Blake's Mythology Blog

Machu Picchu, of the ancient Incas  Source I have already pretty much decided that I want to do my project on Lewis Spence's Mythology of Ancient Mexico and Peru , focusing only on the myths of Peru.  This is because I spent two years living there, and although I did learn some myths while I was there, there were clearly many more that I needed to learn.  Just a basic perusal of the chapters sparked my interest in the many rituals and sacrifices that they made to the sun god as well as their similarities to Mexican ancient rites. Another interesting topic is that of the mythologies of ancient britain, specifically Beowulf .  I loved the story of his fights with the monsters and dragons when I was younger, and his ideas about honor and leadership.  It would be interesting to really reread this ancient epic with a more modern and mature outlook, which would be good fun for a project. The myths of the Native Americans have also interested me, particularly of...

There was once a majestic lion who had fallen madly in love with a beautiful human maiden.  The lion was strong and brave, but not nearly as sharp as his claws or teeth.  Even so, he desired greatly to marry this young woman with whom he was so smitten and so went to ask for her hand in marriage. Upon seeing the ferocious beast, the young maiden’s mother nearly collapsed of fright, but her father, being a more shrewd and careful man stood his ground and demanded a single condition of the lion. The Maiden and the Lion “If you are to marry my daughter,” he began, “I cannot bear the thought that some harm my come to her from you, even by accident.”  Although the lion began to protest that he was a very careful beast, her father presented his plan.  “If you will agree to be defanged and declawed, I shall know that my daughter is safe and that you may wed.” This shocked the lion, and even sent a shiver of fear down his otherwise courageous back.  Bei...

I particularly liked the stories of the tricksters as well, like many people I find satisfaction in seeing the results of someone else's cleverness.  The main story of tricksters, about the Jackal, the Brahman and the tiger was quite entertaining, but it was not the only story dedicated to tricking someone.  In Aesop's fables, the lion is often representative of strength, but not necessarily cleverness.   In one of the tales , the poor lion is defanged and declawed out of love, but it was merely a trick to reduce his great strength to nothingness.  Although it may be cruel, it is a worthy lesson to remember. Source:  Wikimedia

Beowulf fighting the dragon For my readings I want to strike a balance between myths that I am already familiar with and with stories that I have never heard before.  I am pretty familiar with Greek and Roman myths, but am almost completely unaware of the mythologies of Africa .  I thought that it would be interesting to find a balance between traditional western and eastern mythologies, so I am looking forward to rereading Beowulf (which I read and loved in 9th grade).  Another one that caught my eye were some of the stories of Alaska , in fact I couldn't help myself from reading the first story as I was browsing the modules.  I am looking forward to getting reacquainted with some already familiar stories while immersing myself into entirely new material at the same time.