
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Norns

Frigg
Norse Vocabulary
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
Grizzly and His Ward (Native American Myth)
“The Buffaloes Ward.” Indian Mythology. Indian Mythology. 1909. 9 November 2008.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Atalantas Hero quest
When the Centaurs came after her and she knew she needed to protect herself.
Guides:
She-bear that took care of her.
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
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
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.