MYTHOLOGY

The body of myths belonging to a culture. Myths are traditional stories about gods and heroes. They often account for the basic aspects of existence — explaining, for instance, how the Earth was created, why people have to die, or why the year is divided into seasons. Classical mythology— the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans — has had an enormous influence on European and American culture.

Work Cited: "mythology." Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/celtic-mythology

Mythology is the entire body of myths in a given tradition, and the study of myths. Students of anthropology, folklore, and religion study myths in different ways, distinguishing them from various other forms of popular, often orally transmitted, literature. Much of that literature is classified according to its presumed function: fables, which instruct; etiological tales, which explain; and folktales, which entertain.

Work Cited:"mythology." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press., 2003. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/celtic-mythology


A body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes.
The systematic collection and study of myths.

Work Cited:"mythology." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/celtic-mythology

MY OWN CREATED GODS

Anikilavicz

The sacered god of animals, can shapeshift to any animal. He mostly takes the shape form of a Lion, as a Lion represents the King of the Beasts. His powers also enable him to communicate with animals. He is the devine protector of all animals as thy he is the God who created them. His graditude towards nature is aslo one of his symbolic treasures that he posseses. People of the past would never hunt a lion as they thought it might be Anikilavicz the Animal God. They respected the lion as it represented Anikilavicz. Many symbolic statues and representative customs have been created to respectfully appreciate his overwhelming power.

Niskila

Niskila is the goddess of the sky, she is also known as the protector of the sky. She is said to bring the weather with her as she is often described as an huge colorful bird that flies through the world creating different weather conditions. The color of her feathers would depict the weather outcome. In ancient mythology the early people would praise hail to the all powerful weather bird, as they believed when the weather was bad the people were not giving enough praise and respect to the powerful goddess. When the weather was good the people believed that the goddess was satisfied with her worship she received from the people.

Wanillia

Wanillia is the goddess of love, sex, fertility, and war. She is armed with a quiver and bow, and went down into the underworld to gain back her lover. Wanillia is often accompanied by a lion, and sometimes rides it. She is said to make men fall in love with her by congering them with her extreme beauty, and taking them from thier original wifes.

Riggen

Riggen was a god of the sea, seashore, and oceans. He was often considered the overall personification of the ocean, be it both good or bad. Riggen's residence was none other than the waters under the island of Huwaitaa. He was also associated with the brewing of ale and was often known to do so for Tho, because of this he was also known as a hospitable god, and frequently had quests in his halls. These guests were always mystified by the magical cups he had in his halls; they always magically refilled themselves upon being empty.

Nicolas Copernicus-Astronomer




His origional Polish name is Mikolaj Kopernik in the world he is known as Nicolas Copernicus, he was born on February 19th in 1473 in Torun, Poland. He went to the University in Krakow and spent a decade in Italy, studying law and mathematics. A canon of the cathedral at Frombork, Poland Copernicus carried out administrative duties and, from his house, observed the stars and planets. For years he worked on his theory that the planets in our solar system revolved around the sun (Ptolemy of ancient Greece had explained that the universe was a closed system revolving around the earth, and the Catholic church concurred). Hesitant to publish his work for fear of being charged with heresy, Copernicus summarized it in 1530 and circulated it among Europe's scholars, where it was greeted with enthusiasm. His work, titled De revolutionibus orbium coelestium was finally published in 1543. He was the first human being that established the sun at the center of the universe. Later he died couple months after his discovery on May 24th in 1953.



Work Cited: "Nicolas Copernicus." Who2? Biographies. Who2?, 2006. Answers.com 21 Jan. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/nicolas-copernicus



Fryderyk Chopin-Pianist

Fryderyk Chopin born on March 1, 1810 in the capital of Poland in Warsaw. He was raised in Warsaw by his father who was French, and his mother who was Polish. By the age of eight he was recognized as a child prodigy, performing in elegant salons and beginning to write his own pieces. In 1826 he enrolled at the University of Warsaw. He gave his first recital in Vienna, Austria in 1829, and over the next few years he performed at home and through much of Germany, Austria and as well in Paris. Later on in 1832 he settled in Paris and established himself as an exorbitantly paid piano teacher. Later on his extrodinary works established him to become one of the most famous and recogniazable pianist of all time. In Paris he composed extensively, but limited his performances mainly to private salons. By the mid-1840s, though, his health and romantic situation both had deteriorated. Chopin then made an extended visit to the British Isles, but returned to Paris to die in 1849 of bad health.

Work Cited: "Frédéric Chopin." Classical Artist Biographies. All Media Guide, 2006. Answers.com 21 Jan. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/fr-d-ric-chopin

Pope John Paul II

Karol Wojtyla was elected pope on 16 October 1978, becoming the Catholic Church's first non-Italian pope in over 450 years and history's first Slavic pope. He took the name John Paul II as a nod to his predecessor, John Paul I, whose term lasted only one month. John Paul II became known particularly for his traveling ways and for increasing the international presence of the papacy; as pope he visited more than 100 countries worldwide. He was also known as a champion of human rights and for his conservative positions on social issues like abortion, homosexuality and contraception. In 1998 he marked his 20th year as pope, making him the longest-serving pope of the 20th century. By then, John Paul II was struggling with increasingly poor health, visibly suffering from the slurred speech and trembling hands of Parkinson's Disease. In February of 2005, John Paul II had a tracheotomy after being taken to the hospital with breathing troubles. He received the last rites of the church on 31 March 2005, after suffering what church officials called "septic shock and a cardio-circulatory collapse" brought on by a urinary tract infection. He died in his apartments at the Vatican on 2 April 2005 and was succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 April 2005.

POLISH MYTHOLOGY (SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY)

Świętowit

Associated with war and divination. Described as a four-headed god with two heads looking front and two back. A statue portraying the god shows him with four heads, each one looking in a separate direction, a symbolical representation of the four diections of the compass, and also perhaps the four seasons of the year. He always carries his sword or sometimes a bow in one hand, and in the other a drinking horn. Świętowit had a white horse which was kept in his temple and taken care of by priests. It was believed Świętowit rode this horse in battle. The horse was used for divination. Victory in battle, merchant travels and a successful harvest all depended on Świętowit.

Work Cited: "Svetovid." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 22 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/svetovid

Dziewanna

Dziewanna is the Slavic equivalent of the Roman Goddess Diana. Her name derives from Slavic language translate to "The Maiden." She is more widespread in Slavic countries, whereas in other cultures she is a minor deity. In Polish mythology, she is the virginal Goddess who is the huntress of the forest, in some legends, said to run through the Carpathians and in others with a pack of dogs, and is associated with the Moon, spring, agriculture and weather.

Work Cited: "Dziewona." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 22 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/dziewona

SOUTH AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY




Chaac

Chaac is an important deity in the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Mesoamerica. In Maya mythology, Chaac was the god associated with rain and thunder, and was also significant in rites and observances associated with fertility and agriculture. Like some other Maya gods, Chaac was sometimes thought of as one god, and other times as 4 separate gods based in the four cardinal directions: "Chac Xib Chaac", Red Chaac of the East; "Sac Xib Chaac", White North Chaac; "Ek Xib Chaac" Black West Chaac", and "Kan Xib Chaac", Yellow South Chaac. In art, he was sometimes symbolized as an old man with some reptilian or amphibian features, with fangs and a long nose, sometimes tears coming from his eyes which symbolized rain and carrying an axe which caused thunder.

Work Cited: "Chaac." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 15 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/chaac


Evaki

Evaki is the Goddess of night. Evaki places the sun in a pot every night and moves the sun back to its starting point in the east every day. Evaki stole sleep from the eyes of the lizards and shared it with all the other living creatures. In the morning she pulls the lid off the pot to let the sun out. At the end of the day, the sun returns to the pot and she closes the lid, so that the sun cannot be seen anymore this is night.

Work Cited: Article "Evaki" created on 25 July 1999; last modified on 25 July 1999 (Revision 1). 111 words.http://www.pantheon.org/articles/e/evaki.html© MCMXCV - MMVI Encyclopedia Mythica™. All rights reserved.

CHINESE MYTHOLOGY

Sun-Wukong (also known as the Monkey God)

In Chinese Mythology they belived that from the beginning of time, a certain rock on the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers had been soaking up the goodness of nature and QI energy. One day this pregnant rock released a stone egg, and from it hatched a Stone Ape, who solemnly bowed to the Four Corners of the Earth. This was Monkey. He was the high-spirited, egotistical and full of mischievous pranks god. Wukong began as a monkey born of a stone made of primal chaos. He jumped through the waterfall on their island, The Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, and discovered the Water-Curtain Cave. The other monkeys proclaimed him the "Monkey King" for his feat. After celebrating, he soon realized that he was still a normal monkey; he wanted immortality. Determined to find immortal beings and learn their ways, he traveled on a raft to new lands, finally finding the Patriarch Subodhi and becoming his disciple.

Work Cited: "Sun Wukong." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/sun-wukong-1



Tu Di Gong

Tu Di Gong is a earth god worshipped in China. A popular Chinese deity, he is worshipped by Chinese folk religion worshippers and Taoists. A formal name for Tu Di Gong is Fudezhengshen, meaning the earth god of wealth and merit. He was the deity who was in charge of administering the affairs of a particular villages. This god was not all-powerful, but was a modest heavenly bureaucrat to whom individual villagers could turn in times of drought or famine. Today, he is still worshipped by many Chinese. House shrines and temples usually honor Tu Di Gong, whose image is commonly located under the main altar. Commoners often called Tu Di Gong "Grandpa," which reflects his close relationship to the common people.

Work Cited: "Tu Di Gong." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/tu-di-gong

EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY

Amun-Ra

Originally he was simply nothing more than a concept of air, and wind, one of the four fundamental concepts that have composed the universe, in the Ogdoad cosmogeny, whose cult was strongest in Hermopolis. His name means the hidden one, reflecting the invisibility of the air, and of the wind. Like all other members of the Ogdoad, his male aspect was usually depicted as a bird, or bird-headed. Symbolically, invisibility was represented by the color blue, since it was the color of the sky, seen through the air, and so this was the color usually given to Amun's image.

Work Cited: "Amun." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/amun

Eset

Came from lower Egypt, she stood for love, magic, motherhood, children, medicine and peace. People ask her to make marriages happy, and with time she also joined the Osiris cult as his consort. She was the goddess with a throne upon her head and her name simply meant "seat". Like Hathor she could also wear the sun disc within two cow-horns and a cobra. Her parents were Nut and Geb, and she was sister to Osiris, Set and Nephtys. Her temples were found all over Egypt and her very popular worshipping was continued by the Greeks and Romans.

Work Cited: "Eset." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/eset

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Hercales

In Greek mythology, Heracles was a divine hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene who where the king and queen of all gods. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes. Was a champion of the Olympian game fighting against beats and monsters. The Romans adopted the Greek version of his life, but added some detail of their own, some of it linking the hero with the geography of the Central Mediterranean. Extraordinary strength, courage, ingenuity, and sexual prowess with both males and females were among his srongest characteristics and attributes. Although he was not as clever as the likes of Odysseus or Nestor, Heracles used his gifts on several occasions when his strength did not work, such as when laboring for King Augeias, wrestling the giant Antaeus, or tricking Atlas into taking the sky back onto his shoulders. Together with Hermes he was the patron and protector of gymnasia and palaestrae. His iconographic attributes are the lion skin and the club.

Work Cited: Encyclopedia information about HerculesThe Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. http://www.answers.com/main/Record2?a=NR&url=http://www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ More from Encyclopedia

Athena

In Greek mythology, Athena was the goddess of civilization, specifically wisdom, weaving, and crafts . Athena's wisdom shows the technical knowledge employed in weaving, metal-working, but also includes the extraordinary intelligence of such figures as Odysseus. The owl and the olive tree are sacred to her. She is attended by an owl, wears a goatskin breastplate called the Aegis given to her by her father Zeus. She is often shown wearing a helmet and a shield with Gorgon Medusa's head on it, a votive gift of Perseus. Athena is an armed warrior goddess that is said to be a helper to many other gods. She never had a lover, and thus was often known as Athena Parthenos ("Athena the virgin").

Work Cited: "Athena." The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/athena

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

Agni

Agni is a Hindu and Vedic deity. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire", The Indian myhtology belivers think that he is the creator of the Agneyestra a fire weapon. In Hindu art, Agni is represented as red human being with two-heads, suggesting both his destructive and beneficent qualities, and with black hair, three legs and seven arms. He rides a ram, or a chariot pulled by goats. There is Seven rays of ligh coming from his body. One of his names is "Sapta jihva", which means ''seven tongues''. In Hinduism, he is concidered the second only to Indra in the power and importance attributed to him in Indian mythology.

Work Cited: "Agni." WordNet 1.7.1. Princeton University, 2001. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/agni

Radha


Radha is a famous female goddess from Hindu (Indian) mythology, also known as Radharani, prefixed with the respectful term 'Srimati' by devout followers. Radha is almost always depicted alongside her paramour Krishna, and has a highly prominent feature within the philosophy of today's Gaudiya Vaishnava religions.

Work Cited: "Radha." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/radha

SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY

Perun

In Slavic mythology Perun is the highest god. He remarked as the god of thunder and lightning. His other attributes were the mountain, oak, eagle, firmament, horses and carts, weapons, war, and fire. He was first symbolized with weapons made of stone and later with those of metal. His name in the Slavic languages basiclly means thunder and lighting. Perun was a ruler of the living world, sky and earth, and was often symbolised by an eagle sitting on the top of the tallest branch of the tree, from which he kept watch over the entire world. Deep down in the roots of the tree was the place of his enemy, symbolised by a serpent or a dragon. Veles as he is known, was the water god of the underworld, who continually provoked Perun by stealing his cattle, children or wife. Perun chased Veles around the earth, attacking him with his lightning bolts from the sky. Veles ran away from him by transforming himself into deifferent animals, or hiding behind trees, houses or people. Wherever a lightning bolt struck people believed that Veles hid from Perun under or behind that particular place. In the end the people belived that, Perun killed Veles, or he chased him back down into his watery underworld.

Work Cited: "Perun." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2006. Answers.com 15 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/perun

Work Cited:"Perun." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 22 Jan. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/perun

Moréna

She is most often believed to be a Goddess of winter and death. Her name is based on the Slavic root mor, used in words such as "confusion", "peril", "nightmare" and "death". The Burning of Moréna is a traditional folk festival still surviving in Slovakia. The Drowning of Moréna is a traditional folk fest in some parts of Poland. The two festivals are to symbolically welcome the spring and bury the winter. The ritual involves burning of a straw mannequin representing Moréna. She is mainly reresented as a beautiful dark haired woman with a long black dress, and with pointy ears looked somewhat as an elf.

Work cited: "Marzanna." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 15 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/marzanna