OK I’ve been a big fan of various mythological whatnot for a long time. I love the fantastic idea that someday I’m going to happen upon some diminutive creature that is going to take me to some other world to meet other amazing creatures. This stems from a rich and nurtured imagination and the more mature desire to understand why people believe what they believe.
For centuries myths of all types have circulated across the globe and I think that they are actually truthful. At least they are rooted in some sort of truth. I’ve linked a story which is from a Ripley’s Believe it Or Not episode about a boy born with a “tail”. They them selves make a comparison to a Hindu god many worship.
Have you guys ever studied such myths and considered their origins? More so, have any of you done side research to find such abnormal human examples of modern explainable situations that could have been predecessor’s that years later could have had a mythology developed around it.
There are children born with one eye or no eyes: Cyclopes, multi-headed humans and animals like Cerberus the mythic dog guarding the gates of Hades, tailed children, reflecting Hindu gods. Autism and savants who have complete and total recall of a situation or prodigy like traits.
It’s strange to consider that some time ago if such a child were to survive they could be deified where in modern times they would have been in a freak show or medical mystery.
14 comments:
Youd like talking to Thomas, at AP... this guy still beleives dinosaurs roam the earth somewhere... in fact, he kind of beleives in dragons too... before you label him as a freak (he cant be, we went to the same high school) understand that as he was explaining his "whys" on the subject, it became more and more beleiveable.
He convinced me that dinosaurs, some, somewhere, are still with us... not some Loch Ness crap, but real good stuff... He is like Mullins in that he dreams of finding them one day, very childlike in a way.
Ill see if I cant get hinm to do a guest blog piece....
I do want to visit a hobbit hole sometime.
In Flintstone Georgia (30 minutes from Chattanooga) I had a friend who lived there who talked about "goon goons" which are ape-like/humaniod creatures. Of course, he and his sister (who was VERY hot and I chased her 7 years in shcool and only managed to get a peck on the lips) told stories of UFOs and one chasing them... then of course his friend busted into his house one time, out of breath, eyes wide and explaimed to him "Tell me... do you beleive in dragons???"
I think Rocky was just a really good story teller... but the legend of Goon Goons live on.
Very cool. I’d love to meet the guy. This world is a big place and there is no way that any one person can know all the things that are creeping and crawling around. I’d read stories about modern dinos in south America and even some hollow earth theories and their collections of critters that are if nothing else wonderful myths. Invite ol Thomas to the blog. Since Chuck hates us now (why has thoust forsaken us) I’d love to have an educated type to argue with. Jamison, you and Sipper are great for throwing out BCV but someone who does it for a living might be cool.
I saw a great cartoon short the other day that started with a guy and girl Cyclops couple running through the woods with suitcases. As they came to the clearing they stood in the rain watching Noah’s Ark start to sail away. Behind them there showed up, each in pair, a unicorn, centaur, Big foot and some other creatures. They all stood in the rain cursing that they had just missed the boat.
love the cartoon...
Sorry, I've been in Pensacola for the last two days.
This is cool. I'm not so sure about dinos and dragons still being around, but who knows?
It's funny because we talked about stuff like this in Christian Evidences and it makes sense that we would need to be exposed to things in the past to know how to related stories about them.
That's one of the reasons I believe so strongly in God.
The Ontological argument pretty much says, "God must exist because man can only conceive an idea of someone/something he's had contact with. Man can conceiev an idea and amazing and prfect as God, so God must have made contact with man at some time. So, there must be a God!"
Of course, someone might use the same argument to say there must be aliens, but aliens aren't God and people, angels, etc. could have been miscontrued as aliens through the ages. Just consider what Ezekiel saw!
Anyway, fun topic!
sip, why didnt you remind me that you were going to be out of town? We could have checked on your wife... we wondered when we saw neither of you at church last night
Sorry, man. I thought I had told you that Sunday.
Oh well, it all went well. But, when I got home yesterday, she and Luke were both sick with colds.
Fortunately, Vicki (Rachel's mom for those who know her not) came over yesterday before I got home and brought medicine and cooked supper for us!
I love my mother-in-law. Sorry, man. I should have shot you an email before I left or something.
I'll see you for music this eve!
There was a show that documented the history of an object from its simplest source to its ultra modern existence today.
Man watches bird, says he want to fly. Eventually develops a glider, considers how to go further. Develops a way to push air and capture its force not unlike using a sail and develops a prop. Prop works, develops way to power prop beyond just air, motion and human power. Engine attached at prop creates thrust. More power wanted. Engine is modified into turbine, turbine continues to evolve along with the craft resulting in every make and manner of aircraft imaginable all stemming from that one bird ages ago.
The funny thing is that all those organic critters which first thrust the idea of flight into creative minds are still the catalysts of modern flight engineering.
It’s hard and sort of fun to try and test your mind to think of something that doesn’t have a simple evolution that hails from some natural mechanism. Computers were developed to think and perform for humans so we wouldn’t have to. Engines came from observing the function of wind and steam.
A group of doctors call a meeting with God to say that they can do anything he can do basically voiding any further reliance on such an antiquated idea. God ponders this and tells them that he’ll bow out if they can create a person from a mound of dirt as he did once upon a time. The doctors conferred quickly between the micro-geneticists, evolutionary theorists and biological think tanks and many others and delivered their response. As a gray haired professor walked in carrying a pile of dirt the spokesman begins, “Fine, we’ll accept you challenge using this dirt.”
God leaned forward and took the dirt for the man and plainly states, “Make your own dirt.”
Well the whole autistic/idiot savant thing is true. Garner talks about this with his whole theory of multiple intelligences (I'm a big fan). It's basically that someone with a deficiency in one area will make up for it in another. Sort of like how Beethoven was deaf and because of that has extremely high musical intelligence. Other than that, yeah, I often wonder, expecially about ancient Greek gods. I think they were real people that were really awesome and the Greek people turned them into gods/
Beethoven went deaf late in life. But, he did write his famous Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy) while nearly deaf.
I think the Greeks stole storie from the Jews. Hercules is very close to Samson. Other Biblical stories seem to make their way into other cultures as well. Consider the "Epic of Gilgamesh" and the Biblical flood.
We write what we know. Humans make stuff, God is who Creates.
i have no idea why, but I never considered why the Greeks had so many gods...
I guess Di is right, must have been people that existed way back when, and like Sip said, some were stolen from the Bible...
I do imagine some folks back then performed amazing physical and mental feats.
People probably saw things done in battle under the influence of adrenaline that looked amazing. I've been reading the Iliad.
Most of what Homer talks about is the battle and what different people do during the battle. The things they do seem "normal" but also seem amazing. So, I can see how physical prowess and good fortune during battle could make one believe in the gods.
How is Hercules close to Samson? Because they were both strong?
I love Greek myths. Especially ones about goddesses. They were all so facinating.
Di, you realize your namesake don’t you. Diana is the goddess of the hunt and paralleled by Athena in ancient mythology.
I can’t recall the mythologies completely but it falls on the fact that they were both really strong and heroes on an epic scale.
If you want a real mind bender (prospective) consider the Epic of Gilgamesh. This story written on clay tablets around 1200BC covers many topics mirrored through Biblical texts including, history of the universe, a great flood, enlightenment, death, meaning of life not the witty song riddled one, mans spiritual nature, courage and the duality of mans nature.
Aztecs have their own interstellar comic creation story all which seem to predate and parallel Biblical accounts.
History is an amazing monster. The legend can be overwhelming. The facts can be terrifying and mysterious. It could always jus be a fluffy sweater in the closet on one persons imagination.
Stories have their ways of making the circle of the globe.
Consider today's urban myths. They are the same just about everywhere you go.
Back in ancient times, nomadic people such as the Israelites, spread stories across the known world. With the one true God to back them up, these stories spread.
If you were a survivor of the Ten Plagues, you'd know the power of God and would pass it down somehow. You might even misconstrue it and mix the story up a bit.
All I'm saying is that history is not an exact science. Legends spread and are picked up for use by many cultures. The circle the globe and gain power.
While the Greek culture probably had some original stuff, they mixed in more ancient, traditional stories from Israelite, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Persian stories than anything.
It was common back then to do this since the power of a conquered culture was found in their stories. Make a story for every God of every culture and you have the masses. That's one reason the Jews abhored the Greek gods. They had no god to match the true God.
Side story: The Ten Plagues were all targeted by the true God against Egypt's false gods. Darkness foiled the Sun god, Frogs foiled the frog god, the Nile turning to blood foiled the god of the Nile, etc.
It was God's way of saying, "Hey, these little gods you've made for yourselves are nothing. I am in control here!"
Anyway, it's interesting to look at it all and much fun!
Post a Comment