Mythology & Folklore

Story: Izanagi and Izanami Story Source: Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917). Izanagi and Izanami, source: Wikimedia This is a creation story which I really enjoyed.  Story Plot: In the beginning, all was gloomy chaos. Out of the infinite void rose a cloud, floating on the sea of space. Out of the depths of the cloud, a bud sprouted and an iris flowered rose into the air and to the Taka-ma-no-hara (high plain of heaven). Once it bloomed, it became the bright shining sun. At the same time, a night-blooming flower fluttered downward from the firmament and became the moon. From the heart of the blossoms sprouted a score of gods. Among the gods were Izanagi (the powerful-God-of-the-Air), and Izanami (Fair-Goddess-of-the-Clouds). From Izanagi and Izanami, issued all life. Near the beginning of time, Izanagi, the God of the Heavens, took for wife Izanami, the beautiful Goddess of Love. Fr...

Story: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Story Source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898). Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, Illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt Plot Summary: Aladdin was the son of a poor tailor. Aladdin had no craft or occupation and would spend his days playing with other boys in the street. His mom was really worried and wanted him to do something productive with his life.  One day, Aladdin's uncle, a famous African magician, showed up out of nowhere. The magician was looking for him specifically and wanted to "help' him. The magician took Aladin around the city and into the mountains. He led Aladin to a cave, where he said there was a treasure waiting for him, and instructed him on how to get it. The magician was not Aladdin's uncle, but he read on a book of a lamp hidden there that would make him the most powerful man in the world. Only Aladin could retrieve the lamp, so the magi...

Story: Scheherazade Story Source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898). Source: Rimsky-Korsakov's magical "Scheherazade"   Plot Summary: The Sultan Schahriar was betrayed by his wife, whom he loved very much. It affected him so much that he thought all of the women were as bad as his former wife. He then decided to start killing women. Every day, he would marry a new wife and then have her killed the following morning. The Sultan's actions caused terror throughout the town. Everyone was afraid for their daughters. Scheherazade, a very beautiful and well-learned maiden, daughter of the grand-vizir, was determined to put a stop to the sultan. She devised a plan to stop him and asked his father to offer her to the sultan as his bride.  The grand-vizir reluctantly offered his daughter to marry the Sultan. Scheherazade then asked the Sultan if she could bring her sister, Dinarzade, to stay in her b...

Story: Creation Source:  Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907) The Sun God Ra List of Gods in Creation Story: Nu - The primordial waters, father of Ra. Ra - The Sun God, Divine Father of creation and strong ruler of the Gods. Shu - The wind god, created by Ra. Tefnut - Shu's consort, also called "the spitter' because she sends the rain. Seb - The earth god. Nut - The goddess of the firmament. The story of Creation: In the beginning, the world was a vast ocean called Nu. Nu gave being unto the sun god Ra. Ra appeared as a shinning egg, floating upon the water. Ra became greater than Nu, Ra was the divine father and strong ruler of gods. Ra first created Shu, the wind god, and his consort Tefnut, the rain goddess. Then Ra created Seb, the earth god, and nub, the goddess of the firmament. At his word, he bade earth and the heavens to rise out of the waste of water. Shu, the uplifter, raised Nut upon high, appearing in th...

Story: The Two Brothers Source: Egyptian Myth and Legend Plowing in Ancient Egypt There were once two brothers, Anpu the eldest, and Bata the youngest. Bata lived with Anpu and Anpu's wife on their farm. Bata considered his elder brother and his wife as mother and father. Bata was a great worker, he tended to the onyx and plowed the fields. One day, Anpu's wife came onto him. Bata refused her, but then she lied to her Anpu, saying that Bata had struck her and begging him to kill him.  Anpu tried to kill his younger brother Bata, but then Ra intervened, and the truth came out. Bata left to a distant land, but first, he told his brother to come to his aid when and bring him to life. Bata devastated returned to his farm and slew his wife. There he waited for the signs that Bata foretold so that he might go and help his brother. Bata to went to a distant land, where he met some really cool Gods. The Gods took pity on him and made a wife for him. His wife was ...

The universe, Source: Pixabay Link to my project website .

Echo & Narcissus The story was added to my project porfolio website. Echo & Narcissus,  by John William Waterhouse Echo was the most beautiful Nymph in all of the world, but there was something even more special about her. She had a magnificent singing voice, and she also was a great orator. People from all over the world came to hear her speeches and divine singing. Even the Gods admired her beauty. Among the celestial beings, there were Goddesses with such beauty, but none could match her angelic voice. Jealousy arose among Goddesses, and none was more jealous than Juno. Juno was worried that Jupiter would wrong her again, and this time, with beautiful Echo. She devised a plan to get Echo to marry, but Echo rejected all of the suitors presented to her. Echo repeated time after time, "There is no one as beautiful as me, and no one worthy of my marriage." Juno, getting desperate, for Echo certainly had the attention of Mighty Jupiter, commanded Vulcan t...

Story: Echo & Narcissus Source: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4) Echo & Narcissus, by John William Waterhouse Plot Summary Echo saw Narcissus in the forest and like everyone, she fell in love with him. She would not talk to him because she was cursed by Juno. Echos voice could not be silent when others speak, and she could not talk be she would repeat the last thing someone said. She declares her love for him but she's rejected. She gets super sad and her body vanishes, but the sound of her voice continues on. Apparently, Narcissus was arrogant rejections manage to anger some people. Nemesis heard a request for him to fall in love, but be rejected by the one who he loves, and she granted this request. But, who could not love Narcissus with its beauty? As he went to the lake to drink, he fell in love with his reflection on the lake. He withered away looking at his reflection on the lake, and he turned into a flower. My thoughts I was familiar with ...

Story: Phaethon's Ride Source: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4) Painting by Gustave Moreau Plot Summary Knowing he was the son of Phoebus Apollo, the Sun God, Phaethon's went to the palace of the sun to meet his father. In the palace, he found his father, who embraced him, and swore by Stygian waters that he would grant him any favor. Phoebus asked to command the chariot of the sun for the day.  After much hesitation and warning, the Sun God fulfilled his son's wishes because he could not back out of the promise. Once in the air, Phaethon could not control the chariot's horses. He let go of the reins, and the Sun lost its course. The chariot got too close to the earth which erupted into flames. The earth was scorched. Mighty Jupiter, after seeing all of the commotions, hurled a thunder to the chariot and killed Phaethon.  My thoughts: I actually found the story to be quite sad. I think that Phaethon died not because of negligence or malice, bu...

Learning Process , by Hina Kaynat of Islamia University of Bahawalpur Feedback for learning How to Get Past Negativity Bias in Order to Hardwire Positive Experiences , by Katrina Schwarts The article talks about the brain's tendency to prioritize negative experience over positive feedback, this is called the negativity bias. We are more sensitive to negative emotions, overreacting to unpleasant things, and not incorporating positive traits from success or compassion. The article then talks about a method to overcome negative bias and embrace our positive experiences. The method is called HEAL– an acronym for: "have a good experience, enrich it, absorb it, and (counterintuitively) link it to something slightly negative."  How to give feedback Preschoolers and Praise: What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow? By Deborah Farmer Kris This article talks about how the language we use with children when they face challenges or struggle with...

Sunrise, Source: Pixabay Cosmic creation stories have always interested me. For my project, I decided to compare the different creation stories from all over the world. I think that creation stories can tell you a lot about the culture and worldview of the people who tell them. I have the idea of exploring different cultures and see how their creation compare, then create the ultimate creation story. Here are some of the creation stories that I found interesting: Greek Creation Story This is a classic creation story, filled with betrayal, fights, and tragedy.  Odin & Ymir The cool thing about this creation story is that it talks about the creation of other wolds besides earth.  Kumulipo I liked the fact the creation is set in sixteen different ages or wā. Genesis This story is probably one of the familiar stories, but I wanted to include it because many people believe it as true today.  Big Bang While this is technically not a c...

Scylla and Charybdis, Source  EuroScientis The Demise of Scylla & Charybdis Having escaped the Ilse of the Sirens, Odysseus and his crew sailed onwards, longing to return home. It was not long into their journey when the sea turned against them. Passing through a narrow channel of water, great breaking waves arose from turbulent waters, forcing the ship to move near the shore, on a great cliff side. The sea trembled, and in the deep water, a vortex started forming. Odysseus knew at once what it was, the divine beast Charybdis was sucking in the sea, creating a great deep vortex of water. The ship tried the best it could to pass in between Charybdis and the cliff. To their misfortune, the cliff trembled and with a great thunder, Scylla, a giant dragon-like creature with multiple heads came out of a great cave and appeared in the cliff side. Odysseus and his crew were trapped in between Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus knew he must act quickl...