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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Is there a folklore belief that the spirit of a wolf comes back to avenge its death?
Isidoros Zourgos in his novel "Στην σκιά της πεταλούδας" mentions that if you kill a wolf, the animal's spirit will come back and kill you after forty days.
The origin of the belief is assumed to be ...
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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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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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Cows adapted to life on a steep hillside
I'm trying to remember the details of a legend I read years ago - and I don't even remember which body of folklore it came from - about a hero with a herd of cows, all of whom had legs on one side ...
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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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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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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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What is that on Athena's chest?
In this statue there is something what looks like a face on Athena's chest. I have seen it on some other statues of Athena.
What is it? Is there a myth behind it?
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How did you survive my 100-step punch?
I remember from long ago a story about a martial artist, The Bully, who was renowned for his "100-step punch": if he lands the blow, you will die after taking 100 steps. One day another martial ...
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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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Did any Greek mythological hero father a son who surpassed him in fame?
I can't think of any case of a Greek mythological hero having a son who achieved more fame, glory and "heroic status" than him.
Looking the descendency of Perseus, Heracles, Theseus, Jason, Achilles, ...
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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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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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Greek/Latin mythology with two brothers who die as reward for hard labor
I have heard this particular greek/latin myth in school but I can't quite recall what it was called. Can you perhaps help me find it.
So as far as I can recall the myth went as follows:
Two brothers ...
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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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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 any monkey gods in Africa?
The Mayans had Hun Batz, the Chinese have the Monkey King, and the Hindus have Hanuman. Monkeys are also indigenous to Africa, so I'm assuming there are also simian gods from that region.
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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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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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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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Mythological figures "with" REAL(?) amputation-like or paralysis features
Are amputees misrepresented in mythology? What about people with dysfunctional body parts, such as paralysed parts or the like?
Much, of the mythology, I have seen, has figures, with some regular ...
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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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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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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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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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Poseidon has two wives when/why/how?
Poseidon's wife is Amphitrite. Some say she is a Nereid, others say an Oceanid. When Poseidon first pursued her for marriage, she fled. Later the dolphin god, Delphin, persuaded her to marry the sea ...
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What cultures believe that the stars are other worlds/places?
What cultures, if any (besides Ancient Egypt), believe(d) that the stars are other worlds/lands/islands?
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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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In what Native American myth does the Sun stand still?
In this answer, I saw this in a quote-in-a-quote:
during the Third Age [equivalent to the Age in which the Popol Vuh places the invention of shooting out such magical darts], the sun stood still ...
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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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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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Library re-ordered instead of being destroyed?
I have a memory of a story in which the custodians of a large library pleaded with a conqueror to not destroy the books within, which he promised. He kept his promise, but still rendered the library ...
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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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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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Are there any ancient myths about adventuring parties?
Role playing games are usually focused on a relatively small and disparate party of adventurers, that come together to achieve a common goal. More often than not each member's motivation for joining ...
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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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Benevolent king gives greatest gift: yourself/himself
Story of a benevolent king (or queen?) who disguises himself among peasants and then reveals himself or is revealed as king and then one of the peasants with whom he interacts thanks the king for the ...
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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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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 ...
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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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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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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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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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Is there a legend or an explanation for the symbol of a swan with a woman's head?
This was found in a grave of a knight in Romania and I am wondering what the symbol of the swan with a woman's head could symbolize.
The grave has a templar cross at the feet of the knight, the star ...
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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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What is the earliest known dragon myth?
The myth of dragons can be found in many different traditions, with the major two being the European dragon and the Chinese dragon.
"There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the ...
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