Absolutely and thank you. Whatever you like to post from it will be fine.

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

The blue Jackal


Once upon a time there lived a jackal who strayed into a city in search of food. He was hungry and was being chased by a group of dogs. He accidentally entered the house of a dyer and fell into a vat of indigo(blue), and was stained blue from head to toe. When he escaped from the house back into the forest, all animals were surprised at his appearance and could not place its identity. Taking advantage of the situation, the jackal decided to play the situation to his advantage. He proclaimed that he was Fierce Owl, sent by the king of Gods, Indra, to earth to guard the forest.


The gullible animals believed the jackal. The jackal then appointed the Lion as his Prime minister, tiger as his guardian of the bed chamber and the elephant was made the door keeper. He then drove all the jackals out of sight from the forest for fear of being recognized. The animals would hunt food and bring it to the self proclaimed king and the king would distribute the food to all equally just as a king would do. So he was leading a life of luxury.


One day a herd of jackals were passing by howling to their glory. Unable to control his natural instinct, FierceOwl showed his natural voice and howled at the top of his voice. Hearing this howl, the animals realised that they had been fooled by a jackal and killed the jackal instantly.


MORAL: Excess of Greed is harmful.

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

The heron and the crab

Once upon a time there lived a heron by the side of a pond. It was a lazy creature and once deivsed a plan to get a supply of fish without doing much work. So one day, he went to the side of the pond and put on a gloomy face without attempting to catch any fish. The pond was also inhabited by a carb, which was wise and often helped the fish in the pond. On seeing the gloomy heron, the crab asked her what the matter was.


The heron said, "Alas! I am worried that the pond is going to be soon devoid of any fish, which are in turn my source of food. I overheard a group of fishermen talking about catching all the fish in this pond. But I know of a pond somewhat far away, where all the fish shall be safe. If the fish are interested, i can carry a few each day to the other pond where they will be safe."


All the fish were eager to make use of the heron in reaching a safer destination. So everyday some of the them volunteer to go with the heron. The heron took some fish each day in the beak, and on reaching a large rock used to eat all the fish up and leave the bones of the fish at the rock. So she was able to get a continuos supply of fish at no effort at all. In the end, the curiosity got the better of the crab, and one day it volunteered to go with the fish. When it had gone closer to the rock, it realised the foul play the heron had been playing on the poor fish. Enraged, it tightened its claws around the neck of the heron and snapped the head of the heron off. The heron this died a selfish death. The crab crept back to the pond and told all the fish about the lies the heron had been telling.


MORAL: Excess of Greed is harmful.

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY


The crows and the serpent


Once upon a time there lived a crow couple, who had built a nest on the top of a tree. But unfortunately the tree was inhabited by a serpent at its bottom. So the serpent used to crawl up the tree and eat all the eggs that the lady crow used to lay. The crow couple were deeply grieved and when this happened time after time, then they decided that the serpent was to be get rid of by a plan.


So the crow then approached his friend the jackal and asked for a plan. The jackal then told him to go and fetch a costly thing from the palace of the king and throw the thing in the burrow of the snake. The crow went to palace, and stole a necklace of the queen while she was bathing. The guards of the palace ran after it. The crow then dropped the necklace in the burrow of the snake beneath the tree.


The gaurds on reaching the bottom of the tree, found the necklace guarded by the serpent. Then they lynched the serpent and recovered the necklace. So the crow family was now happy that their eggs were safe now.


MORAL: Wit can achieve anything.

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

The bird with the two necks


Once upon a time there lived a special kind of bird which had two necks and shared a common stomach.


One day, one of the heads found a jar of nectar, and on seeing this the other head also wanted to taste the nectar but the first neck refused to let it have it. Enraged, the other neck soon found a jar of poison and it consumed it. The poison reached the common stomach and both the necks perished.


MORAL: Sharing of a good thing with others is always good.

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

The Moon Lake


Once A large herd of elephants lived in a jungle. Their king was a huge, majestic tusker. He looked after them with love and care. A severe drought hit the area. As there was no rain for a few years, all the rivers and tanks had dried up. Birds and animals died of thirst. The wild elephants suffered for want of water. Their king knew that if they did not get water soon, many of them would die of thirst. He had to find water as quickly as possible.


He asked the elephants to go in different directions to look for water. One of them found a large lake full of water in another jungle far away. The king was happy. He ordered all the elephants to make their way to the lake. It was a beautiful lake. Close to it was a colony of rabbits. The elephants had to pass through this colony. Thousands of rabbits were trampled to death and thousands more were injured. The rabbits were in a panic. Their king called a meeting.


"A herd of wild elephants is passing through our colony," he said. "They have already killed or injured thousands of us. We have to take urgent steps to prevent more deaths. I want all of you to think of a way to save our race." The rabbits thought and thought. How could they stop the elephants? One little rabbit stood up.


"Your Majesty," he said, "if you will send me as your messenger to the king of the elephants, I may be able to find a solution." "By all means, go as my messenger and see what you can do." The little rabbit hurried out.


He saw a group of elephants returning from the lake. Right in the middle was the king. To get near him was impossible. "I will be crushed to death,' thought the rabbit. So he climbed up a huge rock.


"O, king of the elephants," he shouted, "hear me, please." The king heard his voice and turned towards him.


"Well, who are you?" he asked. "I am a messenger," replied the rabbit. "A messenger? From whom?" "I am a messenger from the mighty Moon." "What is your business? Is there a message for me from the Moon?" "Yes, yes, your Majesty. But you must not be angry with me. Please remember that a messenger is never punished for what he has to say. He is only doing his duty." "Very well. Say what you have been sent to say. I shall not harm you." "Sir," said the little rabbit, "the Moon has this to say"


" You, the king of the elephants, have brought your herd to my holy lake and soiled its waters. You have killed thousands of rabbits on your way to the lake. You know that rabbits are under my special protection. Everyone knows that the king of the rabbits lives with me. I ask you not to kill any more rabbits. Otherwise something terrible will happen to you and your herd."


The king of the elephants was shocked. He looked at the little rabbit. "You are right," he said. "We may have killed many rabbits on our way to the lake. I shall see that you do not suffer anymore. I shall request the Moon to forgive me for my sins. Please tell me what I should do." "Come with me alone," replied the rabbit. "Come, I shall take you to the Moon." The little rabbit took the huge elephant to the lake. There they saw the Moon reflected in the still waters. "There, your Majesty, meet the Moon," said the little rabbit.


"Let me worship the divine Moon," said the elephant, and dipped his trunk into the water. At once the water was disturbed. The Moon seemed to move to and fro. The rabbit said, "Now the Moon is angrier than ever." "Why?' asked the king. "What have I done?" "You have touched the holy waters of the lake," replied the rabbit. The elephant bowed his head. "Please ask the Moon to forgive me. Never again will we touch the holy waters of this lake. Never again will we harm the rabbits whom the Moon loves so much." And the king and his herd went away. Soon there was rain and the elephants lived happily. It did not occur to them ever that a little rabbit had fooled them.


Wit can win over might.

CELTIC MYTHOLOGY

The Recovered Bride

Ireland

There was a marriage in the townland of Curragraigue. After the usual festivities, and when the guests were left to themselves, and were drinking to the prosperity of the bride and bridegroom, they were startled by the appearance of the man himself rushing into the room with anguish in his looks.

"Oh!" cried he, "Margaret is carried away by the fairies, I'm sure. The girls were not left the room for half a minute when I went in, and there is no more sign of her there than if she never was born."

Great consternation prevailed, great search was made, but no Margaret was to be found. After a night and day spent in misery, the poor bridegroom laid down to take some rest. In a while he seemed to himself to awake from a troubled dream, and look out into the room. The moon was shining in through the window, and in the middle of the slanting rays stood Margaret in her white bridal clothes. He thought to speak and leap out of the bed, but his tongue was without utterance, and his limbs unable to move.

"Do not be disturbed, dear husband," said the appearance; "I am now in the power of the fairies, but if you only have courage and prudence we may be soon happy with each other again. Next Friday will be May-eve, and the whole court will ride out of the old fort after midnight. I must be there along with the rest. Sprinkle a circle with holy water, and have a black-hafted knife with you. If you have courage to pull me off the horse, and draw me into the ring, all they can do will be useless. You must have some food for me every night on the dresser, for if I taste one mouthful with them, I will be lost to you forever. The fairies got power over me because I was only thinking of you, and did not prepare myself as I ought for the sacrament. I made a bad confession, and now I am suffering for it. Don't forget what I have said."

"Oh, no, my darling," cried he, recovering his speech, but by the time he had slipped out of bed, there was no living soul in the room but himself.

Till Friday night the poor young husband spent a desolate time. The food was left on the dresser over night, and it rejoiced all hearts to find it vanished by morning. A little before midnight he was at the entrance of the old rath. He formed the circle, took his station within it, and kept the black-hafted knife ready for service. At times he was nervously afraid of losing his dear wife, and at others burning with impatience for the struggle.

At last the old fort with its dark high bushy fences cutting against the sky, was in a moment replaced by a palace and its court. A thousand lights flashed from the windows and lofty hall entrance; numerous torches were brandished by attendants stationed round the courtyard; and a numerous cavalcade of richly attired ladies and gentlemen was moving in the direction of the gate where he found himself standing.

As they rode by him laughing and jesting, he could not tell whether they were aware of his presence or not. He looked intent at each countenance as it approached, but it was some time before he caught sight of the dear face and figure borne along on a milk-white steed. She recognized him well enough, and her features now broke into a smile -- now expressed deep anxiety.

She was unable for the throng to guide the animal close to the ring of power; so he suddenly rushed out of his bounds, seized her in his arms, and lifted her off. Cries of rage and fury arose on every side; they were hemmed in, and weapons were directed at his head and breast to terrify him. He seemed to be inspired with superhuman courage and force, and wielding the powerful knife he soon cleared a space round him, all seeming dismayed by the sight of the weapon. He lost no time, but drew his wife within the ring, within which none of the myriads round dared to enter. Shouts of derision and defiance continued to fill the air for some time, but the expedition could not be delayed.

As the end of the procession filed past the gate and the circle within which the mortal pair held each other determinedly clasped, darkness and silence fell on the old rath and the fields round it, and the rescued bride and her lover breathed freely. We will not detain the sensitive reader on the happy walk home, on the joy that hailed their arrival, and on all the eager gossip that occupied the townland and the five that surround it for a month after the happy rescue.

Here's a few Egyptian ones ...
Amaunet - A female counterpart to Amon and one of the primordial gods of the Hermopolitian Ogdoad (group of eight gods). She was also worshipped at Thebes along with Amon and Mut.

Amon - Usually associated with the wind, or things hidden, and was also of the Hermopolitian Ogdoad. At Thebes he became Amon-Re, king of the gods. He was part of the Theban Triad, along with Mut and Khonsu.

Antaios - He was originally a double god, "the two falcons", that was later joined to create one, probably that of Horus.

Anuket - Worshipped at Elephantine, she was associated with the gazelle.

Apis - Seen as the bull with a solar disk between its horns, Apis was associated with Osiris and Ptah.

Aton - Also known as Aten, he was worshipped at Tell 'Amarna.

Atum - A primordial god that was represented in the form of a human and a serpent. He was the supreme god in the Heliopolitan Ennead (group of nine gods) and formed with Re to create Re-Atum.

Hathor - The goddess of love, dance and alcohol was depicted as a cow. At Thebes she was also the goddess of the dead. She was worshipped at Dendera as the consort of Horus and Edfu, and was associated with Isis at Byblos.

Horus - The earliest royal god was the shape of a falcon, with the sun and moon as his eyes. The sky-god was the ruler of the day. The many forms of Horus are; Re-Harakhti, Harsiesis, Haroeris, Harendotes, Khenti-irti, Khentekhtay (the crocodile-god), and Harmakhis, which is Horus on the horizons, in which the Sphinx of Giza is considered to be his aspect.

Isis - The mother of Horus and sister and consort of Osiris was worshipped at Philae. Associated with Astarte, Hathor, Nut and Sothis, she was later worshipped over the entire Roman Empire.

Khnum - Resembling a human with a rams head, he was worshipped in Hypselis, Esna, Antinoe and Elephantine.

Khonsu - the moon god was the son of Amon and Mut. The main temple at Karnak is dedicated to him.

Min - God of fertility coalesced with Amon and Horus. Min was mainly worshipped at Coptos and Akhmim.

Mut - Worshipped at Thebes, she was a consort of Amon and part of the Theban Triad (group of three gods).

Nut - Mother of the sun, moon and heavenly bodies.

Osiris - He is regarded as the dead king that watches over the nether world and is rejuvenated in his son Horus. As the symbol of eternal life he was worshipped at Abydos and Philae.

Ptah - Worshipped in Memphis, he coalesced with Sokaris and Osiris.

Re - He was the sun god of Heliopolis. From the fifth Dynasty onwards he becomes a national god and is combined with the supreme deity Amon.

Serapis - He was mainly worshipped in Alexandria and was later worshipped by the Greeks as Zeus. He was never fully accepted by the Egyptians in the Ptolemaic period.

Sekhmet - She was part of the Memphite Triad with Ptah and Nefertem. She was the mistress of war and sickness.

Seth - The son of Geb and Nut in the Heliopolitan Ennead was in the form of an animal that has no zoological equivalent. This powerful god was regarded as god of the desert, making him a god of foreign lands.

Shu - He was an ancient cosmic power and was regarded as the god of the air and the bearer of heaven.

Sobek - He was a crocodile god and was worshipped at the Faiyum and Ombos. During the middle Kingdom he coalesced with Re, Sobek-Re, and was worshipped as primordial deity and creator-god.

Thoth - He was worshipped as a baboon in Hermopolis. He was the god of sacred writings and wisdom.

Introduction to the Gods of Celtic Mythology


The Celts: an amazing conglomeration of tribes with remarkable staying power.

Refusing to acknowledge Roman rule, the Celts were formidable fighters under any circumstances. Exceedingly good at hit-and-run warfare, they were adept at scattering to isolated areas in small groups - taking their Gods with them.

The famed Asterix comic strip gives an amusing indication of what the Gaulish contingent of Celts felt about the Romans. Ireland (never conquered by the Romans) became another stronghold, and so did the bits of Britain nobody else much wanted. Wales, for example. They also infiltrated the Orkneys, Baleiric Islands, bits of Scandinavia and the Caucasus.

The Celts were doing alright until Christianity came along. The Church nicked some of their Gods for promotional sainthood purposes and thus began the conversion process. Only by building churches on already sacred sites could Celts be converted.

It's only a theory, but we feel the Christians may have cut down the trees that produced the Apples of Immortality. This might have been responsible for reducing the status of Celtic Gods to trolls and fairies. These are not immortal - they grow older and smaller but don't actually die. It's all rather sad when you think of LUGH the Shining One reduced to the status of a leprechaun and having to hide his golden investments at the end of a rainbow.

But the power of the Druids is still contained in the yew trees. Just check out all the yew trees growing in churchyards. And thanks to neo-pagan reconstructivism, the deities of the Emerald Isle and elsewhere are still a force to be reckoned with. Traditional mead is still brewing up a treat, and the MORRIGAN in particular enjoys widespread worship in far-flung places. It's only a short flight to Celtsville as the crow flies.

I think you will find that the whole world was doing ok until christianity came along.

We Brits had a thriving commune with nature.

The druids totally understood the seasons and their implications to life.

Sometimes, you just have to wonder what freedoms have we gained by be so technologically advanced, when we have lost touch with our Mother Earth

Sadly but true.

I hope Mother Earth will outlive the human race and continue to blossom beautiful flowers. That it will have green hills like those on the beautiful island you come from and that there is a chance for a truly peaceful living species to enjoy it here without having to worry about what kind of faction one has to follow.

GODS of Celtic Mythology


MORRIGAN: The Megalithic Mother Goddess and 'The Phantom Queen'.


Don't attempt to mix it with The MORRIGAN. You are very unwise to mess with her and her sisterly accomplices. She was one of the original members of the TUATHA-DE-DANANN (People of the Goddess DANU) who chose Ireland as their Headquarters. This was good preparation for battle and shenanigans as the Fir Bolgs had to be defeated first.

As a shape-changer she can turn from ravishing beauty to hag, from battle crow to BEAN-NIGHE, all in triple time. This has caused a great deal of confusion to careless mythologists and innocent Godcheckers. Some sources claim there is three of her. But as her sisters BADB and NEMAIN usually join in the fray, this is not surprising.

There could have been more as FEA, FOTLA and NEMAIN, other warrior Goddess compatriots with shapechanging abilities, were hardly likely to sit on the sidelines when things got exciting. With crows wheeling and shrieking and startling transformations going on, who is going to stop to count? Especially when you are fleeing in terror, knowing they always picked the winning side.

When MEDB The Queen of Connaught employed the MORRIGAN Mob in her battle against Ulster and CUCHULAINN, more confusion was caused — as MEDB is similar to BADB. BADB was not as bad as MEDB, and the MORRIGAN forces used fear itself as a weapon rather than adding to the slaughter.

MORRIGAN does have a loving side to her nature, and gave the Irish Hero CUCHULAINN every chance to make love not war. But would he listen? That's why he is now only commemorated as a statue of a dying warrior with a MORRIGAN crow on his shoulder. Who knows what she could be saying to him?

Far from fading away, The MORRIGAN is still exceedingly popular and has many followers. There no longer seems to be a pecking order for battle crows; she is more into utilising Earth energy — which is very nice to know. A Dark Green Goddess from the Emerald Isle.

Sláinte!

Another God of Celtic Mythology

AONGHUS: God of Love, the Celtic answer to CUPID.


As a love child of DAGDA and BOANN he carried on the tradition to become a love God, learning to play the harp and lulling the ladies with his smoochy lyrics.

To sustain his reputation as a Romantic Rascal he ran off with ETAIN the wife of his stepbrother MIDIR.

Pursuing the loves and doves side, four of these lovebirds were often to be seen circling above the curly head of this holy heartthrob. These are the symbols used for kisses at the end of love letters. xxxx. More than four and they will go to waste.

Gods from Celtic Mythology

DANU: Celtic Goddess of Wind, Wisdom and Fertility.

More importantly, she's the Irish Mother Goddess who brought into being the TUATHA-DE-DANANN, her own chosen people who originally ruled Ireland.

As a Mother Goddess, she's reknowned for suckling Godlets. There are still two hills in County Kerry still known as the 'Paps of DANU'.

You may have heard of Danny Boy, but she is the original Danu girl. She's also the mother and daughter of DAGDA, which is quite a neat trick.

Arabian Mythology

Jinni

The Arabic name for the anglicized genies, the supernatural spirits or beings found mostly in Islamic or Arabian mythology and the subject of intensive development in literature and folklore in Persia, Egypt, Syria, Arabia, Turkey, and across North Africa. According to mythology, the jinn were created some two thousand years before the making of Adam and were possessors of a lofty place in paradise, roughly equal to that of the angels, although they were probably considered beneath the angels. They are said to have been made of air and fire. After God made Adam, however, the jinn, under their proud and willful leader Iblis (or Eblis, refused to bow down before the mortal. For this grievous refusal, the jinn were cast out of heaven, becoming wicked and hideous demons. Iblis, who fell with them, became the equivalent of Satan. On earth they reputedly live in the Kaf Mountains, which supposedly circle the world. While inferior to devils, the jinn are nevertheless strong and exceedingly cunning. There is, though, a tradition that not all jinn are irredeemably fallen. Some, it is thought, are actually kindly disposed toward humanity, aiding them whenever help is needed-or when it is convenient to the jinni.

In Arabic mythology, Jinni, the plural form of Jinn, are supernatural spirit below the level of angels and devils. Ghul (treacherous spirits of changing shape), 'ifrit (diabolic, evil spirits), and si'la (treacherous spirits of invariable form) constitute classes of jinn. Jinn are beings of flame or air who are capable of assuming human or animal form and are said to dwell in all conceivable inanimate objects—stones, trees, ruins—underneath the earth, in the air, and in fire. They possess the bodily needs of human beings and can even be killed, but they are free from all physical restraints. Jinn delight in punishing humans for any harm done them, intentionally or unintentionally, and are said to be responsible for many diseases and all kinds of accidents; however, those human beings knowing the proper magical procedure can exploit the jinn to their advantage.

Belief in jinn was common in early Arabia, where they were thought to inspire poets and soothsayers. Even Muhammad originally feared that his revelations might be the work of jinn. Their existence was further acknowledged in official Islam, which indicated that they, like human beings, would have to face eventual salvation or damnation. Jinn, especially through their association with magic, have always been favourite figures in North African, Egyptian, Syrian, Persian, and Turkish folklore and are the centre of an immense popular literature, appearing notably in The Thousand and One Nights. In India and Indonesia they have entered local Muslim imaginations by way of the Qur'anic descriptions and Arabic literature.

Norse Mythology (Who was Odin?)

Odin, the mythological figure of Scandinavian and old Germany, was the most important god of them all. Scandinavians feared him because he was said to wander around the mortals with a staff.

Odin was the god of war, wisdom and victory. Most legends say that he only had one eye because he traded it for "infinite wisdom" which he later acquired and thus; he could easily see everything as he wished.

Odin's main attribute was a spear which never failed - he could kill any target with only one shot and he could never fail. Obviously, most Vikings attempted to imitate this being and most of them praised him widely and prayed to him in the eve of a battle.

Odin married Frigg (goddess of marriages) and had many sons. He was the father of the well-known god Thor who was extremely feared as well.

It was the belief in Odin which kept pushing the Vikings into conquering more parts of medieval Europe. He eventually failed because of the expansion of Christianity which reached Scandinavia in the XII century.

Even though Christianity was strong in Scandinavia, Odin was not forgotten for many more centuries and even today some Scandinavians (mainly from Iceland) believe in him.

Norse Mythology (Viking Beliefs)

Norse mythology is still a mystery today. Fortunately, many scrolls have been found in Norway, Sweden and Iceland which gives us a better description as to our previous mythology contained in the far North.

Vikings themselves were very scared of their gods. The power they handed over to them was enormous and enough to control most of their life in many ways.

The movie, The Lord of the Ring has an enormous influence from Norse mythology remarking trolls, and most creatures. Additionally, Gandalf himself is very similar to the mythical god Odin who was in a way omniscient.

Norse mythology has inspired not only that movie, but countless books, stories and games which are all parallel to such beliefs. Norse mythology also influenced other religions including the Catholic church which can be seen to the implementation of such words as "Friday" (Frigg Day, godess of marriage).

Religion for most Scandinavian countries was very similar. The only exception was Finland which did have many differences - but nevertheless; there is a very big similarity.

An interesting subject is the similarities between Norse Mythology and Aztec (pre-hispanic) mythology in America. Of course there is no direct link, but nevertheless; similarities do exist. I will leave this to a future article in this blog for you to discover later. In the mean time I will focus mostly in a brief introduction to Norse mythology.

The main god for all Vikings was Odin - who was the father of all the other gods. An exact number of the gods in Norse mythology is unknown because of uncertainties while having an objective review.

It was the Norse gods who led Vikings into conquering many parts of Europe.

Norse Mythology (Thor)

Thor is the Norse god of thunder. He is a son of Odin and Jord, and one of the most powerful gods. He is married to Sif, a fertility goddess. His mistress is the giantess Jarnsaxa ("iron cutlass"), and their sons are Magni and Modi and his daughter is Thrud. Thor is helped by Thialfi, his servant and the messenger of the gods.

Thor was usually portrayed as a large, powerful man with a red beard and eyes of lightning. Despite his ferocious appearance, he was very popular as the protector of both gods and humans against the forces of evil. He even surpassed his father Odin in popularity because, contrary to Odin, he did not require human sacrifices. In his temple at Uppsala he was shown standing with Odin at his right side. This temple was replaced by a Christian church in 1080.

The Norse believed that during a thunderstorm, Thor rode through the heavens on his chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisni ("gap-tooth") and Tanngnost ("tooth grinder"). Lightning flashed whenever he threw his hammer Mjollnir. Thor wears the belt Megingjard which doubles his already considerable strength. His hall is Bilskirnir, which is located in the region Thrudheim ("place of might"). His greatest enemy is Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent. At the day of Ragnarok, Thor will kill this serpent but will die from its poison. His sons will inherit his hammer after his death.

Donar is his Teutonic equivalent, while the Romans see in him their god Jupiter. Thursday is named after him.

I like to study the theories of Joseph Campbell.

Very interesting thread you got here friend. I'll ponder this and try to come up with something interesting to say