Number 9 … Number 9 …
there’s a word for that …
ENNEAD (enʹē adʹ) – n. group or set of nine (books, gods,
etc.).
Although the term is
generally applied to groups of gods, our modern dictionary(ies) define ennead as any collection of nine – deities, things, persons, books,
what-have-you. In mathematics
it’s the sum of or the number nine.
Exploring Enneads in literary circles, you’ll
also find reference to ancient philosopher, Plotinus’s writings, which
were organized into fifty-four treatises in groups of nine, edited and compiled
by his student, Porphyry (c. 270 AD).
In
modern terms however, probably the most infamous ennead is The Beatles’
eerie loop intoning “Number 9” in the song, “Revolution 9” … do you know which album it appeared on?
