Ash

Lee Berman · 13 Sep 2013, 20:00 · from 2013-September.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 16:00:39 -0400
Subject: (urth) Ash
Message-ID: <BLU175-W50FC03F6DFBC58ECF26C7CF3B0 at phx.gbl>

I've long wondered about the significance of the name of Master Ash and
his cryptic reference to Vine.

I've found one likely reference in Norse mythology, in which the first
man and woman were named Ask and Embla, which translate in English to 
ash tree and elm tree, but alternatively Embla can be vine or liana.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ask_and_Embla

Given Ash's association with Ragnarok, Norse seems like a likely source.

But I just bumped into a tantalizing alternative. One of the most ancient
Egyptian gods was named Ash, and as god of the desert oases, he was also the
god of the vine. As a desert god he was also associated (sometimes sexually)
with Typhon Set, the god of desert storms.

I guess I still think the Norse inspiration is mostly likely the primary
one. But it is hard to dismiss a nominative clue which relates to both
Typhon and The Outsider/Dionysus.

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