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1500 questions
6
votes
1 answer
Correct version of the Sirens scene in "The Odyssey"?
In Roman Mars's podcast, 99% Invisible, in Episode 79: Symphony of Sirens, Revisited, from 00:23-01:00, Mars recounts the Sirens scene in Homer's The Odyssey:
In Homer's Odyssey, there's a story where Odysseus and his men are traveling near an area…
user450
6
votes
4 answers
The Last Glacial Period in Myth
Many cultures have a flood myth. Is any one aware of any myth having to do with the last glacial period? Or do all mythologies start when the ice has melted and caused wide spread flooding?
BobB
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What were the names of Anahita's horses in the original Avestan language?
Most sources on the internet agree that Anahita's four white horses are named Wind, Clouds, Rain, and Sleet. These are obviously the English translations of these words. I am looking for the original Avestan words. As far as my research has gone, I…
Walter
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Has Herakles been swallowed by a whale?
I heard a rumor that there was an ancient Greek myth about a human swallowed by a whale (or other large sea monster) and living to tell the tale, similar to the Biblical story of Jonas the prophet. I was surprised because I hadn't heard of such a…
b_jonas
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What is the significance of the two cities on the Shield of Achilles?
In Book 18 of the Iliad, Homer describes the Shield of Achilles. The second layer from the shield's centre features scenes from two cities. In the first city a wedding and a tribunal are taking place:
He wrought also two cities, fair to see and…
yannis
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6
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2 answers
Was a sneeze seen as an omen in ancient Greece?
This is a loading screen hint from the game Assasin's Creed Odyssey:
Gods bless you. A sneeze at a key moment was seen as an omen in ancient Greece. Since it was involuntary, the action was viewed as a sign from the gods.
Is this correct?
yannis
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6
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2 answers
What creatures eat a humans life force?
Are there any creatures that eat, or drain a human's life force? Have tried googling but am not sure which creatures do.
Joshua Bennett
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6
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2 answers
Do dragon myths share a common origin?
We can see ancient references to dragon-like creatures in European, Asian and also many other civilizations.
Did these civilizations come up with the concept of dragons independently and just coincidentally similar? Or does the entire myth have…
Opcode
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6
votes
1 answer
What is the origin of the Grim Reaper?
The Grim Reaper is well-known as a hooded figure who represents death. This personification is featured in all sorts of modern fiction as well. Where does this character originally come from?
ViviRukisha
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6
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Refraining from whistling while out at sea
A friend who served in the IDF Navy told me that some soldiers there believed it was bad luck to whistle while at sea, because it might infuriate Neptune. Supposedly it was like whistling at his wife or something.1
Googling whistling and sailor…
Harel13
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Were the Olympians unique in everyone being descended from single parentage?
In most sources, Olympian gods were (nearly?) all directly descended from Chaos.
Were they unique in this (having a shared ancestor deity, not too far up the family tree), or was it a common thing for a polytheistic pantheon?
DVK
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6
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1 answer
Why couldn't Cuchulainn yield to Ferdiad (or vice versa)?
Earlier in the Tain Bo Cuailnge, Fergus Mac Roich and Cuchulainn meet for single combat. At this time, Fergus makes an arrangement with Cuchulainn, that if Cuchulainn yeilds to him in their single combat, Fergus will yield when they meet in battle…
femtoRgon
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3 answers
Did ancient Egyptian gods have weapons like the Greek gods?
Did ancient Egyptian gods have weapons, like the Greek gods (Zeus's thunderbolt or Poseidon's trident, for example)? If so, who made them? I've never read anywhere where they had weapons.
user28
6
votes
1 answer
Were there ever any Kitsune considered to be Hero's or Protagonists of a story?
I'm trying to do some research into Kitsune's (and other fox spirits) but I am finding it difficult to find any named Kitsune apart from Tamamo-no-Mae whom has been shown to be quite villianous (although they may be considered a protagonist of their…
SentiCarter
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6
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2 answers
Eurydice's body
I've loved Orpheus' and Eurydice's myth for a couple of decades by now, but it never occurred to me to ask: what about her body?
Is there any hint that people in the classical period would have considered it a problem that a soul whose body was…
kenshin
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