabean queen's name was Bilqis.
According to Surah 27 of the Qu'ran, Queen Bilqis and her people worshipped a Moon god rather than adhering to Abrahamaic monotheist beliefs.

In the Qu'ranic verses, it it said that King Solomon sent her a letter inviting her to worship his God. Bilqis  was offended and feared that the Jewish king would invade her country. To this end Bilqis decided to visit Jerusalem and question him more about his faith.
In the Qu'ran's version of the story, Solomon enlisted the help of a djinn or genie to help impress her. He ordered the djinn to transport Bilqis's throne from her castle in Sheba to Solomon's in Jerusalem - all in the blinking of an eye.
Understandably, Bilqis was so impressed by this that she converted to Solomon's religion.

Unlike in the Ethiopian epic, the Islamic version does not in anyway suggest a romantic involvement between Solomon and Bilqis.

Is there any archaeological evidence of Bilqis, Makeda or the Queen of Sheba?

2000 - Canadian researchers recommenced studies of the Mahram Bilqis (Temple of the Moon God) in Yemen, which is believed to have been frequented by the Queen of Sheba.  "The sanctuary is packed with artifacts, pottery, artwork and inscriptions, opening a new door to the ancient civilizations of southern

Arabia," says Glanzman. "We've probably excavated less than one per cent of the site, with many of its treasures still buried far beneath the sands. This is the largest and one of the most important pre-Islamic sanctuary sites in Arabia." Reference
The excavation was started in 1951 but halted due to political unrest.
The site contains evidence of animal sacrifices and pottery.

 In 2008 - German archaeologists in the town of Axum in Ethiopia claimed to have discovered the Queen of Sheba's Palace. The remains of the palace were discovered under a more recent palace of a Christian King. Allegedly during this dig, they also found an altar - which allegedly once held The Ark of the Covenant. Ethiopian tradition has long since claimed that the Ark, which contained the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written, were smuggled into Ethiopia by Menelik - the Queen's son. It is said that The Queen of Sheba's son returned to Sirius (star constellation) worship after her death, and there is evidence of bull sacrifice around the altar.

In 2012 - British archaeologists claim to have found the Queen of Sheba's mines - or rather ancient gold mines that provided wealth to the country of Sheba. The mines are marked by a 20ft stone slab that bare the mark of the Sabeans - a crescent moon and sun.

2014 - Visitors to Nigeria are able to make a pilgrimage to the Queen of Sheba's Tomb.
In the south western jungle of Nigeria in an area known as Oke -Eiri is allegedly the Queen of Sheba's final resting place. Local tradition in the area states that tomb belonged to a very wealthy, wise widow called Bilikisu Sungo.

It was at her request that her slaves to built an eredo monument for her remembrance. The monument was rediscovered in 1994 by Patrick Darling, a British Geographer. According to local legend the Queen of Sheba left her own lands and ruled over the smaller 1,400 km territory in Nigeria until her death.

Whether the palace, mines or tomb, are really linked to the true Queen of Sheba, is questionable. Yet, she remains a fascinating historical figure, and one I'm certain many would love to uncover the truth about.

Very superstitious....

Superstitions hold a special place in the minds of many paranormal writers - because a great deal of what we write is based on superstitions.

So for today's blog I'm going to talk about some commonly held superstitions here in the West and offer little insight into how they came about... and I think you'll be surprised.

 You're probably familiar with some superstitions like;

- it's bad luck to walk under a ladder...

-breaking a mirror will cause 7 years of bad luck...

-if you say and 'touch wood (English)' or 'knock on wood' (America), you're less likely to have something bad happen to you...

-you shouldn't speak ill of the dead...

-thirteen is an unlucky number...

-step on a crack and you'll break your back...

Where do these saying and superstitions originate?

 

Well first of all, lets look at the word itself;
A superstition is essentially a false belief or irrational belief in the supernatural.
The word superstition itself has an interesting etymology.

 

superstition (n.)

Early 13c., "false religious belief; irrational faith in supernatural powers," from Latin superstitionem (nominative superstition) "prophecy, soothsaying; dread of the supernatural, excessive fear of the gods, religious belief based on fear or ignorance and considered incompatible with truth or reason."

 

It means literally, "a standing over," noun of action from past participle stem of super & stare "stand on or over; survive," from super "above" + stare "to stand". 

 

There are many theories to explain the Latin sense development, but none has yet been generally accepted. Originally especially of religion; sense of "unreasonable notion" is from 1794.

(courtesy: Online Etymology Dictionary)

So why is it bad luck to walk under a ladder?

 This is an interesting superstition, because it is still a widely held belief today (I myself avoid walking under ladders). Most people believe that this is a very practical superstition - after-all, if you do walk underneath a ladder, there is a higher risk of something dropping on your head and hurting you. Yet, there are two other interesting theories of why it should be unlucky.

1.  The ladder you see, forms a sort of triangle. This triangle may represent the Holy Trinity (Christian docterine - The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit) and to walk through the Holy Trinity may be disrespectful to God and the Trinity itself.
2. Some suggest that due to the fact a ladder was used to take Jesus off the cross (following his crucifixion) and that ladders were used to take condemned criminals to the gallows - created a connection with imminent death. Thus the ladder may been seen an omen of death.

Breaking a mirror will cause 7 years of bad luck... 

This particular superstition is derived from the ancient myths and fears about ones own reflection. Thoughout mythology reflections were said to have magical powers and perhaps retain remnants of the individuals soul. Naturally then, if your mirror broke, or there were ripples in your reflection - something untoward may happen or be happening to your soul. Myths relating to reflections often are surrounded by fears of witchcraft and sorcery. Interestingly as well, mirrors were sometimes thought to hold the soul of the dead person who own the mirror, especially if the dead looked in the mirror whilst they were dying. Therefore breaking the mirror would disrupt the dead's soul and they punish the breaker with seven years of miserable luck.

So why seven years?

1. The most common theory relates to the importance of the number 7 in fundamental Christian belief systems. It is alleged that God created the earth in 7 days - thus in the Godly cycle of things it should then take 7 years (why not days? I don't know) to return to normal.
2. There is also allegedly an ancient pagan belief that cycles of life happen in seven year time spans. The the superstitious damage of breaking a mirror therefore would last seven years.

         There are, however remedies, to the seven years of bad luck;

1.  Bury the mirror shards in consecrated ground.
2. Throw them into a river.

Touch wood.

I am also guilty of doing this one.

Sometimes the expression 'touch wood' is spoken to counter a threat that a person may incur while speaking about something that may or may not happen. Often just the invocation of the phrase 'touch wood' is enough, though often, the individual will search for something wooden to touch whilst saying the words. If no wood can be found, they often might touch their own head (indicating their heads are wooden and they're fools) instead.
The reason behind 'touching wood' stems from an ancient belief of 'tempting fate'. That is tempting the gods to smite you for boasting, or speaking ill of something.
Thus 'touch wood' is a protective invocation.Why wood? I hear you ask.Well, there are few theories (naturally) about this.

1. People may seek protection from wood, as it was a wooden cross upon which Christ was hung and therefore wood is special.
2. The ancient pagan gods often were those of trees and wood, and so 'touching wood' may invoke their protection.
3. there was a 19th Century children's game 'tag-touch-wood', in which the child would only be safe in the game if they were touching a tree or something made of wood.  

You shouldn't speak ill of the dead...
 This belief dates back possibly to pre-history, but is most noticeable during Roman times - and again, this is a superstition that still holds true today.
It was thought that to speak ill (badly) of the dead would disrupt the soul's eternal rest and therefore bring them back as ghosts - angry ghosts!
To prevent this happening, you often still hear it said to day  'My darling Jim was a terrible grump in the morning, God rest him!'
Saying such as 'God rest him,' 'God bless his soul,' 'rest in peace' are often said when speaking of the dead - and this is done so, so as to not offend the dead and as a mark as respect.

Thirteen is an unlucky number...
The number thirteen is considered unlucky in the west, apparently stems from the fact their were 13 people at Jesus' Last Supper - because ultimately that last supper didn't bode particularly well for the host.
Therefore it is considered quite unlucky to host a dinner party with 13 guests.
Belief in this unlucky number  has really only become prevalent in the 19th Century. As a result, many skyscrapers and hotels do not have 13th Floors, or room 13's.

Friday the 13th is considered 'black Friday' and is said to be particularly unlucky. This is due to the fact that Jesus was crucified on Friday, that combined with his unlucky dinner with 13 guest makes Friday the 13th particularly inauspicious.

Step on a crack and you'll break your back...
Stepping on cracks in the pavement is said to be unlucky... Originally the saying was 'Step on a crack and you'll break your mother's back'.
Here are some theories about it;

1. If you do step on a crack, and it's a particularly deep one, you may well fall down and hurt yourself (maybe even break your back.)
2. If you do step on a crack, and hurt yourself, you may well break your mother's back as she bends down to tend and care for you until you heal.

 And here are some funny and interesting superstitions I've discovered in my reading;

1. Cross dressing confuses the devil. This was used primarily with children, cutting a pretty baby girl's hair to make her look like boy - would confuse devils / faeries so they wouldn't try and snatch the child.
2. Cats should never be left alone with corpses; If a dead member of a family was laid out in the house prior to the funeral it was imperative that the cats were kept away. If the cat jumped over the corpse the cat must be killed immediately as a cat jumping over a dead person was injurious to the deceased's soul. Cats were often kept in an overturned basket or bucket until funerary details were done. The origin of this superstition isn't particularly clear, but cats are often linked with witchery / sorcery and have been considered demonic creatures.
3. Telling the bees; According to old wives tales, the bees should be told about all formal family events such as births, deaths and marriages. Sometimes, the bees were even given a slice of wedding cake to help celebrate. This is likely to have come from Ancient Greek myth and the prophetic Thriae (part bee part human) and placating them, so that they bring good fortune instead of bad.
4. Spilling salt is unlucky; stems from the belief that ever grain of salt equals a tear shed. This superstition hails from a time when salt was in high demand and very sought after. Thus to spill salt indeed would have been a great waste. Incidently there is convergent superstition that says throwing salt over one's left shoulder sends the devil away. It was believed during the 16th Century that the devil perched on ones left shoulder and whispered wicked things in the ear. Thus throwing salt at him, would make him go away. Salt was then also used prior to a baby's christening to ward away evil.

And that, is all I have time for today. Have a magic week.