Questions tagged [origins]
For questions about the mythology and folklore behind the creation or existence of a being, object or idea.
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Who created the Primordials?
According to Hesiod's Theogony, at first there was Chaos; from Chaos came Eros and Tartarus, Erebus and Aether; from Aether came Gaia; and from Gaia came Uranus, Ourea and Pontus.
Who created Chaos? ...
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What was the more prominent of Ra's origins stories?
I was browsing Wikipedia and came upon three different variations for Ra's origins:
In the former version, a mound arises from the waters. An egg was laid upon this mound by a celestial bird. The egg ...
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What is the origin of the Japanese Kodama?
One of Studio Ghibli's (excellent) films, named Princess Mononoke, has depictions of kodama:
In Japanese folklore, kodama are tree spirits that inhabit trees that are older than 100 years.
In the ...
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Why is salt used to get rid of ghosts and keep out demons?
I've been watching a lot of Supernatural, and I've been wondering. What is it with salt? They keep bringing up that one needs to salt and burn the bones. Also, salt is used to repel ghosts. This isn't ...
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What is the origin of the story that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole?
Can the traditional location of Santa Claus home and workshop be traced to older folklore stories, or is it a modern invention, a piece of fakelore?
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What are the origins of the snowman?
In many countries where snow falls there is a folk tradition of building snowmen. Almost always male, these temporary statues are usually human in scale, standing 0.5 to 2 metres tall, and made from a ...
user1618
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Where did the Easter Islanders come from, according to their own myths?
My understanding of the origin myth of the Easter Islanders (Rapa Nui) is that they had a legendary founder named Hotu Matu'a, who came to the island, and who was the direct patrilineal ancestor of ...
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Where did the notion the moon was made of cheese originate?
We've all at one point or another heard something about the moon being made of cheese- does anyone know where this myth got started?
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What’s the origin of the Weird Sisters in Macbeth?
The use of a trio of witches is quite common in literature and lore. Greek, Slavic, and British tales have used them as antagonists or catalysts in their (sometimes cautionary) stories. In other ...
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Is there any explanation in greek mythology for the creation of Uranus and Gaea?
I was just wondering because there never seems to be a beginning. Greek mythology always seems to start with just there being Uranus and Gaea with no events before that. Is there a beginning before ...
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Where does the idea that dragons hoard gold come from?
Where does the idea that dragons hoard gold come from?
I can't think of many myths of dragons hoarding gold. The closest I come up with is the dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece. And even that's a ...
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Where did the various artistic depictions of the Chimera originate?
I wasn't sure whether to ask this in history as it relates to art history, but the Chimera's appearance varies considerably in art throughout history. Designs vary in the proportion of lion, goat and ...
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Why can't vampires walk in the sun?
A very common trope in vampire fiction is that vampires can't walk in the sun, and will die if they try to. See, for example, Suicide by Sunlight on TVTropes.
Why is that? What is the origin of the ...
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What is the origin of the centaurs?
Can someone please explain to me how centaurs were created?
Does it seem weird to anyone else that we know about it, but we don't know the full story?
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What is the meaning of Sage in respect of eastern folklore?
I am looking for a more concrete definition of what an eastern sage is and an explanation of the background of the eastern sage.
Many translations of eastern martial arts feature sages. They are ...
anon
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Origin of "horses that instinctively open a vein with their teeth in order to breathe more freely"
In Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), we find this sentence:
Man erzählt von einer edlen Art Pferde, die, wenn sie schrecklich erhitzt und aufgejagt sind, sich selbst aus Instinkt eine Ader ...
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What is the origin of horse brasses depicting sun, moon, star, and wheel?
In England and other countries, many shire, cart and parade horses carry brasses, which often depict the sun, the crescent moon, a star, or a wheel. When did these designs first appear on horse ...
user1618
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What are the origins of Wu Song the Tiger Slayer?
Wu Song is a major character in the Chinese classical novel Water Margin; his claim to fame is killing a tiger with his bare hands.
Since Water Margin draws heavily from folklore, and the story of ...
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Why does archaic mythic literature undercut its own pretensions to explain origins?
The myth of Prometheus is commonly understood to account for how humanity first came to possess fire. Likewise the mythic content of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter is commonly understood to account for ...
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Who was the first Satan like deity/creature/person in mythology?
There are satan/devil representations in other faiths/myths.
But who was the first to have a role and background similar to Satan?
Since religions sometimes take over traits of the old ones there ...
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Does Greek mythology list a calendar date for creation?
I'm reading "Apollodorus : The Library of Greek Mythology" and I've noticed that it simply starts with "Ouranos was the first ruler of the universe."
There is no mention of dates that would allow for ...
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Are there any old religions/mythologies where people would get tattood to get closer to or for their god?
Most religions today condemn the use of tattoos but Are there any old religions/mythologies where people would get tattood to get closer to or for their god?
The majority of Sunni Muslims believe ...
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What is the earliest ghost story we know of?
I am looking for early stories that follow the popular theme of the ghost story: A spirit of the dead appearing amongst the living. Bonus points if there's a haunting involved.
I'm only interested in ...
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What is the inspiration behind the dark forest in Dante?
The entrance to Dante's underworld is situated somewhere in a dark forest:
Midway in the journey of our life
I came to myself in a dark wood,
for the straight way was lost.
Ah, how hard ...
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What cultures have myths related to the origin of aurora phenomena?
Basically, which nations have stories explaining either the Northern or Southern Lights?
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How were trolls created in Norse mythology?
Is there a mythical/folklore origin for them? I haven't managed to find any sources on this.
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Where does the idea of counting crows come from?
According to Learn Religions and many astrology websites, the number of crows you see predicts the future:
"Seeing just a single crow is considered an omen of bad luck. Finding
two crows, however,...
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What is the origin of these creatures in Appalachian folklore?
My family (for these intents and purposes) comes from the mountains of Appalachian southern Virginia.
The older folks told tales of three specific monsters as warning against wayward children ...
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Which cultures have the concept of a "true" or "secret name?"
A true name, to my limited understanding, is a concept of a name(s)/phrase specific to one person/being that gives the speaker power over the person the true name belongs to. It is a semi-popular ...
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Is there any folklore in non-European culture that may be an attempt to "explain" similar to changeling myths in Western Europe and Scandinavia?
It has been suggested by some authors that stories of changelings in Scandinavia and western Europe are an attempt by ancient peoples used to try and explain developmental abnormalities in children, ...
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The unreadable book: Voynich manuscript?
What are, if any, the most plausible mythical origins and legends surrounding the unreadable book also known as the Voynich manuscript? What do legends, folklore or myths have to say as to what is ...
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When and why did necromancy became a bad thing?
Talking about Europe and cultures that influenced it...
Why and since when was the revival of the dead considered evil?
In Greek mythology bringing back a loved one is hard or comes at a price, but ...
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What is the earliest known myth about mermaids?
Stories about mermaids have been around since time immemorial. I would like to know what is the earliest confirmed evidence about the origins of the mythological creature called mermaids?
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In Abrahamic religions, what is the origin of angels?
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and potentially by relation Zoroastrianism), what do the sources say is the origin of angels?
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What is the origin of Krampus?
In 2 of the games I play, there is
In Drive Ahead, a mini-boss is Krampus on a mission for Christmas.
In Terraria, during the Frost Moon, Krampus spawns.
It obviously has some Christmas roots, as ...
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What is the connection between Poseidon and horses?
Since Poseidon is well known as the god of the God of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses? What is the connection between Poseidon and horses?
As a god of the sea the storms and earthquakes part ...
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Do dragon myths share a common origin?
We can see ancient references to dragon-like creatures in European, Asian and also many other civilizations.
Did these civilizations come up with the concept of dragons independently and just ...
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Why do we "trick or treat" on Halloween?
On Halloween, children in masks and costumes visit houses and ask for treats, using the phrase "trick or treat".
How did the tradition get started, and does it stem from the pagan festivals that ...
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What is the origin of the Grim Reaper?
The Grim Reaper is well-known as a hooded figure who represents death. This personification is featured in all sorts of modern fiction as well. Where does this character originally come from?
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Are there any hunter gatherer gods?
I know gods from the iron and bronze age up till our time but are there any gods back in the day of the hunter gatherers?
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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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What is the origin, mythical or historical, of the idea that having sex with a god grants power?
I read about this for the first time in "La ultima bruja" (2017), a book about witches. In this book, there's a chapter in which a girl has to have sexual relationships with a Wolf God so He grants ...
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What is the oldest known religious song/chant?
In most branches of Christianity, there are choirs, solo song or even Christian rockbands. I remember reading that in the case of Christianity most people where illiterate when they started making ...
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An ancient source for the myth of Venus' creation of red roses?
I asked a question Literature SE a few days ago, trying to make sense of some of the references in an English poem by William Drummond of Hawthornden. One portion of the poem describes Venus/Aphrodite ...
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What is the folkloristic origin of cats having 9 lives?
Long ago, people believed cats had 9 lives. (As shown in ice age)
When and where did that belief come from?
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The Origin of Werewolf: Deities Cursing People into Animals?
I read some years back, about some ancient mythology where people believed the gods would rather commonly curse mortals into animal forms. There may've even been terms specific to this process. I ...
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What is the earliest story of summoning the dead we know of?
This is a followup to: What is the earliest ghost story we know of?
In this question, I am looking for stories involving mortals summoning the spirits of the dead from the underworld. The spirits ...
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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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What is the origin of a common Christmas tree quotation concerning an old Babylonish fable about an evergreen tree?
Searching for "evergreen tree which sprang out of a dead tree stump" gets nearly 3000 hits.
The Seed of the Woman and the Power of Darkness - Donbor Syiemlieh - Google Books is an example:
&...
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Is it possible that the Heracles myths are a compilation of stories from multiple cultures?
About two years ago, I found this Greek Mythology documentary called, "Clash of the Gods." It is a three disk series with ten episodes.
They feature Heracles by his Roman name, Hercules, in the ...
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