One day a long time ago, it occurred to me out of the blue that autumn is the only season that has two names. Spring, summer and winter all get along with one name; but Autumn requires two. I wondered why. I am a librarian by profession, so finding answers is what I do. I pursued an answer to this question. I have been pursuing that answer for most of my life.
The pursuit led me, a few years back, to begin working on a book about how humans, as a species, and within our multitudinous cultures throughout history, have experienced, and learned from, and been shaped by, the seasons.
Earth has changed immensely throughout geological time. From a ball of fire to a ball of ice and everywhere in between, the planet has seen more species of plants and animals come and go than can ever be accounted for. But the one constant is that there have always been seasons. Always.
This blog is a selection of essays, thoughts and gleanings from my ongoing research. The book, should it ever come to fruition, will also be called The Varied God. The title is a quote from James Thomson, most famous for his set of poems called The Seasons:
‘. . . these
are but the varied God. The rolling year
is full of thee.’
James Thomson, A Hymn on the Seasons
I have been reading a fantasy book by Neil Gaiman and a small part of the plot involves a Chinese figurine called “The Spirit of Autumn”. Even in a fantasy, the characters relate to a representation of the seasons. Of course, because it is a fantasy, the character who has just revealed information in payment for the figurine, eats it.
The book also has a brief mention of what first appears to be ancient cave art on the walls of underground London where the story takes place.
I’ll have to see if there is such a thing as a Chinese Spirit of Autumn. Never heard of it.