Underworld

In the tropics of Mesoamerica, the Mayan empire thrived from 300 CE to 900 CE (History.com). The Mayans made exceptional advances in astronomy, mathematics, and agriculture. The Temple of Inscriptions is a critical aspect of Mayan history because of its origin, discovery, and the meaning of it. The origin of the temple was important because they used glyphs and recorded their cultures for future generations to see. The discovery was significant because it led to many realizations to the world of…

Throughout time the world has been introduced to many religions. A certain Afro- Cuban religion has sparked much controversy since its inception. Like many religions, it has been misunderstood due to its religious beliefs. As well, their use of black magic and communication with the spirit world leaves others puzzled. Despite what one might think, the religion of Palo is quite a beautiful one. History of Palo It is the blending of African shamanic religion with elements of Spiritism, magic…

time, two giants (aloadai) captured Ares and shackled him inside a jar. The giants Mother (described as lovely) found out and told Hermies, which then freed Ares. Another myth describes Thanatos (death) coming to take away Sisyphus (a man) to the underworld. Sisyphus quickly captured and bound Thanatos, which caused people to stopped dying. The gods found out and Aries quickly came to the rescue, he freed Thanatos and sent Sisyphus to the…

The Greek desire for kleos, or glory, is a central part of the Odyssey’s narrative. Kleos is an important value of Greek society; it is valued higher than life itself, as many great warrior’s sacrifices have proven. In a universe where our own beings are fragile and transitory, the only way to achieve immortal fame is to have one’s great deeds sung and talked about after death. If a soldier's memory is fondly brought up long after their death one achieves the closest a mortal could get to…

Found in many early medieval Irish manuscripts, an Immram is the traditional Old Irish tale of a sea voyage in which a saint travels across various islands in search of the Otherworld of eternal bliss. One of the most well known depictions of the sea voyage is The Voyage of Saint Brendan, which follows Saint Brendan and his brothers as they embark on their journey in search of the Promised Land of the Saints. Throughout their legendary seven-year journey, Brendan and his followers encounter an…

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, instances of racial tensions and the feeling of inferiority occur internally within Esch, causing her to feel unseen. In the grocery store scene on page 28, Esch compares herself to “Eurydice walking through the underworld to dissolve, unseen.” This passage highlights that Esch not only feels invisible to the man that got her pregnant, Manny, but she feels unseen to the white race. The reason she hints that she feels this way towards her race is because she…

Greek afterlife. In fact, the line about it is better to be a living dog than a dead lion also reminds me of Achilles in the Odyssey, where he tells Odysseus he would rather be the lowest of peasants on earth than the greatest among the dead in the underworld. Much like Gilgamesh portrays death as abduction, Ecclesiastes portrays it as capture in a snare, an evil net. The suddenness of death equally features in both as well. Once one comes to terms with these aspects of death--its inevitability,…

1.Odysseus’ family faces using all of the household wealth on food and drinking. 2. Homer asks Muse for help to tell the story. 3. It is represented by the amount of hospitality to characters. 4. Odysseus promised an alliance if he would make it back from hi journey. 5.The Lotus Eater gave Odysseus a plant and if anyone ate this plant they would lose hope on making it home. 6.The Lotus Plant reminds me of decisions made from phones as you sometimes don't think of what u say on text and it could…

1. In the middle of a dark and dreary night I had been reading many forgotten novels But as my sleep was almost upon me, there was a knocking at my door. As I went to open the door, I said to myself, “A visitor at this late hour?” I said only this, but nothing more. 2. I specifically remember this depressing December night. The ashes from a fire that had been burning took their place on my floor And I eagerly wished tomorrow would come and I sought my books to find Relief from my sorrows of…

Virgil’s Aeneid provides intense passages that, when broken down, help explore the story in a new way. D. E. Eichholz addresses numerous people who interpret the Aeneid in different ways’ all of whom see the epic as a collection of symbols. Virgil’s language can help discover simpler explanations for bigger meanings. Michael C.J. Putnam along with Robert A. Brooks, provide warnings about clarifying the poet’s symbolism. The shield, made by Vulcan, provides an impressive example of a symbol.…