Monday, December 1, 2008



"World Serpent." 2005. Photograph of Drawing. Wikipedia. 1 December 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html.
Norse Mythology Defenitions
  1. Vikings-A Norse explorer, warrior, merchant, or pirate who lived in Northen Europe during the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries.
  2. Ginnungagap-The dark void before creation
  3. Nifleheim-The land of ice and fog
  4. Muspellheim-Land of fire which was guarded by Surt
  5. Yggdrasil-The world ash tree that connects the worlds of Asgard, Midgard, and Niflheim
  6. Asgard-World of the gods
  7. Midgard-World of humans
  8. Hel-Home of the dead
  9. Bifrost BridgeA divine bridge, sometimes a rainbow, which linked the worlds of the humans and the gods
  10. Ymir-The wild, fierce, and evil frost giant
  11. Odin-The god of gods and the god of humans who built Valhalla
  12. Frigg-Odin's wife; a cloudspinner who is the goddess of love and destiny
  13. The Valkyries-Odin's daughters who would bring back the fallen warriors that were to be honored in Valhalla
  14. The Norns-They are in control of the "Fate Maidens"
  15. Thor-The warrior son of Odin who has a short temper and has the domains of thunder, battle, and fertility
  16. Balder-The beloved son of Odin who was killed by Loki and was the god of radiance, rebirth, justice, and light
  17. Njord-God of wind and sea; a patron to sailors
  18. Frey-God of fertility, sun, rain, death, and magic; compared to Apollo
  19. Freya-Goddess of fertility, prosperity, rain, etc.; compared to Aphrodite
  20. Idunn-Odin's daughter-in-law; goddess of youth and the keeper of golden apples
  21. Loki-The evil and mischevious half god, half human who killed Balder
  22. Fenrir-Loki's child; the wolf destroyer
  23. Jormungandr-Loki's child; the world serpent
  24. Ragnarok-Doomsday or the final battle for man and giant; the apocalypse
  25. Runes-The Norse lettering system; alphabet

Tuesday, November 11, 2008


"The Thunder Bird"
During one summer, three Native American camps were situated on the side of a large lake. One of the camps, or tribes, was the Sioux while the other two were divisions of the Assiniboine tribe. There was an island in the middle of the lake called "the old woman's home." One day during that summer, the weather became quite unpleasant. The sky became cloudy and dropped rain, thunder, and lightning on the lake and the area surrounding it. As soon as the weather reached its worst, a great bolt of lightning struck the island and stayed there some time. This was The Thunder Bird. Something was pulled up from the island and it seemed to writhe and squirm like a snake. The Thunder Bird picked up the water monster and carried it into the clouds. Everyone in the tribes watching stared in awe and horror. After the storm ended, snow fell over the land until it was knee-deep. Then the wholoe lake dried up, and many animals in the lake died.




Brandy. 2008. Photograph of Wooden Painting. Picasa Web Albums. 11 November 2008.

http://picasaweb.google.com/relis.brandy/CapeFlattery.

“The Thunder Bird.” Indian Mythology. 2006. 7 November 2008. http://indianmythology.org

/assiniboin/thunder_bird.html.

Monday, October 27, 2008

A hero in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, the offspring of a mortal, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion. An example of a hero in this semester's curriculum is Marduk (in "The Enuma elish") when he proves himself to be the leader of the earth and defeats Tiamat's army, which was sent out to kill Marduk. He triumphantly kills the monsters Tiamat creates to kill him.

Cyclical is an adjective used to describe something that happens periodically or on a regular basis. The term cyclical relates to the story of Isis, Osiris, and Horus. Their lives continue in a cycle of birth, maturity, death, and rebirth, which never ends.

The Merriam-Webster definition of archetype is the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies. A true example of an archetype is Marduk in the story of "The Enuma elish." Marduk proves he is the leader of the earth by performing a task that no other god could: He makes a garment vanish and reappear at his command.

The quality or character of being twofold is the definition of duality. An example of duality in mythology is Tiamat. At first she tries to stop Ea from killing Marduk and the gods, but After Ea's death, Tiamat grows angry and sends her army of poisonous monsters to kill Marduk.

Creation is described as the beginning of something; in mythology creation is referring to the nature and origin of the universe or the earth. The creation of the sky and the ground in "The Enuma elish" is an example of creation in mythology.

The definition of matriarchal is a society in which a woman rules or dominates. Mother Earth is a great example of a woman being the dominant power in mythology. She takes care of every one of her children but can punish them and take life as well.

Patriarchal is defined as a system run by males such as Father Sky and Zeus. They watched over the earth and protected it from outside harm. They were looked at as the almighty protector of the earth and people.

Sacrifice means "to make sacred" and is commonly known as offering food, valuables, and lives to the gods. In the story of Theseus and the Minotaur it is said that Athens sent seven men and seven women to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. Back in these times sacrifice was very common.

Life from Death can mean reincarnation or saving/preserving life by death. Some gods and goddesses who bring life from death are Osiris, Odin, and Persephone.

Universal means of or relating to the universe. The creation of the heavens and sky by Father Sky and the creation of the earth by Mother Earth are universal myths.

A hero's journey is an adventure consisting of many stages such as a call to adventure, a meeting with a mentor, and many tests and battles. An example of a hero's journey in mythology is when Marduk ends up triumphant by killing Tiamat's evil, poisonous army and goes back to being the leader of the earth.

The word myth means a traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Myths can explain how a certain culture, animal, or object of the earth or sky came to being. The Odyssey is an example of one of the most commonly known myths.