Thursday, July 28, 2011

Reason #10: dreadlocks are the stuff of legend

Locked hair is deeply rooted in in myth and legend.  Did you know that . . .

  • . . . the sacred river Ganges flows through Shiva's locks, so that they might regulate it?  The goddess Ganga brings her flow to earth through Shiva's tangled masses of hair, which can also be seen as its flow down the forested slopes of the Himalayas.
  • . . . Samson, the Israelite who slew a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, derived his immense strength from his seven locks of hair?  The Nazirite vow 
Based on how they were depicted, it's reasonable to argue that Kokopelli, Isis, and Medusa wore their hair in locks, as well, which is pretty much what I suspected.  There's even some speculation that Jesus couldn't have wandered in the desert for three years without conditioner and without knotting up.  Clearly they have been respected for their power and mystery for thousands of years, and I can do worse than to carry that kind of tradition on my shoulders.

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