For more of my entries on Inuit myths click here: https://glitternight.com/inuit-myth/
KIVIOQ – The greatest hero and monster- slayer of Inuit mythology. The exact structure of Kivioq’s saga varies wildly from region to region, some of them with a fully Continue reading
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Balladeer’s Blog recently got to interview Philip Lee McCall II, best-selling author, reviewer, publisher and imaginist about his latest book, Ing The Viking. McCall’s previous works include The Imaginist and Poisonous Prose: A Limited Collection of Dark Rhymes (2 volumes).
All of those books are available at Amazon.com, plus McCall has The Imaginist II coming out in just over two months. The time seemed right to try to ride Mr McCall’s coattails to some more blog hits for myself (I’m kidding!) so I sent my private jet to pick him up and fly him to my spacious villa overlooking Japan’s Inland Sea.
We passed the time trying to spot one of the thousand dragons of the Shinto god Kotohira swimming in the waters below while “PLMII” as he’s called, graciously answered my interview questions.
Balladeer’s Blog: For the uninitiated could you provide an overview of Ing the Viking’s setting and raison d’etre?
PLMII: Ing the Viking is an anthology which collects the stories of a fabled Viking’s adventures. I worked with a group of fantasy artists to render art for each tale. I was honored to have the great Larry Elmore not only excited about the project but also provide two images for the book. This book was definitely a labor of love and homage to both Norse mythology and the Pulp fiction era. There are Continue reading
This sun goddess was the chief deity of the Shinto pantheon. In the Nihongi she is the daughter of both Izanagi and Izanami but in the Kojiki she springs from Izanagi’s left eye. During one of the conflicts with her brother Susanowo the storm god she withdrew to a cave in protest of the storm god’s incessant belligerence. Susanowo had been overstepping his bounds by Continue reading
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I.WHAT’S UP WITH YI? – Yi the Divine Archer from Chinese mythology deserves to be remembered in one breath with some of the other great heroes and monster slayers from belief systems around the world. Most people are only familiar with his feat of shooting down multiple suns that appeared in the sky one day, but this article will provide a light- hearted look at all of his fantastic adventures. Continue reading
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Kuyebiko was the Shinto scarecrow god. Originally he functioned as the protector of the rice fields, a task assigned him by his father Inari the rice god. He was considered to be incarnate in all scarecrows and eventually came to be considered as a divinitory deity who knew everything that transpired under the heavens.
The leap from being the god of scarecrows to divinitory deity came about because of Continue reading
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For more of the Shinto deities I’ve covered here at Balladeer’s Blog click here: http://www.makethelist.net/the-top-10-deities-in-shinto-mythology/
JUROJIN – The god of longevity who granted a long life and watched over the elderly. He was depicted as a Continue reading
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For other Shinto deities I’ve covered here at Balladeer’s Blog click here: http://www.makethelist.net/the-top-10-deities-in-shinto-mythology/
KOTOHIRA – The god of the Inland Sea, the location of which is indicated on the map to your right. (the rough translation of the words above the arrow would be “Here’s the Inland Sea … assholes”. ) This deity guarded over the entire Inland Sea and commanded Continue reading
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Balladeer’s Blog
Recently one of my favorite bloggers, Sara from Midaeval Maiden and Life With 4 Cats, asked me a question about Egyptian mythology being influenced by other cultures. I provided an answer where the words just flowed along nicely and so, since I get occassional e-mails asking me similar questions I figured I would post my answer to Sara in the spirit of a FAQ. All in all, it saves me from coming up with a totally new post today … I think you’ll agree.
My Answer: This sort of inter-cultural influence is pretty standard in mythology. No belief system springs from a vacuum. It springs from previous belief systems in the region and also from appropriating elements of belief systems of other cultures they come into contact with. The process is called syncretism.
Even the big three religions have done it. Zoroastrianism predates Christianity, Islam and Judaism and all three of those Continue reading
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"If Danny DeVito was an Egyptian god"
BES – This diminutive Egyptian god presents a perfect opportunity for me to point out how the concepts that a deity is supposedly the patron of can change over time. During his centuries- long period of worship Bes was at various times considered a lion god (his oddly shaped hairdo/beard combo is meant to be reminiscent of a lion’s mane), a patron of art and music, a protector of women in childbirth, a god who could cure infertility and a household god. In that last mentioned role Bes not only looked after children and their mothers, but he would safeguard the household by driving off evil spirits and by strangling potential dangers like snakes, lions and bears. (Oh my!) Because of his short stature and the fact that he was often depicted sporting an enormous erection he was sometimes called “the Egyptian Pan”, but given his benevolent and constructive nature I would say he has more in common with the dwarfish Shinto deity Sukuna-Biko, the friend of Okuninushi. Bes wore a loincloth made of lionskin with the lion’s tail hanging down behind him (though originally he was presented as Continue reading
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CINTEOTL – Just as XILONEN was the god of young, tender corn and ILAMATECUHTLI was the deity of old, overripe and dry corn, Cinteotl was the lord of mature corn ripe for the harvest. Their mother was the goddess Tlazolteotl and this three-in- one trio of deities provides an Continue reading
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