The Male Divine.

My group presented on the Male Divine. I didn’t know much about Male Divines until this assignment. When I thought about who would be considered a Male Divine, I thought of the god Zeus from Greek Mythology. Come to find out, yes, Zeus is in fact a Male Divine. My contribution to the group was to describe and identify Lords of Destruction and the Underworld. I learned many interesting things I never knew. For instance, myths may contradict themselves but they do so intentionally to suggest near universal truths that life, decay, death, and renewal of life follow each other in a never-ending cycle. I’ve thought of this cycle of life before, but I never knew that myths revealed it in this way. Something interesting that someone might not know about Lords of Destruction and the Underworld is that they represent or are held responsible for the things humans fear most like: death, disease, misfortune, and supernatural malevolence. This assignment definitely whet my interest in mythology!

Myth & Knowing.

When we talked about myths, I wasn’t sure what exactly to think. The first thing that came to mind were Native American Indians. Yet, I knew they weren’t the only people with myths, but what exactly counts as a myth? Myths are told worldwide and most are told orally because they were uttered way back when. Every culture has their own myths and some are universal but interpreted in variations. Myths hold universal truths that tell us where we came from, where we will be going, what we should do or not do, and how we should act morally and ethically. What I like most about myths is that they all have a message or a moral. It’s amazing to think that these myths were told hundreds or even thousands of years ago and they are most likely responsible for shaping people’s minds, hearts, and lives. It might seem elementary, but when asked to think of a myth I thought of a Simpson’s episode. In this episode, after eating the hottest chili pepper at the chili cook-off, Homer experiences: separation, initiation, and return with the help of a fox as his guide. This is the best video I could find... enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2djtizM42PM