Well thank you very much. Not many really visit it, but I will still post for fun. lol

Sometimes I get a quick reply here or there!

The one thing I have noticed is that it has the least amount of disagreements! Maybe because everyone knows it is only mythology!

Have a great day my friend

You too Smiles. You come up with the most interesting threads

These are 10 features common to all religions:

1.Absolute

2.The World

3.Humans

4.The Problem For Humans

5.The Solution For Humans

6.Community and Ethics

7.An Interpretation of History

8.Rituals and Symbols

9.Life After Death

10.Relationship to Other Religions

Wow it looks like you have the first 10 chapters to a novel! Now go and write a bestseller!

Chinesse Mythology

The people of China have a rich and complicated mythology that dates back nearly 4,000 years. Throughout Chinese history, myth and reality have been intertwined. Historical figures have been worshiped as gods, and ancient myths are sometimes treated as historical truths. In addition, three great religious traditions—Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism—have played a role in shaping the mythology. The result is a rich tapestry of characters and tales, both real and imagined, and a unique pantheon organized very much like ancient Chinese society.


Roots of Chinese Mythology

China can trace its historical roots in a unbroken line for more than 4,000 years, and its mythological roots extend even farther back in time. From about 2000 to 1500 B.C., a people known as the Xia dominated the northern regions of China. The Xia worshiped the snake, a creature that appears in some of the oldest Chinese myths. Eventually, the snake changed into the dragon, which became one of the most enduring symbols of Chinese culture and mythology


New Religious Ideas. From about 1500 to 1066 B.C., China was ruled by the Shang dynasty. The people at this time worshiped many deities, including natural forces and elements such as rain, clouds, rivers, mountains, the sun, the moon, and the earth. Their greatest deity, Shang Di, remains an important god in the Chinese pantheon.

pantheon all the gods of a particular culture

dynasty succession of rulers from the same family or group

deity god or goddess

When a new dynasty, the Zhou, came to power in China in 1066 B.C., significant changes took place in religion. People still worshiped the old gods, but ancestor worship became increasingly important. Confucianism and Taoism appeared near the end of the Zhou dynasty. These two religious traditions had an enormous influence on the development of the most basic and lasting principles of Chinese culture.

I got that from my college World religion textbook

Common Themes in Chinese Mythology

Several common themes appear throughout much of Chinese mythology. Among the most significant are the creation of the world out of chaos, the importance of nature, and reverence for ancestors.

The Archer Yi and the Sun

When the world was still young, there were ten suns. Each took a turn being pulled through the sky in the chariot of their mother, goddess of the sun. One day, however, the ten suns decided to travel across the sky together. They greatly enjoyed their journey, but it brought disaster on the earth, destroying crops and drying up streams. Dijun, the father of the suns, felt sorry for humans and told his children to behave, but they would not listen. So Dijun sent Yi, a great archer, to earth with a magic bow and arrows to frighten his children into behaving. When Yi realized that neither threats nor persuasion would stop the suns, he shot his arrows into the sky and began killing them. After he finished shooting, only one sun remained—the one that travels through the sky today.

cult group bound together by devotion to a particular person, belief, or god

immortal able to live forever

chaos great disorder or confusion

The main Chinese account of creation involves the god Pan Gu, the son of Yin and Yang, who came into being in the darkness of chaos. After 18,000 years, Pan Gu had grown so much that he caused the light parts of the chaos to rise and become the heavens, while the heavy parts sank and became the earth. To keep the heavens and earth separated, Pan Gu stood up and forced them apart. He grew 10 feet a day for another 18,000 years until the earth and heavens became fixed in place. Pan Gu then laid down to rest and died. Various parts of his body became parts of the universe—the sun and moon, wind and clouds, and all elements on earth. The fleas on Pan Gu's body became humans.

The importance of nature is stressed in legends such as that of the Five Sacred Mountains, which represent the main points of the compass and the axis of the world. The most sacred mountain, T'ai Shan, has Shang Di, the greatest earthly power, as its deity. Mount Kunlun, home of immortals, became the focus of various cults. Many Chinese myths deal with natural disasters, especially floods. Others deal with heavenly bodies such as the sun and moon. Animals, including dragons, pigs, and monkeys, are also important figures in Chinese mythology.

Reverence for ancestors is another common theme in Chinese mythology. Long life is viewed as a sign of the gods' favor, and for many centuries, the Chinese have sought the secret of long life and immortality. In the past, Taoists believed that magic potions could be created that bestowed eternal life on people who drank them and that beings known as hsien gained immortality in this way. Both Taoism and Confucianism stress the importance of paying proper respect to elders, especially parents and grandparents, and deceased ancestors are honored with various ceremonies and rituals.

Welsch Mythology

The dragon has long been a symbol of Wales. It features (in its proper red colour) on the national flag and is often to be found marking goods of Welsh origin. How did this exotic oriental beast find its way to Wales? The dragon was perhaps first seen in Wales in Roman times. The Romans were thought to have gained knowledge of the dragon from their Parthian enemies (in lands later to become part of the great Persian Empire) and it is to be seen carved on Trajan's column. It is possible that the dragon had been seen in the West much earlier than this, as a result of Alexander the Great's epic journey which commenced it 334 B.C. Alexander marched as far as northern India and after his death, the break up of his mighty empire saw an increase in trade with Africa and India and for the first time commerce with China.


The Roman draco was a figure fixed by the head to the top of a staff, with body and tail floating in the air and was the model for the dragon standard used by the Anglo Saxons. In the Bayeux Tapestry, this device is depicted as the standard of King Harold, although written records seem to disagree. In 1190 "the terrible standard of the dragon" was borne before the army of Richard Coeur-de-Lion in an attack at Messina.

The seventh century Welsh hero Cadwaladr carried the dragon standard and the dragon had become a recognised symbol of Wales by the time Welsh archers were serving in the English army at the battle of Crecy in 1346. It is said that a dragon banner was thrown over the Black Prince when he was unhorsed at Crecy, in protection while his enemies were beaten off. The future King Henry VII carried the dragon banner at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. This battle signalled the end of the War of the Roses between Lancastrian and Yorkist factions and led to unification. Henry later decided that the red dragon should figure on the official flag of Wales.

http://www.xn--tren-5qa.de/images/welsch%20dragon%20flag.gif

African Mythology

Introduction
African mythology covers a large area. There are so many countries, regions, languages, tribes, cultures and imperialist crossovers that the sheer diversity of prevailing Gods would seem overwhelming if there weren't a few handy shortcuts.

Traditional African belief is overwhelmingly monotheistic. There may be spirits and ancestors floating around, but there's only one God. Early missionaries made a complete pig's ear of their research in this respect and seem to have delighted in cataloging as many 'heathen' Gods as they could possibly get away with.

African Creator Gods seem to follow a distinctive pattern - they are all extremely dissatisified with their creations. There is much shaking of heads, turning away in sorrow and avoidance of contact. The humans are left to fend for themselves. Attempts to regain contact with their God by building a heavenly ladder are the subject of many an unhappy legend. On the whole, African Gods don't like to be pestered, and humans have to learn to be content with their lot.

But while God sits in Heaven wringing his hands in despair, the ancestral spirits are very willing to take an active part in Earthly life. These are mostly into hunting and other practical subjects - with food, sex and booze as popular as always.

There is a remarkable innocence about the Gods of Africa. They seem naive and unworldly, believing the best of everyone and optimistically giving the benefit of the doubt to all and sundry. No wonder they are rudely disappointed when it turns out their badly-chosen favorites are up to no good.

Even communicating with their creation is full of problems. Vital messages of life and death are entrusted to whichever farmyard animal happens to be passing, and the resulting garble is likely to have profoundly unforeseen - and usually disastrous - consequences...

Very cool

IMAM-ORON > Creator of the universe, thought by all to be the wisest of all, I fail to see that, but its only missedthology anyway






Great stuff J, entertaining info.

African Mythology

ELEGUA: Trickster God of Crossroads, Beginnings and Opportunity.


He's the Guardian of the Crossroads of Life. Whenever there are decisions to be made, he provides opportunities and second chances. If you're lucky. As a Trickster God, the childlike ELEGUA can sometimes make things even more complicated. At a whim he can turn a simple choice into a vast conundrum of paradox.

He's also messenger to the higher Gods, particularly OLORUN, and he does like to be noticed. He's partial to cigars and rum, but he is very good with children. His day is Monday — so you can start the week well under his ministrations. His colour coding is red and black.

Well thank you everyone for reading up in the Mythology Club! It was fun!

If you wish to continue it then please do. I am not going to post anymore.

May the force be with you!

John

just like the german's - always starting something they can't finish!!










joke -

what ever floats your boat john.

thnx for the info

Be glad we don't end anything! The world would be alot different now!!

In North American Indian mythology, a powerful spirit in the form of a bird that watered the earth and made vegetation grow. Lightning was believed to flash from its eyes or beak, and the beating of its wings was thought to represent rolling thunder. The thunderbird was often portrayed with an extra head on its abdomen, particularly on totem poles, and it was frequently accompanied by lesser bird spirits. Though it is best known in North America, evidence of similar figures has been found throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe.