KAGATSUCHI – The Shinto god of fire, also called Omasubi (“starter of fire”). He was the last-born child of the Continue reading
Category Archives: Mythology
THE SHINTO MOON GOD TSUKUYOMI
TSUKUYOMI – Also spelled Tsukiyomi. The moon god and ruler of the night. In the Nihongi he is the son of both Izanami and Izanagi. In the Kojiki he is said to have been born from Izanagi’s right eye and in a third tradition supposedly sprang from a mirror in Izanagi’s right hand.
A prominent myth about him says that once he was being entertained by Ukemochi the goddess of Continue reading
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SHINTO DEITY: UZUME
UZUME – This daughter of the gods Izanagi and Izanami was the goddess of dancing, a skill that served her in good stead in two major Shinto myths. When the sun goddess Amaterasu had hidden herself away in a cave, Uzume danced naked as part of the plot concocted by the god of wisdom Omoigane to lure Amaterasu back out into the world.
In the other major myth Uzume is part of the retinue of the god Ninigi when Amaterasu sends him down to rule over ancient Japan. Their descent was blocked by Sarutahiko, the god who guards Ukihashi, the floating bridge between Continue reading
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NAVAJO MYTHS: VISIONS OF THE SPIDER GODDESS
Part 3 of the encore of my look at the neglected Navajo epic myth about their war god taking on the evil gods called the Anaye. My readership was much smaller back in 2010 when I first ran it, so it will seem like new to most of you –
3. VISIONS OF THE SPIDER GODDESS – On their way west toward their father Tsohanoai’s house, Nayanazgeni and Tobadzistsini passed the Grand Canyon, which in Navajo mythology was the Place Of Emergence through which Continue reading
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NAVAJO MYTHS: WHEN A GOD DIES …
Here’s an encore of my look at the neglected Navajo epic myth about their war god taking on the evil gods called the Anaye. My readership was much smaller back in 2010 when I first ran it, so it will seem like new to most of you –
PART 2 – WHEN A GOD DIES … In those ancient times Nayanazgeni (“Alien God Killer”)and his brother Tobadzistsini (“Child of the Water”)were living with their mother, the goddess Estsanatlehi, on a plateau near their worshippers, the Navajo people of the time. They were aware of the alien gods called the Anaye who were preying on the world at large.
One such Anaye was a club-wielding giant who rode an equally huge cougar. The giant had a double-face, one in front and one in the rear so it could not be snuck up on. This Anaye had begun to Continue reading
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NAVAJO MYTHS: GOD SLAYER
A side effect of the overwhelming response to my post on the neglected Chinese epic myth about Yi the Divine Archer has been a huge demand for an encore of my look at the neglected Navajo epic myth about their war god taking on the evil gods called the Anaye. My readership was much smaller back in 2010 when I first ran it, so it will seem like new to most of you –
And by the way, for my look at Yi the Divine Archer click here: https://glitternight.com/2012/03/17/mythology-the-neglected-epic-myth-of-yi-the-divine-archer/
GOD SLAYER – The story of the Navajo god of war, Nayanazgeni ( “Foreign God Slayer”) and his brother battling the Anaye, meaning “foreign or alien gods” is one of my favorite mythological tales, partly because of how Continue reading
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SHINTO DEITY: INARI THE RICE GOD
INARI – The Shinto rice god. His wife was the goddess Ukemochi and when she was slain by the moon god he married Mitama, the goddess of agriculture. His son was the scarecrow and divination deity Kuyebiko. There are even versions of Shinto myths in which Saki is said to be Inari’s daughter and the goddess of the intoxicating drink Saki like Dionysus is the god of wine in Greek myths.
Inari often roamed the rice fields of Earth, sometimes in the form of a fox, his familiar animal. This connection between the rice god and foxes came from the way foxes often Continue reading
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SHINTO DEITY: SUSANOWO
SUSANOWO – The Shinto storm god. He is appropriately depicted as an impetuous, ill-tempered god and was often at odds with his sister the sun goddess, Amaterasu. In the Nihongi he is the son of both Izanagi and Izanami but in the Kojiki he is born from Izanagi’s nose as a sneeze.
At one point he was seriously over-stepping his authority in a fit of anger. In some versions he was angry over his sister Amaterasu being the Chief Deity in the Shinto pantheon instead of him, in others he was angry because his mother the goddess Izanami could never return from Yomi, where she was now fated to rule over the dead forever. At any rate he was Continue reading
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THE TOP SIX ALTERNATE GOSPELS AND SCRIPTURES PART 2
As promised, here is the second part of Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the top six apocryphal gospels, meaning the rejected and obscure gospels outside of the four accepted by mainstream Christianity as “authentic” (snicker).
Those four are, of course, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There were dozens of others and I’ve selected the six that provide the best opportunities for comparative mythology.
And remember, this is NOT an April Fool’s Day joke.
3. THE GOSPEL OF THE SAVIOR – The narrative of this gospel centers around dialogues between Jesus and his apostles in the last few days before his arrest and crucifixion. Some of the material is similar to the Gospels of John and Matthew, but some is Gnostic, with references to Continue reading
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THE TOP SIX ALTERNATE GOSPELS AND SCRIPTURES
Everyone but the most sheltered Christians have known for centuries about the alternate, or apocryphal gospels. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were the four canonical or “official” gospels that were accepted by the mainstream church but there were dozens of other gospels with wildly varying versions of the story of Jesus.
With my love of mythology I first got into those other gospels when I was 18 and that was long before Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code fouled the territory by attracting countless conspiracy kooks to the subject of these obscure writings. It complicates conversations now because when many people hear you discussing the apocryphal gospels they think you’re a paranoid crackpot looking for the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene around every corner.
At any rate it’s fun to wonder what form Easter celebrations would have taken if the following rejected gospels had been accepted as “official.” And remember, this is NOT an April Fool’s Day joke.
6. THE ACTS OF THECLA – Since the Gospel of Mary has gotten so much attention following the success of Dan Brown’s writings and their screen adaptations I decided to throw a spotlight on the neglected woman named Thecla instead. Thecla supposedly became a follower of Continue reading
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