In the mythological writings of

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

, Luvah is one of the four

Zoas In the mythology of William Blake, Albion is the primeval man whose fall and division results in the Four Zoas: Urizen, Tharmas, Luvah/Orc and Urthona/Los. The name derives from the ancient and mythological name of Britain, Albion. Sources In th ...

, who were created when

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...

, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. He represents love, passion, and rebellious energy. His

Emanation Emanation may refer to: * Emanation (chemistry), a dated name for the chemical element radon * Emanation From Below, a concept in Slavic religion * Emanation in the Eastern Orthodox Church, a belief found in Neoplatonism *Emanation of the state, a l ...

(female counterpart) is

Vala Vala or VALA may refer to: Religion and mythology * Vala (Vedic), a demon or a stone cavern in the Hindu scriptures * Völva, also spelled Vala, a priestess in Norse mythology and Norse paganism Fiction * Vala (Middle-earth), an angelic being in ...

; his fallen form is

Orc An Orc (or Ork) is a fictional humanoid monster like a goblin. Orcs were brought into modern usage by the fantasy writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially ''The Lord of the Rings''. In Tolkien's works, Orcs are a brutish, aggressive, ugly, a ...

. Throughout Blake's mythological system, he is opposed to

Urizen In the mythology of William Blake, Urizen () is the embodiment of conventional reason and law. He is usually depicted as a bearded old man; he sometimes bears architect's tools, to create and constrain the universe; or nets, with which he ensna ...

, the representation of reason. He is also connected to

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, who takes upon his form as the being of love after Luvah falls and turns to a being of hate. The Four Zoas

Character

Luvah represents a generative aspect that is connected to experience. In Blake's system, Luvah, the third Zoa, represents emotion as the Prince of Love, and his name may be connected to the word "lover". Love is the supreme emotion, and it is connected to all others, including hate. Luvah is connected to the heart. He is connected to Jesus, and the Incarnation is the result of Luvah transforming into hate; Jesus replaced Luvah's physical form after Luvah descended from his position. As such, Jesus is the physical aspect of Love and he suffers what Luvah would suffer. When Urizen witnesses Jesus in that form, he becomes upset and afraid of the new Luvah. Luvah's emanation, Vala, originated as two innocent individuals that were separated by Vala being impregnated by Albion. From that union, Urizen was created. When the Fallen Man looked upon Vala, she was separated from Luvah, and she hid from him. Urizen joins with Luvah in order to control mankind, with Urizen seeking to dominate the imagination and would allow Luvah to dominate reason. However, Luvah does not accept but does steal Urizen's horses, which sparks a war between the two. During this time, Urthona falls and divides. Urizen soon withdraws from the war, and

Tharmas In the mythological writings of William Blake, Tharmas is one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. He represents sensation, and his female counterpart is Enion, who represents sexual urges. He is ...

strikes down both Luvah and Vala, which causes them to both fall. As this happens, Albion is brought low, and Urizen becomes the ruler. Urizen punishes Luvah by placing him within the Furnaces of Affliction, with Vala feeding the furnaces. The furnaces causes Luvah to melt, and Urizen uses the metallic remains of Luvah to create the universe, which represents reason's solidification of emotions. This leads to Luvah, in the form of a cloud, constantly tormenting Albion, which represents suppressed desires. Albion opposes Luvah, and he falls. Soon, he is born from

Enitharmon Enitharmon is a major female character in William Blake's mythology, playing a main part in some of his prophetic books. She is, but not directly, an aspect of the male Urthona, one of the Four Zoas. She is in fact the Emanation of Los, also male ...

in the form of Orc. Thus, he transitions from Love into Hate. From him comes wars, including the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, and he stars wrecking the body of Albion.Damon 1988 pp. 255–257 After Orc is born, the jealous

Los LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...

uses the Chains of Jealousy to bind Orc upon a mountain. While bound, his imagination is able to exist in a cave located in Urizen's kingdom, which wakes up Urizen. When Urizen seeks out Orc, Orc is freed as he changes into a serpent. The form is corrupted and he is turned into a satanic image. Orc spends his time rebelling against Urizen, and it is only when Urizen stops fighting Orc that Orc is able to become Luvah. After the

Final Judgment The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

, Albion makes Luvah the servant of Urizen, which represents reason controlling love and ensuring that there is only creation. Albion tells Urizen to let Luvah rage enough to allow for the hate to burn out. Luvah's role in the harvest, he is a singer and is able to unite with Vala before joining Albion only to be cast away until the Zoas can all join with Albion.Damon 1988 pp. 255, 257

Appearances

The first appearance of Luvah is in ''

The Book of Thel ''The Book of Thel'' is a poem by William Blake, dated 1789 and probably composed in the period 1788 to 1790. It is illustrated by his own plates, and compared to his later prophetic books is relatively short and easier to understand. The metre ...

'', but he is not mentioned again until ''

Vala, or The Four Zoas ''Vala, or The Four Zoas'' is one of the uncompleted prophetic books by the English poet William Blake, begun in 1797. The eponymous main characters of the book are the Four Zoas (Urthona, Urizen, Luvah and Tharmas), who were created by the fall o ...

''. The history of Luvah's origins, war on Albion, and his involvement as Orc are described in ''Vala'' along with descriptions of his return to his Luvah state after the Final Judgment. Blake's ''

Milton a Poem ''Milton'' is an epic poem by William Blake, written and illustrated between 1804 and 1810. Its hero is John Milton, who returns from Heaven and unites with Blake to explore the relationship between living writers and their predecessors, and to ...

'' describes various aspects of Luvah's story, including his tomb at Golgonooza where the dead Luvah resided. In ''

Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion ''Jerusalem'', subtitled ''The Emanation of the Giant Albion'' (1804–1820, with additions made even later), is the last, longest and greatest in scope of the prophetic books written and illustrated by the English poet, artist and engraver Wi ...

'', Luvah is connected with the various warring individuals through Los's dividing of the world of life and death. The work also explains how Jesus allowed for Luvah to fight against Albion, as Luvah's hate must be expressed before it can be purged.

Notes

References

* Damon, S. Foster. ''A Blake Dictionary''. Hanover: University Press of New England, 1988. {{William Blake, myth William Blake's mythology