Can I throw a new twist at this discussion.
This is only a brief synopsis of some of the issues involved ....
My next post will explain my position better.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cain
In Judaism, the mark is not a punishment but a sign of God's mercy. When Cain was sentenced to be a wanderer he did not dispute the punishment but only begged that the terms of his sentence be altered slightly, protesting "Whoever meets me will kill me!" For unspecified reasons, God agrees to this request. He puts the mark on Cain as a sign to others that Cain should not be killed until he has had seven generations of children. Lamech, Cain's descendant, refers poetically to the "mark of Cain" in Genesis 4:19-24, in a passage which has been subject to several interpretations.
Despite these later traditional beliefs of perpetual wandering, according to the earlier Book of Jubilees (chapter 4) Cain settled down, marrying his sister, Awan, resulting in his first son, Enoch (considered to be different from the more famous Enoch), approximately 196 years after the creation of Adam. Cain then established the first city, naming it after his son, built a house, and lived there until it collapsed on him, killing him in the same year that Adam died.
In Judaism, the mark is not a punishment but a sign of God's mercy. When Cain was sentenced to be a wanderer he did not dispute the punishment but only begged that the terms of his sentence be altered slightly, protesting "Whoever meets me will kill me!" For unspecified reasons, God agrees to this request. He puts the mark on Cain as a sign to others that Cain should not be killed until he has had seven generations of children. Lamech, Cain's descendant, refers poetically to the "mark of Cain" in Genesis 4:19-24, in a passage which has been subject to several interpretations.
HebraicLiteratureTranslationsFromTheTalmudMidrashimKabbala_.htm
Cain had robbed the twin sister of Abel
Yalkut Chadash, fol. 127, col. 3.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cain
In the Greek New Testament, Cain is referred to as Qayin. In at least one translation this is rendered "from the evil one", while others have "of the evil one." Some interpreters take this to mean that Cain was literally the son of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. A parallel idea can be found in Jewish tradition, that the serpent (Hebrew nahash) from the Garden of Eden was father to firstborn Cain.
A few scholars suggest the pericope may have been based on a Sumerian story representing the conflict between nomadic shepherds and settled farmers. Others think that it may refer to the days in which agriculture began to replace the ways of the hunter-gatherers.
The Midrash and the Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan both record that the real motive involved the desire of women. According to Midrashic tradition, Cain and Abel each had twin sisters, whom they were to marry. The Midrash records that Abel's promised wife was the more beautiful. Cain would not consent to this arrangement. Adam proposed to refer the question to God by means of a sacrifice. God rejected Cain's sacrifice, signifying His disapproval of his marriage with Aclima, and Cain slew his brother in a fit of jealousy.
The Bible makes reference on several occasions to Kenites, who, in the Hebrew, are referred to as Qayin, i.e. in a highly cognate manner to Cain (Qayin). Some therefore believe that the Mark of Cain referred originally to some very identifying mark of the Kenite tribe, such as red hair, or a ritual tattoo of some kind, which was transferred to Cain as the tribe's eponym. The mark is said to afford Cain some form of protection, in that harming Cain involved the harm being returned sevenfold. This is hence seen as some sort of protection that membership of the tribe offered, in a form such as the entire tribe attacking an individual who harms just one of their number.
Thomas Bulfinch Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable; or Stories of Gods and Heroes
CHAPTER XXXV. ORIGIN OF MYTHOLOGY– STATUES OF GODS AND GODDESSES– POETS OF MYTHOLOGY. ORIGIN OF MYTHOLOGY.
HAVING reached the close of our series of stories of Pagan mythology, an inquiry suggests itself. “Whence came these stories? Have they a foundation in truth, or are they simply dreams of the imagination?” Philosophers have suggested various theories of the subject; and
1. The Scriptural theory; according to which all mythological legends are derived from the narratives of Scriptures, though the real facts have been disguised and altered. Thus Deucalion is only another name for Noah, Hercules for Samson, Arion for Jonah, etc. Sir Walter Raleigh, in his “History of the World,” says, “Jubal, Tubal, and Tubal–Cain were Mercury, Vulcan, and Apollo, inventors of Pasturage, Smithing, and Music. The Dragon which kept the golden apples was the serpent that beguiled Eve. Nimrod’s tower was the attempt of the Giants against Heaven.”
2. The Historical theory; according to which all the persons mentioned in mythology were once real human beings, and the legends and fabulous traditions relating to them are merely the additions and embellishments of later times. ... Cadmus, who, the legend says, sowed the earth with dragon’s teeth, from which sprang a crop of armed men, was in fact an emigrant from Phoenicia, and brought with him into Greece the knowledge of the letters of the alphabet, which be taught to the natives. From these rudiments of learning sprung civilization, which the poets have always been prone to describe as a deterioration of man’s first estate, the Golden Age of innocence and simplicity.
Genesis Of The Grail Kings
An interesting aspect of the word 'kingship' is that it was identical with kinship - and kin means 'blood-relative'. In its original form kinship was kainship ... It was from Eve's son Cain, whose recorded successors (although given little space in the Old Testament) were [some of] the first great kings of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Tthe book of Genesis ... confirms how Eve told Adam that Cain's father was the Lord, who was of course Enki the Archetype. Even outside the Bible, the writings of the Hebrew Talmud and Midrash make it quite plain that Cain was not the son of Adam.
So what else is wrongly taught about this particular aspect of history? The book of Genesis (in its English translated form) tells us that Cain was 'a tiller of the ground' - but this is not what the original texts say at all. What they say is that Cain had 'dominion over the earth', which is a rather different matter when considering his kingly status.
http://en.rodovid.org/wk/Person:32371
The Marking of Cain
The slaying of his brother Abel is mentioned in Zoroastrian tradition as being rage based anger ... The question on whether or not this mark was carried over to his offspring is not clear. However, what is clear through the genealogies is that the offspring of Cain were not shunned by his brothers and in fact intermarried freely within the lineages of his brothers.
With regard to red hair as the Mark of Cain. Genetic studies have shown that red hair originated in the region of Scythia approximately 20,000 years ago. Scientists speculate that it could be a hold over genetic remnant introduced into the lineage of Homo Sapiens Sapiens through intermarriage with Homo Sapiens Neanderthalis. In folklore and tradition redheads have been associates with fiery natures and uncontrolled rage. Their nickname "The Dog headed men" have been linked with Wolves who have been shown to have the same genetic mutation which give them a red coat. Science shows that among wolves the intensity of red is associated with increased release of adrenaline. The coats of purebred wolves raised in captivity will gradually fade to blonde, but if subjected again to conditions that spur adrenaline production, the coats will again redden within a few generations.
Connections to King Scorpion
The status of king Scorpion at Hierakonpolis is hard to explain because the writing of his royal name and titulary (rosette plus name instead of name within the serekh) and the discovery of his macehead at Nekhen do not indicate a Hierakonpolite origin for Scorpion. Iry Hor had an unusual royal name designation too as did Narmer. It is possible that Scorpion was a roughly contemporary of Hor-Ka, and that the former ruled in the region of Nekhen. Before the rule of Scorpion, ... local chieftains [ruled identified by] clan symbols, as follows: Oryx [antelope], Shell, Fish, Elephant, Bull, Stork.
