Resurrection of Animals from Bones

[SpiritTalker]

I am currently reading "Ecstacies, Decyphering the Witches' Sabbath" by Carlo Ginzburg. In the chapter he titled Annomalies, pg. 133-135 he references what he called ecstatic encounters -what we'd probably call trance - by accused witches with the Goddess resurrecting oxen or geese from the collection of their bones. He depicts this as a fairly wide spread belief throughout Eurasian areas, especially in Shamanic cultures, but absent from Celtic.

Ginzburg mentioned the Laplander deity Horagalles and Thor both touching the animal remains with their hammers, and St. Germanus d'Auxerre, and the touch of the wand of Orientes-Habondia resurrecting animals from their bones placed back into their hides. He links Diana-Artemis with the Mother Goddess (and bear), Matrons and fairies with mistresses of animals.

Can anyone suggest any other references to the resurrection of animals? Are there any rituals practiced today amongst witches for this, and what is the meaning? It has sounded a ping on my radar and is connected to my own trance/ecstasy concerning Ellen of the Ways, about whom little is written. I,m looking for links, tie-ins, connections to Ellen who is associated with reindeer, animal herds and trods or migration pathways.

Edit: Reddening of Bones practice has been mentioned, and i agree that it would be related. Bone reddening with red ocher pigment is done to link with the realm of the dead, the Other Realm, to imitate the re-enlivening of the flesh of that which had crossed-over, thus becoming a link to other realms.

[corvidus]

Can anyone suggest any other references to the resurrection of animals? Are there any rituals practiced today amongst witches for this, and what is the meaning?

I'm not sure about wiccan practices, but the Christians have some good starting matter

One of the most popular resurrected animals was Christ.

The prime example of this ritual is the Euchrist, where the dead and lifeless bread and wine are "reanimated" into the flesh and blood.

I suppose a Lunar or Solar eclipse is symbolic of this sort of thing.

[SpiritTalker]

I'm specifically looking for witch/Shamanic ties related to a personal trance experience for validation, if it's authentic. (The Christ would exemplify the overall theme of course. Inanna was also resurrected.) I'm trying to find out if Elen had any ties to the specific rite of RoB and needing suggestions for other resources to hunt through.

Edit- about 2 chapters further on from where I was when I first posed the question of whether Elen was known to be associated with resurrection of the bones, Ginzburg referred specifically to shamanistic rituals of resurrecting reindeer from their bones. That may be as close as I can get to Elen, a reindeer goddess.

[corvidus]

That helps narrow it down.

What about the shaman's initiation, in which he is disembowled and broken down to his bones -- afterwards to build himself a new flesh-body?

There may be stories similar.

[SpiritTalker]

Yes, I get ya. Afterwards he is then able to travel between worlds.

[corvidus]

Mircea Eliade's book, "Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy" might have some more in-depth information on the resurrection of animals from bones. It is an examination of a variety of shamanic traditions and their practices.

[SpiritTalker]

Oh good, it's on my list.

[Bychan Wulf]

Mircea Eliade's book, "Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy" might have some more in-depth information on the resurrection of animals from bones. It is an examination of a variety of shamanic traditions and their practices.

I can't believe it! We study Mircea Eliade în School but I had no idea he wrote such things.
I think my interest in literature will be restored

[corvidus]

Yeah, Eliade has some interesting and good ones!

And I just remembered, as far as Celtic entities which might know more, I suggest seeking out Cernnunos. He is the a god of animals and fertility as well as death and dying.

A colleague of mine learned some very interesting things while working with him.