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What happened to Metis after the birth of Athena?
Zeus swallowed Metis to prevent the prophecy of her future son overthrowing him from being fulfilled, but she was already pregnant, and later her daughter Athena sprang from Zeus' head. What happened to Metis herself when this happened?
Mr. Bultitude
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Why was Medusa's hair made of snakes?
Medusa was a mythical creature that could turn all living beings into stone. However why was her hair made into snakes? Was it Medusa's eyes that turned people or the snakes'?
Young Guilo
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How did the Wondjina travel in the Dreamtime?
During the Dreamtime, the Wondjina (or Wandjina) are said to have come to Earth and created the landscape.
How did they travel? Were they able to move independently or did they ride on some other creature?
Chenmunka
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Was Zeus a compilation of gods?
Zeus is a complex character; although he is chief among gods, with many noble qualities, he is also deeply flawed. Among various sites on the internet 1 2 3 4, there's this passage which suggests that he is a compilation of various supreme…
congusbongus
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Who is god El in Legend of Keret?
In Legend of Keret we can read that:
King Keret of Hubur (or Khuburu), despite being reputed to be a son of the great god El himself.
To which El god this legend refers to?
Could be the same El as in the Bible?
kenorb
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What did the Labyrinth look like?
Did the Labyrinth have concentric circular walls with passages blocked by radials or it did it have rectangular lines? Or do we simply not know?
kenorb
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Greek/Latin mythology with two brothers who die as reward for hard labor
I have heard this particular greek/latin myth in school but I can't quite recall what it was called. Can you perhaps help me find it.
So as far as I can recall the myth went as follows:
Two brothers had to plow a field because the ox didn't want…
Benedikt Bünz
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What was the definitive reason behind Sisyphus punishment?
Sisyphus punishment, to roll a rock on top of a moutain forever, is said to have been given because of his trickery with Thanatos.
However, it seems that the reason behind this punishment was not explicitely stated : French Wikipedia states on the…
Docteur
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Was Hermes originally mortal?
In Greek mythology the story of the birth of the god Hermes makes it sound as if he was originally mortal and that he somehow managed to bribe his way into becoming the twelfth [i.e. the last] of the Twelve Olympians, after appeasing his…
Adinkra
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Is the Kraken a single being or a species?
In Norse mythology, the Kraken is said to be a gigantic octopus (or sometimes a squid) that attack sailing ships. It is said that the Kraken would surface at Ragnarök.
So far, I haven't found any articles stating that the Kraken is a single entity.…
Ero Sɘnnin
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Importance of Dionysos/Bacchus in Orphism
How did Dionysus/Bacchus become the central figure of Orphism, given the relatively modest importance he has in classical Greek and Roman mythology?
From a semi-god of Wine in the latter, he becomes in the former the central character of a…
plannapus
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Why is the Serpent the most common motif as the creator in indigenous Australian cultures?
Related to the question How long ago was the Dreaming?, according to the Wikipedia Rainbow Serpent page, the Rainbow Serpent is an integral part of many indigenous Australian cultures, and specifically
The most common motif in Rainbow Serpent…
user124
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How is the Hoddmímis holt able to protect humans from Ragnarök?
In Norse mythology, Líf and Lífþrasir are supposed to survive Ragnarök and repopulate the world by hiding in Hoddmímis holt. How is it that Hoddmímis holt is able to survive the destruction of the world and even shelter Lif and Lífþrasir? And is…
Semaphore
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In Ho-Chunk mythos, how was the world created?
I'm interested in creation stories from various cultures. I find it interesting to see similarities and differences between various "origin of man" and "origin of the world" accounts.
The Ho-Chunk Nation is very visible in the area where I live,…
David Stratton
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What do we know about the beliefs of the people of modern India before Hinduism and how much did that affect modern Hinduism?
Hinduism is a very ancient religion and has predominated the area of modern India for millennia. It's a complex religion with a very large pantheon that doesn't seem to be strictly regulated by any "official" body. In fact, I have heard that there…
user93