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1500 questions
12
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Where did the Easter Islanders come from, according to their own myths?
My understanding of the origin myth of the Easter Islanders (Rapa Nui) is that they had a legendary founder named Hotu Matu'a, who came to the island, and who was the direct patrilineal ancestor of all future Easter Islanders.
Does the origin myth…
senshin
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11
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Did different Greek mythology sources ever explicitly acknowledge the contradictions between themselves?
Greek mythology is full of different accounts of the same exact facts, based on which source you use.
As a random example, here's the assorted sourced details on Prometheus' parentage from Wikipedia:
In Hesiod's Works and Days Prometheus is…
DVK
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11
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Why do sacrificial victims break flutes on the steps of a temple before their death?
Sahagún's Codex Florentine includes an account of people sacrificed for Tezcatlipoca (an Aztec god):
For him who was thus, who had no flaw, who had no bodily defects, who had no blemish, who had no mark, who had no warts, no small tumor; the…
user62
11
votes
1 answer
Who were Aphrodite's parents?
I was looking up some stuff and I saw a quote about Aphrodite's genealogy from this page.
One genealogy gives her parents as Zeus, King of the Gods, and Dione, an early earth/mother goddess. More commonly, she was believed to be born of the foam in…
michaelpri
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11
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In Vita Merlini, what did Merlin attribute his power of prophecy to?
In Vita Merlini, Merlin goes quite mad for a while, speaking of Britain in the past and remarking on nature and religion. He makes grand prophecies of what will happen in the future - he is, after all, a prophet. All of this happens while he resides…
HDE 226868
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11
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2 answers
Was Horatius Cocles a footman or mounted?
The myths of ancient Rome recount of Horatius Cocles, a brave Roman soldier officer who has defended the Roman republic from an Etruscan attack. He stood alone on the sole bridge above the Tiber river separating the attackers from the city of Rome,…
b_jonas
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11
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How were the first children of Gaia conceived?
According to Greek Mythology, Gaia had many children. All of them were with a partner, except for three:
Uranus
Pontus
Ourea
Is it ever explained how these children were conceived?
Shevliaskovic
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11
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How did Manawydan know that the bishop (Llwyd Cil Coed) was responsible for the imprisonment of Pryderi and Rhiannon?
In the third branch of the Mabiogion, Manawydan and his companions, Pryderi, Rhiannon and Cifga come across a deserted caer. First Pryderi and then Rhiannon go to investigate. They are forced immobile and speechless by putting their hands on a…
HDE 226868
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11
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Why was Bendigeidfran's head buried facing France and not Ireland?
In the second branch of the Mabinogion, the forces of the Isle of the Mighty (Britain) defeat the Irish, though only seven survive. The dying Welsh king, Bendigeidfran, orders his men to cut off his head, bring it back to London (after a stop along…
HDE 226868
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11
votes
2 answers
Could all three Gorgons turn people to stone, or just Medusa?
I've come across conflicting information about Medusa's sisters and whether or not they could turn people to stone like Medusa can.
A lot of places online say that all three can; but some other places I've seen claim that only Medusa can, and I…
NathanS
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11
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Was Hermes Trismegistus a historical figure?
I am aware that Hermes Trismegistus is a combination of the greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. But he is credited as the writer of a few books with Asclepius and the Corpus Hermeticum. So in the end was he a historical figure that was…
John Demetriou
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11
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Did Bedwyr (Bedivere) ever have dark magic?
A while back I found a small note (which seems to have been removed because of a lack of proper citation) on the Wikipedia article for Bedivere, speaking of his “role in Welsh tradition” and first mentioning:
Bedwyr is one of the earliest…
MorgenAfallon
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11
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Why was Hephaestus ugly?
In Greek mythology Hephaestus is said to be the only ugly god among Olympians, but why was this the case? I know he was born this way and later thrown of Olympus by Hera, but as a god he should've had the ability to change his appearance. So why…
Lymaba
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Why is there a long list of names in the story "Culhwch and Olwen"?
In the story Culhwch (sometimes spelled Kilhwch) and Olwen, the story is interrupted by a seemingly endless list of character's names:
I seek it from Kai, and Bedwyr, and Greidawl Galldonyd, and Gwythyr
the son of Greidawl, and Greid the son of…
user62
11
votes
1 answer
What is the relationship between Thor and storms?
We all know Þórr means thunder and that Mjǫllnir may possibly mean lightning, however, in all the texts I've read, there isn't a single mention (or at least not a relevant one) of a connection between the mighty God and lightning bolts. I know that…
Ergative Man
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