Category Archives: Mythology

March 26, 2016 · 9:16 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART NINETEEN

Haena

Haena on the island of Kauai

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the grand and exciting Hawaiian epic about the goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka.

PART NINETEEN

Hi’iaka and her mortal traveling companion Wahine approached the sorceresses named Kilioe and Kalanamainu’u, ready for battle. The naked sorceresses who had stolen the corpse of Prince Lohiau were fighting on their home turf there in their cavern hideaway, where they were familiar with every shadowy tunnel and corner. 

Any advantage that may have provided Kilioe and her sister witch was lost the minute Hi’iaka saw Lohiau’s corpse on the mats that lined the floor. It was then that she realized that her speculation was right – the pair of sorceresses had used their dark magic to preserve Lohiau’s body in all its male glory. They had never been able to woo the late prince in life but wanted him all to themselves in death.     Continue reading →

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March 25, 2016 · 8:44 pm

INANNA: DEATH AND RESURRECTION

InannaSpring is the time of year that always puts me in mind of the many dead and resurrected deities who were featured in various seasonal myths around the world. This is a look at Inanna, but if you want more dead and resurrected gods and goddesses click HERE  

INANNA 

Pantheon: Sumerian (The Babylonians called her Ishtar) 

The Tale: Inanna the fertility goddess and queen of the heavens was looking to extend her reign to the land of the dead. She descended into the Netherworld, which was ruled over by her sister, the goddess Ereshkigal. Fighting on the death goddess’ own turf was foolish and Ereshkigal won the controntation and either nailed Inanna to a wall of her palace or impaled her on a stake, Vlad the Impaler style.

With Inanna thus imprisoned, vegetation died from the withering heat of summer, which could get even worse in that part of the world, where droughts could be so intense that the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were the only bodies of water that would NOT get dried up. The usual drought cycle continued, with vegetation dying, then animals who lived off it dying, etc. In the case of Inanna her dominion over sexual fertility also added the angle that males and females of all species lost all interest in sex and reproduction as well.   Continue reading →

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March 23, 2016 · 11:17 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART EIGHTEEN

Kauai

KAUAI

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the grand and exciting Hawaiian epic about the goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka.

PART EIGHTEEN

On the island of Kauai the goddess Hi’iaka and her female mortal companion Wahine prepared to launch their assault on the cavern lair of the evil sorceresses named Kilioe and Kalanamainu’u. The entrance to that cavern was nearly inaccessible, since it was basically just a large hole on the side of a steep mountain hundreds of feet up.

Hi’iaka and Wahine needed to reach the cave to free the corpse of Prince Lohiau from the clutches of the sorceresses so that it (the corpse) could be reunited with its wandering spirit, thus restoring life to Lohiau, the chosen mate of Hi’iaka’s sister Pele, the fire and volcano goddess. (Meanwhile, Megan’s love for Stan is still unrequited since he is obsessed with his sexy new neighbor Samantha, not realizing she is his mother’s murderer Sam after a sex-change operation …)   

When our two heroines began to climb the sheer cliff wall the sorceresses used their dark magic to create winds strong enough to knock them back to the ground. After repeatedly being hindered by this maneuver Hi’iaka used her divine powers to make Kilioe and Kalanamainu’u so sensitive to sunlight that they had to retreat to the furthest reaches of their cave to avoid the burning pain.  Continue reading →

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March 19, 2016 · 4:00 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART SEVENTEEN

Kauai 2

Kauai

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the grand and exciting Hawaiian epic about the goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka.

PART SEVENTEEN

After the feast of dog meat served up by their mortal hosts, Hi’iaka and Wahine engaged in conversation with those hosts regarding some of the gods of Hawaii. They discussed Kahikona, the god of fishermen … Limaloa, the god of mirages and illusions … And Nomaka’o, the goddess who was the older sister of Pele but had been reduced to serving as Pele’s chambermaid after being conquered by the volcano and fire goddess. 

 Eventually the ladies went to sleep, as did the seer Malaeha’akoa and his wife, in whose Kauai home the travelers were staying.

The next morning etiquette permitted Malaeha’akoa to ask his honored guests what had brought them to his home. He was grateful to Hi’iaka for restoring his ability to walk and was anxious to offer her any help he could. The goddess explained the quest she and the mortal woman Wahine had come on – to secure and escort Kauai’s Prince Lohiau back to the Big Island of Hawaii to be the mate of the goddess Pele. Yet upon arriving on Kauai they had spotted the spirit of Lohiau roaming the cliffs above the village of Haena.  Continue reading →

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March 16, 2016 · 11:30 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART SIXTEEN

HawaiianislandsBalladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the grand and exciting Hawaiian epic about the goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka. 

PART SIXTEEN

Hi’iaka and her mortal traveling companion the woman Wahine were startled to see the ghost of the dead Prince Lohiau roaming the cliffs above Haena. The ladies hadn’t known that the object of their quest had taken his own life a few weeks ago over his long separation from Pele, the volcano and fire goddess.  Continue reading →

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March 12, 2016 · 5:06 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART FIFTEEN

Kauai

Kauai

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the grand and exciting Hawaiian epic about the goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka.

PART FIFTEEN

The goddess Hi’iaka continued her journey to the island of Kauai accompanied by the mortal woman Wahine. Their mission was to reach Prince Lohiau of Kauai and escort him back to the Big Island to marry Pele, the fire and volcano goddess. Little did Hi’iaka and Wahine know that the lovesick Lohiau, despairing because he missed Pele so much, had taken his own life weeks ago.

Continuing to cross the island of Oahu the traveling ladies reached Kehuohapu’u Bluff, where a rough shrine stood to the fish-god Ku’ula. From there they moved on to Ka’ena Point, the peninsula on the western coast of Oahu at the point closest to the island of Kauai. Ka’ena Point was the jumping-off point for the spirits of dead Hawaiians when they were ready to enter the land of the dead ruled by the goddess Milu.   Continue reading →

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March 11, 2016 · 12:44 am

GODS OF WAR FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Cry havoc and let slip the gods of war! Had to be said. (And yes, I know it’s supposed to be dogs of war.) The Greek god of war Ares and his Roman counterpart Mars get most of the attention in pop culture. Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at some of the neglected war gods from around the world.  

Iroquois Warrior

AIRESKOI

Pantheon: Iroquois 

Lore: Aireskoi was identified with the Aurora Borealis. While other Iroquois souls would go to the conventional afterlife warriors slain in battle got to reside with Aireskoi in the heavens, their souls glowing with the grandeur of their battlefield heroics, thus accounting for the brightness of the Aurora Borealis.

Aireskoi was one of the gods who tried to woo the goddess Iagentci when she was carrying her Marriage Bread to the chief deity Hawenneyu. Aireskoi was also associated with fire since the Iroquois used fire to torture captives taken in wartime.  Continue reading →

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March 9, 2016 · 10:37 pm

RESURRECT THE DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER: TOYNBEE TILES

Toynbee TileHere at Balladeer’s Blog I enjoy treating conspiracy theories as a form of modern-day mythology. Just like mythology and religious beliefs conspiracy theories are irrational explanations for occurrences or situations that have much more rational explanations. Here’s one of my all-time favorite neglected conspiracy kook bits.

THE DEAD CAN BE RESURRECTED ON PLANET JUPITER – The enigmatic Toynbee Tiles are the major source for the enjoyable canon behind this notion. At some point in the 1980s odd tiles laid into the asphalt of actual streets and roadways were being found, bearing some variation on the following message: “TOYNBEE IDEA/ IN MOVIE 2001/ RESURRECT DEAD/ ON PLANET JUPITER.” Continue reading →

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March 9, 2016 · 4:32 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART FOURTEEN

Kaliuwa'a Valley

Kaliuwa’a Valley

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the grand and exciting Hawaiian epic about the goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka.

PART FOURTEEN

Hi’iaka and her mortal companion Wahine continued crossing the island of Oahu as their quest to reach Kauai resumed after their battle with the gigantic lizard-monster Mokoli’i. The ladies arrived at Kaliuwa’a Valley where Hi’iaka encountered another of the gods who had originally arrived in the Hawaiian Islands with the goddess Pele long ago. 

Kauhi was the name of this ancient deity who ruled the rocky mountain peak that shared his name. Long ago Pele had assigned – some would say condemned – Kauhi to remain behind here serving as a sentry. The peak was often called “the watchtower of the heavens” and served as both home and prison to Kauhi.  Continue reading →

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March 5, 2016 · 4:44 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART THIRTEEN

OahuBalladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the grand and exciting Hawaiian epic about the goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka.

PART THIRTEEN 

On the Hawaiian island of Oahu near Kualoa the goddess Hi’iaka and the mortal woman Wahine were continuing their quest to reach Kauai. Amid a driving rain the women found themselves attacked by the mountain-sized monster called Mokoli’i. That was where things ended last time around. 

The creature Mokoli’i had thick, nearly impenetrable scales all over its body and a long prehensile tail. That plus the monster’s size would have made it a deadly foe at any time but the mo’o had chosen to attack just when the rain was pelting the two traveling women and was reducing visibility for them.     Continue reading →

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