The Martial Arts of Ancient Greece

by Kostas Dervenis

  An interesting guess is that the European knights of the Middle Ages, the Knights Templar, those formidable Crusade warriors, possibly used similar practices in their secret meetings. They certainly emphasized sexual abstention. They punished homosexuality by whipping and the guilty parties were expelled from the Brotherhood; they also punished heterosexual relations, though less severely—the guilty party would be demoted from his position temporarily and they would take away his responsibilities in the Brotherhood.

  MODERN MASTERY

  Leaving the ancient years behind and with them the fossils of these ancient practices, let us return to present times. In addition to the symbolism of the spiral helix in the archaeological archives—which was most likely closely connected to the mechanism of these phenomena—it is useful to examine thoroughly, under the prism of modern science, the phenomena Professor Benson and his team recorded, and how can they be explained.

  On the front wall of the Gouverneto Monastery, the monastery nearest to the Artemis cave, there is an amazing inscription, which is more reminiscent of Zen Buddhist dogma than that of the Orthodox Church: “Mind Decorates All Things and Is the Reason for All Being” (figure 4.9). This phrase is also reminiscent of Anaxagoras’ philosophy, and indicates that ancient ideas influenced Christian Orthodoxy to a certain degree, in spite of the clergy’s initial resistance.

  Let us focus on the word mind. One part of our unconscious self is expressed through our autonomous nervous system and through our own cells. Each of our body’s cells, through its microtubules, has the capacity for memory storage and for absorbing awareness. This raises the question: How can our physical integrity be maintained? Contrary to the theories of Descartes, the structure of our cells is neither permanent nor mechanical; the biology of our body is very close to quantum physics. Our bodies are in continuous incessant flow, cells die and get replaced every second. The pancreas, for example, changes all its cells every twenty-four hours, while the stomach needs three days for this. Our white blood cells are replaced every ten days, while 98 percent of the tissue of that most complex organ, the brain, is replaced every month. So, what keeps our form the same? Probably none other than a logistics program in our unconscious mind, a program that determines the form of our new cells while the old ones die.

  Modern biochemistry maintains that this replacement is predetermined and controlled chemically through the proteins from our own genes. However, this theory cannot provide an explanation for the post-transplant phenomenon of recipients acquiring the preferences of their donors. Furthermore, the purely biochemical model, based on protein function, seems to have some problems concerning coherence and order in general. It would be interesting to suggest that protein function is nothing more than a natural procedure determined by the same aforementioned logistics software. If so, what would it mean to control this program?

  Figure 4.9. “Mind Decorates All Things and Is the Reason for All Being.” Inscription over the gate of a chapel at Gouverneto Monastery.

  We are microcosms in a macrocosm, and “Form and Infinity coexist within ourselves.” Let us go back to the Tibetan monks who, exercising the gTummo yoga, basically control their autonomous nervous systems and the unconscious functions of all the cells of their bodies. This is determined by the observed high temperature of 115°F in their limbs, for the following reason: the brain cells of the human body suffer irreversible damage and die when their temperature exceeds 108°F. This biochemical restriction could mean two things: either the monks raise the temperature only on the outside of the body, that is, the limbs and the skin, and protect the inside organs and the brain by keeping their temperature lower, or their temperature goes up to 115 degrees throughout the body. In the first case, the monks control their body metabolism locally, which means that they can exert control over the autonomous programming at the cellular level: they choose to increase the temperature of their limbs and the skin, while the inside temperature of their organs remains steady at a lower temperature. In the second case, they control the biochemistry of their brain cells, making them invulnerable to the increased temperature, which is even more amazing. Undoubtedly, in either case, they control the autonomous functions of the nervous system and the cells locally.11

  How can the monks do this? Could it be that our cells have memory and that the spiral helix model plays its part in this exercise, as the monks maintain? And if this cellular control were expressed in another form, instead of temperature control, what would be the powers of its owner? Could this provide an explanation for all the stories about the amazing powers of great teachers of the East, in our times?12

  One of the authors of this book has had personal experiences that support the connection between the control of sexual energy and extraordinary abilities. This author was a renunciant for eight years, during which he followed a steady course of transforming sexual energy, which originated in the Chinese tradition of neikung, “esoteric energy.”13 During this period, there were many changes in his physical condition and consciousness. In his palms, for example, “stigmata” appeared (a little above the center of the palm); these were local hyperemias, which, according to the doctors, “looked like burns”; the same thing happened to the ends of his fingers and the spaces in between them (figure 4.10). Furthermore, he became inexplicably strong for his physical shape and structure and considering the short amount of time he devoted to physical exercise. The phenomenon of increased temperature presented with gTummo was apparent, up to the point where he was comfortable in the snow wearing just a T-shirt.

  In addition, a low power electrical current was felt both by the author and his students during practice, coming from the area of dantien, the energy center at the lower abdomen. He and his students both experienced changes in consciousness as well: telepathic and prognosis phenomena were frequent, as were phenomena of remote viewing. From the negative side, there were also altered states of consciousness, where the borders between reality and imagination could not be defined clearly.

  Figure 4.10. Local hyperemia in the palm as a result of esoteric exercise.

  Also from a negative side, we learned that 60 percent of the Chinese trainees in the most difficult practices (not those practiced by beginners) of neikung, in a specific age group, had complications, some of them leading to death. Most of the complications were related to hypertension, which occurred as a result of the neikung exercise, which should have been monitored and controlled by the student with other practices or aerobics. (Specifically, death was attributed to stroke, heart problems, and kidney failure, all as a consequence of hypertension.) These side effects probably occurred because this strenuous discipline was meant to be a monastic practice, while the Chinese trainees attempted to adhere to the discipline in the framework of an everyday lifestyle in contemporary society, something very difficult, if not impossible, to do.

  If the results of the breathing and meditation practices experienced by the author are compared to the mythological and archaeological archives, one can see that they are reflected absolutely. The phenomenon of increased temperature and the “burns” in the palms, as well as the unnatural strength, could be attributed to the Apollonian element, to the solar or celestial energy, the cultivation and spread of which is the foundation of these practices (the enhancement of “form”). On the other hand, the phenomena of telepathy, intuition, and premonition could be attributed to the development of metis, an outcome of the second principle of these practices, the accumulation and distribution of chaotic or chthonian energy (the enhancement of “infinity”). The “altered states of consciousness” are the face of Medusa, which petrifies the unsuspecting. In order for a renunciant to confront her, he must have heroic strength and purity, as well as the correct technical knowledge. It seems safe to conclude that these breathing and meditation practices correspond to the path that goddess Athena symbolized for the ancient ancestors of the Greeks.

  These results observed are not hard to explain based on modern physics. As mentioned
earlier, two forces constitute the natural form of space-time: one of them we shall call light (coming from the stars) and the other one we shall call chaos (coming from gravity and dark matter). It is not possible that such a confrontation would prevail in the universe and not be reflected within our own body, within our consciousness.

  The “collective unconscious” is a term introduced by the great psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung to describe that part of our mind shared by the entire human race, which is reflected in our brain anatomy. We have described the structure of space-time in the universe already. If our consciousness follows the same structure, as Jung believed, then it can be symbolized with the following model:

  This configuration, corresponding to the cosmic structure observed by astrophysics, would explain many of the so-called paraphysical and parapsychological phenomena. One part of our mind, our unconscious self, manifests in the autonomous nervous system of our body, while it continues inside our own cells. (In the light of Jung’s collective unconscious, the aforementioned structure demonstrates the possibility that in infinite space our consciousness is connected, that we are all like the fingers of one hand, connected at the palm: we believe that we are independent beings, but in effect one part of our self is shared in common with everyone else.)

  Figure 4.11. The structure of consciousness

  THE PATH OF THE WARRIOR

  Returning to ancient mythology, let us take up the Medusa theme. A universally accepted theory, based on archaeological and literary archives, is that by the end of the third millennium and the beginning of the second millennium BCE, the existing spiritual and political hierarchy and authority of women/shamans, which had existed for tens of millennia, passed on to men/warriors in each tribe. This transfer of authority was a global phenomenon. It is not accidental that there was also a global change in the worship of the gods of thunder and the sky, replacing the existing worship of earth deities.

  The myth of Perseus can be seen as a powerful symbol of this transfer of spiritual and cultural authority from women to men. It is obvious that women/shamans were using the power of the earth exclusively, demonstrated by the archaeological evidence of the sacred caves. Perhaps, due to their nature, women had better access to the plane of chthonic powers than men did (such a suggestion would not be illogical).

  Medusa’s formidable gaze petrified those men who looked at her: perhaps the “ingenious female wisdom” was a state of consciousness that could not be tolerated by the male mind’s structure. However, the time came when, after many experiments and many failures (which probably led to death, illness, and insanity), men/warriors realized they could use both energies of the universe entangled together through the practice of sexual temperance. The worldwide symbolism of the gods of thunder may be significant in the methodology of the transformation of sexual energy. Athena symbolizes the reconciliation of the two tendencies, the gods of the bright sky and the earthy chaos, Athena who controls both the power of the thunder and the formidable gaze of the gorgon through her purity and her warrior’s virtue.

  Hercules strangled the two snakes, becoming Hera’s glory and Zeus’s son, and authority changed hands from women to men. Virtue, respect for culture, the position of Promachos (one who “fights up front,” protecting society), sexual temperance, and the transformation of this basic vital energy into a superior spiritual form—this has been and will be the esoteric path of true warriors, from prehistoric times until today.

  Figure 4.12. Perseus kills the Medusa. Neoclassical work by Canova, ca. 1804, Vatican Museum.

  EPILOGUE

  In the past few years, there has been a lot of commotion over the terms submission grappling (or wrestling) and submission fighting (or mixed martial arts). All those involved with martial arts today strive to acquire some knowledge of submission and control holds, as well as the strategy and tactics of the great athletes and fighters competing in mixed martial arts contests. Most people believe that submission fighting is a contemporary form of combat, an innovation, with the assumption that—although it is based on more traditional combat systems (like jiu jitsu)—the system as it appears today is absolutely modern and new. Some people who have a greater knowledge of the evolution of combat sports in the twentieth century believe that submission wrestling is just a more refined type of judo. We hope this book makes it clear that in truth, it is the other way around: submission wrestling and submission fighting are combat sports that have been in existence since societies were fully organized millennia ago. The technical knowledge involved with staging a bloodless contest was developed over thousands of years by various peoples around the world, and was glorified in ancient Olympia by the combat sport of pankration. That having been said, we also hope that we have made it clear that martial arts and combat sports are two very separate things, each with their independent history and goals.

  An athlete who participates in both the martial arts and combat sports introduces himself to a means of gaining mental and physical health that is not to be found in any other discipline. Study and exercise in the martial arts is never ending. Experience gained this way can be most important in our lives, as we rediscover ourselves continuously, define our limitations, and achieve our aims. And of course all of the above have a positive influence on our selves in the end. What is better for our psyche than holding up a mirror to our inner selves and knowing exactly what we look like? It is therefore important for an athlete to know what he is doing, both on a technical level as well as in a historical context. We believe that it is useful to know that pankration, as it is developing today, is the same combat sport that very important men, warriors, combative athletes, scientists, and philosophers have been practicing for thousands of years in the history of humankind. We hope this book provides some direction for those people who have lost their way among the hundreds of different martial art styles popular today—in the end, it is the essence of things that is important. Seek that essence, and you’ll be fine.

  APPENDIX

  ANCIENT GREEK PAMMACHON AND THE ROOTS OF ZEN

  The friezes on the Parthenon pediments, the temple of Epicurean Apollo, the temple of Olympian Zeus, and so many others, which depict a martial art very similar to Japanese jujutsu or Okinawan karate, raise the question of whether there is a connection between the ancient Greek martial art we shall call pammachon (to differentiate it from the combat sport of pankration) and the Shaolin kung fu of the Zen Patriarch Bodhidharma, the origin of many of the Eastern martial arts forms. At the beginning of the twentieth century (1905), Japanese jujutsu instructors visiting the West admitted that the aforementioned sculptures resembled their martial art.1 Perhaps this is what led to the overeager declaration that “pankration was passed on to the Indians by Alexander, and from there on to the Chinese, and that’s how karate was developed,” which has been broadcast by those of Greek origin who have been promoting pankration in this generation. We wish that things were so simple. In this brief essay, we will try to outline the historical difficulties involved with tracing such a cultural interaction, and suggest a path by which the Greeks could have indeed influenced the martial arts of the East—or not.

  There are written reports in China referring to the martial arts dating from 1000 BCE and archaeological evidence from 250 BCE, which make it obvious that the Chinese had developed martial arts long before the possibility of cultural transfer through Alexander’s conquests. Furthermore, this ethnocentric approach does not take into consideration the activities of the Persians, the Indians, the Assyrians, the Sumerians, the Hittites, and so many other peoples, all of whom obviously knew and practiced martial arts, long before coming into contact with Greek influence.

  It is clear that the Greek army’s successes during the Persian war and Alexander’s conquests was due to their superior military tactics (the armed phalanx, which their enemies did not know how to confront effectively), their advanced metallurgy (the success of their armor was very commendable, especially given the means available then), and the
combat techniques they had developed, which corresponded well to their military tactics. This does not mean that other nations had not developed martial arts! In fact, there is an inscription on the tomb of Darius I, which shows that the king was boasting about his capabilities in the martial arts. This inscription—in addition to providing evidence of the existence of martial arts in Persia—proves that they were so important for their society that they provided a basis for boasting:

  This indeed is my activity. Inasmuch as my body has the strength, as battle-fighter I am a good battle-fighter. . . . Trained am I both with hands and with feet. As a horseman, I am a good horseman. As a bowman I am a good bowman both afoot and on horseback. As a spearman I am a good spearman both afoot and on horseback. And the skills which Ahuramazda has bestowed upon me and I have the strength to use them—by the favor of Ahuramazda what has been done by me, I have done with those skills that Ahuramazda bestowed upon me.2

  We must recall the example of Dioxippos in his duel against Koragos, a proof that Macedonians generally did not have a great appreciation for pankration—in fact, it appears they did not believe in it. It has been recorded that Alexander was against combat sports as a training method for soldiers. The standpoint therefore that “Alexander brought pankration to the Hindus” must be rejected by the reader, if for no other reason than it appears Alexander himself had actually rejected pankration! The lack of any evidence for this case, combined with the plethora of proof against it, is the reason why not one bona fide historian has taken this assertion seriously. However, Alexander’s path of conquest and the earlier Greek victories in the Persian wars do verify that the close-quarter combat tactics of the Near Eastern people were inferior to those of the classical Greeks, beginning roughly circa the fifth century BCE, simply because their leaders preferred distant engagement of their enemies (i.e., missile warfare) to close-quarter engagement (while, on the other hand, in the second century BCE the martial arts of the Greeks were inferior to those of the Romans, who excelled at close-quarter combat as well as military strategy).