Mr. Kanski's Amazing Myth-Connections ! |
Why study Mythology ? There a number of reasons to study mythology. Here a few reasons why it is useful and valuable. 1. Students who are interested in literature, art, media, or advertising will find mythology informative. Understanding mythology gives you a better appreciation of all these subjects, and this knowlege has application, not just to specific occupation, but also to everyday life. 2. Narratives from mythology and folklore are examples of the earliest literature a culture possesses. These collections of stories contained the beliefs and knowledge of humanity's early societies. The story tellers were walking talking libraries. Their tales of gods, goddesses, heroes, creatures, and amazing journies combined religion, history, practical knowledge, and entertainment. They rolled up the knowledge of their tribe and culture into one package ! |
3. Mythology is all around us in our daily lives. The characters, creatures, and, events that were part of these narratives live on as symbols, codes, and reminders, both in the world around us and within the inner world of our dreams, wishes, and creative efforts. Myths arrive Every Day of the Week Sunday: The first day of the week dedicated to the sun Old English (Anglo Saxon) - sunnandaeg Middle English sone(n)day or sun(nen)day Monday: The second day of the week. The day of the moon. Old English - (Anglo Saxon) - Monandaeg Middle English - monday or mone(n)day Tuesday: The third day of the week. The dedicated too Tiu [ Twia ]. Old English - tiwesdæg "Tiw's (Tiu's) day" Middle English - tiwesday or tewesday Latin dies Martis "day of Mars" Ancient Greek hemera Areos "day of Ares" Tiu (Twia) is the English/Germanic god of war and the sky. He is identified with the Norse god Tyr and Mars (Roman) & Ares (Greek) gods of war. In Norse mythology, Tyr was the only god brave enough to put his hand in the mouth of the Fenris, the giant wolf, so that it would remain calm while the other gods binded the creature in magic chains. They succeeded in this task, but the wolf bit off Tyr's right hand. From then on, he was known as Tyr, the One (Left) Handed. Wednesday: The fourth day of the week was dedicated to Woden (Odin). Old English wodnesdæg - "Woden's day" Middle English - wodnesday, wednesday, or wednesdai Woden is the Anglo-Saxon/Teutonic chief/king of the gods. His name derives from words such as Old Norse örðr and Anglo-Saxon wód, both meaning "madness, fury, inspiration (wisdom, poetry and speech)." Thursday: The fifth day of the week was dedicated to Thor, god of the sky, thunder, lightning, and the storm. Old Norse - thorsdagr ["Thor's day"] Old English - thunresdæg ["thunder's day"] - thursdæg [Thor's day] Thor was the son of Odin. Sometimes they were portrayed as the halves of one god. Their powers were very different, but they shared the sky as their domain. They were also associated with fits of rage/fury. Odin rode a nine legged horse, while Thor had a flying chariot pulled by a giant goat. Friday: The sixth day of the week was dedicated to Freya, the goddess of love, beauty, fertility/fecundity. Germanic - frije-dagaz "Freya's (or Frigg's) day" Old English - frigedæg "Freya's day" - or composed of Frig "Frigg" + dæg "day" Freya was confused/combined with another goddess, Frigg. Frigg (Frigga) is the Teutonic goddess of clouds, the sky, and conjugal (married) love. In Norse mythology, Frigg, Frige, Frigga or Frea was the mother goddess and the wife of Odin or Odr. Considered queen of the heavens, the goddess of motherhood, fertility, love and housework. Frigg and Freya may have been sisters. One or both were married to Odin. The various Germanic tribes either prayed to them, as separate dieties or blended them into one. Freya is a female fertility goddess of Norse mythology. She is a goddess of riches whose tears are gold. She is also goddess of love, sex and attraction and had a similar role in Norse myths to her Greek (Aphrodite) and Roman (Venus) counterparts. Saturday: The seventh day of the week was dedicated to Saturn. Old English sæter(nes)dæg "Saturn's day" Middle English: saterday Latin dies Saturni "day of Saturn" Ancient Greek hemera Khronu "day of Cronus" Saturn is the Roman god of agriculture. He is believed to have ruled the earth during an age of happiness and virtue. This god was associated with the Greek version, Cronus. Cronus (Kronos, Cronos) is the Greek god (Titan) who ruled the universe until dethroned by his son Zeus. This interpretation portrayed Cronus as a hero who overthrew the wicked serpentine Titan, Ophion. In doing so he released the world from bondage and for a time ruled it justly. In a bloody and less joyful version, Cronus kills his tyranical father, Uranus. His mother, Gaia, gives him the giant stone sickle and sets him in ambush. Cronus attacks and kills his father by cutting his loins and removing his father's testicles. In this version, Cronus becomes as cruel as his father and his son, Zeus, must repeat the cycle of killing the father and then becoming the new ruler of the younger gods. Cronus ("crow", also spelled Cronos and Kronos) can be seen as an earlier archetype of Death (Grim Reaper). He may have been confused or blended with Chronos (Time). Time and death symbolically combine to represent mortality and suggest that even gods can die or be replace by other younger gods. |
Yggdrasill Yggdrasill is the world tree. In the shadow of its boughs, All that is, Protected. Asgard, drapes the Highest Branches, A golden shadow In a cloud of light. Midgard, Middle Earth, Where the tribes of man dwell, Surrounded by dewy boughs. Mighty is the Mead-Tree. That sinuous serpent of Midgard Is smaller than the smallest twig On the star-barked Ash-tree of Life. Three roots twist the troll-roads That touch the moon and the stars. They alone drink from the sisters of all waters, Urd the youthful, Mimir the wise, and Hvergelmir the strong. Niflheim and Valhalla Are joined by root and bough. Bifrost, time's prism of days, hangs Between Asgard's gates And Midgard's mountain tips. Who can say where Leaf and needle Will take them On the Destiny-Tree ? |
