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1500 questions
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Were any Buddhist narratives ever folded into the myths of the Greeks, or vice versa?
The cultural exchange between the Greeks (under Alexander, at first) and the Buddhists of northwestern India is known to have had impacts on both parties. I'm aware of some theological influences, at least, in that some features of Mahayana (e.g.…
senshin
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How long ago was the Dreaming?
The Dreaming, or dreamtime, is the Australian Aboriginal term for the pre-creation formless world, which was then given form by various deities including the rainbow serpent.
How long ago was the dreaming supposed to be? If there are great…
congusbongus
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22
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What is the difference between Hecate, Selene, Artemis, and Phoebe?
I always thought that Artemis was the Goddess of the Moon (and Hunting, stags, etc.)... until I thought about how there's Helios/Apollo which caused me to learn about Selene. But further research revealed yet another Moon goddess - Hecate, who is…
durron597
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22
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What did Mimir do with Odin's eye?
Odin is known to be one-eyed because of a trade between Mimir and Odin. When Odin asked Mimir for some water in the well, Mimir declined him of giving any water unless Odin gave him an eye. Surprisingly, Odin took one of his eyes out and gave it to…
Anthony Pham
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22
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What is the significance of this part in the myth of the resurrection of Osiris?
After Osiris is tricked and killed by Seth he is dismembered, and it is up to his wife Isis to recover all the pieces and bring him back to life. There is something that always caught my attention about the way she does this, since there is a piece…
Kreann
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22
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What was the plant that Gilgamesh found after Utnapishtim's story?
I'm assuming that the Gilgamesh myth is fairly distinct from the Mesoamerican Fountain of Youth and the Hindu Soma, but are there any corroborating myths or other research into the details of the plant in Gilgamesh?
The myth itself has the plant…
luser droog
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Is there a connection between Adam and Eve, and Ask and Embla?
The creation myths of the Abrahamic religions declares humanity's protoplasts to be Adam and Eve. Norse lore declares them to be Ask and Embla.
Linguistically, these seem to be fairly similar names. Is there actually a connection there, or is it…
durron597
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What did Danae want?
It's well known the story of Acrisius and Danae; Acrisius wants male children, and the oracle says he won't have any, but he'll have a grandson who kills him. So he locks Danae up in a prison, and Zeus impregnates her with a golden shower.…
durron597
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What happened to Medusa's sisters?
It is fairly well known that Medusa, the snake-headed Gorgon, had two sisters, Stheno and Euryale.
While the story of Medusa is concluded when Perseus beheads her, in modern retellings and versions, we don't hear about her sisters. What happens to…
Luna
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Why do some Asian dragons have fur (or hair)?
In the west, we tend to think outside dragons as purely reptilian in nature - in other words, all scales, no fur - but many Asian representations of dragons show them with substantial amounts of fur (or hair).
Scaly Western Dragon
Furry…
Wad Cheber
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22
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Where can I find the earliest literary compendium for the Greek Pantheon?
I know that much of Greek mythology was passed on by word of mouth but someone must have been the first to collect this in one source. What was that Compendium and is there a version available in modern English?
Chad
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21
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Who invented writing, or who taught writing to the mortals, according to Greek myths?
There are legends in several mythologies about who invented writing, or a particular writing system (script). For example, the futhark runes used to write Norse were invented by the god Odin, and there is a legend recounting how the humans came to…
Matt Cloudy-grid
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21
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Where does the story of selling one's soul to the devil first occur in Christian myth?
Many people have been said to have soul their soul to Satan. Musicians such as Robert Johnson and Niccolò Paganini are said to have sold their soul for their musical virtuosity. Faust provides another obvious example, as well as historic witch…
femtoRgon
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21
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Who gave Hermes his winged shoes?
Many tools and weapons were given to the gods as gifts in order to perform their daily tasks. However there is no mention about how Hermes got his fabled shoes. So were they crafted or given as a gift? How did Hermes get his winged shoes?
Young Guilo
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21
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What is the importance of the number seven in mythology and religion?
Similar question
Why is 12 such a holy number?
7 is one of the most important number in history. It would be hard to ignore :
The seven days of the week
The seven deadly sins
The lucky 7
The seven wise men of Greece
Why is 7 such an important…
Docteur
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