The Great Myths #63: Ragnarok (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here from the Prose Edda: Then spoke Gangleri: ‘What information is there to be given … Continue Reading The Great Myths #63: Ragnarok (Norse)
The Great Myths #62: Loki is Captured & Punished (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Then spoke Gangleri: “It was quite an achievement of Loki’s when he brought it … Continue Reading The Great Myths #62: Loki is Captured & Punished (Norse)
The Great Myths #61: Thor Goes Fishing for the World Serpent (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Thor went out across Midgard having assumed the appearance of a young boy, and … Continue Reading The Great Myths #61: Thor Goes Fishing for the World Serpent (Norse)
The Great Myths #60: The History of Odin’s Horse (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Then spoke Gangleri: “Whose is the horse Sleipnir? And what is there to tell … Continue Reading The Great Myths #60: The History of Odin’s Horse (Norse)
The Great Myths #59: Odin Talks About Valhalla (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Then spoke Gangleri: “You say that all those men that have fallen in battle … Continue Reading The Great Myths #59: Odin Talks About Valhalla (Norse)
The Great Myths #58: The Love Story of Freyr & the Giantess Gerd (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here [High said:]“There was someone called Gymir, and his wife Aurboda. She was of the … Continue Reading The Great Myths #58: The Love Story of Freyr & the Giantess Gerd (Norse)
The Great Myths #57: Loki’s Monstrous Children (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here High continued: “And Loki had other offspring too. There was a giantess called Angrboda … Continue Reading The Great Myths #57: Loki’s Monstrous Children (Norse)
“Isis in Old Age” – new story up at Bold+Italic
Many thanks to the editors of Bold+Italic, who published my story “Isis in Old Age” earlier this year, and just … Continue Reading “Isis in Old Age” – new story up at Bold+Italic
The Endless Variety of Hinduism
Gandhi himself said that, “If I know Hinduism at all, it is essentially inclusive and ever-growing, ever-responsive. It gives the … Continue Reading The Endless Variety of Hinduism
What To Expect When You’re in Love with a Writer
When in 1937 the mythologist Joseph Campbell began dating his future wife, the dancer Jean Erdman, he gave her a … Continue Reading What To Expect When You’re in Love with a Writer
Death in Ancient Egypt
Here, Erik Hornung refutes the old cliché that ancient Egyptian religion was “death obsessed,” or that constructions like the pyramids … Continue Reading Death in Ancient Egypt
The Religion of Ancient Egypt
A handful of passages from one of the best books on religion I’ve ever read, Erik Hornung’s Conceptions of God … Continue Reading The Religion of Ancient Egypt
The Mind as a Mountain & Creativity its Tree
A drawing from 2015 that I suddenly found again today:
The Great Myths #56: The Early History of Yggdrasil (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Then spoke Gangleri: “Where is the chief center or holy place of the gods?” … Continue Reading The Great Myths #56: The Early History of Yggdrasil (Norse)
Images: The Earliest Stone Buddhas
Among the earliest sculptures of the Buddha, from Heinrich Zimmer’s Art of Indian Asia. Click on each to enlarge:
The Great Myths #55: An Island is Cut Away & the Prose Edda Begins (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here The Prose Edda, one of the greatest sources for Norse mythology, begins with … Continue Reading The Great Myths #55: An Island is Cut Away & the Prose Edda Begins (Norse)
The Great Myths #54: A Native American Orpheus (Tachi Yokut)
Read the other Great Myths here As the compiler of this myth notes: “The Orpheus myth is also popular among … Continue Reading The Great Myths #54: A Native American Orpheus (Tachi Yokut)
The Great Myths #53: Thor Goes Fishing for the Serpent that Surrounds the World (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Long ago the slaughter-gods were eating their hunting-prey in the mood for a drink, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #53: Thor Goes Fishing for the Serpent that Surrounds the World (Norse)
Joseph Campbell’s Hero Sets Out
A piece of the beginning and end of The Hero with a Thousand Faces: Whether we listen with aloof amusement … Continue Reading Joseph Campbell’s Hero Sets Out
The Great Myths #52: Ríg Gives Advice (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Here is Andy Orchard’s translation of the Rígsthula, where the culture hero Ríg wanders … Continue Reading The Great Myths #52: Ríg Gives Advice (Norse)
Understanding Religious Fundamentalism
I am always thrilled to reread these two passages by Erik Hornung, and to find in them just about the … Continue Reading Understanding Religious Fundamentalism
Humanity’s Earliest Rituals
Three passages on prehistoric religion from the book Becoming Human: One of the pervasive themes of [this book] is … Continue Reading Humanity’s Earliest Rituals
The Archaeology & Mythology of Caves
The archaeologist Jean Clottes writes that, besides the more famous paintings in the ice-age caves of France and Spain, it … Continue Reading The Archaeology & Mythology of Caves
The Great Myths #51: Enkidu in the Underworld (Mesopotamian)
Read the other Great Myths Here Just before his death, Gilgamesh’s friend Enkidu dreams of the Underworld. While what remains … Continue Reading The Great Myths #51: Enkidu in the Underworld (Mesopotamian)
Understanding Religion
I’d been interested in religion and mythology long before 2004, when I first read this opening page of Mircea Eliade’s … Continue Reading Understanding Religion
The Great Myths #50: Aeneas in the Underworld (Roman)
Read the other Great Myths Here In an immensely moving scene, after traveling to the underworld, Aeneas encounters his deceased … Continue Reading The Great Myths #50: Aeneas in the Underworld (Roman)
The Great Myths #49: Odin Sacrifices Himself (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths Here Here are a handful of translations of verses 138-145 of the Hávamál, found in … Continue Reading The Great Myths #49: Odin Sacrifices Himself (Norse)
Kafka’s Great Fable: “Before the Law”
From Kafka’s novel The Trial: Before the Law stands a doorkeeper. A man from the country comes to this doorkeeper … Continue Reading Kafka’s Great Fable: “Before the Law”
Fire Houses (poem)
If forced to choose a favorite short poem of mine, one that brings together nearly everything I’m interested in, it … Continue Reading Fire Houses (poem)
The Goddess Instructs the Gods (Kena Upanishad)
Here’s one of my favorite bits from the Hindu Upanishads, chapters three and four from the Kena Upanishad. The goddess … Continue Reading The Goddess Instructs the Gods (Kena Upanishad)
The Sun Sets into the Sea (poem)
The Sun Sets into the Sea The sun sets into the sea with a hiss and rises with … Continue Reading The Sun Sets into the Sea (poem)
“The Making of an Irish Goddess,” by Eavan Boland
The Making of an Irish Goddess Ceres went to hell with no sense of time. When she looked back all … Continue Reading “The Making of an Irish Goddess,” by Eavan Boland
Daedalus & Icarus (poem)
Daedalus & Icarus The old craftsman came to Cumae after a long life of art and flight, love and theft, … Continue Reading Daedalus & Icarus (poem)
“The harlot and the child”: 2 Late Poems from W. B. Yeats
Those Images What if I bade you leave The cavern of the mind? There’s better exercise In the sunlight and … Continue Reading “The harlot and the child”: 2 Late Poems from W. B. Yeats
Odin & Baldr (poem)
Odin & Baldr The High One heard the lowest prophecy: already riddled with the worst of dreams, his boy Baldr … Continue Reading Odin & Baldr (poem)
The Great Myths #47: Sacred Language & the Limitation of Words (Taoism)
Two chapters from the Tao Te Ching, and each in three different translations, on the limitations of even the best … Continue Reading The Great Myths #47: Sacred Language & the Limitation of Words (Taoism)
The Great Myths #46: Sacred Language & Homer’s Poets (Greek)
Here are two passages from Homer’s Odyssey featuring the common household bard of prehistoric Greece. The first poet, the description … Continue Reading The Great Myths #46: Sacred Language & Homer’s Poets (Greek)
The Great Myths #45: Sacred Language Creates the World (Jewish)
Four stories from the great Jewish tradition of the sacredness of the Torah, of Hebrew, and of the letters of … Continue Reading The Great Myths #45: Sacred Language Creates the World (Jewish)
The Great Myths #44: Sacred Language & Two Hymns to Speech (Hindu)
Rig Veda 10:71: The Origins of Sacred Speech Bṛhaspati! When they set in motion the first beginning of speech, giving … Continue Reading The Great Myths #44: Sacred Language & Two Hymns to Speech (Hindu)
The Great Myths #43 Sacred Language & the Story of Gwion Bach & Taliesin (Welsh)
One of the longer myths I’ll post here, the following story is well worth it, and is indeed a master-class … Continue Reading The Great Myths #43 Sacred Language & the Story of Gwion Bach & Taliesin (Welsh)
The Great Myths #42: Sacred Language & the Story of Caedmon (Christian)
A brother of the monastery is found to possess God’s gift of poetry [A. D. 680] In this monastery of … Continue Reading The Great Myths #42: Sacred Language & the Story of Caedmon (Christian)
The Great Myths #41: Sacred Language & the Mead of Poetry (Norse)
…And Aegir went on: “How did this craft that you call poetry originate?” Bragi replied: “The origin of it was … Continue Reading The Great Myths #41: Sacred Language & the Mead of Poetry (Norse)
The Great Myths #40: Enkidu Comes of Age (Mesopotamian)
One of the greatest stories of a person “living in nature” becoming “civilized” is perhaps the earliest one. Also here … Continue Reading The Great Myths #40: Enkidu Comes of Age (Mesopotamian)
The Great Myths #39: Arrow Boy (Cheyenne)
After the Cheyenne had received their corn, and while they were still in the north, a young man and woman … Continue Reading The Great Myths #39: Arrow Boy (Cheyenne)
The Great Myths #38: Baldr’s Dreams, Baldr’s Death (Norse)
Two bits of old Norse, first poetry & then prose, on the death of Odin’s son, Baldr: All at once … Continue Reading The Great Myths #38: Baldr’s Dreams, Baldr’s Death (Norse)
The Great Myths #37: Icarus Falls (Ovid & Virgil)
But Daedalus was weary; by this time, he’d been exiled in Crete too long; he pined for his own land; … Continue Reading The Great Myths #37: Icarus Falls (Ovid & Virgil)
The Great Myths #36: Parzival Grows Up & Leaves Home
The sad early life of Parzival is narrated here. His father having died while out on crusade, his mother, Herzeloyde, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #36: Parzival Grows Up & Leaves Home
On “Bone Antler Stone”: Ancient Europe, the Narrow Book & Finding Poetry Again
My poetry collection Bone Antler Stone—a panorama of ancient Europe from the painted caves of Lascaux to contact with Greece … Continue Reading On “Bone Antler Stone”: Ancient Europe, the Narrow Book & Finding Poetry Again
The Great Myths #35: A Child During the Trojan War (Greek)
One of the great characters in Greek myth who never actually speaks is Astyanax, the son of Hector and the … Continue Reading The Great Myths #35: A Child During the Trojan War (Greek)
The Great Myths #34: A Hausa and Swahili Story of Childhood (African)
As usual with such stories, childhood is synonymous with the dangers of being children: The Swahili version of a very … Continue Reading The Great Myths #34: A Hausa and Swahili Story of Childhood (African)
The Great Myths #33: The Child Cúchulainn Gets His Name (Celtic)
When Culand the smith offered Conchubur his hospitality, he said that a large host should not come, for the feast … Continue Reading The Great Myths #33: The Child Cúchulainn Gets His Name (Celtic)
The Great Myths #32: The Childhood of Jesus (Christian)
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas 2:1-6: When this boy, Jesus, was five years old, he was playing at the ford … Continue Reading The Great Myths #32: The Childhood of Jesus (Christian)
The Great Myths #31: The Child Krishna & the Universe in His Mouth (Hindu)
One day when Rāma and the other little sons of the cowherds were playing, they reported to his mother, “Kṛṣṇa … Continue Reading The Great Myths #31: The Child Krishna & the Universe in His Mouth (Hindu)
The Great Myths #30: The Holy Grail Appears (Middle High German)
The story of the Holy Grail’s appearance to a young man named Perceval/Parzival/Parsifal, is told in many places, and goes … Continue Reading The Great Myths #30: The Holy Grail Appears (Middle High German)
The Great Myths #29: Learning Poetry in the Giant’s Stomach (Finnish)
The poet/shaman Väinämöinen, in need of new poems and spells in order to build a boat, goes through an ordeal … Continue Reading The Great Myths #29: Learning Poetry in the Giant’s Stomach (Finnish)
The Great Myths #28: Odysseus Outsmarts the Cyclops
Odysseus and friends land on the island “of the lawless outrageous Cyclopes,” one-eyed giants who know nothing of planting and … Continue Reading The Great Myths #28: Odysseus Outsmarts the Cyclops
The Great Myths #27: The Monster Bear & the Making of Thunder (Miwok)
From the Miwok tribe of California, who are now “practically extinct”: Bear’s sister-in-law, Deer, had two beautiful fawn daughters. Bear … Continue Reading The Great Myths #27: The Monster Bear & the Making of Thunder (Miwok)
The Great Myths #26: Sigurd Kills the Monster Fafnir & Understands the Language of Animals (Norse)
What is the reason for gold being called otter-payment? It is said that when the Aesir went to explore the … Continue Reading The Great Myths #26: Sigurd Kills the Monster Fafnir & Understands the Language of Animals (Norse)
The Great Myths #25: The Monster Kirttimukha & the Face of Glory (Hindu)
The Indian legend of the “Face of Glory” begins, like that of the Man-Lion, with the case of an infinitely … Continue Reading The Great Myths #25: The Monster Kirttimukha & the Face of Glory (Hindu)
The Great Myths #24: The Monster Satan (Dante)
In one of the great gymnastic feats of world literature, Dante and Virgil climb the body of Satan, located as … Continue Reading The Great Myths #24: The Monster Satan (Dante)
The Great Myths #23: The Monster Grendel (Anglo-Saxon)
Then from the moor under misty hillsides, Grendel came gliding girt with God’s anger. The man-scather … Continue Reading The Great Myths #23: The Monster Grendel (Anglo-Saxon)
The Great Myths #22: The Monster Humbaba (Mesopotamian)
Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu face Humbaba, the guardian of the cedar forests of Lebanon. The tablets where the story … Continue Reading The Great Myths #22: The Monster Humbaba (Mesopotamian)
The Great Myths #20: The Holy Grail Appears (Middle English)
Then anon they heard cracking and crying of thunder, that them thought the place should all to-drive. In the midst … Continue Reading The Great Myths #20: The Holy Grail Appears (Middle English)
The Great Myths #19: The Sacrifice of Ymir Made into the World (Norse)
From a dialogue about the beginning of the world; at one point, a giant called Ymir is mentioned: “Where did … Continue Reading The Great Myths #19: The Sacrifice of Ymir Made into the World (Norse)
The Great Myths #18: The Sacrifice of Isaac (Jewish)
And it happened after these things that God tested Abraham. And He said to him, “Abraham!” and he said, “Here … Continue Reading The Great Myths #18: The Sacrifice of Isaac (Jewish)
The Great Myths #17: A Sacrifice for the Feast (Greek)
The cow came in from the field, and the companions of great-hearted Telemachos came from beside their fast black ship, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #17: A Sacrifice for the Feast (Greek)
The Great Myths #16: A Siberian Horse Sacrifice, and the Shaman’s Ascent to the Sky (Altaic)
The first evening is devoted to preparation for the rite. The kam (shaman), having chosen a spot in a meadow, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #16: A Siberian Horse Sacrifice, and the Shaman’s Ascent to the Sky (Altaic)
The Great Myths #15: The Horse Sacrifice (Hindu)
Rig Veda 1:162 – The Sacrifice of the Horse Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman the Active, Indra the ruler of the Ṛbhus, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #15: The Horse Sacrifice (Hindu)
The Great Myths #14: The Sparrow in Northumbria (Christian)
Around the year 627, when King Edwin of Northumbria and his advisors were discussing the possibility of converting to Christianity, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #14: The Sparrow in Northumbria (Christian)
The Great Myths #13: The Two Men Who Became Bulls (Irish)
One of the many preludes to the great Irish epic, The Táin: What caused the two pig-keepers to quarrel? It … Continue Reading The Great Myths #13: The Two Men Who Became Bulls (Irish)
The Great Myths #12: The Corn Mother (Penobscot)
When Kloskurbeh, the All-maker, lived on earth, there were no people yet. But one day when the sun was high, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #12: The Corn Mother (Penobscot)
The Great Myths #11: The Holy Grail Comes to the Civil War (To the House of the Sun)
& he’s brought out & led down a dim hallway to a small room & a little table to sit … Continue Reading The Great Myths #11: The Holy Grail Comes to the Civil War (To the House of the Sun)
The Great Myths #10: The Holy Grail Appears (Old French)
In the clear light Of the fire, [Perceval] could see, behind him, The page in charge of his weapons And … Continue Reading The Great Myths #10: The Holy Grail Appears (Old French)
The Great Myths #9 Wild With Divinity (Greek)
In ancient Thebes, the king, Pentheus, has refused to worship the god Dionysus; the god in turn has driven the … Continue Reading The Great Myths #9 Wild With Divinity (Greek)
The Great Myths #8: This Whole World is Dwelt in by the Lord (Hindu)
This whole world is to be dwelt in by the Lord, whatever living being there is in the world. So … Continue Reading The Great Myths #8: This Whole World is Dwelt in by the Lord (Hindu)
The Great Myths #7: The Tree of Souls (Jewish)
God has a tree of flowering souls in Paradise. The angel who sits beneath it is the Guardian of Paradise, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #7: The Tree of Souls (Jewish)
The Great Myths #6: Enkidu in the Underworld (Mesopotamian)
[Amid the long illness that leads to Enkidu’s death:] As for Enkidu, his mind was troubled, he lay on his … Continue Reading The Great Myths #6: Enkidu in the Underworld (Mesopotamian)
The Great Myths #5: A Ghost Story (Icelandic)
After Thorolf died, a good many people found it more and more unpleasant to stay out of doors once the … Continue Reading The Great Myths #5: A Ghost Story (Icelandic)
The Great Myths #4: The Round Dance of the Cross (Christian)
[Before the crucifixion] Jesus told us to form a circle and hold each other’s hands, and he himself stood in … Continue Reading The Great Myths #4: The Round Dance of the Cross (Christian)
The Great Myths #3: A Kakadu Creation (Australian)
Wuraka came from the west, walking through the sea. His feet were on the bottom but he was so tall … Continue Reading The Great Myths #3: A Kakadu Creation (Australian)
The Great Myths #2: The Dream of Óengus (Irish)
Óengus was asleep one night when he saw something like a young girl coming towards the head of his bed, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #2: The Dream of Óengus (Irish)
The Great Myths #1: The Old Woman & the End of the World (White River Sioux)
Somewhere at a place where the prairie and the Maka Sicha, the Badlands, meet, there is a hidden cave. Not … Continue Reading The Great Myths #1: The Old Woman & the End of the World (White River Sioux)
Don’t Be Such a Boar
After receiving an email from a reader interested in the mythology surrounding bears, I remembered my own obsession with the … Continue Reading Don’t Be Such a Boar
To the House of the Sun: A Poem by Tim Miller
Buy the book here Visit the publisher’s website here Signed copies are now available at a steep discount, directly from the publisher—only $14.95. Order them from Amazon here, and choose S4N Books as the seller. December 16 The poet and … Continue Reading To the House of the Sun: A Poem by Tim Miller
Classic Jam Hits
Going through my computer the other day, I found the .pdfs of these classic book sets, and thought to post … Continue Reading Classic Jam Hits
Young Krishna & the Universe in His Mouth
One of my favorite stories from Hinduism comes from the Bhagavata Purana, on the childhood of Krishna: ….One day when … Continue Reading Young Krishna & the Universe in His Mouth
