Epics, Mythology and Legends

hm... have any of you heard of the epic of king gesar? it's apparently the longest epic ever. to the point of not being completely transcribed. and it's still sung today. isn't that interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_King_Gesar

I LOVE Norse and Finnish mythology, especially the Norse Saga Of The Volsungs. Adventure, Excitement, Heroism, Love, Magic, Treasure, Treachery, Incest, Cannibalism... All the ingredients of a great story!

edited 20th Apr '13 6:21:29 AM by MorwenEdhelwen

bump

I love Sumerian mythology. It's fascinating to hear some of the earliest recorded stories of the supernatural and the earliest recorded documents in some cases.

Though some might find the repetition annoying, I find it gives an enchanting quality and gives it a primitive power.

"From the great heaven she set her mind on the great below. From the great heaven the goddess set her mind on the great below. From the great heaven Inana set her mind on the great below. My mistress abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld. Inana abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld."

I love Northern European (Norse, Germanic and especially Celtic)mythology, but I dislike Southern European (Greek, Roman). The Northern variety just feels more real and interesting, whereas the 'Classics' I just find to be boring. Though entirely the opposite to Northern European, I find some varieties of East Asian mythologies fascinating, but the religious practices more than the actual tales and beliefs (especially Mongolian Shamanism, Buddhism, and Shintoism)

So do I.

I pretty much love any and all mythologies. Btw, are we including the Judeo-Christian mythos here or would that be Flame Bait?

Don't see why it shouldn't be included. Some of the stories surrounding saints and various entities are certainly myth-y in scale.

It's a shame more Arabian folklore and legends aren't being translated. There seems to be a fairly rich tradition especially deriving from Persian influence. I'd love to get more stuff other than the 1001 Nights. It's only wet my apatite for more.

There is the book of idols but I do not know much beyond that. You would think we would have more, according to the Sirat Ibn Ishaq there were at least 360 non Abraham religions in Mecca alone before Muhammad came along but no. Add in Christianity, Zorostrianism and Judaism and it was two short of a religion for every day of the year...actually enough considering the Arabs had a lunar calender. Throw in Buddhism and Hinduism from India and study a mystery sect on leap year's extra day.

Sadly, the double wammy of Christianity and Islam destroyed dozens of native cultures and religions. Countless valueable texts, epics, folklore, and religious sites have been destroyed in the name of conversion.

...So I'm reading through the Táin Bó Cúailnge when suddenly Cethern turns the epic into a Black Comedy.

edited 21st Jul '13 11:20:34 PM by T-bone61

Yeah, the Irish loved their dark humour. Can be a bit flowery, but they could give the Norse a run for their money in that respect. It's one of my favorite epics to read.

I'm a big fan of two types of mythology: Germanic and Sumerian. Germanic, because, aside from being badass in every way, it's often very well written with some amazing lines, language and ideas. Sumerian, because it's not only the oldest written mythology, but because they invented just about everything in modern popular culture. Zombies? Check. Werewolves? Check. Vampires? Yeah, more or less. Ardat Yakshi? Believe it or not, yes (see: the Ardat lilli).

Of the Germanic tales, I'd have to say that The Saga of Hervor and King Heidrek the Wise is my favourite saga to date (and, in my opinion, one of the best pieces of literature ever written), while The Exploits of Ninurta (O Warrior King) is my favourite piece of Sumerian mythology.

I love that.

edited 14th Aug '13 7:21:16 PM by MorwenEdhelwen

One of my favourite parts of the saga.

Have you read Christopher Tolkein's essay and translation of the saga?

I like Myths (and fairy tales) in general...well, with the exception of the Indian ones, they tend to be rather odd.

My favourite is Odysseus, though....but not his travel, the last part, about Penelope and his son Telemach. I think you could make an entire movie just about how they dealt with Odysseus absence, how Penelope kept all the money diggers at bay and her son safe.

Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad is more or less based on that concept. I don't know whether you like Atwood or not, but it might be worth checking out.

Yeah, I tried it, but I found it very off-putting. It's very in the face about the feminism angle.

Inanna is my favorite Sumerian Ananaki. She's a spoiled bitch who goes on divine temperature-tantrums, but she's a badass with an Awesome Ego who blew up a mountain because it got in her way and didn't bow to her. Plus she has an interesting duelism as inspiring both lust and war depending on her mood. She also shares some epic Less Yay with Ninshubur which is fascinating from a same-sex perspective. Not to mention inspiring even the priestesses want her levels if you take the more passionate hymns at face-value.

edited 15th Aug '13 4:08:14 PM by darkabomination

That's fair enough, she can be a bit like that.

I really dislike Inanna because she's a spoiled bitch. The way in which she does horrible things to all her lovers and she tries to use her sister's moment of grief to grab power? Not cool at all.

I do, however, find her relationship with Ninshubur very interesting. Les Yay aside, the fact that Ninshubur appears to be a fairly powerful goddess in her own right, capable of defeating Enki's demons where Inanna failed, and yet she serves Inanna with such devotion really makes me wish we had the myth that tells how those two met to begin with.

Actually, I tend to find the non-major characters in Sumerian mythology the most interesting, from the powerful, possibly lesbian Ninshubur to the destructive, manipulative Sharur to the beast man Enkidu.

Oh she's an evil bitch and I'd hate her if it was any other mythology, but the other gods are pretty dickish themselves and don't much care what happens to their slave race. So I can like her as a bit of a Villain Protagonist.

But agreed, Ninshubur has some interesting history with Inanna and you get the feeling they were featured in other myths together. She seems to skirt the line between servant, best friend, lover, or some combination of the above.

It also has a lot of cool characters, minor and major. I find the epic of Gilgamesh and Enkidu an interesting story. The first great epic story is a tragedy with the message that life is fleeting, so enjoy it while you can. It's also interesting that as far as heroes go, they're both very human.

At the end of the day, Gilgamesh is a scared young man who misses his best friend and doesn't want to die. And Enkidu's death is treated very sympathetically, not as a curse against the gods and he isn't condemned for his fate, but just the nature of humans and he dies in quite the Tear Jerker.

That's a fair point. And, I supposed, her attitudes make sense given that she's pretty much a teenager and the daughter of one of the three major gods. It would be pretty interesting to see her interact, I think, with one of the older, more mature godesses of sex and war.

I've actually got a story idea that involves Inanna and Ninshubur, and that combination, with the addition of "mentor" is how I intend to show their relationship. Which is quite unfortunate for Ninshubur, since Inanna is the antagonist of the piece and I view Ninshubur as being essentially a good person.

Gilgamesh is definitely an interesting story, more so because it's the UrExample for so many supposedly modern tropes. It's also a fantastic read, given it's age. There are many modern books less readable :p.

Sumerian mythology needs more novels devoted to it. I've always wanted to write an urban fantasy featuring them as incredibly a ncient and powerful, even compared with the greats like Egyptian and Norse.

In general I find just about an surviving records by these guys interesting. From the battle hymns to the lements made for long-vanished cities.

As an aside, it's alsointeresting just how much the Bible takes from the mythology. Entire passages are copied more or less intact from legends. And the account of the flood featuring Utnapishtim is nearly the exact same story of the Arc. Not to mention the descriptions of the underworld have many similarities toSheol.

edited 16th Aug '13 6:58:03 PM by darkabomination

@cahir: Yes. I love that Hervor was a highway robber