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Legends and Myths...
Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:07 pm
by Argoth
I'm doing a little thing for my Literature courses and I have a favour to ask of you all. Should you know any legends or myths, feel free to write them here. Will sure appreciate anything that appears here. Just write where does it come from. For example the legend of Lilith, the female demon responsible for death of newborns. She was supposed to be the first wife of Adam in paradise, but she didn't want to lay under him during sex and so she escaped. Well it's a short version of a short version. Anyone?
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:52 am
by Nedylene
[t:2skngs8u]I know a lot of myths, particularly in regards to ancient Gods and Goddesses, but hon, most of them are really long.I am particularly fond of egyptian and norse mythology, and I suppose I can tell one tale, but I will have to abridge the Hades out of it..ha ha..
The Story of Isis and Osiris (Egypt mythology)
[t:2skngs8u]Osiris was at one time a god of life . He was a good God and kind, and beloved to his bride, Isis. But he had a son (name deluding me at moment have sympathy I am running off memory here) who hated him.He tried many times to kill his father. One time he managed to trap him in a sarcophagus and send him out to sea. But Isis found her husband and rescued him. Angered that this did not work, the son tried again. This time he chopped his father up into pieces and placed the parts into seperate sarcophagus's which he sailed out over the world.
[t:2skngs8u]But yet again Isis did not give up, she traveled until she found every piece of Osiris, save one. When she had found them, she lay over her husband and breathed life back into him. In so doing she conceived a child. Her last, for the part she was never able to find was his man part.
Without his 'man part' Osiris could no longer be the god of the living, and so took up the position of God of the Dead, judging those that die with scales similiar to Kelemvore's.
[t:2skngs8u]The myths say that Osiris's lost 'man part ' was buried in the river Nile.When it floods its banks every year, embodying Egypt with life for its crops, that is the gift of Osiris's seed.
[t:2skngs8u]When I have more time I can speak of the Huntress Goddess, of the romans and greeks, who Eilistraee seems loosely based on. My favorite story of her was the one in which she was bathing and some stupid man thought to spy on her. She turned him into a hare and sent her dogs after him.
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:55 am
by Velve
Well.... What sort of myths do you want? I have read up on a great many (It was a hobby when school wasn't teaching me anything), I know of many myths from many different cultures...
Wikipedia is good for anything you need, generally.
A whole lot of D&D creatures are based in myths and legends.
Norse Mythology has a lot of such creatures, as does Celtic Mythology.
You may want to narrow down your search... Every culture has hundreds of old myths and legends...
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:33 am
by CrankyOzzie
Where do you want to start? Nordic, Cletic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, American Indian, Polynesian, Australian Aboriginal, African?
There are hundreds of thousands of myths and legends from around the world.
And Nedy, that sounds like Set, I didn't know he was supposed to be the son of Osiris though.
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:09 pm
by Rooky
http://www.sacredspiralkids.com/history ... fenris.pdf
It's long but it should do... The upper link is a guide to the long version. I'll just do the short one...
in Norse mythology, Fenrir or Fenrisulfr is a wolf, the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Fenrir is bound by the gods, but is ultimately destined to grow too large for his bonds and devours Odin during the course of Ragnarök. At that time he will have grown so large that his upper jaw touches the sky while his lower touches the earth when he gapes. He will be slain by Odin's son, Viðarr, who will either stab him in the heart or rip his jaws asunder according to different accounts.
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:33 pm
by Tyrmer
Set was Osiris brother, it was Horus (his son) who hunted Set down afterwards.
And to expand on Rooky's tale.
Loki had three children by the evil giantess, a daughter who was half beautiful maiden, and half rotting corpse, she was cast down to the underworld to rule over its denizens. Jormungand, a great serpent, was thrown into the sea and he began to grow, eventually circling the whole world and swallowing his tale. Fenris the wolf was feared by the gods as his part in Ragnarok was predicted (as was Jormungand's). The gods tried to bind him in chains many times but each time he ruptured them, they only managed this by persuading Fenris that it was a game to show his strength. Eventually they bound him in a dwarf forged chain whose ingredients included the beard of a woman, the footfall of a cat and various other things that aren't meant to exist (because they were supposedly used up in the making of the chain). Fenris was suspicious however as he smelled magic on the chain and would only be bound if one of the gods would place their hand in his mouth, to be forfeited if Fenris wasn't released. Only the God Tyr (notice any similarities

) was brave enough to forfeit his hand and forfeit it he did. Loki went the same way as his children eventually when he had caused one too many bits of mischief, he was bound in irons under the earth with his son, Jormungand's, venom dripping on his forehead, burning him. His faithful giantess wife however, stayed by him with a bowl to catch the venom, but when it was full and she turned to tip it away, it burned Loki and he struggled against his chain, thus causing earthquakes.
Thor killed Jormungand at Ragnarok but was mortally wounded by his venom, living only long enough to avenge his Father who was killed by Fenris. Only Four gods survived Ragnarok, two of whom were Thor's sons, who started the world anew.
As you can guess I am a bit of a mythology nut. Greek or Norse myths I know almost off by heart, egyptian I'm a little foggy on as that culture lasted longer so they changed over the centuries.
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:44 pm
by Velve
*Grumbles about it being Seth, not Set*
Yeah, as everyone said, narrow what you want down a bit please. We can help easier then.
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:28 pm
by Tyrmer
Well if you want to be PICKY, then his full name is Sutekh.

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:08 pm
by Bhaern Quel
You want myths, perhaps you can find enough here:
http://www.pantheon.org/
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 7:40 pm
by Argoth
Thanks you all. I knew I can count on you.
