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Are there any surviving depictions/descriptions of Geryon?
One of the stranger monsters mentioned in the twelve tasks of Hercules, Geryon is described, in all the source material I've seen as having three bodies. I've always had a little trouble picturing such a being; the only material I've found with more…
drnkininLA
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Was Helen of Troy in Egypt during the war?
In the myth of Helen of Troy, there has been noted a story from Egyptian mythology of Helen coming to Egypt and staying there, her double being sent on to be imprisoned and have a war fought over. Does anyone know of any other mentions or references…
kashalha
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Marine Human Hybrids
One of the most popular types of creatures in mythology are marine humanoids. We have the mers--part human, part fish--the cecaeliae--part human, part cephalopod--and the selkies, part human, part seal.
Are there other human/marine-animal hybrids…
JohnWDailey
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What changed in Greek culture to allow Herophilos to perform human dissections
This is a follow-up to this question: Why was dissection taboo in Greek antiquity?
With such strong taboos against it (addressed in the above question), how was Herophilos able to perform systematic, scientific dissections of human cadavers? What…
femtoRgon
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How were the Welsh Triads used by the Welsh?
There have been a few questions about the meaning of various welsh triads on this site. However, I'm curious about how these triads were used by the Welsh. Were the triads similar to a collection of proverbs that would be referenced in daily life?…
user62
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Quote on Romulus and Theseus from André Gide in Les Nouvelles Nourritures
In his book Les nouvelles nourritures, André Gide wrote:
N'ai je pas lu ce matin dans Plutarque, au seuil des Vies de Romulus et de Thésée, que ces deux grands fondateurs de cités, pour être nés "secrètement et d'une union clandestine" ont passé…
reddit_10
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What is the origin of Krampus?
In 2 of the games I play, there is
In Drive Ahead, a mini-boss is Krampus on a mission for Christmas.
In Terraria, during the Frost Moon, Krampus spawns.
It obviously has some Christmas roots, as he is the opposite of Santa. There seems to be a…
bleh
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Why does Indian mythology not have humongous beasts like that of Chinese dragon?
This is a question out of curiosity. I noticed that Indian culture and Chinese culture very near by proximity, but there has been no sign of any dragon in the Indian culture.
SoundStage
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What does this ear stud show in Chinese Mythology?
Does someone know what this ear stud shows?
Because of the Yin/Yang symbol it should be chinese - so no Yōkai.
Could it be a Yaoguai? A Huli jing?
I have absolutely no idea but I just want to know it so badly!
EDIT: I've heard another idea: Could…
Aspergirl89
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What was the symbolism behind Tantalus's punishment?
Tantalus, who was a bad person, was sent to the fields of punishment.
He stood in a pool, with a fruit tree above him, but the food and drink would always go away from him when he tried to eat it.
So what was symbolized of this punishment, to…
bleh
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Did ancient myths center on deities because individualism was not valued?
Are there any books/essays/discussions about the idea that ancient cultures didn't value individualism (for a variety of reasons) like we do today, and so poetry, literature, and art were primarily about celebrating deities or deities interacting…
Jesse Johnson
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Battle between the Sun and the Moon forces?
I remember reading about a mythic battle between the forces of the moon and the sun. Not conflicts between Sun and Moon, but a war between armies of the sun and of the moon.
One of them, the sun possibly, won.
The myth might have been from India,…
Reed -SE is a Fish on Dry Land
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Which creatures from Grimms' tales come directly from German myth?
Trying to determine which creatures in the stories are based on German myth (i.e. things people actually believed in), and which were characters in cautionary tales or stories made up for entertainment (i.e. not believed in). I figured it would be…
user
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Are there any universal creatures in all of the myth systems?
When reading the Egyptian myths I was struck by their similarity to Greek myths.
This lead me to wonder whether any non human creature (so no ghosts, giants or dwarfs) appears universally or nearly universally across many cultures myths.
Bellerophon
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Roughly, where was Ogygia?
There was an island, called Ogygia. Apparently, It was an island where Calypso was cursed to stay on forever, because she supported her father, Atlas, in the Titan war.
Roughly, where is it?
bleh
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