Tag: mythology

  • Monthly Mythology

    Monthly Mythology

    Amaterasu 

    The sun is a universal symbol of life, happiness, and energy. Due to its distance yet illuminating light, it often is associated with a celestial body and divine powers. In Japanese myth, Amaterasu-Ōmikami (天照大御神, 天照大神) is the celestial body that takes care of the sun and keeps its course in the sky. She was believed to live in a sacred cave and was one of the “three precious children” of the Japanese creator god (named Izanagi). She would spend most of her days weaving cloaks for the gods to wear, and the color of the cloaks would relate to the weather of the day: bright-colored clothes were associated with a sunny day, and dark-colored clothes were associated with a cloudy day. 

    Izangi declared that because Amaterasu was the brightest and the oldest, she would be in command. Eventually, her two other brothers would both leave heaven (that they remained on), while Amasteru would stay. Her younger brother, Susanoo, was furious: he tormented her, destroyed her fields, defecated in her palace, and flayed her prize horse. But it was when Susanoo killed one of the servants that Amasteru became consumed by sadness and secluded herself in a cave. Since Amaterasu was not there to bring daylight, the world was left in disarray and darkness. She would eventually step out when the gods lured her with a mirror (knowing that she would be enchanted by her beauty), making her inclined to step out of darkness and bring light back to the world. 

     

    Ra

    The sun is worshipped as a symbol of life because it has the power to ripen crops. Ra is known as the creator and king of all deities, patron of the sun. Ra was considered the King of Gods in Egypt, where pharaohs were considered as the sons of the sun god. According to Egyptian myth, darkness covered the waters of Nun before creation. The sun god is said to have risen from these waters as a benben stone or obelisk-like pillar, willing himself into existence. Ra then created the first gods: Shu, the god of dryness and air and the goddess of humidity, and Tefnut, who created other gods to complete the universe. Humans are said to be born of Ra’s tears and while polishing his creations, humanity rebelled against him. To stop the rebellion, Ra decided to exterminate humanity, where he sent his tear-giving eye to finish the task. The eye transformed herself into a fierce lioness to massacre the humans, but Ra stopped her when he witnessed the chaos. 

    After stopping the massacre, Ra went on a journey to the Otherworld. The world became illuminated when Ra sailed by the sky from the Eastern horizon to the West, which created 12 hours of the day with light. When he reached the Western horizon, he sailed the Underworld, leaving Earth in darkness for 12 hours. During this time, Ra associates with Osiris, the god of resurrection and the Underworld, in order to regenerate. Ra is able to combine with different deities: when he is associated with a creator deity known as Amun, Ra represents the universal, raw power of the sun. At dawn, Ra appears in the form of a falcon on the Eastern horizon, where he is known as Hor-akhty or Horus of the Horizon. He is also represented as a scarab beetle called Kheper, meaning “the one that comes into being.” Ra regained his form of Ra at midday and is currently represented by the sun disk. At sunset, he became Atum, an old man who was ready to vanish and be reborn for a new day.

  • Mythology: Holiday Edition

    Mythology: Holiday Edition

    Dionysus

    On Christmas Day, a Greek God called Dionysus was born. Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele. Unfortunately, when Semele was pregnant with Dionysus, Semele was burnt to crisp; however Zeus managed to save Dionysus by granting him immortality and from then on, he was referred to as “the one twice-born.” (which referred to his prenatal birth and then his actual birth from Zeus).

    As a God, Dionysus was known as the god of wine, pleasure, festivity, vegetation, and frenzy; Compared to the rest of the Gods, he seemed the most fun to be around, mostly because Dionysus spent his life traveling around the world and was one of the very few Greek characters who were able to successfully bring back a dead person from the underworld.

    Dionysus made a lasting impact on Greek society. Four times a year, the Athenians and citizens in Greece would come to worship Dionysus. The Greeks would sing, drink large amounts of wine, dance, and revel in a state of madness to honor Dionysus. At a point, a contest was formed to honor the best tragedy, where three tragedies and one satyr play would be shown. Due to these celebrations, Dionysus drove the development of Greek Theaters. To this day, Dionysus has an impact on Western society, as greek theaters would then influence western theaters, giving us a platform to watch the Nutcracker and a Christmas during the holidays. 

     

    Huitzilopochtli
    Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and the sun, was known as a principal deity in Aztec society. Huitzilopochtli is interpreted as “The Hummingbird of the South” or “Blue Hummingbird on the Left” where Aztecs believed that deceased warriors reincarnated as hummingbirds and Aztecs considered the south to be the left side of the world. Thus, his name takes a deeper meaning as the “resuscitated warrior of the south.” Huitzilopochtli is also known as Uitzilopochtli, Xiuhpilli (Turquoise Prince), and Totec (Our Lord). His calendar name is Ce Técpatl and his nagual, or animal spirit, is an eagle.

    In one version of events, Huitzilopochtli was the son of Omecίhuatl and Ometecuhtli– the male and female aspects of the primordial god Ometeotl. Alternatively, Huitzilopochtli is the son of the earth goddess Coatlίcue, born in the Coatepec Mountains. Huitzilopochtli avenged his mother after she was killed by her children Centzonhuitznahuac and Centzonmimizcoa. Huitzilopochtli dispersed them in the heavens to become the northern and southern constellations. His sister, however, Coyolxauhqui was the first to fall as he defeated her as he was born from his mother’s corpse and flung her head to the sky, which resulted in the creation of the moon. The conflict between Coyolxauhqui and Huitzilopochtli was thought to happen daily as the exchange for the control of the sky between the sun and the moon. Huitzilopochtli was thought to be accompanied across the sky by the spirits of fallen warriors (later reincarnated as hummingbirds), and from noon was accompanied by Cihuateteo or spirits of women who died during childbirth. Night arose as Huitzilopochtli moved through the Underworld until dawn, where the cycle continues.

    The Aztecs believed Huitzilopochtli guided them from the sacred cave of Aztlan to the Valley of Mexico, founding the city of Tenochtitlán in 1325 CE. During the journey, priests carried his image of a hummingbird on their shoulders, with his voice giving orders at night. Huitzilopochtli’s first shrine was built on a spot where priests found a eagle poised on a rock devouring a rock devouring a snake, an image so striking that it is portrayed on the Mexican flag.

  • Monthly Mythology: October

    Monthly Mythology: October

    Hecate: The Halloween Queen

    Have you ever heard of the Halloween queen? 

    In Greek mythology, there was a goddess named Hecate who is known as the Halloween queen for her “witch-like figure.” Hecate was the daughter of Perses, the titan of destruction, and her mother was Asteria, the titan goddess of fallen stars. Originally,  Hecate was depicted as a woman who held up two torches. Families viewed her as someone who would protect them from danger. Yet, Hecate protected everyone, even those who society shunned, like witches, prostitutes, and beggars, and because of that, she was known as the Halloween queen.

    Roman God Janus: The With Two Faces

    Crossroads, we have all been there. Does one go left or right, or perhaps the road down the middle?

    In Roman mythology, Janus is the god of doorways and transitions and is known for having two faces. One face points toward the past, the other points toward the future. Janus represents the middle ground of dualities, such as life and death. Janus holds a key in his right hand, symbolizing the protection of spatial boundaries. It was said that Janus was present at the beginning of the world and ruled over life events, where he is an initiator of the shifts between the stages of life. He is also responsible for the transitions of eras of history which is why the first month, January, is named after him.