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Myth PresentationsWhich Ones Telling the Truth? by Josue Pineda
The world is filled with so many versions of just one object. You go to the supermarket and feel thirty so you come across the isle that houses orange juice. But all of the sudden you see home-style, extra pulp, no pulp, Florida, California, with added Calcium and the list continues. That’s not mentions the brands that are out there. Our society has given us multiples choices for every one decision. It has to do with individualism. Society as a whole is individualism in a collective space. Just like the individualism, Mythology takes on the form of those that are retelling it. So the versions may be different but the ultimate message is always the same. Taking the reading “The Creation of the Universe and Ife,” from Richard Cavendish I’m going to contrast it with John Wyndham’s version of “The Creation.” By paralleling the two I’m going to point out the fact that all mythology to an extend is interpreted because of the language barrier and because of oral recitation.
In Richard Cavendish’s version, he depicts the world as two kingdoms. The kingdom in the sky which is ruled by Olorun and is where the gods live and the other kingdom being of darkness were Olokun alone rules and lives. In his tale you have the central figure Obatala, who is trying to bring joy into Olokun’s live by creating land, vegetation, animals and humans. With the guidance of Orunmila, the king’s wise son he sets to build the world. He first task is to collect large amounts of gold to make a chain that links Heaven and Water. Then to sprinkle sand that pours from a snails shell onto the water’s surface and allow the white hen to kick the sand wildly therefore creating solid land. He comes down to starts planting groves and work on the task of making humans. While in his efforts he becomes so thirsty that he drinks wine. This ultimately causes him to become drunk and creates miss-shaped human beings. This causes him to feel pity for them and vows to care for them. When he returns to the heavens, Olokun sends waves to destroy their lands and kill the inhabitants. This is the only act of violence that appears in his version of the account. While in the end Olokun wishes to challenge Olorun to see who is supreme by having a weaving competition. Olorun uses wit and cunning to overcome the challenge. This quick recount is only to give you a quick picture of what this tale is suppose to encompass. It does not dig deep into the tale itself but rather its purpose is to help support the following paragragh.
Now the John Wyndham account is greatly different in the way the heroes are portrayed and well the creation in general. In the previous story you have the king allowing a god to come to the dark waters and produce life while in his account you have the king’s two children being forced to come down. The version that John Wyndham portrays is more realistic to human nature. He depicts treachery, war, envy as well as kindness, and compassion. The biggest difference that I was able to notice was the changes in the names. The only god that retained his name was Olokun and in this version he was more compassionate that depicted as in the previous version. Simple details as changing the white hen for a five fingered fowl do not alter the story much but when you have the heroes altered and have strife accruing more so that in the other version. You have to start to wonder the personality of the one retelling the tale. Cavendish’s version is kind, sweet and endearing. It’s a story that would be more socially exceptable by a Protestant based society while the depiction of gods waging war on each other and depicting men as treacherous, envious and ultimately destructive, seems difficult or more unwilling to grasp. These changes whether large or small are all products of Oral Storytelling. The version that he writes about is a recitation from the high priests of Ife and although many would take this as a credible source Wyndham notes that upon retelling of certain parts of the story he noted that the high priest would change names, actions or even key events. Although they did these he re-enforces the fact that it all transmits the same meaning. This points to oral recitation as means of distorting the past or maybe not to that extreme but at least distorting the tale.
While we read all these accounts it must be imperative to retain an open mind. These story are ancient and have many versions. It is essential to attain a knowledge of the different variations of the story to achieve a deeper understanding of the culture. Creations myth contain a large amount of “untold truths” and habits, customs that, that culture has.
Indian Mythologies by Roopa Parameswaran
The 10 incarnations of Vishnu
According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu - the Preserver of life on earth is said to have taken 10 forms. It is believed that whenever there is an increase of evil in the world Lord Vishnu takes a new form to get rid of it and save all the living beings in the universe. His 10 incarnations are termed together as Dusavatar (“dus meaning 10 and avatar meaning form in Hindi – the national Indian language”). The 10 incarnations of Vishnu are as follows:
1. Matsyavatar – The Fish
2. Koormavatar – The Tortoise
3. Varaahavatar – The Boar
4. Narasimhavatar – The Half Man –Half Lion
5. Vaamanvatar – The Dwarf
6. Parasuramavatar – The Warrior
7. Ramavatar – The form of Rama
8. Balaramavatar – The brother of Krishna
Buddha – The enlightened one – This was added later by some believers who felt that Balarama was not one of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations but he was actually an incarnation of the serpent Anant in which Vishnu reclined.
9. Krishnavatar – The Cowherd
10. Kalki – The Slayer
The last avatar of Vishnu i.e. Kalki is supposed to occur at the end of the Kaliyuga – the yuga or the period of life that we are currently in. It is believed that through his 10th avatar Lord Vishnu will annihilate all evildoers from the face of the earth and the golden period of life would start again.
The myth about Valmiki
The textbook actually mentions that Valmiki was a sage. But there are a few other myths associated with Valmiki. Some of the legends of Valmiki passed on portray the sage as a much-feared bandit and robber in the years before he became a hermit. It is believed that Valmiki known as Angulimaal lived in a forest where he used to create havoc and kill people who treaded through the forest. It is said that he used to wear a necklace of fingers, which he cut from the victim’s body, thus the name Angulimaal where Anguli means finger and Maal means necklace/chain in Hindi.
Once he is supposed to have met a monk. Some believe it to be Buddha himself, while others believe it to be a hermit who was passing through the forests, which Angulimaal terrorized. The monk/hermit appeared fearless before Angulimaal. Angulimaal gets very surprised at such a fearless man. Angulimaal tries to threaten the hermit in many different ways but the hermit never gets scared. In turn the hermit asks him to find out whether Angulimaal’s relatives would take responsibility for all the sins he has committed over time. This gets the bandit thinking and he immediately heads home and asks his mother and wife who tell him that he is responsible for his own sins and they will not have anything to do with it. This opens Angulimaal’s eyes and he rushes back to the hermit who advises him to chant the name of Rama and advices that it will absolve him of all his
sins.
Angulimaal begins to chant the name of Rama and goes into penance for many years and finally becomes Valmiki and writes the holy epic of Ramayana.
One other version of this myth however believes that it was not Buddha but Narada (the son of Brahma) who transforms Angulimaal into Valmiki.
Festivals associated with Lord Rama
Some of the primary festivals associated with Lord Rama are:
Ramanavami – celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Rama
Deepavali/Diwali – the festival of lights. This is by far the most popular festival celebrated throughout the country. There are a couple of myths associated with the celebration of this festival and they vary from one region of India to another.
In northern India it is believed that when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after his 14 years of exile in the forest, the people of Ayodhya lighted lamps at their homes and in dark pathways welcome their King. And so even today on the occasion of Diwali people light up their house with beautiful decorative lamps and candles.
It is still believed that the utterance of the word Rama helps you overcome obstacles in life. Even today, people take to writing the verse “Sri Rama Jayam” (meaning “Hail Lord Rama”) some even write it over a thousand times! The myth behind this is that when Rama crossed over to Lanka to battle against Ravana, the monkeys helped him to cross the waterbed by building a bridge of stones. These stones floated in the water because they had been inscribed with the words “Sri Ram” before throwing them in the water. This enabled them to float thus creating the bridge.
References:
Unknown Author, “Children’s Stories, Ten avatars of Vishnu – Dashavatara”, “Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh”, 07-02-2005, <http://www.balagokulam.org/kids/stories/dashavatara.php>
Unknown Author, “TamilPower.com – The History of Lord Vishnu”, “Tamil Power”,
07-02-2005, <http://tamils.tamilpower.com/temples-vishnuavatar.htm>
Unknown Author, “Dashavatar – The 10 incarnations of Vishnu”, 07-02-2005, <http://www.nadanam.com/general/g_dashavatar.htm>
Unknown Author, “Valmiki – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”, 07-02-2005, <http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valmiki>Indian Mythologies
Myths from South America by Lisa Zhou
In the Tiahuanaco culture, there are chronicle records describe the citizens of Tiahuanaco as «the Viracochas», who were fair-skinned and wore white long robes. Viracocha is also described as a man with fair skin and white beard, attired in a long robe and sandals, wearing a staff, with a cougar lying at his feet. He was a kind and peace-loving god who had also subjected the dreadful jaguar-god to his power. The idea might refer to the Tiahuanaco's peaceful mission among the distant warrior cultures of Peru. According to the legend, however, evil people in short clothes came to the sacred lake and forced Viracocha to leave to north. On his departure they mocked and taunted him for his long robe and lenient disposition. Some say that Viracocha went away and never returned, but some say that a man called himself “Viracocha Inca” returned before a prince and warned him about a rebellion by its people.
Tiahuanaco is believed to be the capital of the Pre-Inca Civilization. The city is believed by some to have been built by the Aymara - the Native South Americans inhabiting the Lake Titicaca basin in Peru and Bolivia. Some believe this is the oldest city in the world. Others believe it was built by an extraterrestrial race that also created the Nazca Lines.
In all religions there is some sort of understanding of how we got here, how the universe was created. With the Incas, the gods created the universe and human beings but they are somehow unsatisfied and they have to modify or recreate the human and the world. The Inca myth is more about how the gods improved the earth for the people so that they could all live more comfortably. In the early Inca civilization, people did not have a writing system. They used the quipu system, which are cords with knots timed on them to record things. Today, very few people can translate them. So the Inca, like many African cultures, had a tradition of passing down stories, myths, and history by remembering the stories and reciting them to the next generation.
For the Maya mythology, the Creators that the book refers to are Tepeu and Gucumatz, who were two of the first beings to exist and they were said to be wise and noble. Our book also mentions that the Maya were expert mathematicians. They have independently developed the concept of zero, and they have made extremely accurate astronomical observatins. Their charts of the movements of the moon and planets are equal or superior to those of any other civilization working from naked eye observation. The Maya calculation of the length of the solar year was somewhat superior to that used in the Gregorian Calendar.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_civilization
http://haldjas.folklore.ee/folklore/vol12/inca.htm
http://www.geocities.com/shaunphilly/inca.html
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAMRCA/INCAS.HTM
Amaterasu by Emily Burns
When you live under the oppression of a ruler who tells you what you can read, what to believe and how to live your life, it’s hard to have ancient stories written down. Through out Chinese history books have been burned, and topics banned. This made word of mouth the only way to pass on the myths. As we all know people adapt whatever they hear, changing it to suit their interests. This creates a lot of irregularities in the myths.
A good example of this is in the story Amaterasu. When the gods and goddesses try to appease Amaterasu in our book they use the sounds of prayer and song. In another version they set up a mirror in front of the cave and one of the goddesses Uzume dressed in flowers and leaves and began to dance. She danced hard enough to shed all her flowers leaving her naked. The gods began to laugh at the sight. When Amaterasu heard this laughter she became curious and peeked outside. She was so struck by the sight of herself in the mirror that one of the gods was able to pull her out and seal the cave behind her.
The differences in these stories could be explained by the moral expectations of society at the time. It’s been said that compared to most civilizations Chinese myths are pretty tame and lack the sex and violence that others contain. Most of the myths in Chinese history reflect life and death and the workings of the universe, there is little imaginative literary work.
Japanese myths also dealt with creation and the explanation of the universe but also includes folk beliefs about agriculture. They believed in over 8000 kami (gods) and that every god had two sides to them. There was the gentle side and the aggressive side and depending on which soul was currently in control the god’s attitude would change accordingly. This helped them explain natures sudden changes like floods, lightning, and snow.
Unknown Author. “Chinese Mythology.” “Encarta Encyclopedia.” 7-5-05
<http://au.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_781534864/Chinese_Mythology.html>
Unknown Author. “Japanese Mythology.” “Wikipedia.” 7-5-05
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_mythology>
Quetzalcoatl by Jason
Quetzalcoatl was a very important figure in Mesoamerican societies. The Maya,
Aztecs, Toltecs
and Olmecs all worshiped him. He was believed to have played a major role in
almost every
part of day to day life. Even though in some stories, Quetzalcoatl opposes human
sacrifice,
many human sacrifices were offered to Quetzalcoatl because of his large role in
day to day life.
Book says Quetzalcoatl did the following things:
-created dance and music
-showed toltecs how to raise corn and cotton
-showed toltecs how to work with wood, stone, jade, cloth
-showed toltecs how to write and paint
but he is also believed to have:
-created fire
-cured blindness, sickness, and skin conditions
-helped with fertility problems
-domesticated wild animals
Creation of the Human Race
Each Mesoamerican culture had its own myth about the creation of humans, but all
of them
involved Quetzalcoatl as either the creator or protector of the humans.
-Mayan creation myth is that Tohil (Mayan name for Quetzalcoatl) is humanity's
protector. After
the god's first 4 attempts to create humans fail, during their fifth attempt
Quetzalcoatl gives
humans fire and shows them how to worship the gods by human sacrifice.
-Aztec creation myth is that Quetzalcoatl descends into the underworld and
retrieves the bones
and ashes from the four previous failed attempts to make humans. The only
remaining element is
blood from the gods, so Quetzalcoatl sacrifices his blood to create humans.
Quetzalcoatl and Cortes
When Quetzalcoatl is expelled from Tula he says that "someday i will return
to my people and my land"
He says that he will return in the year Ce Acatl or 1 Acatl, the same year as he
is expelled. In the
Aztec calender there is a 52 year cycle. After the 52 years it repeats and
starts again. The year
that Cortes lands in the new world and meets emperor Montezuma of the Aztecs
happens to be Ce Acatl.
Also, Cortes was coming from the east by sea, the place that Quetzalcoatl left.
This, along with the
white skin and animals like horses that they had never seen, made the Aztec
emperor believe that Cortes
was in fact the god Quetzalcoatl.
Source: UCSD's Anthropology Club Website
weber.ucsd.edu/~anthclub/quetzalcoatl/quetzal.htm
Polynesian Creation Myths by Kaitlin Stinson
With time, many myths are changed. I found a good reason why: “A group of people
sit in a circle. The first person whispers a phrase to the person on their side,
who in turns whispers to the next person and so forth around the whole circle
until it gets back to the original person. There is a very high possibility that
the phrase has changed.” (Korero O Nehera, Stories of Old)
In our version of The Creation of the Universe and the Gods, Mother
Papa and Father Rangi didn’t necessarily create the plants, animals, and such,
but gave birth to the gods who did. But in another version I found, Papa and
Rangi first created the plants, trees, the animals, some of the first humans.
Also, in the book, Rangi and Papa are the sky and the earth; however, in the
other version, and old spider used a clam for the sky, and uses a snail to
create the moon. The clam later on becomes Papa and Rangi. The ending stay
pretty much the same though, Tane is able to separate Papa and Rangi. Even
though in the other version, Kane opens the clam. But then again, you don’t
really hear about Tawhiri’s revenge and all that good stuff.
Since I am researching Polynesian myths of creation, I decided to
look at other islands’ myths. For instance according to the Samoan creation
myth, the world was created from a rock by a god named Tagaloa. Tahitian myths
generally include an egg, sort of similar to the Chinese “Yin and Yang” myth.
Hawaiian myths include an egg and some parts of the Maori stories, i.e. Rangi,
Papa, and Kane.
.
Bibliography:
Elliot, Daphne. “Hawaiian Creation Myths”. Encyclopedia Mythica. July 5,
2005. http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/oceania/polynesian/articles.html
Elliot, Daphne. “Oceania/ Polynesia Creation Myths”. Encyclopedia Mythica.
July 5, 2000
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/oceania/polynesian/oceania_polynesia_creation_myths.html
Korero O Nehera- Stories of Old. Webair. July 5, 2005.
http://www.maori.org.nz/korero/
Rosenburg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics.
Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Publishing Group, 1999.
Samoan Culture- Creation Myths. Samoan Sensation. July 5, 2005.
http://www.samoa.co.uk/creation.html
North America
Native Americans; Crow
Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Awayby Jennifer Le
In our book, the introduction shares with us that the “nature of these heroes and their adventures has probably contributed to the popularity of this myth, which exists in various but similar versions among the Native Americans who inhabit the Northern Plains. I have found a similar yet different account of the story of Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away.
In the account that I had found, the names of the twins are Thrown-Behind-The Curtain and Thrown-In-Spring. In the beginning of the story, the mother is killed by a wicked woman called Red-Woman. She kills the mother and throws one twin behind the curtain and the other in the spring. Then, she proceeds in putting a stick in the mother to stand her up and burns her lower lip to make an expression of laughing. When the father comes home he discovers his wife in this manner and only finds that she is dead when he pushes her because he believes that she is laughing at him.
Also, a major difference in this story is that the twin boys encounter a teepee of snakes. The snakes would approach a sleeping person and enter their body through their rectum. So to prevent the snakes from entering their body, the twins placed flat stones under their rectum.
They went to the teepee where the snakes lived and the snakes invited them in. When they were inside, one of the snakes began,” When there is a drizzling rain, and when we are under cover, it is nice to sleep." One of the boys said, "When we are lying down under the pine trees and the wind blows softly through them and has a weird sound, it is nice to sleep." All the snakes, but one, fell asleep. The one snake that was still awake tried to enter the rectum of each boy but failed. The boys then killed all the other snakes except the one that remained awake and took it to a cliff where they rubbed its head against the wall. This is believed to be the reason why snakes’ heads are flat.
The other adventures of the boys remained the same; they encountered the same evil/bad things and killed them. However, with word-of-mouth as probably one of the main resources for this story there have been many little differences between the two accounts.
When the boys revive their mother and she starts to comb her hair, in the account I found, her hair starts to fall out. When the boys find the old woman and her pot, they wake her up and ask her what her pot is for as they tilt it towards her. When they encounter the man on the steep hill they wear headdresses that the man pulls off and down with him into the water. The changing of their name into what seems more appropriate as to where they were thrown is also a sign of change in the story: Lodge-Boy became Thrown-Behind-The Curtain and Thrown-Away became Thrown-In-Spring.
The two stories may have little differences or maybe a whole new scene of adventure but it does not take away from the Crow’s hero story. The boys encountered monsters they had defeated and also, as most heroes have it, they had an unusual birth; in which, they were never actually born into the world.
References:
MacLoyd’s Murias. “Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away A Crow Tale.” MSN.com. 7-10-05.
http://groups.msn.com/TalesfromtheSmokehouse/lodgeboyandthrownaway.msnw
Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics, Third Edition.
Illinois: NTC/ Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999.
North American Mythology by Cynthia Yeh
Intro: Noticed right away that these myths revealed something different from the culture of other continents we’ve read; even it’s closest continent South America
I. In most NA tribes females possesses more power in community than any other culture
a. Do the normal - Raise children and cook and clean
b. Not leaders but get to – active role in nominate male leaders in community
c. In agricultural society – they tend agriculture, husband away hunting
d. Cause they tend it - Land and possessions go to the female heir
e. Husband moves into the wife’s family and family woman rules (matriarchy)
f. Could take on more roles in the community besides a wife
i. Healer – has the power and knowledge to heal
ii. Shaman - communicates with spirit
iii. Wise elder – gives advice to the community
II. When Europeans came
a. They didn’t understand women’s power
b. They made deals with the men with land and side stepped the women
c. Woman were made more submissive roles
(I could only present the top but I really wanted to mention this 2nd part too)
III. Humans and animals exist on the same level
a. All of Gods’ creations are made equally
i. There are no mentions of human social classes in evolution stories
ii. There are no mentions of animal social classes in their myths
1. there are good, evil, and tricky animals but not one is “better” than another
b. Humans are not made stewards of animals and all other living things on earth (might have been
influenced by Christianity in other cultures)
i. So when they take from animals they thank them and respect like another tribe
1. probably more respect in that it doesn’t war against them
ii. Strange – not influenced by Christianity but still mentions the flood
Houghton Mifflin Company. “Native American Women.” July 8th, 2005
http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/women/html/wh_026500_nativeameri4.htm
Time, Chris. “The Pages of Shades-Native Americans.” July 8th, 2005
<http://www.angelfire.com/realm/shades/nativeamericans/nativeam9.htm>
Native American Myths, by Carrie Berk
I enjoyed all the stories we had to read for July 11th, 2005 (Monday’s Class). Rather than focusing on one element of a story, I decided to research several components of several stories.
THE WOMAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY:
“The Mi’kmaq believe Kji-Niskam (a great spirit) created all things in nature equally therefore all creations should be treated with great respect. The Mi’kmaq people share cultural bonds with many inanimate objects including Kat (the American eel). Animate objects were anything classified as living such as animals, plants, trees, and so on.” Each object possesses a spirit.
The Kat is considered one of these spiritual beings. It served many functions. One of its functions that captivated me was how the eel was used for decorative purposes. The hair string “was made out of painted eel skin, porcupine quills and sinews (which) are combined…into a new being-the hair ornament (Holmes-Whitehead 1988, p.11). Holmes version of the story is the same as Rosenberg’s. The way to say Hair-String in their language is sakklo’pi’k.
Prosper, Kerry., The Mi’kmaq Relationship with Kat (American Eel). March 2002, Fact Sheet 7, Social Research for Sustainable Fisheries.
www.stfx.ca/research/SRSF/researchreports/Fact sheets/Factsheet7.pdf
RAVEN AND THE SOURCES OF LIGHT:
I’m very fascinated by birds. I wanted to learn more about the symbolic representation of the Raven. I learned that there is more to the Raven than meets the eye. In Native American Mythology, the Raven is the famous creative trickster god, known by many tribes under many names (Gods from Native American Mythology).
“Ravens have always been associated with Godliness. Few people know that the first bird out of Noah’s ark was a raven (Pg 1 of Gods from Native American Mythology). It never returned. In the beginning, Raven was at first and foremost a Creator and Trickster God-especially of the Haida tribe who claim he discovered the first humans hiding in a clamshell and brought them berries and salmon.
2003. Native American Mythology: Raven. Page 1 out of 3.
THE EMERGENCE:
I was intrigued with the use and talk of colors. I love colors. In my world, colors are very significant. I decided to do a little research to see if I could find out what the Navajo’s or any other Native American tribes defined the use of colors in myths. This is what I came up with; “black, the color of the west, is representative of wars and confrontation. Red, which represents law and control, is associated with the north. White, the color of renewal and spirit, is linked to the East; and finally yellow, associated with unity and quiet, is the color of the south” (Page 6 of 9, Celebrating Native American Tribes).
Burzi, Francisco., Native American Indian Tribes. 2005. PHP-NUKE.
http://www.aaanativearts.com/article868.html
THE WOMAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY:
I was interested in finding some pictures that represent the story The Woman Who Fell From The Sky. Women tell this interpretation of the story. It is very similar to Rosenberg’s version. Here is a picture of Sky Woman. There is also a picture of The Woman Who Fell From Sky.
Attached our some pictures of humans turning into animals. There is also one picture of the three kingdoms SKY, EARTH and UNDERWATER.
Native American Myths of Creation-Women
www.cystalinks.com/namcreationwomen.html
Last but least, I found something interesting about the Underwater World. The magical powers that the sea creatures and gods have in these stories are quite amazing. I found an interesting web site about Totem Pole Stores. We’ve been talking about animals turning into humans and vice versa and I wanted to learn the meaning behind it. I particularly wanted to learn about the Whale Person in the story Caught by a Hair-String. This is what I found, “A person would pass into and out of these magical worlds without noticing but strange things happened. For example, humans who dived into water and were captured by underwater animals such as the Whale People could breathe as normal. Any human who was captured by any group of these special animals, at first thought they were in the presence of regular, but strange looking, humans living in a village. As time passed, the captured person began to suspect that they were in the hands of some sort of magical creatures. But, quickly they also began to lose their own memories of being human, their own families and homes. If they married one of these creatures, they had children that looked like humans to them, but not to the animals that held them captive. Their children grew to adulthood in record time…often reaching 9 or 10 years old in only a few months. They also had the power to appear as human or animals and to live with either two (Page 3).”
“Whale People who live happily in underwater cities; powerful beings who live deep within whirlpools in the ocean, smelt copper, and periodically change into Frogs; wild creatures who steal children, try to eat them, are caught, burned and transformed into Mosquitoes; giant Thunderbirds who swoop down from the sky and snatch up giant Whales to eat for dinner; Wolves who, at night, change into bony, yet attractive Ghost People, and Wolves who grow tired of hunting in packs on the land and change into hunting packs of Killer Whales; Frogs who are powerful enough to have underwater friends who can start volcanic eruption”(Page 2).
Totem Pole Stories, Pages 1 of 3.
*This website didn’t give me any information regarding the real source of this story. It was just under Totem Stories. They encouraged their readers to purchase Altitude’s Totem Stories to learn more.
http;//users.imag.net/sry.jkramer/nativetotems/stories.htm
Native Americans and Nature, Steph Leung
The Indians of South America and Mexico lived in large communities that have thousands of inhabitants. Due to this, their myths were able to become well developed and preserved through the lineage. The Native Americans, in contrast, did not live in such large communities and their tribes were extended all over the continent and did not form any one large civilization. The beliefs were the same among the tribes although the characters differed. One belief that is central to the Native Americans is their intertwining of nature into their culture that mirrors a spiritual kinship. It is a deeper philosophy; nature is at essence their way of governing their life.
This relationship that the Native Americans have with their environment, with nature centers on a belief that people, animals and places were divine. The Indians did not have a distinction between the animate and inanimate. All things of nature and man were at an equal balance. None held a higher importance than another; everything coexisted and was owned by no one. They held this true even that a sound or movement by an inanimate object was tantamount to those of a humans.
This philosophy is identified through the many animal characters that are used in myths and even the animal names that are given to humans, such as Rabbit Boy. Many cultures do not hold such importance for the earth at the same height as the Native Americans. The earth was a part of their soul and being. Even the American culture could not understand fully how central the earth was to the Indians. It is evidenced in a speech that Chief Seattle gave in reply to President Franklin Pierce. The speech was made in 1854 under the circumstances that the United States Government had offered to buy 2 million acres of Indian land in the Northwest region while forcing the Indians to live on smaller areas of lands called reservations. Included are a few excerpts from the speech.
“The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. The great Chief also sends us words of friendship and goodwill. This is kind of him, since we know he has little need of our friendship in return. How can we buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is so strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?...
This we know: all things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of fife; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. But we will consider your offer to go to the reservation you have for my people. We will live apart and live in peace…
But in your perishing you will shine brightly, fired by the strength of the God who brought you to this land and for some special purpose gave you dominion over this land and over the red man. That destiny is a mystery to us, for we do not understand what will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses are tamed, and the view of the ripe hills is blotted by talking wires. Where is the thicket? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone. And what is it to say good-by to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival. So we will consider your offer to buy the land.
If we agree, it will be to secure the reservation you have promised. There, perhaps, we may live out our brief days as we wish. When the last red man has vanished from the earth, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, these shores and forests will still hold the spirits of my people. For they love this earth as a newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat.”
It is a beautiful and most eloquent speech and it demonstrates the stark differences in how the Indians and the whites regard the world they live in. Nature was their way of life and sacred to their community, yet despite this, they could not live in peace with their own philosophy as outside factors changed their world.
Gerencser, Marcia L. “The Native American Myths: Creation to Death.” Yale New Havens Teachers Institute. July 11, 2005. http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1998/2/98.02.02.x.html#a
Eddy, Steve. “Native American Myths.” Living Myths. July 11, 2005. <http://www.livingmyths.com/About.htm>
Greek Creation Myths by Anastasiya Bauswell.
I thought that the variety of Greek creation myths was very interesting. I studied Greek mythology before, but we never discussed the variation of creation myth and I never thought about it. So I was fascinated when I found out that there are actually 6 different Greek creation stories. It made me curious why there are so many of them, but unfortunately I couldn’t find anything with reference to this topic. I think that this happened, because in history of Greece there were many people of different nations, who came to Greece in different times. For example, Pelasgians, who entered Greece in 3500 B.C., had their own creation myth, which they brought to the Greece culture, when they became a part of it.
The Greek Creation myths consist of few different stages. Stage number one tells us that there is some being, which exists in (or comes to) an empty or amorphous space and ultimately creates the Universe. From the second stage we can find out how the Universe was created. Then the creation of other beings, such as Giants, Titans and Gods, etc., can be called the third stage. The last fourth stage tells us about the creation of people.
According to Robert Graves “The Greek Mythology: 1” there are four different kinds of creation myths:
1) The Pelasgian creation myth.
2) There are the Homeric and Orphic creation myths. “The Homer’s myth is a version of the Pelasgian creation story. The Orphic myth is another version, which is influenced by a mystical doctrine of love (Eros) and theories about the proper relations between sexes” (30-31).
3) The Olympian creation myth is “the patriarchal myth of Uranus, which gained official acceptance under the Olympian religious system” (32).
4) The last kind consists of two philosophical creation myths. “The first of this philosophical myths is based on Hesoid’s Theogony. The second myth can be found only in Ovid. It was borrowed by the later Greeks from the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic” (34).
Now I would like to compare all of these myths so we can see how similar or different they are. Let’s look at the first stage of these creation myths, which tells us about the creator of the Universe. In the Pelasgian creation myth it’s Eurynome, the goddess of all things, who emerged from Chaos. In the Homeric creation myth it’s Oceanus, the river that encircles the earth and in the Orphic myth it’s a “black-winged Night, a goddess of whom even Zeus stands in awe” (page 30) In the Olympian creation myth it’s Mother Earth, who rose from the Chaos. (Just like Eurynome did). The first philosophical creation myth says that “first there was Darkness, who sprang Chaos”. (Page 33) In the second one it’s Nature, who is god of all things. He also came from Chaos.
The second stage is the creation of the Universe. In the Pelasgian creation myth the Universe was created when Eurynome got pregnant by serpent Ophion (who she also created). She transformed into a dove and laid the Universal or Cosmic Egg. By her request he opened the egg, from which came the sun, the stars, the moon and the earth with everything on it. The Homeric creation myth tells us that everything came from Oceanus. But according to Orphics, Night and Wind created Eros, who was hatched from their silver egg out of darkness. He was the one who created sky, earth, sun and moon, but Night was the one who ruled it. In the Olympian creation myth Mother Earth gave birth to Uranus, while she slept. He rained on her and that’s how she gave birth to grass, flowers, trees with beasts and birds; lakes and seas. The first philosophical creation myth says, “From the union of Darkness and Chaos came Night, Day, Erebus, and the Air. From the union of Air and Day came Mother Earth, Sky and Sea. And the second one tells, “Nature separated earth from the heavens, the water from the earth, the upper air from lower. He divided the earth on different zones and made it into plains and mountains, with grass and trees. He filled water with fish, earth with beasts, sky with sun, moon, stars and five planets” (34).
Now lets look at what our myth tells us about the creation of other beings, such as Giants, Titans, Gods, etc. In the Pelasgian creation myth Titaness and Titan were created and put in charge of each of the planetary powers. It doesn’t say much about how they were created. The Homeric creation myth tells us only “Oceanus is the creator of all the Gods” (30) The Orphic creation myth doesn’t say anything about the creation of the Titans and Gods at all. The Olympian creation myth says, “Mother Earth gave a birth to three hundred-handed Giants Briareus, Gyges, Cottus. Next appeared the tree wild, one-eyed Cyclopes Brontes, Steropes and Arges. But the Libyans claim that Garams was born before Giants and when he rose from earth, he offered Mother Earth a sacrifice of the sweet acorn” (31). In the philosophical creation myth Oceanus, Metis, and the other Titans, Tartarus and the three Erinnyes or Furies were created from the union of Air and Mother Earth.
Unfortunately not every Greek creation myth tells us about the creation of people. In the Pelasgian creation myth we just read that “the first man was Pelasgus, ancestor of Pelasgians, who taught other people to sew cloth, make huts and feed upon acorn” (27). But it doesn’t explain how he was created. The Homeric and Orphic myths don’t say much about the people, but I can assume perhaps that “all the living creatures” (30), which were created by Oceanus include people. The Olympian creation myth doesn’t tell us about people at all. The two philosophical myths have two different versions of the people creation. First one says, “People were created by Prometheus and formed in the likeness of Gods. He used clay and water of Panopeus in Phocis and Athene breathed life into them” (34) Second philosophical creation myth says that people were created by Nature, the God of All Things.
So as we see these myths have their similarities such as mentioning of Chaos in the beginning of almost all of them, the egg, which had everything in it, etc., and their differences, such as the creators, the way of creation, etc. But all of the Greek myths have the same ending- the Universe, Gods and people are created.
Sources: Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths: 1. London, England: the Penguin Group, 1955.
Hathaway, Nancy. The Friendly Guide to Mythology. New York: the Penguin Group, 2001.
Supplemental Information on the Mayan Myths and Culture
Mayan Belief: by Colleen Sphar
- The creation myth that we read was extracted from the Popol Vuh
epic. This is very important to the Mayan Culture today because it is
one of the two surviving books from their civilization. However,
there is a lot of controversy about this manuscript because it was
translated by a Spanish Priest during the Spanish conquest of the
Mayans. Many believe that the Priest incorporated his Catholic
beliefs into the story.
- The Mayans Culture is well known for their calendar and their
astrological studies and knowledge. Although much of the knowledge
was lost when the Spaniards burned the Mayan books, there is some
general information known about their classic age (550 BC – 830 BC).
o The Mayans believe that the Universe is created and destroyed in
cycles. Modern anthropologists have been able to learn and understand
their calendar and pinpoint the exact dates of the end of the five
cycles. The last destruction of the world and humanity is actually
coming up…
o The Mayan calendar system is very complex and confusing. There are
three separate calendars.
• The Long Count refers to the count of the beginning of days. It
appears as 13.0.0.0.0, which corresponds to the Gregorian calendar
date as August 13, 3114 (although some controversy exists whether it
is actually August 14). The units for this are:
• 1 kin – 1 day
• 1 uinal – 20 kin (20 days)
• 1 tun – 18 uinal (360 days)
• 1 katun – 20 tun (7200 days)
• 1 backun – 20 katun (144,000 days)
• The Tzolkin is a calendar of the week, which confuses me most
because it includes a numbered "week" of 13 days and a named
"week" of
20 days.
• The Haab Calendar is the civil calendar. The Mayan civil calendar
is more similar to the calendar that we use today because it followed
the seasons. It had 18 months of 20 days in each month and 5
monthless days that were considered Uayib or unlucky. In all there
are 365 days in each year. The astronomers were advanced and could
calculate the exact time it took the earth to revolve around the sun.
o See http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/MayanCalendar.html
Sadly, the Classic Mayan culture where there was peace and the
advancements of science and mathmatics lasted briefly. In 830 AD, the
Mayan Civilization slowly evolved to one that included more human
sacrifice like the Aztecs and warfare. When the Spaniards arrived in
1554 the Classic Mayan civilization was mostly destroyed already.
The full version of the Popol Vuh describes five stages. We read the
creation myth where the First Fathers were created. The Mayans
predicted four stages of destruction before the end of the fifth where
total destruction would ensue. This date has been pinpointed to
December 21st, 2012 where the winter solstice sun will meet the black
ridge on the Milky Way.
To see a full version of the Popol Vuh go to
http://www.uwec.edu/greider/Indigenous/Popol_Vuh/Popol%20Vuh.htm
Roman Festivals, by Sana Kan
I found some intereting Roman festivals that are presented in honor of the Roman Gods.
The Roman religious calander reflected Rome's hospitality to the cults and deities of conquered territories. Roman religious festivals known from ancient times were few in number. Some of the oldest, however, survived to the very end of the pagan empire, preserving the memory of the fertility and propitiatory rites of a primitive agricultural people. New festivals were introduced, however, to mark the naturalization of new gods. So many festivals were adopted eventually that the work days on the calendar were outnumbered. Among the more important of the Roman religious festivals were the Saturnalia, the Lupercalia, the Equiria, and the Secular Games.
Under the empire, the Saturnalia was celebrated for seven days, from December 17 to December 23, during the period in which the winter solstice occurred. All business was suspended, slaves were given temporary freedom, gifts were exchanged, and merriment prevailed. The Lupercalia was an ancient festival originally honoring Lupercus, a pastoral god of the Italians. The festival as celebrated on February 15 at the cave of the Lupercal on the Palatine Hill, where the legendary founders of Rome, the twins Romulus and Remus, were supposed to have been nursed by a wolf. Among the Roman legends connected with them is that of Faustulus, a shepherd who was supposed to have discovered the twins in the wolf's den and to have taken them to his home, in which they were brought up by his wife, Acca Larentia. See founding of Rome.
The Equiria, a festival in honor of Mars, was celebrated on February 27 and March 14, traditionally the time of year when new military campaigns were prepared. Horse races in the Campus Martius notably marked the celebration.
The Secular Games, which included both athletic spectacles and sacrifices, were held at irregular intervals, traditionally once only in about every century, to mark the beginning of a new saeculum, or "era". They were supposed to be held when the last person who had witnessed the previous Secular Games died, marking the beginning of a new era. The tradition, often neglected, was revived as a spectacle by Agustus and honored by the poet Horcae with a series of odes.
Roman Mythology, by Neeraja Kulkarni
Roman Mythology
Although I have studied Greek mythology before, I never realized that Roman Mythology was created from Greek mythology. Though the Romans had their share of great myths like The Aeneid, they acted the part of the engineer and creator more than they did the poet, which explains that they built a great empire and controlled it for centuries. They esteemed wars and warriors more than did the Greeks.
I would like to point out the differences in the Gods of War. In Greek Mythology, Ares was the God of War. He was disliked by both of his parents, and is considered as a murderous coward. Conflicting with this image of the God is the Roman God Mars, who is a prestigious figure and is loved by the Roman world. This shows that the Romans valued War.
The Romans also believed in the after life, and being born again. Their sacred religions promoted this belief. Also it is interesting to note that Christianity wasn’t the only religion that the Romans followed, there were others like the traditional which included the household gods; the state religion, which held the empire together, and other religions that remain a mystery to the modern man. Religion and tradition in the Roman Mythology was practical: it was used in daily activities. Of course there were different gods for different activities (which we have noticed in many of the other cultures also). The gods were usually for everyday significant activities like for plowing fields, gods for cutting wood, etc.
The most interesting thing that I found about the Roman Gods is that most of them had little personality and that they were usually derived from the Greek Gods. I have put a list of Roman Gods and their Greek equivalents below:
Jupiter: the greatest of all Gods
Mars: God of war
Saturn: The ruling Titan
Venus: Goddess of Beauty
Mercury: God of Commerce
Neptune: God of the Sea
Pluto: God of the Underworld
I have underlined the Gods, which are the namesakes of the planets that we know today. Because the Romans worshipped the night sky and believed the objects in the sky to be Gods, they named Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Venus. (These 4 planets were the only ones visible from Earth and so bright that they were called “GODS”). After the planets were discovered, scientists gave them the names of Roman Gods and Goddesses.
Hunt, J.M. “Greek vs. Roman Mythology.”
July 17, 2005
http://www.hol.gr/greece/mythology/gvrIntro.html
Alien, Bob. “Pluto: Naming the ninth planet.”
Control Panel, 2002. July 17, 2005
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/plutoname.htm
Cultural Presentation : Northern Europe, Leon Kompelmakher
- Most of Norse mythology was written during the Viking age which took
place from 800-1100 AD, which was the most aggressive and bloody period.of
time in Scandinavian history. It’s considered that these myths, which served
as religion, were important in motivating and preparing people for battle
and giving them a sense of purpose in war. They were still read after the
conversion to Christianity around 1000 AD but were not necessarily believed
anymore. Iceland was the center of mythological output for a long time.
- In Scandinavian culture many families have their own saga’s that date back
hundreds of years and are recorded by their own descendants. In these saga’s
there is a lot of mythology along with real events that happened.
- In Tolkien’s famous Lord of the Rings fantasy series he uses Norse
mythological themes and names as his template for the story.
Odin - the main god in Norse mythology, in addition to being the god of war
and poetry, he was also the god of wisdom and death and had many other names
like Allfather and Bolverk and many others. .
In modern art, he’s usually portrayed as having one eye because he famously
sacrificed one of his ey- es to drink from the well of mimir, which was
supposed to give him great knowledge. Another story was that he hung from a
tree of Ygg to bestow this knowledge.
Odin was also known to have many interesting possessions such as a ring that
reproduced itself 9 times every night, and a special bow which shot 10
arrows with each pull.
He was considered a traitor god who would do a lot of bad stuff, but Odin
knew that his fate was to die at Ragnarok, and he still fought the battle
which showed courage.
Thor - was the god who was closest to the common man, and he was the most
worshipped god for this reason.
This is probably why he is the equivalent to Zeus and Jupiter from Greek and
Roman mythology, even though he isn’t the most powerful of all the gods.
Thursday is named after him
There is big temple in Uppsala, Sweden that features many statues depicting
Thor.
Freya – Goddess of Fertility and War.
Her chariot was drawn by male cats (their names are never stated) and she
owned the precious Brisings' necklace, which she slept with four dwarves to
acquire. She also owned a feather coat which she could use to fly between
the worlds.
Balder - One of the Aesir, his name means "The Glorious". He was
also
called the god of tears" and the "white as". Balder, the son of
Odin and
Frigg, was described as a very handsome and wise god. Some consider him to
be a god of light since he was so bright, light shined from him.
Balder's wife was Nanna and they had a son named Forseti. Balder and Nanna
lived in Breidablik [The Broad-Gleaming], where nothing unclean could be and
there were "fewest baneful runes". Breidablik had a silver roof on
golden
pillars.
Balder's name rarely occurs in place names, therefore, it is thought that
not many people worshipped him. It has been suggested that Balder was an
ancient hero who was elevated to divinity. The poets used his name to mean
warrior.
Informative websites –
http://legends.dm.net/sagas/
http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~cherryne/mythology.html
http://webhome.idirect.com/~donlong/
Pyramus and Thisbe – Jennifer Orbe
Works Cited:
Parada, Carlos. “Pyramus and Thisbe.” Greek Mythology Link. 2005 July 17.
<http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Pyramus.html>
“Roman mythology.” Wikipedia. 2005 July 17.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_mythology
"Roman Mythology," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2005. 2005 July 17
<http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568005/Roman_Mythology.html>
Variations from the text:
http://etext.virginia.edu/latin/ovid/trans/Metamorph4.htm#_Toc478205189
Thisbe’s death results in her falling onto the blade of Pyramus’ sword. “Placing the point under her heart, she fell forward onto the blade, still warm with his blood.
“She recognizes her lover, she cries out loud with grief, striking at her innocent arms, and tearing at her hair. Cradling the beloved body, she bathes his wounds with tears, mingling their drops with blood.”
Brief Background on Roman Mythology:
Roman mythology was inspired and strongly influenced by Greek mythology. In fact, most of the Greek deities were adopted by the Romans
However, Roman myths tend to have a slightly different focus than Greek myths. Many Roman myths attached a great importance to the founding of Rome. Two distinct myths developed about the city’s beginnings: the story of the twins Romulus and Remus, and the tale of Aeneas, a Trojan hero who traveled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans.
Roman mythology was made up not of narratives, but rather of interlocking and complex interrelations between and among gods and humans.
The ancient Romans used mythology as a combination of religion and stories and fables. For each significant event in their lives, a prayer or sacrifice was made to a specific god or goddess depending on the event. These events included birth, death, and the harvest, among others. There were religious rituals and festivals held throughout the year that often, but not always, had to do with the gods. For some people the festivals themselves were more important than the worshipping of the Olympian gods. Roman myths were not necessarily regarded as fact, but more as stories with messages to live by.
While the personalities of their gods were not important to the early Romans, they cared a great deal about the gods’ functions. Gods presided over every aspect of life and death, including the phases of the agricultural year. The Romans integrated their worship into the routines of public and private life. Romans worshiped their gods on both individual and communal levels. Each part of a Roman house had a god associated with it. The Romans believed that if they paid due respect to these gods each day, they could be confident of enjoying divine blessing for their daily activities.
Dagda/Beowulf, by Jenna Lemon
Dagda, by Jenna Lemmon
Dagda is an Irish celtic god of earth, treaties, and ruler of life and death. Dagda means “good god”. However not good in the sense or ethical but good in the sense of being good at something. He carries a club, cauldron, harp and two pigs. One constantly cooking and the other always eating. He is the son of goddess Danu and father of goddess Brigid. His wife is Morrigan.
Beowulf:
• This story is the first English masterpiece written in vernacular tongue.
• the Manuscript was badly burned in 1731 however has been repaired due to copies made before hand and modern technology.
• It is an epic poem dating back to 700’s a.d.
• This character is famous for using his weakness to his advantage and the balance of his strength and goodness.
• This story is based on the ideals of bravery, loyalty and generosity as well as mixed fears of the unknown.
• Evil destroys evil, good cannot destroy evil because good cannot destroy etc
http://www.studyguide.org/beowulf.htm
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/d/dagda.html
Diana Hoover
Dagda Research Paper
Due July 20, 2005
Dagda the Good, by Diana Hoover
The Dagda is a very important god of Irish mythology. He was thought of as the supreme God of the Celtic pantheon. He appears in many of their myth stories. The use of good in his name does not reflect that he was moral or ethical; rather that he is good at everything, or all powerful. The Dagda is seen as a father figure and a protector of the tribe. Some texts state that his father is Elatha, while others state that his mother is Ethlinn. Most I found stated that he is the son of Danu and Beli. His wife was Breg. Prior to the battle with the Formarians, he had sex with the goddess of war, Morrigan, on Samhain in exchange for a plan of battle. He also had an affair with Boann, who was the wife of Nechtan. She became pregnant. But to conceal the affair, Dagda made the sun stand still for nine months, therefore, his son; Aengus was conceived, gestated and born in one day.
The Dagda was also father of Badb Dearg who eventually succeeded him as king of the gods after a 78 year reign. It is unclear if he is brother or father to Ogma by Danu (his mother). The Dagda also fathered Cermait, Midir, Aine and Brigit.
When The Dagda had parceled out his land among all of his children, and left nothing for Aengus, Aengus tricked his father by asking if he could stay on the land for “a day and a night” but Irish language has no indefinite article so it meant day and night, which covers all time. So Aengus took possession of his fathers land permanently.
Despite his great powers and prestige, The Dagda is sometimes depicted as a crude oaf. Sometimes even comical, wearing a short tunic that didn’t quite cover his rump and walking about dragging his great penis on the ground.
Resources:
MSN Encarta Encyclopedia
• Celtic Mythology
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dagda
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Mythology
http://www.livingmyths.com/celticmyth.htm
Discuss
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