These past presentations have been great! I have learned so much about so many gods and goddesses I didn't even know existed! Here is a little of what I have learned from these wonderful deities:
Guan-Yin- She is symbolized by the lotus flower, is a very caring, helpful goddess who could not move onto Heaven until she saved every last soul
Monkey King- He is the trickster god in Chinese mythology who raged war on the Heavens. He went on to be the protector of the priest Sanzang on his journey to the west. Him and Guan-Yin are good friends and he has a staff called the golden clasped rod that he carries with him all the time.
Raven- He is a Native American god widely celebrated throughout the world, but mainly in the Pacific Northwest. He is also a trickster god, much like Monkey King. Something else I learned about him is that he created the stars, the moon, the sun, water, and wild game.
Komorkis- The Native American goddess of the moon. She is associated with multiple animals including dogs, bats, crabs, snails, toads, moths, and owls. She is married to the sun god, Natosi and their children are all the stars.
Hathor- Hathor is the Egyptian goddess of love, joy, music, dance, and fertility. She is represented by a cow and also predicts the fate of a child when it is born. When she is angry, she turns into Sekhmet. Her father and husband is Ra and also the wife of Horus the younger.
Sekhmet- She is the other, violent, half of Hathor. She is the goddess of Vengeance, war, and healing. She can be seen with the head of a lioness to represent her fierceness and her strength. She also carries a scepter that represents her strength as well.
Nut- An Egyptian goddess who protects the dead on their way to the underworld, holds the sky up, and also protects from the looming chaos outside of the sky. Her mate is Geb, but was separated from him at birth by her father. She was then forced to marry Ra, which didn't turn out well.
Xi-Wangmu- The Chinese goddess of immortality who is possibly married the either the Jade Emperor or Mu-Gong. Other myths say she is the daughter of the Jade Emperor. She guards the peaches of immortality on Mt. Kunlun.
Thor- Thor is the Norse god who has a special hammer, belt, and pair of gloves. He is very strong and brave, but is not very bright. His father is Odin, mother is Jord, wife is Sif, daughter is Thrud, and sons are Magni and Modi who have a different mother: Jarnsaxa.
Loki-Loki is the trickster god of Norse mythology. He had to work his way up to becoming a god on Asgard. His main symbol is the snake, is referenced in the Marvel movie Thor, and is actually a giant. The day Saturday has ties to Loki's name.
Odin- The Norse god of war, wisdom, and death. He wears a floppy hat and cloak when traveling and also carries a spear named Gugnir with him. He has an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir who is the fastest horse on earth. He is also married to Frigg and has many children.
Jade Emperor- The Jade Emperor is a part of the Three Pure Ones in Chinese mythology. He rules in the heavens. I learned that he is a vegetarian and that he is on the heavenly currency. Another fun fact about him is that he thought up and created all of the twelve zodiac animals.
Artemis- She is the Greek goddess of hunting. She is a chaste goddess, which means she is a virgin and will always be one. She has only fallen in love once, but her brother, Apollo, tricked her into killing him. On Artemis's sixth birthday, she was gifted her loyal hounds by Zeus, her father.
Pandora- Pandora is the first mortal woman in Greek mythology. She was sent by Zeus to punish men or at least give him a reason to punish men. She was given gifts from all the gods. Her most notable one, however, is her curiosity. This caused her to open her box and let out everything evil in the world.
Freyja- Freyja is the Norse goddess of love, sex, and beauty. She can shape shift into a falcon and is also a volva. She is extremely beautiful, but undeniably greedy, stubborn, and selfish. She has a twin brother, Freyr, and is married to Od, not Odin.
Glispa- The Native American goddess of healing was born in Navajoland. She was kidnapped by the Klesh at age 16. These people taught her how to heal sick and injured people by singing certain melodies. At age 18, she gained her immortality. Her husband was Naalnish.
Rhea- Rhea is the Greek goddess of wildlife, mountains, and the Titanis mother who rules over all gods. She is married to Kronos who is also her brother. Her husband ate all of her children at first sight so they would not overpower him. Luckily, Rhea saved her son Zeus.
Chang'e- The Chinese goddess of the moon. Her best friend is a rabbit named Jade Rabbit who lives on the moon with her. She is married to Hou Yi, but he lives on earth. Her and her husband were kicked out of the Jade Emperor's palace and became mortals. Her curiosity caused her to drink the entire immortality potion instead of sharing it with her husband and she flew to the moon.
Balder- The Norse god of light and joy. He could not be harmed by anything, except for mistletoe, thanks to his mother Frigg. She did this because his death would be one of the sure signs of Ragnarok. Sadly, Loki found this out and killed Balder.
I had a great time sharing everything about myself with all of you! Thanks!
XOXO Ma'at
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015
A Myth About Me
My myth focuses on the creation of the world from the perspective of the Egyptians. In this myth is the story of how I was created.
At the beginning of time, the world was just a swirling whirlpool of chaos called Nu. From these waters arose the god Atum. He created himself by simply his willpower and thoughts. There was nowhere he could stand, so he created the first hill on earth. Feeling quite lonely in the world, Atum wanted companions. Therefore, he created his son and daughter Shu and Tefnut. Because he was neither male nor female, Atum combined with his shadow to produce the two gods. Shu was the god of the air and Tefnut was the goddess of mist and moisture. These two were responsible for keeping order in the world so they separate it into light and dark and created me. The brother and sister were husband and wife as well and produced two children. The were Geb and Nut, the rulers of the sky and the ground. They were born tangled together as one and it was their father, Shu, who had to separate them. He pushed Nut to the heavens and she became the sky. He threw Geb down and he made the Earth and the ground. The two longed to be together but their love could never be in order to maintain my principles. Shu and Tefnut went on to produce the other gods Isis, Hathor, Osiris, Seth, Thoth, and Nephthys. Sadly, the chaos was still not completely taken care of and Shu and Tefnut got lost in the dark depths of Nu. Their father Atum had an all-seeing eye, however, and sent it into the waters to search for his missing offspring. Soon, the two were found. Atum was so thrilled to have his loved ones returned that he wept tears of joy. When these tears hit the earth, they produced the first human beings. The humans lived their lives worshipping the gods, tending to the earth, and upholding the law and order of me, Ma'at.
XOXO Ma'at
At the beginning of time, the world was just a swirling whirlpool of chaos called Nu. From these waters arose the god Atum. He created himself by simply his willpower and thoughts. There was nowhere he could stand, so he created the first hill on earth. Feeling quite lonely in the world, Atum wanted companions. Therefore, he created his son and daughter Shu and Tefnut. Because he was neither male nor female, Atum combined with his shadow to produce the two gods. Shu was the god of the air and Tefnut was the goddess of mist and moisture. These two were responsible for keeping order in the world so they separate it into light and dark and created me. The brother and sister were husband and wife as well and produced two children. The were Geb and Nut, the rulers of the sky and the ground. They were born tangled together as one and it was their father, Shu, who had to separate them. He pushed Nut to the heavens and she became the sky. He threw Geb down and he made the Earth and the ground. The two longed to be together but their love could never be in order to maintain my principles. Shu and Tefnut went on to produce the other gods Isis, Hathor, Osiris, Seth, Thoth, and Nephthys. Sadly, the chaos was still not completely taken care of and Shu and Tefnut got lost in the dark depths of Nu. Their father Atum had an all-seeing eye, however, and sent it into the waters to search for his missing offspring. Soon, the two were found. Atum was so thrilled to have his loved ones returned that he wept tears of joy. When these tears hit the earth, they produced the first human beings. The humans lived their lives worshipping the gods, tending to the earth, and upholding the law and order of me, Ma'at.
XOXO Ma'at
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| The Egyptian Gods |
Monday, February 16, 2015
A Myth About Me (Resolution)
The conflict in this myth seems to come to an end when Shu and Tefnut are found. As this is a piece of the resolution, it is not the only one. When the two returned to their father, Atum, he is so happy that he sheds tears of joy. These tears create the first human beings. To end it all, these humans promise to abide by me and keep order in the world by praising the gods and following their orders. All in all, this creates a serene and "perfect" world.
The humans tending to and worshipping the gods.
The humans tending to and worshipping the gods.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
A Myth About Me (Climax)
Hey there, I'm back. Now, as I have already covered many aspects of my myth, I would like to point out the climax of the story. This occurs when Shu and Tefnut are found by the eye. They come back safe and sound and their father is overjoyed to have them back. This leads to the falling action later in the myth.
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| Shu, Tefnut, and Atum |
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
A Myth About Me (Conflict)
Hi, I'm back. The Egyptian creation story has conflict, as usual in any story or legend. The conflict in this myth is not necessarily a fight or a battle. In the process of creating the world, Atum had two children, Shu and Tefnut. They continues to help their father in the process, but sometime after their birth, they got lost within the waters of Nu. Atum became distressed and intent on finding his lost children. He sent his one, all-seeing eye into the waters in search of his offspring. Luckily, they eye returned in little time with the two gods. Atum was so happy to see his children that he shred tears of joy. Where each tear hit the ground, a human was formed. While this conflict may be small and not action-packed, it still adds suspense and enticement into the myth.
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| Atum's all-seeing eye |
XOXO Ma'at
Sunday, February 8, 2015
A Myth About Me (Characters)
Hey there, it's Ma'at. These are all the characters from my myth:
Nu: The dark and swirling chaos of the beginning of time. It was ultimately a gigantic water abyss. It is neither male nor female, but has a name ending in the female way.
Atum: He rose out of Nu's waters from his own thoughts and the force of his will. He, too, was neither male nor female. He was the father of the gods and was the first person to ever roam the earth. Atum is usually seen wearing a dual crown for upper and lower Egypt. The only difference between his look and a pharaoh's is the shape of Atum's beard. His tears created the first humans.
Shu: The god of the air. He created Nut and Geb, and he had to keep them separated throughout his life. His sister and wife wis Tefnut and it is said that they are two parts of one soul. He looks like a man who is seen with two to four feathers on his head and sometimes holding the sky up and is usually seen with skin painted black.
Tefnut: The goddess of mist and moisture. Shu's wife and sister. Usually, Tefnut is seen as a lioness or a human with a lioness head. She was created by Atum along with her husband. Her and her husband had to separate the earth into law and order and created light and dark, and they also created me.
Ma'at: I am the goddess of law and order as previously mentioned. I was produced to keep everything in check and keep the balance between light and dark forces. I am represented by the ostrich feather, but I already told you that.
Nut: The goddess of the sky was born tangled up with her brother/husband. Her parents had to separate them to complete different sides of the earth: sky and land. She is a cow goddess who usually takes the form of a naked human woman covered in sky and stars. She is seen holding her body in an arch, facing downwards. She gives birth to the sun every day and carries it across the sky until it dies at sunset. She loves her husband very much. I feel very bad because they had to stay apart to help keep everything I am the goddess of in control.
Geb: The god of the earth who's sister/wife is Nut. His sacred animal was the goose, as he was sometimes depicted as. Usually, though, he was seen as a green man (from vegetation growing from him), leaning on an elbow with one knee bent to the sky, wearing a crown. He is very much in love with Nut.
Isis: The queen of the gods. She usually wore a headdress with a throne on it. She sometimes adopted the vulture headdress with cow horns. She could also be seen as a cobra with her throne headdress.
Hathor: The goddess of love and beauty is seen in many different forms. Some of these are: a woman, goose, cat, lion, malachite, sycamore fig, and many more. However, she is represented as a cow most often.
Osiris: The god of earth, vegetation, justice, and wisdom. He is usually not feared as his kind smile shows. He is seen as a green or black man wearing a crown with two curling ostrich feathers hanging from it. He also carries the crook and flail.
Seth: The god of evil who was identified with the hippopotamus, crocodiles, boars, scorpions, turtles, pigs and donkeys and all animals who were considered to be unclean or dangerous. he was married to Nephthys, but it was an unhappy marriage so he had many other wives. he had no children. He was shown as an imaginary animal with red hair and resembling a donkey or maybe an aardvark.
Nephthys: The protectress of the dead who had an unhappy marriage to Seth. She looks extremely similar to Isis. So similar in fact that the only way to tell them apart is by their headdresses. She sometimes appears as a hawk as well.
XOXO Ma'at
Nu: The dark and swirling chaos of the beginning of time. It was ultimately a gigantic water abyss. It is neither male nor female, but has a name ending in the female way.
Atum: He rose out of Nu's waters from his own thoughts and the force of his will. He, too, was neither male nor female. He was the father of the gods and was the first person to ever roam the earth. Atum is usually seen wearing a dual crown for upper and lower Egypt. The only difference between his look and a pharaoh's is the shape of Atum's beard. His tears created the first humans.
Shu: The god of the air. He created Nut and Geb, and he had to keep them separated throughout his life. His sister and wife wis Tefnut and it is said that they are two parts of one soul. He looks like a man who is seen with two to four feathers on his head and sometimes holding the sky up and is usually seen with skin painted black.
Tefnut: The goddess of mist and moisture. Shu's wife and sister. Usually, Tefnut is seen as a lioness or a human with a lioness head. She was created by Atum along with her husband. Her and her husband had to separate the earth into law and order and created light and dark, and they also created me.
Ma'at: I am the goddess of law and order as previously mentioned. I was produced to keep everything in check and keep the balance between light and dark forces. I am represented by the ostrich feather, but I already told you that.
Nut: The goddess of the sky was born tangled up with her brother/husband. Her parents had to separate them to complete different sides of the earth: sky and land. She is a cow goddess who usually takes the form of a naked human woman covered in sky and stars. She is seen holding her body in an arch, facing downwards. She gives birth to the sun every day and carries it across the sky until it dies at sunset. She loves her husband very much. I feel very bad because they had to stay apart to help keep everything I am the goddess of in control.
Geb: The god of the earth who's sister/wife is Nut. His sacred animal was the goose, as he was sometimes depicted as. Usually, though, he was seen as a green man (from vegetation growing from him), leaning on an elbow with one knee bent to the sky, wearing a crown. He is very much in love with Nut.
Isis: The queen of the gods. She usually wore a headdress with a throne on it. She sometimes adopted the vulture headdress with cow horns. She could also be seen as a cobra with her throne headdress.
Hathor: The goddess of love and beauty is seen in many different forms. Some of these are: a woman, goose, cat, lion, malachite, sycamore fig, and many more. However, she is represented as a cow most often.
Osiris: The god of earth, vegetation, justice, and wisdom. He is usually not feared as his kind smile shows. He is seen as a green or black man wearing a crown with two curling ostrich feathers hanging from it. He also carries the crook and flail.
Seth: The god of evil who was identified with the hippopotamus, crocodiles, boars, scorpions, turtles, pigs and donkeys and all animals who were considered to be unclean or dangerous. he was married to Nephthys, but it was an unhappy marriage so he had many other wives. he had no children. He was shown as an imaginary animal with red hair and resembling a donkey or maybe an aardvark.
Nephthys: The protectress of the dead who had an unhappy marriage to Seth. She looks extremely similar to Isis. So similar in fact that the only way to tell them apart is by their headdresses. She sometimes appears as a hawk as well.
XOXO Ma'at
A Myth About Me (Setting)
Hi, I'm back. A myth about me is how I was created. This is how it was set:
It was the beginning of time, and there was only the dark and swirling chaos of Nu. There was only one god, who felt lonely in this quiet world all to himself. So, her created air, moisture and mist, the sky, the earth, light and dark, order, law, and stability all in the form of almighty gods and goddesses. Through this, the other gods were able to produce rain, flowers, food, animals, and even humans. More on this later.
XOXO Ma'at
It was the beginning of time, and there was only the dark and swirling chaos of Nu. There was only one god, who felt lonely in this quiet world all to himself. So, her created air, moisture and mist, the sky, the earth, light and dark, order, law, and stability all in the form of almighty gods and goddesses. Through this, the other gods were able to produce rain, flowers, food, animals, and even humans. More on this later.
XOXO Ma'at
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