<strong>By Norman Knight</strong>
In October and November he was so quiet, so unassuming that I was lulled into thinking he was not going to show up this year, or at least he would not be revealing his dark side.
Then last week he struck with a force that woke me from my false illusions. Old Man Winter barging in at 15 degrees Fahrenheit finally had shown his true, frigid colors.
Living in Indiana I accept winter as I must, and I will make the best of this season which truth be told can be quite pleasant if you don’t mind sub-zero temperatures that freeze your face, dangerously slick roads that cannot be negotiated with any sort of confidence, and a 10-minute layering of clothing just to go outside with the dog.
The change in weather got me thinking. Now, it’s true that winter almost always comes in last on everyone’s list of favorite seasons — stop gloating, summer — so there is a built-in negative feeling toward this meteorological period.
But we live in a time when people who heedlessly stereotype others face harsh criticism and oversimplifying labelers are shamed. So, as someone who is of a certain more mature age, someone who might be discounted as a “senior citizen,” as well as someone who was born with a Y chromosome, I simply wonder: Why is this time of the year personified as “Old Man” Winter?
Our culture routinely links this weather-challenged time of the year with an old man, usually with a long beard, usually in a somewhat angry mood. In this age when being cool is the measure of all things, there is definitely something uncool about being associated with cold, harsh weather.
Still, people have been saying “Old Man Winter” for a long time. Why should we change it now? And, really, what is the harm?
Well, in the interest of fairness why not consider “Winter Woman Seasonal Stage,” “Chilly Child Calendar Interval,” or “Annual Arctic Adolescent Age”?
Surely it is clear to any forward-thinking, progressive, modern and culturally-sensitive American that the association of cold, unfriendly winter with elderly males is hurtful and perpetuates the myths of grumpy, bitter old men who yell, “Get off my lawn!” and complain about how everything was so much better back in the “old” days. (Ah, yes. Another example of “old” as an ageist pejorative.)
It’s not like it is written in stone that the representation of winter must be an old man with a long white beard. It is a fact that nearly all cultures throughout history have personified forces of nature including the four seasons. And, yes, many cultures symbolize wintertime as a rather unpleasant old man.
The ancient Greeks referred to the god of winter as “Boreas.” His name meant “North Wind” or “Devouring One,” so, yeah, he was probably one cranky dude. Also, according to a list of winter deities, the Aztecs considered Itztlacoliuhqui as the “personification of winter-as-death.” Again, not a real upbeat image of winter.
But there are some bright spots, some alternatives in the catalog of gods representing dark winter. Skadi or Skade is a Norse goddess associated with winter and mountains. She is also a goddess of skiing and bow-hunting which are more benign images of this time of year.
Then there is the goddess Beira who was not only the personification of winter but the mother of all the gods in Scottish mythology. It seems clear not all winter deities are grumpy old graybeards.
I’m under no illusions. Winter is going to be an elderly male for the foreseeable future, I am sure. Still, one can dream that in some future time, winter can be considered something other than a cranky, harsh and, yes, old man.
<em>Norman Knight, a retired Clark-Pleasant Middle School teacher, writes this weekly column for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].</em>
