Questions tagged [myth-identification]
For questions about identifying a particular myth based on certain known facts or a basic description of its context, characters and events.
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What is the greek/roman myth with woman proud of her three sons but they die
I remember (and I may be mis-remembering some things) a myth where there was a mother and her three sons doted over her and ran for her every wish. The three sons carried her somewhere and got her ...
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When did the number of the Erinyes in Greek mythology turn into just 3?
I listened to this audio lesson and other online sources, https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-furies-in-greek-mythology-symbols-names-story.html, and they mentioned older myths had an undetermined ...
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Which culture believed in a bird whose flight sustains the universe?
I came across a mythological belief a few weeks ago, I believe in a Sam Kriss piece (1).
It centered around a bird (a swan or goose, I want to say?) that ceaselessly flew (in a primordial void/chaos?) ...
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Myth where one twin pulls the other out at birth
I am trying to find the story where the first born twin reaches back in and pulls his sibling out at birth. I believe it was a Greek myth, but it could have been from another culture.
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Origin Myth Identification: Shaper-God Cutting Human Beings into Shape
A while ago I read a book of origin stories/myths, and one really stuck with me, which I haven't been able to track down since. Any identification help would be greatly appreciated. Here's what I ...
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Aegeus, king of Naxos?
... does anyone out there have any idea or original source for this 'Aegeus' myth quoted in the link below?
https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/heroes/aegeus/
The Origins of Aegeus
Titan of the sea, ...
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Looking for god/dess of animals
Does anyone know about a god/dess who is known to have made animals attack other gods or humans? Preferably from non-European/non-Egyptian mythologies, as I already know about the Greek examples.
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Folkloric Origins of the Ghost Rider
Marvel's Ghost Rider character always reminded me of tales of the headless horseman for intuitive reasons I was not able to explain, so I always wondered whether there is a connection between this ...
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What is the ancient Greek name of Herakles' lion skin cloak?
What is the Greek term for lion's pelt that Herakles wore? I've found that the Nemean lion was Neméos léōn (Νεμέος λέων), so I'm trying to figure out what the ancient Greeks would have called the ...
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Are there any myths / folklore saying that a specific type of flower grows where corpses lie?
Are there any myths / folklore saying that a specific type of flower grows where corpses lie?
Not like the Chinese red poppy story about specifically red poppies blooming from specifically 虞美人's death ...
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Is there any creature or being with the role of keeping good and evil balanced?
Is there any creature or being in either mythology or folklore that serves as a form of "negotiator" between good and evil, with the role of keep order and balance between them
(whether it's ...
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Are there parallel universes in any mythology?
There are some sci-fi themes that can be sometimes scratched from some mythological tales like time travel in Mahabharata or Irish mythology.
Is there any mention of parallel universes (multiverse) in ...
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Name of the tale in which a traveler inherits a boatman's curse after accepting to relay him
I have a vague recollection of a tale but get no hits from traditional search engines.
In my memory, this is an old and famous tale, that goes as follow:
A young man travels across a foreign land. ...
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Name of Greek mythology about someone killing their parents
I remember reading a story about someone who killed their parents because they thought their parents was their lover with someone else. The parents visited them and slept in their bed. But they didn't ...
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Myths about creatures/items/beings that talked with people or took away their problems?
Are there any myths about beings/items/creatures that talked with people in a friendly way? Almost as if the being was a therapist to the human or something? I can think of the caladrius that ...
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Are there myths, folklore, tales, or other traditions/tales about monsters regaining their humanity permanently?
Maybe I should have slept on this question for a little bit, but here I go.
I am working on a TRPG and a setting that would accompany the TRPG. In my setting all monsters are or were humans, so rather ...
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Was Ulysses ever in a quest to save someone from hell?
There is a story I read in school and I can't remember from which book it is, my gut tells me it could be a story about Ulysses.
As far as I remember, someone's girlfriend was sent to hell and that ...
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Are there any references in mythology/folklore to a concept similar to teleportation?
The earliest mention of teleportation that I can find is a mention of "matter transfer" in 1877, but I'm wondering if there's a concept similar to it in folklore. I found something about ...
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Which version of Little Gold Star or the Three Fairies involved a donkey tail?
I'm trying to find a version of The Three Fairies (or it may have been a retelling of Cinderella) in which an evil sister gets a donkey tail placed on her forehead. By contrast, the kind protagonist ...
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Why Mahabharata or Ramayana did not considered as earlier civilisation than IVC?
As we all know IVC is the first civilisation in India between 3300 to 1300 BCE. But Mahabharata and Ramayana should dated before this period based on Yuga cycle. Then we haven’t considered these are ...
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A "Brigadoon" But in the Appalachian Mountains?
The other day I was speaking to a friend, about Brigadoon. I seem to faintly remember there is folklore, about a town in Appalachia that did the same thing. It would disappear and reappear. But I've ...
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Need help identifying creature or character
I need help to find the creature or character or tale or whatever linked to the following description:
Have a connection:
With dreams, like maybe as a bridge.
With secrets or maybe contracts? Or the ...
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Is anyone familiar with the Mary title for women?
I have read any number of references, both pre and post AD regarding the use of the name of Mary or a derivative, for women who were involved with mystical work or alchemical study. Does anyone have ...
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Where can I find information about the legend of Ulug' Bek and dancers?
There is a legend that Ulug' Bek, the grandchild of Amir Timur (aka Tamerlane), invited dancers and asked them to dip their feet into a blue coloring and dance on a huge roll of paper. Later he laid ...
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Is there a Celtic folklore or mythology story associated with the Hill of Mael in Ireland?
Does anyone have any record of a story associated with the trivallate settlement complex on the Hill of Mael in Co. Westmeath, Ireland?
I am looking for earlier Celtic stories under Irish mythology.
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Was Nuada Airgetlám accompanied by dogs?
According to this passage from a website, it's stated that the Irish war-god and Tuatha Dé Danann's first ruler Nuada Airgetlám was sometimes accompanied by a pack of dogs whose licks are said to have ...
user5268
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Are there mythological examples of a friendship between people who fundamentally disagree?
The ones I can think of may be a little silly (?) but:
Professor X and Magneto in X-Men.
Naruto and Sasuke (or to an extent their senseis Jiraya and Orochimaru) in the manga of the same name.
More ...
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Was Gaea more evil than her daughter, Rhea?
I am writing a short poem about Greek deities and I am debating over Gaea or Rhea as evil goddesses. I have tried looking over multiple sources and answered questions about Gaea, the Mother Earth, in ...
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Identifying Greco-Roman Mythology reference in Krazy Kat Kartoon
Some months ago I answered a question over on the Literature SE. The question was about a Krazy Kat strip from 1936.
In the cartoon, Offisa Pupp takes a nap; he dreams that he meets Krazy and then ...
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What is the origin of a tale of hummingbird extinguishing a fire in Mesoamerica or South-America?
There's a so-called story about a hummingbird trying to extinguish a forest fire, supposed to originate from South-America, of which I've been trying to find the origin - in vain.
Someone knows ...
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Identifying a mythical creature
I had a dream one day where i was being stalked through a house by a creature made of twigs. Initially the creature was normal height about 6ft with a face like the chester cat but with normal pupils. ...
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Can you help me identify this creature?
I bought this necklace recently which had no info about the creature on it. I was just wondering if it's just made up or if it features in any myths/legends? Thanks
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Is there a myth about someone who constantly creates their own demise?
Since this is certainly a common theme, I'm wondering if there is a myth about someone who ignorantly walks themselves repeatedly into ill-fate or their own misery. It would be like Sisyphus, but ...
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Hall of Two Truths: Ancient Egypt
Does anyone know what the proper ancient Egyptian name for the Hall of Truth, Hall of Two Truths, or Hall of Judgement is? This is the hall where a soul is weighed on a scale against the feather of Ma'...
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Could ancient myths of “giants” hint to contact with other species of homini?
Many mythologies mention some form of "giants". Those giants may or may not be described as greater in height, but are always described as greater in strength and are portraied as violent. Examples ...
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Are these images of identifiable pre-Columbian mythic entities?
This is the front and back of a t-shirt that was bought in Colombia. Stylistically to my naive layman eyes, they both look consistent with a modern riff on Muisca or Tairona art. Are they identifiable ...
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Story from greek mythology talking about not being able to change bad habits
Is there a story from greek mythology which talks about the difficulty to change a bad habit?
The character involved should be aware that it is a bad habit, but just isn't able to change it.
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Legendary forgotten Kingdom of Lechia
In the past I heard couple of legends about some mythic land in the north of Europe called Lechia. But after reading couple of articles about legendary Kingdom of Lechia I decided to find more ...
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Which legend has a warrior wash his sword in the source of the river?
When reading in Wikipedia about the Tigris, Euphrates, and other rivers in the general vicinit, I read about a transmitted story of one warrior who, after winnning in battle, washed his sword in the ...
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Is there a Greek myth where a father tries to protect his son, but the son dies anyway?
I heard a myth when I was a child and I think it was about how a father had a prophecy that his son would die. He took it seriously and attempted to protect his son but in doing so his son died. Sort ...
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What is the meaning of the green and red Asian dragons?
A member of my family gave me a scroll with a green and red Asian dragon. Is this particular dragon from a myth in Asia? Or does it have a symbolic meaning?
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Trying to find a hunter myth I was told as a child
When we were small children, our grandma would tell my sister and I stories at bedtime. She loved the Greek myths and Aesop's fables, but I have no idea where this particular story comes from.
It's ...
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When a person brings much good to people, but they reject it?
Is there an archetypal myth in which a person does something really good to humanity, but contrary to common sense that says that he should be thanked and praised, he's attacked by those whom he ...
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Are there any older cases of exorcism in other mythology than the Abrahamic religions?
In the Gospel of luke, Jesus exorcises a multitude of demons who call themselves Legion into a herd of pigs which he then drove into a lake.
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is ...
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Examples of castration myths besides Ouranos
I'd like to know of other castration myths besides the one with Gea, Cronos and that poor guy Ouranos.
I didn't find much with a quick Google search, and the only other case that comes to mind is ...
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Myths with people whose eyes can turn yellow?
Is there anything in any mythology that depicts humans whose eyes can change colour to be yellow? Perhaps to scare spirits or other supernatural beings?
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What is the legend of the Knight Tondalo?
I was recently reading Martin Luther's commentary on the Sermon on the Mount (English translation by Charles A. Hay, 1892) and I was intrigued by a reference to "the legend of the Knight Tondalo".
...
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Which Greek heroes used pankration?
In Greek mythology, it was said that the heroes Heracles and Theseus invented pankration as a result of using both wrestling and boxing in their confrontations with opponents. Theseus was said to have ...
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What is the origin of the idea that Man is "half god and half beast"?
I'm looking specifically for the idea that it is the human condition to be a combination of beast and God, not just a reference to an individual who unlike most people had aspects of both, or a ...
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Is there an ancient basis for the Cretan bull-headed sea serpent god in Mika Waltari's The Egyptian?
Mika Waltari's excellent historical novel The Egyptian, set in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten1, features a bull-headed sea serpent Cretan god.
Here's a quick summary of the time ...
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