Mythology

This article diachronically charts the distinctive soteriologies articulated in the earliest scriptures of the cult of Tripurasundarī, a popular trans-regional Śākta tradition, which was promulgated in south India as Śrīvidyā. First, I analyse contexts, beginning in the tenth-century CE, in which words for liberation (mukti and mokṣa) were discussed in the unpublished tantras of the antecedent Nityā cult and the Vāmakeśvarīmata, a foundational text of the cult of Tripurasundarī. Although these texts eulogised the transcendent aspect of the Goddess, they exhibited little interest in salvific practices. In contrast, the later Yoginīhṛdaya emphasised the soteriological meaning of practices, embracing internalised, meditative techniques dedicated to the realisation of liberation during one's lifetime (jīvanmukti), associated with non-dual Śaivism. I argue that the Yoginīhṛdaya built on the existing ritual and mantra system and developed it toward a sophisticated and robust doctrine by which adherents deepened the resilience and longevity of this ritual tradition.

This paper examines the early historical development of the cult of Tripurasundarī, a Hindu Tantric tradition, which later came to be known as Śrīvidyā. My sources, redacted prior to the mid-eleventh century CE, include tantras of the antecedent cult of Nityā (lit. eternal) goddesses and the Vāmakeśvarīmata, a foundational text for the classical cult of Tripurasundarī. I argue that a connection with Kāmadeva (the god of love), who was the consort of the principal goddess in the Nityā cult, formed the backdrop against which the classical cult of Tripurasundarī developed. Although Kāmadeva ceased to be propitiated in the later tradition, his prominent role in the antecedent cult illuminates features that remained at the core of this influential goddess tradition for more than a millennium.

This book chapter is from the first anthology of Hindu goddess narratives translated into English. Twelve goddesses make up this “garland”—not a literal string of flowers such as those offered to goddesses in Hindu temples, but rather a curated collection of exciting, but largely over-looked, tales and rare visualizations offered to the reader in the hopes of fostering deeper understanding and inspiring future scholarship. The narratives include stories of creation, domestication, and incorporation of goddesses into pan-Indian fame; legends about defeating demons or negotiating roles with other goddesses; and Tantric visualizations of little-known, but highly influential figures.

The six short passages in this chapter are translated from Sanskrit. They depart from the narrative format and instead present us with Tantric guided visualizations and hymns of praise to the goddess Kāmeśvarī. The selection contains vivid descriptions, characteristics of the practitioner, and praise for the power of the goddess of desire, Kāmeśvarī. The first two are from the Nityākaula, a previously untranslated Tantra predating the eleventh century and the sole surviving representative of the Nityā cult. The passage from the Ciñciṇīmatasārasamuccaya elaborates on the nature and power of Kāmeśvarī. The last three passages are from the Vāmakeśvarīmata, a Tantra of slightly later origin which expands the goddess’s retinue and links her to the famous ritual diagram called the Śrīcakra. The passages are thus arranged sequentially to illustrate the flow of religious influence from the Nityā cult to the cult of Tripurasundarī, discussed in detail in the explanatory section of this chapter.

Readers should analyze these texts’ portrayal of female sexuality and the way that is incorporated into a religious tradition. That could lead to comparisons of sexuality in other religions. Consider too the importance of colors in visual analogies, and the role of color symbolism in other religious or non-religious contexts.

Antik Dönem Hellen sanatında deniz ve nehir tanrıları önemli bir yer tutar.
Bu tanrı ve tanrıçalar ile ilgili sahneler, Roma Dönemi mozaiklerinde sevilerek konu edinilmiştir. Antiokheia ad Orontes ve Zeugma kentleri zemin mozaiklerinde Okeanos ve Tethys ile ilgili sahnelere rastlamaktayız. Hem bir deniz tanrısı olarak kabul edilen hem de yeryüzünü dört bir yandan saran bir nehir olduğuna inanılan Okeanos bir titandır. Onun eşi Tethys ise denizin verimliliğini simgeler ve bu figürün geç tarihli tasvirlerine Thalassa adı da verilir. Hellen mitolojisine göre Okeanos ve Tethys’in birleşmesinden binlerce nehir doğmuştur. Roma Dönemi ile birlikte deniz ve nehir tanrıları ikonografisi sanatta belirginleşir ve standart bir betimleme tarzına kavuşur. Bu tipik betimleme anlayışı zemin mozaiklerinde rahatlıkla takip edilebilmektedir.

The paper presents the results of an in-depth study in terms of cultural studies and art history of the unique finding, which was considered in the previous paper – the fragment of a saddle coat with embroidery. The authors give a general description and interpretation of the scene with the torment of a herbivore by predators. It is depicted on the saddle cover from the barrow no. 11 of the Berel burial ground in Kazakh Altay. Due to the painstaking work of specialists from the restoration laboratory “Ostrov Krym”, materials were gathered that replenished the collection of the ancient nomadic art masterpieces. Besides, the information base for further studies of religious and mythological representations of the Pazyryk population was strengthened. Probable, a victim in the scene from the mound no. 11 is a mummered horse, the scene conveys the idea of the life and death cycle, which was traditional for the Early Iron Age, revival through death.

I focus on how peritexts (opening cutscenes) within a video game reveal narratives of broader peritexts related to but outside a game, namely its reception history and developing mythology. The installments comprising The Legend of Zelda series present strong cases to investigate. The reception history and mythology of The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess clue us into the complex, causal relationship both games have, which comes into sharp focus upon analyzing the music of select peritexts, "The Legendary Hero" of the former and the title screen of the latter.

In fact, analysis of the visual, narrative, and musical content within the opening narrative peritext of WW and the title-screen peritext of TP reveal microcosms of their reception history and contextualization within the Zelda mythology.

Purpose of the study: This study investigates the relevance of the aesthetic values to the cognitive values in the poetry of the Anglo-Irish poet Seamus Heaney 1939-2013. It examines "The Tollund Man," "Servant Boy," "Gifts of Rain" and "Limbo" from his poetry collection Wintering Out (1972), and focuses on their treatment of rebirth imagery and archetypes aiming to address their aesthetic and conceptual features. Methodology: The study approaches the poetry of Seamus Heaney using Northrop Frye's critical archetypal approach to literature. It is based on examining the mythical aspects and archetypes of the literary text as a way to highlight its value, whether the aesthetic which is concerned with the artistic side of literature or the cognitive which is related to its epistemological value. Main Findings: The study concludes with the assumption that Heaney's poetry, which is part of the modern poetic tradition, occasionally resorts to mythology as a way of intensifying its both aesthetic and cognitive values. The reason lies in the beauty mythology adds to the poetic creation, and the focus it sheds on the thematic features of the work. Applications of this study: This study proposes a creative-critical model that can help the scholars of literature, particularly those who study the cognitive value of literature and the literary archetypal theory to employ while dealing with literary texts that utilize mythical archetypes so as to distinguish their aesthetic and cognitive features. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study proposes an application of Frye's theories to Heaney's poetry which former scholarship on Heaney, and to the best of my knowledge, hasn't examined. Besides, Frye's archetypal theory is applied in a creative way seeking to examine the mythical aspects of Heaney's poetry aiming to emphasize aspects that are not only cognitive and thematic but also cultural and aesthetic.

Several historical, phonological, linguistic, genetic, archaeological and mythological evidences show that there were strong cultural relations between the people who lived in the west of Iran and north of Europe from about the 3rd millennium BC, so the proto-Germanic culture probably originated in the west of Iran and from about the 1st millennium BC there were migrations from this region to north of Italy, especially Tuscany, where we see strong genetic and phonological similarities and from this land and through the Hallstatt culture, Germanic culture was spread into the north of Europe.

The article outlines the history of collecting folk tales in the Ribnica valley. The said area is mostly known to historiography for its traditional woodenware and pottery industries. Local tradesmen sold their products across the wider Middle European area, where they were known not only for their crafts but also for their humorous narratives. The summary survey of individual researchers, recorders, and their collections is limited to the Ribnica valley and the former border of the Ribnica area, which today encompasses the municipalities of Ribnica and Sodražica. The article mentions researchers who have in any way dealt with the Ribnica oral tradition and various collections of narratives related to the Ribnica valley.
The first who stumbled upon this topic was probably the Carniolan polymath Johann Weikhard von Valvasor. The traces of spiritual culture lead to the famous record of the last witch trial in Carniola, which was held in Ribnica.
The beginning of the systematic collection of ethnographic materials goes back to pre-Romantic era. The first written record is the manuscript list of fairy tales, titled Mythen zur Ribniza geglaubten, which was compiled by priest and linguist Valentin Vodnik during his priesthood service in Ribnica. In this short manuscript, Vodnik presented the creatures that appeared in Ribnica’s folklore tradition. The manuscript is supposedly a transcription of the collection that was produced by the last lords of Ribnica’s manor – the Rudež family, who were the first known collectors of folk materials in the area. During the time of Slovenian national awakening, Polish ethnographer Emil Korytko paid several visits to Ribnica. Jožef Rudež presented him with valuable ethnographic materials, which Korytko would later include in his collection.
The author of the article also presents new findings about the destiny of the famous Rudež collection. During that period, the collectors Matevž Ravnikar-Poženčan and Fran Peterlin-Sreboški were active in the Ribnica valley as well importantly contributing to the collection of intangible cultural heritage. Later on, Anton Lesar, Fran Levstik, Fran Milčinski, Henrik Costa, Janko Trošt, Olga Vodopivec, Zmaga Kumer and others were also collecting or discussing folk tales of this area. Despite the variety of previous ethnographic studies and subsequent ethnological efforts to preserve the traditional woodenware and pottery industries, only a few would recognise the potential of systematic field research of oral traditions.

A book in Dutch on Greek mythology. The title translates to "Gods, Monsters and Heroes: The Mythology of the Ancient Greeks". The book is based on a reader that I wrote to accompany my course and lectures on Greek mythology. It is the first book in Dutch, to my knowledge, that doesn't just summarize the Greek myths, but actually put them into the proper cultural context and supplies ample references to the original sources, and includes the occasional archaeological comment.

The biblical story of the Flood, which portrays a humanity worthy of annihilation, is the fundamental myth used by generations of interpreters as they radically criticized the society and culture in which they lived. Accordingly, the Deluge myth's various versions and interpretations over the years mirror ever-changing cultural dilemmas and values. Our comparative-historic study observes this mirror and how changes in modern Western culture are reflected in it through the analysis of selected films. It exemplifies the representation and evolution of the Deluge myth in cinema from its inception to the present day, and demonstrates that the myth's cinematic adaptation and its infusion with current interpretations turn it into an imminent apocalyptic threat. Apparently, the Flood becomes a relevant concern involving a wide scope of cultural, theological, and ethical issues, e.g., the problem of evil, ecology, the treatment of animals, family values, feminism, the Other, and deification of science and technology.