Free Essays on Myth

Myths You are probably here because you are interested in Greek myths. Here are some short summaries of the most popular myths. Little Hermes Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, a nymph. He was born already walking and talking. The day he was born, Hermes constructed the lyre, a kind of harp. Then he stole fifty of Apollo's sheep, sacrificing two of them to the gods. Being the god of thieves, Hermes cleverly concealed all of his tracks. However, Apollo was the god of prophecy, so he found out that Hermes had stolen his sheep. Hermes then had to exchange his lyre for the sheep. Then the two gods became friends. The Kidnapping of Persephone Persephone was a young maiden, the daughter of Demeter, the earth mother. It came to pass that Hades fell in love with her. He kidnapped her one day, taking her to his underworld kingdom. Demeter was very grievous à ¯Ãƒ ¥Ãƒ ·Ãƒ «Ãƒ ¼Ãƒ ­Ãƒ »Ãƒ © when she found out about her daughter's disappearance. She left Olympus and wandered in the form of an old woman. Because of her absence, there was a great famine. Finally Zeus sent Hermes to Hades to bring Persephone back. Before letting her go, Hades gave her seven pomegranate à °Ãƒ ­Ãƒ ² ( à ¯Ãƒ «Ãƒ ® ) seeds to eat. Later it turned out that because of this she had to go back to him. So now Persephone spends seven months in the underworld, which are the cold, lifeless months. The remaining warm, sunny months she spends with her mother back on Earth. Don't look back!! Orpheus could make such beautiful music that even trees and animals would crowd around him to listen. Orpheus was in love with the lovely Eurydice (à Ãƒ ¢Ãƒ °Ãƒ ¨Ãƒ ¨Ãƒ ª). But she got bitten by a snake and died. Orpheus was inconsolable à ¥Ãƒ §Ãƒ ³Ãƒ ²Ãƒ ¥Ãƒ ¸Ãƒ ­Ãƒ »Ãƒ ©. He went down to the underworld, playing his music as skillfully as he could, mesmerizing à ¨Ãƒ ¯Ãƒ ­Ãƒ ®Ãƒ ²Ãƒ ¨Ãƒ §Ãƒ ¨Ãƒ °Ãƒ ®Ãƒ ¢Ãƒ ²Ãƒ ¼; à ®Ãƒ ·Ãƒ °Ãƒ ®Ãƒ ¢Ãƒ »Ãƒ ¢Ãƒ ²Ãƒ ¼ the guards. Moved by his music, Hades told him to go back, promising to send Eurydice after him. ... Free Essays on Myth Free Essays on Myth The cultural area known as Mesoamerica covers most of Southern Mexico and Central America. It’s topography and ecology include semi arid deserts in the north, mountainous terrains and steamy rainforests in the South. To the East lies the Gulf coast and the Yucatan peninsula, a limestone jetty with a system of underground rivers, where water is scarce. It shares some distinct cultural traits that were disseminated by what is known as the Olmec of the Gulf Coast. The Olmecs (1000 - 400 B.C.) are considered â€Å"the mother culture† because they were the first people to have developed a centralized government. They were the first long-distance traders of Mesoamerica and apparently spread â€Å"civilization† as well as their trade goods. They had a strong influence on peoples as far south as Guatemala and as far east as the Zapotec center of Monte Alban. They were the first to create the famous Mesoamerican ballgame which later was included in the cosmology of the Maya, the Teotihuacanos, the Zapotecs, the Mixtecs, the Toltecs, and later the Aztecs or Mexica. It is to them that scholars have attempted to link the Maya and Central Mexican Calendars as well as early writing. The calendric system of the Maya and of Central Mexico are based on a numeric system that included the concept of zero. Zeros mark completion and are part of a cycle. The calendar is really a calendric system with a 360 day solar count with 18 months containing 20 days each. Each day has its own name. At the end of the 18 months is one small month with 5 days of fear and calamity. This was intermeshed with a 260 day ritual calendar of 20 day names and 13 numbers. These two calendars created what is known as the calendar round that functioned like two circular gears that pushed time in a spiral motion. The calendar round does not repeat any of its combination of days for a period of 52 years. The Aztecs renewed their cycle with a â€Å"new fire ritualï ¿ ½... Free Essays on Myth Myths You are probably here because you are interested in Greek myths. Here are some short summaries of the most popular myths. Little Hermes Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, a nymph. He was born already walking and talking. The day he was born, Hermes constructed the lyre, a kind of harp. Then he stole fifty of Apollo's sheep, sacrificing two of them to the gods. Being the god of thieves, Hermes cleverly concealed all of his tracks. However, Apollo was the god of prophecy, so he found out that Hermes had stolen his sheep. Hermes then had to exchange his lyre for the sheep. Then the two gods became friends. The Kidnapping of Persephone Persephone was a young maiden, the daughter of Demeter, the earth mother. It came to pass that Hades fell in love with her. He kidnapped her one day, taking her to his underworld kingdom. Demeter was very grievous à ¯Ãƒ ¥Ãƒ ·Ãƒ «Ãƒ ¼Ãƒ ­Ãƒ »Ãƒ © when she found out about her daughter's disappearance. She left Olympus and wandered in the form of an old woman. Because of her absence, there was a great famine. Finally Zeus sent Hermes to Hades to bring Persephone back. Before letting her go, Hades gave her seven pomegranate à °Ãƒ ­Ãƒ ² ( à ¯Ãƒ «Ãƒ ® ) seeds to eat. Later it turned out that because of this she had to go back to him. So now Persephone spends seven months in the underworld, which are the cold, lifeless months. The remaining warm, sunny months she spends with her mother back on Earth. Don't look back!! Orpheus could make such beautiful music that even trees and animals would crowd around him to listen. Orpheus was in love with the lovely Eurydice (à Ãƒ ¢Ãƒ °Ãƒ ¨Ãƒ ¨Ãƒ ª). But she got bitten by a snake and died. Orpheus was inconsolable à ¥Ãƒ §Ãƒ ³Ãƒ ²Ãƒ ¥Ãƒ ¸Ãƒ ­Ãƒ »Ãƒ ©. He went down to the underworld, playing his music as skillfully as he could, mesmerizing à ¨Ãƒ ¯Ãƒ ­Ãƒ ®Ãƒ ²Ãƒ ¨Ãƒ §Ãƒ ¨Ãƒ °Ãƒ ®Ãƒ ¢Ãƒ ²Ãƒ ¼; à ®Ãƒ ·Ãƒ °Ãƒ ®Ãƒ ¢Ãƒ »Ãƒ ¢Ãƒ ²Ãƒ ¼ the guards. Moved by his music, Hades told him to go back, promising to send Eurydice after him. ...