What type or types of mythology do you like best?

[JAR]

My favorite types of mythology would be:

Greek mythology,
Arthurian legend,
and Biblical mythology.

I can't get much into Norse mythology. When I think of Norsemen, I picture a bunch of tall burly ugly guys with beards slapping each other on the back and drinking mead. The Norse are too savage.

[Dancing David]

They is all cool, including modern mythology. we should all try to invent our own myths.
Peace
dancing david

[ImpyTimpy]

Greek mythology for me :)

[DanishDynamite]

JAR:I can't get much into Norse mythology. When I think of Norsemen, I picture a bunch of tall burly ugly guys with beards slapping each other on the back and drinking mead. The Norse are too savage. Except for the "ugly", you are right. We are tall, burly, godlike, savage guys who drink mead. We like battle axes and fighting. You got a problem with that, skræling?;)

[Tricky]

My favorite is Middle Earth, a creation, or perhaps more correctly a synthesis of many old myths created by J.R.R. Tolkein.

Oh, does it have to be ancient? Sorry.

[BroodingSkill]

Norse!!.. Now where did I park my longboat and battle axe?

[Walter Wayne]

It has been a while since I did a lot of reading of mythology.

Greek
Norse
Celtic (well I enjoyed the Tain Bo Cuailnge, didn't read much else)

Now that Tricky mentions it, I'll add on Middle Earth.

Walt

[FFed]

Age of Mythology.

[Ladewig]

1. Greek - partly for the stories and partly because it has contributed so many words to the English language: tantalizing, Promethian, Herculian, erotic, echo, narcissistic, Sisyphean, atlas, mneumonic, terpsichorean, ambrosia, Dionysian, Amazonian, calliope, et al.

2. Egyptian - the animal heads on human bodies are pretty neat

3. Jungian archetypes.

[evildave]

Any old mythology that I don't have to take seriously is fine. Which is all of it.

Even that Judeo-Christian mythology, though it's a bit violent, and the text reads like a phone book in places.

I love Tolkien's works, but there's a lot of fantasy works to choose from. Where to even start?

I suppose my current favorite has to be Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.

Epic tales, grand adventures, and memorable characters... like wassisname and the other guy...

[neutrino_cannon]

Discworld Gods are the best, next of course to Spafesus, dark godess of submunitions failures. I like the concept of a god's power being related to the god's number of followers.

[Denise]

I personally love the King Arthur mythology. The chivalry, the good vs evil, the magic.

[neutrino_cannon]

Originally posted by Denise
I personally love the King Arthur mythology. The chivalry, the good vs evil, the magic.

To say nothing of the sax and violins.

[Denise]

Originally posted by neutrino_cannon


To say nothing of the sax and violins.

Ok, I admit it!

[fishbob]

Mythology for entertainment or for some other reason?

[CWL]

Originally posted by DanishDynamite
JAR:Except for the "ugly", you are right. We are tall, burly, godlike, savage guys who drink mead. We like battle axes and fighting. You got a problem with that, skræling?;)

Exactly. JAR should keep in mind that we are more than just traders and sailors... http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/viking.gif

[Loki]

Greek mythology? Bah... Zeus is too old, Hercules is hanging by a thread, and Achillies has never been the same since the ankle injury in College. No, trust me, Asgard is where the action is

More Mead! More Berserkers! More Valkyrie! Ragnarok'n'roll !

(But I must admit a strange fondness for Spafesus, dark goddess of submunitions failures)

Greek, Norse, Native American Indian, Egyptian, Gypsy, Aboriginal, Chinese/Japanese etc., Mayan, Summarinism, Celtic, Gaelic, Wiccan/druidism, aztec /inca, Arthurian, Vampirism/demonism, Morphology. I am just browsing now Inuit mythology and Russian.:D

[whitefork]

American history.

[PogoPedant]

Norse, of course. The greek may have crossdressing heroes, but we have crossdressing barbarian gods!

[MRC_Hans]

Originally posted by whitefork
American history. In that line: Saddam Hussein's Weapons of Mass Destruction. :rolleyes:

:eek:

Hans

[CWL]

Originally posted by MRC_Hans
In that line: Saddam Hussein's Weapons of Mass Destruction. :rolleyes:

:eek:

Hans

May I balance that statment by adding: The myth of Saddam Hussein as the protector of the Iraqi people and as a benevolent pan Arabic leader?

[Alaric]

Germanic for sure. Norse Saxon Lombard Frankish Angle Gepid Belgi...all of it. The tales associated with them are excellent as well (Beawulf and the like. Heck-even LoTR is based partially on germanic myths) Ive always found the greek/roman gods really. um...petty and frankly they look sort of goofy. A goofy god is a silly god.
Look into what Wodin(Odin) did to acquire all his wisdom. That in itself is interesting as hell-and humourous. Even went so far as to dress like a woman to figure out that whole female thought thing.
I tried to read about the Aryan/Hindo faith set and got so lost I gave up.

[abramis]

Scandinavian mythology... it´s not ALL about Norway.... :p

I read everything I could get my hands on when I was a kid, and I remember that Thor was my favourite...:D

[CWL]

Originally posted by abramis
Scandinavian mythology... it´s not ALL about Norway.... :p
Actually - he said acting in his capacity of Mr. Know-it-all - it's in a sense mostly about Iceland as our main sources of knowledge regarding the Norse pantheon come from Iceland. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden it is hard to find more than mere references on rune stones and in medieval folklore. But never mind that, by Thor, somebody hand me my battle-axe!

[whitefork]

Originally posted by CWL
by Thor, somebody hand me my battle-axe! Term usually refers to Mrs. CWL's mother, by the way.

[CWL]

Originally posted by whitefork
Term usually refers to Mrs. CWL's mother, by the way.

:D

Actually, just for the sake of good order I would like to point out that my mother-in-law is an adorable woman, not even in the vicinity of Viking age weaponry of any kind.

[MRC_Hans]

Originally posted by CWL


May I balance that statment by adding: The myth of Saddam Hussein as the protector of the Iraqi people and as a benevolent pan Arabic leader? You may indeed! :cool:

Hans

[CWL]

Originally posted by MRC_Hans
You may indeed! :cool:

Hans
I thought nothing else, o Great Dane. :cool:

[Darwin]

Nobody mentions Finnish mythology?

[whitefork]

Yes, where is Pillory?

Mieleni minun tekevi,
aivoni ajattelevi
lähteäni laulamahan,
saa'ani sanelemahan,
sukuvirttä suoltamahan,
lajivirttä laulamahan.
Sanat suussani sulavat,
puhe'et putoelevat,
kielelleni kerkiävät,
hampahilleni hajoovat.

It's been said that Tolkein drew heavily from the Kalevala.

[CWL]

Originally posted by whitefork
It's been said that Tolkein drew heavily from the Kalevala.

The Kalevala is mighty funky, agreed.

[whitefork]

The Kalevala has the story of the Sampo, which as I recall is closely related to Amlodhi's magic mill.

Wainamoinen, ancient minstrel.
Gave this answer to the hostess:
"All the hosts of Kalevala
Are inquiring for the Sampo,
Asking for the lid in colors;
Hither have these heroes journeyed
To divide the priceless treasure.
Thus the hostess spake in answer:
"No one would divide a partridge,
Nor a squirrel, with three heroes;
Wonderful the magic Sampo,
Plenty does it bring to Northland;
And the colored lid re-echoes
From the copper-bearing mountains,
From the stone-berg of Pohyola,
To the joy of its possessors."

I believe the lid of colors is believed by some to refer to the zodiac.

And of course the magic meter
Resembles that of Hiyawatha...

[LCBOY]

Do comic books count as mythology? If so, I like the X-Men and Incredible Hulk mythologies.

[Sundog]

Hercules movies on MST3K. No question.

[LCBOY]

I like the X-Men because of the battle they do against racial prejudice that all mutants must endure. This is allegory to racial prejudice in the real world. The Incredible Hulk deals with how a man deals with his emotions and "inner demons". Is this case these "inner demons" or primitive emotions take on a powerful and uncontrollable physical manifestion.

[c4ts]

Anything involving lots of blood, sex, violence, and weird monsters. Well, that's just about everything.

[Darwin]

"Mieleni minun tekevi,
aivoni ajattelevi
lähteäni laulamahan,
saa'ani sanelemahan,
sukuvirttä suoltamahan,
lajivirttä laulamahan.
Sanat suussani sulavat,
puhe'et putoelevat,
kielelleni kerkiävät,
hampahilleni hajoovat."

I never knew whether it was appreciated outside of here but I guess it is going to be translated for/in vietnamese too...

[Hellcat]

Originally posted by Darwin
Nobody mentions Finnish mythology?

Do you have any decent links or know of any information about that?

[Darwin]

I had to look something up.
Here you go:

http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/finnishmyth/indexbasenor.html

[whitefork]

Originally posted by Darwin
I never knew whether it was appreciated outside of here but I guess it is going to be translated for/in vietnamese too... Indeed, it has been so translated:

Vietnamese 1986, 1994

http://www.finlit.fi/kalevala/kaannokseteng.htm

[Darwin]

I see.

[BillyTK]

I liked: Walt Simonson's take on Thor, Jack Kirby's New Gods and Arthur of the Britons (a fairly radical but possibly more accurate retelling of the Arthurian legend which posited Arthur as the leader of a rag-tag tribe who chased round Wales beating the crap out of assorted Romans and Anglo-saxons).

[Bentspoon]

The best stories, the best magic, the best sex (Ok well maybe the Romans had better stories here. I mean that mating with the swan thing .......) the best violence.

and Charlton Heston

The Bible is one of the greater mythologies to come around

Bentspoon