Mythology obsession

[Adora]

Is there anyone else who is into mythology?, I'm getting back into Greek mythology along with some Norse and eqyptian but which mythology do you like best and do you have any favourite gods,heroes or mythical animals?

 

[AGXStarseed]

Is there anyone else who is into mythology?, I'm getting back into Greek mythology along with some Norse and eqyptian but which mythology do you like best and do you have any favourite gods,heroes or mythical animals?

I've enjoyed reading various mythologies, although some have stuck more then others.
One of the mythologies I particularly remember is Philippine Mythology, which has more then its fair share of weird and wacky creatures like vampires who split in half at the waist (Manananggals), anthropomorphic horses (Tikbalangs), demons who disguise themselves as human babies (Tiyanaks), tree spirits who smoke cigars (Kapres), etc.

The following is a trailer for a Philippine animated movie, which features many of these creatures (most notably a vegetarian manananggal called Anna) and was pretty well received. What's more, Lea Salonga (who did the singing voices for Mulan in Mulan and Jasmine in Aladdin) did the theme song for the film, although in the English Dub the song was sung by Mia Reyes.
It's in Filipino, and sadly there's no subtitles.

 

[Astroganga]

I used to be quite into reading about the Anglo-Saxon-jute mythology and the Norse mythology and there is quite a bit of crossover within both. I was particularly interested in how they influenced modern English names and other words as well as local myths and legends and superstitions. For example in the North of England there is a surname 'Thorkill' which means the sacrificial cauldron of Thor. It is a name found in various similar forms in the Scandinavian countries too.

 

[Judge]

You have to wonder in general about stories, folklore and history that somehow manages to stand the test of time. The older the story, the more interesting it is that it is still thought of even today.

Accident? Coincidence? Or something else? Hmmmmmmmm.

 

[Astroganga]

On a side note the word in Danish for history and a fictional story are the same....just found that interesting

 

[AGXStarseed]

The video game Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War had a lot of references to the Bible, Norse Mythology and the Arthurian Legends.

See here: http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Ace_Combat_Zero:_The_Belkan_War#Cultural_references

 

[ancusmitis]

On a side note the word in Danish for history and a fictional story are the same....just found that interesting

That seems to be true across much of Europe. Historia in Spanish, histoire in French, Geschichte in German.

 

[qwerty]

yes, i LOVE myth, legend, folklore, symbols, archetypes etc....
i am a bit obsessed with inspired stories, from cave painting
to modern literary fiction.
anything with a dreamlike narrative.
the images and story feel like a separate language to the
actual literal narrative, like i am simultaneously experiencing
a moment of communion where the conscious and unconscious
aspects of mind are in harmony.

 

[MissyMoo]

I love the myth of Hercules! But, to be honest none stand out. I could spend forever reading or watching documentaries about mythology

 

[biblophile]

I like Celtic mythology, but I find most of it very interesting. I read Joseph Campbell's books in school and found it absolutely fascinating.

 

[Jorg]

I got really interested in Norse mythology after listening to Amon Amarth, I downloaded and bought some books and as you can see my profile picture is something related

 

[Silverwhistle]

Yes! When I was 4 or 5, I got a couple of illustrated story books of Greek and Persian myths and legends for Yule. I was also heavily into Arthurian, Celtic and Norse mythology. As a result, the compulsory Middle-Eastern mono-god stuff at school didn't really stick... By my teens, I was reading Frazer, Campbell and Jung. I used to get into arguments with the RE teacher at school.
I think, in terms of psychology, it's been very helpful. I have a range of symbolic vocabularies to use to articulate ideas and emotions. I also have a clear demarcation line between the inner, imaginative world of myth and fiction and the external 'real' world. I am not at all happy with belief systems that try to make real-world truth claims for their mythologies: to me, that's both bad history (often violating basic scientific laws) and bad mythology (trying to pin universal story types to once-and-once-ony allegedly-real events/characters).
The Greeks matter a lot to me: for me it's the idea of the katabasis. I always loved Persephone (I used to correct my mother mangling her name to make it rhyme with telephone) and Orpheos. The descent and return: to me, it's what I do as a historian – spend some time in the world of the dead, and then return to tell their stories. And it's also about going down into the Unconscious and retrieving its riches... One of my greatest heroes, the Emperor Julian II 'the Philosopher', was an initiate of the Eleusinian mysteries.