1734 / Tubal Cain

[Nantonos]

This thread is for a discussion of Robert Cochrane and traditions derived from him.

[Nantonos]

Origins of 1734 in America
Tori McElroy
http://www.1734.us/origins.html

History of the 1734 Tradition
Doug and Sandy Kopf
http://beaufort.bravepages.com/1734hist.html

Published Articles by Roy Bowers alias Robert Cochrane
http://www.1734.us/published.html

[Nantonos]

More background than directly related:

History Of Wicca In England: 1939 - 1991
Julia Phillips
http://www.starkindler.org/hist-jp.html

Interesting stuff about early, perhaps pre-Gardner, traditions in the 1940s.

[Ben Trismegistus]

Nantonos, do you know where Cochrane gets the term "Tubal Cain" from? It's a phrase I've heard in connection with Freemasonry - was Cochrane a Mason?

[Ceffyl]

Greetings.

Not sure about the connection with Freemasonry. However, I found the following information about tubal-cain from a quick Web search. The following information is from the 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary (http://dict.die.net/tubal-cain/):
Tubal-cain
the son of Lamech and Zillah, "an instructor of every artificer
in brass and iron" (Gen. 4:22; R.V., "the forger of every
cutting instrument of brass and iron").


Hiram, the descendant of Tubal-Cain, helped design and build the Temple of Solomon. For more information on this and the connection with Freemasonry, refer to Story of Hiram Abiff (http://www.thelodgeroom.com/hiram.html).

[Ben Trismegistus]

Thanks!

[Nantonos]

1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary (http://dict.die.net/tubal-cain/):
Tubal-cain
the son of Lamech and Zillah, "an instructor of every artificer
in brass and iron" (Gen. 4:22; R.V., "the forger of every
cutting instrument of brass and iron").


Aha. Smithcraft seems to have been an important component in this tradition.

[Nantonos]

Nantonos, do you know where Cochrane gets the term "Tubal Cain" from?

This site has some answers:
http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/stories/rsmith/index_qayin.htm

Qayin (Cain/Kain) - properly Q’ayin - has often been called the ‘first Mr Smith’ because the term qayin also means ‘smith’, as in metalsmith, or more precisely as in blade-smith, a required skill (or kenning = knowing) of the early kings of Mesopotamia. In this respect, his given name (Cain) in the Book of Genesis in the Bible, is a descriptive appellation rather than a real personal name.

It also clears up that this is a Mesopotamian reference that also shows up in the Bible.

It's a phrase I've heard in connection with Freemasonry - was Cochrane a Mason?

Seems to be the same one. I don't know if Cochrane was a Freemason. Continuing the quote:

In the alchemical tradition he was indeed a qayin - an artificer of metals of the highest order, as were his descendants, particularly Tubal-Cain (Genesis 4:22) who is revered in scientific Freemasonry. Tubal-Cain was the great Vulcan of the era, the holder of Plutonic theory (knowledge of the actions of internal heat) and was, therefore, the prominent alchemist.

[Ceffyl]

Aha. Smithcraft seems to have been an important component in this tradition.
Aha! A link you posted earlier on the history of 1734 Tradition and Mr. Cochrane lists that he was a black smith. That's probably where he named the order and why blacksmithing features promininently in the trad.

Ceffyl

[Ceffyl]

This link had the reference to Cochrane working as a black smith:

History of the 1734 Tradition
Doug and Sandy Kopf
http://beaufort.bravepages.com/1734hist.html

Second paragraph:
What we do know (from a British source) is that he was born to a Methodist family, he sought out and found a teacher (non-Gardnerian), formed a Coven he called The Clan of Tubal Cain(this was a reference to his work as a blacksmith), read books, did research and did the best he could to recreate what he believed to be The Old Religion.