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Are there any points of mythology/religion that all Native Americans have in common?
I have been exposed to some different Native American mythologies and there seem to be many differences. Are there any beliefs or stories that they all share?
James Jenkins
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How did dragons get their wings?
Modern day dragons are, in Western culture at least, imagined as huge, reptilian, fire breathing creatures with both legs and wings. However, as far as I can find out myself by research, dragons were developed from ancient mythical creatures that…
Fedor Alexander Steeman
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First appearance of the Delphi Oracle in Greek myths
The history of Perseus begins with the oracle of Delphi, when the King of Argos is told that one day a son of his own daughter will kill him.
Being Perseus one of the most ancient Greek mythological heroes, I wonder if this is the first time the…
Rodia
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Where did the various artistic depictions of the Chimera originate?
I wasn't sure whether to ask this in history as it relates to art history, but the Chimera's appearance varies considerably in art throughout history. Designs vary in the proportion of lion, goat and snake. Some designs include a dragon. At least…
Anonymous
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Which Greek deities do not have an "equivalent" in the Roman pantheon and vice versa?
Although this might be considered a list based questions the full answer's validity will not change with time as there was a finite list of Greek and Roman deities and that will not change in the future.
Which Greek deities do not have an…
John Demetriou
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Common theme that humans had longer lifespans before the flood?
Several pre-flood myths seem to mention humans being able to live for extremely long periods of time. IIRC, the Sumerians had a list of kings that lived for thousands of years pre-flood, and post-flood the kings had their lifespans reduced, although…
Question
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What's the earliest recorded story of a human woman giving birth to a monster?
In Greek mythology, a human woman gave birth to the Minotaur, a "monster".
I know timelines get fuzzy with mythology, but are there any other instances of a human woman giving birth to a "monster" that predate the Minotaur myth? In any…
miltonaut
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Son of Heaven: who is the father/mother?
Among East Asian / Confucian empires (China and Vietnam, maybe others), emperors ruled under a philosophical concept known as Mandate of Heaven - that is, heaven will grant a specific ruler the right of government based on virtue, and natural…
congusbongus
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How did the gods in the Slavic pantheon relate to each other?
The Russian Primary Chronicle mentions the Slavic pantheon of Vladimir I of Kiev, possibly an attempt to reform Slavic paganism:
Vladimir then began to reign alone in Kiev, and he set up idols on
the hills outside the castle with the hall: one…
yannis
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How is Hina related to Maui in Hawaiian mythology?
According to Wikipedia:
he is the son of ʻAkalana and his wife Hina-a-ke-ahi (Hina)
and according to Encyclopedia Mythica:
Maui's mother Hina complained that the sun traveled too fast across the sky.
However, in the tale of Tuna,the eel god,…
user1385
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Sekhmet with the crown of Hathor?
In the astronomical ceiling of the tomb of Seti (KV17) one of the columns is denoted by the figure of Sekhmet wearing the crown of Hathor as below:
What does this signify? Although Sekhmet is sometimes represented wearing the sun disk, it is never…
Tyler Durden
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Myths of the Wind Impregnating Women
What examples do you know of from Greco-Roman myths in which the wind as such impregnates a woman (could be mortal or a goddess)? I'm aware of examples where the wind personalized as a god (e.g., Boreas, Zephyrus) impregnates a woman, which is…
Arthur George
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Do legends originate from history?
This relatively popular question on the Stack Exchange Worldbuilding site claims that legends originate from history:
Given a vaguely European Medieval society free of magic, how long does it take for historic record to devolve into fiction?…
user62
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How invincible was Achilles really?
We also know the stories of Thetis dipping her son in the river Styx to make him nigh-invulnerable, but there is conflicting evidence.
Those who have read the Iliad may remember the incident with
the warrior Asteropaeus hurled with both spears at…
DukeZhou
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How are Japanese emperors related to Amaterasu?
Japanese Emperors are said to be direct descendants of the Sun-goddess Amaterasu. As far as I know, Amaterasu married the Moon-god, her brother, but later on, she left him. But they did not have any children. In that case, how did Amaterasu become…
user1385