Greek West Wind ~ like magic

In class on 1/26 it was brought to question the Greek and Roman names of the mysterious West Wind that impregnated Sky Woman mysteriously when she bent over in the apparent wrong direction.
From my research, this magic master of immaculate conception is known to the Greeks as Zephyr (Roman name: Favonius):

His brother winds are as follows:

East Wind (Greek: Eurus, Roman: Vulturnus):

North Wind (Greek: Boreas, Roman: Aquilo):

South Wind (Greek: Notus, Roman: Auster):

Commonalities Among Mythologies

I am enjoying reading various mythologies from different cultures and times.  I think the commonalities running between them are most interesting as they shed light upon who we are as people of the world rather than as individual nations or cultures.  From the readings we have made this far into the semester a few basic elements of all mythological tales have presented themselves, being, for example, beginning/creation, explanation for the purpose of the world and all its parts, moralistic principles on which we build our lives, a structured format for the roles/expectations we must fill as humans, etc.  Through these stories we may discover what is important to us ~ such as the purpose/meaning of life and existence.

I found the Mayan story of "The Creation" (595-99) very interesting, especially as we read it alongside the first several chapters of Genesis.  I saw several similarities between these two tales, or perhaps I should say I observed how the Mayans' story adopts certain elements of the Genesis story.  

At several points "The Creation" it is written that "the Creators were satisfied" with their creations; "What we have created is perfect!"  Just as it is written throughout Genesis 1, "And God saw that it was good."  

Also, when the Creators made man they declared, "These new creatures will be superior to you [animals] and will rule you" (596) ~ A parallelism of God's creation of man in which he said "God blessed them [humans] and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" (Gen1:28)


There is an obvious strong connection between the Mayan and Hebrew tales in the form of the "great flood" (597, Gen 6).


I did, however, find it interesting that these great and mighty Creators are only sub par.  "Let us try again to create creatures who will praise us and love us" (597).  Unlike the God of scripture, they do not desire a relationship with their creation, they do not allow for self-decision and free will in mankind, expecting only one thing from these "perfect" creatures; thus they more easily see faults and feel a sense of dissatisfaction in their great work.

Dipping my toe in the ocean of mythology...

Thus far, my first dabbles in mythology have been fun ~ and far more...intellectually insightful, shall we say, than I had originally anticipated.  The Enuma Elish (6-11) was a treasure trove of metaphors, themes, and sneak-peeks into the internal makeup of the worlds' cultures both today and yesterday that we will be investigating throughout the semester.  

I pinpointed The Enuma Elish as a Primal Unity Creation Story ~ as there only first existed "water and the mist that hovered above" from which there is separation, division, and the ultimate creation of further gods and humans.  


I am most fascinated with the inevitable moral struggle that ensues throughout the several mythologies we have read this week.  Twice in the Elish story an overwhelming sense of evil encroaches on the peace of creation.  Tiamat expresses her shock that her husband would wrong his own children (6) who then "design evil within their hearts" (7) - a sort of snowball effect of sin.  Perhaps the overlying cause of this story's (and indeed many different mythologies') struggle is that the primary gods have no one to answer to but themselves; there exists no higher judgement; they make their own rules in the game and thus suffer the consequences.


I also felt that the beginning of The Enuma Elish is incredibly reminiscent of The Fall of man, later resulting in the murder of Abel by his brother Cain - the first murder of mankind.  Through further readings and study I, of course, came to realize that this is a common theme amongst creation myths.  First there is peace and happiness, then someone at some point gets a big head and game over.


I most enjoyed the character of Marduk for his comparably incredible wisdom.  Unlike his brothers, it is his wisdom over courage that wins him ultimate victory.  He not only plans offensively but also defensively (considering useful weapons as well as protection against Tiamta's strengths - 9.  Maintaining a level head and acknowledging your enemies' strengths is vital in the world of battle).  Furthermore, his actions illustrate punishment instead of revenge; while his siblings march out hopped up on rage, it is Marduk who uses his wisdom to gain power.  


I found the ending interesting as the tale shifts into that of a Dismemberment Creation Story with Tiamat's gruesome fate (10).  But I also appreciated the cosmogony (beginning of order/cosmos) incorporated there in the last several paragraphs: "he had created order in the universe" (10).  The provision of purpose on the final page: "the purpose of their [humans'] lives was to serve the gods" (11) further lighted my eyes to the story.  I can't help but feel that a random story about random and, let's face it, unrealistic events and characters with no sense of purpose is just a tad waste of my time...then again, my soul purpose being to serve every wish and command of "the gods" doesn't seem that fulfilling either...