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 story on a goddess marrying a monster?
I am looking for a story on a goddess who married a monster.I remember reading the story a few years ago but I can't seem to remember it.In the story,a goddess marries a monster in order to stop him ...
user1385
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Myths of the Bermuda Triangle and its validity
The enigma of the Bermuda triangle is a time old tale and it is often even called the Devil's triangle. There are tales of a sea monster living in that area, extraterrestrial actions, etc., happening ...
user2973
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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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Traditional beliefs regarding guardians of burial grounds
Many years ago (the mid-1980s) someone described to me a belief that a Christian burial ground was guarded by the spirit of the most recently interred body. For this reason, when a burial ground was ...
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Mythologies with goddesses as the main deity?
In most mythologies, there is often a male god who is the chief god, like Zeus of Greek mythology and Ra of Egyptian mythology. As far as I know, the only mythology that has a female ruler of the ...
user1385
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Are there any gods who are in a different species than humans?
As we probably know, most gods look like humans e.g. Zeus, Osiris. I am interested to find out if there are any gods that are a different species than humans. The only god that I found so far is ...
user1385
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Are there any Asian variants of dying-and-rising god?
You probably have heard about stories about dying-and-rising gods, like Inanna and Dumuzi and Aphrodite and Adonis. Some examples are also given in this question. Fundamentally,they represent ...
user1385
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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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Are there any homosexual gods?
I have recently came across Tu'er Shen, a Chinese deity who manages the love and sex between homosexual men. After reading about him, I am interested to find out if there are any homosexual gods(...
user1385
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Is it Lucifer or Venus?
Which deity, according to Greek and Roman mythology, is represented by the planet that we call Venus? Is it the goddess Venus (Aphrodite in Greek) or is someone named Lucifer?
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Who was the goddess, pregnant with Zeus' child or children, who was denied sanctuary?
A certain goddess, having been impregnated by Zeus, was driven from her home by the ever-angry Hera, and forced to flee, with her children or child, unsure. Everywhere she went she was rejected in ...
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What humanoid gods have had skin colors other than that of the people who worship them?
I know that the Egyptian (and therefore presumably Roman, since they incorporated those) gods had a rainbow of skin colors; and the Hindus have a really elaborate system of significant colors for gods ...
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Story of a man who slept in a tree and awoke to a plagued city
When I was a child my grandmother told me a myth of old times. I've read the myth (in a somewhat alternated version) in a book in my teenage years.
It goes like this:
A shepherd goes out to tend ...
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Are there any mythologic Gods, creatures or equipment that have "exponential" characteristics?
The hydra is classically described as growing two heads back for every one cut down. Mjolnir, theoretically, became exponentially heavier to the unworthy.
What other Gods, creatures or equipment have ...
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How rare is a dead god?
Someone was telling me about deicide and I wondered, because gods are so powerful by definition, which of them are killed or from what culture are mortal gods prevalent. The only example I could think ...
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Is there a mythological basis for the idea of a unicorn princess?
I'm starting a roleplaying game soon where all of the players play as princesses from various myths, stories, fables, etc. I had the idea of trying to play as a unicorn princess, but I can't find a ...
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What does this ear stud show in Chinese Mythology?
Does someone know what this ear stud shows?
Because of the Yin/Yang symbol it should be chinese - so no Yōkai.
Could it be a Yaoguai? A Huli jing?
I have absolutely no idea but I just want to know ...
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Does anyone know of myths which are critical/skeptical of technology?
The closest I've found would be something like the Prometheus myth, or perhaps even the story of Eden, where man is punished by a deity for poking his nose where it doesn't belong. But this isn't ...
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What was the earliest werewolf myth?
So, the earliest werewolf I can find is in Greek times.
But, was there ever an earlier werewolf myth?
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Which Mythic Heroes Returned in the Spring?
It's that time of year: I'm looking for examples in the hero cycle where the hero returns in the spring. Also where gods (other than "dying and resurrecting gods") make an appearance/reappearance in ...
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Battle between the Sun and the Moon forces?
I remember reading about a mythic battle between the forces of the moon and the sun. Not conflicts between Sun and Moon, but a war between armies of the sun and of the moon.
One of them, the sun ...
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Why is tragedy a goat song?
Tragedy literally means
a goat's song or ode.
Is there any indication in mythology of why a goat song would be sad or dramatic?
As far as I know, Pan, Faunus, Silvanus... all part goat deities ...
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Is there a Western (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Norse) god of the cosmos?
I have heard of the Greek god, Chaos (the manifestation of the void), and of the Greek god Aither, (the manifestation of the upper air that gods breathe most often), but I can't find reference to any ...
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Are there stories of punishment for challenging an oracle?
Are there any myths or stories where someone asks an oracle (or prophet or deity) tricky questions in order to test/trick/falsify it, which results in punishment of the doubter?
Two examples, which ...
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Are there any Greek myths related to the creation or use of numbers?
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_numerals for reference;
So the Greek Mythology played a part in almost everything, like
The ocean (Oceanus)
Northern Europe (Europa)
And a whole bunch of ...
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What are some myths involving Capricorn?
I'd like to understand the astrological sign Capricorn more fully.
Are there any myths related to this sign? I am interested in both stories about Capricorn, or stories that reveal the goals of ...
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Is there a myth of someone living in the sun?
Is there a Greek myth of some sort of a god, human, or other creature living in the sun?
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What is the earliest recorded example of religion
Let me begin this answer by defining two words. The definition of these two words might not be the definition used by scholars, but they are the definitions that I would like to use for the purposes ...
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What is this myth about Helios?
Well, there was a guy who wanted to get on the sun chariot, but eventually he died or something happened to him, but he got too close or something. What is the name of the boy, and what is the time ...
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How does one search for patterns/motifs in folklore or mythology?
I'm currently attempting to research how often a specific type of story (i.e. a motif) occurs in the global corpus of folklore (mythology). For instance, I might be interested in whether there are ...
user62
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Are there any other mythological beings that got a replacement metal arm, other than Nuada, Lugh Llaw Ereint, and Sigurd?
Are there any other mythological beings that got a replacement metal arm, other than Nuada, Lugh Llaw Ereint, and Sigurd?
I found these three from the Mythology section in TV Tropes:
The Battle of ...
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Any examples of dying and resurrecting gods that exist only in heaven, not earth?
In recent years proponents of the Christ-myth theory (e.g., Earl Doherty in his writings) have begun to argue that St. Paul in his epistles was setting forth the view that Christ was wholly divine and ...
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Looking for source: Woman refuses to drink from the River Lethe
I saw a "story from Greek mythology" referenced in my morning paper, and I'd never heard it before.
A woman came to the River Styx and asked to be taken across into that dark land. [The ...
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Is there an Indian Wild Hunt myth?
In the Wikipedia Wild Hunt article, an Indian related myth is mentioned1:
M.M. Banks cautioned against viewing the Wild Hunt as a peculiarly European phenomenon, identifying a similar tale of ...
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Etymology of "charming" ("Encantadora" in spanish) seeing from the Greek mythology point of view
I originally posted this question in the Spanish StackExchange but it seems it fits more in here, even though the significance of the word looks more direct in Spanish than English.
My doubt rose ...
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What myth explains animal sacrifices to the Olympian gods?
I seem to remember a particular ancient Greek myth that used to explain how animal sacrifices to the Olympian gods were performed. In particular, when poultry or mammals was sacrificed, the humans ...
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What is this myth: elderly couple unwittingly feed gods, changed into tree
I studied Latin in 7th grade, and my teacher used to read some stories from Greek and Roman mythology to us. There is one of those that I wanted to learn more about, but haven't been able to find. ...
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Are there any other gods that permanently had an eye removed, other than Odin?
Are there any other gods that permanently had an eye removed, other than Odin?
I can't find any other gods that had one of their eyes other than Horus, which wasn't even permanent.
Looked here ...
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Where did this story about stars being part of a board game come from?
I have a memory that must be from before the year 2000, so I'm very unsure of the details, of reading what I think was a mythology book from a country with less famous mythology, maybe from the Middle ...
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Who invented writing, or who taught writing to the mortals, according to Greek myths?
There are legends in several mythologies about who invented writing, or a particular writing system (script). For example, the futhark runes used to write Norse were invented by the god Odin, and ...
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Looking for an obscure myth where Zeus kills one of Apollo's male lovers
I remember reading a myth as a child, but have not been able to find it again ever since.
It starts like a typical Apollo myth: Apollo has a young best friend/lover, and they are inseparable. Then ...
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Are people who drown/die in the Nile deified (or divinized in some way)?
Many blogs and websites say that people who die on the Nile by drowning or being eaten by a crocodile are deified. They are chosen by Osiris and are somehow involved in the flooding of the Nile or ...
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Did the Gauls have a magic potion that made them strong?
I recently listened to Purcell's "King Arthur", and at one point in the libretto, the Saxons sing of the "juice that makes the Britons bold" (at 11:40 in the linked video; the movement starts at 11:00)...
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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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Are there Pastafarian myths which explain their religious attire?
I'm thinking specifically of the viral news stories about various Pastafarians being allowed to wear a spaghetti strainer as religious headgear at work or in a driver's license photo.
Many religious ...
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What is the story of the Chimera?
The Neo-Hittite Chimera (850–750 BC) from Karkemish is housed in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey:
"Museum of Anatolian Civilizations080" by Georges Jansoone (JoJan) - Self-...
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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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Is there a creature in mythology that is a frost bird or a frost phoenix?
I searched a lot but I couldn't find a creature that is similar to a frost phoenix or a frost bird, or a giant creature similar to a frost bird for example.
It's for a project (I like to keep real ...
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What is the story behind Thor wearing a wedding dress to get Mjölnir back?
I often hear of a story of Loki taking Mjölnir away from Thor and selling it to giants. Thor then gets angry and makes Loki join him in wearing wedding dresses to enter the giants place unnoticed to ...
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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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