Mythology midterm

What are the twelve parts of the heroic journey?

the 12 parts of the heroic journey are, ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting with the mentor, tests/allies/enemies, approach to the inmost cave, ordeal, reward, the road back, ressercution, return with the elixir.

How did ancient people use myths?

they would use them to explain questions like how the sun and moon came to be or anything that they could not answer themselves.

Carl Jung

Psychiatrist who believed that humans possess a universal collective unconscious revealed in the commonalities, or similarities, of our myths.

Identify the time period in which the warrior women covered in this unit lived and/or gained importance

Many of the woman lived in early time periods like in A.D. or lived in times like the 1600s-1700s, all in times where woman were deemed inferior to men.

Western zodiac

12 symbols that make a celestial coordinate system, or stat map. Each represents a Greek legend.

What are the seven hero archetypes?

7 hero archetypes are hero, mentor, threshold guardian, herald, shapeshifter, shadow, and trickster.

Mediators

A character that acts as a go-between for gods and humans.

Aesop's fables

A collection of short stories first told by a Greek slave named Aesop in the 6th century BC. He uses animals with human characteristics to teach a moral.

Cryptid

A creature that has not been identified by scientists. Its existence is based completely on anecdotal records and is most likely mythical in nature.

How is a cryptid a modern day animal legend?

A cryptid is a modern day animal legend because they are creatures we have never seen before and they show us how over generations people still tell stories of them because we do not know if they are real or not.

Amaonomachy

A genre of art that depicts the mythical Amazons.

Warrior

A literary archetype who protects and defends against all enemies.

Shapeshifting

A mythical figure that has the ability to change forms. Example, from god to animal.

Pyre

A pile of combustibles for burning a corpse as a funeral rite.

Folktales

A simpler story that is regional in nature. The characteristics of folk heroes are exaggerated as are their deeds.

Legend

A story about a human being that may be based in truth; a narrative that describes the actions of a person and usually teaches a lesson.

Myth

A story shared by a group of people that is part of the cultural identity of the group.

Theogenic myth

A story that attempts to explain the relationships between gods and creatures in a system of mythology.

Folktale

A story that reflects the culture from which it comes, and contains common, universal themes; this story does not have an identifiable author, but was passed down orally, then put into written form.

Fairy tale

A story that takes place "long ago and far away," usually involves royalty, and contains a conflict between good and evil in which good triumphs.

Narrative

A story told from the perspective of the main character.

Antagonist

A term used in literature to refer to the main character's opponent or nemesis.

Morality tale

A type of folktale whose purpose is to caution the reader about dangerous situations, or to teach the reader about a cultural taboo.

Archetype

A universal symbolic pattern.

Identify the warrior women covered in the unit and their actions

Amazons- Strong woman who did not like men who were strong fighters. Amazons of Dahomey- A female military group. Macha- Raced horses while pregnant. Morrigan- Prophetess of misfortunes of battle and knows fate of humanity. Badb- Caused confusion and fear among soldiers in battle. Boudica- Led a rebellion and Iceni tribe queen. Valkyries- Took dead soldiers to heaven.

Amazons of Dahomey

An all female military troop that originated as a group of elephant herders, but became a fierce militia.

Totems

An emblem that represents the origin of a clan or family. It is often representative of an animal.

Chinese zodiac

Based on a 12 year cycle calculated using the Chinese Lunar calendar. Each year is symbolized by an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

Boudica

Celtic queen of the Inceni tribe in ancient Britian, she led a rebellion against the Romans who occupied Britian during the first century A.D.

Describe the different types of myths.

Creation myths and Theogenic myths.

How do creation myths differ from nature myths?

Creation myths differ from nature myths by creation myths focusing more on how the earth came to be, with animals and gods, and how the death of a god or animal could help form the universe. Nature myths focus more on natural phenomena like how stars can move across the sky or why the sun would rise and then fall to reveal the moon, science could not be used to explain these things at the time, causing such myths.

What are the characteristics that make myths distinct from other literature?

Few characters, gods or people with supernatural powers, setting relates to culture some how, age beyond time, plot contains many conflicts and actions, and sometimes the main character may have obstacles.

Identify the characteristics of folklore, folktales, and fairy tales.

Folklore-proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs of the culture. Folktales-reflective of culture, can have fables which are talking animal stories. Fairy Tales-royalty, main character is tested, good wins over evil.

How are folktales and fairy tales related?

Folktales and fairy tales are related by both containing themes that can be universal and that have been passed down upon generations, just like how we still will tell our kids fairy tales today, and how many passed down folktales until someone had written them.

What is the difference between a folktale and a fairy tale?

Folktales are stories from which the culture they came and fairy tales are stories set long ago with things like royalty and princesses.

Explain why heroes are so important to understanding the universal psyche of humans.

Heroes are so important to understanding the psyche of humans because it helps us to understand the forces that speak to our souls. Heroes influence our thoughts, behaviors, and personality and with them we can become better people because we may want to be like our favorite superhero so that hero speaks to us and we become them in a way which makes us better since heroes are good people.

How did myths come to be?

How myths came to be is usually unknown or forgotten, but they are said to get their roots in religion and supernatural events.

Dualistic nature

In literature this refers to a character who fluctuates between two opposites like good and evil.

Creation myths

Stories that seek to explain how the universe was formed.

Nature myth

Stories that seek to explain natural phenomena that occur.

What are the four main ways that hero stories are presented in literature?

The 4 main ways hero stories are presented in literature are saga, epic, legend, and folk tale. These are all hero tales that are told in different ways depending on how the hero is being perceived and the way the story is told.

Where does the word myth come from?

The Greek root mythos which meant "speech" but evolved to "fable" or "legend"

How are hero stories presented in literature?

They are presented in narrative form, sagas, epics, legends, and folk tales.

Define what sets apart a hero from the rest of society.

They are special because they have characteristics others do not have and they always come in time of need.

Epic

A poem, sometimes in the form of a song, that tells the story of a hero's adventures.

Folklore

A term that encompasses a culture's oral traditions.

How are animals personified in myths and legends? What is one example of the symbolic nature of animals as portrayed in myths and legends?

Animals are personified in myths and legends to have human characteristics. An example of this could be an ant which is seen as diligent and hardworking as it works hard to make a home and gather food while also making sure to not die in the process.

How are animals portrayed in creation stories?

Animals are usually seen as the beginning of the earth or they are there from the start of the earth like in Adam and Eve.

Who are some historical warrior women?

Boudica, Amazons of Dahomey, and spartan women

Christopher Volger

Expanded on Campbell's idea of a monomyth. he identified seven common archetypes and twelve distinct stages in the hero's journey.

Hero

In literature, a person marked for greatness with exceptional qualities like bravery. The hero has often been given special powers or skills.

Who are some legendary characters?

King Arthur or Robin Hood

Valhalla

The Norse hall that housed the souls of those who had died in battle.

Erik the red

The Norsemen associated with the exploration of north America.

What are the characteristics of women warriors in mythology and folklore?

The Characteristics of women warriors are strength, a sense of justice, loyalty, goal-oriented, impatient, vengeance-seeking, self-righteousness, and tenacity. Women warriors have a strong set of honor in them that allows for them to be able to protect others and do what they deem is right.

What are the characteristics of fables?

The characteristics of fables are to help show a moral that can be illustrated through an animal, sometimes one that can talk and the author can show how morals fit in, usually near the end.

Mythology

The collection of such stories that form a system based in a particular culture or society.

What are the differences between historical and legendary warrior women?

The differences are historical woman had to rise to become strong and would fight using their fists or weapons, no supernatural help. Legendary woman had supernatural powers and often would not fight, but would instead cause confusion or bring peace to people, especially among solders.

What key roles do animals play in legends and mythology? Choose one to describe in detail.

The key roles animals play are being the antagonist or the faithful companion. When an animal is a faithful companion they help their masters on their journey, either being if they are just there to entertain or to help them fight or to just protect them. These faithful companions stay true to their owners until the end and usually bring them comfort.

How did the mythical Amazons demonstrate their hatred of men?

The mythical Amazons demonstrated their hatred for men by never having sexual relations for them, except for once a year. If they got pregnant by the men and the child came out a male it would be left to die, killed, or given to the father showing their hatred for them. The women would also sometimes not kill all the men in battle because they would enslave them instead.

Joseph Campbell

The mythologist who coined the term monomyth after analyzing myths and lore from around the world and finding a universal storyline.

Aurora Borealis

The northern lights; said to be created by the armor of Freya and the Valkyries as they rode on their missions.

In Celtic mythology, what was the purpose of the warrior-goddess Morrigan?

The purpose of the warrior-goddess Morrigan was to show the misfortune of battles as she knew the fate of humanity. She would appear to warriors who were destined to die and she was seen as a symbol of death, as if you saw her then you were destined to die.

What purposes did myths serve to ancient peoples?

The purposes myths serve to ancient people were they helped give interest to people, especially since many are set in a time before the earth is even created and shows how these people or gods had overcome their obstacles, and it gives plenty of action for people to enjoy. These myths were valued as they hold traditions, beliefs, and customs that were in their existing society.

Hero's journey

The quest a hero must take. It is circular in nature, and he begins and ends his journey in his own world. There are twelve distinct stages.

What was the role of Valkyries in Norse mythology?

The role of Valkyries in Norse mythology was to determine the winners of battles and wars. Valkyries would do work for Odin by going down and choosing the souls of dead warriors to bring to up. Many saw it as an honor to be chosen, and it was believed if you saw her while alive then you were destined to die in the battle.

What are the similarities between historical and legendary warrior women?

The similarities are they are all strong woman who fought for there place and proved men wrong time and time again.

What types of works make up the literary genre of folklore?

The types of works that make up the literary genre of folklore are legends, folktales (fables), and fairytales. Legends more telling of mortal people and the actions they make. Fables telling of an animal who can usually talk and helps show a moral story. Lastly, fairytales which tell of the main character dealing with a problem, but then getting help to solve it.

Monomyth

The universal hero myth that speaks to humankind.

What is the cultural and historical importance of heroes?

They help us to understand the psyche of the culture, where they originated, and the universalism of human psyche which influence our thoughts, behaviors, and personality.

Identify types of hero and heroine stories.

Thor, Wonder Woman, Aladdin, King Arthur, etc.

What are three of the universal characteristics of a hero based on what you have learned in this unit?

Three universal characteristics of a hero are they are often noble or linked to the gods, when a hero is born there is almost always danger right away, heroes are separate from people in different ways even though they live among them they may present different qualities like killing a mighty animal at a young age, or doing things most children cannot.

What are the three ways shapeshifters transform?

Three ways shapeshifters transform are animal to human, human to animal, and god to animal.

Identify the purpose of myths.

To answer questions that children ask and to explain the traditional customs, beliefs, and values of an existing society.

Who are some legendary warrior women?

Valkyries, Macha, Morrigan, and Badb

The strength and fierce attributes of warrior women in mythology and folklore had an effect on the societies of the ancient Greeks, Norse, and Celts. In fact, Viking women (the historical counterparts of the Norse mythological figures) were even allowed to divorce their husbands under certain circumstances. What were these circumstances?

Viking women could divorce their husbands under the circumstances if her or her children were mistreated by him, if he was not a good provider for their family, or if he brought insult to their family.

Valkyries

Warrior goddesses in Norse legend.

What transformation stories exist around the globe?

Werewolves, skin-walkers, spirit fox, selkies, and boto dolphin.

Do we have modern-day myths and legends involving animals?

Yes, they are usually called cryptids which are creatures that have never been seen as real, but are believed to be out there like Bigfoot, Yeti's, and the Lockness monster.