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CONTENTS
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S•ni<>rbl ih>r< SoonAlkiM<>n,l'>ui>R<gon
&litorsP,.nckN=man,MoniohaThakk.at
US F-<Ii"" Eii:.>be<hBro" lmrodttction Fertility Deities
l'roj<<1 "'" &!~or Anna 1-l.all Pan and Syrinx
Duign er<DeonMorri•.MamV..~ lk<t Northern lO u rope
EUROPE 10
~hruoging f ditor Dd>I>Woll<t Norse Origins 90
Classical Europe 14
~hn• gi n~A" &lioorl<o,.nS.If The Norse Cosmos 91
AociemGreekCre~tion 16
"'" Dio.<tor Bryn\l~llo
1\obUsh<r joiUOO.nM<tolf
As.social < l'ui>lish<tlizWbt<l<r
Cosmic War
The Twelve Ol;•mp i~tiS
l8
10
The Norse Gods
Loki
Thelas1 Battle
"96
98
Produ<1ioo Ed ~ o.. joonMBym<,l.ucaFr..,<in«ti
Prx>du<tio>n Con•NIIO< hodoryuBhulbt
"~
ThcCreationofHurnank ind
H
16
Kaleva \a 100
T:JksofHcroismandChivalry
Pi<lur<R<><•tchcr Robnd5mithtt< Apollo
Beowttlf 106
lllo>O roati<>ns Aouhu!lhanugarand~iDutta Poseidon and the Flood
Legends of the Ring 108
Mythical Beings
EanhDcities 110
f'Nj<e~&li"" RohanSi" ha
Dionystts 3i
Wcstc rnl:uropc 112
Edioo,.. Suchismitollonttjtt, At hen;~ 36
M;1hsoftheAncientCehs 114
KinphukGJ.:>shal Thelo,·esofAphrod ite 38
The Ulster Cycle 116
lk!oignMonog<r ArunehTobpatr.o TheGn::ekGoddesses iO
The Fenian Cycle 11 8
Pwj<<ID<signcrTonnishtlu Cha k""""'y ThtUndemwld i1 ~tagical Worlds
D<signo< f> MtunBol><tj«,Mahu.aM>ndal,lryRoy Orphettsin theUnderwo rld H
TheMabinogi
lllusr,..o i<> n w-o r ~ in •tor Mob.'1k.alaluW.r The Labors of Herxles 46
KingAnhurandhisKnights
lllPro-onlin.tool)aiwltnt Stngh TheGardenof theHesperides 48
I)TP jo.gurStllglt,PlutomS4t><;h TheHolyGmil 118
TheseusandtheMinotaur 50
lludofPublishin&Apom>Shamu CcmrJia nd Eastern Europe 130
Bel\erophonandPegastts 52 Koscheithe lrnrnonal 131
l'utli.n.dinlh<Unil<dSUttsl>j TheExploitsofPersetts Legendsofthe\Vitch 13<
37~~~:-;::~~ AbandonedChildrrn
Oedipus
56
58
Mythsof\Voodand\Vater 136
NtwV<:rt.NtwYotklOOii GodsandG.:.idessesojLMt 138
TI~eTrojat1War
1»1011 12 l09816H32J Tl~eFi rebird 1i0
TI~eOdysse;•
SbvicGodsofPower 141
Classica\ Antil~eroes
Copyngltt02009rx.tonsKn<lmleylimot<d Classica\ Amil~eroir~es
Allrigh ....... N<d The Argonauts Wt: ST AND C t: NTRALASIA
l>.llhM~m ot;ns t h<righO>oni<t<OJ')'rigltr,.......w
RornanGodsandGoddesses 76 West Asia 148
obmo<,,.,pandthisp..bi""""' "''Yb.t<produt<d,
-..Jonoti,...~•moortt~l>y>«tn,ot Aeneasand theOriginsofRorne 78 EnttmaEiish ISO
'""""ill<d,on"l)'lotm. otl>j'"')'m<>n>(dtdron.c Guardian Deities 82 ln;~.nna 1H
m<d>""""l~g.t«»«>ins.ototh<ro;>t),
wilOOutthtpnorwnot<nl"m";sirnolboththt
«<p'frigltt.,.,.,.,....:ld><obo>¥<publi ..... ol ..... boolc
F'ubli>h<d inG.,.,Btit>tnl>j
-----~---- --
~
DotlinsKind<Tskyiinit<d
A(>Uiogt<<rn:!Jo. tt."boolcio•••..:bbl<
fromlh<l.Jbn'}'dCon!:""'
Priot<dmdbcu:>di'tChir~a
l>j\oh<Ck\\~hlot\g
[)tsco.l<r n><>t<>t
www.dk.com
----------- ----------------- 8 ----·--
Index
"'
3 44
!;astAsia THE AMERICAS 276 Acknowl edgrncrrl s 351
PanGuCreatestheUniverse Norrh Arnc rica 280
legendsoftheChineseHeroes Navajo Emergence 282
TheCourtof t hejadeEmperor Ancestor~
TheTenSmtsofllea,·en Raven Steals the light 286
The Adventures of Monkey 220 j ourney to the Sky 288
Thejap;meseCreation 222 MytltsoftheFarNorth 290
Susano-Oan d hisDes.:endanrs 226 Mesoame ri ca
Ki111aro 228 PopolVuh 19<
- - · - - · - - 8 - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - · -
INTRODUCTION
yths-stories of the gods. of heroes. Some of the world's greatest literature, from
Europe thac because they have been written Earth Diver, a common figure in Native
down and widely circulated, have had an American myths. In other myths the world is
enonnous influence across the world. the offspling of a male and a female creator
Often, people come much later. Usually
COSMOS AND PEOPLE they are molded from day or cmved from
Among the seemingly endless variety of myths wood Like human sculptors, the gods often
are common themes. Nearly every mythology make several false starts. Myths from Mexico
starts with the question: "How did the universe to Greece tell of three versions of people, onl y
begin7" Often. a shadowy c reat or takes the firsT the last being right_ Sometimes the first people
step: a god. perhaps, who wills himself into are male. and when they begin to die the gods
bei ng. Frequentl y, the creator is faced \'lith a make women so that the people can reproduce.
cosmic egg_ In one variation of the Chinese
creation myth, for instance, the god Pan Gu GODS AND THEIR POWERS
has to break such an egg 10 fom1 the land and Most cultures have a large number of gods or
sky. Sometimes the creator has 10 fetch land spirits-sometimes thousands, because there
from the depths of a primal ocean-like The are spiriTs evel)'\vhere . In places as far ap:m as
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._\':'-......~ ~ .'-."\
--- 8 - - - - - - - - - - -------
FOR EARLY PEOPLES, THE EX ISTENCE O F
DEITIES EXPLAI N ED I VI IY TilE SUN SII ONE
AN D I VI-I ERE T HE RAINS CA1\ IE FRO!'vl.
Japan a nd Aflica. every rock. stream, lake. Undenvorld. They may also be culture heroes,
and hill may have its own spilit. Many are who teach people imponant ski ll s such as
local deities, worshipped mainly by the people fire-making_ Their achievements are often so
who live nearby and share their sacred space great that they become gods when they die.
Yel even in cultures that ha\'C thous.. mds
of deities rhere are ~core" groups of widely MYTHS OFTJ-IE ELEMENTS
known gods with special powers. There are Among the most prominent gods are those
gods of the sun, the rain, the sea, the sky, the of the elements, notably the sun and the rain.
mountains. and rhe rivers_ Specific gods look They detem1ined whether crops grew. so the
after hunting, fam1ing, love. childbirth, war. sun and weather gods were often the most
and death. The myths involving these gods widely worshipped of all the gods. From the
rend w relate closely tO their roles Inca sun god lmi to the Greek sky god Zeus,
Man>' other myths involve rnonals with they were supremely powerful
extraordinary superhuman powers. These Some of the most familiar mythical themes
heroes accomplish apparently impossible tasks. concern the elements. Many cult ures have a
win battles single-handedly, and even visit the myth in which the sun disappears, depriving
-· .. ;":"·'d
. \(~
the world of food and wannth and explaining patron goddess, Athena: to the lnc.1s, who
night and d1y. Other cultures, such as China believed their mlers to be descended from the
and pans of Africa, have a myth in which there sun god himsel f: and to the Norse, whose
is too much sunlight which the gods reduce, or warliors tlied to emulate their great god Odi n.
counter with night. Worldwide, wrathful gods rhe vitality and importance of myths is
send great fl oods, sometimes wiping out all but seen not only in their countless retellings. but
one human L·unil y before nonnality is restored in the way their gods, heroes, and creatures
Stories like these explain natuml disasters and have inspired artists. From China to ancient
encourage people to honour the gods. so that Rome, artists have painted and carved images
they wil l not unleash their anger: they are also of the gods. an activity that is sometimes itse lf
glippi ng tales of adventure and rescue. an act of worship, someti mes more simply a
celebration of the dei ties and their deeds
THE IMPORTANCE OF MYTHS Myths alise from an intimate relationship
Myths reinforce the cultuml identity of the between people and the natuml and spi rit
people who tell them. For the Abo rigines of worlds-something so many of us have lost
Australia, the oli!,>in myths of each tlibe tell not They opemte on the borders between reality
onl y of the ancestors, but of the routes they and fantasy. celebrate oddity and uncertainty,
took across the land when they brought each and describe terrifying cosmic forces_ But they
natural feature into being: the land, it.s people, also deal \vith great excitement and inspirat ion
and their myths are united inextricably. Myths Myths are the most enthralling stories we have,
were just. as important 10 the ancient Greeks. because they w uch our hearts and minds and
who named their gremest cit y. Athens. after its reach to the very core of ou r being
~
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'·
TIIEMYTII • orphion
!hawrpen t O.~ooiOO
ln thebeginningtherew:J.Snothingbutavast,darkvoid otselfaooundlha"J'lhidb>,>
[uryooroo.wflichcootainOOtha
calledChallS.Outofthisernpt ine,;sthecreati'·eforce
begi M t"'JSoi~ I I[IIIJIII'tfm( "-' is\
ernng~d. The ''ariousGreekaccoum~ofcreat iongive this
force different rume~- In SO(ne, shew~ agoddr.sscalled
Eurynome,whocottpledwithaprimalserpemcalled
Orphiontobegintheproce~ofcreatiop, w hilein·others,
she was Gaia. MotherE:lrth
~
ptmishedhimforthisby andUranus wereagroupofgiamsk ttown
firstkickinghim a nd astheTitans.Theybecamethe
then, when he persisted, firstrulersofEarthandstanedbm il ies
~
byOO.nishinghimtothe with theirfema!ecounterparts, the
u Underworld forever Tit:messes. Titeirchildrenbecamesorne
~ ofthemostpowerfulgodsand goddessoes,
:5 MOTHt:R t:i--\RTH
J. Thotlo--io
suchasllelios,thesungod,andEos,the
goddessofdawn,whowere thechildren
' u lha•I<W\'ol thaplfll(llg::.ddess ofHyperion. ~loS! influemial of all were the
!1G E...,....,....lab"'J theloomotadoi'Olis
a•urroo•~""'"\ha t f)XJ<t.<ma•nly•n
childrenofCronus, the leaderoftheTitans,
lragroontsoi...,OOGrool:wo mog• who became the de ities of Mount Olympus
~~~2<~-,
KEY CHARACTE RS
lhe~neientGI'ffkcosmosbegin>"ithshado")'characrerswhose
mainpurposeistogetcrea!ionSiantd,butwhodonotha,·ethe
highlydewlopedpers.onaliti.sor compkxmytflsassociated"ith A
~
rhe la1~r Olpnpian deities. Eurynome, for example, is deS<:ribcd a:;
rhegoddessofall t hings,afigu""whocand~n<:eac:rossd>eprimal
dtaOs,bn:><l<lonthewater,or~ake•l"'fonnoftl>ebirrllhatl.t}'$111(
universalegg.Othercharncu:rs,suchasCrooms,originallyaharves•
god,presidem·ernaturalforu:s. TheT\tane<SRheawasaprimal
god<loe<slikeGala,amatenulfiguresuonglyidenhfi«<"iththe
A. Gaia.thomollll! godde..
Earth . TI~eTitansalsorultd t he\'ar\oushea\·enlybodies. Phoebe
and Atlas ruled the moon. while Rh<a and Cronus go'·• mOO th.e
planetSatu m . Theiaand H)l>erion
::h:::':.:u;::
geogoapho:alfwl<ore;;''''''"
ri..,.o.and<! ro.,...
~ CronU IH tlft9h11Chlld
farr>J<.,ko>Yollllowlngtt.lliol!froo
ol ... chilot..,ls8<1p.!8llho lrtan
CKIIIUS~I<Id wotllhtsconooot 111oo
no rcrl:ymadelooMJuntOthfl'
-..~!""!!!:l'"'""' ~ n ~~ser:~~:~for
01 imprisonedinTanarus,aregionintheUnderworld full of
· fearsome mon~ers guarded by the Hundred -Handed Giants
thiscrime. \ \)hen
he declared his FURTHER BATTLE S
intention to the Gai~.outr.t.ged that her children had beendisp.1tched to
- ..... , .. . , . TitanessMet is,she Tartarus.begananotherwaragainst rhegods,bringingthe
toldhimthat!Je Giams,whowerealsoherchildren. imob..1ttleagainstZeus
couldst ill rescuehis andthe01hergodsandgoddesses. Thegodswerefimll)•the
brothersm1dsisters victors in this b~nle. known as the GigantomxhL1, and the
Shrg:~1>ehi madrug Giantswereburiedbeneathvolcanoes. Buteventhentheir
th~t,whenitwas rulewasnotsecure . Zeuswaschallengedonelastrimeby
Typhon, ~<::t::tnO'IherofGaia"soffsp ring. AhhoughZeus iqjured
~ In bani•
Typholl----<lhugecreawrewithlrutn)·heads:mdcoumlesslegs
l!uoling""""vrochwooone
wayonwllio:ll lhog.:;<lllN-.:l andanns---withhisthunderbolt,themonstercontinuedto
IJI•ntsattackedeachOIOO.. hurl enormous rocks at him . 7...eusreuliaredb)· attacking rhe
l hispa<n11ngohows3.....-.l rockswnhthunderbolrs,sotiL11theyreboundedonTyphon ,
IIQIIIIhoGIIJ"f'to:rnachia. lho
battlebetwoo<llhoQOO!ar>d knockingthestrengthoutofhim.Fimlly.Zeushurledhim
Gaoa-..childoon.lhogooots downtoTanarus. Hisrulew:ISsecureatbst
IVEAPONS OFTIIE GODS ATLAS
ThedeiliesofandentGreeeertsembledhtunansinseveralways SonoftheTitanlapetusanda
Wh.en the gods fought a war, the Greeks imagined th.em as beings in sean}mphealleddymene,
hwnanform.fightlngwithweapons.n..seweaponswerernadefor Atlasru ltdalargeisland
thembyl-ll:plueSIUS, thegodofm.:L11working,cr•flsmansltip ,atld fire , kingdomcalledAtlomls
whow·~sakindofe<:le>t ialblacksmlth_ Buttheweaponsof thegods Hehadrrumysubjeeu,but
hadpower;thatwemfarbeyonde>nhlyswordsanddtggers..When theybttamedeg.:ner•te.so
ZewwieldedhisthUllderi:>oltorPoseidonsnuckhistridettt, theemln: thegodsd(Cidedtopunish
eosmos<hook.Hepha¢;1ussoon<:limesmadeannorformonalheroes
like Achilles (<U pp.60-6J), otld when a hero showed sptcia) prowess
inanns.proplesaidhisweaponrymuSihave
beenmadebyHephaestus.
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ZEUS
Zeus, son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, was the god of the
sky and thunder. His most feared weapon was his thunderbolt,
fashioned by the Cyclopes. He became ruler of the gods when
he led them in their defeat of the Titans dming the Cosmic War
(see pp.lB-19). Though he married the goddess Hera, he was famous
for his many other sexual conquests, which included goddesses,
nymphs, and mortal women. Some of the numerous children of
these liaisons wielded immense power over the people of Earth.
- - - - - - - - -ol!l.- -·
!;';.".)~-,
,; :".
ZE U S AND HERA
Zeus tookhissister.Hern.thegodde.sofmarriage.ashiswife
Hera had been ignoredwhe n thegreatgodsZeus. Poseidon. and
Hadesdividedupthecosmosbetweenthem.somarl)'ingleus
and ruling theskyashisconsongawher thepowershehad
been denied . Mostofthestoriesabout Hernrecoum thejealousy
shefeh atl~rhusband'salf3irsandthe,·endeuasshelaunched
aga in>t her riv11ls . When lo W:tS tr:JtiSformed into~ cow, Hera
sentaflytostingherperpetually,md drivehermad. Whenthe
goddessletowasexpectingZeus'schildren, Hembanr~dher
fromgivingbinhonthemainlandoronany island.Shetricked
Semeleintodemanding th atZeusappear toher inallhisglory.
Wl ~nhe:Jgreedrelucta mly.Sernelewasb\lrnedtoashesbyhis
pow·erful thunderbolt. Heraalsopersecutedtheolfspringof
Zeus'saffairs.includingDionysus(sreppJ'f-J5)and the hero
J,. TM diYino oouplo Her:teles (se~pp.i6-i7), whom sl~ drove insane-as a resub
llilllouyhHe!awaslarrw:ust,-J'I'IIOu$,ho<-sh'l'fl'l<1 ofwhichhekilled hisownwife~ndchildreninafitofrnadness
s!l<ISOOd!ha i ~olmamago . ..-.di!OO'IIlaiUst> llo"·e,·er.theeffectsonl\era'svictimswerernrelyperrnanent.
~~ayedho<andlW<Malan<lao.kwlllQCOUpla
------------
ThetlwooGroc"'oclm1"'..00Aphoodillla00[roo
Theybr<Jug h tpaoplahappneu.Oiop(OOl~ly l nlo<.l
aMtheubl.,..hhelf"ld~nts11ounsh
*
armorandusedtoolsmadeofthe Eanhsothatthepeoplecouldcook
samemetal,so theywerecalled t he theirfoodandheat theirhomes . Zeus
Bronze R::lce . UketheSi lverR:lce, A Th• toog• otH• phbuttn pun ishedPromet heusfor thetheftby
Pt""""""'sloondhosi«l•nlhe...,..mpollloJfue>tuo,
:.£ the}· wereaggressi,·e,anddestroyed wt...elheomflSIIIan(IOdl•od.""""""f. t00CI'Oioposl havinghimchainedtoarock,wherean
themseh·esinruthlessbaules koQI)dleus"• th lllldo)ob:M!$and(l!tl(lO~tulwoop0<1J. eaglecame!opeckat luslivere''eT)'day.
~ .~.~~~-.
TH E GOLDEN AGE
as ~here v.'aS oo "·~r or h~u>rice. and ~he Golden Race did tl01
lu\'tiOWOrl<becouoernoug)>f<X>dwasw.<ldily
'""•il>blefrornpl.am.sa.>dtrees.lnlal(rer2S,the
Goldo:nAg<:be<:ameabywordfor otitn.:inlhe
distantpastwhenthings''''""rnochbenuth.m
thep""""'t.TheideaoftheGoklenAgebocame
fcl-oionableintheRm.oissa"""(c.l350-<:.l550)
whenltaliananistsandwritersmli.sro'"""dthe
cultureofallCirntG"""".andthisClasskolera
becameafavorite>ubjec~forpainters.
~:,~-:::: ::·
trysdlWl lhWII:l'""""'l'
CrOIUll i;otl(>'l....,. .. a
IJO<llle, JU>I,andkLfd rulor
oltlolGoldrn~Hewa<
wob:ulaoyfear<J•nacl I'M<hiWOdasahaoostdany
-.W.
PR01\IETHEUS BOUND
Aspunishmentforstealingfirefromthegods.Z.ushad
Prometheusct..i..,dtoarockinaplaasaidtobeOl\the
b01dersofEanhandChaos.l-kre.hewasrondenmedto
sufferwhileaneaglepockedathisher.whichronst•rulr
repairWi~<¢llsodtaltho:lrlrturecouklrontinu.e.b:us
decn:tdthatPrometh<ousshouldremainbounduntil
(secpp.46-47) killedtheugl~.
APOLLO NW DA PIII':E
WhenApolloscornedthearche rrski llsofEros.thegodoflove,
Erosdecidedtoukerevenge HeshotApollowithagold-headed
arrow.tomakehimfall inlove,bmshottheobjectofhisdesire.
Daphne. with an arrow tipped with lead. so that she would reject
him . Apollo chased Daphne,bmshewouldnOtgiveinto
himand.asshemn.shepmyedtoZeustobetr.msfonned
intosomethingthatwoulds.aveherfrornApolloSpursuit.
Zeusrespondedbyturningherintoabureltree.
APO LLO AN D DE LPIII
WhenZeusSwife, Hera, foundoutth~t her husband hadh.ldan
affairwithleto(sup.25),shedecidedtotakerevengeonherand
sentagreatscrpem, known as the Python.toanackher. The snake
lurked around the great peak of Moum Parnasslls ,md bid was1e
the are:~ of Delphi. Apollo killed the scrpem with a bow and arrows
gi,·enby Heplmestus,thedivinecrahsman(step.39).Afterwards,
De lphi became sacred to Apollo, and his shrine was built there. The
Pyth ian Games were hdd there e'·ery four years to commemorate
Apollo'striumpho,·e r the P}1hon,andApollohasbeenassociated
A. Tho *- plootDolphi
wnh Delphi ever since. Theactivitiesatthegamesincluded poe try Theleu~oi Apolo atllelpho.lirstboJ~t"'ooodthe
andmusiccornpet it ions,inadditiontose,·eralathletice,·ems /lf1..,oluty !Q, <IariliMahobuleandwasOO <jloali:y
our<oondodbysmwo.ot..,.lhi<aiGroo<herooo
THE MYTH
Poseidon mod Athena both WJmed 10 be the com rolling
deityofthecityofAthens. R.atherthandecbringwar,md
fightingabaule,thetwogodsdecidedthmtheywould
seuletheirdisputebycompetingtoprovidethebestg•ft • Poo• idon
ThagodofltJe...,isolten
fortheci ty'speoplt-. TheseagodclimbedtheAqopohs """"""'"booldodnunholdiogo~odoot
(lhehilloverlOOk ingAthens):whenherexhedthetop, a..J(I<IIIvo;o>ad.,aqli!<llCiarn <hellorabo<wda
hestruckthegroundhardwithhistridemauda<;J.hwjter shell-fikadmiOllllfladbjdolphonsoo"""tmas
spring beg:Jn to flow. Then At hem came to the Acropolis
andofferedhergift: thefirstolivetreetogrov.inthecity. Atheniansbuta!sotothosewithwhomtheytmded---so
lhetr'tecou!dbolhnourishthepeop!eofAthensandmake
HIE GODS " JUDGEMENT them rich. The}·wou!dbeab!etousetheoh,·ewood.too,to
Zeus summoned the otljer gods from Mount O!ym~us cmiSiructthings.KingCecrops.theru!erofGreece,confirmed
tojudgethegiftsanddecidewhichofthetwowasgrealer. th.1tsuchatreehadnewrbcrnseenon1heAcropo!is.After
TheappearallCe of thespringwasimpres:sive,bulsahwater !ll:':~ringalltheevidence,ZeusdedaredAthenalobethe
wasoflin!euse101hepeople. Theoh,·erree.ontheolher winner ofthecomest. Shebecamerhecity"spatrondeily.
andtheplacew:.snamedafterher.
bullth;urostfromthooseainsome mphs,
suchas!hal ofllipp<>I}1Us(sup.70),is
alsoamanifestalionof Poseidon'spower. had.lpilkldonau:ld
r ) ~ '
I
. ,.,;,,,..,.,,, ,~"'""
Alt<Jacuo..,komf'o!eoOOn,lhequoonoi C!ele.l'a>rphoo,
t.)IIOII(M)!Mih ,;>nd ""!f)dWIIIl,3b<JII~tt,.lhe>OO')>d
II
it.)oll$pongolthosU<liOn'M'ISihe~•r ootaurlseepp.50-51).
Mostof lhesewertd'-"'I<>Poseidonandcameaboul because -some temples wert dedicated to Poseidon Hippies ("Poseidon of
Odysseus had blinded the Cyclopes Polyphemus. who was1he
seagod'sson.Thepoemdescribesvhidlyhow thegodstirred
up storms and ttmpests. which wrecked Odys.seus~ ship and
1
horses"), and many people worshipped a fotm of Poseidon who was a
god of plants. At least one of his temples in Greett, though-the
tempkatSounion , i nAuka~issitedona
§
0
dro.,.nedhiscompanions.ManyoflheperilsOdysseusfaced. spectaculardifftopo,·erlookingthesea.a 0
suchasthewhirlpooiCharybdis.v..,retheoffspringofPoseiOOn dea r mninderofthe deity~ sphertof z
influrnce . Boa.tr.c•""'""'hdd ~
th.:rein hon<>rofthegod
z
0
~ Po H idon ol i ,. tlo • w•• ..
~
Soroob"""""""doo.llriOiathoS93wrth
"
.,. Tompl • ~ tSounion 5
~ ·~~·' 0
Souno:rnc:ooldbeseenby 0
ohipslar ootat -N<Mrrt
'Mihlw\Jr(rmo!oolun'WIS
31
"''"'"""""platfoom.
SEE Al SO S..doO"'l~lllHI.~.-.J/,331-JII • F IIKol*"'"''lllf-97.2ll-IJ.nl-1~2lOH!l.3 1 4-1~m--l!l
~
h"'· DIONYSUS
The god of wine, Dionysus, was an anarchic figure who presided over
dmnkenness and other irrational or ahered states, such as religious
ecstasy. A shape-changer, he could take the form of an animal but also
appeared as a human, when he was often accompanied by revellers or
anima ls. These quali ties made him a patron of actors, and plays were
regularly performed at the Athenian festivals held in his name.
- - ~------~~-· ---~
THE RESCUE O F DIONYSUS
When Zeus, di,;gu ised ~~a mona!, began an affair "ith Semele,the daughter of King
Cadmus and Queen Harmonia of Thebes, his wife, Hera, grew jealous and plotted her
revenge . Shetooktheformofanoldwornana ttdpersuJdedSeme \etoaskthegodto
appearbeforeherinallhissplen dor.\Vhenhedidso, t he !Jeatfromhis thunderbolt
killed Semele, who W35 a mona\. One of\ he gods-some say Hermes, Nhers \he river
goddess Dircc-rescued her unborn child, Dionysius, and wok him 10 Zeus, who cut
ar~open i ng i r~histhighand pbced thechildsafely insideumilit W:tSread )•tobe born
When Dion)'SUS emerged from Zeus's thigh , l!era was so angry tim she il\(: ited t he Tiuns
(seep./6-19) totearthebabyintopieces. His grandmother, Rhea, took pit y on Dion)·sus, A flio.,.ouo
lhagodoiWIOOKlallttl"'!>l<IS
put hisbodybacktogether,andcarriedhimtofosterparents . Again, Hera discovered Oiooymhalolll<lboeoruuayed
what had happened,sotoproteo him Rheadisguis.edthech ild as a ram a~ahard&<wre)'!)U"Jman Clf'!'"'J
a cup,wodo,.ooiea>elrnholhait
~
,:!
£ flttl
ln!haS1oryollloorryou$,lioraphl'l'•hel
U ll$tiiii«J0lb$fl)31o)ul wlle,$ho)do)IOOI$
~ he<«\IIISemaie,bo.Jtn(JI$emehl'Hhild
:5U • s.molo
flamesfr omlr•us'sthunrleri:>ol t~ lled
31 Semalell91•101ybec-apopui:J r
:Wbjeo:llr;opainiOolondklr lheC(WnJXIO'(ll
e * . Handel,whawrotean(lfOrllabouthoo
l ~4~
Ti lE JO U RNEY O F THE \ VINE- DA KK SEA
DIONYSUS Ashe1ravelltd :~.round the \1~duerr.mtan, Diortrsus
As he g~v. up. 01011)'~1.1~ hecame m>tle>~> and toldthose 'l hometandfollowedhimho"'toh.1r\'eStthe
Wf:nt on :tSo!rie~of longJOUrtl~)'S \\
hcrt•n he grapes, pm;s them . and mrn their JUitt UJto wine. When
trave~d. hebtcarnc famousforlnsdrunken peoplctastedther~uhs.hebtcamever)'popular.Onct
();("CS!iotiwlnchemkdmakmdofms:mefrenzy_ Jhegodwasonhistra\'tb'lhenhe"ascapturcdby
\bnysatdtluttht~f~nZ}·"~c.:tustdbyllera, pirates,whothoughthe"asa .. eahhy)·oungman.When
v.ho\\JSSiill~semfultlutthc..onofSemdc 1he pira~esmed to tic him up. ho"ever.rhe knot.~ kept
ludsurvtl'rd. Dton)'SUS\\lSXCOtnpankdonhrs umringoftheiro .. naccord. OiO!l)'SUslhenmadeihemasl
travclsbysat)'rs. kdbytht.irking.Silenus.Aiw andriggingturnmtogrape
amongh~:Scompanion"'''"-""Jgroupofftm:dc ''ines,andnansformed
follo"ns called the "\bcnad~.· The \l~tuds theseaaroundiheshtp
wert p~d wnh a kind of m.xhltSS. in "hich iruowine. Thepif:lles
theyworkcdthem!otlvesimoanccstaticfrenzy weresofrigluened
Astheydidthis,theydanccdawilddan~. bythesightofthis
cvcntuallygcuingsoo.utofcomrolthattl-.c)·
wouldnpapalla ttycreaturethcycan'oeacross
I tll:lltheyjumped
imo1hesea
TheMaemdsdrew!l-.etrSlrengthfromDionysus. turned
§:;~~~~:;~ m\,
d:u~et:orbring
< i : .:::: :.::;;:b-
:::.:.~~-=•
II ~~:~o:h...,~
··-
themtohann.
'"',......_.... ....._
them 10 The~. which wa;, ruled by Pentheus. TI1e young
tf
king'smother,Ag.wc."'asanrxtcdtoOionysusandbl:-came
ondelaraclk>lho-ollho a Maemd. gelling drunk and JOmmg rhe fnmztcd danct
dooot*lrutea.d . . . . . . PentheuswashorriliedJoseehismmher;.bl:-luviorand
r!'.~.=::.:!.. dcci<;led rotrylostopthcdancc. Heturnedforadvkc\O
""-ncloo!IIJIIIIhorJ. OiOrt)'liUS,\\hO!oldthekitlgiO
hidcand'latch5ecretly
bl:-forcdomganything.
However.1he Maen.ads
' discovertdl'emheusand
- ton'himtopieth
0
i5
• s11....
z
~
<II Du ltootP• nl t.Uf
AWIIOloldSII!yls.lonuJ !lno:ll~t~lhoMao ..... wOO
Diooyoul• ........ atl3l:k00Penthouswashos
Somo ........ uyt. .,..molhoo,ft9.we lot.Go
was._otm... lt\MIIY.~ • tlilstlhoo.f9ht
wh(lbtoooght~lhoOOd •wasblongala.bobo
wt....llowasadold liiii~~"!!IIWIISioertoo
SHilS0.-...,.4f-4>.61-t1. "'-llt8-11,1'1f-2t
ATHENA
A powerful war goddess, Athena was usually depicted with her shield
or protective cloak, known as the aegis. She was also a patron of
crafts, especially pottery, weaving, and shipbuilding, and the
goddess of the city of Athens. She inherited the wisdom of her
mother, Metis, an attribute that made her favor Odysseus, the
wisest and most cunning of the Greek heroes. In all these roles
she was especially valued because she was always accessible,
unlike many gods who kept their distance from humans.
- -- · - - - - - - - - - - - ol!lo---- ------
, ~ A!tlonaormodforwor
Athel'la'!I<Mlredmapon
TilE BIRTII OF ATIIE N A 1 '''"har-.whi<h8ha
Oneofthefirstlovesofthegodleus wasMet is,
! :~rt=:::.
~ :.::~OS==~
daughter of the Ti! ansOceanusand Tethys. ~ \etis
wasknownnotonlyforherbeautybutalsoforher
brai ns--hermmemeans-cunningimell igence.·
Shew:tSespe<:bllydeartoZeus,bmwhenshe
becamepregnam,GaiaandUranustoldZeus tlw
lftershe ludgivenbinhto~da\ogluer, Met is wou ld
thenh:ll'eason,alsobyZeus. whowouldtake
awayallhispower. TheyadvisedZeustoactat
oncetoprevem this.Gai3toldZeusthatthebest
waywswp thisch.1inofevems w:tStoswallow
Metiswholebeforeshegavebirth.Zeusdidthis,
butwhenitW:lStimeforMetis'sdaughter tobe
born. Hephaestu~im ervened.spliuingope ttZeus's
head with anaxe and emblingthechildtostep
forth . Miraculously, Athena emerged from Zeus's
skullfullyarmed,uueringawarcry.Accordinglo
several accounts,A1henaw:lSherfa1her'sfavorite
child,and!l~eonlyor~eallowedtouseh isaegis
"" Athou"obinh
[•~jdap< tioosollhe
boothoiA\hon3,$1.>ChU
th""""'''""""'l·W...
3G :~~
~:Zoo~'~woth
THE \VEAV ING CO N TEST
One of Atll{na's roles was as the goddess of weavers and embroiderers_When
someone W'aS good at we:wing, people &tid their gift came from Athena. But
Arachne,amortal girl andafinewea\·er.insistedthathergiftw-asherown,
c" .. : ~/.
. ~ .
AND 1-l UJv\BLY MEE K
A PA RDON FO R YO U R BO LD
PRE SUM PTIO N SEE K.
• Alhono thofoo10rmothor
Gaoahando,_her~n 11011
. ,_; .
'"""""'i'"""'"'e<klad ..."'"""""·""""l"'"ll'"ol' 'Sl
Eo~ ht hon•usiOihawaot • rJQAthena pr~IO i ni!)M)<Io)"'~"'o'lh<, lncludmgltioM
wloi le~tuslooksoo abou10adi~s;)nd t hecilyol'lh00osi""'PP-51l-59l-
\'-.._. ~ ~ ....~~~
THE LOVES
OF APHRODITE
The name of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, this magnetic attraction made her one of the
means "born from the foam ." She was bom in most powerful of all the deities. Yet some
the frothing sea and was famous both for her accounts describe her as vain, ill-tempered,
exquisite beauty and for her many lovers, who and easily offended. Her children included
included both gods and mortals. Her partners the Trojan prince, Aeneas (see pp.78-79),
found it impossible to resist her charms, and and Priapus, the god of fert ility.
~~IE ~~:T-:---------*,,~:.~""'~::=,~~l!
Aphrodite was marned to Hephac~tus the dtvme
blxksmuh He adored her and crafted beauttful g~fts for
preferred Aphrodue and :l,J£alous
Persephone told Ares about the afbtr
her Amongthern"asagoldenchanOidra"nb}doves Enr.:.ged Aresunle:>shed:>wtldboar Dcm•Vfllbol
whu;h "ere s:tewd ro her Howe\er she was frequeml) whw::h :tU:tCked Adoru~:md ktlled ofAphrod"'
unbithful to him_ Of her many affairs. the most bmous
ofa\lwaswith,AreS,thegod..ofw:>r. Th}saffairproduced arrivedinthelJnder,vorld,wherehewas
fourchildren,thefirsttwoofwhom immediatelypursuedbyPersephone. Aphrodite
appeakdwZeus,andthekingofthegodsdecided
onacomprornise.,\doniswouldspendhalfthe
)"~rintheUnde.rwor!dwithPersephone,:tndthe
otherhalf.,ithAphrodite
lhedeathofAdonisshowsllO"
dangerousitwasforanJe"remonaltofall
inlovewithAphrodite.AnOihermortal
whofellforhercharms.Anchtses,also
ltwassomet imebeforeHephaeSiusfoundout p.1iddearlrAnchisesw:~Sashepherd,whose
abouthiswife'sliJ.isonwithhisbrother.Ares, li:>isonwithAphroditeproducedthehero
butwhenhedid,hedecidedtot:>kerevenge 1\eneas.aocestoroftheRomans.Aphrodite
byridicuhngthecouple. He used his skill in disguisedherselfasamortaltosleepwith
metalworkingtomakeabrgenetoutofbronze AtJChises.butheglimpsedherinhertrue
wire,andsecretlysuspendedthisabo,·ethelovers form. Aphrodite made him promise not to
bed.\Vhenthepairwereinbedtogether, reveal the afbir-an al liance with a mere
Hephaestustuggedthe netsothatit fell onto shepherdwoulddamageherreputation
the couple.tr:>ppingthem . Then he called the Butonce,whenAriChisesw:ISdrunk,he
godstowimesstheludicroussight revealedthesectl':tarrdw:.sblinded(or,
somesay.bmed)b)•Zeusaspunishment
MORTAL LOVES
<l lkgoddon otlo••
U<ualtydepo<IOO&ab(lauMui )Wng""'""""· Aplnodllll
osotb)fosh(wmnai.OOfletauwsho rc,w!)$(!01odplrylo<ai
parloctm.shawasa l"""'les~OC1b.'J<Uip~<.-s
APIIRODITE'S lllRTII APHRODITE'S LOVERS
Aphrodi~issold~<>bcthcd;o.uglutroftht Aphrodi tt'sf""'"<,.tom.tktodl(rsf.oll!niO\-ewlthhnc-arTI<from
nun Ur.mus. Gall and Unltlw Jud mony hug... atphystc.o.lbcallly.Sk.alsohad;utaphrodisiacglrdk,lronically
chikl..,n.ir>dudir_,!I,.C>'CioPC>IIlddl< gif~ to htr by Htp~us. which sll< wore rw:xt ro htrbruSIS. This
Hund.W-Hafld,d Clams. Agha~ atthtit girdlew;>Sthctn,yofod"'r~wswho•...mtdAphrodnt'sallun:
monstrousapp.an~rn.Ur.onusdrddt.l Honw:r~ n:dd- for tnmplt- ~us how m.god..lus lkn bonowtd 1110
10 Imprison all ofthnn In Tonan.os. ~. <fur.-..:tLeus"1tllhetch:annsduringthtTrojanWartoU..tthtGrttk<l
dldnot"·amanymoll'chlldnmand could";n_Ahhougt\Aphrodnt"'.Umarrift:ltoHcptu..5tUiandw><in
~IOithlltroffs.prlngwpm!tc'lhtr lm'!"1thA~.shealsoUSo!dhtrchlonnswauranm.onymhulo-.-,rs
froonUranus~ad\·arocn.An.lty.Cronus
bo~asickltfromllisiOOih.riUldrut
II EPIIAESTUS
Thrw><Joffi~randmttalworl<.tng,lkpii:.O<Siu>wasalsoth.d.ity
whorontrolltd\-ol.canot!~.Wlt!chwcres.tldtobthls""rksmps.
~ "'15 bmt. as thr ~It of an lr~ury tll.tt cam< about wl>tn 1>t
t..d.., •'&"ffl~llt with Ztw. wh<> then thn:w him off Mown
Ol)mpu•. ThiJ infirmity &1-'t lkpiLatSCUs a comic cp.10hty IOrtl>t
G~ks. who ~~rro pll)'Sbl ptrf«1ion. In ~Itt of tim. t.. was
admlno:dforlmltlfJ'nultyandslalllnrnakin&thlngs.fromthe
tltltlu.teapo.uno:dApluocbttandAJe.toarnaglalthroneon
whrllt..muldltnprison~stntmlu
THE GREEK GODDESSES
The Greeks had many goddesses who played of the da ily life of the people. Like most
a variety of roles in their mythology. Some ancient cultures, the Greeks sought to explain
were primal, shadowy figures , such as Gaia natural phenomena by auributing them to the
(Mother Earth), who existed before most activities of the gods. Greek myths typically
other deities, and Rhea, often seen as a ascribe human em01ions to their deities,
Titaness, who was the mother of many of the hence there are n umerous stories featuring
Olympians. Others ntled over different aspects the loves and rivalries of the Greek goddesses.
~~
~
t he);:~~~~_:~~~:::::~::;~~::~~h<o
shegoesbacktotheUnderv.·orld
U dunngauturnnandwmter.
~
:5U <t lh• g•holcorn
__ The-tGmo«s~-lhat
.
~
'
-
..... ,
j)..':v-,;'__ ; :.. ~..
~..: ~c:::::.=~~
' ~'"'"""~"
A RTEJ\ 11 5
The goddess Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo (see pp.28-29) and the
daughterofletoandZeus.Shewasthep;~tronessofhuming,andtheprotector
of the weak. The deer and the cypress uee were sacred to her. Anemis w:lS
a virgin and devoted to the hunt, but she also used herwe~ponsagainst her
enemies. \VhenthehunterOriontriedtorape
oneofherfollowers,Anemiskilled
him . Whenanotherhumer,Act:«:on,
spiedonherwhileshew:ebathing,
sheturnedhimintoastagandhe
W:lSkilledbyhisownhounds .
I-IESTI A HECATE
ThedaughterofCronusand Rhea,Hestiawasthe The goddess Hecate is a shadowy figure-some say
godde,.,;oftheheanhanddornesticity. Unusu:o.llyfor herparentswereTitans,somethatshewJ.Sadaughter
an Olympian goddess, Hestia remained a virgin-in of7..eus. Hecate had manydifferema,pects.Asthe
spite of the bctthatbO!hPoseidonandApollowere moongoddess.shetmvelledacrossthenightskyin
inlovewithher.Shehadswornanomhuponthe herchariot,castmghercoldlightacrossthewhole
headofZeusth:ttshewouldalwaysbechasteand cosmos. Shew3Salsoworshipped3Sagoddessofthe
never marry. Another w:.y in which she differed from Underworld . lnaddition.asshe
theotherGreekdeitieswasthatshedidnottr"wl. wasthegoddessofchildbinh,she
lnstead.shelivedherlifeonMoumOlympus. W:ISofteninvokedtoeasethe
becoming the symbol of hom~. and family. She had pain of labor. Crossroads
nothrone,butw3Sresponsiblefortend ingthe weresacredtoHecate,and
sacredfirem!l.toumO!)•mpus offeringsofmeatwereoften
Hestiarepresemeddomestic leftbytheancientGreeksat
stabihtyandthehearthw:~Sher plxeswherethreeroadsmet
ahar.lnevetysa:rifice.thefirst
offeringwasmadetoHestia
"'l fripto llou to
flao:al(lwasl'OII'IOI III'I9$plrfiayed3$alnpla
goddessC31fi'1"1J•Imll!syrnb:lliiDJiuna!
~aLaiOllp(l<ltl~ti ng i rmi<O"Iahtyl
aod3knoletq-rmoloco!rroclwlloryl.
tlaa•th•mto1hlll'l(l$wheralha
goddassllesoowaswaslupped
SEEAlSOf~tiilydo<,..- 114-1~1-.llol-l~. -.-.liD-11 • ~iiii'~Jl-ll. l:l-13.8IHII . .
-~:\-~~~
ORPHEUS IN THE
UNDERWORLD
The hero Orpheus was famed for two major qualities. The first
was his remarkable musicianship, which, according to some,
he had learned from Apollo. With his music, he was able to
charm gods and mortals alike. Orpheus was also very brave,
and had accompanied jason on his quest for the Golden
Fleece ( see pp.72-73). But his most daring adventure
was his legendary journey to the Underworld.
-·-· · - - - - - - - - - -- - o!r. ----- --
~ Orph o u1 ond Eurydic •
TIIEMYTII O.phoo•'•"""'""looftl!j'di<e
The power of Orpheus's music was mirwred In his \'ery madet.mdwega•dllado•'
mrsterjousorigins,because itw'lSnm knownforcen:~i n -~.aMOOpaio:I!OOpnao""
l.or,dce,..,I!Rll:hadhomflrn
where he came from or who his parents were. Although
it was rumored thm he was a son of ApoJio (supp.28-29), hisqueen,Persephone.lladeswasgenerallynotmO\'edby
his real L1ther was eurponedly a man from Thrace-an appeals from mere mortals, bm Orpheus's eloquellt mUsic
area that rnany-southernGreeksconsidereduncivllized. sohenedhisheartandhelistenedto themusician:Srequest
Hismotherwasbe li evedtobeorn-ofthenine Muses HadesdecreedthatEurydicecouldaccompanyOrpheusback
tobnh,butforbadehimfromlookingathiswifeontheway
ORP~IWS AND ~l ADES
WhettOrpheusSbeloved~>.ife.thenymphEurydice,diedfroni· TI-lE RETURN JOURNEY
asnakebite.h1'"docidedtogototheUnderworldtoget her Orpheusandhiswifebegantheirjourncyanditwentwell
lxlck.ltwasajournerfromwh ichl'irtll.'dlynomon:d!udever initially,withthemusicianpb.yinghislyreandthebeautiful
returned. The great hero llf;racles(sapp.~6---·f1) had made the chordsguid ingEurydicebackth roughthed:uktv:ssofthe
journeyandsun·h·ed, buthisstrengthwassuperhuman.. Underworld t o~>.ardsthelight oftheEanh . But Orpheus w-as
Orphcuswasnot:lSstrong,lluthehadhisincrediblemusical concernedabouthiswife.andworriedthat Hades had not
skill. He sang and played allowedhertofollowhim
thelyresowellthatpeople
belie vedhe<::ouldmove
even inanimate objects
Aherarrivinginthe
Underworld, Orpheus
plaredhis lyretoHades,the
kingofthedarkrealm.and
~~~=~u:'~:::';::;:~";;~-~~~;,: =~;:::m
themfromth<oentral>eingsongoftheSirtns a~..,...,jrgboord
I ~~::::~~~~~::!:.:~~
r<ehedL... bos.SliiSI"'JJ"'J.ItiJ""'tts........:al
· - - - - - - a!E: (Wid~h<:QtttsiOtt.)~otlllat!Siand
ORPHEUS'S DEATH ! TH E CUlT OF O RP HEUS
Laoerlnhishfe,Orphe<~Sreoiu:d ooa ~aveand ! TI>ewisdomandsongsofOrpl"'uslindon
gaveupthecomr»nyofwomen.Heaoorn~ted 1 afterhisdl:atlLHelxcametheobje<:tofacuh
many male folk>wus, who weu: worshippers of j thatbeganon11sbos.whereashrill'Cwasbuilt
Apollolikehim.Hetaughtthemmusica l skills ataplacrcalledAntissaforpeople toconsu lt
andthehiddonmyst<ri~sthat hehadleam<d
asaresuhofhistriptothe Und<rworld.
Euryd~"s fellow nymphs. worshipp<rs
I anoradethatsuppo>edly,.lay"«<Orpheus~
theyrouldcheatdeathbyfredypassinginand
ofDionysus.w~realreadyangrywith
Orpheusbecauseofthew•yhehad
lookedback intheUnde!"'.mrldand
lo>lhiswife.llleywerefurtherenrag«<
I'' ~:::.:~~~~:;:"::· ~~:.:7s"~;::1:a1~,:~d
inl1sbos,notablyAkaeusandSappho.who
~= P~~ri5hedin t he late7thct:ntury JCE
owrhisdecision toforsaktwomenand
becauseofhisdevotiontoApollo.When
theycameuponOrpheusteachinghis
malelollowers.thenyrnphsottackedhim
I
l
Uootr~f'OI'I ~wasloegooo""t"""'*'wo ' teo
....,..,..tv llorlo;a-.oddo•..ed~""""
....,....,,t.li'OIIISplr(ldpQel3.001VOSiil r((Kl!(d>y
andtorehisbrxlyapart. .I. Apollo
O.phe~~.<wascle'oO!edto
oli£,---~------
~lo. w~''"'!hogod 1
otrnu.ll<,!»(ltry,ar>dttoe I
aoto.ar>d!honllllar>dpolao I
-laotlloooy...,
Orjrofdfwr,Ju,(l7t>ll
.,....,.-.d)ba....dvnthf"'-'1)'
Ollenbaeh'scoml<
opera . Orph.'tauxfn(trs
(18';81 _"·~salso
inspiredbythem}1h
and"·aslollo"·edbya
"a&•'·er-;ion _a,wella>
am<n·if.Otpfllr(\04Q\
noadtby_)t-anCoN.-au
THE LABORS OF
HERACLES
The hero Heracles, renowned for his great of King Creon of Thebes, but Hera made
strength , was the son of Zeus and the mortal him go mad and kill his wife and children.
woman Akmene. Zeus's wife, Hera, was To punish Heracles, King Emystheus of
jealous of the affair and resentful towards Mycenae set him l2
Heracles, and she persecuted him throughout apparently impossible
his life. The hero married Mega ra, daughter tasks to accomplish.
mackhimselfanenormousdubbytearingup
anolivem:e.He dubbedtheliontod;::u hond
wasallowedtosle<:pwithallbmoneof
TI~~:spius'sfiftydaughtcr<asareward
• Aformidabl• wH pon
Jhe~dubolllelados.wnh wtlldlhe
<Ml0<3nla"""l'OppOnenl1, wasoohaavytllat
onlyheo:uldpidllopandwlllld llwttheasa.
,rf(
THESEUS AND
THE MINOTAUR
The Minotaur was a mons rrous ncsh-eating creature, half man,
half bulL Minos, the King of Crete, kept it imprisoned in a
labytinth near his palace. According to a treaty between Minos
and Aegeus, the King of Athens, 14 young people had to be sent
every year from Athens to be devoured by it. But the Greek hero
Theseus resolved to kill the creature and put an end to the carnage.
TIIEMYTI I
ThcseagodPoseidononcegawawhitebull, knownas
~;:;:;: ,----
..
lnthemiddleOfthebbyrinth.Theseusconfrontedthebea;;t
and killed it \lith a blow from his btherS golden swonl He
as punishment, Thisunionproduced3,_beastcalledthe then retraced hissteps"ith the body of the ~!inotaur by
Minotaur. which had a monstrou~ appetite for human flesh. followingArtadneSthread,umilhefinallyemergedfrornthe
KlngMinoswamedtoavengethedeat hofhissonatth~ entrJnce to the rn:ue. His fellow Athenians rejoiced when
hands of the Athenians. He waged a war on KingAegeus t.heysawthatTheseusludbeenvictoriousandquicklyran
of Athens and won. Ascmnpet!SJtion,hedemandedthar totheirshiptosetsailforhome. TheseustakingAti::tdne
14)"0utlgpeoplebesentfromAthenseachyeartofeed with him. In the excitement. they forgot to hoist the whtte
theMinotaur. Aegeus:Sson. Theseus,decidedtogotoCrete sails to signal Theseus's success
a;;oneoftheill-fatedpwple, andkillthebe:J.St. The ship
carryingTheseusandthemhervictimssetsailfromAthens TRAGIC ENDINGS
"-ithblacksails.andtheherppromisedlusfatherthathe · Onthewayhome,theycalledattheislandofNaxosfor
wouldreturnwithwhitrsailshoistedonhisship water. Whentheyreturnedtotheship,Theseus
ifhesucctededinkillingtheMinotaur. abandonedAriadneontheisland,saihngaway
wit hout her. Sornes;~yth~t he did this since
Hll:SEUS ON CRETE healreadyhadawife::trhome;other<>
WhenrheAtheniansarrivedm Crete. that Dion)·susspottedAriadneonthe
~tinosSdaughter.Ariadne, s.awTheseus island,fellinlovewithher.andputa
~nd fell in love with him. She kne" spell on Theseus. making him forget
tlutTIJeSeuswouldneedhelpinfinding her.AftermarryingAriadne. Dionysus
hisw:~.youtoftheimpenetrablebbytinth , gave heracrownmadeofsevenStars
once hehadslainrhecreature. SoAriadne
gave him a spindle wound with woollen
thread . AsTheseusmadehiswayintothe • t...ving tho lab,rinth
r~oon~;li[>)IOC<Iofti,.VIlS$i"Oh(IIIIGroooo
labytimh.heunwoundtherhreadbehind
~~~do"'fl"9hlsde<d""lm(MJt
him. so th~t it would mark his winding p:uh ofrl<JII!IQI13$~10)lr"""'h~•~tlnrulh
andshowhimhowtoexitthelabyrinth t001at>jlrutlr"-""9ilmohl'•throod
THE LABYR INTH KEY CHARACTE RS
KingM inosordered thebuildingof tll< TI>em)lhoflhestusandtheMinotaurcontainsa
labyrinthasaprts.onfortheMinotaur.He variedcastofcharacters,mOSiofwhomarepeopk
entrumdthedesignofthe labyrinthtothe who meanwell butm.,.,t tragkeOO...Ariadne's
master-crahsman Da.:Wius., whc was famous ~bJ.ndoomemand Aegeus's sulddeoomeabout
l1
' i THE 1VVDDLE O F THE LABYRJ NTH ,
THESEUS KI LLED THE BEAST\ VITl-1
A BLO \ V O F H IS GO LDEN S\ VORD
surrouoJdingCrete-thecreaturetha!fatherrt!
theMinotaurhadb:ensent toMinosbythe
stagodPostidonasaconfinnationof the
kingSright toruleontheisluJd . Manyancient
imagesofbullshavebttnfoundonCrete.
so theanim•lss<,.mtoho,·e
be.:nimponamln! he
cuswms andbeliefsof
rherealisbnd<:rs. too
THESEUS
A&er b=mlng !be IOns of Albms folknolna
lhedntlhofbbfalbtt Tbatewaabakeclao
•loar;ttlpiO!heUndawo.tcl.wllhlUfdmd.
1'1.-.bout.Onh»mum ~dumewas
ulrm..-.yflumhlm
mdhetpmth»IIIA
ynnu1bqpr.
Hlslfeend!dll.lhl:
................
bthntofllletpkitss
BELLEROPHON AND
PEGASUS
Like most Greek heroes, Bcllerophon was own status. He overreached himself when
given a seemingly impossible task-killing he used the horse's flying ability to try to
a monster called the Chimaera. With divine visit the gods at Mount Olympus. The gods
assistance and the aid of the fabulous flying saw this act as supremely presumptuous.
horse , Pegasus , Bcllerophon succeeded , but Although Bcllerophon was a hero , he did not
his triumph gave him an inflated view of his have the rank of a god , and so was punished.
---· - - - - - - - - - - - - - o!f, - - - · - · · - - - - - - - - - - - -
TIIEMYTII f:tther,killedsomegiams"'hothreatenedlobatesS
llellerophonwasayoungherowhohadunintentionally kingdom, and repelled a force of Amazons-female
killed a man in his home city of Corinth and was banished. warriors who were famous for fighting like men
He was accepted at Tiryns, which was ruled by Proetus, but lobJ.teswasimpressedwith Bellerophonlndthetwo
thek ing'swife.Stheneboia,fell in lovewithhirn. When becarnefriends--r.hekingevenofferedtheherohisdaughter
Bellerophonrejectedheradvaoces.thequeen"engefully inm:trriage.SoonthespitefuiSihenebobdied . Somem)·ths
occusedtheyoung"manoftryingtoseduceher. Proetus cbimshecommilledsuicideindespairwhen Bellerophon
belie,·ed hiswifeSblsewords,andsollellerophonfound married,Oihers,;ayllellerophonkilledhermfurywhenhe
himselfOO.nishedagain.Thistime,Proetussemhimtolycia disco,·ered th.ltsheludaccusedhimofuyingtoseduoeher
thek ingdomofSt heneboiaSf:tther,IOOO.tes. Proerus .'l.fterherdeath,thefamilywasabletolive inpeace
askedlolxuestokfl!Bellerophon,butlob:ues
didnotwamtomurderague!>l . Instead, he
sentBellerophonon:mapparemly
'':tinquesttokillrhemonstrous
Chim:Jer:t, ;lcremure!hatwaspan
serpem.pangoot,and panHon
• Ph .. ton
Pt.ooiOn""$ b lodwhen ho i r~>t ll<ldond r Moglhe
:a:~::~heo~~~;oogOO. Ile.,.!<nobcl
J. B• IIorophon
Al1ku)hhob:lold......, i t;;o(lll\gasus,~ lhogrooto:mtt>..,.o-blus<mdewongs""he
tncuoredthewrath ollemw.lht..anoganooand andloo"""lcamo.ooukl ly. But lcouoW100
tellto(artn""""he 1rllld101tj100ho)h ci(>$o) 10 1heounar>:lh"wa<enW1111)1JI'Irllllld
PEG AS US
TI>e name Pe!}ISU> is rd.utd to the G~ttk word for
"spring,-•ndonem)1hofhlsbir1hsaystha.thewas
bominlhtfarwe:Xal•hespringsof theO«an
Aherhisa(h'emures"ilh&llerophonhe
flew back ro Moum Olpnpus, whe"" he
coustdanotherspring.Hippo<:""'>e("horse
spling")roHowfromMountHelkonduringa
singingconte>lin,·ohing theMuses(sup.25).
'·1:
_\':",..~ ~ .'-."\
THE EXPLOITS
OF PERSEUS
Perseus----one of the greatest Greek heroes- wooden chest and threw it into the sea. The
was the son of Zeus and Danae, the daughtet chest reached the island of Scriphos, where
of Acrisius, the King of Argos. An oracle had Perseus and his mother were rescued by the
once predicted that Acrisius would be killed king, Polydectes, who brought him up. Many
by his daughter's son. To prevent the oracle's years later, Polydectes would be the one to
warning from coming true, he imprisoned send Perseus on his most perilous journey-
his daughter and grandson , Perseus, in a to retrieve the head of the Gorgon Medusa
--· - - - - · - - - - - - - - - - - · --
~~~~~.=:~~=m.
~ladosa 'silead~g l anc e oolywoobldwhonsholooi<OO
~
~
u
~
:5U ~ ThothrH Grooo o
Weallnglladao'sholmot.Per..,...crept
~'II- ~thoGr - . throo<i>I<,..Wltfl cn>
"fj and(l(l(llr.»>hbo)lween lherr\Who
* IJWIOOd tho """oltho Gori)OO!
T ilE PETRIFICATIO N
OF POLYDECTES
Afterhis adwntures wu htl~tGol);onam.lt hesc,tmo<~Ster. Perseus
firollyreturned home to the i~bndof&ripho... KingPolydectes
had bllen in love with Perseus's motl~tr, Darot, and IL1d bun
uying to persuade l~tr 10 marry him_ lie h.1d sent Pn~u~ away in
thefirStplaceforthisverypurpost. Danathidhcn.elfintl~ttcmplc
of Atheroand Polrdccte~ laid ~tcy totht butldmg. Enraged by
\\h:ithes:.wonhisarrivli,Pcrscus!l'vealedMcdUS3Sl~tadtotl~t
kingandhissolditrs,mrnmgtl~tmtoswnt.Pci"S(w.tl~tnll'turned
J. Toi'MIIIO .....
,.,._<OIIooo-.I~ ..... Uao<t.Q.tirllldt ...•t'-bolg thtgthstlutthegodshadloanedtohim , andga.l-e~-lcdUS3Shtad
_ ......... o.. .................. ,.. (i(wgonigMo toAthtna,whoanachtdutothe:frontofhcrshicld
_.....,IOptlnlyf'tll,doo:•..tlooo-•~""-..,..lb>d
- - - - - - - - ,;!!, - -- · - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
=;z:::· ~~:1:~:~:~~a:::~~~;ac=:~ds
Whonlhest.lp'o<lsloond andsetoffonalongjourney. On· kHledherselfindespairol·erwlwhadluppet1ed,atld
Oedipustookap.infromherdresstostabhiseres,
blindinghimse!f.tleleftThebestospendtherest
was travelling in the ofhislifeasJ.wanderer,comfonedonlybyhis
opposiledirt:ction. ThemanorderedOedipus daughterAntigone , theonememberofhisfamily
toger o utofhisw:~y,oifendinghimwithhis 1\!oo<::::;-~,':-Ol)> who lud not rejected him for his deeds
rudeness. Thepairquarrelledandfought.and Aftermanyyearsofnavellingasablind
Oedipusendedupkillingtheman. beggar.Oedipusreachedthecit)"OfColonus,
ontheedgeofAthens,wheretheorac lehJ.d
~NSWERING HIE RIDDLE saidhewoulddie. Here, the King of Athens,
Oedipus continuedhisjourneyand Theseus. welcomed him. Howe1·er, OedipusS
evemuallyarrivedin1hebes,wherea sonswamed himtoreturntoThebes,
monstercalledtheSphinxwasdevouring convincedtluthisrelllrnwouldbringgood
the citySchildrenandthekinghad .6. Thoclol!hotlliuo fortunetothecity.Oedipusignoredtheir
lfl)"Steriouslydisappeared.Eachdaythe Ihe la~a l moo~ogoiOOOipu,.nd demandsandwalkedimothesa.:redgroveat
Larusloolpiaceatactoss.oodsnot
Sphinxaskedabaffiingriddleandwhen lar tromllelpho!tJem.lhe"""dsol Colonus,disappearingfromviewandstarting
nobod)•couldansv•erilcorrectly,ilgrabbed lheoracle""'epardytul!illed hislastjournq·-tothe Underworld.
THE FAM ILY TilE RIDDLE OFT/IE SPIIINX
OF OEDIPUS lbepuuleposedbytheSphinxtothepeopleoflbebes isnowaU.miliar
Asaropld}1JaSty,Oedipus's rtddle,butitbaffled.-·el)'One whentheyfirstheardit.Tnitsrnostfamousfonn
farnil y wen: d~ly lnvolwd With tt.etiddleis:•Whatgaesonfour lrgs intt.emoming,t"'Oiegsin tt.eda),ime
thepolitksofthelrdty,Thebes andth~Ukgsatnightr
I ~:;::';_;~~.:;~~~w:;.:;;~fi:~::~~
1
~~~~~g.Adrastu>.
collecm-.olykoownasthe"SevenAgainst
I lbebes.."TI>eir annywasslaughtered,both
I brotherswertkilltd ,ond thenobleline
thelbebans,Oedlpuspassedbelow
theEanhtothene.xtworid. TheGreck
playwrtghtSophocles{+96-406 oc•) 0
wosbomintheareaanddescribedtt.ese
ewntsinhisplayO.JipusarColcmus
g
c
<II Ood ip .. • • blio-dbovg.o•
lfl hos btondwandet""}!.Oedlpus""'<p]OO
11['hosdaugh191Antigone.thaonljlll9fllbal
olllislarl'lt,owt.ooonomedla•thlultohorn.
THE TROJAN WAR
Homer's great epic poem , the Iliad, describes back. On Mount Olympus, the gods and
a war between the Greeks and the Trojans that goddesses looked down on the battlefield ,
lasted for ten years. The conflict began after taking sides and influencing events as heroes
Patis, a prince from Troy, eloped with Helen, of both sides fell. Finally, the Greeks were
the wife of the Greek king, Menelaus, and the
Greeks mounted an expedition to get her
------------------- * --
THE MYT H
The two sides were well matched. Each had the.serdce~of
good leaders.liketheTrojanprince, Hecwr,andtheGreek
genem~ Ag.unemnon. Each had other bmous s.oldters and
fightersontheirside-l'ari~ fortheTrojllnsandmensuch
asAchillesandthecunningDdysseusfortheGreeks. Each
>idealsoludthe~kingofseveralgodpandgoddesse,;
Aphrod iteandPbseidonwereonthesideofTroy;Apo!lo,
Athena,andHerafavoredtheGreeks. Therefore the
sta!emaiecontinued,withmanyminorb.1ttle~butno
ovCral!\'ictory,foryears.
Til E HERO ES
TI~~:storyof•l~~:Troj.ln\\"arlsfullofl~~:roeswlloare theeplc'S.m ain
charac~t:rs. Titeyaregelll:rnllybraveinbanll:.buiHomer~depictionof
ATI !ENE AND I !ERA
tl~~;irch.tmr:tersisp.trticularlyln t eresting.Ma nyare m otivat cdbyhonor THUNDERED,
-"•''~"'. '"'"'.""."""""'""'~'"'"~
"~'
owr theirconcubints.forexample.ignites
becausewhenAgamemnonapproprlates
DOING II O r\ JOR
TO THE Kl 1\JG O F
the woman of Achilks. the lauds honor ~
ls affected . Homershowsthatimelligrnox MYCENAE, RICI-1
lsessennalinbanletoo : lheh<ro0d)"S5eus _____.,
l>n:no,.~tedforhiscunning. ~
IN GOLD.
• Acholln bondlngPwocluo"o woul!d
·' .
hiendohop""'""'""'"lantootlvall<lnll
thewar-..tJaoPatrodU$died.Achrlkls '
wturnedr>lhobanlawomo~ere<'J'I
TH E A NCIE NT CITY
O F J\ IYCENA E
Alth.ough tht:Sioryof the!!iadisam)1h,all its
cltar.octusromefromrealplacesin•ncientGiffCe.
Mycrnae.intl>enonheast<mPdoponn<5e.was
saidtobe thehomeofAgamemnon . The city stat<
was a strong miliwy power during the Lot~ Bronz~
Age.Titi>anciem>itewastxca,·atedinthe l9th
crmury by the Gennan a~hawlogist H~nrldt
• A ...,omnon ,.turning willr Casundro Schliemann. He di>eovered s:tunningjewelry and
11
Atlhoendolthewar. !r,.wascapWred.OOsacb>:l otherortifactsomongtheruins.da1ing back tothe
l>qlrrernoonc:aru«<ollCassandra.theclaughtorof 2ndmillennium ocE. lledaimed tlltseobjecls
Ki"'JPnamollmy.auprrre rd>ebr"J"'""fioJhts"""""'blootau.., belongedtoAgamemnon.
~1
'"""'::;~;:;:,:;::
.J tosupportthis
THE /V\YTI-I
AfterleavingTroy,O<Iysseusandhiss..1ilorsfirstcametothe
wuntryoftheLotosEaters. Theseinhabitants..wholi''edaluy
ltfe of ~ase, tempted them wnh the lotQ~ fruit, which had the
power 10 tmke them forget the past Odys;seus had to force hb
relucr~ntcompanionsb:ocktotheirships. "lext t6ey
encoumeredtheC)·clope$,araceofono:·eyed meninu:>pig;;. BU!Odys,;eus".wedhirnsclfbyeminga.
gtmlls.Odysselioandhisfo!lo\\'ersWereCaughtby proteoil-eherbgiventohimbytiY:godHennes. Circe
oneoftheCyclopes,Polyphemus. "hokeptthem sawthatOd;-,;seus>vasresistanttohermagic,and
capti,>einacaveandatesomeofthem.\Vltenthe turnedhiscrewb:;ckintomenagain.Circeadvised
Gre~k hero w;;s asked to idemify himself, he Odys,;eus w visit the Undnworld to find out
c!e,·erlysaidhew;;scal\edOutis(me~ning•no more about his future Henaveledthere,
one") _QdysseusphedPolyphem uswithwine andhadavisioninwhichhishomebnd
~ttd then blinded thegiam wtthaheatedstake wasoccupiedbyi'K>:slileinvaders. The
Whenl'olyphemusshouted ,"Outislnoondis herodecidedtohurryhome
killingme,"theotherCyclopesheard him Buthisjoumeywoklongerthan
butdidnotcometohis hehadexpected_Odysse ttsfirst
rescue becau~ they _ _.....,~~~~ encounteredtheSirens,etduming
thought hew;;sdrunk creatureswho5ebeautifulsong lured
andtheGreeksmanagedtoescape. Polyphemus all passing sailors. He sailed past them
cornplaiaedwhisfather,the~agodPooeidon,who bycornm:..ndinghismentoblocktheirears
semterribkstormstohinderOdysseus'sjoumey Afterthis,Odysseus'sshipll1dtop3SSbetween
Scylb,asix-headed,man -devouring
AT THE M ERCY O F THE WINDS monster.andCharybdis,awhirlpool.
At their next ponofcall,Aeolus, thegodofthe Odysseuswasforadtotake thepainful
winds,gaveOdys~usthewindstied up inabag, decisionofl05ingsixofhissailorstoScylla,
lllowing him to control his course homew.Irds. But e:.chof whosesi xheads couldonlyeJ.tone
Odysseus'smen,filled with curiosit)'abomthe m:mruatime,rmherthanlt1\'eallofthem
contentsofthebag.untiedit.leuingla<J5eallthe drown inthe"hirlpoolo!Charybdis. ))
winds. T!tesh ipwJSblownbroffcourse,firstto
thelwdofthegi3ntlaeslrygoni311S,whodestroyed
mOSioftheirships,mtdthentomtisbndinhabited
bytlteench.1ntressGn:e,whoturnedOd}·sseusS
--.. ;"."'·'d
. \(~
l' Charybdio
THE WO RLD O F THE DEAD lhlsoot;;o"""whol~.anl:allpaSS<ng
shtpo,bul()dy ........ -..d througtltha
""'"""'9"flbeiW<lOOotano.IScyh
Tire<ias.whowat1>cihimt>Ottoham>
theclttleofHelios..Then he methis
mother, Antideia, who told him how
hiswifeandson...,..,re<Uffetingat
home . Odysseusalsometthe
ghostofAdlilles(supp.60- 6!)
fina.lly,hegn:wfeatfuland leh
the Underworld in terror.
~ Aehilloo
T beghoololllchillo>~Ody....,,be
l'o(JUid.atOO. ~I'I!C<l Earth b!alurnbla
labor(lO tMnrulea!llr)ll(jthadaad
Penelop<":~ho>plr•lityand showed no
U:Spe<;tforhetO\-'lS.:ntiments. n11s
ffi •bus.:jusrlfiedthelrtvemualk illlng
:.·-~ byOd)"SS<:Usandhlsson,Telemao:hus
:t::;,~~.-:,·~~. .
DIVINE INTERVENTION
TI>e wd>of Mount Olympus not only influenre:i the Trojan War, but
also had an impact on tl>e a<hemuresof Od)'SS'us. \Vhet>ewrthe htro
offended a deity, his journey home was delay.,.;l.. Poseidon, Helios
andleushimself.all h;mpe~dtheprog~ssofthe
\'O)'lge.AfterblindingPolypl>emus,Odysseus
shoutedouthis~alna metotheCydopsas
SOME \VO RK O r
1\JO BLE NOT E, 1'vlAY
YET BE DO N E,
1\JOT UN BE COM ING
1\ \EN THAT STROVE
• Dioin• prot.c!G<
Alh(.-!awasD<t,<$:10<J$'•~taciOr.Shc~•<JadedCa!yp4oiO
I VITI I GOD S.
tele;,ehtm,..,tu ph,.moeb"'JWtlhNauso:.Handad...OO
him todisgu...,him,..IOOk<eroofrootmghi•wif<l•surt<ws
MODERN O DYSSEYS
TI>e ad\·enturesofOdy'>S<us are immensely popular. Becau.>e llomds
epicisapowerfult alewilhanopen-endedrondusion, its material
ltas bttn ustd in new ways . One oftl>ese "mrxlem Ody;.seys" is The
Odpy:AMoJtr"St'l"e1(1938),a
longpoernbyN ikos Kaz•ntL>kis
(1883-lll~n.deS<:tibingOdysseus's
newadventures.Ulxsscs(l922),a
rl<l>'elbyjarnes_loyo:(l882-19+ l).
alsouses theideaofanrxly-ssey inlts
SIOI)'aboutleopoldflloom,a r ~arive
oiDublin.whomakesa tueanderlng
joumeyaroundhishomecity.
:'"..;;":';i:u:::~::::::: ()?
alludliOepr»ilslrornlhaGreoll""f'ft
SEEAlSOJw-~-:J;,#-1;,120-11,120-1t • o-..1-o-7.~1-!o3,~-51>,11·73 •
.co•-i'·"'··,J.:
CLASSICAL ANTIHEROES
The myths of ancient Greece are full of gifts or hospitality, or by insulting the gods.
people-usually mortals but often powerful These antiheroes often ended up with dire
figures such as kings or princes-who broke punishmcms , as a warning to mhers tempted
the rules of nmmal conducL They did this to break the social or cult rules that normally
by cheating their fellow mortals, by abusing made social or religious life run smoo thly.
--~- - - - - - - - - - - - -.$ -~- -~-----~-~ ~--------
I,Xo
I N
l ~ ... U o kllh "'lof [IOIIOUI
•""•'~"~"''
0 11 1
~~~:c::~;r ~ ~ ~b~~~~~~ ~~~~:~:~:u;~7;, :~E:o~: ~~·d :~-~ =~~~~:~:
ordertom~rr}herandagreedtopaythedowrytothegtrls·-~
'""""""'"'""" '""'"""'' """" '""' '"'
""'"P'""'"""''''""'"Imorrrywoorhrd,yof
0\ • 01\h
/,'l(',~if'Al'l
)'
" '""''"""'.'"'
a""'""'"'"""""""'
the v, eddong thek mgsetacrueltrap [orEloneus lie dug \\vlJ rA-({ ~ \ ;'l$10ad.seoltl>lJUnOOXJrdng
a pn near hts palace and filled n wn h burmngcoal and :::;~~=~hal
v. henh lsunsuspect mgfather m b v. arnvedlxwn pushed ~
himtohisdeath. Followingthisoulrage,lxionwas05tracized
byallmon~lsforkil l inga k i n sman.bulforsorne reason Zeus took
pity on him and invi1ed him to a banquet on ~toum Olympus . Even
amongthegods,heoverstepped t heboundsofproprielyandtried
toseducellera,leusSwife. leuspunishedlxionforattemptingto
outragehis wifeSmodestybybindinghim toaburn ingwheel.
whichwouldturnfore,·erinthe Underworld
~ l•ion1oduc i ngHOf•
'M>enZ""'~t<ion'> in lanoons.Oa t od;OOhom
~~h=::~"::"~.:.:~~:::.~
SISYPH US M IDAS
Thefounderof thecityofCorinth,Sisyphusw:~sguihyofseveral KingMidasofPhrygL1helpedSilenus,
transgressions.includingk illingf;uestsandseducinghisownniece afollowerofDionysus(sapp.J~-J5),and
BanishedtotheUndem·orldforhisdeeds,hetriedtoche:udeath,first inretumthegodgrantedMidasanybvor
byconfin ingTiuiUlos,thegodofmort.llity,bmwithoutsuccess. Then he wished . Theking.whowasconsmned
heinstmctedhiswife nottoc~rryouttheburi:llritesforhim. When bygreed.askedthate,'el)'lhingltt;touched
Hades sent him back to E.1rth to ensure th.11 the rites were performed, shouldchJ.ngerogold.Butwhenhisfood
SisyphusrefusedtoreturntotheUnderworld. For anddrinkwereturnedtogold,Midas
hispresumptionintryingwturnhimselfirnoan asked Dionysus to take the gift away. One
immon:d, Sisyphus was condemned ro roll a he~vy d:ty,he came:l<:rossPanandApo!loi nrhe
boulderupahill. Whentherock reached the countryside.Thetwogodswereh.wingan
hilltop,itrolledbxkdownag:~in,soSisyphus argument about who was the beuer
hJ.d to keep repe~ting his task etcrru.lly musician. MidaschosePano,·erthegod
ofmusic,a ndanir.ueApollopunished
himbygivinghimtheearsofanass
Midashadtokeep lnsheadco,·eredwith
aturOOn,butnewsofhisridiculousears
g01out.andheended
hislifebydrinkinghOI
bullS blood
I
~ :•,~:::.::::.~":,; :h\~oot aM I
ooodornmoo•.Si"!Phuo•ndllll19rriblo
pu .. sh!l'l(l<ltboo;)matt.)~onio:omagool I
hard,(lfldiO$$, &r>:lpOm lle!$UI$l$.
I
------- ol!l.
food from them and gal"e it to mon:tls. Accord ing to an extreme \"ersion.
hetested thegodsbyservingthefleshofhisownson
0
_~~ ~\.~~...- to< Tant<'lu!'soii$UI\.Itot000~mpo;W;
CLASSICAL
ANTIHEROINES
Greek myliwlogy has many antiheroines who women. But the actions of others were
were embroiled in complex plots, mostly guided more by the interference of gods in
involving revenge. A number of them, such as human affairs. These antiheroines were often
!no and Clytemnestra , chose to do so out of responsible , directly or indirectly; for the deaths
jealousy, or because they lacked the moral and of Olhers , and their stories frequent ly ended
social virtues considered necessary in noble with their own deaths, often by su icide.
-- - ------------,;!(,
PHAEDRA
The daughter of King Minos of Crete and his wife. Pasiphae, Phaedr.J
marnedTheseus(seepp.50-5!)afterhehadbecometherulerofAthens.
But shefellinlovewithHippoly1us,TheseusSsonbyAntiope.anAmazon
queen who had been Theseus's mistress. In some ,-ersions of the mph.
herp:lSSion "~c~usedbythegodsasa "·~yofpu nishing Theseus for
killing Amiope . When Hippolyt us rebuffed Phaedra's ~morous
ad"ances,shetoldTheseust hatHippol}1Ushadtriedtorape her.
Theenraged kingtumedagainsthissonand calle d onthegods to
punish t heyoungmau _ HearingTheseusScry, Poseidon blew up a
4 Phoodroondn,. ....
storm that knocked Hippol}'lltsoffhischariot t ohisde~t h.Grief
lbadeatt.olfiowolytJI""'*IhartlSlltolh)do<;m(ldr1'101rrlill))beiY.een
r.tricken, Pluedrnhanged herselfonhearingabout herr.tepsonS death PhaodraandlhaiUOO..an kuWJ. IIer boother.Deucalion.Q3Y!lher"'
rrn r lill))lr>l~.~lollroMnyat>:Mill$\ialwlWiitlAAoopio
4 1hdoathotHiJpOIJ1U$
70 Whool'oseoOOnra" od••torrn.a...,...terlll tba lormotabull
__ rooetromlha ..... terufyongllw*Yluioto-n..... so
·~ ""'w-.sltirrJr'.onolthi•ct.ariolanddragrpjlr>hiodealh.
:t::;,~~--:,-~~~--
C LYT E~ \N ESTR A
The wife of Apmemnon the King of Myt:en.x, Clytemnrstrn had four
childrenb)·herlu.~51xmdlphigt-nla.Eitttrn.Chrp01hemis.and0re51:es.
Aprlll:mnon ~nfic«< tpltigtnb w tht: ga<b m order 10 cllSUre a bir wind
forti~GrttklketsatltngfortlvTrojan\\lr{sccpp.60-6J)
\\lvnCI}1emnbtr:tdt..oovcredhtrcbughu~rSdt>:ll.h,slr
vo,ed re•~ngt.Shttookal.:>l'tr.AegbduJ.S,andpllccd
himo11the \lyctll.X;lll thro~ m A,ll,:lmcmnon\
:iliselloCc.Whenthckingrrtunwcdlromthe"ar.
ClytcrnncstraandAt:gischu:>tr:lppo.odandktlkd
him and manyofhiSsupportcn.. Hcrson,Ort'Sit'S,
escaped the canuge J.nd \\'tnt into nile. He later*"
hismotlv:rtoavcngehisfathcr'smurtkr.Aftcrherdcath,
Clytemrlt51.r:t~ghostwuhthcsupponof1l~eFulies,tried
topunishOrtStcs.butthcgod~(orinsomeversionsof
thestory,ahumancourt)cvemually "' l hooowdlfoi Ago -•o•
decided that what heh:~.d
~u~and•llloas~owod,._....., •• ""and
btutalyUiodhm..,illaniiJIIISomu:toonUolludllalhla'!'
done was justified thtltfocprnorrnonwas<lo\ellclllol.l.onhosblllll.c~IIN'~
rhed"tolhosk<lg\OI"noyhome,wtoanthenodortool~
-- ol!l\ - - - - - - -
1
INO Ti lE DAUG II TERS
1\ingAthama-.of~otil\\iliollllrricdtol\ephelt,butldt O F DANAUS
hu for !no, the d.:~ughttrofU<lmus{$u p.~9). lno ~med Danau~.agra.ndsonofP~tdon.ludSOdaughter.;,
herstepchildTI:n. Phrixusand l!tlk,anddevist:daplOito whikhisbrotlvr.Acgyptus.h.WS...1sons.TI~etwo
disposeofthtrn.Shehtafirebervaththcgranaryanddlitd brotht:rsquam:kdo,-erthttrfathcri;Llndsaftcrhts
upallthe!>ttd~.sotluttlvy"ould notgcnninate,thereby de:uh,unuiAcgyprusoffcredtomJrryhissotiSto
causmg a famirv. \\'htn Adunus sem a messenger to the Danaus"sd:mgluerstounitcthe family Butanorack:
or:teieJti:klphtto:tikklrasoluuon.lnobribt:dthenttssengrr h.ado~toldDaruustlutt\cgyprlbpllnrvdtokill
to say tlut At !urn~ ohould ll'l<:nfice Phnxus. Tht kmg was himandhisdaughters.sohtr:ma .... ay"nhhis
abouttokillhisson"henlkrao;rntagcldtnr:untocarryolf bmil)' Acg)'pt!bpved~. ~tegmg tlttm m tht
hiS children. Although Phnxussurvl\'nl, Htlk fell from the cityofArgosuntiltht)'r:tnoutoffoodlndwtre
ram"sbackanddrowntdlnthese.:~.whichwasnamtdtht fOIO'dtoagrtttotht~.l:btUUSg;l\'tCXhof
Hcllespom {now called !Itt Dardarttlk:s) after her. 'ephtk htsdaughtersahaorpmandasktdthtrntokilltl~ttr
wa:nred Atl~lnus punislttd, so xcording to .om( '~rsioos of husbands"lthtt.AII
tht51.01')~ llcrasent 011t oftht Funes to drivt him :tnd !nomad tht daughters e~cept
Utcr, Ath:un~ rna& I no onecanicdouttheir
father's instructions. for
"hichtheywerestverdy
punishedaftertheir<;k;nh
==~:;::: 1---flJllin.~-
~oolhog<illlaMII
71
-olrhefiOOllo.Ti~. ... ... laOl _ _ ....,
IOIOrn'fjll(rt..IIL'Itymwplo
S!Eioi.SO-:rJ-11.~1.5<1~··15<1-11>.11._\l- •
!/!.
and imprisoned jason's father, King Acson. stole and brought back the precious Golden
Jason's mother, Alcimcdc , smuggled him Fleece from King AeCtes of Colchis.
-- ----------------· - - - · - - - - - - - - · - - -
THE J\ I\YT J-1 CHALLENGES IN COLCHIS
For his journe)' 10 Cole his, J~on had a sp;ecial In Cokhis, King Aettes did n01 want to lose the:
ship built, named the Argo. The shipS timbers ;-- Golden Fleece, so he set Jason a challenge-{o
included planks taken from a sacred oak tree tame~ pair of fire-breathing bulls and use them
;>ttheoracleofleu~atDodona,makingthe . __..:::. topullaplough.droppingtheteethofserpents
n:wl especially strong.jas.:>n persuad~d iTtto the soil ash~ went . From the teeth. armed.
l J~,;~~~~: ~;o:~.~;:pm><•eral
<11 Juoa
AuOOwa'"pr"'t=ol
lloc:ate, lhaUndeo-ld
godo.loss, Medoooouldll$&
OOotol«lfYlOhelp.laron
<II Orph• uo
Orphaus-.onuaocingrrwi<
helpedlheAr{lonau~too
rr'lilll'f'OC(:8$I<)II$ \h"'"-'lhout
me. raodll001100'"'!'
THE HEROES
SHONE LIKE
GLEAI'viiNG
STA RS A1\ IO"G
THE CLOUDS.
73
AENEAS AND THE
ORIGINS OF ROME
A Trojan prince, Aeneas was the son of Although Aeneas did not actually found
a mortal father, Anchises, and Venus, the their city, the Romans saw him as the
goddess of love. He was a great hero and founder of their race. His remarkable life
leader, whose escape from Troy and arrival was celebrated in the epic poem, the
in Rome was the result of prophecy,
adventure, and divine intervention.
..,. Woondodho10
TH E J'v\YTI-I A<iooe:stougllt hia.../ydultlll)1haii<Jt'ln
Aeneashadbeentoldoftwoprophedes War andwaswooodadbv1haG r"'*buro
t hatwouldshapehislife.ll~efirst 0ll)lll!ldo$Afk>!lloc10odoed, hlnoos
~<l')fldolcadi111J r ololn t bu lr ojanlo!ces
saidhi wouldbethefounderof
~great dyn">t)', and t he >econd,
tlt:llhe woulddestroythecityof the gods. reminded him of hi~
CarthagemnotJ:heinAfrica\Yhen destiny,AeneasldtCanhageand
theTrojanWar(supp.60-61) Ehssakilledherselfindespair.
ended,hebeganajoumeyto Umdingonthe westcoo.stof
fulfilhisdestiny. Aeneastook ltaly, 1\eneasfoundhimselfnear
withhim hisfmher, An.:; hises. Cumae, home of the Cumaean
wholudbeenwoundedinbaule, Sib)'l.aprophetesswholil·ed tJear
buthediedonthejourney.Crossing theentranceto theUnderv.orld
theAegeanSea.Aeneasandhisfriendsvisitedthebndof the Aene:J.SvisitedtheUude rworld toseehisf::uherapin,but
Cyclor--the. aggressi"e one~)·ed giants-from whom whilehe ,lasthere,theSib)•lshowedhimavisionofthefumre
or
I., ;;.~~;.~~~i
theyeSC:J.ped and set sail ~ga.in. The goddess juno, rival ofRome.WI~enhesawthevision,hewasconvincedt l!.11he
Venus,did notwaruAeneastoreach hisgoot sosheordered sbouldcontinueonhisjoun~eytoestablishtheRom.lnrace. so
Aeolus,godofthewinds,toraiseupastonnandwreckhis he wemtob.lium.theregionon thebanksof theRiverTiber.
~
I N LATIUM
Afterarrivinginl:lt ium,Aeneasmetthelocalk ing.Lalinus,
andthetwoagreedona treatythatallowedAeneastomarry
the kingS daughter, lavinia. However.theprincesswas
alreadybetrothedtoTurnus.thel\ingof the Ruti lians.An
enragedTurnusdedaredwarandt hetwosidesfoughrfor
~ goddessVenus,thetwofellmlove momhs. ln t heend,Aeneaskille d Turnusa ndwasablero
::J But when Mercu ry, the messenger of un itethetwo states. Fromthenon, t hepeopleoflatium.
u 1he Rutilians. and Aene3S's followers from TrO)' hed
... Aonuo•ndo\nchiOH togetherpeacefutlyandformed theracefrom whicht!Je
78 ""'"""'had~CJ<'I'his~ fot ..,.on1heo<
J(l<JI"'-'I',bu1Anch•$$$dl00wllon 1h<ry"""'had Romans--includ ingRomulusandRemus.thefounders
:t::;.~~.-:,-~~'"-'
DIDO OF CA RTilAGE TJ lE DESCEN DANTS
U.ttrknownasDido,EiissawasmarrtedtoSic....,us,theKingofTyre.Afttrhis OF AENEAS
death,h<rbrothertookO\'"tmthroneandshekftthecity.hentually, shearrivtd Aeneasplayedan imponamrolelnRoman
on theNonhAfricanroast , whe"'sheaskedthelocalpeopleforanareaoflandthat myt llology,notonlybecau~theRomanss..whlm
couldbcboundedbyabull'shideWhentheyagreed , shecu•ahideimothln>trips. asthefounderofthelrracebut alsobecau>c , as
jointdthemlogelher. ar>ddalmcdabrgeareaofl.tnd::.he estabhshed•he ciryof lhe sone>fthegoddessVen\IS , heenabledthemlo
U nlugo:andmkdoverithappilyuntiiAeneasleflheriOg<.>lol.a•lum tra.,.,theirlineagebacktothe~s.Thislinkwas
immenselysignificantfortheRomans, be<:noseit
g.>''etOOrruler-inbothltalyand th..ir"idtr
empi~kindol legitirnacythatputthemona
levdaOO,·etheotherrultr-sth.tyhadconquered
orsupplamed.lnaddition.certaininlluemial
Romanfamilies,n<>tablythat
ofEmperorjuliu sCaesar
(c_l00-'i4 Jcr),d•imed
-------------· - --
~-~;;~::::;.·,,
=~~~~ -~,
-L-v
FLORA
· ~-· ~~·-· ''~·
\1
Thegoddessofspringume,flowers,and
ferti lity, Flora is usually portrayed as~~~ attractive
youngnymphcarryingabunchofflowers. At first
sh(wasshya nd retiring.butZephyrus, t hewestwind(also
knownasFavonitts),caughtsightofherand,enchamedb)•her
beauty,blewinherdirection. Shemnfromhiminfrtght,but
eventuallyhecaughtherandmadelove toher. Thestoryendedw'ell
forFlora,however,becausesoonZephyrusrnadeherhiswifeandthepair
livedhappilytoge ther,combining t heirabilitiestobringfenilesoil .mdbvorable
weather so t hat the pbnts grew and the flow'ers bloomed
SATUR 1\J
Saturn(theRomanversionoftheGreekgodCronus) \\':1501\COfthefounding
deillesofthe Roman people. He had been a deny on ~!ount Olympus, but lud
quarreled withjupiter,whoexpelledhimfromthehorneofthegods. He hid
in lt aly. and the place where he settled became known as Latium, from the
L:otin wordrnt!:lning"tohide.·hwassaidt lwhebuilt a vi llagebytheRi,·er
Tiber,onthesite"•here Rome waslmertostand _ Here,duringthe prosperotts
time known as the Colden Age (sa pp.26---27), he showed the locals how
best to culttvate the ground and how to grow vines and produce wine. ~
The Romans worshipped him at a fest ival called Saturnalia. held in the
month of December, when m<>Sters became >ervants and servants masters. \
~.~L_-II:=J.~
TilE GREAT ,\\OTIIER FAUN US
TheGre;u \iotherw-asal:soknowna>Bonal)u("lht: Faunus":t:owor<luppedasthep;ltronofagricuhul"l"
goodgoddes.").Shew:<S\'J.riouslyidtrmfiedu,,thOps. andtheprotectorofshtphtrds.Orx-darhe>oa"'
Fauru_andth!,naturegoddessC)·bek.Somt-.aysl~twas Hercuks(the Grttk lv:ro lkrncks) with Omplule,
thernothero£F'aunus(surighr),$ndwasamodest.shy hisrnistre~.faunusfcllpassionattlyinlovcwuh
deitywhohadthegihofprophecy,blllwouldtelll~r Omph.:de:mddccidedwfollowthecouple.\Vh!:n
predictlonsonlytowornen.lt isbelievedtlo;Jt ~he began He11:ulesandOrnphaletookshelterfor1henight in
lifeasamonai.Shedrankalot ofwi1uo onedayandgot :JC;lse.Flunuscrept mafterthem;~.nd,whenall
drunk. Whenraunussawtho:-stateshewasin,hewas W:lSSiiU.slldiuquil:tlybesideOmphale
enr:.gedandkilledher.afterwhichshr!xcan~tan Whenl~touchedherl~w":~Sastounded
imrnonalandas~ialgu:udianofRonlf'.Butinthe
fonn of Cybelc she was mow a goddess of ~xll..llny
P Ot\IO~A AN D
VERTUH\JUS
Pomon~.;tbeautifulnymphwhow:~Salsoa>killed
gardener,w.tStlw:goddeS!>offruittrees_Vertumnu•
w:l!>:~deitywh opreside doverallkindsofdl:~nge ,
indudingtheturningscawnsand thetmnsforrmlion
fromblossomlofruit. Venumnuswasattracledto
Pomona wl~n lw: saw her pruning her tr«~ and
a.stl~godofchange.hedecidcd
totr.msfomthimsclfintomany
dilfercntshapestowooher.But
oomattcrwhatdisgutsclll'
chosc.Pomonawouldnot
lul·chun.Will'nhtshowed
~ Gv•ndi o ooollh•hil
Ai ..... ..,., ,.._,
==~~ !i~
UHt$01....,doo.. -t.n•-~1-lM-I!!. _ ____ :Ifll •
~
had even colonized came from Finland. Here, a large body of complex m}1hs
Iceland, and it was about the creation of the universe and thead,·enturesof the
earlygodsw:IShandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration
.. Vi~ine loneship bywordofmouth. Onlyinthe 19rhcemurydidtheFinnish
Shot!oiiJOildlaolk>lal mat scholarEhasUmnrotwrite thesroriesdownandcombine
hotneinS<andin:Ma.!heVibriiJS
~aveladwldelyiOio:llli)W themintoasingle.vastpoeticepiccalledtheKafn·a!a. This
lelrlklty.,.....,h,•treanl •ned masterworkofstorytellingbecameasymbol ofFinlan d"s
kn}!lnps. Thesewel-bol lt aall rut io!ulidem ityandhassincebeentranslated imomany
W«elrm<n,..·d"IIJOn-OO.t$
becau:<eot!heoo:umng differentlangLmges,finallybringingthemythsand legends ll9
-*'"JOII·IikecaNOdiW""' ofthissmallcountrytoaworldwideaudience. • • •~
._\':'......~ -~ .'-."\
NORSE ORIGINS
Like all creation myths, Norse stories abou t snow, and 10 the south is a world of seething
the origin of the world attempt to explain fire and flames. Life, in the form o f the first
natural phenomena. The earliest surviving giant s, emerges from the interaction of these
accounts of Norse myths come from two opposing forces.
Icelandic writers. They set their creation
story in a land where ice and fire come
together as they do among the glaciers
and steaming volcanoes of Iceland.
To the north is the lan d of ice and
THE lv\YTI-I
In the beginningtherewasnothingbuta
l'ast void called Ginnunppp . Grad ually, two
re~lmsap peared oneithersideoft his void
Muspelheim.aregionofhtat andfire,formedlnthesout h: ~~~";suC:,~~t~.~==~,!::,u
Niflheirn,apl:~reofcoldandia>,cameimobe i nginthe uddolo •. • naea ~ "'}theu•bero;tlhan<l theirbr"tality
north . In the ctmer, be tw~n these two places, the hot ai r
ofMuspe.lheirn rnet t hecoldairofNinheiman d theice asonnlmedBor.whomarrie d Bestla,daughtnofagiant
staned tomelt.Siowly t he drip pingiceformedtheshape named BOithorn _ ThecoupleiL1datrioofchild ren n~med
of a huge and monstrous being, ~ frost giant called Ytllir Od in, Viii, and Ve, who became the first three of the
Non;egods , withOd inastheir lea der.
H I E GI AN T S AND A UDtiU M L ~\
Ymirs leptand as the warm air from Muspe lheim played THE CREATI ON O F T~I E WO RLD
across his body, he started to S" 'ent. From his sweat The three gods were always battling Ymir, who fre quently
ot her frostgiantsemerged....,...onemaleandonefernale auxkedthern.Finallytheygottogetherandkilled
fromunderhisleftarm.and,anot her
six-headedmalefromhislegs allthefros:tgiamsexcept for Bergehnir{Ymir's
~lean while,theice c om i nued t omeh grandson)a nd hiswife, whoes-::aped ina
into t heshapeofahugecow called bo.1tmadefrornatreetrunkandsenled in
~
z
Audhumla,andhermilkfed the first
frost giants. Audhumb lickedtheice
anddrankr hewaterasit m~lred
aplacecalledj ot unheim . The three gods
t henrnade theEarthfrornYrni r'sflesh.
turninghisunbrokenbonesintornountains.
As she lickedaway, agiant's head Hisbloodbecamethe rivers,bkes,andsea,
r appeared, followedbyhisbody, a nd andhisskullthegreat domeof t hesky_TI!ey
t afterthreedays anot hergiantw:I.Sfreed thre"• spmksfrom~ l uspelheimhigh intothe
0
z frorn t heiceSonowthere wasastnall airtoform thesun,rhe moon, andthestars
Thegods t hen createdthefirstman,called
l ""fil•t rmnard......,.._Asl:
an<l(ntla-------;,))O<aod l:) ]l(Mibel)n Ask , fromanash t ree,and t hefirstwoman ,
aruted franaoa>har.:fanelmttOO& calle d Embla,fromanelmtree
rJ IE CREATORS ,. ThoAotit
Odin,Vih,andVe,thecrtatordei!iesofNors.: OIIOOWooloo<lal>ollheAesi.!Minlrooan"'J·noor(l.•
.lhap&dlan(j(K..t.Q~~torrrw.slo(I(JQII1 tntra"la.
mythology.wertthefir>~oftheAe<ir.or,;ky os thernootpo(ln'llnent .. rnyllls.lly(:(lllk&t.Vj,[rnoonong
gods.TheylivedinafortresscalledAsgard 'wi l 'l • ndV..{rrmrur<J"sacredoo:bsura')a«>roo«~
atthehighestpointinthecosmosTogethoer ~ligur<o:"'""~OJinoo~~-
theyfought•longworwithanothergroup
ofgods,theEanhorfenility<kitiesknownas
the:Vanir.whowm:kdbytheseagodN_;..,rd
and his two childrm, Freyr and F~ja. The wor
wasasralemate,ondthetwosldesa&J«dt<>a
tw:ewith<hce:«:h•ngeofhostages.TheA<:sir
sem twoofrheirgods,theduii Hoenirandd>e
wi""Mimir.ashostagtsfrorntheirside
Unhappywith thisexchang<,thtVanir
beh<adedMimir.andsenthish.adto the
Msir.Odin,whowasalwaysinsearchof
wisdom.prtserv«<theheadandrtdted
channso,·orit,•ndit><hisedhimhenceforth.
• .................
lhrGodJkln&mm..nc -.wtao.er.mlydxpl
tolhedeldlrl.
AS K AND EJVIBLA
MoSI cn:a11.on ln)1hs n.ur.ue the origin of a primal oouple from whom •he
humatl race is de..:ended . A~cording to Norse mythology, Odin, Vili,
and Vewere walking along a lxach when 1hqcame upon two IO«S nu:y
created Ask from till: ash •ree and Embla from the elm 1ree. Thenuch
ofthegodsgavethemag!ft.Odinbreathedlileintothem,Viligavetflem
thouglmandfeding;o.andVepro,i<kdthem"ithsighlandhearing
The pair became the ancrstors of all humans. They liwd in Midgard
(Middle Eanh), the homematedforthem by the gods. h
byfonificationsronstll.ICiedfrom theeyebrowsofYmir
wasprot~ted
...- 91
TIIEMYTII
The world tree Yggdrasil supported the entire cosmos, from
thedeeyestregioTISoftheUndeJVoorldtothehigheS1 he;wen.
\Vritersd idnotagreeonpreciselyhowthetreesupponed
thev:~.riouop.1rtsoftheNorsecosmos,but:tllweresuretll1t
thetreeformeda~pportingbx:kbonefortheuni;·erse
~
z
wisdom. Thethrrdrootextendedto
anothercoldregioncal!edNifiheim,one
oft he placesthate~istedbefore the world
VARYING ACCOUNTS
SorneaccountsoftheNorsecosrnosgivedifferem\ocations
wasfonned(scep.90).1nthisregionrhe fortheseworlds . Accordingtooneversion,jotunheirnb.y
r onlysoun:eofheatwasfromahotspring totheea;;tof~lidgard,separmedfromthehumanworldb)'
t cal!edHvergehnir,\\'hichbubbledupfrom ri,·ersandforests.Gim\ew:~Sseeninsomeaccountsa;;a
0
z shininghall,sethighinthesky. WhentheNorsewrit ers
<OII Ywdru il began to be influenced brChristianculture in the Midd le
ArrllnaltrrBI)IliYiiesatlhahoortollha"'flhoiYggdr""l
Ma"''CIOOiuAAIMldaroonglha troo'•ieavl>sandbrarw:heo Ages, Gimle was seen as a son of heaven. and the light eh·es
andan~aporchOOIJIO)IIIhaho{lhaslbour)h alsotookonsorneofthequ.11itiesofChristianangels.
;~ Jn:n;Y~~~;~-~~ ~w~;he 2~ ~;~AA~o~!t.~~~,;
1' Thootag Di in
lherewerofooomg•IMngrnthe
hOO.So:wrlaWiriU"I"'""'lthem31
. ' L ~fo""'"'8"'S'ofd<No~p<><U Od>o "m<k" Lh«= Datn. INahn.DUOOj'l.and Durathro._
whenhehunghlrnselffrotniland...:qulred tho>wlsdomof
therurii:S(S«:p.91).TI>eti«Wa>al,;oh.ornewanumber
:ooR:~~\Iatat<>lk camed of animals. A!l eat:le arid a hawk dwelled in it> up~=
ir>Sultmgroo...,.s kom lhe br~ndw:s, while"' •he base lived =ny Sll.tks, who were Led
.,...,.,wOO iiledatdJOOO"' byolargeserp~:nt ordragon.lnl:>:<w«nhedasquirn:landa
~-~~z:~="oo""~"'~"''
..,. .~,...,~
.,.,. . ,.,.... ... .~,,...,~,..l"''~
. ,. ,, ,
lhouoo311d~t.~O'I')> liledoiii(M'lgtfler~$.$Qme ~-
. ~"'
sat a "'"''~ called MI<Wni• """""'" 'HI he wa< """""""'Old
Thoeaqle'. .aPI"ngWifl'}' trjmany01heo1n<~Mmlhos
madeltJewmds rrt,'stouou!underground-'d
----- S, · - - - - - - - - - -
BIFR0ST Til E REAU\1 O E NIDII OG G
nv:worliliofgodsandhutru.nswe,ootmectedby 1 TI11: ~lm of the serp<:m or dragon Nidhogg was at the foo t of Yggd r•<iL Thi<
arainbowbridge tMtglimrn<red intheskyabow ! w•san•mbiguou>plae<,fullofbothdangersandsp«:ial gifts.Theprincipal gift
Midgard.Thisbridgewasgi,·m thenameofBifll')st among these was "isdorn , whkh flowed from Mirnir's well , one of tfle three wells
by tflelcrlandicwri t<rSnorriSturluson.Thename thotlayat tflefootofthe t..,e. Tfleotflertwowellswe"'moredangerous: one
isderh'<dfrornaverbrneaning "toshirnmer." At the was the wdl of fate, which was gua!ded by the Noms, who oontrolled the span
endoftheworld . thewarriorsofMu spell,the fiery ofhurnan life;theotflerw•sawellofpoi>on,whichwastflesourceoftheriwrs
world of the south, "ill cross the bridge to wa,w war ofHd, tl>eNorse UO<krworld. Aroundthes.:darl<rey;ions
onthegodsofAsgardwhilelleimdallbl<>wshishorn slitheredNidl>Ogg.llefeastedonthe
\O"-'mmonlhtgodsforthe final battle(<npp98-99) fleshofhum.tncorpsesandgnawed
at therootsofYggdrasil
• Ttroworld •orpl nl
Nrd!ooggoO)Iir)d(IIQund \ha rOOI$ot
YggdrasilandooohnuallfiiWed"""''
a t them.~ngtode>tr (/!'thehoo.OO t
waseterrraltj trushalfldo'lhrsdoe$l re
~
z
r
t
0
z
Whoollu lhroa!OOOdlolifortumog
S r flhall,tha tr .:blaopO<Iuaded~dw.lrl
tom:ll:ooowhaoio lor thagoddoss
"' B• Idofs munl• r
Hi,)dw,\Sploo$o)dwt.)nlolJh(Op(<lhoma<mlhadrlr!
""""'o!m.,tOliOO.buiOOtaslaiOOwt.)nheloo<OO'<l
lharhehadkilled!laldor.hisbro!OOr.
T ilE D F. AT II
OF BA LDE R
BalderwasthesonofOdinand
Frigg,andthemoSlh~ndsomeof
.--.._,.-----_.-.. it
allthegods _Qnenighthehada
dre~mthathewoulddie. When
1'riggfoundoutaboutit.shem.1de
everylil'ingrhing- animals,rrees,andpbms----.-prorn isenotro
hannherson. Butwhiledomgthis, t hegoddessforgottoaskone
plant,themistletoe.Assuming th.1t Balderwas invincible. t hegods
oftenusedhirnasa target forknife-throwingandarchery.Oneday.
theywerehurhnglroundal l kindsofobjects,suchasrocksand
bmnches. Lokihadcmfrily leMnedfromFriggrhesecretrlL1tBalder ... _...
-·-
-
w·asnotirnmunetothemistletoe.Hesharpenedatwigofrnistletoeto
makeadart,pL'ICeditinthehandoftheblindgodi !Mandhelped
H<'XIaim irat Balder. The dart pierced Balder'sheartandkilledhirn.
I
!
I-IAN DS01\ \E IN A PPEA RA NCE ,
\V ICKED IN CHA RACTE R,
*
A N D VERY CHAN GEA BLE
[i\J J-II S \ \fAYS SnornSwrlure<>.P'<mfJJ.,clllO
lhe8Y(l!~rooopl;'lnlrntStloiOO,wh(hbo)a r s
h"'tmlhe.., n ter.~l)itenreg.Jr<ledasa
svrnbolo!rteNbrrlh.horritalt\'.rlcaused
lhadeatho!lblclar.beloo.<!do!lhagods
- ~......~ -~ .\~~i
THE LAST BATTLE
The story of the last battle in Norse mythology is different from the other
Norse myths because it is a prophecy of an event that has not yet occuned.
Known as Ragnar6k, or the twilight of the gods, it is a great battle in
which almost everything will be destroyed and the world will come
to an end . \Vhen Ragnarok is over, the few living things that survive
will begin a new world , and the cycle of creation will start again.
A NEW BEGINNING
Finally the Earth will rise again , and become lush and green
oncemore./\humancouple,amancalled Lif(hfe)anda
wom:m cal led Lifthrasir (longing for lift.), will step forward
from among the branches ofYggdrasil The pair will start a
newbmilytobegintheworkofrepopukuingtheEarth. The
beautiful god Balder. who has been languishinginth~
Underu·orld,willberesurreoedalong "ithhisblindbrother,
HM(sup.97). Balderwillbecome the ruler of the new
uniwrse. Ufewillbeginafresh,withoutthetaintofevil
VALl lALLA BRINGERS OF DOO"
Meaning the hall of the st.in, V•lhalla "-.s Odin's grtat hall. This was where lllereartseveralfigun,.as.sociatedwiththettrribleeventsof
Oding;uherffitogeth<r theNorsewarriorswhohadb«nkilledinbattl.s Ragnar6k. indudingjOmnuwmd a1>d Hd . Both good and evil
onEanh,andrtwardtdthemwith!.-i>hjeweltyandweapons.ln this characterswill perishin thisbattle .Asprophesied.thewoll
h.all , whlchwaslinedwithannor,thel>eroes Femir ,.;neat Od in, l:dore lxing kilkd in rum by Odin's son,
feaSiedonboar's fleshanddrankn>ead Vida.Someofthegodswill alsofight
RAGNAROK AN D
THE APOCALYPSE
Ragnarokwasdescrilxdbyd"'earlylcelandic"llt<:TS
a sobattlethat will brtngabout theendofthe
cosmos. Scholarshaseseenmanyparalids"ithth<
Apocal)'P"'"sportrayedbyChris!ianwriters
Rag:narokuilibep~byathttt-)""'"int.r,
when mtrl will kiltth<ir rdati\U, wolves will
swallow the moon. forests will be Idled, great
Stonns"illr.lge, ondthe cl>OOS!hat e>.iS!Wlxfo~<:
cn:at\on\\ill~<:turn.AfterRagnarok,life"illJxW-n
BROTIIERS \ VILL
STRUG GLE AND KILL
EACH OTl-IER, AND
SISTE RS' SONS SPOIL
• Horn mo• ofthoApoeoi!PIO
lntheChusto•nAPQ<alnlSe, goodand..,il ligll!a<mrric
KINSHIP'S BO N DS
t<rttle.lheklurh;<<ananwi'I(Jrolemtobaltl(lall)bdii)I<OO
toretw""""tpenilonoo.war_tarr~ne.andclea t h
'·1:
_\':'-,...~ ~ .'-."\
KALEVALA
The Kaleva/a , an epic poem, is based on the traditional oral
poetry of eastern Finland and is the national epic of the country.
It tells of the creation of the world , and about r ivalries be tween
the coumry of the Finnish people (Kaleva Ia) and the Northland
(Pohjola). It also describes how three Finnish heroes-V:hnam6inen,
Ilmarinen, and Lenuninkainen- woo the piincess of the Northland.
~
z w:lS a master craftsman. to make the sampo
forhirn _Af1 eralorofh3rdwork.llrnarinen
r m~rugedtoforgerhesampo. Hewas!hen:lsked
t toperformsomemoretasks,includingploughingafield
0
z full of vipers. When he succeeded, he was allowed to marry
Louhi'sdaughter_VAinlmOinenludforgouenthatitwasrhe
maker of the sampo who would win the hand of the Maid
oftheNorth,sohewasdisappoimedinloveoncemore. ))
..,,~1~!
KEY CIIARACTERS
n.. li:altva)a !sa c:olk:<:1ion of m.;~,ny Aru11sh ~nds "ith "'"""'lcharacttrs. Among
r----------.~----~ -,
thtst.VJ.i!tlm6intnlsprucourhrougllout.audatth.tndhtka""sbdtindth..
kantdc.hismusical!tl!lnmw:m.nasymbolofoontinuingFinnishcultu"'.His
brothtr.llmarinrn.isablack.!mnh-torn"'r. l..ttmnlnk.lirw:nlsthcpowt~ui<:ksl:cr
fi&U"'-Hism;~nys..xuol•nrou"''rsinhbqut$1ioraw•f•ar.:t)'Picoloftrid<su:IS
In m)11l Bu1 h. Is abo bno'~ •oousf! 10 •uh tht L'n.d..rworld to kill tht Swan of
Tuone~lnabidw"inLDuhl~cbughttr.
. .........
!NoiU.....-.Ialblltl
plouojllaW<Iol....,tJIIrlo
Maodol ... ltwlllllelpl; .....
••laSl!Jr .......... 10iolvf
............... llld ... llll
Ollgi(IOtoMJillll•"""tJ
_____ ,.' ~
TilE FINN ISII CREATION STO RY
Whik LuaulOUnoas no..unglutht oo:>!.m_ ~duck sw.un by mel bid htr~on
luolmou.~ lmtt. which w·.u ~ckmg<M ohhc w•tcr. Then tilt bini sctdtddov.-n
to hatch thtm Whtn luoou,..t..r mcwtd the duck ,.·.. s frlglnmcd and 1\ev.· off.
Thc~roUtd•w•y .. Klbrokt.OIKlfromthcmlhc"'Orld•••••=•"'d.Or..lulf
ofthtshcllsfu.. dtogtthutom.&kcuplhcskyaudfromthtmhtrhalfthcLond
101
~~=~~
RECLAIMING T11E SAM PO
llmarinenandl.ouhi'sdaughterdidnotstaytogethcrforlong.
CWJpaniooshOOto
The MaidoftheNorthu"J.,;killedsoonafterthcmarriage 'vhtolt"""'t"'"'IOO"
~.':':.t~~'":i
becausrshehadill-trtatedamagiciJncalled Kulletvo
(St"e opposite). llmarinen wam~.J to tnar~y Lou hi's other
a IJ'Ijilnti~ totd
daughter,butlouhirefuseJ.Sollmarinenret.urnedto
FinlandandthepeopleofNorthlandkeptthesampo.
Vlin:l.mOin~HJ !td llmarinenthoughtitwasuulairthat
Louhi and her Peorl~ had kept the Slrnpo and the riches it
provided. They decided that ifthey c~uld not find a"''ife in
Northland, at lea>ttheycouldensureprosperit}"fortheir
homelandbystealingthesampoback.Sothetwobrother's
set sail for the North, taking u'ith them Lemmink~inen. the waskilledthere,butrest ore dtolifebyhismOiher. Now he
ad,·emurerandtrickster. LernminkJ.inenhadoncegoneto sought re,·engeJgalnSI Louhi. During theirvoyagethe three
Pohjolatowoooneoflouhi"sdaughters.andtherehehad heroescaughtafishand V;iin~rnOinen rnadeJbmele,a
beettgivensometaskstoaccomplish.Oneo[thesewasto magical harp-like mttskal instrument. [rom its backbone. It
kill the Swan of Tuonda in the Underworld: lernmink.1inen hadthepowertocharmitslislenersandputthemtosleep
When they arrived in the Nonhbnd, Vlitl!!mDinen pbred
atuneonthebmeleandlulledl.ouhiandherfollowersintoa
deep sleep. Thentheysoongotholdofthe&tmpoandsetsail
for home. Unfortunately, just then Lemmink.,inen began to
singaloudandttiumphantsongtha~wokeuplouhiandher
people. Enraged. louhi>entStormstowrecktheirboatand
transforrnedherselfintoamonstrousbirdofpreytopursue
them_ In the tumult. the sampo was broken into many pie.:es
sorneofwhichsanktotheboltomofthesea
VMn~mDinen gathered as many of t he pieces of the
sampoashecould. Althoughheandhisbrotherrealized
thatrheywouldnever beable torecreateit,theyfeltthat
evenitsrnagicalpJrtsmightbringprosperitytotheir
country. Vilinilml\inenbequeathedthesefragmentstothe
• Th• tartj-o"'"Of Finnish people. Bynowaveryoldman.herealizedhis
JOO..,..,suggoststhat~ltni!mOioon"•la>lioor""'!' i naboa!.
b;M)IIirvupi:!IOsmbal'wnl... toa'ond olhallw.)y landbolwooo powerswere\\"J.ning.Hesailedau"J.yfromthislife,butit
lhebuhl>ll<lt,..,ll;y. ..,..-.ildlOO.,..onadayrtllton issaidthathewillreturnwheneverhispeopleneedhim
-·-· · - - - - - - - - - - - - --1,- - - - - - - -
FINNISII 1'.'ATURE SPIR ITS
l(Y) naturespirtt.ah.tl"\·estgodwhopresidedover
fields and meadows. =· =~
tha ll<!9$oiForilandgrw<
:!
THE TALE OF MARJATTA THE CURSE
Attheendof theKalerala,the&oryofMarjattais OF KULLERVO
told.MJ.tjatu,a,'irgin,becameprtgnantaftereating•
berryandga,·ebitthtoason.Si,..,.,thechildhad~n
A. B1rM1
lhofmo.lhwordi(JI;ury,margo<
sorr»laok>MaotatlaandM:lna.lnlhe
Ka/evala.tOOI:enyc:albk>Ma<l3t!a
plwdingwtth .... l<lplud•t
1 TUO NELA
! TI~e Finnish Underworld. or Tuonela, was !he realm of Tuoniand Tuone!ar_ll was
aplattofdarknessandsilence.sutmual<kdbydensethickets,""'pforests.and
ad.. rk,icyriver. The,.. defencesmadtitdifficulttoescapefromTuonela ,and
most oftllose who en~ red here were eaten by a motJStercalled Sunna . Any soul
thatsurvi,·tdwasgi,•enthebeerofobli\'ion,which=dethem
lorgettwl)1hingobouttheirlileonE.on h..Theonlymonalto
,;s;rTuonelawasl<'rnminkl.inen.Th-re,lll'
waskllledbyaw,ucrsn•ke.andtorn
•opil:cesbyoncofTuoniSchlldren
103
' ·•'
_'if:'......~--~ .'....:\·
TALES OF HEROISM
·AND CHIVALRY
The period lhat followed the decline of popular, and sword-wielding heroes-men
the Roman Empire (from the 5th century who were strong, proud, and brave, and who
onwards) was a rich time for myths and somelimes had to deal with supernatural foes
legends in Europe. As new rulers began to - feature in many of these s tories. There were
expand their territories by conques t, tales heroines 100, who often struggled 10 make
of military heroism and chivalry became their mark in a world dominated by men.
-- -------------A,--
.. Gtimrhogiom
Manyleo.podsollbtfon[uropo
$p00~ ol g.ants 1....., p.l.J). who
a<ell$0fii ~(OOI$0111a,, (IODg,3nd
warlil:e.butnottoo•ueligeoL
lliamch""9"11"'1G•~rr~ ma
lonQdl.....,..,.t,.l~tbekw"
~
z
mnglheg.ant,.,rhhi$.1'M.lr<l.
r
t
0
z
.A. B•oadowoub
AII'I(D)lhe""""",...,.,...oo"'£,.""'~Ul1th9 5r1
Cllii1Uiyoow.rdo-""""<Jb!oadsv.udo.US~Jafvootd >n
IIWhandskl rmbl..,...,.Jul&lasll>ngstrol:aoKlh:lltle
Til E DEATII Of IIADU BRAND
Dktrich had to fig!n Odoocer. the ruler of July. to win
hiskingdom.lkfoK!I~I:xmle,somo.:soldietsfrom
Odoaccr's army challtngcd a few of OW,tnch's men 10
single comOOI: oor such challenW' w~ i!f>utd to D~trich~
warrior. Htldebr:<nd. b)' a )'Oung followu of Odoacrr.
When lhldebr.md que!>li,.)ncd h1:1 cha!kngcr. n l:«ame
ckartlutthcyoungrn:mwJ)iflfXt Hildebr:<nd's
long-lost son. 1!3dubr:md.whom Htklebr.l.ndhadoot
Sttnsinccht "J>.abab)~Butlladubrandh.'l<i~ntOld
th.:lthiSfathtrwasdeadandrtfuscdtobclie'~th:u he 6- THS.tri. .I I!Mc••..
wasah\'c,cvenwhcnlhldcbr:mdoffertdhissonagokl Al..-lpdooogtdiOd.aloaMbotdollthe~P'asa ...
ktogMIIobM...,...-Ihelp(,.._.~.Mid
ring from tht family's trta..u~. Fmally, tl~ir tem~rs l<ldelerat . . ....,_bul_100lall10-llobM
rJi:.t:d,thetwommfought,atld
HadubrandwlSkillcd.
ROLAND AND O LI VE R
ErnpcrorCharlemag~rultdovcrthrFrankish
ki•~gdom.inEuropcinthe8thJnde:ul)·9th
cemurie •. One ofhb kntghts, Roland, was
widelyknownforhbbnwerylnb:lttle.Once,
legendhasit,l~dueltdwtthanOtherknight
forfivedayl>wtthomknowinghisoppo~m·s
....
tl>lllf•,.
identuy:~finallyn::altzedl~v.~tsfightinghis
best friend. Oher, with whom
pcace.later.whcnltxhngtheTtargu.,rdoftl~
I~
- - - - - --"! --
GL:DRUN A:-ID I IER SU ITO RS
Gudnm v...s a t\cthcrbndish pn11<~""'· daughtu of Hetel
:md s~>o~H of Ort wm. She It fused two ~unors, Sirgfned
atKI llartmm, bu{ ~ {hird suttor. thr br~1·e knight Herwig,
g:uned her favor. WhenSicgfncd foundou{ahou{this.
hclaunchedanauxkonHer"'ig.and Ht{e]andOnwin
plllontheirarmorand rode to aid Herwiginb.:mlc.
Meanv.hile, Hartmut,oeeu~gth.1tbodtlusrivalsuitors
were occup ied in battle, rodetoHctcl'scastleand
:tbductedGudrun.lbrtmut and hisfatnil)• thc ntried{O
persuadeGudruntomarryhim.butthespirtted princess
stau ttehlyrefliSCd,sotheyforcedhertodommialwork.
WhenSiegfried cametoknow ofHanm utSintentions.he
made a truu with HeT\\·ig, and the thn::e knights-Hetel,
*··t
Herwig, ~nd S~gfried-h:mded together to n::scuc Gudrun. lO!:i
__,..,__ ~"\.
BEOWULF
The life of the hero Beowulf is depicted in the man with the strength and cou rage to defeat
great Anglo-Saxon poem of the same name, a the most teni.ble opponents. Beowulf goes on
work that champions the values of honor, to describe how the hero slays the monsters
valor, and fliendship. The poem begins with that terrorize the Danes. Later, he becomes the
the story of young Beowulf, a warrior of the Geatish king and enjoys a long reign before
Geats, a people from southern Sweden. He is a
--- _____________ _________________ _ , facing his final challenge and a heroic death.
~
z
~nd ruled his people for 50 years
.. n,....... n,....... l
The...,...terGtoodol"oltooJUUajedasahdeous
boosl thltt"""-'Jeilrryotlr!$0;"Wlr$h,;,:t,rnsl0an
underw.Jter la•andsuhsoq...,tlyloo;IOIIthem
107
LEGENDS OF THE RING
The stories of the Scandinavia n hero Sigurd (see pp.BS-89), were mortals. The ti ch scd es
("Siegfried" in later Gennan versions) involve of m rratives about the heroic deeds of Sigurd
adventure, warfare, and love, and characters as an d the tales of a magical ring
diverse as heroes, dwarfs, and shape-changers.
Sigurd was a part of the Volsung family, whose later artists, writers,
members, although related to the god Odin and composers.
- - - - - -,§,--- -----
Sigurdwasthcs.onofSigmund,aheroicfollowetand =~:-..~.:.:::
bothedrnfafnir"sblood.
descendant of Odin. WhenSigmund"<~Skilledinbaule,
()>lyone,...,..kspot
Odin smashed the dead hero's sword into fragments, but
theseweres:wedbySigrriund'swife, Hjordb, for her son. ==~;:f
Hjordlsrernarried,andSigurdwasbrought upbyRegin.
a skilled but deviousbbcksrnith,whowasthebrother
ofrhedr:~gonEafulrandofashape-ehangercalledOtr
~
z
it. Loki returned
withthegoldand
langlL1geofthebirds,whowarnedhim t h:Jt Reginimended
tokillhim.SigurdcutoffRegin"sheadandco!lectedthe
treasure forhimself-~hisincludedt\ndvari'scursed ring,
whichhterbroughtgriefJ.ndm is-erytoSigurd. He fell in
r """ Hoordot gold love withlValkyrie(seep.99)named Brynhildandg:tl"e
t lhebo<l!dgw rOOd
herthering.l.ater,Grimhild.asorceress.g:t'·eSigurda
0 byAndvanmcl•dOO
z gOOlll~s.bloochao po~lon that made him forget about his betrothal and fall in
te<cs.-~ocoo. and love wirhGudrun , her daughter. Discoveringrheberrapl.
otheojewolry. all
ot~reCtshrghlyfll•l\ld
BrynhildhadSigurdkilled.butafterwardssherepented
bythoV i ko~s and threw herselfontoSigurd"s funeral pyre.
KEY CHARACTERS
Thechar.<Citr>inSigurdSstorywerefirsldescribedintheVoisung.:~
S<lg..,aNorse textfrom the lJtheentury.AGennanpoem,the
1\'ibdung;;niifd. which was written at around the same time or soon
OBJECTS OF POWER
Metalobjectssuchasjewelleryandweapom
w.rebe]i.,.·edtobemagicalintheancient
cultures of Europe. The sl<ili requiml tomah
0
aherwan:l>. retells the >1'>1)', dtanzjng the names of the d \.Ora<:ters :;u<;hobjeclsinvoh'«ltlltapp.rentlyma~l =="
tit( No~ dwarf Arld,·ari ~:>:comes Alberich: Regin becomes Mime: pro<:e.sesofsmehing,casrlng,andforgi"&- TI11:
J. Goldri og
Gudn.mbeoomes Kriemhild :andSigurd me~alworkerwasperc<:i\'fdtoh.avetlll:abihty lo ar~<o>nt[.,opo.mon
be<:omesSiegfried.Butthecharnctersretain <omakesubslatlccsch.ang~sh.apca<willas weoealllldy10-
theire<Stntialtraitsinbothversionsofthe mirarulou>lyasch.arauerssuchaslokiand lov..li'!MW(Jn'W)fl
ltwasaUJnolthew
legend-Sigurdisheroic,Reginissl<illed Otr_WI~~:tlarulergavea swordorortng<oa
po>NQ"and....a\!h
butenvious,andBI)1lhildisbeautiful follower,itwasregardedasagiflofimmense
andp.ssionate.Thecharactnsol>o <ignificancr.Tneownersofruchob;ecr<lrusted
maintaintheirlinkswiththe lm pb<illyintheirpowus.whkhenhaoced!l~~:ir
worldofthegods:Sigurd.sa
member of Odin~ family. and
Bl)11hildasoneoftheValkyrles
t
*10
• KingArtflur No modi ..•IEngliohmourch
Aldu.og h ..,.dDI:ea ~ ingojoa r liernmes,Arthu r iwoOO.t-l.....,aotheidoalnQiieva l
£110)1 i$11rnonard1>n:!waslreql.O)ndj!Qhayo0as«.ddrn~oootu me,asrn1hll 1 002
staolle<lgiaur<>PO"""'tatmby tOOOO!adV.rnrrao alti S1W~IiamM>rr,.(lQ3.4-!;6~
~~':';.. ::..~..
WESTERN EUROPE
<®>
The ancielll Celts were an early European people who had an influence on
mythology that lasted for hundreds of years. From their shadowy early deities
to their lat er tales of heroes, their myths still fa scinate people to this day.
'II'
ir~a~~~~~~~;~~. :og;:~;n:~r~;:~::~~~~r~!r~~~~~ ! ~~:~:~~~~h~~~~~s)'~;i: w~r;;e T~~:~.i:i~;~na~~ws
11
between rhe 5th cemury .a and rhe growth of Roman power I sorcery, of remarkable rransformmions. of f:tnt:Jsric giams.
in the Jrd century BO: . Ahhough there was no arrd of journeys imo an Otherworld. where
Celtic empire, there were Cdtic settlements in time stands still and people are perpetually
areasasbrapartasSpainandlUrkey,andat youthful. Thesestorieshavebeenmuchretold
many phces in between. But as the Roman over the centuries, and have inspiRd poetry in
EmpiR expanded, the Cdts were pushed out many \\'estem European languages
to theedgesofEurope,particularly tolreland,
Wales,Scotland,andpansof westernFrance ~RTHUR I ~ N LEGEND S
Theseareasare theheanlandsoftheearly Anothergroup ofrnythsappeare d for thefirst
Cehicmythologyth:uluscomedowntous time in the Midd le Ages. Tl~eseconccrn King
throughthecemuries Anhur,alegendarykingo!Britainwhomay
h.webeenbasedonareal5thor6th-<entury
CELT IC MYTHS kingorchieftain,althoughtheevidenceis
TheearlyCe ltsd idnot leavewrinenrecords A Bryn C.IIi Dduburiol 1iW >eanty. Beginningwit hGeoffreyofMonmourh
TheirRornanconquerorsdescribedthemas Anc.entbw ialroour.ts lrblttw•oneontba
(d . l155).anurnberofwriterssetdown the
t.laoiM)Iewrlc200:1 o:E]...,.atOOuojlt
beingwarlikeandba rbarous,thoughthiswas deedsofKingAnhurandhisfollowers. Thes-e
tobaiRII}ICal.310;!1heil(i<1\r.lllee$-
probabl)•ahighlybiasedview. The Romans t,.$<11111l<>S~tl:lway$10\baOiha<w<Jrid
did,however,recordacutainamountof
informationaboutearlyCehicdeities. Archaeological remains betrayedbyhisrelative,Mordred.Furtherelemems--the
fromthistime---i ncludingsitessuchasburial mounds, roundtable and itsknights,thesearchfortheHolyGmit
aroundwhichlocal legendsh a'·egrown-h.1\'eaddedtoour andsubplotsabouttheking'svarious followers-were
knowledgeoftheseelusi\'Cancientpeopleand theirbeliefs. addedtobterversionsof theArthurbnlegends.
Muchlater.betweenthe llt h and lith centuries, a few During theMiddleAges,poetsandprosewritersbothin
monks in \\'ales and Ireland wrote down what they knew of Brit ainandabroadbecamef3SCinatedwiththestoriesof King
thestoriesoftheCehs. TI~esetale~ftl~el rishgods,oflrish An hur and his $50Cimes, or the "Mat ter of Briuin" as these
l~eroessuchasFinnandCt\chulain.and of\\'elshm)'lhs legendsbecamecollecti,·elyknown.Writers fromtheFrench
poet Chretien de Troyes to the English prose writer Thomas
Malory were famous for record ing-and also adding to--the
storiesofAnhur.as wellasotherralesofchinlry.lnrhe
z
process, t hevariousk nightsofthe Roun d Table3Cquired
stories thm somet imes became more impon11m tlun those of c
King Anhur himself. Sir Gau':lin, who behe~ds a mysterious
GreenKnight,andSirl;mcelot,whobecomes theloverof
An hur"s queen, Guinevere, are well -known ex..1mples
~
Centurieslmer.peopleallovertheworldarestillreading 113
'"ersionsof thesestorieswithgreat f:l5Cination.
MYTHS OF THE
·ANCIENT CELTS
The territory of the ancient Ccilic people si tes show that they worshipped many
stretched from Britain , across France and diffcre111 gods and goddesses. The Romans ,
Germany, to Cent ral Europe. Although who eventually conquered most of their
they were not literate to begin with, these lands, left descriptions of some of the Celtic
people had a highly developed culture , and deities and religious rituals, and identified
excavations of their graves and religious many of those deities with their own .
- - - - - - - - - - - - ®> - -
~
homs (and somet imes the hOO\-es and ears) of a Slag. lie is usually shown with long
h.lirandabeard,oftenwearinganeck-ring,orton:,whichistheCelticsignofnoble
binh.c.ernunnos>errnstohan-beenwidelyworshippedinC.etti<: o
z Europe.andwJSprobablya"wild"godliketheCL-lssicalP:m(su
pp.86---8/). Hishornssuggest tlwhe " "a>adeityoffert ility,and
toemph.1Siz.ethispomt,hewasassociatedwithS}l!lbolssuchas
thecornucop1:1(hornofplemy),withfruit.andwithcomainers
ofgram.ThtsfunctwnprobablyeocompassedbothseXUJ.l
fenilityandthefecundityofthefields
THE TI-I UN DERER GOD OF FIRE AND LIG I IT
Tar::miswasahkygodandam:Jjordei!yinCeltic Belenus.alsoknownas&lor&lus,wa:;aCehicgodoflight
Britain:hc"'asapparentlymuchworshipped andtheSun.AIIhisnamesinclude~nelementmeaningeither
when the Romaflsinvaded the island in the "bright·or·shining."Awidelyworshippeddeity:~erossrnuch
lstcenturycE.llUinwritersdescribedhimas of Europe, llelenus ~~~d shrines thai were located <IS far apart as
agod ofwarandlikened him to jupiter: the Brit:~in, Ausui:l, and l1::dy &ing 3SS<X:iJ.ted wi1h healing !lS well
common amibute between Taranis and Jupiter ::tSthesun.BelenusisalsobelievedtobeJheCehicequivalent
beingthe controlofthunder. TheCehsalsohad ofApollo(seepp.28-29). Asv.ithApollo,someofBelenus's
ask)·godwhowasrepreseruedbyawheelor shrinesv.erebuilt nearsprings , whereworshipperswentto
discandwhogo1·ernedthesun.Sometimes,this drink water in the hope of a cure. The springtime fe~st of
wheelgodihequated\.\ithTar:mis.TheRomans <~ne in Celtic Brir~in , during which
observedthatworshtppersofTaraniscomprised fireswere lirromarkrhelengthening
acruelcult.TheCeltsmades.1CrificeswTaranis, ofthed~ysand rhebenerweather,
withtheofferingssornetimesincludinghumans m~yha,·ebeenlinkedwiththe
whowereburned:..liveinwoodenboatsorleftto worshipof&lenus.
drown in bogs. This form of worship may confirm
thatTar:mis,althoughaskygod.was
relatedtotheRomano-Celticgod
DisPater.an Underworlddeity.
I Tha iOOSSIJHOUodir1JilalenU>.. haOO
<mydepo:tthewarm.{lio'Mngr"''•of
~!Jhtemanatmg hl)fl1 thasun gold
~~~=w-Jthe
'"l lighlninlloltllo godo
lhaCaltsC<'lll$l<lc<odtl!underard
l•ghtn•ngt>bo....oonceollhe 1110olgodda:!5e:!CO!tyiii'J
SU!J31natori!lac1Miyol!hegod>. ....keuNtpoJbahiyC<W~lai<oOO
and~eatod plaoosstndtr; tr ii \SOI~,rC~W(<Of)Otrng
11!.-i
lqhlnmg:»sacrodSpW L-----~----~· tha~ ol the~~
THE ULSTER CYCLE
One of the most famous and compelling Irish glared and his voice roared , and his spear
myths involves the deeds of the men of was considered to be almost invincibl e. His
Ulster, in Northern Ireland . The grea t hero story includes a remarkable chil dhood , a
of the Ulster Cycle of myths is Cllchulain, long period at war with Ulster's rival Irish
a fearl ess warrior. He was known for his kingdom Connaught involving dramatic
terri fying battle frenzy, when his eyes single combats, and a heroic death.
- - - - - - - - - - ----@ ---
THE MYTH
KingConchoba.rofU!sterhadarctinueofl50boyswho
were training to be warTiors. His nephew, CUchulain, \\:lnted
tobea'partofthebnd,buttiiO"boySntothertnsbtedtlw
hewJStooyoung.Angryatbeing leftout,CUchulainsetoff
tojointheotherboys,buttheyridiculed -himfOrbeingtoo
,;mall,andattJck~dhinl.CUChulainweruberserk-:-hishead
grewsohottktt2redglowsUrrounded1t.andhebepnto
snarl fierce ly Hisattackersr:mav.-ay,q©kingwithfe:Jr. Sgatlu.WhenCilchulainreturned.ForgJIIbarred
ConchObm was impressed wi!lt his yoUng nephew"s power, himfromcnteringhisfortress,butthe"-arriorsca\ed
andherecruitedtheboyintohisserviceatotlce. •hewallsandcarriedEmeraway.
Asayoungman,CUChu lainwooed Emer,consideredto
be the mostbeaut ifulwotnaninlreland . But Emer"sbther. ClJCHULAIN AT WA R
Forgall,didnotapproveofthematch:hewamedsomeone Queen ~!aeve of Connaught. owned a great white-horned bull,
beuerforhisdaugh(er.Forgall whichwasoneofhe.rm=prizedpossessions.Oneday,it
persuadedConchobar deftctedto theherdofherhusba.nd, KingAilill.soshestole
tosendCUchulainto - theBrownBullofCooley, oneofthefinestcreaturesinUlster.
Sco!land to sJUd)· The men oi Ulster wanted to retalirue but they were suffering
the an of war from from an atJCient curse that made them tll at times of difficulty.
a famous warrior- Only Co.\chulain remained immune to the curse due to his
woman called divinebinh:hisfatherwasthesungodlugh. He took on
sorneofConnaughtSbeSl\\';lfTiOrsinsinglecomOOt,andthey
fellonebyone . Thenheclimbedimohischnriotnndr:m
amokamongtherestoftherivalarmy,killingmanyothers
~
Queen~1aevecontinuedtosendreinforcemems,includmg
CUchul:l.inSfriend,Ferdi:l.d,whowJSfightingonherside. The
heroprepredforbattleapin,butthistimethesignswere
z ominous. His"ineturnedtobloodandhesawagirlweeping
:md w:oshing bloodstained clothes. Cildllllain knew then that
hisdeatllv.-asimminent,buthekilledmanyoftheenemy,
mcludingFerdiad.untilaspearpiercedhisbodylledragged
himselftoastandingstoneandboundhimselfto it,sothathe
llG would die on his feet. A crow-----said to be Morrigan, the death
goddess(seep.J75}-bndedonhtsshoulder,andhedied
ORIGINS OF CUCHUL\ li'FS NAME
Originally named Sedanta. CUchulain was the SOitof • morul woman, Deichtine
andthelrtshsungocllugh.Whilestillaboy,Conchob•rinvitedhimtoa
f.ast held by a blacksmith n•med Cul•tm. He orrh·ed late, and when Cul•1m~
guarddoganockedhim,hekill edltwithhisb•rehands. Toplacotethe
blacksmith.•heboyofferedtoa<:tas.aguardumil Culann couldbreed
anotho:rdog. Thus,hewasgiw:ndtttl:ltni:CU::hulain,"lhl:h<l<.tndofCulmn•
~ lugh. lhoo u o god
Choeto;41heklshgo<b,CUctdaon"•-
wasaiJ""'w•nn.andsblledin t001ftslla
111"'l h 1SWOOISU(flgthand~10~1011
()
/J.<~~OL...;'- <II F.rgusm.cRiiic h
TOOI)IOOtUisterwarri<ff«gus
IRill:"'-'"<lowas....,tbr~
I:JSwda,.Jto...,.tllerrchland
2
lb:tsehorm. &rtholtkrr9JdM
'*'Jtarl>li::>Corm.o;jht wtroo!OO
10
Klf"9o!IJI$bt(ldlb:tse~
-~-
"'¥",,,,
.'.'(\"
THE FENIAN CYCLE
There is a large body of Irish myths that deals with the great hero Finn
mac Cool and his followers, the Fian. These myths make up the so-called
Fenian Cycle of s10ries . Finn was a warrior, hunter, and, accord ing to
many accounts, a prophet who could sec into the future. He stood up
for Ireland against the country's enemies and such is his power that
he is sometimes identified with the ancient Celtic god Lugh.
-- ~-------~----<!!>
THE 1V\YTH
Finnxquircd hisgreatwisdominhisear!yyouth,when
hew:~>called Demlme. He met a pbet and druid called
Finnt&Seer.andstudiedunderhimforawhik:.Oneday,
thepoetc:lughttheSalmonofKnowledgeafterrearsof
tryittg,and:~SkedDemlmetocooktheftshfor'him.butnot
lO eat any of ir hin\self. Demhne did a~ he was instructed.
but he buruedttimsdfwhile"cooking tht> n~h and, In an
instinctiveaction,pmhisstingingthumbinhismouth, He
rebtedlo FinntheSeerwh.11 h:ld l~tppened,and the poet
toldhim thathewasdest inedtoeatthefishandthatfrom
thenonh~wouldbecalled Finn. btingtheSJ.hnonga,·e
Finndeepknowledgeandthepowerofprophecr ltwa:;
s:J id tim he was able 10 cot~ure the wisdom of the s.1lmon
henceforthmerelyb)•suckinghisthumb.
H IE Dl:Ff:NDER OF IRELAND
Finngrewuptobeanoutsiandingathlete,lmnter.and
warrior---combine.dwithhisgiflofknowledge.these FI NN'S LAT ER LIFE
abilities g.we him unique power. He did much good in the finn was in love with Grainne, a much younger wom~n.
coumryside,cuuingmoumainpasses who had been prom ised to him in marriage. However.
withhispowerful sword:mdslaying Grainne did not want to marry an older man. She was
serpents. Henotonlyrepulsedmany deeply in love with a young man named Ohrmaid, one
peoplewhotriedtoim•adelrelandbutalso ofFinn'sfollowers.SheputaspellonDbrmaidtomake
~
defeatedsomesupern:llural opponems.li ke himiO\'eher. Thepairelopedand livedtogetherforawhi\e
Aillenmac:>lidgru.amalevolem happtlyumi!Diarmaidwaskilledbyaboar.
fire-breathing musician Finn'sbteradventureseitherin,·olvedhisprowessasa
z fromthe"Otherworld"
~~;:::::.mated
Wlthdilerllohimsoti""-'J
ass•rTlltheloomolastag,
118 an<lhl!..,lo,Sadbh,,arneto
lummtheshapao!adoe
MAGICAL WORLDS
Ancient Celtic literature abounds with stories telescopes in their world so that hundreds of
of people visiting magical worlds that are human years pass by quickly, unnoticed by
separate from bm close to our own. The denizens the visiting mortals . But, although life in the
of such Otherworlds do not age, and live a Oliterworld is tranquil and idyllic , visitors
pleasam life, free of pain and despair. Time generally feel a fatal longing to return home.
-- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - @ - - --- ---- - - - - - - - -
TilE LAND O r
TJ-JEYO U1\JG
Oi>lnwasthe famoussono[Fiun mac
Coo l (sapp./18-19)andoneoftheFian,a
groupo{ w;m iors whofouglu for Ireland
Once, whenhunting,hemetabeauhful
woman called Niamh Chinn 6ir (Niamh
oftheGoldenHair),ridinga w·hitehorse
NllmhprofessedherlovetoOislnand:lSked
him 10 :¥:compny hn to Tir rn nOg, the
-LandoftheYoung,"ofwhichshe w3squeen
On the way to th<s magical world. Oisl tl
killed a gbllt,andhavingshownhisbra,·ery,
\vasgi,·cnNimnhashisbride.lhecouple
livedhappilyforcenturies,butOisfrt
~-ventual l ygrewhomesickand decided
to,·isit Ireland _ He discovered that much
had changed since his departure . Niamh
had warnedOisfnnottodismountfrom
hishorse inlrd:md,butheforgot whenhe
s:<wsome men needinghelptolifta
boulder. Assoonashis feettouched
theground,hebecarneol d andd ied.
U[Al$0-'"'-t<:l'~41 · 4!t;liH1.JI..Jlnl-l1
THE MABINOGI
The four branches, or parts, of the Mabinogi "Otherworld ~ ; the children of the sea god Uyr,
(often called the Mabinogion) comprise a Bran and Mananwydan; and other stories,
rich treasury of Welsh myths and legends about including that of Blodeuwedd. Some of the
early Celtic deities and heroes. These tales characters, such as Briin, developed funher in
were first written down in the 12th century. the retelling of stories beyond the Mabinogi
The four branches deal with: the adventures of Christian writers called him "Bn'in the Blessed~
Pwyll, prince ofDyfcd, especially his visit to the and said that he brought Christianity to Wales.
- ·-· · - - - - - - - - - - - - @ -- - · · · · - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'f Biodouwt<ld
l heMmaB~--~ Iao:e·
J. Brintho Qiont
Asabng.Br!inwaskn::wnt>b&a
goantol~~str(llg'4l.Ha
~•""'l"""ca~oothat
coo\J.....,ri"'OOad:"'""tuall\tn
~0110 l hao:.rl$ ol tha~l!h
• C..t.I!DinuBnon
it.)seiU ... IOU;In(jollen,N(wllrWala!,
IICM'"""!''n1r111JIOJU$lal\lw$10n0$and
... thworb.Willabei.......Jtob&thahoma
olthell'onlblll),llr!n
.. KingAnhur
TilE M YTII Thanl)'th(alr~tlll$dopc!Odas
~:~~~~~:.~~--:1;:::
Anhurw':IStheil!egnimatesonofKingUtherPendragonof
Britain and Queen Ygem of Cornwall. Hence he""" brought
Ideal ~;ng wbo JWo.ided ""'' a
up in >ecret. aw'a)' from hb parems. However, Uther gave ~Or)So!d'lrlralry
Arthur J dunce to become his heir. The king-embedded a
swordinablockofstoneanddeclared!lmwhomeverpul\ed
itoutwouldrightfltl!ybecome.thefuturel\ingofBritam onlyGalahad, Perceval,
Many knights tried torecoverthesword but failed, un~tl andBorssucceededin
omdayAtthurarrivedandremovedlte:lSily. Later, when completing the quest
the sword was dama)l;ed in a duel, Arthur was given a new /1ccon:lingtosomev~rsions
sword-the mythical "Excalibur"-by the "Lady of the oftheSiory,theyeverutL'Illy
Lake,"afigmeshroudedinmystel)'intheAnhuri:mlegend~ foundthi'llol)•Grail
andtookittothecU)'
HI!: KING AND I l lS KNIGHTS of)e!US-11em
Arthur wa:, an honomble king who ruled wisely He was
deepl)•in]o,·ewiththebeautifulGuinevere,whomhetookfor ARTHUR ' S DEATtl
his queen. He had many bmve knights :IS his followers. and Meanwhile, problems were brewing at Camel01. One of
theydiscussedmauersofstatesittingtogetheraroundthe Anhur'snusted knights, Lancelot.fellinlovewithQueen
_ JarnousRoundTableinthecast leatCarnel01 GuitJel"ere.andrheyhadssecretaffair. WhenAnhurfound
om,hebartishedlancelOI.whowasalsohisdearest friend
Subsequemly,ArthurSson,Mordred,decidedtochallenge
~
hisfatherforcontrolofthekingdom . ManywaniorsonbOih
sides perished in the fierce OO.tt le: ~hose left alive included
most important Christian King Arthur and Mordred.whocontinuedtofighteach
z relicsinhiswry. Howe,·er, otherrelentlessly.Anhurfinallyk i lledhistre:~cherousson,
butwashimselfgr:wel)'II'Ounded. Know i ngth:~t he was
<OI Thoowordinthortllno nearingdeath,Arthurs:UiedtoaplacecalledAvalon(the
M ioghli'Mlldoutolhlltn:l -isbndofapples"),wherehefell intoalong,death-likesleep
-.ana_.rty~ra!l It was believed th:lt Arthur would return 10 rule once again
i).tva~coold........:l,and......,
10£ /ollu.W~.!JOCillo-e<QMrt;(ld
llhenBritainwasindiretroubleandinneedofagreatleader.
lllathawastheng l• tt•tblll'j Thus,hecarnetobekno"nasthe"OnceandFumreKing."
KEY CI IARACTERS Til E KNIGIITS
M>.nydtl.ruttrsano: lnvoh'«<lo th<: Anhurlanl~g.nd~~ '" TI..Knighl5ofthrRoundTablt\l'tn:
forusofgood whiltOihcrsbringaboutthtO.snuctionofAnhur\i chi•·alrousmtn.n..y,,,.,no:fairlnthtir
roun at Camtlot Btl:IOO most oft!~e k1~glus(sn: rij#). a key figuno: dtalings\Oithothtrs.murtto~,~;to
on thor skit of good Is Mtrlin- "i=d. prophtt..d Arthur'$ mernor. womm, and hdpful w l""'f'f~ lnl'ftd
FLo,.·((lchoflloCttrslncludtU.t~lot.achi•·almu!lknight"ithotl(
serious moral dd«<-hls """' for Qu<m c.;.w......,..,_ Wl<do! abo~ l.oib
Arrhurbeo:~~lwmh·.swolattll>hdpthtkinginhbb.otm,,.;tb
PERCEVA L
A)'<)llngm.>nofnoblo!obinh.~rtt"o'albtc•.mraknlght:dttrpltl'l·ing
hi$wonhatKlngAnhurlcoon Th.Gr>Oilkgtr>dsponr.~.ytdhim
asr.nhtrrw\l:.a"'puno:fool."h"·u!hispunty_..,."t''tr.tlu.trnadt J. G.a.lood
lho_oi.._..._Galalad ............ pnllloeolrt
him"vnhyofll>tGratlandhtlp«<lllmrt:SiJ.Ithoescductionof
.... _golr-throlllodoog .. Gnoil,ol. . . . . . flll'll
Kundry.om)..Urious6gurrlt1UI<Idistr.octhunfromthtGullqUdl. -loogllld_.,,ondho.-cl..,.,..t_.
1-JJHtoryirupim!Richard\\•gurril
"P""'I\"''""-"t.."'hthralstht
mo!UI"·oW>dsofAmlonu.thr
1?7
SEE.I.LS0~18-tt,4l-•1t(M«o.ll'll\l!o'lf>.t._.1!!Htlfil~ ···t
...,.,..,_ ~"\.
• Thsedue1iwoopiritJofloknoed01,. . . o
130 \Mlf{lroprrte~..wNJwore.,.d"J>rohabor•,_"ndlol:eoorCeoual["'~·wore
lan~CJUSie>-M"'l$<l<l.ociMlfrswoorroosocmanai"""'IIOh•e u rrwaryp<t<>OO•·t,.
such .. tt.a.epretlyyoo"')l>'l'"'"'grrl&. in toiOO"undetwaterl ..
CENTRAL AND
EASTERN EUROPE
Central and Eastern Europe is home to a fascina ting blend of myths and
folk tales that reflect both the area's rich natural environment and its
diverse heri tage of belief systems, from animistic to Christian .
RangingfromtheCzechRepublicinthe thewmer.Forestspiritsworkinasimibr
westtoRussbintheeast,Centraland •vay.leadingpeopleastmysotlwthey
EasternEuropeisaregionofvaried become lOS!amongthetrtts.
peoplesandtraditions.Manyofthe
peoplelivinginthewesternpanof MALIGN BE INGS
theareasee theirrootsasCeltic,bm ThispanofEuropeisalsohometo
thedominammythologyoftheregion ~hostofpowerfulandoftenmalign
belongswtheSbvs,whobetweenthe supernatural beings--notably witches.
5thand7 th et:muriesspread x;ro;;sEurope A. Ooeoratod[.,.tt r ... go werewokes. and VJmpires-dut h:we
fromthe ir ancestralhomeb nds inBulg:uia DocorabrJg"'l'J'"t EastoriSalladitlonal becomefamousfarfromtheirhomelands
'"'-"' lhaCroch~.loday.such
easternSio,·akia ,andneighboringterritories. oggosylli>:jrolhalleourrec1""'.bultho)y Thq•are~lsoseenasenemiesofthefaithtlut
sweptthroughtheSbvicworldinthe9thand
.. ealsofW&Cho iSI"" .,....,..o!"lbUih
EARLY SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY lOthcemuries,rumelyChristianity. Christian
The beliefs and mythsoftheearlySb,·scentredonnotions rnissionariesdisrnissedtheancientdeit iesa ndspirits,but
of good and evil ~nd the role of their ance&ors Hum~n life many Sbl's simply combined the old with the new : VJmpires
w:lsunderstoodtobeastrugglebetweenlightanddark,and may be thwarted by a Crucifix. and Easter is celebrated by
thedeadwereseenasspiritswholookedaftertheirbmilyS decor:Jtingeggs,pagansymbolsofrebirthandrenewal.
household_ These ancestors lived in the Ot herworld , but
couldbecontactedbypriestswhopbyedarolesimilarto
thatperformedbyshamans inothercultnres.
TheearlySbvsalsorecognizedagroupofdeit ies,most
of whompresidedovertheelementsandpansofthenatural
world. S,·arog,thernOSI powerfuldeil)',wasaskygodandgod
oflighL He lud two wns, D:uhbogand Svarozhich, who
go,·ernedthesunandfirerespecti,·ely.Perun,thethunder
god,andStribog,godofthe"inds,werealwprominent in the
Sb,·pamheon.Apair offenilitygoddesses,theRozhanitsy,
presidedoverthegrowingofcropsandtheharvest
lnadditiontothedeities,themythologyofO:: ntraland
EaslemEnropeisfnllofothersupern:uuralbeingswhoact
asspiritsofplacesof power. lnacountrysideofdark,andent
forests,deeplakes,andmanyrivers,itisnotsurprisingthat
nmnyofthesearespiritsofwoodsandw:uer.\Vatersprites J. S.dkoonthooho ,.ooflak• llmen
CO>ellui,..nlollc\akllal l oolapooo"""ta i iOOSadi:IJwh>piJIIQI~sgu•h<Wiyre,by
and simibrcrea!llres haunt bkes in numerous myths from lhal<tlaolataka.ThiS..,ploooad theSoaKlnglhat lhespmth(HpadSad\:IJwln3W!'(Iel
131
theregion.llleyared.<ngeroustotr:l\'elers,luringtheminto lhatthere'MlffiW.'MthgdrloolWlsk>bucauojlt in lhalal;e,..,rmbngSadlv<o:h.
KOSCHEI THE IMMORTAL
Koschei (Old Bones) is a familiar wicked because it is believed he is virtually impossible
character in Slavic myth and legend . Like to kill. One of the best-known stories abou t
Saba Yaga (see pp.134-35) , he is regarded as Koschei tells how he finall y meets his match
the personification of evil. This skeletal figure when he is confronted by a brave warrio r-
is much feared because of his habit of
abducting defenseless young girls, and
--- - - · - - - - - - - -
THE MYTH
Once.~handsomeyoung
----· queen who pursues him relentlessly in order
to rescue her kidnapped husband.
-- -
..,. Prine<ol•aoandKoochoi
"tlryaMorWn;~hOOmaro'lgOI.Ito
rostramKMChso.and"'li>:>JlloodOI
princecal\edlvanw:~Sriding wateohewas"""'-llutwhontvan
through the countryside when """'IIU 'J9111J'M'hlm""'tei!Odnrt.OO
roga,rllldllii$Ueng thandbroko lr(ltl
hecameuponhundredsof
corpsessnewnonab:ntlefidd.
Making inquiries. he \earned Howe,·er, M.irp Mort'"na's
that tht:sesoldiersbelonged siL1pt"-<:h,mgingbrothers--
totheannyof Koscheithe thefakon,theraven,aEtdthe
lnimorta!.whohadbeen eagle---,sprinkledthewater
defeatedandcapturedby tht: oflifeoverherdismembered
warrior-quttnMiryaMortvna. body:~.ndrevivedher. lnthe
Soonlva n cameacrossthe meant ime. Koschei rode
queenherself,:mdthetwofell awaywithlvanouhis
inlove.The)'Weremarried lighming-faststeed.
andwenttoliveinMArya
~lortvna"s palace, but after RESCU ING IVAN
atimethequeenhadtoleavt MMyaMortvnaknewthm
forwaronceag;Jin. lleforeshe only one person possessed
departed,sheshmved lvana horsesbstenoughtocatch
lockeddoset inaroominthe upwithKoschei-MOO
palaa::,andtoldhimthathe YaglThequeenrushed to
wasnevertoopenit thewitch,whog.we hera
sorr)•-lookingcoh,whichhard ly
CAPTURED BY KOS CHEI seemeduptothetaskofpursuingKoschei.ButasMArya
After M~rya Mortvru had gone, h-:m could not resist looking Morevnarodethecreature,itmirnculously t urnedintoa
intl~d05et,sohefoundtl~keyandunlockedit.lnsidehe swifthorsethatsooncaught upwith thekidnappt"r
S..1Wawizenedoldmanduinedtoapos:t,beggingforw:uer. Grabbing Ivan. M.irya Mortvruturnedthehorseand
Feelingsorryforthen.un.!vang;Jvehimo;otnewmer. Aso;oon galloped off, with Koscheiinpursuit. They raced on
ashehaddrunkh isfill,theoldmanbrohhischainsand thronghtheforests.nntii Koschei"shorsestnmbledona
fle dt hepalace,taking!vanwithhitn stoneand t hrewitsridertotheground . Turning quickly.
When ~tJtya Mortvna found out what lud luppened. she li.IAryaMore\•ru tookherswordan.drnnitthroughKoschei
13) rodeouttorescueherhusOOnd,butKoscheiw:lSwailillgfor beforebuminghisbodytoberidofhimfore,u. Thenthe
herandcutherupintopiecesbeforeshecouldauackhim couplereturnedto theirplaceand ll\"edinpexethereaft er
KEY CHARACTERS
hlsbody.ltwashlddenloan,~lle , whlchwlspl.a«d
insideanegg.Titeeggwls lnsid<:aduek,whlehin
•umwasiosid<:ah.m:•ha! waskep• lnaookliron
d ...,>! . TI>ed>eSiwashidd<:nioaooaktt«tha•
grewonanisbnd.Thesel.aytrsofproteclion
ensuredi<DS<l"'i'simmortalil)"-forexample,ifthe
ltare~bodywasrutopen. thtduck\rouldflyawa}:
Butsomesaidthat iftheeggwasbrokenbycracking
itagain>II<DscheiShead,hewoulddie.Otherocrowns
c\almed Koschri~bodyltadtobe:bumedtonulykillhim
~:cu-R~~~~~~~ ~·
---- -~-;;;u:;~~~~~ -~ ~~~;:;;~,~;---·-
~~:·~e::f;:~,~:-~ :.;:•;:~:~~.:~n=~ . ! :;~·~:~~"~::;0~~ t~m;0:1:t~~;~~::;.·;~l~~:~: ,::~'-
the >lory. In a:no~>er version of the legend, ( and many Ru~ians did not realize what a rich tradition of
magic•\ ho,-,.,,1~ gO<:> to her house. On tl>e himguardllahaYag!i'•lt(>-"1' write the na.rrath·es down. 0... such coll«:tor of folklore was
way.heshow>kindnesstolbird,abee,and Ak>;anderAfanasiev(!826--7l).lli>largelybecauseofhisworl<
l liOt>ess. IUba Yog;l proml>es to ..:ward him -much of it done despite opposition from
i[he•endsher lmrsesforthreedtys. Hels tl>eRu~i.tnestablishmentfigures,
helpedinthistaskby thesamecreatureshe whodid notwanttopopulari:e
had met earlier. TI>enhesteals!UbaYag>'s whattheytenned "prirnitive"
rolt. rescuesMarya.andkillsKoS<hei.
t,..turedangOroos""""ts
andarob.upo-""t',frn!ly l3...~
t ul rrlt!\a tl r>qrn$~,0$ __
- - · - '- - - ' ontheta'ruabootMatya
SHAlSO-o..oySIH9, 1~1.116-11.111-19 • Wiomoo134-:ll ..
BAllA YAGA
The witch called B.1baYag.1wasdep~eted in stories :~Sa
wrink\oido\dwomansillingquietlyonawoodenbench
orkeepingwarmbyherstove. When traveling, she
wouldstepintoabrgcmonarand push herself through
theskywithapest\e,startingviolemstorms:>Sshef\ew
Shespeciallylookedoutforyoungchildren, whomshe
\ikedtocaptureandem.Somepeoplebe\ievedthatthe
witchcou\dturnpeopletostonewithhergaze,turning
thernOOckintoOeshatherhometofeedonthem . Rlba
Yag~ used the bones left over af1er her feedings 10 build
agruesomeandenchantedhouseforhe~\f.whichterrified
peopleformilesaround . henitsfencew:~Sdecorated
withtheskulls ofthechildrenshehadkil\ed,andshe
wouldlighttheseskullsuplikebnterns.
~
~
~
Ei .& Bab•V•Ijoi
l~wockedoldWikl""'"M"'"~nntaoand.,...tlek>
0
z tr....,. roltl(llooestwOO.e.lhov.wld-arr'I(I(IQihe tr001
,:( WIIIUIOJ IOarrt!mh """""'l'vi<ti0131hatwatb>J ~hot
g
z .,. RIIIu forwioh u
~ Sormlogenoi!oteat.rY"'))"'f tOOt
=~::::.:H::r!:
althouglrrnQI!\1\(Ir~W<rrnthat
otwa>S1inri>l:ytotrustthe'Mtd1
\'ASS I LI SA
,\\A RI ASSA
---··
Tl~erewlsonceay.>ungg~rlcalled\bl'l.l.',S;l.Wh05tStepm01lxr
-- ··- -------
stnthertoB.1baYag;.iwborrowancedleandtlnt:ld.luckily,
th~girlmnLIIlycalledonheraum. who told \!:uiao;.sahowto
~''<'idthejawsofMb:lYag.fsdogandho" totalktohercat
~bri:t»Sa;l'lkedthecatforaW:Jyomwhenthtwitchtriedto
imprison t hegirl,andittoldhertorunawaywithatowel
andacomb.Mari..,;aescaped,and"lll:nshl'he:trdrhewitch
approaching,shethrewdo"·nthe!Owd."hich!Urnedinto
an,·er,andtht:comb,whichbecamra
foreSt. thu~tr:tppingB.1baYag.1
j. BilooY"'IJiiC'-Ui09M•i•SN
llri'MIIilto::.e~· ... ....,
.... aodCIOIIIid ... IONiul . . . .
--~ .. eoltll""'-
MYTHS OF WOOD
AND WATER
The Slavic lands are full of dense forests and misty lakes ,
both natural and man-made. From earliest times these
places were believed to have their special spirits. Some
were threatening beings that embodied the anxiety of
travelers, who were fearful of getting lost in the
woods or drowning while crossing a lake. Even
country people, who knew the forests and lakes
of their region well , were wary of these spirits.
~- ~-------------·
RUSALKAS
Rusalk.1Swerealluringwaternymphsknownfortheir
I
beaut iful song. They probablyorigiroted :15 fenility
opirits,associatedwithp~nicular lakesln dwiththe
life-gi••ing power of wmer But the)' were lmer s.1id to
bethesoulsofchildrenwhohaddiedatayoungage,
or of women who had drowned themselws . Their song
luredpassers-byintothewater. Ontstorytoldhowa
Rusalbleftt ltewaterwhenshefellinlo\'eWithamortal
"'I AntoninD..,iik
JheCrnchoornpo.,u[NQI'<I k i i SI II ~)
WlO!eO!an't;)mOp(lOa,Ru.alka,ab;<J tlhe
rtymrtJwho lelt OOoh<metoramrta iM
\VATER SPIRITS
liketheRusalkas.watn~puit:;:Indtll)teSli~dinllkes
and.esprdally.nullpondst\lcgend[r,,mse>utheastern
Euro~tellsofarux who t~l~d:~monal.lllfrewasa
youngmill-handwholovl'dthenulkr~daughtnBut
themillerwamedlnslilughtertOIIUTT)'arichman
[r.,mthtlocalcastle.Ontday.tiJttWOJi\'alsfoughtand
tht mtll-hand "3» pw.hcd mw the mill pond. wlv-~ ht
wasfoundb)·amx.Tht:nnll-handemcmull!'dthenix ,..........."'
~ l H• i-•ISMikll
Sdo>imrylllllle~
onhtsviolm. Thttwogotonso"dlth:uwhentht
~-kl~·
~~""::... ®
rntll-handwasabouttolell'tthtwller.thefrYndly
mxgavchimamagic.tlnug.whichwouldgr.rntthe
118«--l'J:Q-· ~
wcartrthruw~hcs.Sothcrnill- ~'-l .... l:llt.
SADKO
A popttlar Slavic tn}1h tell~ofthr minstrel Sadkowho
w"a.>invitedbyaw.-uerspirit10pl1ylnhisp.tlace. The
spiritsdancedwSadko'smusicrillhegrewtirednnd
couldpbynornore.Awbcw:aterspititndvis!:dSadko
wswpthedanccbybre~kingtl~tsttingst:>flnslutc.
lfl~tdidthis, thes.e.t.godwouldoffuhim~wifcin
returnforhisplaying-buthemustchoostthellSI
ofthewornenoffuedwhun.~ndeventhenhe mUSt
· ~·
ne\'Crtouchher.SJdkodidasl~t"-.lStold,choosing
w....-.uolleotorll<l
..............
....... lhofK*I,..-.g
...-r......
t~last.wornanthe!itagodoffcredandlying:t.p;m
fromhuButatnight.histightfootoccidcn.,lly
touchedher.TohisatTJaZtrnem.Sadkowokeupalont
__.olc.pplluda
~ol..,.,_,, ... onthenverbank.tofindhcw~lan~otmlusrtghtfoot.
-klplouttht .... tl.
b)IH~"-tckedwtfebtca~~hewamedtomnrtynhandsome}O~"
&
manwtth"-hornshewasmlo1e Soonafterhtsdeath the
woman mamed her lo1er and they had alavtsh "eddtng ,.-" ~:o!'::Ocesolfuel...,
fe lSI At fir~l they liVed together happt l} Me~mwhr\e gr.:I$S ~ bukluliJIRllerlillloo the SliMe
grc"-0\Crthe"oodcutter~gr.t,e:t.nd.t.}OUllgookrreetook ~andW<.IO.>±•noroohon
root there \Vhenelefthe"om~np:tSSedthegra1 e a wood dove ~ ioguloontheotfl"fj1hlol tholouost
perchedrntheueecoocdather:t.ecu~lt\glyE:t.ehttmeshe ~
heard the "-OOd do\'C sl~t fdt n 11":1.> tl~t vo~ee of her murdered -~ J )"fll,
husband~eplytormentcd~l~tdro"nedl~trselfmthen'er ~ ~ ~.!!...._ B7
lnthislegend,the worldofanimalsandplam;;
isfullofsupen>atur•lpowers,whiehhaveo
majorinflue nceottthe way e,·entsrun>out
Foremost isthefirebi.n:litself, whichlets
p<Oarlsfallfromitsbeakandhasfeathers
thatglowlikefla.mes. nreapplesarealso
s..idtobespectal-theybringyouthand
strengrhtothose whoeattlJem ,so by
(lQll'lw.t>wrttrl'U
forlhtPartsbaotd
company.thf
BaUonsRu..;ses
andhruuglu thf
tr.odttk>Ral ~Low
l~ndbrl<m'a
gk>bala...Jlmr,
·-----·-
I
·----· --·-···---------
SLAVIC ANIMAL M'rTI-JS
nrefin:birdisOtJeof severalnt),hkalcn:atun:sin COCKEREL FROM
Slavicmytlt.ologr·thathaw:mir>eulousabilitiesor
that rtflecteithfrthfdangersof thfcoumrysideor THE TOP O F SP IR E,
th<rnysteriouspoweroftl>;,naturalworld. Traditional
Sla,ictalesincludemanylocallyfarniliarbirdsand
WATC HE S RO U 1\J D
FOR THE FIRE.
sltape-<:hanl'}ngwolves. anda IS THE DANGER
tpldencockerelthatcrowsto SEEN BY CI-IANCE,
want ~ kingofln\'asion
.
.
'.'( \ "
SLAVIC GODS OF POWER
The ancient Slavs, who lived in and around Syra Zemlya. The Slavs worshipped these gods
Russia , had numerous deities who ruled by giving them offerings and assigning special
with great power over the Earth. Their days to them, occasions that combined holiday
control extended all the way from the sky, with devotion. Although their myths were
where the thunder god Perun held sway, to orally transmitted , many of these powerful
deep down into the Earth, the domain of Mati stories survived the coming o f Chris tianity.
PER UN
PerunwasthegodoFthunderandlighming.Ahhoughhewasprimarily
a war god and his power was terrifying. he also represemed the forces
ofgood.Whenthesunwasthreatenedbystormcloudsthatconcealed
it intheirshadOY.'S,PerunsmashedJhemwilhhisJhunderboiJ,alloming
thesuntoreappearandensuringtttlt lifeonEarthcouldcominue
The Sbvs behe,·ed that hum~nity w:>.S const~ruly threatened by Veles.
the god of the Underworld. who was ~~W~}'S ste~ling c~nle, kidn~pping
people, or otherwise causing mischief. At such times. Perun would
Strikehimwithhisthunderboh,;;endingtheevilgodhurryinglx>ck
regions,someofthe3uribmes
ofPerunweretransferredtothe
prophetcalledlly3,orElijah
~~~=·!:~'==
ln"'"tiw10his......,.,...aodlosaagle,Poo'"' ThoS ... sr~lr..:IVales , drerpJQIU..
yt) was<W<Jcia100Wit h """'YOI~•Itrobu191;. """"".J l.indotw<Jrld.asadr"'J))IOI,..PI"I, who
:::;:~'!:':OO'":k'::~ tho)
tholl'IO$l111'f01Tant(llt:ho)seWil<et~$1(1(1(!(t!'ld I\KunWU$)'111bJOl\'<ltrjanf)a<Jklltia1Sal ln
rretalthatSiiMc""""'.,..j'"""'"'woa~ l~u~rrnstbranctJosoft~troo
------ - j!l;------- ------- --
*··t
1"-'IQ rl!WOOIIle
Q!W'Id.~ .. themountainandhelosthispower klOIMGinoo thoornl'lllotspmiiJ
11101,..,. ...... ~
SEEMSOSI:r-24-~11-11!>.1--"1.1~1-_~;Jll!ollol,lJIHI,1t<JI,ltll-ltlJW!J
....Jt..... ~"\.
WEST ASIA
$
West Asia was the site of some of the world's earliest cities, where riches from
agriculture and trade , and the development of \vtiting and organized religion,
produced flourishing cultures that recorded their many myths.
~
• Babylo.oiondoity
TilE MYTH Gula.lhegoddolssolmedic...,.was
lnthebeginningtherewereonlyApsu,<hegodofthe thedaughteroiAroulloll.-.....!1000
the~~OCII)Oolbl)undaoi(IS,.It..wu
fresh\\~aters,and Tbm:u,the goddessofthesah waters,
olleoc\aP<Iedooboundary-
andeveJythingwassilentaroundthe rf1. The pair came
togetherandproducedseveralgenerationso(deities,
cuhn in:llinginAnu,thegodoftheheavellS,and Ea,a wasabouttodoandkil!ed
cunn ing and reso<frcefulfigure whoe,'etHuallybecame him _ Then he set himself
thegodofboththeEanhandthe"'aters upa:.thegodofthewmers
HIE CRE~TION
Mardukg:uheredthefourwinds,commaHdedthemtoblow
throughTiamat"srnomhsosheinflatedlikeaballoon.and
then~licedherbodyopenwithanarrow.lbvingdefeated
Tianut. Marduk began to rule. He made the heavens from
onehalf ofTumatSbody,creatingrain cloudsfromhers:lli"a
ThenheusedtheOiherhalfofherbodytocreatetheEanh.
so thatherbre:~S~s ixl:arnemountains,m odthetworiversof
~!esopotamia, the Tigris and the Euphrates, flowed from her
eyes. Heorderedthebuild ingoffubylon.andcreatedthe
A lho Bobyloniont first m~n.Lullu, fromthebloodofKingu . Lullua nd his
TheJ19011h>ol8ai:¥0<lreliadO<lag<ituiU•eko"""'IOII,and
thaor<O<l!lionmythtebhow thefirotrrm.~Lullu
descendmusdugcamlstofertilizethelandaroundBabylon
ooogotedh~lield$$01halthe~oouldtaomlhedo'y l a<>:l toensurethatthehum.1ttr:lCecouldprosper
J.:i·.
CITIES OF IVORSHIP KEY CIIARACTERS
Asinallcuhurcs,u:l\gionw.scrudal <olhe Uktmanycreationmyths.E•um~Ehsilbegins"ilhapair
inhabitantsofearlyMcsopoumiancitiessuch olprtrnalckities,ApsuandTiamat ,wOOcreatese•·eral
asBaby\on,becauseit offelffithemaway generationsolgods.Thesegodsexisttobreed, tofight
ofunderstandingt~rosmos.Lochdty and . inrhecaseofTiama•andKiogu,•opl'Q\.ide thl:row
wasW>dertheprot<ctionofaspecific materialsofc~eatlon.Kingub«::olne~;TI.tii\JtSconoonafler
god- forexample.MaJdukinBabylon Apsu'sdealh,kadingheronny in tlv:bauleagainSI
ar;;l the moon~ Nanna in Ur- who w.s Marduk . Som(ofthelater
worshippedinatemple,usual!ythetooSJ generotion<alooplaymany
differtmrole<.t>pe<:ially
Marduk.Heeombinesthejob>
ofdragon-slayer, wartior.king,
..,. Kingu
As'W)f1(11olliarmlKilll)l
00\dlhe l a~olllesUII'!'.
whl<hiJ"'''himult•rmro
P<>"'!r>lflflheooormo
:::::~':n~~~uk
- -· ··-------------- · ---
TilE 1\\ A RRIAGE OF 1.\JA:'-INA
lrunna,thesuprernelyaml.:tivegoddessofsexuallove,wasdesiredbyrnany,and
was even r:1ped by Shu-klle-tuda, a rnonal who W:l> punished with de~th for his
crime. Bm two suitors in particubr l'ied to be her husband . One was Enkmidu,
thegodofagricuhureand patronofthosewhocuhivatedcrops, "hile the
otherw:>S Dumuzi, the shepherd. ln.1rm.1~ brother, U!U, the sun god. had the
powertodecidewhoshouldbehissister'shusband. Hedecbredthatlnanna
should marry Dumuzi, butt he goddess w:>S not happy with this choice. She
did not like Durnuzi:Scloakmadeofroughwool,preferringthesmoothllaxof
Enkmidu.Buttheshepherdarguedtlutwhatheproduced-rnilk,cheese,and
wool-was more irnp<>nam to the world than the grain grown by Enkmidu. In
rhe end Dumuzi won lmnm round by comparing himself ro her br01her, Uru
The p:tir u·ere rmrried, and lnanrm gal'e Dumuzi the kingship of Uruk
~~~r.:~~=~
~l!)I(Mdrjtrcrn!l(ld..-.J
=~':""...::=-::
""""3IJ'I'.OunngOOo .. :~~ttolhe
~IO(-OW<JSJ18linama
hadklfl'WI"'thrmtri<Om,..,.,ts
THE DEATII OF !NANNA
Ereshkigalwaslnanna'stwinsisterandcounterpart
\Vhereaslnannawasagoddessoflight, Ereshkigal wasa
goddessofdarknessandliwdintheUnderworld. Inanru
grewtomisshersister,andsoshedecidedtogotothe
Underworld to visit her. She told her maid Ninshubur
orjewelryasshepassed througheachoftheseven
circlesoftheUnderworld.Bytheurneshefimllyreached
her sister, lmnnawasnaked.Shewenttoembrace
Ereshkigal,butthedemonsoftheUnderworldthought
shewastryingtotakehersiSierbacktoEarth,sothey A Tho Underworld
Ruiad(H(llt,(lll$hkogalond her husbood ,No<(litl----'ahodoousa00
caughtherandturnedherintoacorpse. r;>paCI<)U$ t.A-Iha~moa•Undc<- l dw.l$ada r1 pt>ce
J<lrll~l'<lt,.deu•:mwOO~I.Wdlmooaaodlm;jherhO< na lni
--------- -- · - - - - - - - - - - - llll<----------- ·- · - - - - - - -
i judgesofthedeadthatshewouldsendsorneonetotake
her place. On her return. lrumu met Ninshubur, but did
notwamhertodiein lrunmSpla.::e.lnannafoundthat
t:
herhu.sb:mdDumuzil11dbeenhavinganaffairwiththe
goddessGeshti nannainherabsence. Enraged, she
decided to punish Dumuzi bysendinghimtothe
A Roocuing lnonno
Underworld. Although Utu transformed Durnuzi into a
Thellldsleo!,JOOErt.tll<liOO!W;Joo.r.g.,11m .i<t
undotho•i"'JJmrnl>... ndin<Jthemtoo....:w smke to help him hide. the demons of the Underworld
l"""""wn~awpolm..,IOrolinlmrlal;!j_ eventuallyfoundhirn.ltwJSfinallydecidedtiL'IIDurnuzi
would spend h.1lftheyearinthe
UnderworldandGesht imnruthe
otherhalf,sothatt hey would
TilE REBIRTH neverbeabletomeet:.g;Iin
OF I!\IANNA
\Vithout lnanna, love perished on the Earth ~nd the
world wentdark.Afterthreedays,hermaidNinshubur lh<tcodaobOOWi,SaaodlltOO
appe~ledtorhegodstorescueherfromtheUnderworld cultoiDufiiU.'iandlrmm.DurrW
·~11">:1100Sllp00on'l;lnlonlhe
Thegodsknewthat noonewhohadthesparkoflife
troosduu")IOOdfY""""'
couldremrnfromtheUndef\•:orld,andsomewishedher
to:ll~ythere, so they refused . But the trickster god Enki
(known JS Ea in Babylon) came up with an answer. He
cre:uedrwobei ngswhola.::kedthe~uributesof l ife
theyhadnoinnerorgans,nosexuality,attdnominds
Enid sent them to the Underworld with a cup full of the
w·~ter of immortality. They reviwd ln:uma with the water.
andEreshkig;UhelpedhersislertoreturntoEarth
the men to be his s\ases and the women to be his mistres;es -l:otuymi'IOiilOdintt.$-lt\1uebyiM
IXliii"I'I:M"lW"Y"'~t.J~Ihatm
Helpless against the mightyGilg:unesh, the pwple pmye.d
tothegodsforhelpandtheyrespondedbysendmgawild toseducehim,buthe
m~n named Enk idu to fight Gilgamesh ':md sUbdue him. ll"jectedher. Normally
GilpmeshanemptrdtotameEnkidubysendingatemple irresistible, sill' resented
prOSlitute to seduce him _Thewoman.took Enkidu to Uruk thisrebuffaudcompbined
tocivilizehim.butwh.-:ntheyarrivedataweddingiuthecity, tothegods,whoresponded
Enkidu saw Gilgmnesh demanding to sleep with the bride, and by send ing another
chalkngedhimtoafigtu.Tilt)'werebothstrong:mdevenl)" monster, the Bull of
rrutched.andre:di;xdafteralongstrugglethattherecould
benowinner. Thus.theyembracedandbecamefriends
AJ
J. Utn• plttrtim
MoldmanbytOOurooGilgamesh<OOt
hlm.U t""'>slltlm klld tha~nghcmha
fiOOIJ'Ithc<od the.,.rml•ofthe-ld
IIIIUboot[Os;Mtlhernhornlllelc.;.J
J. Humhba
HMstorast-""""ifoJ••'"'"'"was
.-..chloaoedte:a""' ollhadoodly
firehel>rothOOE...,[n~duwas
llll b311y r00.:!Jnt10igl1t thebaasl
Y Y. . m
TOOoeag<>d Yammwast.ei!Ol'«ldtobepre<entrn
thacrasiii"'J""'""""""r<l'iloosc"rrootool!he
ocoo n ,;'llldw.»ai~urow h olllpr(i$(lii!GOC!roos,
di oordor,andda"'J<lrtothe humanr;>ee.
~ Bu t
IOO•"prell'lllgOOIIaaliHhownhe!awean"'la
C<Wi ical hea<kl re,.llehokls•spearrn(lfl(lhand
,. Ruinoo!Ugorit
iho•oyalpalaw""dothei•UII{:turwol
llgalltSUIVMl .. WIRSroday.Jhobulldiogs
'Ml<OpriiM<ily....,<la ol !l:lneandWIXI<I
• n ,. groat godEI
El.lhoc< oa~<:>gOO,whowasalsocalled
lhll1'atOO.o1GndsandMen;wasthe
1!)9
IUi<l<Olthog00SI)IllgalllondO$ila<I<M'y
iiguoelil:;e"""'yCI!hoosupoemegOOs
MYTHS OF THE HITTITES
The Hittites settled in Anatalia (modern-day many wealitcr deities, because they adopted
Turkey) about 5,000 years ago, and by the 2nd the myths of the people they had conquered.
millennium IJCE, ruled over a powerful empire Some o f th eir most po pular stories told
that extended w the Mediterranean Sea. Their of rivalries among the gods and how these
mythology featured numerous gods, including deities influ enced the lives of mortals.
The great gOd Ablu was the ruler of the universe. and the other gods,
led by Alalu's chief counier. bowed down to him. But after having
obeyed Alalu for nine y~ars, they revolted and installed his son. Anu,
the sky god, in his pbce. After a fun her nine ye~rs.the gods grew restless
onceagain.andt herewasanotherrel'oh_ ThistirneAnu'sson, Kurnarbi,proved
tobethestrongestgod,andhedefemedAnubybitingoffhisgenitals.While
doing so, Kumarbi swallowed Anu's sperm, and when he spat it out, a host of
other gods were born from it, including Teshub, the powerful storm god. Teshub
soon usurpedallofhisfather'spower.andinspite ofrepeatedattemptstowin
itback,Kumarbicouldnotdefeatthemightystormgod.
- - ·---- - - - - - - ----
100
THE D ISA PPEARI 1\JG GO D
ApopularmythtellsofthegreedySeaGodwhodecided
to kidropSunGod,ashewashungryforpower. He
caughtSunGodinanetand imprisonedhim inastorlge
j3r_Withthesungone,lifeonEanhcametoastandsti!l---
thetempemturedropped,thecropswouldnotgrow,
andall thecauledied.Eventhegodsshtveredwithcold
Theotherdeitieslooked for Sun God, but no one could
find him. Teshubhson,Telepinu.camedose,butSea A DI V IDED INHERITA N CE
God imprisoned him too
Someearl)'textsofthe Hittitesmeruionthestory
Finally. the gods made
ofAppu,arichmanwho wasveryunhappybecau;e
a great sacrifice
he had no children. HeprayedtoSunGod,and
:mdpersuaded
was granted his wtsh: won. Appu had not one but
Se:lGodto:lllow
two sons, whom he and hb wife called \\'rongand
thesuntoretunt
Right. At first,thetwobrotherslived togetherin
Fromthatpoim.
peace, but grldu~!ly \Vronggrew independent
theHiltitesbegan
and wamed to seu le :tpan from his brother_ He
tomakeregubr
toldRightthatsincethegods livedseparate!)•.so
s~rificesw
shou!dthey Rightagreedtothisproposal,andthe
the ir gods
twobrothersdecidedtodil·idetheirin heritance,
includingapairofoxengtl'entothembytheir
father.But\Vrongcheatedhisbrother.making
surethat hetookthestrongeroxof t hetwo
~..!~:~~:~::::.,TalliS for himself. \VhenSunGodsawwhat had
f>3 r!lo!Telepmu'l1!01'\'; happened,hetransformedRight'soxsothat
roono .....,.,_ T....,.,u
it becameevensHongerthan WrongS
hOOJ Sun God (lnd tako~
SeaGod'•daoghtel"""i-
SIXTY CHILDR EN
Once, a queen of Kanesh-an anciem city in Turkey-
gave binh to 30 s.ons. She was ove rwhelmed by such a
b rge numberanddecidedtocast themout . Shepmall
of them in a boat ~ttd set it on the ril'tr_ The gods found
thebootandrescued thechildren.btingingthemup,and
changingthe irappearancesothattheylookedmorelike
godstlmnhum:ms.ll1eanwhile,thequeenmiraculous!)'
gavebirthto){lgirls,whomshebroughtupherself.
After growing up , theboyswanted tomeettheirrea!
mother.so theywemlookingforher. \Vhentheyrexhed
1\anesh.theystayedataninnandw!dtheinnkeeper
about the ir large bmily He informed them about the
queenSJOdaughters.andtold t hemthat sheoncehad
30sonstoo.Theyoungmen wenttoseethequeen. but
shedidnotrecognizethem.Shewamedthemtomarry The<irvotK ..... hatKultepo.h•l;ey.is,.,.,[UStad"'""ol
mOO·brickru .... OO ti twa•.,.,..,.u~tant t radingcent'"
herdaughters,butthey refused,fearingincest •ntheleo)IOII.flllthiSI&a<On,lheancll)niC•fV!e.>tme•••
IG1
""""al""thsotthe ... ~Hiruta~
THE GREAT SKY GOD
The ancient Mongol and Turkic people were animists
who believed in many spirits (tc ngri) tha t inhabited the
natural world. Su preme among these spirits was a sky
god called Mongke Tengri (or just Tengri) , who was the
crea10r of humanity and th e world, and who pr01 ected
humans from malevolent demons. Tengri also controlled the
different elements and influenced the fertility of the land.
--·- ·------------·--- ---·---
THE MYTH
Thell.longolaccoumoftheEarth\creationinvolves
thehigh-rankmgtmgriQormusta,andSakyamuni---the
BuddhJ-who is also a member of the Mongol pantheon of
gods. QormustagaveSakprnuniahlndfUlofyellmvearlhthat
was compo>ed of precious swnes. Sakyiununi ·thr~.w it imo
theetemal ocean,.-:ausingittobegintocoales-:e i,ru oav:<Sl commandedacmanda dogtogwndthehumans.Bul
conlineru. At this point, atonoiseemerged from the depths o[ once he left fortheSptingof lmmonality, ErlikKh:m,the
theoc.>anandstolethefanltSakyamunirealizedtlwonlythe Lord of the Underworld, tempted the cat away with a bowl
deathofthetonoisewouldfreetheEarthandlettheground ofrnilk,andthedogwithapieceofmeat,andthendefiled
fonn.A:;amonk andalo,·erofpt:ace,hewashesitantabout lengri'scre;uionsbyu ri natingalloverthem
kilhngthetonoise,butthetengri:>SSuredhimth~tit was the
rigluthingtodo,becJ ,ISemanyliveswouldevemuall)·flourish HIE CAT AND HIE DOG
ontlteEarthaftnthelossofone.Thus.Sakyamunislew·the WhenTengrireturned,hewasenragedtofindoutthat
tortoiseandsubsequen~l ytheworldwasforrned. Erlik Khan had t~inted his creations: he was especially
~ngry with the cat and the dog because they h~d failed in
H IE FIRST IIUMANS theirtask ofwmc hingo"erandprotectingthemanand
WhentheEarthhadtakenshape,onlyanimalsltvedon woman. Consequent ly, Tengri punished the animals b)'
it , so MongkeTengricreatedthefirst man and woman makingthec:u\ickoffal\thebodyh:lirfromthehumans
to populate .the world. Hepnfeaedtheirphysiulforrns andstickitonthedog'sskin. Thecatlickedoffalmosta\1
overt ime .:~n dthencoveredthe ir the hair from their bodies, e~cluding that o111heir heads,
bodies with soft hair. OnceTengri which Erli k Khan hadnm pollmed,andsomeonthe lower
was satisfied with his creations. partsoftheirbodies-----whichthecatavoidedbecausethey
hedecidedtofetchwaterfrom 8:l''e off a foul odor. Once the cat had finished the t~sk,
theSpring oflmrnonahtyso Tengritookthewaterof
~ thatthefirstrnanandwornan eternall ifeandpouredit
~ co uldliveforever.\Vorried overhiscreations inan
~
abow theirs.afety, Tengri anempttoimmortahze
~ them,buthebiledin
-
--
.. ~
~
l(Y
.,. Budolotono
Theoo r~lurbcMiebllriod lheircb>d
::~a~~~~::~es~~'";"~~h~
thisvemurebecause
!hehumanshadbeen
pollutedbyErlik
6th-cemuryona.torna1kllregr"""" Khan's foul deed.
]~....'t;;~:..·:;-.~~--
: ·-:-:'
·. :·~::·..
'.. ~'i
THE TURKIC CREAr!ON STORY TENGR JSM.
lntheTurl<ic\"ersionofthecneationslOry,Tengrtlkwocross tlle I Tengrismisthemodenttennfor thebeliefsystem
~~::: ~~~:~=:::·;:;~~:~::~~~,~\~.~:~::~.
II
oftheMongolandTurkiepeopleofancienttime>
Ba=lonMon~Tmgri(repn!sentingtheetemal
asktnghlm•oc"''"etheworld.Tengrtm<>de arlOiherbeingcalled blo.w:sky).Eje(afemaleferrllltyfigun!and
Er Kishi ,andtog.:thenhey rnadttheEanhandkslnlubit.tms. But aMotherEarthgoddl:ss).andma<>yoth<:r
Er Kisltiwaslmpune , andtriedto>Wucelhl:peopktmolw:linga benignandmaligpn.atun!spirits,lt in\'l>lved
tho:pm.ctie<:ofshamartism(supp268-69),
oreornmwli<:ation\\ithspirits. Tengrumwas
I promotedbylaterTu rkierulerssuehas
GengltisKhan(reignedl206-2 7)andhis
grandson.B.otuKhan(reignedl227- 55).
lt>followusrespect«<naturespiritsand
I leda lifeofmoralrectitude.lfpeoplelo&
- ---- - - -
TENGRJ AND NATURE
TheurlyTurkicandMongolpeople
•a ributedmanyofthestrongestnalural
phmomenawTengriandothergods
----· !
A Boltsolllghtning
klr'J'I..,.oaodiO~Ii!..,frot~"'"'thmeoiiOsligh lfiiO,l tdt>
Loglt lrnngondirohadlongb(o)fiW<II.!I11W(IOOII'I\l:llandCenbal
IG3
.wa:tlleyaUJootoolyclowett.el'oUid. OOt waoda!dooms
lffi ~~==:-~:;:'t.~""l!'7'::::.::..~:n~
* """"'harowOO,_,;,..,..,rrooy"""""""but tragtealybbhos<M'rlsoo
: ·~~~~·,
CENTRAL ASIA
AND ARABIA
These two regions of Asia, though now identified with Islam, have long been
a melting pot of cultures and beliefs, with a number of mythological traditions
flourishing through the long history of civilization in both areas .
Persi:l(modern-daylmtl}wasoneofthemosJ ll homTislurya,godofmin.andV:1)'U.godofwind,
imponantcrossroadsoftheancientwor!d,with wereprominent.Anahita,agoddessoffertility
tmdersandsettlersarrivingfrornalmostall andsourceofwateronEanh,wasanotherkey
pointsofthecompassoverthecenturiesand figure;sheandTishtryawereclearlyevidence
contributingtothesophisticatedcultureof oftheprecariousw·;uersupp!yinPersia
theregion.Onegroup,the Hitlltes,whose
culturewasablendoflndi.:lnandPersiJ.n MONOTHEISTIC BELIEF
elemenrs, left PersiJforTurkey But other lnthe7thor6thcenturyKE,changecame
groups---andespeci:Jllythosefromthe wit hdv:workandvisionoftheprophet
steppesofCentmlAsi:l.- arri"edandsett ledin Zoroaster,whos:JwAhuraMazdaasabsolute,
PersiJ.bringmg..,iththemavarietyofdeities tlv:onegodworthyofworship. \Vithtlv:rise
j, AhuraMazda,tt.oWiso l<lr<l ofZoroastrianism,AhuraMazdao\"ersludowed
Thi o~oor"oglrmo!ha6tht>tha41h
BULL RITUAL OF MIHIRi-\ theOI.herdeitiesofancientPersia. lnadiffnent
C>l<li"'V ICI <k'?Ct$AhoraMalllir!l'<\$pi"!J
Oneofthernostinfluenti:dgodsoftheseulers afl'l'rofart\elor<ll'fthoho:o..-arrrrmg<~ way.theriseoflsG.rnintheArabianpeninsuG.
"'aS]I.I ithra.adeit)'Whosenameappearedin thatco>n..,.s hos rul,.shop.-creatroo severnl cemurieslmerechpsedthe"falsegods"
documentsbesideearl)• lndbngodssuchas ofthelocalpeopledenouncedbytheprophet
lndr:J . Mithrathenbecamepopularthroughout Persia and Muhammad. Yet the mythology of the Arabian peninsula is
""aSworshippedasanJ.ll.knowingprotector.asungod notsoeasilyforgOI.ten,anditsstoriesofadvemureandgreat
verysimilartothe]l. lesopotamiansungodSiumash heroismstillemhral peoplearoundthew·orld
]l.lithrawasalsoagodofagreementsandtreaties.-thevery
personificm ion,inf:lct,of the ideaofmura,orcontr:JCt
ThepopularityofMithraspreadevenfurther.andwhen
the RomansexpandedtheirempireimoAsia,hewasoneof
dv:deitiestheyadopted. Hiscemralritualwastheslayingof
asacrificblbull. Thisritual sbughterwastherecreationofa
ritefirstperfortnedbyYima,thePersianprimalman,andw'J.S
seenasanactofrenewal. Byperformingtherite,worshippers
ofMithrabelievedtheywererecreatingtheidealconditions
tlutexistedwlv:nYimaorigirullyruledtheworld
i-\HURi-\ MAZDA
Tireot herinfluemialde ity ofPersiawasAhura]l.lazda.the
wiSt:.all-seelngcreatorskygod Hewasoriginallyoneofa A lh• cuho!Milhro
lheywnggodMith<•pulpar.,."JJslay!hesomficr•IWiinlhosdr•maiiC!bnan
brgepantheonofancient Persbndeitiesthatincluded.asin !errporllhai.Hamgadop!ed theCr;.otoaiA$""<larf\',!hefkwna!l$rnadaa"'''Sier"f
IG7
manypantheons,anumberofgodsoftheelements,among cultoutoiMrlhra.Wilh socrettffilr&.oltoocm:ealeduOOer!JOI..Oid
THE FIGHT AGAINST EVIL
At the heart of Zoroastrianism lies a cosmic consider Ahura Mazda to be the only god, their
struggle between the kind god Ahura Mazda religion also features a rich body of traditions
and his evil opponent Ahriman. The religion, about mher beings, from benevolent immortals
which flourished in Central Asia until the 7th to demons, who influence human life. In the
century, still has foll owers in Iran and among struggle against evil , Zoroasuianism predicts
the Parsis in India. Although Zoroastrians that the forces of good will triumph in the end.
TI-IE M YTII
Thefir:>!god,Zurvan(Time),li'·ed
intheprimalvoidthatexisted
beforeereation.llelongedfora
son,butwasdoubtfulofhis!Jower
ofcreation.Soheconceivedtwo
sons: AhurJMazda(WiseLord),who
wasbornfromhisOptimism,andAhrirnan,
whow:tSbornoutofhisuncertainty. Beforetlteycameirllo
theworld,Zurvanpredkted thathisfirst-bomwou ld rule
the world. Ahriman heard what his father had S3.id ~nd
forcedhimselfintotheworldaheadafhisbrother,whow:tS
rightfully supposed to come firsr _Ahriman told Zurvan thar 1\hum ~l<uda made Gayomart, the first man, and allowed
he was Ahum Mazda, the first-born, bur the god s:JW through the Good Mind to work within him. All seemed well at firsr,
his trickery. He knew that Ahttra Mazda 1\0uld be p:t!e and but Ahrlman returned from the darkness and brought
sweet smdling, where:lS Ahriman was dark and foul smelling starvation, illness, pain, lust, and death with him. He dried
uprhebnds,desnoyedlhecrops,anddefikdtheEa.nh
CREATION AND DEA-Hl ---and he poisoned Gayomart so that he would die
After his birth, Ahura ~tazda went to work to give the
uni,·erseitsforrn.Hemade.thesun,moon.andstars,and THE HUMAN RACE
allthatrepresemedgoodintheworld.Healso When Ahura Mazda S3.W that Gayoman was going to die,
createdsiximrnorrals, he1ookthem.1nSseedand rnadeM:tih)'.land ~tashyoi,
(:! includingVohu Manah the flrsthumancouple . Althol.lghrheytooweredestinedro
(Good Mind), to help die,theirchildrenwentontoprop:Jgatefuturegenemtions,
govemhiscreation. ensunng!hesurvivalofhumanity.AhuraMazd~couldnol
Ahrirnansentevildemonsto defe~tAhrim:m,sohetrappedtheevillordinsidecre.ltion
attack Ahura ~ l alda, but the andga.vehuTI\.11\Sthefreedorntochoosebetweengood
Wiselordc:~Sthisbrother .1nd eviL This snuggle between dte two forces will be
outimothedarkness.Then resoll'edonlymtheendoftime,whenanewgodcalled
S>loshyam (tlte Savior) will come and. together with Ahum
Mazda.destroyAhrirnanandtheevilherepresents The
::·~::;;:;~o;!...,._ peopledtemselveswillbecomepureandgood _Tlteworld
Mmmn.loughttocootrolthe...,n.J
lffi r ('IW(IS(lllli;<ltrjlher~ngof~!l<gnty
willbecremedanew,afterwhichallwillbegood,and!he
lhattha,tbott.Ui0010p:ISS6SS distinc!ionbetweenbodyandsoulwillceasetoexist
SIX IMMORTALS TilE FIRST IIU,\\ANS
TheAmeshaSpentas(Bountoouslnunortals)arethechildrenofAimNMMda,and"'oond Theprimal couple,MashpandMashyoi,were
in imponanct only to that~. On one levd, they are absnact entities and aspects of the lll.ldefmm th.seedofGavoman,thefirslman,
diville n.oture of Ahur~ Mazda. On another b·d. they are seenasimmo!tals, who >it on whoAlnimanhaddoomedtodi<. lnitially,the two
goldendtrooesaOOLookafrersp:ctficaspec!$Ofdt(n.turalworid,r.mgingfromfirew grewtogether.em'-'illeda>aklodof tree,andthe
wat(t.lndoingso , thl:yle.-·eAhuraM>Z<ittOOOII<:I:ntr:neoncanngforhumankiOO fruittheyproduced!)(camethet.:nraco:sof thl:
E.onh _n,.:ybeg.nlngoodtii:SS,bU!Ahrimansem
demonstocorrup!thr:m,atldsomeoftheiractions
be<:>meevil.Butlnspiteoftheir
corruption,dttpdo"n
A KhlhMhro Yairyo
f'eo-IOnllyDJIOO~otAhura Mromngbolh~s·and Ameootat{trnllll)ltal•l'y)-IU8""11$ , "- l M primalliM
Malda.Kh!hath!a(Dorrmon) "lnlel)nty."Haurvatatr:<Oietts andJ:<OOltll~ants.andhen:o. : ~thefio>!cr..,uonwas inan ideolst:J1<1
w•sthesoutU:ofgoodnr:ss.He
R:_jecttdtl-,oldrehgionofhis
homeland, insistingthat.someof its
gods, who were warlike i)(lngs. "'"''
•grntsofAhtiman.Hymn>saidtobe
wrlnenbylomasterarecolkctedin
thesa.credlx>ol<ofthefalth,theA>-csw.
THE LEGEND OF RUSTUM
AND SOHRAB
RusiUm was th e greatest hero of the early his life was marred by tragedy when he
Persians: a brave wan ior who defended himself unwittingly killed his own son, Sohrab. The
and his people against the most fearsome and story of th is event is a key episode in the
powerful foes. Rustum's bravery and skill, not Persian epic Shalmama (Book of Kings), and
to mention his mastery of the noble stallion is also the subject of a famou s poem by the
Rakhsh, make him an exemplary character, but British poet Matthew Arnold (1822--88) .
TIIEMYTII onewouldbcboundtokilltheother.lfRustumwereto
Outhuntingoneday,R~umdeddedtot.1kesomerest.Ashe die,AfrasL1bcoulde:~SilyddeattheErnperorofPersiawith
by asle~p. ~group of men came across his hor>e, Rakhsh, :md Sohrab'shelp:ifSohr;~.bwerekil led,RuSlumwoulddieof.,grief
stole\r. Rustumawokewfind hismoum,sone,and:;etoffin inauycase,andAfr:hiabcouldxhleo·ethesameobjectlve
>earchofth<:~nimaL Whenherex.:hedthe.p31.1.;tOfAfrasi:lb,
therulerofaCentraiAsiankingdom,thekingentenained HIE fATAL FIGtlT
Rustumandintrtxllicedhimtohisdaugliler,T.1hmlna.Rll5t\Ull ThewarbegJnwithSohrabattJckingJPersiancastle. lis
sleptwithherand,beforelcaving.g.w eheradaspthathe garrison.howewr,escapedandsentamessagewtheir
woreonhisuppet arm, :~Skingherwgive it to their child. The emperorthat theywerebeingallxkedbyapowerfulleader,a
nextday,hishorse...,':lSfoundandRusn>rnwemonhiswa)' man !ti mighty as Rustum . TI~e Persian emperor knew tlm his
onlyhopewastosendhisgre:u.eSlW:<UTiortotheb'~n ldront
YOUNG SOHRAB SoRustumjoinedthePersiancmnp.Sohrabproposed
T~hmina h~d ~son whom she named Sohr~b. He was an aduel~ndRustumocceptedthechallenge,clatmingthathe
:l<:complishedarcherbythetimehewasfiveyearso)d,and w:lsasl:we. He did not revealhisidemity,thinkingthm
itbecameappJremthathev.ouldgrowimoayoungman theenemywouldbeterrifiediftheyfoundamerePersian
ofgre.ttstrength.Whenheasked sLwe 10 be so strong. The two mighty warriors b.111led until
abouthisbther.Tahmimtoldhim theywereexhausted,fightingwithweaponsandthenwith
thetruth,swearinghirntosecrecy. their bare hands. Buttherev.':lSstillnooictorJSthepairwas
Eventually,Sohrabbccameagreat evenly rnatched . They resumed fighting the next day. Th is
WJrri oranddecidedtolaunchangna::;k time Rusmm,afterlongpreparatorypra)·ers,threw
So!u-:Jbandbroke hisback.Ashelaydying
Sohrabshowed Rustumthearmjeweland
toldhim t hathisfatherwouldavengehis
death . That was when Rustum realized that
<OI RuSI<.m•ndSohtab
EI'Oflthouglllhey-..oxt.>u•IOO
17() b!her•odson rolused101JM1UP,
w.mtlinqonaar>:>lheriQiba9tO<md
andl\lhtl nqoo101babut<llood
RUSTU,\1 THE DEEDS OF RUS-IU\ I
Sonofthe lel}'ndarywamorZal(sup.56J;ondaprtnceS> Rustum'sstorywaslargdyoneofwarand
eaiiOORudoN,Rusturnwasdestinedtobeawarriorof lxoule.Hisheroicdeeds itwolveddefeating
great strength.Whikstillinthewomb.hegrewsolargt supematuralbeasts , suchasadragonanda
dlJt hlsmotheralrnosldiedinehikJbjnh.Bothweresaw:d dl:rnon:strongan imals,>UCha>ahon:and
t.:ea<~>~:Zalknewhowtopcrfonnasurgi<:al oper.uionto opponents\\iththe po"·erofson:ery.such
et\>"'\lreas;ofebinh.RU>Iwnwasalre>dyw:rySin:>ngWhen asawitch . Manyofd~~:so:eneO\Imerswere
hewasbam.Ashegrewup,helx<:ame>killed inanns. partofoscqu.er>ee. ofrencalledthe "Seven
ardhisstn:ngthincn:astdfurthe:r. Overlime,heb:<;amea Labor<." whichRu>rumur<lertookinorder
dump:~::~:~!:2~~
!rls..wehissovercign.theEmperorofPersia.
:ik
fearsomeenemtes
.
A llo• Simorgh
A~boldcaiiOOIOO
One~llus tu m'•laOO.siiMlM>JdemwJaCiootut a
Sinur(lht<nojulaiOON
«llled the\VhoteOoom. klgOthouwtth .,.,.her
IOP')<f<lrmlhe:AAQ<:al
~..t.Jwasguar dingtheWhlle0oJrnoofsC3Stkl
;::;.-::~
TH E BOOK OF KINGS
Manyof t heancimtmythsandlell"ndsofthePersian-
speakingworklarerolkctedin t heSOaOnama(Book
ofKings).anq>kpoembytllePersianpoetFitdausi
(c.935--1010). Thef"J"m,writteninc.l()C(),consists
ofnea rly60,0C()couplets,andre.:ountsSioriesof
Persia\;gloriouspa<~fromm)1hical!imesto~l!:period
whentheregionwasconquo:redbytheAmbsandTurks
intll!:7thc.:nrury.1hesestories,whichreflectf-irdausi's
unh.J.ppinessattl.-lslamkcot-.q'-""t,arefrequemlysad ,
in,ulvingdefeatsofnoblewarrtors,atucksbydemons,
lncompetrnt rulers,andpeoplecondemnedbydes:tin)'
hladO><•hornsol
mtdo.Ma. r.OO_,
-~harr[B'IOd,
17?
: "r::·.:oo
~-
-zl ~~-!.~~ : :~{
-<1.~
r~.a Til E TIGER DA\JCE
_;
A Wup
< ~ AbvoritefigureinMongolilnrn)'lhologyisTsagaan
Ebugen (White Old ~bn), who got his name be<:al.l><'.
Tha~•<UISideoed t hewaspk>OO ofhiswhiterobeandhair.Originallyafertilitydeity
"'l'J"""""and\WISlliiOO I> IISiasko! hewasalsoconsideredtobeagodofanimals,birds,
"'~i10JIIoelosho!otheraooturoo.
riwrs,andmoum~ins.llecarriedastafftoppedwith
adragon'shead,whichpeoplebelievedheusedto
healanimals,ormJ.kethemiiL Heludaspecial role
T HE EAG LE THE WAS P toplayinthewekomingofthenew}·ear,soevery
AN D THE slvALLow · yeara~lktmJ.ndressed asTsagaan Ebugen would
Atthebeginningoftime,theeagk--llteking
offlyingcreatures-wonderedw·hattocat.
Soh<-askedthew;c;pandtheswallowto tastethemeatof
I arri,·eatthep\:>ec wherepeople
gatheredtocelebrate.Atigerskin
" 'oul dbedisplayed,whichthe ol d
manwouldbeatwithhisstick,
all living things and ttl I him which w:tS the best. The wJSp
flewquicklytoeacbcreature,bitiugintoits!kshate'·ery
stop. The swallow. on the other hand, spem all h is time
I symbolically killing t he
animal and acquiring its
snength He woul d then
flyingacrosstheblueskyand forgotabouthistask.At begintodan.:::eanddrink
the end of the (by, the two met up and the swallow asked largeamoumsofakohol,
the W:lSP which meat tasted the best, to which the wasp umilhe"':lssodrunkthal
replied"humanllesh."Buttheswallowthoughtthat hecouldnolongerdance.
eatinghumanscouldbrmgtroubletotheeagle.ltbit
offthewaspStonguewthatallitcoulddowasbuzz
Tl~n the swallow told the eagle that snake meat tasled .,. Mo ng olian~ go rmosl<
lheull'"·• •ymbolol"t>~ryond,.,...
thebeSI,andeaglesluvelovedtocltserpentScvcrsin.:::c
I Ote,wa<'""""""led '" ma'buseO
le<mai'l'jdll!eo(lntMooyohanntual$
·------·--------·
THE S\VAN W01\\ AN
One day. a man saw nine swans flying xross Lake Baikal in southern
Siberia. Afterlanding,thebirdsremovedtheirfeathereddressest o
bathe, transforming imo beautiful young women. The man hid one of
thedresses,sotlwwhentheyfinishedb:ltlling,onlyeightoftheswans
could fly avoay. After wooing the relllJinmgswan woman, he made her
hiswife.andtheyhad llsons.Oneday,shepleadedwithhimtolet
~;~~~~.~~~~~l~e~~~~~Jeq:~~:·;~~::~~~~~~:er!~. ~~~~~:::g'!:~
1
~
fromescaping.Butherealizedtlwshewamedtolea,-edespewtely,so. VJ
afler.t heirsonsh:ldallbeenn~med ,~ 0
:~~ ~":~~::;~a~;~~·"a~~~-.on ~
~' z
~~.e~/ -./o - Gl
~~;;:~sa g«« -~~
roo.lhe~aditiona!Mongolion • Athomo ogain
-ha••,q.ljghthwas~ Afrorl:ocld ingl•r""""'lloheofamil-j, lhe"""n
t l~rsthat lheswanv.o)ltl3nhoed wornankwaroundlhr)lf)(ll,bless'r>g 'l"nd
173
rotyro-homOOthusOOOO IOOnreluonOOtoh«naiiWOOrooooihtllake_
.. _ Jj
I~" 1111>~'
,!Jo
)I
11:1
~ .k
~rd-
lh
.. H.c~~ooo..
. ob.
4111'"'"''"·
""" >ftl
.... n, ,f Al1
...,.,~W•JSIAirica.
.....
i!d.,...l_on_llld
olk•"'"
~"'"'
•f•l!ludol
,j
"'~
-~. 1
-
-
~
,._,.
.
)
•
'·
prolo~~· ""'"lt'""'"
tl<olll"t < · • ---
at•l<•tJapolll;ar •
THE EPIC OF
GESAR KHAN
Told by both the Tibe tan and the Mongol peoples, the story of
Gesar Khan is set in Ling, Tibet. The myth describes a time when
the people were oppressed by warlords, treachery was rife, and
famine was endemic. It is based on the life of a brave hero called
Gesar, who came to the rescue of his people, battling with
traitors and demons until the kingdom was fin ally made safe.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - · ----------
later, aneggpoppedomoflv:rhead.Shenursedit,
andhersonhatchcifromtru:egg.Dztdennamed
himjoru,andhegrewupwlxastrongman
.. t.lo kh
==~lh
aplat....,~the 'f libotan iW<Ird
KooiunMoontloii$!Wid (;(n~.,~ti11<:11rgKu """
Grwt,.llt malal"'•., t¥JnWMJa<a tnela....,..,"""'cruld
K••hmw, i•beiHWedl'f klga fm woop:mfakdoom.
:"'ro!~~bo~
A l ho .ham ,.gion
fooml,bmtMaorne<l'twlguonllleKham""J""'oloosto.n
hba\.Geia<Khanan<SedoonOuqrnoM fao(!"MH I IO iheH
tanhtulandkwlng .. bjocts. anddisappea<OOiorew<.
GESAR S PASSING
Todong"ssonmarriedthedaughterof thedemon$hingli , and
thepairbecame!henewkingandqueenofGes.ar'skingdom
lnspi!eof theirdemonlcparentage.theywerevirtuousrulers.
andGesarwascominced that!hekingdomwouldbesafeln
theirhands.ScGes.arandSech•n Dugmodecided to retire
Theywemon • retreattothesideofamountain intheKham
A Racinghor.. o
reg:lon . anddisappeared the!lextday.ltwasbelk,·edthatthcy
Ge:la<.ap.XllrntaiOI,tunOOup •ntaneuld oogsbthe
raa><eiJ'III'llldl'I' TcxknJ.but tOOO!OO.rideud""""" bad •scend«l either to the ne~t wor1d. or to the pa.r•dise of m
~OIIfined<l...,.asOO."' r aces-ogrillldm:asioos Sbambala . thernythlcalhomeofthespiritklng>
SEEALS 0Do.onoli0-11.191J-U.Zll-ll • W.,.1 1- l l ~l.!l-99.t0!~ 1 tl-ll.11 1- 19. 1 11i-11.110-11.10Hll
THE GODDESS AL-LAT
The cultures of the Arabian Pen insula worshipped a number
of deities before the coming of Islam in the 7th cemury: One of
the most important was the goddess Al-Lat, now a shadowy
figure , b ut whose image was once widely seen in West and
Cen tral Asia. Her cult was based near Mecca, the place where
the Islamic faith was later revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
~ Goclduo At-t..t
THE JV\YTH CW<!m:!oiAI--L!thal<lOOoo
Al-b.t w~sa popular goddess in many regions of the Arab lo•ndoncarvedrchctlrn
IRlll)'p;J r!.loflhaAF;>b,..-,doj
worldbeforethespreadoflslam.i\part from the Arabian
S<tnolrrlr;lSsiOI".ll'ioNn""lh
Peninsttb,shewasals.owidel)•worshippedintheeastern •-lil:a!hoGrool-Ath!ma
Mediterrall!'anregionandpansoflran.'Essemiallyamoon
goddess,sheplayedavarietyofotherwles.As'abringerof
fenilit};She wasag'?(lde:,; ofthe Eanh, al)d:~lsoadeityoflow~ attheshrineofthe
Moreover.sheW:lSconneetedwiththesun,and,ahhollghher goddess. The word
main symbol was !l~e cresc.>:nt moon, it "''aSse>metimesshown wasfirstau:¥;hedto
wi!hthediscofthesunrestinginit theshlineanend:mt,
andafterhisde:~th,to
HIE Ni\ME O f i\l-Li\T therockth.11marked
Al-LatScuhhadanurnbnoffollowers,espec~t!lyinthecityof hisburialplace.Later,
1:1-iCnearMee<:a,S:ludiArabia. hw:tShomewatribecalled :lSI:tweofthegoddess
theThaqif,whoconsideredhertobetheirpatrondenyThey waspbced onthe
possessedastonecubethatwasheldsacredtoAI-Latandtwo rOCk,so"Al-l:Jt"
othergoddesses,ManatsndAl-Uzz;I-;ltli:tdknown:tSthe becameidentifiedwiththegoddessherself.Thus,thegoddess
dmghters of Albh_M:my cor$ider "AI-Lat" to be derived from wao..initbllylinkeddoselytoaspedficplocebeforehercult
an ancient Ambic spreadtootherplocfsintheArabworld.Shewasapopular
word,A!-Hat(the figure,andpeopleoftennamedtheirdaughtersafterher.
Goddess). According to
another,·ersion , the THE END OF HIE CULT
word!a1referredw After the Prophet Muh.1mmad re<:eil'ed the revd:uton of lsbm,
theprocessofmixing he&weupworshippingthetlm~egoddessesandother
ormotstening.ltwas gods,claimingtheywerefalsedeities. The people of the
associatedwitha.Jewish Arabbn Peninsula-both the Qura)-'Sh, the prophetS own
man:uTa-ifwhousedto people,andotherlocaltribe5-renouncedthl-goddess,and
makeamixtureofcblifled herohrine"'aSdestroyed . ThecultofAl-Latremainedinother
buuerandb.uleymeal, pansoftheregionforawhile,butdedinedaslslamspread
whichhesel"\'edtopilgtims xross \\btAsia.Asaresult,linleisknownaboutthegoddess
today. Some ancient Greek texts ha,·e compared her 10 Atheru
(su pp.36-37}, or to Aphrodite (se, pp.JS-39)_They memion
TheNat.ataeaMofPetta.onJo<dan
""""'iWld lltlu Shara. a big~ god and thatA I- Lat\>."aSworshippedalongsideagod,probablyDim
Lordof thoMounta•M,aloo_polo)AJlat Shar:J,whoresembledtheirwinegodDionysius(seepp.J-1-35)
Ti l E DAUGIITERS OF ALLAII ~-
j
~~':;;,::;~:: "~~::,:·::~::~:.:::~~oc~~:~ ~::;~
thtot herS)1nbolsofAl-Latwert~sheafofwheatandapotof
' b
lncen>~:.AI-Uzu(thcSnongOne) , agoddessofthemornlnga•ld
eve!\ing stars, r.!pro:s.:med love as wdl as war. ~he was >imilor
I I
IOin.anna{supp.l5·1-55),andwasof•e"shownwithbigcats ,
creamn:sth.t•wen:sacredtoher.Shewasanlmponam<kltyof
"'N'~'"""'"''''"),woo""'""'ybwof'""'P'''"'"" y~
inPena,butalsoworsllippedherfromrooftopsandnearocacia
<OI TbtMonootoryltPitro,Jordan
·----
The~OOtaoousmta!OOiheCial.stcalao:httocltfaollhePornan•."'lh
otsoolumRS..,do;.-namen\l. """"""'·""'"fof thebuoldi"'J••nPoua
L--~-=-----------' -•crootOOtrycamnghlrnd""'llyootolthe$011ds\Onolclott>.
------------------
DEITIES OF THE SKY
lnancirnt tirnes.thepeoplesoiWeSiaOOCentraiAsialookedtothe
i .------------.
skil:sford>eirtn<»~promine:mdeitie<.Their li;-eswereruledb)'d>eheat ..,... cWiwretol'dleADb
- .............-..........-
olthe<urtandbytheinf~mrains,bothofwhichwereo>OCess;oryto wotkl ~.-.pa
growcropsandensuresurvival . 1heybtcameskilledatpn:dictingthe .... lbePfdoe d::llwonldp.•dle-1dlfoapdMo.t
weatherandseasonalpattents.attributingOOthtotheocti•itiesolthe dle-..don ....... lbe1131dio......_
":"....:~
w<Js.Apartfromthe tripil:gOOdesses,theotherskydeities'-liOrshipped
by the ancient Semiticculturts wen: Samsu, a runw<Jdess, \\'arihu, •
godold>emootJ,at>dHad.od,orHaddu . agodof5tonns
<II Rioingoun
~~;~,::;;.~::,.,\
...
..............
poopleoiW...t.W.
r(l<Jaro!OOsu,.,-leas
:::·~::.,\
__.,.
...........
d"'inoJiheoighlor<l
lh(l!)W)n\01Spore0
1111....,.. 181
o::e!OO<abOncw""'$1\op.
SOUTH ASIA
The mythology of South Asia is dominated by Hinduism , a religion that has
evolved over several millennia. With its thousands of gods and goddesses,
Hinduism has one of the largest bodies of mythical narrative in the world.
m~nyreaders,bothfortheirpoetryandforwh.1ttheysay l31gOHiodutllmploo31eollllndooJra!OO..,thhoghly
oi"OC."~"""""'JS lhios!I:Jn<M'<W~ dapicts..,..ooa.
aboutthebelidsofearlypeopleinSouthAsia rnlhaiMrSo\lhogods<nlgcrdde:<s<rsarrdprwdas
arichreoodol thamo,ottrologyol lliodursm
JliNDU DEITIES
lnthecenturiesaftertheVedas.anothergroupofdeities
carnetoprominence.These,thecemmldeitiesofl!induism,
includetheprorninenttriadofBrahm~theCrea10r.Shivathe
Destroyer, and Vishnu the Preserver. VishnucomestoEarth
inaseriesofman ifestations,oravatars. indudingtwo-Lord
Ramaandl\rishna- whoareworshippedasgodsinthe ir
ownright.Aroundthesefiguresclusterdozensofother
deities--frompopuG.ronessuchastheelephant-headed
Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles. to the various manifestations
of the Great Goddess Devi- \\ho pby prominent pans in 187
l!indureligionandm)1hology
THE VEDIC GODS
Some of India's earliest myths are derived from natural world and could influence human
the Aryans, people of Central Asian origin well-being. Chief among the Vedic deities
who migrated to the region during the 2nd were figures such as Indra , Agni , and Surya.
millennium BCE. Their myths were recorded These early deities were often known as the
in sacred texts known as the Vedas, which Adityas, or sons of Aditi, the goddess of
emphasized belief in gods that controlled the space and mother of all creatu res and deities.
VAYU lhr(j9.t.aa<ladfiguwrOII(IaQOOillrlam.W•th
ftaroos"""'ll(l"'l"'"""""'"''"'''"',_..
Vayu w:>S the god oft he winds . One of~he hymns
of the Rig\\>daponraysVa)'U:>SCitherthebre3th
ofPurljsha,theprimalhuman (seep.l9J),orasbei tlg
createdbyPurusha~bre:uh.Accordingtoamythabout
Yayu. the god lost some of his power when he was AG N I
expelled from Moum Meru,thehomeofthegods
VayuauxkedthemoumJininreuliJ.tion,andde,;pire
resbtancefromGmuda,thekingofthebirds,hetore
offthe.tipofthemoumainandthrew itimotheocean,
whereitbecamethe isbndofSri lank:l whichwcreallseenaslus
Luermythshavede scr ibedVayu:ISa manifeSI:Uions.A5ritualfire,Agnitookmessagesfrom
servamofthegodVishnu humanstothegods,hissmokeindicatingwheresacrifices
andhisconsort,the werebemgmade."hilethefirelttatfuneralp)·rescarried
goddesslakshrni thesoubtoheaven.Agni , whowasthesonofPrithvi
(suppl96-97).He (lllother Eanh. sup./ 10) ~nd Dyaus (Father Sky), was
w:>Sa change:ilile saidtoha,·ebeenbomthreetimescfirstfromwater.like
character, a! thesunrisingabol'etheS<::t;thenfromtheair,aslighming:
andfimllyonEarth,intheformoffirethatwnskindled.
Hewassohungrythatheatehisparents,andthengrew
tongues to lap theghee(clarified butter) offered ~t altars
+----
VA RUNA
Thegodofthesk);\':lrumwasthecelestialbwgiver.He
wasthem:lSteroftherules thatgovernedsacrificesandof
theorderthatdictatedtheseasonsandtheannualround
ofro"ing:~ndharvesting. SorneeJrl)'lll)1hsdescribehim
ns acre:ttOr god, who formed the worlds of heaven, middle
air.andEanhbyhiswillpov:eralone. In another story, he
wasaruleroftheheal·enlyocean,
but ~fter a war with the demons,
thegodsre:~llocated
their powers and
Varun:J~ametheruler
ofthe westernskyand
oftheelrthl)'>eas
Hisruleextendedtothe
tides,andhewass.:lldto ~
0
bethepatrongodof (j
sailors and fishermen Gl
0
<II! Th•godoftho •kr • od .. • • ~
'131<n!llldaam¥¥~a"'f(Joroi
baastthatwa• pan·crorodileand l&l
panbh.lli> rrountwauoonas
uynb:joiWllt\Kar>IIU<t•l•ty
SHAlSO ....... UidoO•lllHH.118-l9.m -l.l • llsoootr""I• I >IH9.1\&il,162~
BRAHMAAND
THE CREATION
Over their long history, the Vedic religion and Hinduism have
produced a number of creation stories. Some involve a primal
creator- Prajapati (Lord of Creatures) or the god Brahma-
while other myths explain the creation of th e various life
forms, including humanity. They are told in the conte.'.:t of
a cyclical notion of time, in which the universe will one
day come to an end and a new era of creation will begin.
--- ------------- + ---
THE MYTH
lnthebeginning,thegod Brahma, thel,ordo!Crt-atlon,
spread his light around the universe and becant~ the
essence of all things . He ~lso ~mbodied time, presiding
over~ cycle of exiSience ott a uuly cosmic timescale. One
d~yand nightofbtslifewass.1idtobst4,320milhon
humanyears,and;,.,henthisperiodwilsovn,thecyde
of creation would come to an end as well. A N E V ER-C~I A N GI N G FORM
One oft hebeingscre~ted byBralnnatobringlight into the
DAR K A N D LIGttT worldw:lSabeaut ifulcreawrec.111ed Vak(Word)_Accord ing
Brahnta med it~ted, comempbling whalthe uni,·erse would to some ''ers1olb of this creation stO!)', Brahma and Yak
belike.andcreatedanimagebasedonthisvision. But he coupled,~ndwhiledoingso,theychangedthetrform
realized thJt since he was ignorant of wiL1t the universe cominuously As a result, they produced every kind of anitml
would actually become once it came into existence, what speciesthm populme the E:mh. However. other versions
he had created was merely an tmage of this ignorana:. say tlta~ Yak, considered to be the cre:ttor's daughter, was
He discarded it. and it bec:nne Night . Soon Night began unwilling to mate with him. When he persisled. she turned
wprodua:darkchildrenofitsown,who~rselfintoad"eerandfled.AhhoughBrnhmapursued
became the first demons. When these and ought up with her, he was un:tble to impregrute
herwithhlsseed,whichfell tod-.egroundand
becamethefirstntanattdthefirstwotn.11L
creationonceagain. SinceBmlnn.1h."ldchangedhisshape
Ashemeditated.hega,·eshape1o continuouslytocrt-atedifferentlifeforrns.he
asuccessionofbeings,suchasthesun was5:lidwbepresentinall h,·ingbeings.But
andtheotars,whichbegantoemit despitehisomnipresence.Bmhmaslsofuda
lighttob.1la1~e the darkness of Night. C--'::::: horne,thegreatcil:ldel-paL-.::eofthegodson
According to some accounts, it was at ~ topofthes.1ered mountain, ~!eru . Mount ~leru
th is point that Brahm a created the se'·eral A l.o1usllow.r was at the very center of the Hindu cosmos:
!;:', ;,:r:;~~~:: ~::::;;,."7 from its slopes, the s:o::red Ri\'er Ganges 11owed
]!X) born from a lotus hat that (IIOW down in four stremns, each of which r:lll
on the"""'"olaroiiMiderty.fb)afl'l~ towardsm-.eofthe fourcardiml points.
CREATORS
Differentacrountsoflhec..,a!ionstoryh>se
oftenusedthenamePrajapati(Lordof
Creatures)fortheprimalbeing.Somemyths
asso::taoe thedl:ityVIshnu(seepp/96-91) ~.::,;:;...,
\\id>Praj•pati,andBrahm.olss.aldtohlve lhemoanl
be<:nbornfromthenavelofVishnu.Tiv: pbno!S"'1he$l<y '(fj
!itle "Pmjapali" isalsoUS«<forBrahmaand -;1}};
histen "mind-l:>o rn"sons,whopbyakeyrolein
creahonbygivingfonntogods,humans.andanimal>. ;\:
TI>eHindupanthronindudesotherfigures,suchas
Vislw•akarma,wOOembodiescrealiw!X"'uandwisdom
andisoonsider<dthea,..,hitfftofthecosrnos.
----------·------ --- +
CREAl ION AND NA ! U RE
AnearlycreationmythmentionsPurusha.the
primalhwnan , whosplithirnselfintoamakand
afem.tlehalft].,,maredandga,-.:b\nhrn\"ar\oUs.
lifeforms.lnan<Mherv(r>ion,toldinrheRig\'tdt!,
Puruiha~reartdrhe Hinduca>tesfromdifferent
partsofhisbody,wirh rheBmhmins(prie>ts)
emergingfromhishead, rheKshurips(""'riors)
fromhisanns, rheVaish)"as(fdnntrs,ariisans,
andrr.ukrs)fromhisthighs,andrheShudt'lls
(v•orker>)fromhisfeetln).. tanorhermyth , rhe
firs:rhwnan,calkdManu,creartda"i!efromone
SHIVA
A member of the triad o f great Hindu gods, Shiva (meaning
"auspicious") represents the coming together of opposites-
he is known as the destroyer, but also embodies great creative
ofthemhadthestrengt htodefe3tthese
demons.SoShiv3suggestedthJ.ttheother
godsshouldcombinetheirstrengthand
lendhimhalfofiL This. coup led with
Shiva'saln:adyformidablestrength~and
theabililyto comrolhisp ower~w:<S
enoughforhimtodefeatthedemonswtth
3singk,all-powerfularrow. But when he
hadachie,·edhisvi<:ror)',Shivarefuscdto
givebackthestrengthhehadborrowed
from t heothergods. AndsoShiva
remainedthestrongestdeityofall
1%
. '·•C
·\'- ~- .:~ .'.t\.
DURGA
The Hindu goddess known as Durga {the Unattainable) usually
takes the form of a warrior. She can embody all the martial
energy in the cosmos and concentrate it to become an
invincible foe of liwse who threaten her fellow deities. She
is renowned as an opponent of demons who threaten the
cosmic order. Like her consort Shiva, (see pp.194- 95), Durga
has a complex personality. Although essentially created to be
a destroyer, in some forms she can also be a nurturing dei ty.
TIIEMYTII
Once, ~ bufblo-demon called Mahisha (or Mahishasura)
acquiredgreatpowerbypracticingsevereausterities. He
:.skedBrahma(supp.l90-91)forthegiftofimmortality,
butwhenhew:ISrefused,hearrog:~ndydem::mdedthathi s Hundreds of
dea!ltshouldbeol)lymthehandsofawoman.Securein demon~ were
the knowledge 1hat he W:lS ahnost irwincible, Mahisha went killed in the
onarampageandattackedt~gods.Realizingthntnone
ofrhegOdscouldvanquish Mahisha,whow:tSprotectedby remainedunl;x>atenanddefiam
Brahrna'sboon,the:dl-powerfului"ityofShiva, Braluna,
arrdVishnu(seepp.l96-97)concemr:lled their comb ined HIE BI).TTLE W ITt\ MI).~IISIIA
divineenerm·.whichbecamemanifestintheformofthe r-earlessl)'.l>bhishawentforDurga'smouru.herroaringlion.
god des; Durga, 1~ epitome of feminine power. Durgagorherne>osearound~ropponentSneckbuthe used
hisslupe-changingpowerandrransformedhimself imoa
r-----
FACIN G UP TO T11E DEMONS lll:ln. DurgathenSiabbed himwithhertrideru,soheswiftly
:,!~:~~;~:~:~~~~::~~~:~ ~~:::::~~~f:~~u~le:,';;:~r
ahon.s~rodeour to confront rhistimehechangedbackinroa
~bhisha a"d his army of demons buffalo and moved out of range
Thegoddesslookedfearle~'md t>-:ext,heStanedrouproot
her face radiated awesome power mount:tins :md throw them at the
WhenthedemonssawDurga, goddess.Shedenected them
theyswarmedtowardsher.but easilyand,advancingfearlessly,
she cut them down in swathes held rhe buffalo-demon down
Shedisp:ttchedsomewithher withherfOOl:tSshesrabbedhim
mace , slew others with her rridem with her rridem and beheaded
and swont and some she bssoed him. The demon slowly emerged
in her noose . Then she rook the in his original fonn,d)·ingand
• DurgabattliftGRoktobij repemam.BrahmaSgifrh.1dbeen
Anotflor d""""' who 1hroot.....,;l1ha god• ""'' llo~tabotiBiood Seed).
who:«ldoOpSolbio:ldcrootOO.-""""'-li"'SOXI<111Sit.l-jtwcl'>o<llhe gi"en: ~bhisl~1lud fimlly been
(IIOOOd l\o(J'Unoodm_,Ka~. wOO.tankllP al lhebloo:landkiiiOO hUJt \'anquishedbyawoman
DEMONS DURGA:S STRENGT H
llindum;,hologyabound>inbeingsknowna>dsums.ordemons UkeShi,·a,Durgahasgreatdestructi•"f!O'I-"'·buttllis,·erydestruction
suchasMahisha.Alongwiththedeiti.s.thesedemonswere hasapositio-,sideasit maintainsb.liancebyannihilating threat.>to
ehildrenoftheereatorPrajapati(secpp.l90-9/) , buttheybeeame the natural oKkr. Durgo~appearanct has thisdualaspect too-her
theantagoniSisofthedcitlesandwerescena,;beingthepolar bodyn>dlates lightbut , lxfirtingherrolea,;thepersonifieatlonof
oppositeofthegod,;.Som~:accoumss;~ytha t bothdtegodsand deSirocrlvefo.-.:e,shelsalsohea•ilyanned.Herweapon,;(below)
show how she embodies the p<l'l-'erofma<>yofthe god> 11>ey indude
lndra'sthundcrbolt , \islnm'sdiscus, and Shi\'il'strident_ Varona~
corochshells),nboliu:stlte\i<:toryoftight<OOUS>te>S. E\-,nlterd>Oice
ofalion(atiger insome\-,rJions)ashermoumindieateslterp<l'l-·er.
HJ
THE RAMAYANA
The Ramayana is one of the two great Indian epics \VIitten in the
ancient Sanskrit language , and a seminal text in Hindu mythology.
It tells the story of Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya and an incarnation
of Vishnu (see pp.196-97) , from his upbtinging, through his e.:... i!e,
to the rescue of his wife , Sita, from the demon king Ravana's
clutches. Through its depiction of the main characters, the
epic e'{tols the virtues of loyalty, kinship, devotion, and duty.
·.~
~t.::;_~~.-:,-~~~--
RAMA AND SITA THE IDEAL O F BROTIIERII OOD
lntheepic,RamaandSitaareponrayedas tlle idealcouple.Rama Brothe~hoodisthemalicallyimegral to theRamaJana. The ideal
winshiswifeinacontestofstr.ngth,andfightsfearlesslytor.scue brotherisLakshrnana-heaccompaniesRama andSita intoexile
herwhenslleisabducted.Similarly.Silaisconsideredtheperlect guardsthem.andaidsRamainhisb.mkswiththedemonsandinhis
devo•ed wife. However, Ram a has been S<:en by scme as a nawed rescueofSita.Bharata , loo.showshis lo•:eforRamabyoverridinghis
h.:rowhofailedto kinglyaspirationsandplacingRarna'ssand•lsonthethrone.
appr.cia1.: Sill~ Shat rughnaissimilarlydevo•edtoRamo , and
goodness by doubting
••
herclustitytwice(<«
p.201).Someaccounts
interpr.tRama'sactions
asbefiningaju.,ruler
whohastoplacr ideals
ofkingshipalxweal l
perS<:m•l bonds
.. Lakohmono
WhooRavana'•Sisteob.OOtotake
""""''J"OOflamalol$pUIOI"lJ
~:=::,1~7.:.':..
e
I
TI-lEY SI-IA LL DECORATE
TilE Tll RO NE. ,,,m,... ~.....
I
- ·-------·------- +--------------· -
TI-I EEPI C
TheRamaJana,oneofthegreat worksofworld
literature,issa idtoha'·ebeenwriuenby o sage ,
Valmiki. who plays a role in the epic. but may Q.
alsoha,·ebeen a realperson. Varyingacroums
placei!Sdateofcompilationbetween500 !CI'
and200 CE Valmikiprobablydidnolwritethe
..
$$'1Q(l"""!Ml$"' lha
-.anc~ o~~m .... led
tJ,olb-ruandSita<loonj
:~:~~::~ ~~ ?01
Si1astl!'lrt~OOmll1o;Jil
SURPANAKI1A
One day, a female demon named Surpanakha lu~ted aher
Ram.1 and L1kshmana. and made .ldvances towards them.
\VIienthebrothcrsrejectedher,sherriedtoauackSita,and
l.ak,;hma!l:lretaliatedbycuulngoffherTJOSe. Surp..1n.1kh~"".lS
infurhredarrhewayRmnaand l.:lkshmanahad treated her,
soshewent toherbrotherlbvana,rheten-headeddemon
rulerofLanb.andinciredhimtoabductSitainrtvenge
Ravaru.sentademondisguisedlSagoldendeerrodistract
RamaandSita . WhenSitawishedtohaverhecreatureasa
pet.R::unawemoffinpursuitofthede.:r. R.wanathentricked
LakshmanaintofollowingR:unaand,h.wingapproached J,. Tloo fi .. tbaldo
Sitadisguisedasahemtit .carriedheroffrolanb DunngUoebatllo,wli<.Wlol(>'ll:Hmoutoltaloead(>'
armo!flawoa, ai'IGWonegwwinrtsplaoo.Fioally.
Rao.nausedacoOJstJ31woapong-I>,>!O;>Inna
RAMA AND 111-\NUMAN
Rmnaa_ndl.:lkshmmubegantheirsearch lhnumanfoundSitaimprisonedontheislandfortressof
Llttka.Jtslocationmadel.:lnkadifficulttoattack,asdidthe
'"'·O.'"hmjo·"."''Y.'hro•.•gh.•l•
rest.-tiJe}'Cameacrossthe-monkey.. bet that R.11-am li:ld an enme army of demons. Hanuman and
godHanuman.whoser>edSugreeva, hismonkeysbuihabtidgeovertheseasothatthe)'cou\d
themonkeykmg.Sugreeva,like anackL1nb.. lnaseriesofbanles,Rama, L1kshmana,
""- '" '"" R:mu,wasalsomexlle. HlSbrother Hanuman, and the other monkers killed the most fe~rsome
~ Vahhadtakenhtsphceaskmg demons. Finally, Rama slew R:w:ma and rescued Sita. Then
"' o- HanurnJn:>SkedforRarna'shelp Rarna,Sita,andLakshmanareturnedhorne
inremovingrheusurper.Sugreeva Ramawasunsureaboutacet:ptingSiuasshehadbeena
challengedValitoaduel.during captiveofR.warn llurranddistressed,Sitaofferedtowalk
which Rama killed Vali. His kingdom throughfiretoproveherchasuty.Sheemergedunscarhed,bur
restored,SugreevaagreedtoaidRama. back in Ayodhf-1, a ch~nce rem~rk by a washennan prompted
HattuiiUttdecidedrohelpinre>CUing RamatodoubtSiuag:~in.Siiesoughrrefugeinthehermitage
Sita.Partiesofrnonkeysweresentoutto ofrl~esageVahn iki,whereshegal'ebinh totwinboys .
Years
searchforiJer.Aftermanyadl·emures , larer, Rarnarecognizedrhemashissonsarrdinvitedhiswife
toretumafteranothertti~lbyfire. TiredofcoriSI:~rulyhaving
.,. ThodoathofJotayu to prove l~erchastity,Sit~appealed to Mot her Earth to take
WlmR<MmabJI.tttdSita.oooloJ.UturecaladJa~I~"JIO<Id
l<l$.li'Oho<Jatayuattacbldtha<iorr>:M1 bngarxlde$t<<¥J<I herb:;ck.Onheatinghercry,thegroundopenedup
hosdlar !Olb<Jtflavana cutoHh«wmg.so ~nu«J hn n andSitadisappearedintoit
ALLIES
Rama'sgreatestalliesindw:reSUJeofSitawcre$ugreeva,
llanuma n, and their anny of monbys. Hanuman~ great
Slrcngthandpowersofshapt-changingandllightproved
,::;: invaluable.llemade twojourney<tolank.t,thefirst to
~ localeSita ,andthestrondtohelpRamadefeatRavan.t.tnd
I: reS<:Uehiswife.Ha,ingfOI.lndSitaonthefirstjoumcy,he
s ""sdiscoveredbyRavanaSgwrdswhosethlslongtai\on
fiTOC,butlw:surviwd . seltinglankaabJ.u:as lw:escaptd
~ Duringthefinalb.itklnlank.t . rnanyofRarna's"·arriors.
ln<:ludinglakshmana,werekilled.Hanurnanfetcheda
/.\1) magic herb from !lw: Himala)"OS to revin them. He was
rcwardedv.itheverla.r.ingyouthforhisde,'OtiorttoRama
:!
ADVERSA RIES
lnth< R~mdya•a. Ram.tS"'"""""""' referred to as mkshaS<Is,orde!OOils. ThekingofthernOshasas,R.-·ana
Tr.odition.dly, they''''"'' nuhgn btingswho att.ockd women and children waHfearsomefigure"ithlOheads
or~P""Pieatnight,dri•ingtheminsal"'.Prominentamongthe and20anns.Hewasascholarand
dernonshelpingR.'"'"""""tehlsbrodter, anauthorityontl..,'kd.ts.Hepleased
Kumbl>okam.t,ogi.:tntWhOspel\1 onos1of Brahma"ithhisrtgorousausttrities
hislifeslecping,ar.::IRlvan•'sson,Me~nwh, andarrogandysoughtitwulnerability
whohaddefealedhldm(supJ&f)and again>lgodsanddemons.beli.,..ing
wossaidtobeunbeambll:in nohumanrouldhannhirn.Healso
appeasedShh·a.whog•wehima
swonl.l!eisseenaseitherawicked
:;::~:.:::0,:~;';,:;"'
( '
who had potential for
good but was destined
tobtcomee\il
• RI•o no'oowonl
lblanaot~RamJ
WllhlheCflarrJrah""
{mt)(l1 bDit~"'""'""
hadt-liJ"'<lb<rShM>
q • n.. a.. m<rting Kailash
(h:.)llavana""'Jt'edSh""
bymovu>;Jh;•abodea!Moun!
Kallasll,...,..waspo.onl$~
TI-IE M YTII
ThekingdomofH:ISiimpuraw'USruledbyPanduofthe
Bharatldynasty.bndudiedearly, sohisblindbrother
Dhrit;u'astna.became the. king. Hebro1.1ght upPandus
fivesons,knowncollecti'"elyasthePanillwas, alongwith
hisownlOOson,;.calledtheKaur:was. ·
The Pandav:~Sil)curredthejealousyof t heircousinsdue
wtheirrnilit aryprowess,virtuou~conduct,and pOpularity
amongthecommonpeople. WhenYudhisluhir:t,P:lnduS
firstbom,w:~Sdedaredheir-:tpparent:theKattrav:~S,Ied
bythetreldestbrother, Duryodhana,conspiredtokill t he
P:mdava:.. However,theirintendedvictimsgotwindofthe
pbnandescapt;d. To,;ettlethequ;~rretDhritaT:!Shtradivided
• n.• ur.atwar
hiskingdombetwecnDuryodharuandYudhishthirs. But the ()oeoltheg raaii>Slcoolk tsiolndianrr~ttiJOOgy. tBmdotorr<IMsoo"'IOOI<;oaot
1\:mravc<:;resentedthis. TheyinvitedYudhishthiratoplaya Ollloio<ok>osaiWilllhe«"tdeoaibeslhooomplexOOtllofor"'"tions•oedl'!'
theto.aos.arodthewaodi~and•uatogoes~l>(bottl•rdao
gameofdice(gamblingbeingoneofYudhislnhira'sfell
weaknesses) , andkeptincre:~Singthestakes, Eventually
Yudhishthirnb:ldgamblcdawayhisweahh. · couldhavehisarmy, another could ha,·ehim _Duryodhan.1
kingdom,andel'etthtsbrothersandwife chosethearmy. 'l ht: reasArjumpreferredtolw.l'e Krishna,
The Pandava:.werebanishedfor l2years whothenofferedtobehischarioteer.
amongthefem.tltch•r.~ottersis
DTllup;ldi.thtsplt11«1doug}nn
ofKingDn.q>oad.owhow"s'"'"'
byArjun.&.butbtt.,roetht,.ifc
ofallthtfi•·cP.ond.o•.as.Shcls
rightfullyourr.~w<Jatb.ing
U5Cdu•~wnlnthrdi""
11""'1!-Aher"innlngt..r.
Oury<Xll~;~"'""'""shisbrothu
d~bl:hcrpubllcly.Dr~upadi~
humlli"lollltlthlsm<uuJeris
~nly..,spon>ibltforthewar.
THE ORIGIN OF
THE GANGES
The Ganges (Ganga) is sacred in Hinduism both as
a river and as the goddess Ganga, who personifies
its waters. According to a popular myth, the Ganges
originally flowed in heaven, before being allowed by
the gods to descend to Earth and flow through the region
that became India. Devout Hindus believe that the river
has the property of washing away all sins.
---------------- + --
THE MYT H
The kingdom of A)·odhp w:l> once ruled by a king n:uned
Sag:u~ who lud 60,000 SOilS. One day, the kit tg docided to J. G•ngoonh..-moun1
lhe.....,n t~!tlogo:;ddesso~dl(l
perform the Ashwam<'llhd yagna (horse ~rifice cer~monj'),
Mtd>na.""""' llasl0000o1v<J
tosymbolize hissupremacyoverotherru!ers:Theri!Ual toldhunthattherh·erw:tS a tH)';(Idd(l ~rot IS SO<T'I(!I "')OS
involved sending hisbeststallionaroundthe Eanh. Anyon~ extremdystrong:mdflowed,"ery sll(JNnWJi htbatail ola'sh
whowishe<.ltodu.llengethe"king'saulhorilycouldslOplhe swiftly,unlikeanyeanhlyriver.lt
horse;l.n d fighttheking . Whenthegodlndra(seep.l88) wouldcJuseterribledeotruclion if it were allowed to flow
s:JWS.1garn'sstallionro~rningaround ua:::hallenged,he fred)'- The w:uersoftheGangeshadtobecom:Jinedin
hiditinthehermitagcofthesageKapib somew·a):Finaii)•,Shiv:Jagreedtoallowthcs.xredriver
toflowthroughhismanedhair. He told Bhagirntha!lw
Tt-IE LOSS O F SAGARA'S SO NS afterbreakingthefJllofthemightyriver,hewouldensure
Attxioustoretrievehisstalliott,!l~ek i ngtoldallhis thmitfollo\\edwhicl~e'·ercourseBiugirnthatook
sottstolookfor t hemissinghorse. They found it
in Kapila'shrnnitage. Thmk.inghimtobethe T l1E W ATER S O f THE GA NGE S
thief,tl~eyoungandarrogantprincesbeganto Sotheragingwatersoftheriverca.scadeddownto
insuhhim. lnfuriated.thes:Jgeturnedthem Eanh.bri nginglifetotl~e landsoverwhichitflowed,
to:tSheswithasinglegbnce . S;J.gar::.p\e:lded butwithoutcausinganydestructive floods. The place
withKapibtolibermethesoulsolhissons. wl~eretheGrutgesfirsttoud~edtheEarthGlllleto
butthesagereplied t luttheycouldbe beknown:tSGangotri. Theriverflowedoverthe
liberatedonlyiftheGanges,asacredriver asl~esofS;J.gara'smanysons.liberatmgtheirsouls,
that flowedinheaven,camedowntoEanh whichtl~enrosetoheaven. Eversince,devOiees
andflowedovertheir<tShes luvebehevedth.1tthew:llersoftheGangeswJ.Sh
forVIshnu(supp.J96-97)andhis _, ..-
.
'\'\
,
I togi,·ebirthtodi\inebeingscaUed\\Hto<,
wil<l were doomed to be born as humans.
• s h<oguatho
~1......_... ,-£:::_
SioceBhagoralhawure~~lble
lolbtoJJJUWJIOORiwrGa-•
I
(.!7"r-v--
,~"-' ~~
r.-"::. ~~:=1=~~00
kr;:;wn& theBhagu alho
::=~~~
sa"allC<lun trltheRille<
li:Jfi!J<I$~them.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - +-------------- ----
- - -- TH E SACRED RI VE R
Allri,·ersaresa.:redinHinduism,and
ritual purificationbyriv.rwaterhas
alonghistoryinsouth<rnAsia.But
th<watersof t h<Gangesare~spectally
sacredandartbelie••edtobeapowerful
curati•·e.Bathinginth<Gangeswash<s
awayallthepasts.insofaperson.Andif
adeadper>on'sashes•reimmnscd inthe
Ganges,theirsoulisfreedfromthe
unendingcycleofdeathandrebinh.Many
1\indusoimtobatheintheGangesatkast
"""" intheirlifetirneandhopeth.uafter
theydieandarecremattd.th<irrelab•·es
"illbeableto scatttrtheirashes in the
holyrhnCI'urityiscoos.ideredanorher
sacreddutyo!Hindus.sopilgrimsglve
almstothesagesandpoorpe:opleli•ing
ontheb:tnksoftheri\U
Both China and japan have complex mythologies involving many liwusands
of gods, goddesses, and spirits. For centuries these beings have played a
central role in the lives of the people and their rulers.
---~-- -----~----------0
.,_ P.., Go
Ti lE MYT H lh9 Q'00101Qod 1S0$1J11IIy
lnthebeg.inning t herewasonlychaos.andamtdthis
disorderslept thelonecreatordeityPanGu. Hew:J.Sin =~:::~.~~~·~o~s
astateofdeepslumber.buildinguph~strengrhforthe
monurnemaltaskofcreation. Afteranimme;).Surable
period of time, PanGuawoke . look ingaroundhesaw
onl)·disorder!}nd"wasangeredbythesight . He brought toprevemthem from
hisarmscrashingthroughthecluos,hishandshiuingthe coming together. Hegrewprogressivelytallerasthe
sw\rhngekmentswithagreatechoingbang two moved further apart . Onox the two were permanently
separ:tted.thecre.atorlaydownroskep
H I E CREATIO N OF TilE ELEMENTS Asheslept,P!tnGuhimselfbegantotransform. HiSC)'CS
TheimpxtofPanGu'sblowscausedtheelememsofchaos becarhetl~esunandtl~emoon.Thestrandsofhairinhis
tomoveoffindiffere,ntdirections. lle»truckthechaosollCl' beard broke into piecesthatbecamethe~tars. Some parts
again,andtheelememssmnedtobecomemoreordo:red, ofhisbodyturned irnothemoumainsandtherestofhis
umiltheiJe~l'ieronesbegan fleshturnedimothesoii.Soon,tl~ehaironhishe:tdbecame
tosinkandthelighterones the-pbmsandtreesthattookroot intheEarth. They were
floo.tedupw~rds. This nouri~hed by his blood, which formed the lakes and rivers.
processcre~ted the Eanh
andthesky,bothofwhich H I E FIRST PEOPLE
thenbegantoexp.1udas AgoddesscalledNO\\'a:lppe.1redwhenPanGuh:tdfinished
the elements continued creatingtheworld.Shelookedat the cosmosth:JtiL1dgrown
tosepamte. PanGustood outofPanGu'sbodyandconsidered it beautiful. But after
between thetwodomains, awhi le she feltlonely,anddecidedtocreatehurnanbeings
his feet pressed down on whocouldl iveonthisbnd scape.Shetooksorneclayand
the Earth~nd his hands rnoldedit intotlJefiTS~people,andkeptmakingmo~wheu
holdinguptl~esky, shesawthatthe)'Wereluppytogetl~er. However, she also
noticedthataftersometimetheybegantoageanddie. Weary
attheprospectofrnoldingpeopleoutofclayindefinitely,
ThonameNiiWameaos"Sroll Nil Wa g:J\'e l~er creations tile ability to procreme: now the~
~laoilon,"aodth(lgQddo).$$olo!ten
would alway~ be people to populate the Earth. Nil Wa stood
::;·=~~t~~o~:= back.andwaspleasedwithwhatshehadmade
--.. ;'7-'tij
. \(~
hwnantoteachhisfoUowersandwritethe
philosophkalmastupiect.theD<uJdojing
wllich laterfonned ~he ba>isofDaoisrn
Confu.cius,althougharealpersontOO , came
tobcS«nasaseml-m)·thicalfigureatld
wasworshippedos o do:ityintempks
....
li<:wrding!Ol"'""''phiio<ophy,humonbo'ongs........,.
lt"1!03<hio¥easta!erJequilibrtum,.., t OO.~
Sincolho)y<treaf"'tto!""ture, tllo)yst>Quldl..etn
713
OO tfOOII'I'"'thna tut e.~l'lriatelhe n atmaii'Mid
----------------------- 0 ---
Ti lE FO UNDE R OF CIII:\JA
Fu Xi was marrie d to the. goddess No. Wa (sa p.l/2). He was said to have
come to Earth in prehiSloric times to become t he first emperor of China
Sornebelieved thathehadfourfaces,eachoverseeingoneoft hefour
poims of the com pass _ More important ly, he was one of the foremost
cultureheroesofChitu. The inventionofclan a nd family names, and
the establishment of socbl order were auribute d toFu Xi. Some said
he also taugln the ~ople of Ch ina how to domesticate animals, catch
fish wit h nets, and make music wit h instruments.
lnaddmon FuXt sho" ed theCiunesehowto == ~'.,.,
,t?.~q
makest lk threadand " emellmtoclDih how
to measure time, md howtouseacalendar
madefromalengthofknottedcord
IllII 'i ,~
,
1
0 11
A. fuXi
:!
T\VO SAC E RULERS Ti lE Q UELLI NG O r
A !ll)1hlcal emperor rtllOwned 00!!1 for ht> wisdom and skill TilE FLO OD
in arms, Yao ruled Ol'tr 1~ terri tori~ and brought peace to Shunw..,;gravtl)·troublcdbyagre:n noodof
somht:rnChma.llehadrunesons.butcOfiSidnednontof Chuu;, rivtTli. The emperor of l~a•·en had sem
themcap.:~bkofrulmg. \\nhlhehelpofthegods.hc thcnoodbccaustll(w~angrywlththt:smful
found a Mmplt fannn called Shun. who W3S mort skLllro war:-ofhum:mit)'.Gun.thegrandsonoftht
J.JtdimflligentlullYriSOIIS.andbt:q~.~t:~~l"'diiiSthrorll'hJ emperor. took pity on hurruns Jnd wem down
hlm.Shunbtcnmethesteond~rulcr_ to the Earth to bu~dcaoolsand dr.uruge d11Ches.
Go\-eming;t;;tutelrhei'ISilnle•~!}'rtgionol \~ntheemperorofhc;l\'tllfoundoutwha.J
hiskingdomtoenMuetB:..ilw:ptoplc.:.U)'ed Guntuddoncwuhou\ hbperrnission.he
him and had wtu1hey nwkd.lkq~.~tlkd killed h!Sgrand~n. ButasGunlayd~ad.a
n:bdhonssou1hofd~tY:mgt~Rw~rand dragon calkd Yu ~mcrgtd from hi~ body, s..l"'
hl~tobt:lC\.'yearsold. theternbl~damagemnkted bythtragmg
waters, and n~" to hea,.en to intercede on
betulfofthe peopleofChma. Upon heanng
Yu's SWI)'. the emperor ofl'oe:t\'~n r~lented, ~nd
~llowed Yu to raise mountains. rtroute ri,.ers.
and build drninagc ch~nnels so thatth~ noods
couldbecomrolled:ulast
... No..
~ s
Anothercult~hero.Sl~!enl\ong,invenredthe:moffmning.
:!':::!:::!:=:·1091*1
A ft:mlny god who helpc<l pl.lnts pow. Sl~!en l"ong uuglu the
Chine~ how to grow staple fo<Xb .uch as rice and wheat.
• AIICientCiri-,tow
Somesaytlut he invented tiM: plow andde,.tsedwaysof S<lmen1'['111$$1flhlrl$honNong
growmgcropsinrocationtoprN::rvetli!Cfenilnyofthefields
Sl~n Nong is ;tbo :lltnbuted with reveali ng the many l~aling =~~~~
propeniesofl~rhs,aml lsthusre\'ertd:otiM:i nl'entorof
-- -- -------------- .:;----
of"isdomandembodimern
ofBu:ldhistlaw;andGuan
)\n,thegoddessofme~~;y.
~ Gu a nYin
A~n>:ewh>~the..uldro
ao: h oa~ult r ma!aWISilorn,thefhldha ~=::::"~~':::.,"'
isr,.,..ed!rrthect.ooseasoooollho $ne re$pOrd$wha-ho)r
g<001<)11olall.sp11tC011011Cl>:>'o oo..-call ...,..herlolhelp
7.!l
~- ...,~
THE JAPANESE CREATION
Japanese myths aboUI the origin of lite most popular deities of Japan , such as the
universe tell how, after six generations of sun goddess Amaterasu and the stonn god
primal deities , the scvcmh generation, Susano-0 (see pp.226-27). However, because
comprising the brother and sister duo of !zan ami erred during the first marriage
Izanagi and lzanami, set the process of creation ceremony, she was condemned to give birth
in motion. Their union produced some of the to monsters as well as to gods.
TI-IE M YTII
Atthcbeginningoftime, thereex!Stedthreeinvisib'tedeities
These mysterious gods wert" known as the Heavenly Center
Lord,tlleHighGenerall\'eForce,andtheDivineGenerath·e
Fon:e. Together,theycomainedallthepotentblforlifeand
creation.Theywerefollowedbyscwralgenerationsofdeities.
until the tim~ was : ipe for ~he crel~ ion of the universe
H I E CREATORS
Creatlonwass~arted bytheseventhgenemtion of deities:
the creator god lz:magi{He\Vholnvftes),and the creator
goddesslzanami(She\Vholnvites).Thesedeities
representedthetwobal;~ncingprinciplesofcreation.the
m~uline and the feminine _They stood on the rainbow
bridgeofheaven,andchurnedthech.1osbeneaththem
withaspearunttlanislandwasformed. The two deities .t. ba nogi and l,_.no,. i
lhafi,.ttwodolt•o»todosoondl0 (31lhtromha3>1(l<l
des-::endedtothisislandanddecidedtom:myThe
llallllrJ<aMI!liMrrltOOc"""'thaparonuo!Oert"sSL•J•as
wedding ceremony required lzanagiandlzanami Arnator...,_ tha .un godOO... and lou~o .,.,... tha own god
wcircleaceremonialpillarinopposltedirections,
withthebridegroomrecitingthemarrL1ge,·ows deSiinedtoperishbecauseherfinal childwasthefiregod
firs\. However, lzanami spoke fir5t, which was K~gutsuchi ,whoconsumedherinhisflame-s. The goddess
considered improperb)·theothergodo. Sotheir diedandleftforYomi,thejapaneseUnderworld
unionwasflawedand itproduced Hiruko,the
leech-child,whowassentouttosea THE FLIGHT FROM T~IE U N DER WO RLD
Theceremon)·wasrepeated,andthistime, !zanagimournedthelossoflzanami,andtmveledtothe
l.oanagispoke first. Thisunionwashappyand Underv..·orldtoretrieveher,butlzanami'sbodyhadaltl'ady
fru itful. and lzanamigavebirthtoawholenew beguntodecay. lt seemedthathewastool:uetosaveher,
gener:uionofdeities---~hegodsoftheoceans,rivers. :md he fled from the Unde rn-orld. with lz:u!.lmi following him
winds, trees , mountains, and lowbnds. She ~so g.we ThewarriorsoftheUnderworld pursued lvnagi,:mdsohe
birthtoalltheislandsofJapan. But !zanamiwas threw some rocks~t t hem, which magically tu!l'led into food.
delaying the warriors. lzanagi f;~iledtonoticelzammitraihng
him on his w:~y to Eanh_ To prel'em rhe warriors from
catching up with him, lzanagiplacedavaststoneoverthe
entrancetotheUnderv.'orld, tt:lppinglzarumiinsideforever.
AAIATERASU
. ~ Ort.olthtrnoslptornitltlttolallj;!p.Ul(St:./~nwdrlliu.thtsun
- --- -
/ .
~Amatm.w"-astht •klt5l dluglttCrolluougi..d lunami
·-
Slt.ldd«<"ith.fe"~lundhtrnrcldw::-tofllgluformtdthtMtlky\\~.
Lottr,t...,·ingwmntdtheUnh,.·lthhtrra)"Sandmadtrondltions
suiubltfotlr.ioglhlngstog.ow.Arruterasuom.dawnwEanh.Sht
tmgltttht~ofJ•p;onhowiOgJOWrittandwhrat , andhaww
.. :J I I kttpsilkwonns,t...T\'e$1 lhdtthrt;ld . .,ld ..~a,-.,clo!h.Acronlmg
J • _: _ _ I ••"II!~ toapopul.1rtn)~h.Anurer..,.._.w;osallJP:'~""hmherbrothtr
Susmo.OU«pp.ll6-2n. darnagtdhtrricccropsandt•mlshcd
A S~ato1IIMI htrhorne.SO.shutht,..lfin
.... - •
. . bleoss.gsolthe_t...,. . .
...,~~ooorw~~;..-
-"""'*'·*·-"
r..r.-.ot ........ SioiOIO ..... beloM•-"1111
.. .,._.,...,l
aca>.., ,plungiogtht "urld
l..odorl<nessasartsult
THE K.AJV\1
• nt- i.Poedoo-rld
TI~tj;lp>.nor,..btli~thatthous.andsofgods.~sses.spirlts.~r.d
IMgod:ltoo<lo:IAtrtalel3lllmiO
d<ifi..donctstol'$,kno••,a>k;aanl,tx15t...:rossd~~:cosmos.Oit&nhorin
lw:~''(l\. TIM:y ""' s.ok! w R;sklt In ""'tur•l ph•nomw.o such as rodts, ::'!~~c:.:~:e,.,.~=:
rtvers,andl•l<es.TI~eyr•n~from ftM"l--hlwMII,Wt!hJujot
tt wasa neNgoddeuandstappetl
JX'Pular ddtlessuchuAmattr•su,to OU!,brlllQifll'j~hl ba<ktoltl(tllll;.ld
lo.:alandfaonilyddtlesktlOWTlto
onlyasnullnumt:.:rofpeopkMOSlly
rompri!ingSI>lntodeitlts,dl(k,omialso
~
indl.ld.Buddhi.ll.d<ities,aswdl.si'Omc
.:krivWfromHinduhm,JUChao8t'll1(n
(lup/6i),th.J&IW"'""""rsionofthe
Hondugoddw;S.ora!\O·atiUupJ99)
. ~...... ..
... SioifJIOtpiril
S!on~>••st..IO . . . . . -..ty~
'"'"~'-'lonoor•lhii...,.IJI_.or
I ,__.,.....,....t
~ .. ·~tr• ..,ol ..
doo
borda...... h . . . . . . . . . . . _ • • ,..,.,.
• . . - ...,. . .,,....... bodoiP«<!' l ::.;.::~7:=-=
G -- - · - - - - - -
Y01\ Il
'Thtj:lp.o.ntso:Lmdofthedead.,OmiorYomi!SUkuml,"""
he~ ......,drobta~ofd.orknnf.fullofdtrnon5andsini51:cr
deihtswhoan~ktdorpursuedwhocwranh"edthe ... n..
rulnoftlllsdl"""'lpl.oct"liSErrutu-O ,ajudgcof thcde.od
wholl••cdinasubt•rr•nullc-.ISikmadtoftt..nw: ... batld
~wtlsdkltcouldt..min«<ur.dtrgroutld.Whentvil
ptoplt dltd ~r.d wem to Yom!. thty w·ert rn..O. to weu
plaqutsarour.dthdrnecks. Thetoecurtrdli>tsoftheir
situ, ;>CCQoding to whkh they wert wm~enttd physk~lly
t..forttl~tlrlle>hroo:ttda""·•y.tobo.comeobretding
groundforrnaggOis, th.ltwouldtumlntodcmons
.
• Emma-0
Thet ... o1Yomi'*$Sl)d,...,..l(llltl(ttleoltuo:tdY>1to)
(sup.222),hefeltdinyandsohe wl5tdhimselfinariver.
The goddess Am:uer.~Su and the moon god Tsuki-yomi were
~~·::m"'~'
lxoloroha<k r r~~~ itto
created when lzamgicle~nsed hiseyeS~,whileSus.urw-0 flii!<>WMihh .. ~d
appeared when he ,washed out his n~ Susano-0 wanted
toseehismother,lz:mami,sohedectdedwgoiothe Heaskedhissontospt"ndanightinaroomfullofpoisonous
Underworld. He went to bid brewellto Amaterasu, but snakes.Ahhoughitwasadangeroustask,Suseri-hirnegave
trol.lbledhersomuchth::ushehidin. Jcave(scep22J) O kuninush i ama!(ic>carf.whichheusedtoprotecthirnsetf
Next, he \'.':'IS sem imo a room full of wasps and hornets_ Ag:Jin,
SLAYING A DRAGO N theS<:arfcametohisrescue. ThenOkuninushiwasordered
rhe gods punished Susano-Obycuumgoffhisbeard and togotoalietdandretrieveanobjectburiedthere.Whenhe
fingem.:.ib, and banishing him from heaven. While wandering gottowardsthemidd leofthefield,thestormgodsetiton
the Eanh, he came xross·a dr:Jgon :utacking Kusa-nada-pime, fire . Okuninushiaskedafieldmousetoshowhirnawayout,
the PrincessoftheRicePaddies. Turningtheprincessinto.a anditledhimtoatunnelwherehehidunti!tl~efiresubsided.
cornbandhidingheri nhisliair,Susano-Oslicedthedragon
to pieces with his sword. Then. when all w~ safe, he turned THE ELOPEMENT
thepri ncesslx>ck intoahurnan, andnuniedherTI~eyseuted Evenafterhis>ongotthroughtheordeals.Susano-Odid
down inlzttmoand hadanumberofchildren,knownas notagreetothem:>.rri:>.ge. Soo ne night,whilethestorm
the EanhlyGods,wholaterbecarne,·erypowerful rulers godwasasleep,Okuninushiquiet l)•creptuponhimand
tiedhislonghairto theroofbeams.Thenhepickeduplus
OKUNI N USHI'S ORDEALS father'sweaponsandamusicalinstrurnentcalledakolo,and
OneofSus;~no-O'ssons,Okuninushi ,hadsethisheart ran away with Suseri-hime. When Susano-0 awoke he had
-
onhisllll fsist er,Suseri-hime,buttheot onngodw:~med toteardownthebeamsbeforehecouldgivechase. Having
to make sure hissonwasworthyofthematch. Soheset fin~llycaught ttp with them, he surprised the couple by
Okuninushiaseriesofdifficuhtaskstopro,·ehimself. forgivingthemandconsentingtotheirmarriage
.,. Krmo·oogi
A!ll)<bning!Mdr"'JJO,Sus•n<~-Oioonda~dcalled
Kusa-""'J'IG!=Cuttorlhdlooint.ermrawof1hebooot's
tail!lao!hJied , t~Arnio!Oiasu ~rml:;oJIOOC*""\hl.:.-
·.~
~t.;;~~.)~*~-
~ Okunin,.. hi • ndlllto• bb ~
OTHER JAPANESE DEITIES
:~.:~--L~~::S:~:! M.ony of thoj;op<u>t51: dtit~s link«! to wnth•r
..a--bolioltlrlol-lht mdlhrrosmosb.loo&w1hrf.lmilyolSusa.no-O
....._totl"""!'..,~llwt ondAm.oterASU.Tsuld-)QIIli.lhrmoon!Pd."'.OS
'f"IIUa:INtlhtf..., • bct Amater.ISUS husband , "t>ill: \\'.aluhiru...,. , tt..
boJIOWIIIIroldeo..... cUgu..
sungoddi:S!''J si.st(r, wastl>tgoddtN of
Uw:risillgSU11.- Talumi-cn\15lD , odtil)'fmm
ant.>rlil:rgn>tr.ationofgo<k.htatM
U.. ltt(SS(ngtr of Am.aurasu_ '1\o-o "ind
dtitirs,:stor..I>O-hikomd:stor..k>-bt, ""'~ .l. laglllo.: loi
_'"'"P-.,....~<~
... _gOds
~--·
--':"'
"' '
r~~ -
KINTARO
One of the most popular stories in japanese figure-the great warrior Sakata no Kintoki-
mythology is not about the many great he is essentially a figure of legend. Brought
gods of the Shinto hierarchy, but about a up in the forest, he became bmh a friend
superhero called Kintaro (Golden Boy), who w the animals and a defender of the fo rest
possessed superhuman strength even as people against monsters when still young.
a child, and grew up to become a heroic Later on , in his exploi ts as a samurai, h e
samurai. Alt hough Kintaro's career as a
• Jodgingtho conto..
Kiotarowa!<hedcloselyO$!,.haoeandt,.~wres!kd.
!Qokongoutlo<S•!I"Sold'l(lalmqoolal;e!IW1>'Wthat rnoght b(l
maOOtoOOatorpushanow>OO nt outollhespeciliada<ooa
SEEAlSO""-o-l.!>l--!>J.--I.Tl--IJ.!11-9!1. 1ClHJI.I~I.174--~ ...
Theanciem Egyptiansworshippednumerousgodsand
~ sa::rificed and presen·ed in temples. Ceruin animal forms-
goddesscswhoweresaidtoinlluencethewholeoflife.from suchasSobekScrocodile,orthehippopotamusformtaken
thecre:u ionoftheunive~tod.eannuallloodingofthe bythebinhgoddessTaweret-wereespeciallyrelevamtothe
RiverNile,fromaperson'sbirthtoaperson's dailylh·esofagremmanyordimryEgyptbnswho
death.Goddessessuchasll:uhorwatched
over women when they SJ.''e birth, while extremelydangerousanimalswhenworking
thegreatgodofmummification,t\nubis, onthebanksoftheNile,espedallywhen
\ookedonwhenabodywasritually theri,·erwasinflood
preparedfortheafterlife. There were
alsomorelocaldeities: Horus. the god CHi\NGI NG DEITIES
ofthesky,w:>S thegreatgodoflower The animal formstakenbythegods
Egypt,whileSet,d>egodofchaos.was andgoddessesofanciemEgyptwerenot
therulingdeityofUpperEgypt constant ,howe\·er.AnciemEg)"ptbn
deitiesexistedinastateofflux,andsome
i\NIMAL GODS themcouldtakemanydifferentformsat
Manyofthegodsandgoddessesofancien ferent times. Anubis, for example. was
Egypt wok animal form . Hathortook the A Docora1i••tcara bbH tl• brooch oftenponrayedasajachl.buthecould
fonnofacow;Bastet.goddessofsexualit y, lutan<"""""'ll•thc..,noy ral was•clen~lied alsotaketheformofasnakeorafalcon
<i<l«<lyW tthfla.whomhll~topn01
hadthebodyofacat:Sobek.whoembodied thesl::y""""hlldiod.Maoyotomsonhosmil Thedeitiesthemse lvescouldalsotakethe
thepoweroftheEgyptianphar:whs,wasa li\;o thi•ono.-e..X.nOO'Mth srmOOboiFia formofmultiplegods.ThesungodR.1,for
crocodile;andTh Oth,thegodofwisdom. instance,tookseveralforms,eachwiththe
h.adtheheadofanibis. Theseattimal formsg:wethedeities identityofasepamtedeity:hecouldbethebeetleKhepri
astrongsenseofidentity.Priestsattheirtemplesr:Jisedreal rollingthesunacrosstheskyasascar:Jbbeetlerollsitsballof
animals, then sacrificed and mummified dungacrosstheground:hecouldbe Ra-Hamkhty.thehawk
thatsoarsacrossthesky:orhecouldbeAmun-Ra.theking
oftl~egods. lnthisbst formhewasident ifiedclose lywith
Egy ptSplumohs,whomhesupposedlyprotected whenthey
ledtl~eirarmiesonthefieldofbattle
THE AFTERLIFE
Onearea inwhichancientEgypt iandeitieswere especially
imponamwasthatofdeathandtheafterlife.Till!ancient
Egyptianss.'lwlifeonEarthas prep.'lrationfor thelifet o
come, so they evolved a whole system of mumm ification and
entombment rit uals . Accompan)·ing these were many myths
involvingOsiris,thegodoftl~eUnderworld , andthedeities
whopresidedovertl~erituatsandassessedthe,lonhinessof ?.3.')
thedeadperson'ssoultoenterthenextworld
THE BEGINNING OF
THE WORLD
The creation sto ries of Egyptian mythology by deities such as his children, Shu and Tefnut,
desCiibe how order and life emerged om of the and grandchild ren, Geb and Nut. Ra and his
primal chaos. Ra, the sun god (see pp.238-39), creation exist in the light ; the darkness that
is featured as the main creator deity in many of remains is personified by a serpent, Apep, who
these myths. He is aided in the task of creation constantly threatens to swallow the light.
-- - -----------------«:;--
M3'atr<Jp(ll(lnllld\ru il<,
andiJ""'ooleot>Ra's
;::;,~·::=.
wll(.-at(KJ\sW(l<(l"'llJhl;>;l
a;j[llnsloooolh«Jooltiers
PTA JJ
lnan ahemaliwcreationSlory, thecentralcreatoristhegodPt.th.acnoftsman<kity.
·~···~·'
AneoHgypt •niM. I6th oontuoy
~~
'· :::-:.~9~ .,
This lll}1h describes how Pt.th began the uskof creation by imagining and then ~~~~!..W:~oo~
naming the different gods. bringing them imo being. He then u.;;ed his skills os a
sculptortopllXlucl:the otherbeingsof the cosrnos.He<:arvedandchiseledsomeof
rhem from Slone, and m<>de rhe others out of metal, ha>ingltwemed
bal•<l'ltll<I IO havel(l•oodthosoo
!)00 altc. h" death I ~
l' Pytomid$
the te<:hnologyofmetalworl<ingforthispurpose I lheJI'j'l at~ dloiGtra.awttocteddutu>j t hefoottho1foa.lty
Ptahfoundedsew:ral dti<:s,aswcllas shrineswhen: k2575-c.l~ 1Cii.W<llll1Miargostottucwr osol""'arrioot
he could be worshipped, cn:atingeachmt<': by -/~bl,!,.v"V""> W«ld. aOO..,.aroount o)1llltoloofthe-ol""'pha!aoho
thinkingabouritandthenprot1Dtn1Cing its
nam e. PtahScultwasespe<:iall yimportantat
Memphi>, ancirntEgypl'sadrninistratiwcapiul.
TH E PHARAOH S
t> Th••culptorgod Ancienr Egypt ~ n.derswen: seenasnot ju>t kings but
Horusbecameasl<y godwhotookthe
fonnofafaloon,andhiseyesweresa.id
tobethesunandmoon. Titeq-.:of
l!orus,ortt..WadjetE)"'.became the
· ~· .. amytho<al
A. Goirit A. loio
mostpopularofa!lEgrptianamulets. Set,._, · ~~
~~~~~=~
Wllll lfi\I3CIOW!loi01Uoch HorU>IIoltoodoPfCted .. •
~~~~~~~:::
Set.ontheotherhand.wasasiniSitr loo1llen.0.01SISoo,.c19J'" fakooorohumanoodigUia
;~. ~~!~~01 ..
""""""''""ththebng"s $ha(M'OJIMI ~pa<ooniliedlhe
figure.agodofchaosand thedesen
syrrhls,llecntaMhl anda•traoghtlatl thtooootlhephaoaohs.
------~--------- 1e --- --------~----------
l ~~;;:~·.~~~:~:h~~:;~ti~:w:~he
Anubis...dSerkt,hem""""'"seriesof
ritualsthroughwhichthesoulsoftl>;,
deadpassed imotheafterlikHiscult
otiginatedatAbydos.animpon•ntdtyinanckm
Ero--pt,whereafesti,·alwasoftenh.eld,re-enacting~>e
J. Wririogtoolt
Jhe[g)'pUansused roodf>ll'IS townteWith.diPilUWJihemmt>mkartd storyof thegod:Smurder.ThetempleatAbydosalso
... ~ngmarb onP"P''' <US,amatoor >lah:on«<o fiQIIIroods . l heshit~ol htldsteretritwlsthat"""'notdisclosedtothose
lhe toolJW!wa•assoco3100Witl1100111'snauowbeat_ outsideOsiris:Spriesthood.Bythelstmillennium oct:
othertemplesbegan tocelebratethegod:Sdeathand
THOTH n:birth,linkingthem"ith"imerandt!>espring
Theibis--headedlhothwasthegodoftime
knowl«lge.writi"g.andthemoon.His
cur;ingbeakn:sembledthecresttntmoon.
andhisblackandwhitefeathersdenotedthe
moon's waxing and waning Certain ac:ourtE
ofhisoriginsay thathewasthesonofRa, the
sungod(,.,epp.2J8-39).andthatheeither
inheritedhis,.isdomfmmhislatherorfound
itinlx>ok>belonglngtothesungod.Thoth
wassaldtoha--.lnventedarange:ofintel\ectual
pursuits,lncludlngasnooomy.law,musk,and
-most relevant In the my1h of Osiris and
Horus--mtdiclne.Hewasalso theln,"l:ntorof
& lomplo ofo.;n,
theEro--pri.anhiemglyphlcwriringsy>tem.and
T~"""'"""~rJO..isatlho!anPa,.Al¥lolio
siocthewasalsoagodofnuogic,hiemglyphs ilaci)'Ot.)olWttl1 t lllt:rt~ I OIISard n11• al•o l lu$hattlll'j\'ii i i(IU$
weresaidtohawmagicalpowers. """""tromtha ltlesDyolthlsaromt[gypoaogod
GODDESSES OF THE NILE
Egypt's crowded pantheon included several own dedicated s taff of priests, these goddesses
goddesses who performed a variety of divine -who were all , in a way, aspects of a single
functions, ranging from Neith, the creator deity, great goddess figure-we re also held in great
to the many goddesses who presided over respect and affection by the common people.
ferti lity, love, and ch ildbirth. Although most Pilgtims made offerings 10 them, praying for
of them were worshipped in temples by their prosperity, protection, and healthy offspring.
·~~ :::~.~~~,!~~.~·.;:,
overduldbinhand ch:l.Singawayevilspirlb. Depletions
o[Tnwere t showherholdingnnamulet intheslwpeof
thech~rxtersa,whichsymbolized protection. This snusterpnmalscrpem
TI
qualitymadeher,·erypopubrwith Eg)'ptians.who Apep(sup2-m
bought lltr images in large numbers. Then' well' also
Tawertt-shaped'"e~ls,m:ldewithasmallholemone .. Non."ooloMW • T•w••••,..W.u
bre:t)t, so th.at mtlk. made powerful and protecuve by
thegoddess.couldbcpou!l'doutasaspellwasrecited
11••-oogO<IdeN:Noo•i
.-ld-•ot.ld'--11
::'i.:*- :.:::::::
Nooto$'"'"'*'-
~-....- .
1<;:; - - -
llASTET
Thtc:u-headed lbswwastheEgyptiangoddcss of
scxuahtyandfenility.She wasthednught erofR:I,tllt
sungod,wh~tempersheexpresscdinherroar,and
wlsorigirullydepictedasalion.Shcwlsabo:~SS<Xl.lted
wnh:tmythmwhichacatbelongingtoRabnoffthe
headoftheprimalscrpemApep.Asasobrgoddes.s.she
wao; loO!llCttmes shown with :1 sc:~TJb btttle (a symbol of .,. M-iiHc.t
thesun)eng=edbctwecnhere:trs. lnbttrmyths.sllt 1•-r~..-..cats
~""'ohoo.-llorcauiDbo
was more firmly identified with the cat and b«ame -lied•'-"ol .. optdeo>
bcmgnindur.~eter.helpingpeoplebydeS~royingvmnin aa..r.~,.teme~~~tNIOottt
defenderoft lltpharaoh.andwon.hippedatfestivalswhere
brgt amoums of alcohol were consumed and paniclpams • ThofigurutB-t
performed lascivious dances. Her main ctnter of worship
washertempleatBubasl.is,bmshew ....,apopulardetty
whoa!sohadalargefollow"tllginotherp.1rtsofEgypt.
...... ___. . . . .
0.~10001"'-lormbutwas
..J'>IIaoethehoadotocatSioo
·1-t-.
~- ti.• :-......::.:c.-
PREPARING FOR DUAT TilE I IALL OF TilE TIVO TRUTHS
TI>epreparatoryritualsfortheafterlifewerecomplex Soulswerejudgedin tlleHaUoflheT"'-oTruths,whichcomai....da
First.th<embalmerstook thedee<asedperson's j N.lanctinwhiehthehean-tlleonly,italmgannot"''no'-edfrom
body totheirworkshop(knownastheBeautiful ' tile mwnmifiOO body-was weighed. The f~alher of Ma'at, goddess
House) , wherethoeyremovedthellver,lungs . oft<\lthaadjuSlict , waspLo.cedag,tinsltlleheartonthe so:ales. lf
imestines,andstomach, plactngea.:horganin !heheartou•wcighed•he feather, i•wouldlxd«mcdfo.dlofsia ,
cmopicjars. Tilenth<:bodywascover«!<:OOnpktd)' atldAmmut,lheO.:voureroftheO.:ad , wouldieaSlonit.lfthe
with a chemical mixtu,..,ofsal!scalledMtmn,
packtdwithdrymatertalsuchassawdu<t,and
H
wmppedinlinenbandag<s,,.ith labelsandamulets
11-.g<>:lol..,odlmard..nt>et>
attachedtoidentifyandprotect thebody. The lt.lgods.lhQ!hl•""l>l41)wa.<
m:;:~i'o~:~:l~~~:;
ta<i;OOI'dlhWfl~1111t.l .... b
:;',:'ol~~mdoo
"f W.ighi ng tho hoan
11-.!J(ldAnllni- P-237)po6$1dad(HO<It.l
~ ol (ldJ(yhoor t,(IOCWg<wlboli(!V(ld to
contatnat"""dolapcw.<OO'•btOO!dooi<
M ·~. , . ~
&Anubio
~~~?.:~~;~::~~~
Jau~w t t hllletlead.!
oll!nderv.u:ldgods.such""
~=~~"'~
~ ,;;;;-~
0
9
0
-~::'..:..1!:~
A. B"i.,.l • .,.reliel p....!
! lltp8(ljlleoiS..prodoood•-.glwon.lolfllotlpanels*""'-.-lhoo<Cho.<lnoion.
..td.edomoa-.l .. .,..p~~Q.I••-*"""•fh ........
ane.lodbr..,.lol"-'.l.bnJ_.. _tlldollhiiCho'lrMo..t....,._
lly•med..t
WEST AFRICA
•
The sophislicated cultures of West Africa produced mythologies in which
a variety of different deities are responsible for the entire range of namral
phenomena, from the creation of the universe w the wea ther.
-------·----· --
TIII'MYTI I
Thestoryofcreation.asnarratedbythe Fonpeopkof
Dahon(ey. begins with two primal beings the eternal male
>erpem Aido-Hwedo, lnd the fem;M crt::ltor deity Mawu
First, ~bwu pl'e binh to the gods aml god dew~- She had
mattychildren,toomattytomme.buttheyformedvarious AftereJChoftheir
groupsaccordiH.g tO theirpo"'·ers and d"·el~ng places. The)' cre~tivejourtle)'S,Mawuand
included the Eanh deities, ruled b)' Mawu's first son, Da Aido-HwedostoppedtoreSI. \Vhenthey
Zodji:thunderdeit ies.ruledby~bwu'ssecondson,Sogbo; paused,tl~eserpentSexcrementbui!tup,
and seJ deities. ruled by ~bwu's third son, AglX Once she cre:lllngthehighermountainsAstimewentb):thiswaste
h:Jdmadesllthegodsandgoddesses,Mawururnedher mareri:dsolidifiedrobecomehardrock,hidinginside irallrhe
attentiontothehumanra:::e,whichshemadeout ofcl.ay. pre.;iou,metalsthatAido-llwedoexpelledfromhisbod):So
theprim:~lserpentbecamethesouR:eofalltherkhmineral
MAKING TI-IC J:ARTII -"!""~-"""'!· resourcesr1~1tareh iddendeepinrheground
~lawurealizedthatthehumanbeings
neededsomewtleretoliw,soshedecided SUPPORTING THE EARTH
tornaketheEarth.SherodeinthernoU(h The E:lnh 1hat ~bwu and Aido-Hwedo h.1d
ofthecosmicserpentAido-Hwedo,and madetogetherfloatedonavastseacontained
as the plir tra,·eled they shap~d the in an enormous calabash _ Bu1 i1 sweahhof
Eanhlikeahugecabbash _The world rocksandresouR:es,rogerherwirhtheweighr
wasdefinedbyAido-Hwedo'sturning ofallrhepeopleandanimalsMawuh.1dcreared,
serpentine motion: as Ardo-Hwedo m~deittoohea''Y· MawuS:Jw!hat it must be
snakedhiswayalong,hispathcreated supported, otherwise it wouldsink.She!Oid
wind ingriversandvalleyswithsteep Aido-Hwedo 10 coil himself all 1he way around
sloping land on either side. His sinuous the F..anh.holdingit upsoth:n it would not
courseshapedrheEarthShighandlow sink imo the WJter_Aido-Hwedo wascomenr
places,thecurvinghillsides,andthe tolieinthecoolseawaterbecausehedidnot
round-bottomed"alleys.&causeofthis £ Snok• ttack like the heat of the Earth. ~!os! l)' he by Still,
me:mdering,rhelandscapewasnoteven: lheriO!i<wlol/IOdo- IM•lo:kl"•"""""'t"'d bur nowandrhenhewouldshifrimoamore
everythinginitwascnr,·edandundulating ~:.~=~~=:~~::. m
likethe trackoftheserpent wmdi!OJUackaslhev•hdoil<I<WsaOO
KEY CII ARACTERS
Thf:on~~Jnctu~rsintht Foncrtationstoryano:rheso\.lkc,AJdo..
HIO·«<o_,.·hot..lpsinthrcrution.andthtmono:romplucno:ator
_____ _ _..... __,·-,.·
:<·:-·.:-·--.;":"-~_;
. ~~
I
~ ~~
0 -- - - - - - - - -
:------<-~----- I YO RU BA CREATI O>J
T1Y Yorub. of Nigrrto di:JCTibc how
1 h.putthrhrnond.eE.>nh,.,.dst..
0 .\! E DAY AlDO - l I\ VED O !I =•"""'"""' ~""'•'"'~"
wiOmtthrronllnr.-.ofAfrlc"a.lol:rr
\V [LL [AT HI S 0 \ \IN TA IL, ~~•odh••w•oo•o"'>'.
AN DTIIE\ VO RLD \VILL 1
1
-
f A LL INTO TH E SEA. I
I
--- - - - - - - - - - - 0
KOt\ 1 O RI GIN S
Ford~~:Kompropkof nonhwcSIC.mcroon. t heso.tkoels.,ar~""
I
figu~ r~thtrt!~ a c~ator. Ontt, thti.rchitf"·.as morully "UI.Oildrd in
awar"iththtndjjlboringFon.fktoldhisl"'opk!Qmo''< lon<"''
Urritory. follo,.1ng tht tuck of a p)1hoo. Soon aftu rht chid din!
&1')1hon"'partdandthtpeopk follownl~s"'indiugtndt. Firo.tlly
ttl.snokaopptdanddw:Komm.ode thtlrntWhoo><atthbpbl:le
"''"'"''"""-'"'
f I:Qoo.1111Pflhoo*""•dooolr
....
.6. Wioi111ko ~
kw-Wog~.-"""""'a,,Ctrauia(kn,t ~-toMiotohon""tlt ...
..
~:- -:-~--:~=~- :.:~=':::=:~~
wnhptllly. ......,.al~ and ............ ~
~1
S!(.USO» _ _ _ _ ~-~X7-f:l117-IJ • W.•-:t-2t_SH:l_10f.«<_ _ t__ •
ANANSE
The spider Ananse is a trickster and also as muscles. In some myths , the trickster
a cuhure hero in West Africa, especially acts as an intermediary between human
among the Ashanti people of Ghana. Besides beings and the sky god Nyame. Some even
his tricks, Anan se is well known for using believe that it was Ananse who persuaded
his intellect to owwit creatures much stronger Nyame to create the sun and moon so that
than himself- s tories about these pranks are people on Earth could
commonly told both for amusement and to benefit from having
highlight the fact that brains are as important night and day.
--··---------~-- ·
A Aificanoun•ndll'loonmasko
Mosb r ~ OIOII"J ..., ...,an:lth>rt~Jm...,conwmninWostAAial
AstOOmaob• ooldayar<lnight th.,.unandlhenmtlatel<ltV
·~t..-.l~wa!Q'(l<h~,.. .. e<lablmglhaorCI(<IIor)n_
1\\ ASTER O F STO RIES TRI CKI NG THE ELE PIIANT
Nyame owned all the stories in the world. Ananse One.dll.y.anelephantwasboredandchal!engedthe
wanted to buy the stories from him, and as paymem, otheranimalstoahead-buningcornpetition.Fearing
Nyame asked Ananse to bring him sorne hornets. a theelephamSstrength,noneoftheanimalsroseto
P>,hon,andaleopard. Anansetrickedthehornets into the challenge, except forAttanse _ lt W:lS<le<:ided th~t
acabbash . Hethen"-emtothep)1honcanyingalong thecontestwouldtakcplaceo'·erHnights,withthe
staff and decbred that he was unclear about which was elephanth.wingthefirstsevenbunsoverthefirstseven
longer.thesnakeorthestaff. The python by by the nights.Ananse trickedanante lopeintocomingto
swff.andAnansequicklytit'd ittothestaff,thustrapping Ananse'shouse at night to recei,·ewm~ food. Since it
iLNextd~espiderdugapit fortheleopardandco,·ered was a time of famine, the ::mtdope :..greed Th:tt night,
it with branches. The unsuspecting leopard fell into theelephambunedtheantelopeinthed:trkandkilled
itandw:.scaught. Anansedehveredtheanirnalsto it. Q,·erth~ nextsixdays,AnJnse
N,.amelnd,forfulfillinga\1 trickedmore:mimalsinthe
the conditions, won the
stories of the world
" ~
decidedtomeettheman.WhenthemanbegantoteiiAmnse
famasticstories.Ananse invitedh imtohishouse.Onhis
arri,•al,themancouldnot findthespider,butAnanse"s
childrenfedhimthehottestofchilies,whichburned his
mouth. He asked for water. but Ananse"s children e.~pbined
th~t the wa1er at the top of a pot belonged w their bther and they were
afraid of mixing it with the water below when pouring from the pot
Themanarguedwiththispreposterousstory.andwhenAn:mse
returned.thespiderdeclaredtlwthemanmustdiesiocehecontinued
...
cookif19pol
Mola l ~ , fliJ~$
arewodel'j...,jiOixoi l
toargue.Sothespiderskilledtheman.torehisbodytopieces.andthrew
thebitseverywhere.lnthisway,argumentspreadaroundtheworld
~:~~"::~oo
...,jtostorowat.;o,asor
tt.. storyoiAmn"'
A. Tlotlooooh~ohu,.~oro
?.:iG llllnal.,<lrooxwaiOd .... .,.,.,.. . . . . . . t...t ....... red.wllol8, aod'""twds.
...... _ .. o..nab<AepuMo:.oiCOOQO---I>I'Ihor& . . . . .
peoplo..d....-da! ........ a.d~r.e-Y<bol
CENTRAL AFRICA
f)
Ccn n al Africa is dominated by the vast and densely rainforcstcd basin of the
River Congo, one of the world's longest rivers. Many of the myths originating
in the region reflect this rich and vibrant tropical landscape .
!::~~=;;!A=~::aly
B.1ntugroup. TI~emythsofCemra1AfricanBamu-speakers mWv-"'loluo10contaonersofbona$and
1
sharesomeofthefemuresofthe5em)'thsfoundamong j otheoon~la nt relrr:soflbeioaor;:mt(M's
1\antu-speakersfunhersouth,indudingtalesofheroes. These
heroesfrequent lyencounteranddefeatmonstersandevil i MYTH A N D REALITY
beings and are often rewarded with power and kingship- l lnthevasta ttddenseuopical
~l"indo,theepicheroofthel"pngapeople,isa famous
example.Otherpeoplesintheregionhavemythologies\\ith I ~i~~:~~~~~~::~~: ~{:;uch
many de ities who embrace spedfic functions in the c05mos I relevanceofm)1hstoeveryday
f lifeisofrendear. The P)'gmy
CREATIO N STO RIE S people,forexample,seetheir
One indication of the diversit)' of the myths in Cemml Africa supremedeit )'notonlyastheircreator
is thegremvarietyofcreationstories. Among the Bushongo butalsoasthegodofthehunt.lntheir
people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example, ID)1hologyheloweredthefirsthuman
thesupremegodbring:; thecosmosintobe ingsimplyby beingsfromtheskyandcommunicates
vomitingirup . lnturnhe,·omitsupthesun.thernoon, wirhhiscreat ionsthrough<:cnainan imals: oftenan
and thestars,thenhevomit supalltheanimalsand, eleplum- knownasrheThunderer---Oradumeleon
fimlly. t hefirsthumanbeing:; . Forthefangpeople, Asthegodofhunters,hecreatedall theanimalsas
wholiveinGabon,theDemocr:uicRepublicof foodforthehumanrace,andgivesthesustaining
Congo,andtheCtmralAfricanRepublic,creation lightofthesunnewlifeeverydaybygathering light
takesplacesin twostages,notone.First,aprimal fromthestarstoaddtoilsbril lianceinthemorning
creatordeitymakesaworldeggbymixing his
underarmhairwithapebbleandpanofhisbrain
Herhenanoimsrhiseggwith hisseed,following Whereastlw:Pygmies'supremedeityisalsoalw:lper
whichthreegodshatchout oftheegg,indudinga ofhumanity,inmanyCentralAfricancult ures t hereare
second:uycreatorwhogoesontomakeboththe alsocult ureheroeswhobringwit hthemspecificskills
landandthepeople.Otherpeoples.suchasthe TheFjortpeopleoftheDemocmticRepublicof
EfeandMbutioftheDemocmticRepublicof Congo,forexample,haveam}'thicalblacksmith
Congo,tellastoryabouthow thecreatordeity, called Funziwhoreceives the gif~ of fire from a deity
with the help of the moon. makes the human and teachesthepeoplehO'o\·toworkcopperandiron
racefromcby,addingaskin,and pouring blood Some~ irnes ~he task of cuhure hero is combined wi~h
intotheskintogivepeoplel ife tharoftrickster,as inTure, thetricksteroftheZande
peopleoftheDemocmticRepublicofCongo."•ho
~ Prot oc 10rotth o hom o brings the people fire . Characters li ke ~hese ensure
Statoottoscolledbir~t i~elhisonafr()l'lltheBal"'" thatrhemyrhsofCemralAfriC!lh3\'erernained
p<qlleof tOOo.:.rocraiJ:RejaJblo<ofC<np-arecle<lgoo:t
IObe~tJy t OOhrlaOofthetarnrtyr n acr!ln(Kofthet.:ml
viv idlyrelevanttotheli,·esofrut ivepeoplefor ?.57
lact "'theoolrnnca.IOI>'OIO<t thew~houseldltoornrll'il manythouS:Jndsof)·ears.
LONKUNDO
The founder and culture hero of the Mongo- They tell of how Lonkundo set up house in
Nkundo people of the Congo basin was the forest, and how he caught his favorite
called Lonkundo. He is primarily known for wife , llankaka, in one of his animal traps.
teaching his people how to hunt, but there These m yths, which continue with tales of
are also myths about other aspeCis of his life, Lonkundo's descendants, reflect the dangerous
particularly his relationship with his wives. and un predic table world of the fores t hunter.
--·--
lho"'l'llool . . (:lll<t.gollbol:ab!Ois ....... (>( catchir~& luswtfc, cxcbtmcd, "lkmember.l
,.._caug~oton.,._ol.,.,.oll"""-"d>
~~~:.:===~~=ol~
.. •mll
I caugluyoummytr:~p.":md lbnkakadis:lppcarcd
1' N.ominglhoaniMo1o
Jv\WINDO'S BIRTH
~l "indo \\:~SthesonofShemwindo, thechiefofTubondo,and
hisfa,·orhewife. Frornbinh.heposst'ssedpowersof prophecy.
theabilitytodestroyevil,andthe meall~tomovev.ithequ3l
easewhetheronland,underwater.in theair.orunderground
But Shemwindo did not wam a son, espe<:~d l y such a powerful
one.~hefeared t hatayoungerm~nwouldchallengehis
amhority. l!epl:tnnedtoki!IMwindo,butwasu tJSuccessfu l
tlunkstohissonSmirxulouspowers.Shemwindotherefore
told his councillors to seal ~1windo itJSide
adrumandtothrowthedrurnimothe
riverto disposeofhisrivai.The
councillorsd idso,bm thedrum
found itsway toShemwindoS
sister, whorescuedMwindo.
,. Mwindo'oftpwotter
MMndQrnnoedallj'swalbl<"" lh ii'OQIC3iJI')MK$
\Vrmsoon:flat""""a-ilthom.OOWJ!ddoftoct
!Oa_..,.,..t>,>,.,..,ogt>al!f.lw.lll<:lmhl:or
I AM i\\IVJNDO, TilE
~ S .. It<linsidulf19 O t\JE BOR1'-J IVALKING,
lnwroo,..SI(Xl<ollherrrytii,SIIenrw.ndo"s
ac~ic .. ....todlhoi<'OO'JMNi.OO,...ide Ti lE O N E BORN TALKIN G.
aholowlog;'lndftoollldhlmdown lherMll
towt.atlheythought........tdbeoonaoncleath 0 MY FATHER, YO U
TRY TO KILL 1\ \L
BUT I VHAT CA 1\J YO U
DO AGAI N ST t\ \E7
After ~\wihdo escaped from the drum in which Shemwindo had trapped
!urn, he vowed 10 return home and fig!u his f:uher. His materna! uncles
g:JWhimironamlOr,andtogethertiJe)'destroyedShemwindo:ShonJe
killing many people, but Shemwindo escaped to tiJe Underworld.
~lwindo<:h:J:S<:d him and, upon reaching the Underworld, had to fight its
rukr,i\luisa,beforehecou\dapproa::hhisbtl~er.Fimlly.Shemwindo
surrendered, and apologized for trying to kill ~twindo.llle pair agreed
th31 the kingdom would be split in two, one half ruled by Shemwindo
and tile othn by Mwindo . They returned to Earth and ~\windo restored
tolifeallthepeoplewhoh.1dbecnkilledinthefigluit18-
g
z
heinnoducedtheBusho ngot otobxcosmok ing aucmptedtofollow---eventhoughrJOtallofthemh.webeen
a.ssuccessfuloraswisc:. llisperiodofruleisoftensaidto
hal'ebeenagoldenageb)•theBushongopeople.
~
I• /G)
:~iti<1'''
A Ralfiolabnc
Theil>oo•loo..:.s"""t<ano: h.. ot the,.tfia
:::;~~~~~~~7.:;:~~;:,:~~~:~=~ ~
1
A Toboceoplant ~-------~----
ltemshkeca$$.0.>'Hndtob=ocamdmmtheAmericas
in1he l611t CC!IIUl)', so the SIOl)' could wdl b<: b.lsed on
fact. Raffia. how•••er, is nab,-~ I<> Africa, and the hi&orical
~=!~''i:.
illncallllhat~.atllO•h
•t""''"""'bo<n~tJ,o
Ij TilE PEOPLE'S GA1\IE
Anot~r innovation populartzed by Shamba was
a game called Ld~ or Mancala_ Shamba de\'istd it
Shamba may ha,-., pioneered its use in making textiles i<dW•.u;ha>Stllnbo ' b<:cau"" he fom!d out that his people were addicted
- · - - · -·------------~----- · to gambling. Wishingtoencourageth<m to take up
l ~::•::~~~t~Jem~::~d~~;~~=: ~:~~~~i:."i~t by
KILL I\JE JTH ER 1\ \AN,\ VOMAN, , roc',""""'"""~""b""w'""m'"''""''
NO R CHI LD, A RE TI-l EY NOT ::.::~7;;~:~~;::::~~.~~,:::~,7::"
T H E CH IL D RE I\J OF CJ-IE J\ \BE ''''"''"'"'""'""""""""'"'""'"''"b"b
[GOD L AND !/ AVE THEY NOT •lttdtobeaecumulatedduringth<gam<
T H E RI G HT TO LI VE? '~"''""'""""
PEACE AND JUSTICE
A . l l l i = - l l r r . lntradilion.l \\'eSIAflietnsodeties.atgurlll:lHSOrdlsputes
b<:tween•wo people or families were resoh·ed by 1he head
ofthe\'illage . Simil>rl)·.disputesonalargers.:alewouldb<:
I'I:S<llndby•h<king.People look«luptolhe,.. leaders
becauseoftheauthorilylhal theirslalusga'·"'hem.an
authoritylhatwasoflenenhan<'<'dby!h<belid thatt!Je z
kockrswere linkedloancrSiorsandgod.>.Subjtctsused GJ
~
;~is0 ~~~~~:~~:;~~e;1~)'~:~~ o~a~:~~::~~~~:~o:~::~ I ~:~-;~ 1 :o0~ ~!:~~:~::i:~o~;~if~~~~::e; :r~
areasofZambla :md ~lalawL Humans have lived in this pan gwrrdian spirit, who looks after rhem from the day rhey are
ofrheworldforlongerthaninany01her. born. Whenthetimecomesforthepersonto
Theearliesthumanrem.ains,togetherwith dre,theguardianspiritalsoactsasjudgeof
the remains of hominids who are rebted to the deceased. The spirits of people who led
our species---50 me of which date from four good h'·es on E:mh are taken to a land where
million)·earsago--h,webeenfoundatsites thereareabundanrcaule;thespiritsofthose
such as Koobi Fora in Kenya and the Olduvai who are less worthy go to a place where there
Gorge in Tanunia. This long histOI)" of is neither water norca\1\e
humanhabitationproducedculrureswell
adaptedtorhev.lriedlocalconditions.which SPIRITS AND AN IMALS
aregenerallyquitecoolanddryinrhemany lnadditiontoasupremedeit)•,manycultures
upbnds.andmorehotandhumidtowards haveahostofotherspirits.Someumesthese
thecoasts.Amongthemanycuhuresofthe J. Mas.o imond anci"'l spiritstakethefomlofanimalsaboutwhom
region,anumber.suchas theMasaiofKenp C..emonialty'"""""'ths.,....•.Masaorrm amusingormoralstoriesaretraditionally
periorm•ntvaldaneeinlan,..Sodldano:..
and Tanzania and the Turnbub of Malawi. kadlbU'Ially300llnp;l"!'f'ep:l!3bOOstoowar. told-storiesthatinsomecaseshJ.,·ebecome
h..weomstandingmyrhologies n~olpassago,andW<IIc:<moggll!)SlS bmiliarandwell-lovedaroundrheworld
Forex:unple.theTumbub.apeopleof
CATTLE MYTHS OF THE MASA I HERDERS ]l,bbwi. h.we a supreme god calle d Chiuta. Chiuta is the
TheMasairraditiomll)·livebyherdingcallle.sotheirmosr Tumbuka creator. an alm ighty being who. as well as creating
irnportantdeityisEnkai.acreatorgodwhoinsomeoftheir rheuttiverse,isafertilit)"godattdabringeroflife-givingrain
mythsgavethemthefirstcattle. Thesern)1hsalsoexpbin Butinadditiontom)1hsaboutChiuta.theTumbukatell
theroleofotherpeopleswholivebyhuntingandgathering storiesaboutthreeanimals:thewisetortoise,thetrickster
or by brming. The rich Masai hare,andthewickedhyena. lntheseittakesthewisdom
_ . - - - . . - pantheonals.oincludesEnkai"s oftl~e t onoise todefeatthedeviousrricksofthelureorthe
conson,Olapa,goddess ofrhe villainousbehaviouroftheh)·em
RITES OF PASSAGE
lnadditiontothisbodyofrn)1hsandmoraltales,EastAfrica.
liketherestofAfrica,hasarichheritageofceremonyand
ritual.Specblmusicanddancesoccornpanytheritesof
passagetlmmarkrhekeysragesofaperson"slife,espedally
theinitiationritesforwhenayoungpersoncomesofage
Theseceremoniessurvi,·eintact to thisday-in spite ofa
longperiodofcomactwithcuhuresfromoutsideAfrica.both
duringtl~ecolonialperiodandmorerecemly---sokeeping
tr:lditioml beliefsandstoriesaliw
THE FIRST CATTLE
The Masai, a cattle-herding people who live in Kenya, have several myths
about how they came to own cattle. Other herding tribes in Africa have
similar stories, which are testimony to the important role of cattle in
·-----·---
the Dorobo (the ones without cattle).
TIIEMYTII
LongagotherehvedaDorobomanwhosharedhisland
withaneleph~ntandasnake.Oneday,theelephant lud traditionaiMaOIIIhOI"'m"replalle<od.,,th
<:tmclung,..tlrchdoieshafll rn lhown
acalL\VhentheDoroboapproachedth,emotherelephant,
,;hean:tekedhimwprOlecther)"Oung,andll~~:,m~nkilled Dorobo. The messenger told him 10 go home arod build a
herittself-ddeoce.Thesnakewaslurkfngnearb)·andhe fencearoundhishut,thenkillandskinawildanimal,·and
sle" that too. The~brmedel,eph.1ntcalfranaway;fearing putthemeatinsidetheskin.Afterdoingthishewastostay
foritslife,andtheDorobowasleftalone. insidehishutand wail. Naiteru-kopinsistedthat he must
stayindoors.evenifheheardagreatthunderingsound
~~MESSAGE FROM TilE GODS .outside, and le-t'yosaidtluthewouldbe,uretoobey
The baby eleplunt mn until it met a M$:1i tribesman called
Le -eyoandtoldhimwh3thadhappenedtoitsmotherand HIE COM I NG Of' HIE CATTLE
thesmke.lmriguedl;>ythetale,Le-eyotr:weledtotheplace Sole-eyowenthome,anddidever}1hingasinS!ructed.
wheretheDoroboli,·ed,andpeeredt hroughthebusht o Soontherewasathunderingsoundoutside. Atfirst.le-eyo
see wlut "''aS going oo. Hl': was amazed 10 see sta)·edinside,asthesoundwassogre:udmthetrembled
Naiteru-kop,themesse outtoin,·estigate.Tohis
gods,talkmgtotheDo wthat Enkai,theskygod,
Naiteru-kopwldthe astripofhidefromthe
Dorobotomeethim
thenextmoroingata
c\earingintheforest "'lltched.thestrip ofhide
whel'l'hewouldbe disappeMedintothesky
gi,·enagreat gift. le-eyonowhadplemy
Le-eyodeci dedthat ofcaule,butthesky
hewouldget!Othe godtoldhimthat
meeting place early he would have had
beforetheDoroboarri,·ed e'·enmoreifonlyhe
\Vhenthenextdaydawned,L£-eyohurriedoff A Maki111Jfito haddoneashewaswld . Fromthenonthe
to the meeting place while the Dorobowasslill lholMasa<uoofrto:ti<Jn!JOfl')lllt<Jdbj ~bsai became the owners of all the world's
rotl11 111JOfire<11CktorTl!'<efire. S<ml
bstasleep. Whenle-e)'Ore,tchedthec\earing. canlewhiletheDorobo wereforcedtocarr)'
Naitem- kopspoketohim, thinkmghewasthe =~IO~t~t~~fi:~.~t on " iththeirformerw:t)'oflifeashumers.
CATTLE AND Til E MASA I EN KA I TI IE CREArO R
TI~eMasaibelie-•edtl>eyhadbeenentrusted"it htl>eresponsibUityof lnmanyMa>alm)1hs.thec"'atorgodEnk.oi isacentralcharocter.
s.afeguardingallthewor!dScaule.lnatraditionalMas.oi..,nlement Enk.iis theskygodwhorepre..,ntsboththesunandtherains
"'"ryonetookpanincaringforthecanle,thernenherdingandthe andheslnthesky"ithhiswlfe,Olapa,lhernoon.Once,Enkal
women milking. TI>e mea• and milk of 1he cow wos rhe sraple die• of wl d!hepeopletole.-·ellw:lrilraals(e•~<:lo:;u"'slopenat nlght,but
was nothing else 10 drink_ So rhe nwnber of cows kp• by a famil)' was became theMas>i . 11leDombobecamthumersandllteKikuyu
anindlcationofrhelrweahhand thtlrstarusinsod~:~y. E,·enroday, tookupfanningfortheirll\-elihood
e~nlemaybeusedascur"'ru:ywhenMa>oli
proplta,buyingandselhngothergoods
O RIGIN S OF PO LYGAM Y
menrebelled,changingthecustom
whenall the"'""''""''"P"'S"" "'
amlpower!ess toddend their
rights.Sotherneng.oinedthe
powertoh•wsewflll "'i'·es,but
tl>ewomen lnsistedthatthedan
namesst•ywlththefernaleline
tlm:ateningtokllltheirboy
chlldrenifthemen tliedto
imposemaledannam•,.
:::.~~;l::~:.;·d::' i!
stN(Odand<~ • a.egenarall!'
used!Oday in c,....,.,;aidaoc""
• So•lhernAhic• nc• romoni•lmn b
?70 =~:::::~;;...,""";J,r;~ooS:~~';~~,::,"~=tt.l
!dooutyof t 00&p~~U~i>,'tt.llaoool t 00rrnsklorlhe00ra t ooof t 00ooro<rJ:IR)'
SOUTHERN AFRICA
0
The mylhs of Southern Africa-an area that has traditionally been home to
both hunters and fanners-form two distinct tradi tions of gods, heroes, and
spirits that are still impon ant to the cultural identities of people there today.
Southern Africa encompasses Angola, Zambia, beings. The Khoikhoi ofSou~h Africa, for
andthecountrieswtheirsouth,andisa e~ample, call their supreme deity Gamab or
culturally diverse region_ The area was Gauna. Heisaskygod,btUalsothegod
originallyinhabiredb)•peop!escommonly ofdeath,andissaidtoendpeople'sliws
knownoutsideAfricaas"bushmen": byshootinghisarro,.-sintothemfromthe
peoplessuchastheKhoikhoi,San,and heasens.OtherimportantKhoikhoideities
1
Kung-theexclamationmarkexpresses indudeGunab,thegodofe,·il,andTsui,a
oneoftheclicksintheirlanguage- who raingodandpatronofsorcererswholudthe
!iwdbyhunungwildgameandgathering powertobringhimselfbacktolifeafterdemh.
wild plant produce. Butatsomepoiminthe TherangeofmaligncreaturesintheKhoikhoi
past,groupsofbrmingpeoplesbeganto ffi}1hological canonindudesthernan-eating
move imorhe~rea . These farmers, who spoke Aigamun. who is human in fonn but has his
\anguagesoftheB:mtugroup,suchasXhosa hon~FMr"""""""lelopotnnesand eyesinhisfeet,nOihishe:>.d,andG~-gorib,a
andZulu,s\owlybutsure lycolonizedthe 311daishelpj:tO'Iidelha311o,.,.. spottedcreatureresemb!ingaleopardwho
land, gr~dually displacing t he various silemlyandpatiemlyliesinwaitforhis
hunter-gathererstoitsmoreremoteregions. '" unfonunate victims in the bonom of~ pit
SouthemAfricantn)1hologyalsofeaturesfmm!iarspirits
whocausemischief,disease,orevendeath.Anotedexample
isthetokoloshe,adwarf·hkespiritoftheXhosaandZulu
peoples. Heis>:lidtostranglepeopleintheirbeds,so it is
tmd itiomlt omiseone'sbeduponbricks,omofhisreach
Despit eahistoryofEuropeancoloniZ:Jtion,tmditional
lll)1hssurvivewidelyinSouthernAfrica. Tileirpopubrity,
--------------------- e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
~
fol!owersd il'idingupthemeat. He was enraged, and
triedtoshootthehurners,but allh isshotsm issed
&Eland
s ThenhetookthecreawreSgal!bbdderand splitit
opo:n,sothatal!theworld wasfloodedwithdarkness
Altho<.rg!ISl>n hoo((l!S
BA:\Tl' PEOPLES
n..~a"' som~""'-'--~~thnic groupsknownasBarnu
,.-hospeak..,lat..dlanguages.Theyoliglnot..din
c.,mralandEa>tAfrtcahutrnanyt.admigrat..d
wuthwardsbythellthcmturyTll<:-outhem
AfrkangroupsincludietheXho... andthelulu.who
tr.odttio11allym.odrtheir b•ingbyLmrungandrai.Ong
~ank n..... peopl~•hawali>htraditi<mofamand
rralt> . .mdadttp to"'ofm)'lhs.fromc..,ation>toli~>
totak•e"J>Lliningth~oligtnol death
THE ECG CJ IILD
One day, a girl who W:IS out pluck ing !caws with her friends
foundaneggtha~belongedwahyenaandwok ithome,but her
motherthrewitonthefire.The,thehyemcJrnelookingfor its
egg an d was angry whea d~e girlS mother explained whm she
had done. The hyena threatened her,andmadeherpromiseto
hand over her next child . After that, the hyer~1 waybid the woman
everyday, threateningtoeat herifshedidnotgivehimachild. Then
onedaythewomannoticedaswcll ingonhershitL This boil grew
umilit burstandaboyemerged,fullyarmedandabletowalkand
talk. HetoldherhewasKachimmbe,thechildoftheshinbone.
When the hyena came to claim him. the wonder child was too swift
andcleverwbecauglu . Heroundedonthehyena.andkilled it
pregnantwomanwhohadhiddeninananimalpen
Then.swoltenwithfood,themonstergotstttck ina
moumainpassandcouldnotmo,·e.Thesamedaythe
woman gave binh-not lOa baby, but to a fully grown
youngm:m. She rumedherson~ ! oshanyana,meaning
"lillie bo)•"- Ditaolane, in some versions-- :md told
him what had happened. Immediate!)' he killed the
beast.andwhenhecutopenitsbelly.allthepeople
it had swallowed
geckosoonownookthechameleonandgave thepeople
themessagethattheywouldnotlivefore\'Cr.
• Buf1olohidtpointingoftllo SunDonco
/.80 ~"'tt,!~,:~r:=:~~r~l=::!:,~::-:~==~~~
1>'8!00ffiol[-nsonlhls1!lm-<OOturyoa:""""Os"''""'rod{JjlheChnsoane~=
NORTH AMERICA
The varied myths of the native peoples of Nonh America arc a vital pan
of their national and cultural identity to this day. Many of the stati cs told
are at the very heart of their diverse belief systems and ceremonies .
~~~~!;;;~:::~!~a~~:~.:;e"~en~·~::?
onegrouptoanother,andtheseoftenreflect
regionandem·ironrnent . People in thenonhwest, f
forex:lmple, t rad itionallyhve d insenledvillagesofwooden I toldaspanofaceremony,oflenoneperfonnedat aset ti me
houses.Fami\iestoldstoriesoft heirc\anfounders,thepeople byapriestorshaman. AIIwerestoriesofpower.toldfor
whooriginallycreatedthesesettlementsandwho tookthe generations,andofcruci:l\ wonhtotheirpeople. They retain
fonnofmythicai:Jnimals,represemedonimricatelycarved the irpowerforNau,·eAmericansstill.
totem poles. There":eresimilarsettlementsinthesomhwest
-thoughherethearchitecturewasmore \ike lytobein
mud-brick, not wood-and large pueblos housing many
families were commonploce. llJe m)1hs of the southwest
describetheoriginsofthepeopleofthearea,withan
emphasison"emergence"storiesand t hebeginningsof
agricult ure . Rituals inwhichpeopleputonelaboratemasks
andimitateor"become"spiritsarealso importantin thearea.
The~ntra!Great PlainsformanOiherquitedistinctivearea,
trad it ionallybe inghometonomadicpeopleswhohunted
buffaloanduse d e,·e rypanofthe3.nirnal,frommeat tohide,
in theirdailyhves.Animal mythsaboundhere,asdodeities
who control the elements. lmponantceremoniesinclude
those involvingsmokingasacredpipe. lntheeasternUnited
States,meanwhile,spiritsofwoods,hkes,and riversare , A. Ataokonclonh..,H docoootion
prevalent,reflectingthelocalgeography.Furthernonh,there
l lhouaditionalwoodandan'"'"s"'oiAJaska_.,doo>ra!Odwrthwloofutsyni>JI> ?.81
are)·etmoredistinctl\'ecultures,suchasthoseoftheArctic, I ::!-:.:::,~.~=;~·=:~""=!'==~~osenh"l
NAVAJO EMERGENCE
The myths of the Navajo people of different worlds before arriving in this
southwesl North America focus world, which is widely described as
on the Emergence, a myth also the fourth world. Other related myths
recorded in the legends of talk about Changing Woman, the
other southwestern tribes Earth goddess; her children, the
such as the Pueblo. It tells warrior twins ; and various other
how the fi rs t people travel figures who are injured or lost and
upwards through a series of approach the gods to be healed.
"' Socoodmounlaino
1... ~1n<ian-llm"...,.'"1>eUS"""'""""Itfnnontainolkt!
fiOlC(tiS<der\ld$lC!Oldt.jlha~SQrneiii(UJ[aor~<aoobeii(M)d~:>bo)
brnle.aod!OOIIl....,:1<>;Jelta.W,.~dte!claoceolm!Ura
CIIANG lNG \ VOt\ \AI\' <1\ Pooploond eero
llublanbK.t.lto"'J I
...... ~ .... ""'""'
0... oftht moSI !mponam fo:m~lt dtitks of th" N•njo is Ch..lnging
WOman, who rtprt~nlslho: ~11h and tilt subilny of tilt cosmos ..., .......""'-1••
Somr ;accounts "'Y dw she W;lSC\'UI«i by ~llSI M..,. and m. W b~r l.buodiMII\Yonliln
~ ... tt. ... ol
pnxlo.>::tdthrl\"''"ia~fromlltrbocly.lto..'C'<cT.o!ho:rsnv:ruion
ICD111 .... tl1 .......
lltr 10 bt dthrr thr d.u#tn of tilt sky and tilt Emh. or d" olf>pringof
FilS! Boy(do:nod'""thougllt)m::l AlSI Glrl(!:pttch\0...'&11~\\0nwt lhll·~-"'"""
loo . . N.Mto'*""'-
lJlllltrrumtb.n..,..O.rouldct.ang.f1<lm
OOO'SUWofhktoU..nu~(b.obrgirl.woman,
oOOold"""'"")rapidly
•ndrndltWyWhtnsht
-· -------~- ;<----
Ti lE WARRIOR T\ VINS ~--------~----
SAND PAl
Changing\\Om,.•ludt"'OSonsO...ofhorrsons.fatlltrtdbytht
sun,,.·ascalltdKilltrofEr"mlts. TI~totho:rboy.calltdChildof
W~r~r ...·asthtoffspringof,.·attr.Ahhoughlhelrf,.l~rrswtrt
diffnmt. th• boys"'""' bon• 1ogttl~rr and wert 1/l(n:fol't olw~)'S
consido:rtdcobtt"ins htnn.ully.o:wnrl"sw'ac:«PiedChildof
W•t~rashls.,..·nsan.Thrboysgrrwupasrapi<Dyasrht:lrmotl"t
md0110'd.>ydtddtdto•1SicthtswJtoaskiorhbhtlpindo:fc•ung
1htC\ilsplmsandmo\'ISit1Sth..ltro,at...dlhtbnd.Whtntht)'
11':...:h«<tho:sun:Sho..,..hor&""'lhtmp<l"'"trfularrows andrhe
knowledgt co.taycht.-.·il spirits Togtth<-r. th~ "•rrior t"insrid
thtir bnd of .-.;1 by dtf••tlnga mnnbo:r of crt~tuKS. lnducbng
•man..,atinganrtLopt~alledT~o:lg<l.glg.mtlcandfursomtbiJ<is
ofpreycalltdthtT~nlulo.and•sc.olymons.ttkoKmll.SYtitso
SII:AlSO_ao_••-.M-41.)1t-~3»-3t
~ ~·
* -f.
. w_·
RAVEN STEALS THE LIGHT
One of the most popular figures in North his powers of shape-changing. In certain
Ame1ican mythology is Raven, a nickster and cultures, h e is also said to be the bringer of
culture hero of the people of the northwest fire , and the creator or discoverer of the first
coast. He is credited with btinging light into
the world because he placed the sun, moon ,
and stars in the sky; using his trickery and
THE MYTH
ln thebeginning, theworld
wa:> shrouded in complete darkllt'S:i. This was [>eo use all
thehght inthe,..orldwashoardedb)•theskychief,who
guarded it call'ful\yand kept itconceal~d within a series
of boxes piled in a corner of the house: The 6ld thid was Ri\VEN REBORN
,·eryselfishanddi~ HOtwishwkttllE' light out Becau>e WithRaveninsideherbody,thesky chiersdaughtubt"cdme
ofthis,t heo!ltNpeopleintheworldcouldnothUmorfish pregmnt.WhenRa,-enwasbornasahumanchild,hehad
properlyinthedark,andh.1dtogropearoundfortheirfood thickblackhairandabeak-likenose. andcriedharshl)'like
TheysOOnbecameaccustomedtofindingtheirwayabout abird.Soontheinfantbegantocra"'laround. Theskychief
usingtheirsenseoftouch,reachingoutforfamiliartrees enjoyedpbyingwithhisgrandsonallday,indulgentlygiving
astheywalkedby,andfollowmgtherutsleftintheground intoall ofhisdernands.lbvendiscowredinthe courseofhis
bythosewhohad p;ISSedbyearlier. They managed togo e~plorarlons rhatthe ch ief guarded a pile of boxes in the
abouttheird:Ji!yaclivitieswdlenough,butone p:micuhr corner carefully. Oneday,heuiedtoplaywirhthebo~es,
creature, Raven,wasupsetwiththe perpetual darkness andcriedinsistent lywhenthe)'V;eretakenawa)'· The chid
Hewamedtobeabletofind foodeasily,andwast iredof c.w~dintoh!Sdemandsandgavehirnthesril.lllestone. When
blundering about in the dar~. looking for things. Ravensawthestarsinsidethebox,het oo kthenr outand
beganpby(.ngwith_themhappi \y_Then,beforetheoldman
RAV EN'S T RIC K coul dstophim,hethrewthemoutthroughthesmokehole
WhenRavenlearnedthatthelightw:JShiddenin ofthehouse,andthestarslodgedinthesky.
theskychiefShouse,hehatchedaplantogain After.o.·ards,Ravenbegancryingyetagain.and
accesstothehouse. Hede<:idedtobereborn so thechiefgavehirnthesecondbox roellm
intothechiefsfamily_ Heknewthatthe him down _This box contai ned the moon,
chid~beautifuld:lllghterwalkedregttlarly andR.wengleefull)'bounceditaboutlikea
toaspringtofetchwater.Oneday,when ballforawhile.untilittooflewout through
Ravenheardherapproachingthespring, thesrnokeholeandimothesky.finally,stm
hetransformedhimselfintoapineneedle unawareoftherealidentityofRaven.the
andthenletthebreezeblowhim10wards chiefg~ve the wailing chil dthehrgest box
theyoungwoman . Henomedimothepail intheset ,whichcomained rhesun. This
ofwatershehadfilledand " ·ascarrying time,Ra,·entT:Jnsformedbackintoabird,
home. Halfwayhomeshestoppedwrest tookthesuninhisbeak,andflewupimo
andtookasipofthewmer. Raven, in the lhoattoftwoogn"J!ho;•nandol• rhesky Theworldfinallybecamenooded
waomthl0c(:Odnorlh<l<n10)101'1Uoch
formofthepineneed le,slippeddown aoAiasl:an'Otlaflir;ooaJ4110aotig~I<~ withbrightdaylight.buttheskychlefand
her throat inconspicuously. rnlo:al mydraodk>klore_ hisdaughterne•·ersawthe childagain
Til E CIIILDI IOOD
OF RAVEN
AIJ,.. rslonsofthem)1hkatureRJ,·rn as
adelnandingchi ld , wlthanindulgem
grandfa•herwholetshlmplaywi•hhis
S«h!tsour«sof light . Somea.ccoums
narrateOOwR.ownv.·aitOOimpatiendyto
resumehistruefonn , andwh.enhes;ow
thefamilybusyfeasting.h.egrabbedhis
chanc~. Transforming back into a biTd
hesnatct.edtheball oflight andf\ew
av... ;:lnaoother,·ariation. tho.st.orswere
hiddeninabag.R.ov(n,\\ho<tillhadhis
sharpbeak,peckcdthrough thelxlg,
leningd>est:orsoutto lightup thesk)1
RAVEN AN D CREATI ON
FormanytribesofNonhAmericasurhos theHaida.Ravenisa
creatoremity.OneSiory<kscribtshowRavenflewovertheocean
Coll)ingpebbkslnhlsbeak. \\1thti~<Csepebbkshemadethestars
andplanets.TI~enhebeat hls"ingstomahagrea~"indduublew
rl,·erb«lsarld,•allq'> inloexi>lc""' . buildmgrnoumalnsatti'O:same
rime.TI>egroundwasfeniHzedbytusdiQppings.Finally,Raveneirher
created the first humans or wa1ehed th<m emerge into the world.
.,. Robin
ltwJNorth Airwl<"an'OOonwa-<yetanotholobmJ
asro:latedw!l htha bnng rngot i re.cauying
...-i<k.-.:eo!lholbnghtftan.-..onu• redbrw•t
t> Molo
lhermktwa•.-ol the
CIOOIU""'wholailedto
irodr:>-<lolalfireoo:IOD'Ia
Norlhllmer"an"'ffh$
JOURNEY TO THE SKY
The native cultures of Nonh America have sun dance tale-also narrate the journeys of
long been fascinated with the sky, using the ancestors to the sky. Besides explaining the role
movemems of heavenly bodies to time key and movement of these heavenly bodies, these
rituals and predict the changing seasons. Some stories account for the apparently random
of the most popular myths deal with the sun, arrangement of the stars, said to be the resuh
moon, and stars, and some-like the Blackfoot of someone scattering them across the sky.
tothesuh,andtoa:;khimforprotection,fenility,andtherene"'-al
of the seasons. Howe,·er,:u:cordingtotheirmyJhology,thedance
origimtedwhenitcame toayoungmanin:tvision. Keenobservers
oftheo ky,thePawneealignedthe irlodgestothefourpoints SP ILLED STARS
ofthecompass.andbuiltthcmwithsmokeholestogive TheC6chiliPueblopwpletell
viewsofcertaingroupsofSlats. Their ceremonies, such ~SlOT)' Of how there \US
astho:;eheraldingthebo:-ginningofspringandthQS(' once~ great floOO, and the
perforrnedb<:forehunting.we«:timed people moved nonh•o
byobservingthemovementsofthe esc~pethe " aters_ When
stars. ThePawneebelievedthatifthey tltebnd begantodr)',
carriedouttheirritualsaccordingto lau ku,themotherofthe
theSt::trs,theunil'ersewouldcominue people,toldthem t hatit wassafefor them
tofunctionandthepeoplewouldthrive totravel southwardstorheirhomebnd
Shep,·eagirlcalledKotcimanyako(Biue
Feruher)ab.1gtocarr)'andforbadeher
from opening it. But Kotcim:tll)'akowas
averycuriousgtr!andcouldnotresist
A Statcharts openingthebag. Assoonassheuntied the
ThePawneetoc(:OOOd th<ot bag,thouSlndsofstarsspilledout,flying
oo.er.auonsooS1archarlS. aroundinalld irecrionsumilrheyfinal ly
IR'Ip$oldoln9Tl!.kyt~WIJIO
oltoopa~ntOOoobtd:skinaOO settlcd inthesky.Thcgirl quicklytiedthe
woappOOonsacredt.Jndlo• bagupagainbutonlyafewstarswereleft
ondical ln<J thel!l!tlfl<lta""" inside. When the COChiti Pueblo reached
their homeland, Kotcimanyakoshowed
latikuwhatsheiL'I<ldone.and theyC:Jrefully
The koowledgeolthe•tao• pmthewnainingstarsintheirrightfu l
,.j1tJaor..-mnt ac""'the
places in thesky.Thesewerethestars
'"(lhlllrjiw:O~Ihef'3wr>Oe
fiOO thoowaywllilatt,.,..,.ong whose names are known to the people
OO"<>.,tliepla•ns
• Miller Way
fl)l n""'ll"l"~.
theMillrjW"!was
T H E OR IGI N OF TilE M ILKY WAY apadrwayao:ro"
theokr. andal:oo
A 1mmber of Nath·e Amerivn myths describe the origin of the Milky
\Vay,suchasthe Na,·ajocreationstoryfeaturingBlackGodand :;~:=ot
Coyote(supp.282-8J).Once,BlackGod,thedeityconsidered rhedoodtt~
tobe_thecreatoroffire,wascarefullyarrangingthe ..;k
:::~ ~~h~s;:;··:th;~ ;;: :o~~;; ~~~=~ns~sa::~ >f;-
711
>)' . • ~•~
E:'-::::
Bl>ekGoowokgre""""'""righ< . H<
0
=~:o~~,;~~~ ~;~~e ~~~s~~::.~:;re': A7:: 1
watching for a while, Coyote gr:Jbbed the bag .:*- _an'-'r.rorWttJia
•. iththeremainingstarsa.ndthrew.themall ~ ~ ""'"·""'"'".ery
~
tntotheskyatonce,creatmgthel>hlkyWay. '''""""~
.,theN"""ro•cory
oltheMill;yW"f
..
· ~· , ..;_,
MYTHS OF
THE FAR NORTH
The people of the northernmost region of availability of creatures such as fi sh, seals,
North Ame1ica traditionally lived by hunting walruses, and whales. Many spirits figure in
and fishing in the cold Arctic seas. Their myths, these myths; among peoples such as the Inuit ,
therefore , feature stories of the sea and its shamans (sec pp.268-69) were said to be able to
deities, including tales explaining the origins communicate with them, often with the help
of sea animals and the fluc tuations in the of Inua , spirit helpers who took animal form .
I
, ...... bolotwdlhlt .. thtJrfood\lllhthtoldandhtlpltss.Butifhtwasbem
forwards, they should expea tlut caribou would 001 be
-·-~--
......P.--o;Wdo.. ) veryplemlful,socheyshouldbuildupthtirstorcs.
~::~==·
- ------- ----· -- - -
A LIG N AQ
TheguihybrothnoftheSunPerson(l<'rabo;·r)wascalledAiigruq
Aftn turning into tl~ rnoon, he comin~d Ius l~ful pursuit of his
~htcr. gl\·mg up eatmg, and he~ gro"mgthinr~r and thinllfr_
Tl~tnhtdisappull:dforthreedaystoe:uhlsfill,bef0f1'1l:lurning
to ch~ his M~ter again. ThiS 1s "h)' 1ht moon w.txes and
"·11\eS.Asthtmoongod.Abgnaqalsoruledthtweathtr
aJKithttides. Hchwdinal:u-geiglooonthtrnoon.along
withtl~soulsofgllnc:mimalssuchasthtcanbou. Tht
soul~oftl~l:ludanimalslivedinsidelu>igloo,while . c..;..,.
thoseoftl~..eacreatures,suchas..ealsandwalru>oes, TOOin<.oibelieoaJd'llll....,....,..lold
swamlnavl>.tt ubof waterthat he keptOUbldehis ...l$.10 theynoodedk>bo...,.......t
ah"'be"IOJbiiOOIOO-IOUisoldaad
door. Mos1 oft he time Alignaq wandcll:d tl~ sky on IJI,... ..,.,..ras.;oo.., th ~
hisctleS~i:ll huntingc:>lpcditions. keeping.tclosee)'t
on human behal'ior. Ifpcopk did evil, h~ "lihl~ld "' MHolpiril
gamcfromthemuntillht)'llll':ndcdthcirwl)'"- ===~::::c:.::.-:.;.::.. ~)1
lt..-.-.tAI"ii"'"'o . . . . Ool.__
$([A\.$05oo-:lt-31.1-1-.Z!M-.t/_ _ •
,c•-"''' ,.,;£
~
u
~
~ ~ Atli.t..,,.,.;,.,Y..chilon
~ ~=a~~~.:::n~
~ ~.~.:.oi~~~Mioo~!
~r; ~=::Et
lhetipol ... _fllliel
MESOAMERICA
m
The civilizations of Mesoamerica worshipped a varied and vivid group of gods
at their imposing pyramid-shaped temples. Rituals of blood sacrifice played
a key part in both the mythology and worship of these deities.
--------------m -------
TIIEMYTII
lnthebeginmng,theseagodGucwn:nzandtheskygodHean
of Sky decided \Ocre~tea humanr.l:Ce to populate the Eanh
auddohvnortothegods. ButtheirfiTS\Creationswerea
failure they could 001 >::~ythe mmesofth~godsand we~ only
abletohowlandchauer,sotheybecamethefirst~nimals wassohottluttheyjumpedttpatonce_ Thenthetwinswere
Thecreatorstooks0meclayandtriedt6makeanotherrac~. senttosl:l.)'inasectionoftheUnderworldcalledtheDark
but these turned out limp and twisted: they were unable to House for t henight,wit hon lyatorchandtwocigarsfor
speak,anddissolved inwater. Frustrated by these failures. light. lnthemorning,thelordsofXibalbacamebackw
the two gods went wsee the divinersXpi}'XOCand Xmuone, cl~imtheirtorchandcigarsand.onfind ingtheywere
wisebein.gswhowereevenolderth:mthegods. Thedil'iners )mrnedup,procbimedthatthebrotherswouldbepunished
told the creaton. to make men from wood and women from withdeath.Sothetwobrotherswerekilledatthesacrificial
reeds.Butthesecreaturesdidootpleasethe ballcoun.andtheheadofHunHunahpuwas
godseither,astheyrefusedtoworship slicedoffanddispbyedonam:e . TI~ttree's
them,soHeanofSkysemalloodto fruittooktheforrnofthefirstgourds
overwhelmthem. ltbecameclearthat
ot hereventshadtowkeplacebefore THE BIRTH O t' THE HERO T WINS
humans cou ldbesuccessfullycreated. llgirlfromXibalbacalledXquic ,Hnttolookat
thegourdtreeWhenshetriedtopickafruit,
T~l l:U NDERWO RLD HunHunahpuspmather. ThismadeXquic
Thedil'inershadtwosoriS,thetwinsllun pregmnt,andherangryfatherorderedhertobe
HunahpuandVucubllunahpu. They puttodeath. Sheescapedandv•enttolh·ewith
spentall theirtimegamblingandplaying HunHunahpuSmother. Later,shegavebinh
ball.Whileplaying.theymadeaterrible to the Hero Twins. Hunahpu and Xbabnque
noisethatannoyed thel ordsofXibalOO Like Hun HunahpuandVucubHunlhpu,
(the Underworld), whosem messengers the HeroTwinslol"edtopla)•ball. When they
wchallengethemwaballgame.When learnedthattheirfmherandunclehadbeen
thebrotherswemdowntoXiOOIOO,the A HunHunohpuondl(quic killedbythelordsofXibalba,tlle)'decidedto
lordsoftheUnderworldbegantoplay 'MlantO......OOnXquicr-hOOoot a\'engethe irdeath . Oneday,theybeganphying
IQpo<kate r"'hngtr .. ttrorniM90<Jrd
?'...}1. crue!tricksonthem.Firstthe)'toldthe heetheh!)adi)(H u nHunah~ ln the
ball. makingalotofnoise. Thelords o! Xibalba
brotherstositdownonabench,butil uee 5Palat heo. ma~t flll heo poogrunL ch.illengedthemtoagame,andtheyaccepted. ) )
·-~
~t.;;;.~~.-:,-~~~--
SURVIVING IN XI BALBA • Mai,.God
When the llero Twins reached Xibalba , they were subjected lholi<sthumans-afiooltymadoflomlnaoro
..,thaMayaworshi~!haMaWGOO.def»:bl
toaseriesofdeadlytests.Theyweremadeto5taytachmght he<ew•lhahoodd""'s~ • ngrmOleibon
inadiqeremhousefrallghtwith peril. They survived the
Dark House, the Razor House. the Cold House, the jaguar
l!ouse,theFire House.andtheHouseofRus. They spent b~ckon,andlhegameresumed
a night in each one of these houses anti on e~ch of the with.inOiherball. Thelleroli.vins
followingdays.tho!yplayed theb.!llgame ag;lin5! ~he lord> wontheg;.meeasily
ofXib:llba. Evei"ynighttheysurvil"edbyusingtheirw\ts-
injhe OarkHousetheyavoidedthetraptheirfatlierand CONQUERING DEAT11
unclehadfa!leninto,b)'Usingfirefliesto5!opthetrcigars ThelordsofXib.1lbawereangryat
fromgoingom.lhenonthefinalnighttheyhidinsidethelr theirddeat. Theycaughttlw:twins,
blowpipestoavoidtheviciousbals, but Hun:lhpu put his bura:dthemintheiroven,ground
headoutandabatbititoffandrolledittothe.OO.llcoun. downtheirbones,sndsprinkledllr.
WhenHunahpulosthishead,Xbabnquecarvedanew dUStintheril'er. BmafJer5ixdaysthe
oneforhisbrotherandthepairwemtotheb.1llcounonce twinsreappeared,s:tyingth.atlhey
more.Atfirsttheyll..'iedH"unahpuSheadasthebaii.Xlxtlmque had put themselves together again,
hititrightoutof andcl.ltmingthattheyhaddisco'·eredhowtobringthe
thetounanda deadback10life.Thelordsweresceptical,so1heychallenged
rabbnhroughtn thetwinstopro,.e,;,.luttheys.1id. Xb.1l1nquehdddown
quietly back to Hunahpu,cutout hishean,andthencommandedhisbrother
him. While the togetup.llumhpudidso,andthelordsofXibalbawere
lordsofXiOO.Iba beside themselves with :nnazemem. Dry were so impressed
searched for it, th..11 some of them insisted the Hero Twins do the same thing
Xbalanque5tuck tothem.sotltlttheycouldexperiencewlmtilw:l.Siiketo
his brotherS head come back to life. So the Hero Twins held \hem down in tmn
:ntdcutouttheirheans.Butthecr:~ftybrOihersdidnOibring
thelordsbacktolifeagain. lnthiswaytheHeroTwins
conquereddeath-reducingitspower:md.conse.quently,the
powerofthekingdomofXibalba. Hun3hpu3ndXbabnque
thenreturnedtotheE:lnhandfromtlrre:&endedtothe
sky 10 become the sun and the moon. H:n•ing completed their
workofovercomingtheall·per•asi\'epowerofdeath,tlry
hadensuredthattheuni,·ersewasnowreadyfortheproper
cre:nionofhum:mbeingstoinhabittlw:Earth.
TilE BALL GM IE
oftheroun. Tiw:playerstoulduseO!~ythelrkn«s
el~Jo..<-s.andhlpsmhlttheball-useofthelund>orfw
""'>f<:>rbidden.SeenbytheMa)·aa>a,.,·ell•C1memof
thesu\lggl~b<:twe<:ntheHeroTwln>andtheloTd>
?'..JG ofXibalba,th<=gamealsohadarellgioo.lspurposo<:,a•ld
somelime>•ndedintheritualsacrificeofthelosers.
·.~
~t.;;;.~~.-:,-~~~--
--.. ;'7'-'tij
. \( ~
• funOJ• rpH HI
ilrnong theMaya, tufl(KaryMI;<n!Y31 1ed
sorrehlgh-ranbngpooplawamc""""tad
alldtheu""""pl""""'"'"""'"-...ssels
~ Biood·lenin grile
lohonorthell(l<b.toood lelt mg " taswero
cond'-"tad. lnwho:hapoleStOO<ornooiallycut
aWOioh•wm•DttJooonaropooltlo-ns
ThtMayahada nwnbtr ofdifh-rmt waysofcountlngthtdays
months. and years. and thtx calmdars ~~ used In 1hnr
~ilglonwcalculauleasldaysmdotht-rimporumdaln-. Tht
oldntoflheMapncalmdm.dattngfrom•leullhe61hm~twy
md aurlbuud 10 lht pi lwmna was a ll'JO.<by calmdu
tnoorporaungcyduoflldays Tb!s i}'Skmwasusually
cllostn for woritlngoutwhm
IO holdtdl~rltualsand _,..,~~ .,.
fu~ TM Mayaalso
bada305.dly
""""''""'
HERE IS THE NEW """""'"'"'"""'
ollOdays. 1M
rwocaltndars
CREATI 0 1\!, 1VIAD E O F
M U D AN D EA RTH. IT
DOES r\ ! 'T LOO K GOOD
FopoiVuh ?.J7
XIPE TOTEC
1
ThenamcofthegodXipeTotecmeans"flayed lord,"
andtbisgivesacluetohisstory. Hewasthegodof
spring, and whenn·er there W:J.S a bm ine on Earth, it
was5:IidthatheskinnedhimselftoshowtheSttdheads
how•oburs~outoftheirbuds . Theritu.1lsdediClted•o I
Xipe TOiecinvol"edthedevOieestaking thefbyedskins
of sacrificial victims and puumg these on thetr&lws -
the skin wou ld falloffjustasXipeTotec'sskmhad
done,re,·ealingthede\'oteebenemh,;ymbolically
et\Couragingtheplantstosproutinspring.lnanother
I • foamingwm,.
~
sacrificial ritualdedicatedtoXipeTOiec,victimswere Whlltpoob,wa t<lllatl1, aodolh<llma .. t<~<lat>OIU
olraJWdlyiOO\It"'fWalllrWil!eespocoa ly.acredto
tied up and shOI witharrows. The ir blood was made to
dripomoaroundstonethatrepresentedtheEanh:
thissymbohzedthefenilizstion
I
!
Chald> • ""t licua, whow.»o:AI£<>stnwn-loaled"'~O'It
oi.,.,.IIJWallll.llerbOO:I>rdodOOtheTooo""'J Om"
~ lloddosoofbuuiJ
of the ground
Ch*hdlfic.aw.~solt€n~"*"booublul wornan
I doess00onblueard!Jieen...:twruu"9el>baate
' I'JI"99ry; ......,; ..,.,ro....,_,.,.,oo~
~
0[]~~~~~~~~~~~ out. Tezc:ulipocacarriedamirrortoseeimopeople's
minds,andallov.edthosewhohadtheskilltoseeits
imageswha,·eaglimpseofthefuture
·----·- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - El - - - - - - - -
1
ltadabe:mufulgardendL1t":lSfilledwtth
llounshmgplamsandlushorchards It
v;JSantd}lhcp!acewherethesoulsofthe
peoplewhohaddtedfromtllnesswent
;::::.:~~: :·:~~~l~dT~';,';,,;~:::~~-
e
~,;:,;,~i;goo Tbloc hod '"' r•l~<'. <~h """'Po'""""'"·
andineveryp.11~hekeptJvasttubofwaterOneoftl~eS<:broughtabout
themorningrain,onethemiddayshowers,onethee\'eningdrizz!e,andone
fierce storms. Tile deity kept cloud servants. the Tb!oques. who carried the
raintoE:!nh.whereusen·edadua!purpose:therainfenilizedtheground.
andalsoactedJSthemamfesmtonofTblocS
angndunngase,ere~tonnTialocabo
~~~~
I '
Ii
I
I
1
I
I
i
ocbydmwomg)-.re,lw,llo-.d•o
emerthegodsparad1se
----~ :
~ Raongod•usol I
=~~;~=~~!:·~:~~~~: • • I!
~l:<madllhonoof>egod,MJ"fSI.>Ch~IIMboon
loondatlhaAlloc.,t<tollooochulan,WIIkoJ<oCI)'
;'..,Q~::j:-.!. .,.llgo.l
!Netrnlooadc"""'k>OO OOnnfiad
,
_ ~
W>lh[he<:adtheMoc!,JOOolw.-.1
~:"=~~~~~!:..~:d:
theOOIIllngoltOaaon
~ Tt o touw o apon
~(1~=::.~~==00 ?Ill
smkngthe>kyCoo""''uooltjth•""'"l<>"l
he<:anl(ldo!at,oai.!O<:Iali)d""thlhado<l)'
• Musoumdiopl.-,ol•oodoo opirito
,?01. lho•salecuoool<hoowoiJieo;ulmm•di>PI<fi•"•""'"'"'""dedi<alodlolhe
.,»Joo o ulogoC<Ionc:iu<ll»atuma n •kuland(>:<)$<~and-""'l'ai0001u l
aodelabonlleljcaM<I'M>llioo<~e<ootatooo•of""ioosg;od• oosp< niS
THE CARIBBEAN
®
The indigenous people of the Caribbean region, the Taino, had a rich
mythology of gods and spirits that not only endured, but influenced
the beliefs of those who arrived later from Europe and Africa.
0
The Talno came to t he Caribbean from South America around I ~ lmpo rte d!hun do r gorl
Sha'9'.1helhundora00k9htn"'!!godo!t00Yorut..
5000 KI. TI~ey brought with them beliefs about high gods
~o!Nig<wia.bocamearr l"'flll tarrtfigur a inmarry
whopresidedoveraseriesofcreations,aswellasbeliefs
aboutcoumlessspirirswhopermemedtheworldand had I portootthoCaribbeanllo,.olleorov"'"'"t...raohe
•lho<otryanosl>e,corbJble·heaOO<Iaxa
rhepowerofshape-cltmging-:Jhighlyrelevantconceprin
a regionohendrasticallyahered by hurricanes and storms Ta!no, European,andAfricanelements.
TheTainobelieved therewere twocl:lSSesofspirits : goti;:a, The most famous example of this mix
spirirsoftheliving,andhupia,spiritsoftl~edead.llupiawere 1 ofculturesisundoubted ly thel!aitian
saidtolooklikebatsand toseduceorkidnapwomenat beliefsystemcal\edvoodoo,also
night TI1ere were also gods called umls, chief among whom knownasVOOou.
wereYUcahu, "sp irirofcassa1·a,"andgodofthesea,and Yoodoocombinesfolkloric elemems
Arabey,goddessoffeniliryandfreshwmer.Someaccoums fromtheindigenousTarnopeoples,
a\sommeYukiyli,whohelpedfarmersandlovedpeace,and Africanbeliefsbasedonthem)'thology
Jurac:ln,godofstormsandhurricanes. Thetenncenllswas ofpeoplessuchastheYoruba,Kongo,
a\sousedforfigures thatwereimbuedwithgreatspiritual and Dahomey,andritualssuongly
pov.u,beinginhabitedbythegodstheyrepresented inflll(llCedbytheRomanCatholicism
of the Frenchcolonistswhofirstcarne
NEW ARR IVALS tothe0l ribbean inthe\7thcemury
Theendofthel5thcenturyv.·asthebeginningofEuropean l!alsofeaturesalargenumberofgods
in!luefl<:1'intheCaribbean,withthearrh•alofChristopher or spirits, knownas!oo,whogovernall
Columbus in the Balumas.larer, EuropeansbroughrAfrican are:~:>ofexistencefrom fen ilitytodeath
sb\'estotheare~. furtheraddingtothecultural andfromelephantstofish.Ritualsof
mix.C:Jribbeanmythology'sbest-known thereligionarepresidedoverby
mythsde1·elopedasanamalgamoflocal priestessesasv•ellaspriests. Thelesswell-knownSamerra
religionofCubad isplaysasim ibrlyrichandcomplex
• T• ino u,..moni• lolool I combinationoflocalandirnponedbeliefsandpract ices
THE MYTH
rhecre~tionoftheunivcrseandthepeoplewholiwin it
sp;~nnedfi,·eeras.Attheht:girmingofthefif51era,theson
of the ~upreme god Yay~ rebelled against hts father. and
Yap killed him. The great god placed hbson"sbonesina
huge gourd that hehungupinhishouse.AfeWdaysbter,
Yap looked in th~gourd and found tli~tthe bones had
turned into 1hh ~wimming in W:Jter. Y::..yis wife u)ok some
ofthefishandcookedthem,andthep:tirrelishedthemeal.
One. d:ty, the gourd broke open-som~ say it was done b)'
visitorstoYayl"shouse-andthewaterpouredon:rtheE:lrth,
formingtheoceanthalsurroundstheGtibbe:tnblands
llhappenffi thatthefours.onsofltibaCahubaba,anEanh many T.olno mJ1hs:one of the Taloo people is turned into a bird that sing>
motl~~:rfigurewhohaddledinchlldbirth,arriRdat\'aya'shouse at dawn, and the woodpe<;ker helps moke the first women (sa bdow)
Whenthey$Jwthegourd,rheytookitdowntoinve>rlg;uea r>d AnothermydttellshowthehummlngblrdgotltsirideS<:entfe,uhers:
'"es.omeoftl~~:fish.Suddenly,theyl><:ardYayaret un>ing, and amanv.·•sor>e<:p unishedfor oorn miningio~~:<:sobybeing lunoedimothe
theyhurriedlytn:ed!<ln:plat:<: thegourd,butitielltothegrwnd moon ,v.ithitssuinedfoc:e:oheh wnmingbrdcarriedthesonofthemoon
andwa<<ln.tihed , <pilli ngitscontems.. Thefourbrmhersthen in its beak to shm· him tn hi< f.toher, so the moon "'waodcd the bird \lith it<
fledtothehomeoftheirgrandfather_ brilliantplumagc.TablOm)thsalsonamuetalesofGuayahona,paotrulture
h•roandpart<haman(<upp.168-69).whotrnveledtodi>Wntlands in
«ardoofthealloyguanin,"'w"'dbytheTolnofor il s~klmsh""n.
• Con otorigin
ThafioS1Taioo....,.ged fromacal'8
cakl~. lhaOiharCarithw1
=~:~=~.ard
<II Woodpoek• r
!!U::~-::=.,~;::~·:~;:.Ihew:d~= '!IJ7
lryt0alaTooloo • 1$<ola•ncroo~ og-
SEEAtSO '-"""'"'"""""'•M-13.21l>--11.l14-15 •
.co•-f-·"'·:,J.:
GODS AND SPIRITS
The Taino lived in the Greater Antilles and the and grew both corn and the cassava p lant.
Bahamas in the ce111uries before the arrival of Their religion involved the worship of spitits,
the European senlcrs in the Caribbean. These gods, and ancestors. Especially prominent
people were the rivals of the Catibs, who lived were the deities who presided over the fertility
mainly in the Lesser Antilles. Although the of the soil and the growth of crops. Many
occupations of the Tafno included hunting of their myths were perpetuated through
and fishing, they also developed agriculture ceremonial dances and oral retellings.
- - -· - - - - - - - - - - ® ------
YUCAIIU
The staple food intheCaribbeanwasthecassavaplam, thestarchyrootof
whichwns\videlyeaten.Of al! thegodsoftheindigenouspeople,the
most powerful were those who helped C355.WJ.IO flourish . Among
thesedeities.YU.cahuwas tiK"most imponant.KnownastheFruitful,
YU.cahu w:lSagodofthesea,:lS welt:lSJ.fenilitygodwholookedafter
thecrops,mdmadethemgrow. lnaddition,he wasalsoaguard i:ul
deit)•,who watchedo'"erpeopleandprote<tedthem. Yticahuwas
seen:JShavingatrbngularfonnw•ith hisfaceinthecenter,:tndon
some images of d1e god there were pauerns resembling the stems
an d foliageofpbnts. Peoplemadecarvingsofthedeit)'that
t l~eybu riedinthefields,pouringofferingsofwateronthe
soilwheretl~e i mage wasimerred . ThiS:lCtionofpouring
the wat er"fenilized"d~eimage,whichinturnspread
YUcahu"sgrowth-btingingpowerstothefields.
... c.......
1hecawwa!ianll$i:r>;;wo ln ltl(l
~=n~~h:~,::o.J·
poo ntod......,.otVCI<>WluiOot....,
t00ughlkl""'"'"""t lhouo•ng•1ar
$11apaol lhecauava tubo:K.
• TainopMplo
~oo..::=~=
T hoygrowd>ei r c~on
~~'~,::~oo
toboanr""""t""'ofYobhu
.,. Molho•todoclt"
_ ....__
TMsquaruogi""'"""'"'Nilwt"
...... »lhtp.-ldoflodbj-
.,...,.ol_...,._
dtrnogcloddo .. ...,~
Sht_ •
.. ....,.
... ""'901_ ...... _......,,
ATABEY
ThegoddeS!>Aiabty
w:~>lhem01ht:rolthe
grutgodYiltahu.,and
likht:rson,sht:w."ba
lenohtydeny.Atabcy
wlSthegoddes.sof
theE:mh,theroother
g<XId~.andthedellywhoprnidedovntht:bkes
andnvers.Asabnn~rofrain.>ht:wlSsometomes
altendedbyl~rmr,;.senger.Guatauva,~ndthegoddes.s
ofthenoods.Co:urisdoie.Shew:~Soltenponmyed in
asquaningpose. In this position, herlegsweubcnt
doublelikethoseol~lrog,acre.tturewithwhkhshe
wasluquentlyassoclated. rrogscallloudl)•during
their mating season, whkh coincides with !111: stan
of the tropical rainyseason,tl~panofthryearwhen
the newcassavacrophasju~ bcen plamed. All the-se
lactorsestJblishedanaturallinkbctwccn!l~~:frog
andthrgodde..s,whowassaldtoprtSideoverbolh
tht:fenihtyofthesoiland•hefreshwa•ers
GL:ABANC EX
ThrTalnosaw !heCaribbeanwearherpat!ernsasevidence
ofthe:t-.ttnd.liiC)·ofdifferen•deities.lber.linswerebrought
bythe~.xl Boinaye\(Sonoltht:GreySerperu), "howas
hemldedbythrdarkramc\ouds:w::rossthesky.Butho.owas
b.'ll:mcedbyh!!>brotherMirohu,tht:godoftheclearskics.
"hoensuredfaorweatht:r. Occasionally. this climatic
"80
harmony was brokn by the mighty anger of Gwb:m;:ex.
thegoddes.sofstornhand bringer of hurricanes. She ~
0
slt.1tt ertdtht:calrnand. whenthedeitiesGII.:ltau''aand
Comriso: hiejoinedher,she w:~Sunstopp.1ble .
.. BI•tkroo•hn,..,mboloiGI••.S."• consorl
GhedaiSa'll•otoldeathaodtem ity.aodollemJ(ISlOlhagod
uo:ludablockroosroo•.candle.<.nunoatllecolfins.aod""!lloed
OO!tlo:icont:J •••"'I rumlhoblockroos-..,.abooneo!the
'YntloilotMaomn!lng•lle,wlwl•sGhede'sOOIISlWl
• M• mon8rigit10o oign
LlblGhede.Marmnlll'(l•ltehasa<Uong..,.ual
~lll.lnYO:I<blrrlWis.~lro.was""""
310 aromtrwnwlho((M[1o{I)OJV(JI;elho(P4_M.m:>n
Brrg•lte's......,,.-.oo<pOralel:ahaarta<dc!OWll
• Torotcords
Ongrnat rngOlJI'I(dw.ll lta~,lhetar~f""'kiSusOOlo)odMna'<Jn
ar>d..-obatJttcanii)\OtheCanbt•Janw,lhlhaeaoly[uropean
BARO N SAr\\EDI ,.,,...s.Ghedeotrend"........,d"""Ocathmughlarotcards
BaronSamedibthernOSI hmiliaraspectoftheloa
lilll
(ancesu,llspirit)knownasfuron,otherincarllJ.tioru.
beingBaronb.CroixsndBaronCirnetihe. Baronisoeen
bydifferemtnditionsasthechidoftheGhedespirits,or
astheirlather,orasthepersonificationofthespiritknown
asGhede. Heisoftenportrayedasanelegantfigure with
awhiteorskull-likeface,blackclothes,awhitetophat,
II
anddarkglasses.Hesrnokesacigareneinalongholder
andcarriesacane . &uon5.1med i isa·psychopomp,"3
being who is able to communicate betwcrn the worlds of
bothhumansandspirits. Heleadsthes.oulsofthedead
to the Underv:orld(seep.·IJ) _ He isals.osaid to control
t
tl~:~~~=~~;~:~?;d~~;~~~~
GIIEDE AN D DIVI NATION
The t rJditionalh.1umofGhedeisthecrossroo.ds,
symbolicoftheplxewheretheworldsoftheli\'ing
:mddead.ofpeopleandspirits.comerogether.As
)<>( + + )<>( thespiritwhopresidesoverrhismeetingplace.
+ + Ghe.deisbelievedtoh.wespecblpowersofprophecy
H + + HI.. andthegiftofsecondsight . People therefore come
rothespiritseekinganswerstopressingquesrions,
espe<:iallythoseconcerningfenility. They make an
offeringrorhespirirandrequesrapriestto3Sk
Ghedequestions . Theanswercomesbackinthe
formofap.1llernofdropsofrumtrickledontothe
ground,orinrheformofcr)'pticrneSS:1gesfrom
rollsofadiceorrherurningofpanicubrtarm
cards. Thead,~cetlwthespiritgiwsrnayoftenbe
Baroos.n..Jillro-U..,..Jin..,;oos unpabtabletothesupplicants:nevertheless,they
~Smoellmoshe-salar!JO.
:::'!f~~
with the ir advice. Thesesprritshavedistinctcharactersandroles. For
exarnple.GhedeNibo takestheformofayoungrnanwhodiedearly,
lor'<'(l(ldooutuabl$a
perhaps:>Saresultofviolence:heisconsideredtobeaguardianof ""'Urnedlagdefo<trng
rombs and s protector of people who die young. Ghede Ti Malis is syrrt>oloofGhedelhe
unfuolongoflho< l "(j
atricksterspirit.whosepr:~nksinclude t rickingpeopleoutoffood 311
gqnablhetcw...,.sr..-r
"'""'"""'"""Y-
SEEAlS01•11,.,. ....... _ , ___ 114-15.1-l14-15.-.D-O!I
.l. loo•told•l~
31? lhel"'*.-..odgOid•ben~!he-!ol!hoH . . godlol_llullheSp."'
__ OlnqiOifOIJ• . . !SIIo..W,.walooldo!....,.,. MI...,...niiiiiiMI.-.od
',y.-;,..,·:·~-
SOUTH AMERICA
a
Ailhough South America produced a number of cultures wilit different deities
and myths, the most enduring civilization was that of the Incas, who were
based on the west coast of the continent and in the high Andes.
0
SouthAmericahasbeenhometoasuccessionofhighly
>ophisticatedcivilizationsduringthelastthreemi llennia
I ARRIVAL 0 1-'
THE INCAS
The Incas, who bui lt up an Andean
Most of the more adv~nced cultures were b:lsed in the Andes,
intheareasnowformingpansofPeru.Chile, Bolivia, and
I
empire between 1230and 1532,
lookeduponTbhuan:lcoasoneof
Ecuador. lleginning"'iththeChavincul!ure(c.850-200KL) theirplacesoforigin,and,liketheir
innorthernPeru,therewereanumberofotherempiresbased forebears, theyworshipped thesun.
inandnearPeru,includingtheParacasEmpire,theMoche The lncasbe lievedtheirrulerswere
cuhure,andthecivilizationsofl!uariandTiahuanaco.all 1 descendantsoflntLthesungod
bet1.veen around 600 liCE and about 900 CE Theyalsohad:lnoriginmyth
based~~ear t hecit yofCuzcoin
MYHIICi\l TIIEMES Peru.Agroupofancestors--
Alt houghtheyleftsubstMuialphysic3l rernains--suchas threebrodv:rsandthree
buildings,carvings,pouery,goldjewellery.andtextiles- sisters------emerged from caves
noneoftheseculturesde'·elopedawrit ingsystem,soliule tv:arCuzcoandsetvarious
isknownindetailabouttheirrn}1hs. However, scholars precedentsfortlv:real lnca
imerpretrnanyofthefiguresintheirartasdeities,andthey rulers,such:lSwearinggold
areusuallydescribedtodaybytheirsalientfeaturestheStaff jewellery, marrying their
God, the FangedGod,thejaguarGod,andsoon.Studyof sisters,andseu ingup .I. OH r·hn dodfigort
bterindigenouspeoplesshowstheirreverenceforancestor mountaintop shrines lllmrnl51>rrts.as r-l0db,t th,.
doorhe:J<lOOMo:rdlO~tla<'\'ligo-o.~
spirits,fordeitiesassociatedwilh thelocal 001...,.11fltroleiOUaditiOMISUJth
landscape,andforfenilitygods. EM PIRE AND GODS Arner""ntrll!hologyarrdreligioo
Localspirits.creatordeities,andculture Thelncashadahugeempire,
heroes-figureswhobringimportantskills stretching all along the western ~dg~ of South AmeriC:J from
suchasfarrn ingtothepeople-aret)'picalof Ecuadortocentr:l!Chile. TheircapitalwasatCuzco.butthey
thebe liefsystemsofthenriouspeoplesof hadotherurbanoenters,suchJ5MachuPicchu. The empire
therestofSouthAmericaAfunhertheme washeldtogetherbyanadvanccdbureaucracyandagood
!lutstandsomdearlyinsomeoftheseearly road network_Theirst3tereligioncemeredonworshipoflmi
culturesistheirdevotiontothesun. The great malargetempleinCuzco.but thelnc:IShadmanyother
gatewayat themajorarchaeologicalsiteof deities, includingacreator,Viracocha,afenilit)'god, Ilpp'a, ~
Tiahuanacoh:ISafigure thatresemblesa and a moon goddess, Mama Kilya. Skilled metalworkers. _;_
sungod,andoneimponantMoche theyalsoga,·egoldgreatreligioussignificance. Anenduring
----.
their mythology tells many d ifferent tales of their origin , all of
which feature an ancestor called Manco Capac who , together
with a number of followers, emerges into the world from a cave.
~ Ma~~eoCapac
THE 1V\YTH l•kooltlilcanrutool,M.:lr>CO
The lncan creator god, ca!led Con Tiki Viracocha, or simpl)'
Vir~cocha,wasoneofthe most imponantde itiesinlncan
~::th~~~ :!,a:.,~~~e
aoapeotgolddu<inu h,.ani.-&1
mytholbgy. lnmOSiversionsofthecreruionstory,heemerged tCI()m(JnjinCo~~:o.-
from the w~ten>of ~ke Titicaca to cre:lte a race of gbnts.
Buthew:~Sdissatisfiedwit hthesecreatures,:indsohe Anumbercfpeoplerepresentingthelowercbssesofpeasanl5
broughtaboutag~eat floodol!ed UnuPachawtillm andslawsemergedfromtheothertwoentr:~ncestotheC:.,·e
drownedthem .·Subsequentlr.hecrel\(dthefirstimm:ms Thenthefirsllncansenlememswerees~ablished
outofpebblesth:u he foundbesidethebke. HegaveJI~eSe
peopl~ i variety oflangll.:lges,cos\umes,and foods, and THE PEOPLE AND THE SUN GOD
then spread themaroundtheworld;thoughsomesay Somechroniclersoftheoriginm)·thwlda differentversion
that Viracochasent thefirsthumanstoacav~toawait of th e story. Theysaidthat MancoCapJ.Cand the other
theappropriatetimeforemergence.lt wasbehe,•ed by lncas' hadbeensetdownb)·thesungodlnt i (sccp.JJ8).
somethm the cave wasataplacecalled Pacaritambo ontheshores oflakeTiticJ.Ca_Thedeitygavel>.lar!CoCap:Jc
(Tavern of the Dawn), which is about 25km(l6miles) ast:lfforrodofgold:Jnditlstructedthepeopletotmvel
southwe~t of modern-d~y Cuzco. Others beli~'·ed thm aroundth~region.advisingthemtoplungethegoldrod
therealnameof t hepl:~cewasTambotocco(Tavernofthe imQthegroutldwhenevertheystoppedtoeatorre;t. lmi
Windows). because the people h.1d made three ceremon~1l ;old them th.11 after tml'eling for a while , thq' would arrive
entmncesto thenatural cavern at aplacewherethestaffwouldvamshcompletelynnothe
groundonbeingplunged. This would indicate that the soil
THE EM ERGE NCE atthatlocation'IVJ>;deepand
ChiefamongtheAndeansw:ti fenile.andlntitoldM:l!lcO
a man called l>.lancoC::tp:u:,who
dwelt in the cave with his three .,--..,.-.~. ~-
brothersandthreesisters.One t hesungodScommandsand
of his sisters, Mama Odlo, was afterhavingwanderedforsome
!i~~~~~~~
t ime,theyre:tehedap!J.Ce
const itutwife.
also his ed thTogether,
elncan ropl
t hey where theroddisappearedfrom
familyandbecametheancestors viewimotheground_The lncas
ofthelncanrulerswhofollowed builttheircapitalcityofCuzco
thenEventually,asmallgroup notfarfromthisspot,and
ofpeoplerepreseming! r~c:m A. C.n:o ~lancoCap:tebecame the first
Thel'eoooanat)'oiCu!cowasthelocancapotai So;anionlyl;)
tlobililycameoutofthecave Lal:alibC3Ca.C<Uroa00it>""''Jhlaloxt\"'"the<m~t< m~n l ntlerofthe!tJC::tnkingdom
throughoneofitsentrances 3<0001lncao r oiii)<Jri,'Mih3ouni)o)oollt.ul0Jarxl.s;o:rod~l(ll; Thus began the lncandynasty.
V IRACOCHA
The lnc~sbelie,·ed t hataftercreatinghumans,
Viracoch.tstaredbacktowatcho•·erth<m
Theckitydisguisedhimselfasabeggarand
wand~red among the Incas 10 wcrk mlradts,
toldthem,andhereturnedfmmhisttipto
AhhoughtheydidtiOtdl:velopthewheeloraconHntional
systemofwrit ing,the lncash.adasophistlcat«<civilizarion
Thl:lrcrahsmenexcelledinte"ilesandpouery.andthel!lcas
weremosterbuilckrstoo,conSiru<:t ingstonebuildingswithwallsthatfiuedtogcllll:r
without mortar_ The long t>etwork of mads builr aero~ their Andean territories
ensured that the Incas could ck•·<lop a system of communication to hold the empire
----- ·----·---
PACA 1\\A 1\\A IS 1\IOTI IER
togetl>er.Theirm},hsacknow\edgeboththeirhumblebeginningsatLokeTIIicaca
andtheiraspir.tiontocr<ateavastmlpirebeneaththeraysofthesungod lmi.
-----· - - - · - - · - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0- - - - - - - --- - -
1
I!'-!TI
TIJelncansungodwasolledlnri,andwasalsokrJOwnas"rheleaderof
rhe da)·tinll:.· For the Incas, he W:tSthe mOSI imponam among~lltheir
deities.Afriendlygod,hedidnotsimplylookdownontheE:mhand
warmitwithhisrays,butalsoactivelyhelpedtheinhabitants.ln
I
one such myth, the lnc:m anceswrs--~l:mco Capac and Mama Ocllo
(S<"~ p.Jl~)-were lmi'ss.on and daughter, whom he taught the skills of
life and sem w Eanh w show tllf:'. ITJC;<l:) how to he_ They then became
theancestorsofthelncandynasty. The!ncanrulersbuiltmanylavish
I
temples to lmi in Cuzco, the lllC.:l.n capiul. ollt': of which was known as &lncanforming
lncantauneiS.wllogrewa""OOrarlrJOdaq>:~trornpotatoosto
theHouseofGoldbecauseofitslichdecoralion.ltsrnainchapelwas
oriemedinasuchawayth~tlteimageoflmi'sfaceca.ught
theligllloftherisingsunexhday. Imi"'asoftendepided
I
:
oquaslm.worees~llya t t.o:hedto!OOthundmgOOIIIapu ,
andrnadaJ.3Crr lio:esattlrsa4tau .. lhehop&ofrarn
:;sagoklendiscwithraysoflightemanatingfromit.
ILLAP U
Thelncanthundergodlllapuwasa
warlikedeitywhoseweaponwasthe
slingshot.Onemythdescribeshowhe
crossedtheskywithgiantstrides,ca>ting
a great shadow, which became the ~lilky
Way Heaimedhisslingatapotofwater
carriedbyhissister.Ashefired,theleather
ofhisslingmadeaboomingnoi~thatw:.s
thethunder,:mdthestoneflashedwith
lighmingasitflewthroughtheair.When
ithitthepot.rainpoureddownfromthe
sky.Asabringerofrain,lllapuwaswidely
reveredbythelncas.TI!eybuilttemples
rorhegod-usuallyonmoumainsroget
dosertotheskywhere llbpulil'ed-------{lnd
wenttheretoprayforrain.lfthepeople
,.. lntihuontonopoct neededraindesperately.theysometimes
This otr"'t'"9 at Machu Pitthu. ~"""" "'
madehum:msacrificestoappeaselllapu
:.,~o~a~~!::t:c~;;·;~:-;:,10
'f' l ho hu • enly . ridgo
lhenlaf'l'l$lon1100 r nge<)bsotlhera ~nbc..-,10g01heo""lh'l<
awaoentat. l oryto<:Qo1na<:t t he....rn~~otlhahomall!ond t he!,J01b .
1\\A J\\A KILYA IJ'M'Chuo:OOa•pocialploca inlhapanthoonof hudalll&
ThernoongoddessMama Kilp was theconsortan d ,
somesay, thesistnoflmi . Asrhesungod'sfemale
coumerp:m,shewasseenasthernaterrulancestorof
the lncanru lers,and presidedover thenighL During
a lumreclipse,the lncasthoughtthatamonsterwas
tJkingabiteout of~tama Kilp.andconsidered this
omen toportenddisaster-theywavedweaponsat
theskyandmadeloudnoisestofrighten themonster
:twJ.y Mama Kilya was also the goddess of women,
guardingthemduring theirmonthly
cycle, protecting female fertility.
andenforcingmarriage,·ows
CHUICHU
The Incas believed that the rainbow was a two-
headed.dragon-likedeit ycalledChuichu . They
reahzedtherewa:>J.connectionbetween therainbow
and the sun, though they did not quite under~und
how itsmulticoloureddfectwasproduced. They
consideredtherainbow tobeagiftor messagefrom
thesungodlmi,indicatingthepresenceofthe
benevolemdeit)•Chuichu _ Because he linked the
worldofthegods intheskywiththeEarth.Chuichu
was thoughtofasa kindofhea,·enlymessenger
or courier, whohelped thedeitiesofboth thesun
andtherlin inbrin.ging theirlife-givinggiftstothe
Eanh.Somepeopleregardedther:linbowgod~an
J. Moon eoddH o
e'·enmoremagicalpresence thatlinkedthethree
lhelrusOOII......:I thatthe'J'l'IOO.. GoldWlisl nti'>molal.ondoi"'"'wa• fundamental parts of the lncan cosmos-the sky,
Mlm!Kilyawa~eOOJ,_mma~ fll<jl l Mtm!Kil!'a'>SiMlrOOjects,.....nradem the EanhSsurface,andtheunde rground realm.
andti(Wiaogataceandbogeote:~couklba t.;whonor,andho;v$1vrr'l(latCIIIIXIS"'"n
....,dearlyoothenigllto:ta fulrroon ~wasro:~okorar.Jwuh~.,
--~-~ ~~------·-------·~-----------------~
STA R D EITI ES
Thelncasconsidered thestarstobebenevolent deities,lookingdown
on them at night justas~\ama Kilpdid. Un\ikesomecu lt ures inother
partsoftheworld,whosawtheSlarsasratherrandomlyscatteredacross
thesky,thelncas idemifieddifferentstargroupsorconstdlations,just as
astronomersandastrologersdotoday.Buttheirgroupingsofstarshad
specifically lncannamesandidentities: they thoughtof Lyraas theL\ama.
ScorpioastheCat,andthe Pleiades as the Liule Mothers or the Storehouse
..
-~· ••..\.
:
~
* • Aboriginolcowoo rt
fb;~ll' ln 11nghaoalong h ..wryinAuotral iaAOOngo""'ll"" t pi; ru reoal1hei r
arodaao~lano~es<l•octlyi)<11QIOCl10k>oma do!sehn~ betwoon 1hein
&rll;e$l0r•
orodrhelarod.lhlsexa....,Os.,KakaduNaro:m!Pa r ~ ln rhe~thoml<>rlltc.-~
-~~~~-,
AUSTRALIA
The myths of the indigenous people of Australia arc diverse and yet share many
similarities. They explain and reinforce the bond between the people and the
land, which is said 10 have been brought into being at the vety beginning of time .
WhentheEuropeansarrivedinAustraliaattheendofthe
18thcemury,t1Je)'foundaconrineminhabitedbyaround
• fe:uuresintobeing,bringingtolifealltheplants,anirnals.
andother livingthingsthatinhabitit,andgiving li fetoall
iOOdifferemAborigirultribes. E:\Chofthesetribalgroups I thespiritsofthepla.:e: eventothespirit sofpeopleand
wassrnall---sometimesjustalundful of beingswhowillbeborninthefmure
bmilies. sometimes as many as S(l-and Thisancientprocessofbringingall
each had foundanicheinwhichAustralia's aspectsoftheworldtolifeisknownas
sometimesextremelyharshbndscape theDrearning.orDreamtime.anarne
could sustain life. TheAboriginesli,·edb)' thatreflectstheideathattheancestor
huntingandgathering,andhaddoneso spiritsawokefromnlongsleepinorder
formillennia-nooneissurewhenpeople tocarryoutthispi'OCessofanirnation,
original lycametoAustralia,thoughthey andthensubsidedintoaneterml sleep
maylu\'earrivedfrom Ind onesia around whentheylL1dcompletedtheirgremtask
50,000 )·ears ago. Although the incoming
Europeanssawtheindigenouspeopkas STORIES OF THE DREAMT IME
"prirnitive'becausetheyhadnotdeveloped Theanciente,'Cntsofthe Dreaming or
skillssuchasmetalworkingorpomry Dreamtirnestillexistona levelthatcanbe
production,they wereinf:lctverywell A Ka"'jorooopirrt experiencedtoday.Byretellingstoliesof
adaptedtolivingontheirland Thls!lbongmalanwook.tlowsanurrbeocJ""""too theDre~mt ime,andbycarryingoutthe
ligu r os.rnc l o.o;l i ngapono~kangarooopint.Such
"""!'"$10ioctthal:eyp><rb:)no!<l(w.,.(llorOQrn1 correct rituals.Aboriginescanrdi''ethe
MYTHS OF ORIGIN (l(ldtherrr~tancelorltl(lodaotrtycJIIII)pOOJlle.creativepi'OCessandochieveakind of
Each of Austral i~'sAboriginaltribeshasits comm unionwiththespirits. lnthissense.
ownlanguageattditsowntn)'ths.~ndforthem thesestories the Oreamtime is alwa)'S present. Dreamtime stories consist of
explaintheoriginsandthe,·eryexistenceoftheAboriginal journeysacrosstheland,whichiscriss-crossedwithancient
people. FortheAborigines,thehistorical,Europeanaccount pathw:t)'Sthatrepresentthenarrati,·es
oftheirarrivalonthecontinentrnanythollS.lndsofyearsago ofdifferenttribesandexpbinthe
isbrgel)'irrelevant . lnstead, theirexistenceinAustrahais existenceofavarietyofn;uural
a.:coumedforbytheirmyths,whichdescribee:Jchtribe's featllres,fromrocksandmoumains
intim:Jteassocbtionwtththelandwhereitli,·esandtheir tocreeksandwaterholes. ~!any
ancestors'rolesingivingformtothebnd. Unfortunately, suchsitesha,'eprofoundspiritu.11
becausenotallofAusnalia'stribeshavesurvh·ed,someof meaning,asdothernanym)1hs
thesemphshavebeenlost. Butthosethatare:Xillknown thernselves,whicharedr.Imatically
remaincentraltoAboriginalbe liefs,andareconstantlyretold broughtto life in tribalritullsand
inanisti<:depictions
i-\NCESTR~LJOURNEYS
AlthoughthesesetsofAboriginalrn)'lhsarealldifferent, 1 .. B•rkp•inti~gdt piotiOG • Wandjioa
----------- · ----
ESCAPE FRO t\ \
THE Si':AKE' S BELLY
In western Arnhem Land, the wooded area on the co~t of
theNonhernTerritory,the RainbowSnakeiscalled Ngalyod,
an d issometinlesportr:Jyed wilhapairofslenderhomsand
thetai l ofacrocodi \e. Ngalyod wasfearedforearinghumans
andknownforhisfoul remper.an d inonepan icubrm}1h,
devouredachildwhohadannoyedhimbycryingA popub.r
m\e abom Ngalyod links him wid1 the creat ion of humanit y.
One day, the snake was hungry :md ate three birds, one of whkh
was a pewee. As snakes do, he swallowed his prey whole. Once
insidet heserpenr"sbelly,thebirdstriedroe>eape,beginning
ropeck aholethroughNgalyod"sabdomerL The three finally
emergedasrhefirst hmnans,andsoonafterwards, kille d rhe
lbinbowSnaketosetuphomeonEarth
TilE INUNDATION
The Dj~u~n people of Amhem Land tell
howafishennanfoundthebhckbones
of~ fish rhlr other men had eaten. He
recognized the bones 3S those of~
rarefishtlk1thehadbeen lookmgfor,
andbecamebothangryandsad. The
fishemunsangas.ongtol\urrichalpongo,
theblackrocksruke,anditcamedown
fromthesky inagrearcurvingbowof
manycolors(thelbinbowSnake). The
snakemOOeaholeinabillabong(alake).
~:~~~:..:~::::~: IOIO:het of
&Abotiginalhool•ts
relelSingagreat flood over the bndthat ShamariOW<IIe,...,S1001'fti1eopo11tslh•tlf"'''
swep:!away::tlltheneighboringtribes, shan'IOII$andthot.rnqo<o!wat"'.O.t conta<!lldwboollloly-"""J''9'ld"'$1\31""""'
leavingbehindonlythe Djauan.After acwrdi01J!OOO<taonmvths.heW38also hool ingmuai•.Here.ahaalerP«lorm!a!<adibOOal
lhet<OOI«o!lhafutmanandW(Jnl(ln i>loodloWAgCI•&mOIII OSIIIOJ300.X00rn
this,thesn.lkebidsomeeggs.which.
whentheyhatched,carved out rivers,
hills,:>ndotherfeaturesof
TAIPAN
Thesn3kekilOV.l!asTaipanisoftenid<::ntiftedwit hthe
Rainbow Stmke. He ll.ld awesome power over life and de:uh.
andcouldevencomroltherainartdthethunder. Taipanll.ldason
whomhelo,·eddeeply,butoneda)',hissonfellinlovewiththedaughter
of\Vab, theblue-tonguedlizard,andthepatreloped.Walawasangrythathtsdaughter
h3dtakenahusbandwithoutaskinghispermission.andsopursuedthecouple,
killing Taipan's SOIL Distraught over his son's death, Taipan sent most of his family A BIUI·!Ongutd liuud
tolive inthedarkdepthsoftheEanh,andtwoofhissistersroheaveu,wherethe)'
;,~,~~~:,;,':; r':'!:r ~"::':: 3?-.J
tooksomeoftheirdeadnephewSbloodandaddeditscolortotheminbo\1( ,,..., , .,...,tothag"ll'l''ngla,pan,ao;t.;J.o.
tha lalletwhatthalizaldhadOO..m hi slury
THE PRIMAL SISTERS
A widespread Aboriginal myth from Australia male and female entities, which culminates in
describes a pair of ancestral sisters, often the snake swallowing the women. The sisters
kn own as the Wawilak or Wagilag Sisters, survive, however, and finally escape the snake's
who travel across Arnhem Land . They have stomach to coexist w ith their a rch rival ,
a traumatic encoun ter with the Rainbow Snake reinforcing the idea that both male and female
(see pp.32S--29) , seen as a conflict between the forces are needed for creation to be balanced.
THE MYT H
One day, two women walked out of the ocean
andsteppedomotheshoreofArnhem land.
inAuslmlia:SNorthernTerritory. The)" were
sisters~nd thet'lderone was carrying "a baby,
while theotheronewaspregnam. The'sister5
walkedinb ndlooJ<ingfor:mimalstoeat. Both
c:uriedspears:md were proficient Lntheirust
Thesisterswerecreators,andasthe)' traveled, lll.t:i~~==
theygavenamesandshapestothehlndscapes
throughwhichtheywal ked--essem iallybringing
them imo existence. They made steady progr~;s unti l 4 Tbo sisloro
thepregnamsisterbegantofeelapprehensiwabouther JOORatubowSMkoencitdes thotwowomen.aloogv.otll
IOO ! c~il~roo.Kr t flacootoopiec&oltho•~~nlr ngdolpict"'ll
impend ingde!iverySothesiSters;;etupcampandlitafire tOOrJI'(IhaOOuttho~irrolaote<•
b)•awaterholeatapl:u;ecal!edMirrirmina
in'~~tigate.·TheRainbowSnakeheardherComingand\.V:lS
H I E RAINBO W SN AKE 'S CRE ATURES atl;lstrousedfromhissleep. Herearedupandauackedthe
Theeldersisterw·emtolmill forfood,whiletheyounger two women who ha d invaded his Lind, attd he swallowed
sisterlaystillandeventual!yg.webirth. But somethmg boththeststersandtheirchildren.
mangehappenedwhen thee ldersistercamebackand
began to prepare a meal AU the anlmab that she had caught THE SISTERS RETUR N
and killed lelpt outofthecook ingpol. r~n off, and jumped The RainbowSnakemadeJlot ofno isedoingthis;his
imothew:uerhole . Thesistersdidnotknow!lutthepool commotionrousedal!theothersnakes,whoaskedhim
w:~S home to the Rainbow Snake. He owned ali the aninuls what w·asgoingon.At first he lied, saying that he had
caught andeatenabngaroo,buttheyd idnotbelie,·e
him. He fimlly admitted to eating the sisters. Immediate!):
a mighty wind blew and a monsoon !:~Shed its way acr05S
thelandsc:<pe _TI,eninJ.ndwindweresopowerfulthatthe
R.1inbowSnakewasfon:edtovomitup thesistersandthe ir
childrenontoananthill,wheretheywererelllrnedtolife.
Whontholla>inbrJ,yS""I:ai'OmltOOtheoistar•oniO!Oo"nt
h ~l. th(lpaml.,q""" ""1100100 bol<tSQ! the ani$ brouglr l the
wmrooarwltheuc hdd r ooq u ~eklyt.rltohte
}~:~ ;§f,E~:~ , 4' -~Ji
"Old\\'oman"figurt arldd>efem.tle
~~~:·6:~::::~,:"~~:·:;~; as
thecrutorofmen women and1he
amm.tlsofth<workll<unaptptasl<edher
followers to paint themselves to show t. .~!:',:~ pa~nteO
alleg!a~tospeC!fic!amihesorgroups. lhoouel""'"" "walas
Shei>alsolxlie.,.ed bysometohawlxm porK"""~~imsPct<llORS
anancimtu"nde"'rwhotnovded"itha
wisdomintheprocess.Sincethat groupofprinulheroesandl>erolnes.Her
tlme,ithasalwaysbeenthemak
memberso!thetribewholookafrer
thetraditlonsoftribalwisdomand
lort,andh•ndthemdownfromone
generation to the next
• Tri bl lt o ~ .. u ntationo
lhe$1S!OI•,.eolt<indopo;1e<l incatl'lngsu.ed
"'' IIIIJ"Iual$.lholi'J<J"'Jf''$1•letfonlhollghl]
-·••g ~r dio)~holr<:ilo)$110$~!1<>,11hol<1
00tbroosts£1noo&hohai.]USI(Ii\ooobotth
· · - · · - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - · -------- ·-·-----·-----
~!Se~~~~~~.7n11~;;nalm}11K>Iogy,andtherommon ~ A~ I) (E LEBRATI( )~$
f<atureamongthem Is that they art thought 10 lxcloselycoml«ted to
thelandtheycrossandbringimoexis:tenox;thisisclearlyillusmtedln
I RITL'AJ.S
Abori~nal nnulsaw per!onn..don IWlll)'O<Xask>ns. from
til<<'fl•branonofabtnhroril<hurialo!rhedead.Oril<r
the m}1hsofthe Wa";J.k sis:ters. Many of the deities are shape-<:hangers, ~•wmonk-umdrd by the wb:>J. ni.,.._.NI Wl<'ll in ><>ng
whornaytakethefonnofananlrna](S<(p.285),butcan,attlwsame anddat~<YthestolW•ofthe!fliritsofflR'amrime\,..fp .. l27)
time, bo: the ar>Ces:torsof a human tr\bo: or f~mily. Mos:t are specific 10 1 A lew rilu.tl>aR' though! ro ""'" ~n lil'>l ptrl<>nn«< bytht
intheland,but,.,ne,ouch 1 prima.l»<krstokeepthtiWnbmo<,n.ok,arb>.ylbtrirual>
show how all of ertation i>linW togtther by the .mcestors
331
-----~--~~--- ~--~- ·
~ C. ,. o ~figu ro
TH E MYT H Ausua0311Morogonalart~ri<h 1n caood~ ... i\o:e(l!J ing
There "':ISonceagreatspiritcalled Doon, a pm:erful hunter tolha8rJm -BrarnSultmyth,Yurooear.oadafi9uru•Ol$Orl'ttlng
W;.o,..ootolwocd,bo•ng•ng h1Sbro!t>9rbio: k10hkl
who lud taken the form of asmall glid ing possum. One day,
hebeg~~nhuntingamight ykang:rroocal\edPurra The chase
wem on for many miles, bm the kangarobcominued to elude
Doan. The po:;:;um had almost caught up "'irh Purra when
heentered theterriwryof;.nechid ro.spiritcalled\\'embulin,
who was resting wi;h his two daughters. \\'embuhri :utaeked
Ooan, anda lt hottghatfirstthepossurnmanagedtoescape
he v. as~'·eruuallycaughtandkil!ed . \\bnbulinandhis
daughtersateDoanandsetoffinpursuitofthebngaroo. 1,enaciously, finding \\'embulinand hi~ family
onthethirdday. The brothers launched a
H IE BROTHER S' RE V ENGE surpriseanackar•dk il\edtheechidna; they
''"'~"·"~"""""- II.
DoanS two mmernal uncles, Yuree and Wanjet were brave
~~
w:>.rriors who lud won renown for tlteir many adventures.
They were vel}' fond of their nephew, and when Doon Tt1E WORK O f CREAT ION .
wemmissingtheysetoffwlookforhimAstheysearched OnthejoumeyhomeYureeand\Van;el 'I
theyfoundacolon)'ofantscllrryingstmndsofapossurn\ b£;;antoregret rnarryingtheechidmsis.;m.
hairandbitsofilsfleshtotheirnest,andthebrothers Theysawthatthepatrwereangl}'attheirfather's
demhandseemedlikelytotake
rtvenge . Sothebrothersktlled
theorwivesandsetoffmwthecounrrysode
Asrheytmveled,theybrottglntheworldaround
t hem intoexistence,byn.amingalltheplants,rocks,
trees.andrh"ersoftheregion,graduallytransfonning
achaoticvoid imoavibr:mtbndscape
Ast imewemby.YureeandWanjel
completedtherask ofcre:uionandunder1ook
aseriesofa<h·enwresthatctthninmedinWanjdS
death.l!owever,theresourcefttlYttreere\'i\'ed
himandthetwobr01hersbegana longjourney
fromwhichtheyne\'errewrned . Someaccoums
s:l)'thattheyliveonasCastorandPollux.the
two bright stars of the constdbtion of Gemini
KEY CI IARACTERS TilE SOUTIIERN CROSS
Uke tnosl ch.raeters in the Aborigin•l SloriesoiDreamtime p.JZ1), <= The night sky plays an imponam role in Aboriginal m;11ls,
some in the myth of the Bram-Bram-Bult take the form of animals including the SIOI)' of the Bram-Bram -Bult. Duringo.-.. of their
thoughtheyareseenosetem.olspirits.Someofthesespiritsarethe exploit.>.thebrottlersstoppedaferociousemucalkdTchinga.l
aruxswrsofthe people who wld rhe stCI)', a•ld are therefore assigned from au..:klnga man named lluny.-they
supema1ural roles. TI>Us , ahhough no ordinary pos>um can kill •nmsfom>ed the man 1m<:> a possum and
aklngaroo,DoancoulddusePurrab<:causcheis.playingouJ •n k illedtheemuwiththeirspears. The
in.c:idenlintheli\"esof•hear>C<:stors.llcm·ever,inspl•eof•hepower cor>s•ellationoftheSoutho:mCro;;s, often
andenergyofDoanand\\'embulin,thestory'st""'heroesareYur« assoclattd\O.;ththebrothtrs,isbelievedto
and Wanjd, who are admirffi for rheir bravuy and resouredulness r~presem rhe emu, rhe possum, and rhe
spear<;used rokiiiTehingal
• soulh• •nCro""
Th&Aboorgmalpoopleo!!ha""'rhv.e<t cOit!t><m
!tielout"ro nw"staosol!haSwtheonCro:<sas
syrrtd;"r>J tho O!rgrnolli!e.a"""' " tal"''""""-
WE A RE A LL V ISITO RS
TO Till S Tl 1\ IE, Till S
PLACE .. OU R PU RPOSE
II ERE IS TO O BSERVE,
TO LE A R1\!, TO GRO \ V:
& Puna
TO LOVE AN D THE N
lo!haillarn&am M th&~Pur!ll
u!haro"''olahmr.r.IO......III martj
AC!Ilatuolof r (ml r~ bklS!!l)<J(j!hko h iS
~,._llo!rrr'ssrurl"'!haii.Jnr"pert..f'!
\ VE RETU R.\! I-I O iv\E.
.,..,..A>Jo!rahanrrrt!h o.!habingaroo OlSprtOO "r ag/O:Irr>J fJlS'If n :.abi~tr"
ioaharoandaoan<>Uklr s!>!il !IDIOell"*"''y h <Ujl!haai!
c
~ Abori9inal loarkpoinli"'l ~
Si~ing~•aoeC<IIDIIII>IIIypoonayed""
~ti'l~~~~~l!::~::-~l':.,~.::.,:,~ li"i
""""""homaoauac~a!dla191aoanit11ha-"''
.co•-f-·"'·:,J.:
• leonicE• S1or lolond otolu"
0
Them~nysmall Pacificisbndsthat rrukeupPolynesiaare I Unsurprisingly, themythologyofthesePacificisbndpeoples
mainlyspreadaroundthe,·asttriangledefinedbyEaster comainsmany>loriesof1·oyages Polynesianheroestra1·eled
lshnd, Hawaii, and New Zeabnd_ ~hny archeologiSts also I notonlyacrosstheoceanbutalsotothesun,tothesky,and
include in the group the ~!elanesianislandsto totheUnde'""'·orld,wheretheyfoundfireand
theeast-thebandextendingroughlyfrom broughtit backforthepeopletouse.Other
theUrolinelsbnds in thenorthwestto trnselingdeiltesincludegodsoffishing,such
Vanu.1tuinthesouthe:.s~---be<:ausetheyshare asNdauthinaofFij i. Hismothertiedburning
manycultumlsimilarities. The most likely reedsonhisheadwhenl~wasachildand
reasonforthesesimilaritiesisthatgroups everafterhetraveledacrossthecoralreefs,
ofsettlersfromthePhilippinesandeastern spreadinghislightacrossthesea
lndonesiap:>SSedthrough Mebnesiaon
theirwayto!l>eishndsofPolynesia_These ABANDONED II ERO
migmtionsprobablytookpbceoverhundreds Thecu lt ureheroandtricksterhbuiiswidel)'
of)·ears some time before \000 &:E knownacrossPolynesL1,whereheisalso
associated with the sea. Hewassaidtohave
EARLY VOYAG ES beenabandonedasababy,whenhismother
Amazingl)·,peopleoriginallyreachedtheset iny, threwhirn intotheocean. Closelyhnkedto
remme isbndsby'ililingsimpledug.out thewaterforthereSI.ofhis li fe, hewem
canocs----and,bter,pbnk-buihvessels--tlut fishingandcaughtlandinsteadoffish.h!aui
werestabilizedwithoutriggers. didthisusinghismagicalweapon,which
Ahhoughthesee:~rlynavigators wasmadefromthejawbone ofanancestor
de1•elopedefficiempaddlesand goddess. Heleveredupthe landwiththe
sails,theystillhadtotr:welthe .I. Cion onc.otorfig• ,. pointofthebone,butwhenhisbrotherssaw
openoceanwithoutcompasses J h ,.~temolo...,.,t<Jrigur$i>(lfl(l what hehaddonetheykickedupallthebnd
olanurnbeoa:r"''""'llhe~ l olaMoorr
oranyotherrovigationalaids andthrewitaround thesea,bringingthe
Towork outwhi<:hdirection :.~=~-=~~~~~;:..,,., islandsofPolynesiaintoexisten<:e.
theyweregoingintheytnttSI.
havereliedinsteadmainl)'Onthepositions STORIES OF THE FLOOD
ofthestars,on"·;wepatterns.andonthe ]l.buiwasinhiselementinthewater,butPol)'!JeSianmyths
prevailingwinds.Butlittleisknownforsure alsoreveal thegreat d~ngersofthesea. Hawaii, for example,
abouthow theynavigatedorwhether.once hasafloodm)1h inwhichagoddessroseupfromthedepths
theyhadreachedanisbndafteravopge tocreatesgism tsumm i,ortidalwave. TheresultingOood
ofhundredsofkilomeJers,theywereable causedgre,udestruclion,buttheheroNu'ubuihhimselfa
torelurntotheirhornebndsagain boot in which to escape. Mebnesian islands have a similar
story inwhic.haherocalledQaJescapedafloodinhisboat
<01 Sup ,.mo Haw ~ iion do ity Asissooflenthecase,themythsofthePacificislandpeoples
H•ol91h""'wry~l1atoor~.....,u;lhesupttml
Hirwa<rarr<rool<lrtaladl u QfKu.lt.s~tu\QOdwas showbothtl~irgreal respectforlhedangersoftheir 337
aboa\)OOoiW<Ir.woolher.and>tomandanrmaltmtili[)' environmemandtl~eirabilitytocopewith them.
TANGAROA
One of the mos t promine nt deities of the Pacific isla nds is Ta ngaroa
(also known as Ta'aroa or Tagaroa). He is considered to be a sea god
in some places, bur in Tahiti and among the other island communities,
including Samoa , Tonga, and Tuvalu, Tangaroa is known as th e
crea10r of the cosmos and all its inhabitams. Some people believe
that he was the son of the primal deities Rangi and Papa, bu t another
version of the myth says that he created the universe after tearing
a part the two halves of a great s hell w hen emerging from it.
- - - - - - - - - - - 0 ---- - - - - - -
OTHER POLYNESIAN
1j CREATION 1\ ll'TIIS
~..cr;~lertarlonstorkstoldintlv:PacificlloiandsluturtMaul,
1 who created the l~an<b of Pol}11tloia by fi>lnng them up from tilt
bonomofthe..:ausingagrtatfi$11-hook.Somec..,atlonmyths
I centeron•prim•lgoddesslntheUndtN·or1dwhoplucktdtht
firs~ gods •nd hum•ns from h.r own body. Others dt~rilx a
l
1 0 0 1 01 1 0
""""myths ~rd Tansarousthrcrtawrdtity.-.d p.uon of s.ollors
I m!WI~~~~ ~
0~~~@1 ~
............,_....__,hll
~:=~ ~
~ ,.,.
Mo>Mfaoth ...
............. ~aotPowt. ...
t......dllll••dto'"IJioeolongeoobr-
....... ~.ilangl.sht~
dokll•tt.lilll~J~oooo~-ol.-.;.t
,.,_,...........,..,.
• Rotot....,.to~o!.to
-·~on.,...,.,
lablrltl<b::o<eed•W•
::::..
ll•e...-god(leglo
~t-llllond
==::.~a:
lsbnd""'!'I<I<Oid ......
POLYN ESIAN DEITIES ...,._creal!<ln"""'
Tonsoro.o.iJorv:ofthtoldeii.Polynulandritlts,andlnsomem)~lts,
tht primary jpd.. M~nyoftht Polyrlr:SWt drltleswtrt "'Or>hlj)p':d as sky
gods.whoseforus,••ertw>le•shedlnthtfonnofS~onnsorhurri<:mes.
asin thtcaseofthe"irtdjpd.T•whlrinu..:a.A<'coltbngwsonv:nt)1hs, 0 TANGAROA IN Tl IE
Tongaroa'sSO!lMaui(S<tp.J~J)slowtdd<M,thell!nbyl.ossoi:ngit .and
fan:•d ittosltlncforlong<:rpcrlodsl nsummtr. Thtgod<kssHitLO l1\ IJviENS ITY O F SPACE,
commllcd the tides, ottd In ~me venlons, was also the godckss of CLEAR AI VAY Tl IE
the Well "ind. lh:~ we~ nlilny powerful Eanhd.ili<:s too. such as th•
volcorto goddess Pelt, who W>J Wmlnant inll•waii. Other ckities CLOUDS IW DAY
indudedt\l(tnothcr&O<klt».known,·•riouslyasP•pat..,.,nuku
orPap.o.whowuprtsematthebtglnnlngofcrt.,lon
SH~L50 Soo-:.-Jt.1~18U1.~1.ZM-t1 •
THE ORIGIN OF DEATH
The Mami story of the origin of death involves of sand and clay, he goes on to marry his
their fo rest god Tane. He is one of the sons own daughter, the beautiful Hine-titama
of the primal deities Rangi and Papa (sec p.339), (Dawn Maiden) . It is a sad s10ry, because
who had only male children. Tane brings in many ways Tane, a god who plants the
death into the world by breaking a taboo, fi rst trees, is a fri end of humanity, and yet
when , after making a wife for himself out it is he who becomes the bringer of death.
:!
• Ra"'li ondPopo
TANE TheMOO<ocreah001110<)'dolt11 bol•Mwlhe
Astheforestgod.Taneg;n·ehunut1itythegiftsolwoodandplatu l"'ma ldoot oe<,Rango,thesky,ondPapa, th&
fiber,enablingpwpletomaktmanymeful things.Butwhen Eanlt....-.......J""'~OOoer. telae Jaooer.J his
heplantedthefirstt,.,s.thingsdidnot jpStnOOthl}'T.,>esaw ~puh>J t ~ar>~~toloo rn tl-oaw::dl
the t""'sash<.~Jn•nlnfonn,v.iththeirbranches~s·Jegs"and
their tWtS as. "hair' So he planted the m upskk..;lovm, "ith
ar<lplanttdtl"' t""'stl"'right
way,sothattheycouldtake
1001. Among Tar>e's other gifts
tohumanitywe~~:light,inthe
fonnof thesunandthetll<XIIl
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 ----
MAUI IN TH E UN DERWORLD I
TiletrlcksterMauiw.s•roorul but lledidootwamtodi<,andsohe LET TH E \ VATERS BE
deddedtotrickHitle·IIUi·te·po.tllegoddessofdeath.Maui'smother
hadtoldhlmthatifapersoncouldcrawlt hrough thebodyofthe SEPA RATED, LET Til E
w<'dess. then that person would not die. Morw•u. the goddess would
dieherself,and<kathwouldbeN.nishedforgood.Oneday,Mauicame
I-l EAVENS BE FO R1\ \E D,
ocross Hit>e-nui-te-po when she was asleep. Ddight.d. he dim bed inside LET TilE CA RT I I BE
thtgoddes.s'sbody,andthisnudeaUhisfriends
burstout laughing.Onec~~:atu~~:,the
fantail bird,laughedoomuch thatthe M YTH S O F TH E STARS
soundwokelllne-nui-te-po,and the TI>eMa.ortgavemn~esand h u manauriburesro t hestarsand
enragedgoddesscrush«!Mauiinside linkedtl>emwith tl>eirdeit ies. Forin>tantt, thealignmentof
herbdort hecouldescapethmughher tl>e>tarsoftl>eMatariki (TinyEyes),Tautoru(Orion'sbeh),
mouth. Asartsult ,Mauidiedandtl>e andTakurua(Sirius)attheendoltl>eyear"-assuchthat to tl>e
Maori they rtprtsented the signpost of the wddess of <kath,
rising fromtheUn<krworld.G>nstellationsliketheMatartki,
also knownosthePleiades,we..:believedtow.,cho•·erthe
Eanh,andwe..:alwa)·ssern.saharbingerofa timeofplenty
.·
~~~~~~~:er
COITll't<esMIItanbar.J
~~::~:~~.:::"'
I')UI"'ly$0Uihwaod
Am<r<tat l69
li»-l
Ar«20,15,38,39,Y7,17i
Argo, obe72,73
Argon•lllst5,72-3
B St)mphali•n16
Bb<kGod281,289
B4<kl(){llp<Opkl88
Bl=i~~Y"'"'""'my282
oh!ndont<lchildr<n56-7
~=~~Masl69 Argoo5i ,55,59,7l
ANd,.o:I0,5 l bo.H6,117 Blodotu"<XIdlH
~~~;~i~i326,327, ~:~•:;.;.,H
!10i•nrbodlH IJ,aall+\1,158-9 l:lodhioalllou2 11,217
~:::.1:207,2~
::~~~:
B.Jol>oYo.p\Jl,IJJ,IJi-5
""'"''"'"281,285 Au;hitol67 8obykm1J9, 116, 1t7,H9,
A<hil losl8,60,6!,62,6S, Anank<23
......... n. Zt9.Z~Z-J
Artrl<nOa23i
Amold.~bot h owl70
B•.:d~1 , 1 5),13i--3 ::::,z-'"•D<a.l2J9,216
""'"''"'· ~ing~ t . ~' Aoo>o1 59 Antmi• 19. 20.2 -1 .2 ~ .-11,
Adoni•3S.39 ancutors1M-~ ballg.a;;:Mesoarnori.::>n J;lr.ohmal&+,IS7,1?\l,ln,
Adr>SIUS,~ing~
~~~~·5~8 Anhurj;;:ng1 12, 113, 119, 19-1, 19~.197, 1 ?8,
A<li«,Kmg72,73,7' llonru propiH171,2H
A<g<...,Kina:~<~.51 Aod,.. nl0il, 1~ lloron)10,)ll
Anhu';;~'J"":;!J,1J3
A<f11Slh ... 7!,155 ~n~g~~~ns 89, 106-7 &tnth<SI<..S<dUi,U5
~::~~::."~,:.~)~)
As.h mb>.nipollll37 S.nll<n;tOnt136.137
'~'
""'""'1285 A>k>ndEmbl>90,91,285 S.nin.W<StAfrica2t8,2t9,
B"S""1; pt<>plt(Ug.aod•)
3
Ag;unomnon60,61,71
:7"'~ ofA(.omtmnon"
cooohooo£2~.307
<kill<:<l35,18l,289
naming259
=::~,n
""'''"'harruo25t
.., '~
S.nttn101
S.nubird237
Bullofeoo.leyi!Q,ll7
bullcuk.Cmon~l
:::.:0~:~·300
Ag.><~yo,sog<l88 sual10aul<,horses, ll<o""lf106-7 BuM90
Agav<-35
Ag\>1:2W An~u~~wol""; &-·Wj(po<ml89 "bu•h rn<n"<<:<5onptOplt
c
Aptp236,H5,H7
Aigo.rn=27l
Aolllcn111>1CMtdgn•l l 8 Aph"'::."r~·?~·:.·:
"
Alh irat1W
Atlantis19
Atlul7,19,i9
~:~~st Uop.an)
1
Apocaiyp«99
ll"
Apollol3, 15,16, 19,W, Alum1J9 Bof-bridge91,93
25,28-9,il.it,t3 Audhum\oOO Bilibin,l,-.nJ2
60,69,78,79,115 birds16,38,H1,163,113,
~:::~"{;'""corcltH2 251,259,Ul7,307 OodoniiS, KingH,59.7l
Alcim<d<,Q""'n72 •Pf>l<>;~&i<•li6,t9,1of0, altnd>rs,Mesoarroenc>n
Alcrn•~H.n,-1(; Ancc>3JO Elenub0td2J7 2?J,197,30J
kltcJ i ),1JO,IJ9,179,
~~:'!- :.~,..226
2 Appul61 firtb itdl t0-1 C.llistoH
Apsul30.151 pr;nuldudl01 C.I)'J)S<I66
t''f'~
~:::~~llux/ ;::~~;~"fr"ofm,J..o
Coomo::Warl$-19,H Enl il "7
Co)QI<97,282,289 En~moEl"h 130--1
~::~2i!-1
E
cl'<>lionm)th<7 d<ifiauon80.l75 E"'l6
Wli< AfrkonH9,230-l.l37 O.:ird,.,oltheS.Om>w<ll7 El"rntthno;27
~=~~~.!?;7 155
0.:rntt<TI8,20,JI,i0.76
Cec"''",King JO
C.lt o: ~~~~~'f'~~i~~~·
"'
::::~:~~~~7 ~-
llmdu33,188,1119,100, ErhkKhanl 62
S.by\oruonl50-l 195,198,199,200,202 Eros28,J8,17,87,1J8
0it'ltS<212-l3,219 Eal~.l51.155.1~
Ctrb<m<t2.+6,i7 Finnilh !Ol _...,., ... 223 Eanhdtiti<SII0-111 '"
:~~~;hi•ni>rnlriti,t7
C-<=76,81 llindul90-l ~=m0ml55 :oboriginal ))l
Ctrnunnosll i
{~~~!."i~
Afrk>n2XI.l51
Chokhouh tl k..,JOI '""""'~1""'"' 11 Etn•,Moun t l6,19
~~:::::.~~'1'6228~
Changf219 >ntknt(;,.,.kl6,17,37, Elruoe>,.76
Ch>ngKuo217 O.:>il87 '10, 11 0 Eunp;del.lJ,-17
Chan~~\M:J""nlll ,l82, NO<S<90- l Jh•m.,.l95 ,l07,209 Euronym<l6,l7,15
Pacillcl.b00o338--9 Ohritamhtra206 Aot<eliO Eui'Of'IH,25
;::r::::~·~
P<tston l 68 Ohu$h•r>l80,181 Cht n...,lll Eurydiuii
Slavk l i3 ~~~du 110,169, 191 EurystheU<,Kong16, i 9
~;;219
Charonil Excalibur l 26,3W
ChaT}bdis31,72,73
Ch<ironthee<ntaur17,7l
~;:'.";!~& iti, 59
Chor.....,.,~ 1-13 Cr<>rmsl6,17,l8,H,26, Notiv<Am<r"•n li O.
F
Chima<ro52,53 27,39,i0 Dido«<Eiisso lll,282,283
Di<lri<hlOi-5
Chinol6J,I&t-5,211.2H
Dion~~;~:~!';5,15,XI.
cu...,.nSiby178,79 Talno307.3()9
~:~~~~.·~~~
crutionnt)1h 212-l3 1\............. ,57, 163
dtili«l ll , l6<1 180.181
Cyb<k S.l. 8~. Il l Eonh Di,.or7,lll
~~~:;~<dngoo 106, 1()9
eye~.~~·.~~:~~·.~~· 39.
Dil<~ li 203 Ea01<ri>Landh< ..tsJJ6,JtJ
~~~~~ Djou•~ ~1r:(Au""'';.)
2
Edd•.No""89 f•t<.<kiti ... ollM-5
Chrut>2~
~=~,~~~~·;/· 16S
Cyruo th<Gr<>IH H<t>e0Pir:(Congo)2S7
Ch~i<nd<TroyullJ Do""J3i ,J35 <gg. prorn,..~Vcosmk 7, 16,
ChriWChri<lr>nity92,99 Do~npt<>pk(M•Ii)lSI l7,25!,257,J3.S
l0),l07,12t,l27, Dorobo(K<n)",)266,267 Etypt,>r>ei<nt232,23S
>ft<rhf<2n.2i 0-7 F<ni•nCycl<llS--19
Chukhu3l9
ChungUChwrot217
CirnM,M,67
C... hrngR.xks72,73
D d"'ff:.n26l
S.byloni.onJSJ
Chi,...ll,,219
jap,an<><126
nonhern E~rop<>n 9),
~4til<D<adl31,
cr<otionln]1hs236-7
dt~"' lti ,IJ9,1n
23S,H0-l,2i2,2ii ~~
~:~"~~'71;'tr..a. w
F<rgtoSm:ocR6ich ll 7
~:j~~:~·:~,»tJa
g:h~~~;w ~~~=n•ls216,m Frnn~~ CoolllJ,IIS--19
0
aym<n<l9 106,107,106,109
~=~ ro,7l,m
0
P<rsi.onl7l
Dok<h·l~ o....~padi 206,207 Ehwo.tiJOJ Frnl•u<i l 71
O.mkinal50 Dium!imdl:.ltumin&317. fir<l1ir<d<rt .... l69,191
cock<r<l,t<>ldtnHl D>lllt9 328,33!,3-!2 122,217,287
~~n~·ts~r~O,W i5 dryath32l firtbirdltg<nd lt0- 1
D>l'l>.us,daug.homof7 l Dumuli IH, 1 5~ fl>rir.~~(Str>.vinsky)
~~~~ChrO<lopherJQ6
~<rnry8;~~1 1 ,213.216.
Durg.>I9S-9,203
Duryodhono206,207 Frlh<rKo~ll9
Cor..:hobor,Kingll6.1l7 Dvol:lk,Antooln:toodlo:rl36 Fjonr<opl<(Co"&o)2S7
I .·?
-~·
i .-~
z
Q
345
'·•'
.'.'(\'
:.:·.
,\>·:.
~nc";,:h~k)O
G<shtlnanna 1 ~~
N>ti""Am<rk>n28l
Gbod<3I0--Il
f,hosuZ8~
gi>nt>33
>llCiolliG...,k 16,17,18,
39,M.M,7l
H Hmdu,.m/Hmdum)thology
~ 7.~7. 110, 138 , 16-1,
llmarinenl00,101 , l0l
~;:~,:"211
!nann• 139, li9, 1'"-~ .
136.157,181
,00 tbch•manln,227
rwnhorn(""'!'<:on90,
~~~~~;m
ll..:l..:ll81 lnoriZl7
9l,9i,96,98,100,10i
\\.b!Asianl-!6,1~ Gil1f'7'~~16, 1 i9,1,i,
~: =~~:;:·r~10. Ji 1 lnm~,i~:-~~3. JH-15,
ll..:lub,..,IIII OS lhppoc,.nt•prmr;'J lndia18t ;<ual<ol!indui"n
'" H•Odapropl<l87 lllppoi)U16 lndon<>U138.20l.l69
Fonr-:~~l~~nln)z-19, ~:.:u:;rp90 ~:::!\':.~&J::::·l ;~7 :::~~;~~~~hikJ 222
lndro167,17i,187,188,
189,199,203,209
Forga11116
Fonuna 1t , 1<>'1
Gloos<:op2~5
Gluc\~~=~~-Oifeoed
Hllnuman97,W2
Hapt>i~,Th...,God<of
,, lnflll290
lno70,71
~·~~~·~"2~~7
fortu!liO «rf.,<; luck lnti8,31Z,3ll,31t,318
FrtOO,Sigmund ~
Frtyj•91.9i,96,99,139
Frtyr91,
Gold<nA&<27,Si
~,:~'='~"; 11;. n
::;:,7;0,
Hlllt.o;~9,235,236,2ii,
li0097,98
Ho<nir91
'"
lnuupeop-kl90
lo2i,2 ~
FriU979i Go<gon<5i--~ Hom<r6,13 lobat .. ,2.~3
FuXiZl3,Z1i c..c..,,h,.el5 H>U"'1001169 lli.U39,60,61,67 lphigoni.>71
~~~~~~;~· 321
l-hwaii337,339 O.dyuq31,6i--7 lranl68;..-ralscPorsOa
GTal l,~:1';g-'26, 1 27, Hllyk25i honu 12~. 171,172, 176, lri>hmythology33,1 15,
Furie>3l,39,71 h<>hng115,269,Jl9 117,178 116-21, 123
::;;~51<ym,m
~:::~~;~9
Ho""235,l36,HO,H1, lsfandiyar,Princ<17l
2ii,2i5,2i6 lshtllr1 39,H9
E)'<ofHl.lil lsts236,239,210,HI.2H
c....,ionnl\tlu16-17 H"'n~ ;iYollowEmr<ror)
1
G rl<ili<s20--1,23,2i--5,
>~W
G"'""'-·'"'"'"'13,15
h<roeo t t-33 .~.61
6'1-7,72-3
li<lono(Troy00,61
lltl .:on.Mo<m1 ~3
lltlio>16.M ,66.67
t!ul't!un•hJ>UZ9i,Z~
l!umhpu29t,l~.l96
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