Religion and mythology

The Bird Around Your Neck (A Discussion on the Themes of Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner) Everywhere you look, there’s shows, movies, and books that center on the supernatural. “Paranormal and supernatural entertainment has gained significant traction in recent years as it offers a unique opportunity for us to escape our daily lives” (Parmar). The public is transfixed by the idea of the unexplainable, the frightening, and the mysterious. Where does this fascination stem from? For…

Looking at Creation Myths The creation myths of the Norse and Aztecs specifically contain large similarities. The most significant one is the idea that the world was made through the killing of a giant creature. According to Norse mythology there were three creator gods, brothers Odin, Vili, and Ve. The brothers decided to kill the evil giant Ymir and from his body create the world. Once dead, his flesh became the earth, his teeth and bones became rocks, his blood became rivers and oceans, his…

In the past there was no knowledge of what natural gas is, it was a mystery to man. Occasionally, gas would escaping from under the earth’s crust and when a lightning strike reached the gas, it would ignite the natural gas, creating a fire (Natural Gas.org). This was puzzling to early civilizations, which lead to myths and superstitions (Natural Gas.org). In ancient Greece on Mount Parnassus around 1000 B.C., a goat herdsman stumbled across a “burning spring” rising from a fissure in a rock…

When I was two years old, I informed my mother that, in my expert opinion, there was probably an Ankylosaurus in our backyard, and I needed to use one of our spare toothbrushes to excavate it. 14 years later, when a friend was unsure if I was concussed, she didn’t ask my name, but what I wanted to study when I grew up, because how quickly I answered, “avian paleobiology and the evolution of flight in theropods” was their best measure of my potential memory loss. All my life I have wanted to…

The movement of tricking is defined as the combination of martial arts, break-dancing and gymnastics, but to the tricking legend Michael Guthrie, the meaning runs far deeper. “Tricking is a lifestyle, once you're in it, you're committed. You cant just back out.”, Mike states. “No matter what, you're probably involved with some other trickers.” To Mike, tricking sucks you in. It becomes your life, and you can't stop thinking about it. Michael's 23 years old, short in stature, and a marvel to…

In the modern period, with the growing influence on rationale views of the world the term myth has come to represent stories that are false more and more as years pass. Myth storytellers both past and present, on the other hand have assumed reality is to complex to grasp, so they have begun to rely on stories to provide at least a glimpse on complexity. Folklore, Courtly, and bourgeois are all closely related in the mythic world. All three originate in ancient myths. Each one of them have…

can find peace if they just wanted it. He wants to get across the beauty of it and by expressing his need to be a mythological creature, he succeeds. He also includes himself in the category of those not moved by nature so that his expression of mythology reflects a desire for a nature which only a mythological creature would represent Williams Wordsworth sonnet has a straight forward message that the beauty of nature is taken for granted. He points out the flaws and frustration against…

Throughout history we have seen many different hero stories and how the hero of the story changes. Joseph Campbell's “The Hero’s Journey” describes all the steps of the hero’s journey, from being an ordinary person, to the call for adventure, to the tests all the way to where the protagonist has changed hopefully for the best and has returned home. These stages are important for combination myths, like what Linda Seger talked about in her article “Creating the Myth”. In her article she talks…

A man called Michael Shermer once said, “Myths are stories that express meaning, morality, or motivation. Whether they are true or not is irrelevant.” The Alaska native cultural myths that I will be referencing are “The Mink Boy” which is an Alutiiq myth, “Salmon Girl” which is an Athabascan myth, “Sleeping Lady” which is an Athabascan myth, “The Eye of the Needle” which is a Yup’ik myth, “Keet” which is a Tlingit myth, and the Yup’ik origin myth. Many Alaskan native cultural groups share some…

Doom of the Sirens The Ringling museum is a very historically admired place to go. Not only were the Ringling brothers huge into the circus, which in fact were very successful, but they also had a strong passion for art. This museum was once John and Mable Ringling’s home, but unfortunately, the two passed away shortly after the mansion was built so it is now open to the public to show off some of the greatest pieces of artwork. The Museum is located in Sarasota, Florida and has three main…