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3 answers
Are there any homosexual gods?
I have recently came across Tu'er Shen, a Chinese deity who manages the love and sex between homosexual men. After reading about him, I am interested to find out if there are any homosexual gods(exclude the Greco-Roman gods), preferably those who…
user1385
9
votes
1 answer
Who are those that Cain refers to in Chapter 4:14?
In Genesis, chapter 4, it says
14 "Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
Who are those that when they find him will kill…
John Demetriou
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9
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How old is the belief that spilling salt is unlucky and should be followed by throwing a pinch of salt over the shoulder?
In much of Europe it is believed to be unlucky to spill salt, and it is thought advisable that someone who spills it should throw a pinch of it over their left shoulder. How old is this belief?
user1637
9
votes
4 answers
What is the moral of the myth of Icarus?
Icarus, the son of Daedalus who created the maze that held the Minotaur was given wings which allowed him to fly away from the Island of Crete. He was told not to fly too near the Sun nor too close to the water, as these wings were driven by the…
Doctor Zhivago
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9
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3 answers
Are there any mythologic Gods, creatures or equipment that have "exponential" characteristics?
The hydra is classically described as growing two heads back for every one cut down. Mjolnir, theoretically, became exponentially heavier to the unworthy.
What other Gods, creatures or equipment have powers that are tied to doubling or exponential…
Praxiteles
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9
votes
1 answer
What was the first example of a "Only true love can awake" in folklore?
Snow White's story (unabridged):
And now the king’s son had it carried away by his servants on their shoulders. And it happened that they stumbled over a tree-stump, and with the shock the poisonous piece of apple which snow-white had bitten off…
bleh
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9
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1 answer
Can anyone identify what Chinese mythology creature this is?
I got this as a gift and I originally thought it was a foo dog but it has both paws on turtles, not on a cub or ball as foo dogs do. It may be a Pi Yao or Pixiu but I'm not so sure.
Rose
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9
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2 answers
What are the differences between fauns and satyrs?
From what I've gathered fauns and satyrs are pretty much the same thing; they're all male, hircine from the waist down. They like wine, women, and song. They walk around naked all the time and have an affinity for playing woodwind instruments. They…
Thomas Jacobs
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9
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1 answer
Which mythologies had demigods?
As we all know Greek gods were very lusty, and as a result produced several demigods.
Does this happen in other mythologies as well?
user1385
9
votes
1 answer
Was Charybdis always a monster?
Charybdis, and its counterpart Scylla were two monsters in the Odyssey. However, according to Ovid's Metamorphoses, Scylla was once a nymph.
"... had she not been transformed before they came into a reef whose rocks rise up today, and sailors shun…
tox123
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9
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2 answers
Who made Mjölnir?
The God Thor, in many stories I have been exposed to, has a hammer called Mjölnir that provides superpowers. In some versions of stories the powers are stronger then a God alone.
Where did Mjölnir come from? Who made it, or how was it made?
James Jenkins
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9
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1 answer
Why would an ancient temple be dedicated to both Poseidon and Artemis?
Why is this temple dedicated to both deities? I can't find a connection between them in either myth or theme.
user1276
9
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0 answers
Primary sources for Persian land of Shadu-kam?
I'd like to find the primary sources (if any) for a Persian mythical land called Shadu-kam. It's supposed to be the realm of the Peris, a kind of fairyland, but I can't seem to find much about it.
I discovered the name in Umberto Eco's The Book of…
Brian Buckley
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9
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4 answers
How did the angels Michael and Gabriel come to be associated with water and fire?
This interesting tidbit comes from the first chapter of Moncure Conway's “Demonology and Devil-lore”:
“These have been associated in rabbinical mythology with the angels Michael (genius of Water) and Gabriel (genius of Fire); but they refer both to…
yannis
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9
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1 answer
Why did Unkulunkulu send the lizard after the chameleon?
In Chapter II: Where Man Came From, and How Death Came of Alice Werner's Myths and Legends of the Bantu we find the chameleon legend of the Bantu people. The legend explains how death came into the world:
It is said he (Unkulunkulu) sent a…
yannis
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