I’m as bemused as anybody by the frenzy over “Ida,” the 47 million year old proto-primate whose fossil remains have became an instant global obsession.

However, an entry at Not Exactly Rocket Science, which attempts to debunk the ongoing hysteria through extreme exaggeration, may paradoxically provide some useful hints as to what is actually going on.

“The creature has been named Darwinius masillae, but also goes by Ida, the Link, the Chosen One and She Who Will Save Us All,” writes Ed Yong. “The new fossil is remarkably complete and well-preserved, although the media glossed over these facts in favour of the creature’s ability to cure swine flu. … Businesses around the world are also hoping that demand for Ida merchandise will stimulate an ailing global economy out of recession.”

She Who Will Save Us All?

Of course. It becomes clear now.

It is obvious from various accounts that the wonder-working Ida is simultaneously perceived as (1) a little girl who died at the age of nine months, (2) the mother of all humankind, and (3) a being of unimaginable antiquity.

Clearly, then, she must be an incarnation of Robert Graves’ Triple Goddess — simultaneously maiden, mother, and crone.

If the point needed any further confirmation, “Ida” is also the name of a mountain in Crete where the god Zeus is said to have been born.

I still don’t altogether understand the extent of the frenzy — but it seems undeniable that we are witnessing a modern theogony in progress.

Related:

A listing of all my posts on higher knowledge can be found here.

A general overview of the areas of interest covered at this blog can be found here.

A chronological listing of all entries at this blog, with brief descriptions, can be found here.