Superstitions Remember when we discussed urban legends and getting caught up in one? The things to look for, the phrases to listen for and the ideas to be wary of? Good. Let’s go one step behind urban legends. Let’s go to what could possibly be considered the mother of urban legends. Let’s skip GO and head directly to superstitions. A superstition isn’t necessarily a myth, or a legend..but in examining them, they are often a journey through time. What is a superstition exactly? When you pare it down to the bare bones, a superstition is pretty much nothing more then a belief. A bizarre belief maybe, but a belief nonetheless.…

Mermaids “I wanna be where the people are I wanna see… Wanna see ’em dancin’ Walkin’ around on those… Whad’ya call them? Oh-Feet. Flippin’ your fins you don’t get too far Legs are required for jumpin’, dancin’ Strolling along down a.. What’s that word again? Street..” Lyrics from Part of Your World as sung by Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Ah mermaids. One of the most sought after mythological creatures ever. Also one of the oldest and most often talked about mythological creatures. Tales of mermaids have been going back for as long as humans have been exploring the sea. Some people say that mermaids are exotically beautiful creatures.…

Urban Legends If somebody told you to be wary of something called “di hydrogen mono oxide”, that it was dangerous and you should avoid it at all costs, and you believed them and went around telling everyone you knew about it…well then you would be in the middle of an urban legend experience.  Urban legend? What’s that you say? Well you know that a myth is a traditional story or idea that centers on a hero, deity or event that isn’t exactly easy to explain naturally or factually. A legend is a story that has a teeny grain of truth that is wrapped in layer upon layer of story or…

Myths and Legends: Journeys Through Time There are 12 months, 365 (366 when February gains an extra day), and 52 weeks in a year. There are roughly 4 weeks in a month and always 7 days in a week. Every day of the weeks and every one of the 12 months of the year have a name. We know these names as surely as we know our own. They’re taught to us from a young age and surround us constantly. However…one thing that isn’t taught much is the origin of these names. With the exceptions of February, July, August, September, October, November and December the months were named either for…

Faeries Tinkerbell was one. Thumbelina was rumored to be one. Amy Brown is famous for her drawings and art of them. Little girls love them. The Grimm Brothers wrote tales about them…well not exactly about them but tales within their realm. What or who are they? They’re fairies. More specifically…the fae or fair folk. Fairy is derivative of an old Middle English word, faierie also spelled fayerye, feirie, and feirie, which in itself is pulled from the the Old French language; faerie or in Modern French féerie. Originally this word meant, not the people but the land, activity, or characteristic of legendary people of folklore and romance. People like Hercules,…

Quetzalcoatl If you dig through all of the mythologies out there, sooner or later you start to realize that there are many similarities between the gods and goddess. In ever mythology there is at least one head honcho…Greek mythology has Zues, the Romans have Jupiter, Egyptian mythology has Ra (or Osiris, sometimes Set depending on which mythos you’re looking at), Norse mythology has Odin, Indian mythology has Shiva etc. These guys always have a wife who is a diety in her own right (Hera, Juno, Isis, Frieda, Shakti etc) and there is always one very well known god or demi-god; Heracles, Persues, Horus, Kali-ma and so on. There are also…

Have you ever had a sibling that you just couldn’t stand? A brother or a sister that for some reason no matter how hard you tried, they just rubbed you the wrong way? Or if you don’t have siblings somebody in your life that for one reason or other just drove you bonkers? If so then you’ll be happy to know that even Gods and Goddesses had this problem. Norse trickster god Loki couldn’t stand his brother (even if they were only brothers by adoption) Thor. In some versions of Greek and Roman mythology Hades or as he’s known to the Romans, Pluto would do his best every so often…

Janus Have you ever had a moment where you feel as if you’re looking forward to whatever the future may bring yet at the same time, looking back as to what the past has brought?  Or have you ever sat around on New Year’s Eve contemplating the coming new year while reminiscing about the past year?  January is the first month of the year and it’s named after a Roman god named Janus. Janus is one of the more….interesting gods in the Roman pantheon. He’s just as if not more important than Jupiter, who is the ruler of all the gods. In Greek mythology Jupiter’s counterpart is Zeus, Janus however…

Santa Claus “You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I’m telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town…” December, the last and most favored month of the year. Although December usually associated with cold, winter, ice and snow it’s also associated with one of the most famous holiday of all. Christmas. Even more popular than Christmas is the figure that represents Christmas. He’s jolly, big, wears red and white, has a snowy white beard, glasses and a deep rumbling laugh. He is none other then Santa Claus. Santa Claus is the one that in the late hours of Christmas Eve and the early hours…

Every year the Earth goes through a series of changes. Where the change begins isn’t rightly known but the beginning is assumed to be Spring; a season of rebirth and new beginnings. Spring is the time when the world wakes up from it’s winter induced slumber and takes on a new look. The tree leaves and flower buds peek at the world around them and decide to be a part of it. The newborn animals begin to learn how to survive and become adults. After spring comes Summer; a season of growth and destruction, of good times and on occasion bad times. Summer is a time of temperment, sometimes Mother…