Monday, December 1, 2008

The Norns


Gehrts, Johannes, "Die Nornen", 1889, Painting, Wikipedia, 1 December 2008, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Die_Nornen_(1889)_by_Johannes_Gehrts.jpg

Frigg

Dollman, John, Frigga Spinning the Clouds, 1909, Painting, Wikipedia, 1 December 2008, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigg

Norse Vocabulary

Vikings: Norse warrior, merchant, explorer, and pirate, that raided and colonized a wide range of Europe.

Ginnungagap: Primordial void that existed prior to the creation of the manifest universe.

Nifleheim: One of the realms in the lower world by Hel, its the land of ice.

Muspellheim: Another one of the realms in the lower world, its the land of fire.

Yggdrasil: Great ash tree in the center of the universe.

Asgard: Country or capital city.

Midgard: The world where the humans lived

Hel: Another realm in the lower world, the place where non heroic people went when they died.

Bifrost Bridge: Bridge that connects the land of the humans and the land of the Gods together.

Ymir: The ice giant, he is the founder of the race of ice giants.

Odin: The Cheif God, he knew everything that would happen and he heard about everything.

Frigg: She was the major Goddess, she was the wife of Odin and was the cloud spinner.

The Valkyries: Least important Gods, they served Odin and decided who was the most important hero when they died in a battle.

The Norns: Numerous females that ruled over the fates

Thor: He was the God of thunder

Balder: He was the God of light and beauty

Njord: Father of Frey and Freya some of the major dieties

Frey: He was the god of agriculture and weather

Freya: She is the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility

Idunn: She was the Goddess that had the apples for the Gods to keep eternal youth

Loki: He was the bad guy and he wanted to destroy the universe

Fenrir: He was a monsterous wolf and the son of Loki

Jormungandr: Sea Serpent and the middle child of Loki

Ragnarok: A series of battles and the death of many of the gods

Runes: Their alphabet and they way that they write

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Boy And Bear


McCord, Kathleen. “Boy and Bear.” Drawings. Bookmakers LDT. 11 November 2008.

Grizzly and His Ward (Native American Myth)

The myth about the “Grizzly and His Ward” is associated to the Assiniboine tribe. In other words the tribe of people went hunting and they sent this boy out to get meat? He immediately left them to go get some. Unfortunately, he got lost. While he was lost a bear found him and took the lost boy into his care. The boy would eat berries with the bear. Even though he was a boy he lived like a bear did. For this reason he became very close to this bear. The lost boy lived with the bear for several consecutive days and in the same way as a bear he hibernated through the winter. Afterward the bear knew that the people were coming to get the bears fur and the bear also heard them. So the bear hid the boy to keep him safe. Meanwhile they group of people were coming into the cave and killed the bear. The boy screamed in terror because he loved that bear. As a result of the boys scream his dad had found his lost son.


“The Buffaloes Ward.” Indian Mythology. Indian Mythology. 1909. 9 November 2008.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Atalantas Hero quest



Call to Adventure:
When the Centaurs came after her and she knew she needed to protect herself.


"Once two Centaurs... and persued her. She did not run from them... stood still fitted an arrow to her bow and shot." (181)

Guides:
She-bear that took care of her.

" The she-bear took charge of her." (181)

Companions:


Meleagor and Hippomenes


"They started...she was out-stripping him..."(184)


Initiation:


When she became a hunter.


"she became in the end more than their equal in all the arduous Flats of a hunters life." (181)


Trial 1:


She kills the boar.


"...atalanta kept her head and wounded the boar." (181)


Trial 2:


During the Funeral Games


" at the funeral games held in his honor atalanta appeared among the contestants, and in the wrestling match conquered the young man..." (182)


Trial 3:


The races


"Fleet-footed young men were always arriving to race with her and she always out-ran them." (184)


Ultimate Battle:


Final Race to get Married


"...she declared that she would marry whoever beat her in the foot race."


Transformation:


Was turned into a lion with her husband


"...truned into lions..." (184)


Death/Rebirth:


She bore a son


" But before that Atalanta had bore a son..." (184)


Boon:


Free Days were over


"She was his. Her free days alone in the forest and her athletic victories were over." (184)





Friday, October 24, 2008

Myth Definitions

1. A myth is the stories, beliefs, faiths, or explanations of Gods and Goddesses that are related to human emotions and way of life. An example of a myth is the myth of Demeter, Persephone, and Hades.

2. A hero is a founder of something new. An example of a hero is Hercules.

3. A hero journey is the road of trials, battles, and obstacles. They have transformed and have a boon and it’s a circular pattern. An example of a hero journey would be when Hercules does his 12 trials and he is transformed and has his boon.

4. Universal is a representation of every man with a special characteristic(s) that set him apart. An example of universal is duality, that we have the good and the bad.

5. An archetype is an original structure. An example is the hero and the hero journey.

6. Cyclical is what happens in a cycle, a continuous pattern. An example is when a hero is on their journey and they go through their trials and they transform and get their boon and it continues to happen again and again, like the sun God Ra.

7. Duality is the opposites, the state of two-ness. An example would be good and bad, order and chaos.


8. Creation is the beginning of everything. An example would be the watery abyss, void, or the egg.

9. Cosmology is the study of the world and the universe. An example is the Genesis from when God created the world.

10. Life from death is when death creates life. When you sacrifice one for the lives of many. An example is when Jesus died for everyone’s sins.

11. Matriarchal is a foundation of female power, when mother rules the house. An example would be when Tiamat was the ruler over her family.

12. Patriarchal is a foundation of male power, when father rules the house. An example would be the Greek mythology when Zeus is the head of all the Gods and everyone.

13. A sacrifice is tribute to a God, giving something up for the benefits of others. An example is when Jesus dies for our sins on the cross.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Pyramus and Thisbe

Romeo and Juliet is the name of this myth. Well actually no it is not the name of this myth. However, these stories have many ideas in common. The name of this myth is Pyramus and Thisbe, which is a love myth. It is about how two people are never allowed to see each other but yet they have a love and a desire to always want to be with each other. This myth is going to be analyzed in the natural level, which is how it is related to the world. On a social level which is when it relates to society the other people socially. On a psychological level, which is when, it relates to them on an emotional level.


First, is going to be the natural view. Pyramus, Thisbe, and the mulberry tree all represent human life, growing effects. They are not gods. They all have their natural beauty and loveliness. Thisbe and Pyramus are in love throughout the whole story. Thisbe and Pyramus grew up together and they just grew to love each other yet their parents do not want them to see each other at all, so they separated them. Separating them only made them love each other more.


Second, is going to be the social view. They are not allowed to see each other so there is secrecy to want to see each other. The parents wanted to protect their child. They did not want them to get their hearts broken. The parents just wanted to keep them safe and the only way that they knew how to do that was by separating them. They were not able to see each other because their parents forbade it. The wall is the meeting point for Thisbe and Pyramus. They secretly talk to each other and decide where to meet and to run off together.


Finally, there is the psychological view. They both long for each other and need to be with each other all the time, but are not allowed to. They desire each other and want each other’s presence. There is rebellion because they are not allowed to see each other and yet they plan on sneaking out and getting together at the mulberry tree and then running away with each other, so that they can be with each other forever. Pyramus thought that Thisbe killed herself because he saw her cloak on the ground all torn up and as a result he killed himself to be with her. His blood splattered onto the snow-white berries on the mulberry tree, which turned them red. Eventually, she came to meet him at the tree. When she saw that he killed himself, she then killed herself to be with him. Her blood then splattered on the rest of the snow-white berries turning them red as well.


All in all, they were in love and they had both wanted to see each other for a very long time. When a wall separated them and they could only hear each other. This was not enough they had a desire to always be with each other and a want and longing to never part.