Tag Archives: Myths and Folktales

December 1, 2017 · 2:00 am

INUIT MYTHS: ILAGANIQ

Balladeer’s Blog has already examined all the major gods and goddesses of the Inuit so here is a look at another one of their mythical heroes. For my initial list of Inuit deities click HERE 

Bering SeaILAGANIQ – The Inuit hero Ilaganiq was born in the village of Imitchaq, which was famous for being right near the edge of a cliff overlooking the Bering Sea. Ever since he was very young Ilaganiq and his brothers were subjected to extensive physical conditioning by their father.

Ilaganiq’s father Aapaang hoped that one of his sons would be the hero to destroy the Amikuk, or “the Skin Octopus” a monster which terrorized the region. The creature was called the Skin Octopus because of its flat body, like a seal-skin stretched and drying in the sun.

Despite its flat body the beast had tentacles like a traditional octopus and it had caused much loss of life as well as many sunken kayaks and umiaks. Aapaang’s youngest son Ilaganiq had been born with webbed hands and feet, making him the fastest swimmer of the family. Continue reading →

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April 18, 2017 · 9:30 pm

SUN GODS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Balladeer’s Blog’s mythology posts are among the most popular parts of this site. As a change of pace from my examinations of multiple deities from a single mythological pantheon this time I’ll do a light-hearted look at solar deities – both male and female – from around the world.

Seqinek11. SEQINEK

Pantheon: Inuit

Lore: Also called Malina, Seqinek’s home was in Udlormiut, the land that was on the other side of the sky. In Inuit cosmology the sky was the roof of the enormous ice- house (igloo) that enclosed the world and Udlormiut lay on the other side.

By day Seqinek would leave her home and run across the sky, with the sun itself being the flame from the torch she carried as she ran. The goddess was forever fleeing her brother, the moon god Tatqim, whose partially burnt- out torch was the moon.

For more Inuit deities – https://glitternight.com/inuit-myth/

10. SURYA

Pantheon: Hindu

Lore: The sun was Surya’s chariot racing across Continue reading →

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November 15, 2016 · 11:16 pm

ARKOANYO: A GOD OF THE TUPARI

Tupari live near the Rio BrancoARKOANYO – The bird-creating deity who often protected his fellow divinities, especially from the storm god Valedjad. That god often grew so angry with his fellow deities that he unleashed powerful storms on them, sometimes destroying lesser deities who dared to oppose him.

At one point Valedjad grew so angry he caused a storm so powerful it flooded the Earth, killing many of the other gods and goddesses. The surviving deities struggled to devise a way of at last ending Valedjad’s reign of terror. Arkoanyo, the bird-creating deity was the one who took action.  Continue reading →

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November 10, 2016 · 10:33 pm

TOP DEITIES IN AINU MYTHS

Ainu mapThe Ainu people of Japan suffered oppression at the hands of the Japanese which was similar to that suffered by various conquered peoples around the world at the hands of the Western World, Russia, China and the Muslim World.

The Ainu migrated south to the Japanese islands from the northern lands of the Inuit. Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog will recognize the similarities between the Ainu and Inuit belief systems and methods of worship. In addition certain linguistic similarities will be noted between the Ainu and the Japanese. The Shinto “kami” becomes the Ainu “kamui”, to cite the most prominent example. 

As with the Inuit, exact names and aspects of the following deities can vary, with the most pronounced differences being in Saghalien.

  • NOTE: I am still working out my entry on the Ainu bear god. If you know the Ainu then you know that that entry alone may double the size of this article. And as always, anyone curious about my source books can just ask.

RUKORO – The Ainu god of the male privy. No, I’m not kidding. The powerful stench from his domain serves the useful purpose of  fending off evil spirits. Because of his association with evacuation and expulsion of things unclean he is regarded as a powerful exorcist. There is no corresponding goddess of the female privy, owing to primitive taboos about menstruation.

CHUP – The sun god of the Ainu. His wife is Tombe, the moon goddess. Ainu homes orient their sacred window toward the east to greet the rising sun. Until recent decades it was customary to salute the sun upon exposure to its rays, similar to the practice of genuflecting to the center of an altar, but done without kneeling.

It was considered disrespectful to bodily cross the rays of sunlight striking the hearth through the sacred window. It was better to wait until the position of the sun changed. An inau, one of the idols or totems of the Ainu people, would be set up to honor the sun. That inau bears an incised outline of the orb of the sun and during rituals libations and praise are offered up to Chup.    Continue reading →

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June 23, 2016 · 10:32 pm

HITTITE MYTH OF THE MOUNTAIN GOD AND THE DEER

Hittite empireBalladeer’s Blog takes a look at the Hittite myth involving a mountain god and a deer.

Zaliyanu, the god of the mountain which bears his name, was kind enough to shelter a deer that was fleeing hunters. The pursuit had begun on a neighboring mountain whose god didn’t dare risk the wrath of the hunting god Kurunta by sheltering the terrified creature. Zaliyanu, the greatest of the mountain deities, had no such compunction. Continue reading →

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August 15, 2011 · 12:03 am

THE ELEVEN MOST NEGLECTED DEITIES IN EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY

 When it comes to Egyptian mythology the bulk of the attention always goes to Isis, Osiris, Set, Horus and that god of a thousand names, Ra AKA Amen Ra, etc. Balladeer’s Blog will, as usual, take a look at some of the unjustly overlooked gods and goddesses in a profoundly intriguing pantheon.

Naturally, anybody who’s into Egyptian myths will be VERY familiar with the following deities so this list is intended for people who are only familiar with the five figures mentioned above. For some of my other articles on mythology see these links:

KOREAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/24/the-top-11-deities-in-korean-mythology/ 

SHINTO MYTH – https://glitternight.com/shinto-myth/

HAWAIIAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/02/20/the-top-eleven-deities-in-hawaiian-mythology/

HAWAIIAN MYTH PART 2 – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/02/eleven-more-deities-from-hawaiian-mythology-2/

NORSE MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/04/10/the-eleven-most-neglected-deities-in-teutono-norse-mythology/

AZTEC MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/05/10/the-top-eleven-deities-in-aztec-mythology/

INUIT MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/06/06/the-top-12-deities-from-inuit-mythology-2/

HINDU MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/07/05/the-eleven-most-neglected-deities-in-hindu-mythology/

Plus see my pages on Navajo, Vietnamese, Inuit and Bunyoro myths.

11. SEBEK – The crocodile god. In some traditions Sebek was a son of the serpent god Set, but in others Set is sterile and incapable of siring offspring. Possessing the head of one of the creatures he was the lord of and a humanoid body, Sebek was often depicted traversing the Continue reading →

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July 5, 2011 · 12:05 am

THE ELEVEN MOST NEGLECTED DEITIES IN HINDU MYTHOLOGY

 When it comes to Hindu mythology, it seems like even non-lovers of the subject can at least name the Trimurti of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer (all seen seated to the left, having a kaffeeklatsch) but the other gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon get short shrift. So, in the spirit of my look at the Eleven Most Neglected Deities in Teutono- Norse Mythology comes this examination of some of the Hindu deities that I feel deserve more attention than they seem to get. For other pantheons I’ve dealt with see the following links:

KOREAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/24/the-top-11-deities-in-korean-mythology/ 

SHINTO MYTH –https://glitternight.com/shinto-myth/

HAWAIIAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/02/20/the-top-eleven-deities-in-hawaiian-mythology/

HAWAIIAN MYTH PART 2 – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/02/eleven-more-deities-from-hawaiian-mythology-2/

NORSE MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/04/10/the-eleven-most-neglected-deities-in-teutono-norse-mythology/

AZTEC MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/05/10/the-top-eleven-deities-in-aztec-mythology/

NEW!!!!! INUIT MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/06/06/the-top-12-deities-from-inuit-mythology-2/

Plus see my pages on Navajo, Vietnamese, Inuit and Bunyoro myth.

11. YAMA – The god who ruled over the land of the dead. He and his sister Yami were the first mortals on Earth and were children of the sun god Surya (or in some traditions he simply created them). Since they were the first mortals they were also the first human beings to die and the two became the Continue reading →

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May 10, 2011 · 12:03 am

THE TOP ELEVEN DEITIES IN AZTEC MYTHOLOGY

The underappreciated mythological pantheon I’ll be looking at this time will be the Aztec pantheon. It seems all anybody ever wants to talk about with the Aztecs is human sacrifice, blood, hearts being pulled out, etc. There are many more intriguing elements to their forms of worship than just blood and guts, however. Here is a list of some of their major deities. For other pantheons I’ve addressed see these links:

KOREAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/24/the-top-11-deities-in-korean-mythology/ 

SHINTO MYTH – https://glitternight.com/shinto-myth/

HAWAIIAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/02/20/the-top-eleven-deities-in-hawaiian-mythology/

HAWAIIAN MYTH PART 2 – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/02/eleven-more-deities-from-hawaiian-mythology-2/

NORSE MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/04/10/the-eleven-most-neglected-deities-in-teutono-norse-mythology/

NEW!!!!!! INUIT MYTHS –  – https://glitternight.com/2011/06/06/the-top-12-deities-from-inuit-mythology-2/

Plus see my pages on Navajo, Vietnamese and Bunyoro myth.

11. OMETEOTL – The primordial and hermaphroditic deity who embodied all duality and from whom all existence sprang. Ometeotl did Continue reading →

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April 21, 2011 · 12:03 am

NORSE GODS OF THE DAY: AEGIR AND RAN

Recently I did a list of The Eleven Most Neglected Deities In Teutono-Norse Mythology and there was such popular response to that list that my latest Deities of the Day will be from that same pantheon instead of from Hawaiian mythology. For the full list of Teutono-Norse deities mentioned above, click here: https://glitternight.com/2011/04/10/the-eleven-most-neglected-deities-in-teutono-norse-mythology/

AEGIR – The god of the sea who brewed the ale that he would share with the other Teutono-Norse deities when they would get together at his hall on the island of Hlesey. Many poetic references are made to Continue reading →

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April 10, 2011 · 9:45 pm

THE ELEVEN MOST NEGLECTED DEITIES IN TEUTONO-NORSE MYTHOLOGY

With the Thor movie coming out this year I figured my next Top 11 list might as well cover Teutono-Norse mythology. I’ll stick to my usual emphasis on out- of the-way subject matter by avoiding the well-known figures like Thor, Odin, Loki, Tyr, Sif and Baldur. Let’s take a look at the eleven most underappreciated gods and goddesses from this fascinating pantheon. For other pantheons I’ve addressed see these links:

KOREAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/24/the-top-11-deities-in-korean-mythology/ 

SHINTO MYTH – https://glitternight.com/shinto-myth/

HAWAIIAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/02/20/the-top-eleven-deities-in-hawaiian-mythology/

HAWAIIAN MYTH PART 2 – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/02/eleven-more-deities-from-hawaiian-mythology-2/

AZTEC MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/05/10/the-top-eleven-deities-in-aztec-mythology/#comment-4442#comment-4438#comment-4446

NEW!!!! INUIT DEITIES – https://glitternight.com/2011/06/06/the-top-12-deities-from-inuit-mythology-2/

Plus see my pages on Navajo, Vietnamese and Bunyoro myth.

THIS CATEGORY HAS PROVEN SO POPULAR HERE’S A BONUS 12th DEITY – THE GODDESS GEFJUN.

Gefjun

Gefjun

GEFJUN – This fertility deity is one of the most misunderstood goddesses from Norse myths and that’s saying something. Gefjun is sometimes referred to as a virgin, but her four sons might disagree with that notion. (Most likely it’s another misunderstanding about how ancient goddesses were often called “virgins” simply because they weren’t married, not because they were celibate.) Those sons were the product of Gefjun mating with Jotuns (Giants). 

In the same way that the Korean goddess Halmang was a localized “Mother Earth” for just Jeju Island, Gefjun filled a similar role for Zealand, the largest island in Denmark. By one account Gefjun convinced (or tricked) the Swedish King Gylfi into granting her as much land as she could plow and cultivate for herself.
Continue reading →

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