Mythology and Paganism

[Little Miss]

What are your views for either one? Favorite? Knowledge?

 

Discuss.

[Wayward_fool]

Many people believe History shapes a nation and its people, I believe Mythology does it. Most mythology predates history, and sometimes the two are so muddled that you can hardly pry them apart.

 

That being said, my facination is with Mythology, not religion. Mythology to me does not involve the practices of its people, religion takes into all aspects of what its religious do or believe in.

 

My favourite Mythology has always been that of the Hindus. Mostly because the gods of the hindu religion are vastly different from those of other religions in the sense that every one of their gods have one time or another lived among people and very often have actually BEEN people. Their stories often involve tonnes of trials and tribulations, as much as normal humans do. They often have supernatural power, but often have to learn to grow acustomed to it. Very much like a Charmed one. So they just go and lift mountains and be all "Aw, did I do thaaaat?" while people around them bow down and worship. As a result, to this day, they still have a lot of people who are revered are gods while they are alive. Examples include Gandhi and Sai baba and the Kumari. Mostly because of the whole Ideal of reincarnation and the birth cycles.

 

Facinating innit?

[Mystica]

Totally, Boops. I love mythology too, though to my shame I'm not very versed in it. That's sort of linked to my inability to remember names, for some reason. I'm actually fascinated by all ancient cultural traditions, but there's something special about a culture's beliefs and the way they see the unexplained.

[LilyElizabeth]

I am pagan, and I am interested in mythology. Funny, I don't see the two as being the same at all, though.

 

For my religious practices, I interact with the gods as they are now.

 

Mythology tends to be stories that have been passed down, generally orally, and may or may not be accurate, but are fascinating just the same. I wish I knew more about the myths. I have picked up one or two good books, but am always looking for more stories. They can be hard to find, for me, anyway.

 

I'm planning to really enjoy this thread.

 

 

[Wayward_fool]

I definite do not see Mythology and Paganism as the same thing. Firstly, Paganism is a religion, while Mythology is just a collection of stories on which the religion is based. It does not constiture belief. Most myths are contradicting anyway, so there is no way you can believe ALL of it is true. Which is where religion comes in with interpretation. Where you look at Myth and go, ah! this god is like this. And shape your faith around this interpretation.

 

However that being said, Myths HAVE to be the starting point of a religion. Otherwise what else is there to base it on? Of course you have people who just stand in the middle of the world and say they believe in God, who is good and kind and wonderful and nto absed off any other religions and thus have no myths.

 

Well then, where did you get the idea that God is good and kind? Has to come from somewhere. In fact where would you even get the idea of a God? 

[Little Miss]

Note this thread is just a Place to discuss either. I did not say that they are the same ^^ Figured that we didn't need two threads. <3

[LilyElizabeth]

Okay. Gotcha.

 

I think, Boopsy, like with any god, personal knowledge of them as a being (a person, if you will) is another thing we can go on. The reason I said what I said is that the gods as I know them are very different from their PR. Take Ares, for example. He's had a lot of bad publicity. He's not a bloodthirsty warmonger. Just a protective god who stands up for those he loves.

 

 

[WWWwombat]

Odin is badass.

[Minuet]

Odin is, but he is still just and picks his battles. His father Thor is awesome too.

 

I am also pagan. I love mythology and how the stories got started. However, it can be very misleading for some people. Some don't see the difference between what pagans believe and what mythology is. It is nice that you all see the difference.

 

Happy Yule everyone! Tonight is the Winter Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere. It is the longest night and the days will begin to lengthen. It is the Summer Solstice for the Southern Hemisphere. Where you are enjoying the longest day and your nights will begin to get longer.

[Wayward_fool]

Thor isn't Odin's Father... Borr was. Oddly enough I have always loved Norse mythology and have a pretty good understanding of it. Especailly since I LOVED Lord of the Rings. Everything comes together so cleanly coz of its basis on Norse Mythology.

 

That's what I mean by Myths being kept alive. Not necessarily in their original form, but twisted and based upon. Like a repainted portrait of who each god was and is. That's how myths happen anyway, most of it had to do with stories being told from person to person and eventually gets warped here and there so much that the characters become gods or heroes.

 

In Chinese Mythology, there is a monkey god. And that monkey god came from a novel called Journey to the West. From that book came countless other gods who eventually stayed in the minds of many Chinese and became actual worshipped gods. And the book eventually came to be revealed merely ass an allegory of the government at that time. But people continued to worship characters from the books to this day. In fact the monkey god, Sun Wu Kong is one of the most popular gods in the modern Chinese society. And all they had to base on, was a novel.

 

Amazing huh?

[LilyElizabeth]

Not so odd, really. In Celtic mythology, we have Arthur and company, especially Morgana. We have Tristan and Isolde (or the Irish spelling - Ysuelt - which I prefer.) They are sometimes worshipped as gods. I have seen the ladies in goddess books.

 

 

[Little Miss]

I know that this isn't really relevent but I'm watching the Mummy and the mummy returns right now.... I LOVE these movies!!! just thought I'd throw it in cause it has a lot of stuff on the egyptian gods and such :p

[charis sedai]

My main game in mythology has always been Egyptian and Greek. i love them! I actually taught a couple of classes on them at one point...

 

I need a major refresher, now.

 

I love the mummy LM. So good. And halfway close to accurate, which is INCREDIBLE for Hollywood these days. Ok, maybe a quarter right. But still!

 

I really need to do some reading on Celtic and Norse mythologies. I know a smattering of Hindu and Chinese, but I know just a touch of Norse and Celtic, which are mentioned far more often in Western Culture. Also, as Boopsy pointed out, there is some semblence of life sitll in Native American culture, which would cool to learn.

 

Sigh. So much to do. So little time.

[Minuet]

I think it is interesting that each culture has their own myths and legends. I know some of it was to explain why it rains and lightening strikes ect... but still it is so interesting how some of the concepts are the same. I love learning all of them. I think it helps us understand our current culture if we know where we come from and how we once thought as a society.

[Ireond]

*thoughtful look*

[Kara_J]

I have a huge passion for mythology and I agree with what boopsy said about how religion relates to mythology and vice versa. I am fascinated how similar certain cultures are and how, for example, the same type of Gods/Goddesses and myths arise. Some were obviously copied, and some were adapted or foisted on people by invading forces. But there are some cultures with no immediate connection yet their mythology is rather similar. Most cultures seem to have a God/Goddess of Love, War, Mischief and so on.

 

I've got a huge ring-binder in my spare room and a number of books on mythology. :D

 

I'll post later (probably after xmas now) with examples of the above.

 

 

[ed2funy]

I love mythology, and more than just for the wonderful stoires they provide...

Ok, mainly for the stories. But those stories give you an idea of the people who made them and who learned them.

 

I love Greek (Roman is the same pretty much, but I like the Greek names) Mythology. Once, I read a book on Mythology by some lady, and it was really nice.

 

Also, I read a kids book a while ago based on the children of the Gods who are still actually alive to this day.

The series is called Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the first book is called The Lighting Thief.

It has been made into a movie which will be showing in late January or early February I think, and it looks really good.

 

Also, I used to watch Xena with my family, so that got me a lot more interested. Actually...that might be the reason I am interested at all.

 

I love ancient Egypt and ancient China, but I fear I have not really learned much about them yet.

It is on my to-do list. ;D

[Minuet]

Ed,

I so love Percy Jackson. I can't wait for the movie to come out. I love the books.

 

I love Greek better then Roman just because the Roman's just ripped off the Greek Gods and gave them different names.

[ed2funy]

*nods*

 

I have seen the previews in the theaters twice. The first time, I kinda recognized it after a few seconds , but about 15 seconds in, I knew what it was, and starting telling my firends we had to see it.

lol..they were like "What? What is it?

 

Plus the Greek gods' names are just cooler.

[Minuet]

This is true!

[Rasheta Ardashir]

I saw this thread over the holidays but as I was really really sick, I couldn't weigh in...so I will now. *ggls*

 

I know that this isn't really relevent but I'm watching the Mummy and the mummy returns right now.... I LOVE these movies!!! just thought I'd throw it in cause it has a lot of stuff on the egyptian gods and such :p

Just so you know the Mummy movies seriously misportray the Egyptian Gods. Anubis for example, in the Mummy returns, is not a dark or evil god. He is present when someone dies and he is at the weighing of the heart but other then that not evil. *laughs*

 

Min you threw me when you said Thor was Odin's father, i'll admit my knowledge of the Norse pantheon is a bit...weak but I knew Thor was not Odins daddy. *ggls* Although I did have to go look it up because like I said I'm not totally brushed up on the Norse gods. Although I named my Horse on the RP side after one of the Norse Gods. It seemed to fit the horse I had *ggls* No it wasn't Loki. *Ggls*

 

Anyway getting to the discussion, i'm a history major at school and its amazing to me how myth and legend can sometimes shape history. I'm mostly interested in Ancient Western history, so Greece, Rome, etc all the way up to around 1360 or so. Just about the time of the Black Death and the middle of the 100 years war. After that I loose interest till the Golden Age of Pirates in the 1600 and 1700's and then loose interest again. LOL Back to how Myth can shape history, Helen of troy said to be the daughter of Zeus. Alexander the Great said to be the descendant of Achilles. The Myth of Arthur and Camelot is still with us today. Robin Hood is another myth that we don't know if its true or not...well unless we meet the reincarnation of Robin. I could go on this for hours...anywho.

 

I've been a pagan a long time and the Myth is interesting to me even within my religion. I am a Priestess of the God Apollo and his sister the Goddess Artemis, they come as a pair, and have been through many many lives. Recently he and I had a chat about his myths and many are over stated, understated, bad PR or just simply not true. I tell you sometimes its hard for me to find the grain of truth within the myths i'm reading. Its there but buried. *laughs* Anyway he's okay with it though because he believes if a Myth helps people do what needs to be done. He's willing to take the bad PR or whatever.

 

Not so odd, really. In Celtic mythology, we have Arthur and company, especially Morgana. We have Tristan and Isolde (or the Irish spelling - Ysuelt - which I prefer.) They are sometimes worshipped as gods. I have seen the ladies in goddess books.

Yes that is very odd to me, Morgana was turned into one of the Morrigan, Celtic war goddesses, which is strange to say the least.  Lily you had to bring Morgana up. *sighs* LOL

[LilyElizabeth]

Of course I did, darlin'  ;)

 

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Of course I did, darlin'  ;)

 

Figures. LOL I told my friend about my Sherlock Holmes experience now she gives me crap. *sigh* The stuff I deal with. *ggls*

[LilyElizabeth]

You loves me.  ;)

 

[Vanion]

I will chime in my opinion on this sometime tomorrow... when I kick this hangover...

 

4 day drinking binges are bad for the body. I feel like I was assaulted by an army of midgets... My knees and shins are sore from walking into things and falling... my hands are scraped up and I have interesting and unexplainable bruises all over the place lol

 

I remember small bits and pieces about the past 4 days. New Years Eve is practically a complete blur...

 

I am hoping someone had the sense to record my drunken revelry for later laughs.

 

Now... I am going to bed... right after I consume about 4 liters of water...