Mythology, in the literal sense is defined as the oral retelling of myths. It is a collection of stories that a particular culture's history is based on, used to explain the incomprehensible the wonders and mysteries of humanity. Myths are narratives of heroic beings, gods and goddesses of moods and actions, of daily activities and mysteries. They are linked to the spiritual and religious life of communities, when link to the spiritual side of the community is broken, they lose their mythological qualities and become folktales or fairy tales
Task 2
Irish Mythology:
~The Banshee, is a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld. The banshee are variously believed to be
the survivals of spirits of nature, or the ancestors. Some Mythologists and Irish Christians have also referred to the Banshee as "fallen angels". They are commonly referred to in English as "fairies", and is also described as a "fairy woman".Banshees are frequently described as dressed in white or grey, and often having long, fair hair which they brush with a silver comb.The comb detail relates to the traditional romantic Irish story that, if you ever see a comb lying on the ground in Ireland, you must never pick it up, or the banshees who placed it there to lure humans, will spirit them away.~Edain is the heroine of The Wooing Of Étaín, one of the oldest and richest stories of the Mythological Cycle. She is the daughter of Ailill, king of the Ulaid. When Midir falls in love with her, his rejected first wife Fuamnach becomes jealous and casts a series of spells on her. First she turns Edain into a pool of water, then a worm, and into a beautiful butterfly. Midir does not know that the butterfly is Edain, but the butterfly becomes his constant companion, and he has no interest in women. Fuamnach becomes jealous again and generates a wind that blows the butterfly Edain away and does not allow her to be anywhere but the rocks of the sea for seven years.
~Donn, or the Dark One, is the Lord of the Dead and father of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, who he gave to Aengus Og to be nurtured. Donn is recognized as the father of the Irish race.
~Nechtan was the father and/or husband of Boann. Only he and his three cup-bearers were permitted to visit the well of Segais, into which nine sacred hazel trees dropped their wisdom-bearing nuts. When Boann visited the well, it overflowed and chased her to the coast, forming the river Boyne.~Boann is the goddess of the River Boyne, and the wife of Necht
an. In the well versed story, her lover was the Dagda, who with her gave birth to her son Aengus. In order to hide their affair, Dagda made the sun stand still for nine months so that Aengus was conceived and born in one day. Boann created the River Boyne. Though forbidden to by her husband, Nechtan, Boann went to the Well of Wisdom (The well of Segais). Boann challenged the power of the well by walking around it counter-clockwise which caused the waters to react violently and rush down to the sea, creating the River Boyne. In this abomination of her husband's wishes, she was swept along with the rushing waters, in which she lost an arm, leg and eye.Persian mythology:
~The characters of Persian mythology almost always fall into one of two categories. They are either good, or they are evil. The most famous evil character of Persian mythology is Rostam, a mythical hero of ancient Persia, son of Zal and Rudaba. Rostam is the champion of champions and is involved in hundreds of stories. As a young child, he slays the crazed white elephant of the king Manuchehr with just one blow of the mace owned by his grand father Sam, son of Nariman. He then tames his legendary stallion, Rakhsh. By far, the most famous and popular story of Rostam is the one in which he kills his own son Sohrab. While the two are unaware of the identity of their opponent until after Rostam wounds his son and during their final conversation the two realize they were father and son.~On the other side of the scale was Zahhāk, handsome and clever, he had no backbone and was easily influenced by evil advisors. When Zahhāk was a young man, Ahriman first appeared to him as a friend, and little by little convinced him that he ought to kill his own father and take over his territories. He taught him to dig a deep pit covered over with leaves in a place where Merdās usually walked; Merdās fell in and was killed. Zahhāk thus became both parricide and king at the same time.
~The Vedic Yima was the first of the immortals to choose a mortal destiny. ("to please the gods he chose death, to please his children did not choose immortality." rv10.13.4ZDT p.132) By choosing the path of death, he showed men the way to the path of the immortals. He became the king of the dead, and death became known as the path of the Yima. Yima is most known in Persia for his thousand-years rule over the earth. In an earth where demons, untruth, hunger sickness and death held no ground. The world was so prosperous under his rule that it had to be made larger on three occasions, so that at the end of his rule it was twice the size as when he began. Yima now stands as the ideal prototype for all kings, the model for all rulers to emulate. In Persia and India, he sppears as a king indstead of a ruler.
~In the legends of the Persian forces of evil, Aeshma, the demon of fury reigns high. She is the personification of butality, constantly seeking to stir up strife and war. When he failed to produce evil for the good creation, he turned to the evil creation and began to stir up strife and th camp of the demons. He accompanies those influenced by intoxicants. HIs disruptive work in the world is held in check by Sraosha, the incarnation of religous obedience and devotion, the foce which will untimatley rid the world of wrath.
Haitian Mythology:
~Voodoo is the national religous folk cult of Haiti. Voodoo is a mixture of Roman Catholic, and African magical elements, which were brought to Haiti by slaves formerly belonging to the Yoruba, Fon, Kongo, and other inhabitants of Africa. The loa are a group of divines who are concerned with the lives of humans and who personify the forces of nature. They are from West-African traditions, and their leader is Damballa. Some loa protect certain places or areas, like cemeteries or the sea,while other loa are ancestral deities. The loa cult is lead by a priest or priestess and the divines are called by magical pentagrams and by singing and dancing. During these rituals, the names of the loa are often mixed with those of Christian saints. The loa are represented by magical pentagrams drawn on the ground.
~Damballa is the most important god of voodoo-religion. He is a snake god and lives in the trees near springs. He is also a fertility god and the father of all the loa. In Haiti he is called Bon Dieu ("good god") and his wife is the rainbow goddess Ayida Weddo. His holy color is white.~Agwe is the Haitian god of fish and sea plants, the god overlooking fishermen and sailors. During elaborate ceremonies, the worshippers of this proud god send expensive offerings to his magnificent underwater palace.
~Coco macaque is a magic stick in Haitian voodoo that walks by itself. The owner can send it on errands, especially important ones. If he hits an enemy with it, the person hit will die before the morning.
Task 3
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but alot of it was preserved, raped of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature. Which represents the best preserved of the branches of Celtic mythology. Although many of the manuscripts had failed to survive, and much more material was probably never written down. There is enough saved for us to be able to recognize four cycles of the religon, the Historical Cycle, the Mythological Cycle, The Ulster Cycle, and the Fenian Cycle. There are also many myths that remain that do not fit into any of the cycles, but still are myths of the culture. The Mythological Cycle, made up of stories of the Origins and god if the early Irish, is the least well preserved of the four cycles. Lebor Gabála Érenn is a written history of Ireland, tracing the lineage of the Irish back to Noah. It tells stories of invasions of Ireland by a sequence of peoples, who later became the "fairy" people of later myths and legends. The Ulster Cycle takes place around the beginning of the Christian era, it consists of a group of heroic stories dealing with the lives of Conchobar mac Nessa, the king of Ulster, the great hero Cúchulainn, and their friends, lovers, and enemies. The cycle reflects a warrior society in which war consists of single combats and wealth is measured in cattle. It consists of stories of the births, early lives and training, battles, health, feastings and deaths of these heroes. The Fenian Cycle is based around the deeds of Irish heroes. The stories of the Fenian Cycle are set around the 3rd century, and are told mainly in verse. The stories explain the trials and tribulations of Fionn mac Cumhaill and his army, the Fianna. The Fenian Cycle displays professional warriors spending their time hunting, fighting, and getting tied up in adventures of the mythological world. New members of the army are expected to be highly educated. Well versed and familiar with poetry as well as pass a number of physical tests and quests. There is no religious reference in these myths but hero-worship.
Task 4
Moireg - heiress of betrayal, she was born of parents who gave her no love. As a mortal, she was unable to recieve the attention she felt she deserved, and bombarded others with her own self-pity and remorse. When she grew up, moireg pined for the High King, who was the only one to ever give her affection. She sleeps with his young to prove her affections and appear promiscuious and flirtatious to the king. She eventually admits to the king that she is dying of love for him, so he agrees to sleep with her to save her life. After Moireg feels she had gotten the attentions she deserved, she becomes attached, and finds herself unable to leave the high king. For fear of ruining his love for the queen, the king banishes moireg, turning her into the bitter wench that she is in her myths. She is commonly cursed by the betrayed, for she dedicated the rest of her life to making sure nobody could be as happy as she wished she could be.
Fink- The son of the high king, whose wife is none other than his beloved sister. He is the god of wit and listfulness. He has dedicated every moment of his life to satisfying the public, trying to make them laugh. He is known for his outlandish schemes and spontinaety. he sleeps with moireg in a valiant attempt to boost her self-esteem, and fails horribly, doing nothing but upsetting his father.
Sink- Wife and sister to Fink, she is the representative of human nature. Treated unfairly by her birth parents, the High King adopts her into his, the family instills on her their beliefs of independence, and teach her to do what she feels os right. Sink is the opitamy of the kind, always making sure everyone in the family has everything they need all the time, she is moireg's only true friend.
