Allison Lawson
Contents Introduction 5 Myth, Legend or Folktale? 9 A Selection of Myth 13 Urban Myth 55 A Selection of Urban Myth 59 The Importance of Myth 79 Suggested Reading 83
Introduction Every society has its mythology, folklore and legends; A collection of stories about moral obligations, the gods or matters of cosmic importance or what happens after death. In an attempt to make sense of their lives and the world, people have been telling these stories for thousands of years. The stories would have begun with a real or imagined incident or event that was worth retelling, something so intriguing that people were bound to repeat it. It was passed along by word of mouth, from person to person and from generation to generation until it had been told and retold countless times and existed in dierent forms around the world. Across the cultures of the world there are seemingly countless myths and they are still relevant to us today. Many people read myths for the light they throw on to life, relationships, and the ways of the world. Above all, myths provide unique insights into the ideas, religions, values, and the cultures of the people who ďŹ rst told them. The making of myth is not a defunct activity. Modern day stories in the form of urban myths and legends are spawned continually, and there is every indication that myths will continue to alter the course of human events as long as mankind inhabits this planet. 7
Myth, Legend or Folktale? Myths are generally used to demystify the unknown. In addition to being used to explain origins, myths can be used to explain natural or social phenomenon. Myths present reality in an extraordinary way, often using creatures and gods. Many cultural traditions are rooted in myths. The term can also describe a commonly held, but incorrect belief or idea. A legend is a story that appears realistic and historic in nature, but it does not have any legitimate veriďŹ cation. Folktales often involve some sort of conict that has to do with events that happen in everyday life. Unsubstantiated beliefs and superstitions play a prominent role in folklore. Although distinctive in subtle ways, myths, legends and folktales are very similar and the terms are often used interchangeably.
11
14
Australian The Rainbow Snake The Rainbow Snake The rainbow snake came from a waterhole during the Dreaming, the creation time. The snake traveled around the country and its movements created the mountains, hills, valleys and waterways. Irritating a rainbow snake or damaging its eggs will cause it to send a ood. The snake now arches above the land as a rainbow in the sky, and can be seen in the light gleaming on water.
15
16
Egyptian The Scarab God While the sun shone on the mortal realm, it was the powerful god Ra that guided it. At night the sun belonged to the underworld. It was not Ra that moved the sun along its subterranean path but Khepri, the scarab God. Khephri rolled the sun like a huge ball through the underworld to the eastern horizon. Each morning Khephri would renew the sun so that it could give life to all the world.
17
18
Japanese Okuninushi and the Mouse Okuninushi and the Mouse In the underworld Okuninushi met the storm god Susanoo and his daughter Suseri-hime. Okuninushi soon fell in love with Suseri-hime and Susanoo did not approve. As a trial, Susanoo shot an arrow into the middle of an enormous meadow, and demanded Okuninushi look for it. Okuninushi searched and eventually reached the middle of the field, at which point Susanoo proceeded to light the field on fire. A mouse brought the arrow to Okuninushi and showed him a hole he could hide in.
19
Greek Fooling Atlas Atlas led the ďŹ ght of the Titans against Zeus and the Olympians. When the Titans lost, Atlas was condemned to support the heavens on his shoulders forever. The punishment was alleviated only once when Heracles agreed to shoulder the burden for a short time if Atlas went to get him the Hesperides' golden apples. When Atlas returned with the apples, he did not want to take back the burden of carrying the world, but Heracles tricked him into it. He asked if Atlas would take the world for a moment so that he could adjust the weight on his shoulder, fooling Atlas into resuming his lonely duty.
20
21
African Moni-Mambu and the Peanut Stew One day the trickster Moni-Mambu found women harvesting peanuts in a village. After greeting them, Moni-Mambu was oered some peanut stew, and told that he should go to the hut and eat the stew with the children. Moni-Mambu went and ate the peanut stew, and afterward, he ate the children. When the women returned to the hut, they were horriďŹ ed at what MoniMambu had done. He argued that he had only done as he was told, and that was to eat the stew with the children. The women could not disagree, so were forced to let Moni-Mambu go.
22
24
Chinese Moon Goddess Moon Goddess Di Jun, the god of the eastern sky, had two wives: a moon goddess Chang Xi and a sun goddess Xi He. A second moon goddess named Chang Ngo was married to Yi, Di Jun's best marksman. As a reward for his bravery and heroic deeds, Yi received the elixir of immortality. After receiving the elixir, he became conceited and violent. Seeking to stop her husband, Chang Ngo stole the elixir and took it with her as she ed to the moon, where the lights of her palace could be seen on clear nights during a full moon.
25
Norse Odin’s Sacrifice Odin wanted to know everything. He decided that in order to become all-knowing, he needed to give up something he already had. He began by giving up one of his eyes in return for one sip from the spring of wisdom. But this was not enough. So Odin hung himself on the trunk of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, his body pierced by an arrow, offering up his body in exchange for knowledge. He hung there for nine days until he finally fell from the tree, clutching the runes with their secret of knowledge in his hands. With the runes in his possession, Odin became the wisest of all the gods.
26
27
Greek Europa Europa One day Zeus saw a mortal girl, Europa, picking flowers. Inflamed with lust, Zeus transformed himself into a bull and approached her with a mouthful of crocuses. She caressed his flanks, and eventually got onto his back. Zeus took that opportunity and ran to the sea and swam, with her on his back, to the island of Crete where he ravished and impregnated her. They had three children: Sarpedon, the king of Lycia; Rhadamanthys, who became a judge in the underworld after his death; and Minos, the later king of Crete. Zeus later re-created the shape of the white bull in the stars, which is now known as the constellation Taurus.
29
30
Aztec The Origin of Blood Sacrifice Quetzalcoati created the modern world when he and his rival god, Tezcatlipoca, slew the water monster Tlaltecuhtli by grappling her body and splitting her apart. Half of her body became the lands of earth and the other half turn into the sky. The monster's spirit fell into a rage over the murder. The gods tried to pacify her anger, but only the sacrifice of human hearts and blood satisfied her lust for revenge.
31
32
Indian Varuna's Noose Varuna, the god of morality, had the power to punish people. He had a noose, called a pasha, which he used to bind oath-breakers, liars, and sinners. Those whom Varuna bound and punished became aicted with dropsy, a disease that caused the body to retain water and swell up.
33
Scandanavian Havsrå The Havsrå is the keeper of the seas. Sailors can get in her good graces by offering food, a coin or gloves as a gift. She may reciprocate with a warning of any approaching high winds, storms or icy conditions. She may also help fishermen who show her such favour with information about how and where they can land a big haul. The Havsrå can take many forms but usually appear as an very beautiful woman with long, flowing hair that she is often seen combing atop rocks and she has many aquatic features such as a fishes tail where her legs would be.
34
35
Roman Lucretia When the generals of Rome were away at war they began to talk about their wives at home and wondered whose wife was the most virtuous. They rode back to Rome and find out what their wives were doing, and were shocked to find them drinking and having affairs — all, except Lucretia, wife of Collatinus. Lucretia was at home, quietly spinning and weaving. Upon seeing this, one Roman soldier was overcome with lust for Lucretia. He demanded to have sex with her, saying that if she did not give in to him, he would not only kill her but also shame her. Lucretia submitted, but sent word to her husband and told him what had happened. He rushed home, but was unable to convince her that she had done nothing wrong. Taking a knife she kept hidden beneath her dress, she stabbed herself to death.
36
37
38
Canadian The Raven The Raven A native chief’s son died and the tribe wept by his corpse every morning. One morning the mother went to the site and discovered her son alive and well. The chief and his wife loved their reborn son more than ever. Their only worry was that the boy wouldn’t eat. One day a slave offered the boy a piece of whale meat wrapped around a scab from his leg. After swallowing it the boy became ravenous and ate everything in sight until it was necessary to send him away. He was sent in the form of a raven with berries and fish roe to scatter on the land and water, so that they would multiply he would never want for food.
39
40
Ancient Near Eastern The Search for Telipinu The god of vegetation, Telipinu, went missing and his disappearance caused all fertility to fail, both plant and animal. The gods searched for him, but their eorts were fruitless. Eventually a bee found the sleeping god and woke him up by stinging him. After Telipinu's anger had ceased, a bag made of sheepskin was hung in an oak tree. Within the bag, there were blessings for the new year for fertility, long life, and ospring.
41
42
American The Jackalope The jackalope is said to be an antlered species of rabbit, a strange cross between an antelope and a predatory jackrabbit. The jackalope is able to imitate human speech and song and uses this ability to evade capture by mimicking the voices of its pursuers. Jackalopes also have been known to sing along with cowboys. The best way to catch a jackalope is to leave whiskey out for it. The animal will drink until intoxicated and then can be caught easily. The jackalope is sought after for it’s milk. Some sources say that the milk is medicinal, while others claim that it’s a powerful aphrodisiac. There is a similar creature in in Germany is known as the wolperdinger. In Sweden, a related species is called the skvader.
43
India Kali Kali Kali is the goddess of death. In one of her four hands she carries a sword; in another, a severed head. She wears a garland of skulls and a skirt of severed arms. One day Durga and her assistants wounded the demon Raktabija in various ways in an attempt to destroy him. They soon found that they had exacerbated the situation because with every drop of blood that fell from Raktabija a duplicate of him appeared. The battleďŹ eld became increasingly ďŹ lled with his clones. Durga summoned Kali to combat the demons. Kali devoured Raktabija and his duplicates, and danced on their corpses.
46
Sumerian The Tooth Worm The Tooth Worm After the heavens and the earth were created, the earth formed the rivers then the rivers made the marsh. The marsh created the worm. The worm cried to the powerful god Ea asking what he would give the worm for food. Ea oered the worm ďŹ gs and apricots, but the worm declined exclaiming that he would prefer to gnaw on teeth and suck the blood out of them.
47
English Chime Children Children born during the chime hours had the power through life of seeing the spirits of the departed. They also could not be bewitched. The chime hours paralleled the hours of monastic prayer, when the bells were tolling, usually six, nine, or twelve o'clock.
48
49
50
Polynesian The Priestess and the Skull A priestess used to stand on the beach keeping watch over a skull that sat on a rock there. One day a huge wave crashed on to the beach and swept away the skull. The priestess dove into the sea and swam after it, but she was unable to catch it. After three days she came ashore on an island. The goddess Haua appeared and told the priestess that the skull was actually the god Makemake, the creator god and god of the seabirds. One day Makemake and Haua decided to drive all the seabirds to Rapa Nui. They decided to bring the priestess along so she could reveal the gods names to the people their and teach them how to worship. The priestess taught the people that when they planted crops, they were to place a skull in the ground. When they sat down to eat their crop, they were to set aside a portion Haua and Makemake.
51
52
Japanese The Gashadokuro The Gashadokuro The Gashadokuro were spirits that take the form of giant skeletons formed from accumulated bones of people who died of starvation. After midnight these phantoms roamed, snatching lone travelers and biting o their heads to drink their spraying blood. The tell tale sign that a Gashadokuro was approaching is a loud ringing in the ear. The Gashadokuro were said to possess the powers of invisibility and indestructibility.
53
Urban Myths The making of myth is not an obsolete activity. Contemporary mythology contains themes related to modern life. The stories are commonly referred to as urban myths or urban legends although the stories often have nothing to do with cities. Urban myths and legends are narratives about strange, funny, or horrible events that are unverified but plausible. Often the stories contain macabre elements deeply rooted in local popular culture sometime with a moral lesson. Urban legends arise in any context where stories are told: around a campfire, on Internet forums, in casual conversation. They help people amuse themselves, express cultural values, and discuss commonly held fears. Whether its an unsolved mystery, a conspiracy theory, a popular misconception, or simply a big hoax urban myths are an inevitable part of our culture. Usually they are handed down by word of mouth and are often attributed to a ‘friend of a friend.’
57
60
The Kidney Theif A traveling business man was passing the time in a hotel bar. He and another man strike up a conversation and the stranger buys him several drinks. Eventually he blacked out, only to wake up in a bathtub full of ice with a phone next to him and a note instructing him to call 911. Covered in blood he later learned that his kidney has been removed and sold on the black market.
61
Chemtrails When the exhaust from a plane’s engine hits the cold air and begins to condense it leaves a vapor trail commonly known as a contrail. Some people are convinced that the government is using these vapour trails to spray chemical agents at its citizens from the sky, hence the name chemtrail.
63
The Beehive In the 1960s a woman began wearing her hair in a beehive style – a popular trend at the time. The style took a lot of effort to create and the woman didn’t want to ruin it, so she never took it down and never washed her hair. To maintain the style she regularly sprayed it with hairspray. One night, the woman was found dead from a mysterious illness. When the funeral directors were preparing her body for burial, they finally took down her hair. To their horror, hundreds of spiders crawled out from within the strands of her hair. They had been nesting there for some time. The spiders had been eating through the woman’s skull and had managed to burrow into her brain, causing her death.
Roswell A man and his wife were sitting on their front porch when they saw a bright saucer shaped object with glowing lights moving across they sky at 400-500 miles per hour. Some believe an alien spacecraft had crash-landed, and that the extraterrestrial occupants had been recovered by the military who then engaged in a cover-up.
68
Everlasting Lightbulb Some suspect that the leading manufacturers of incandescent light bulbs have conspired to keep the lifetime of their bulbs far below their real technological capabilities. By keeping the eternal glow of their everlasting lightbulbs from the masses, they ensure the continuous demand for more bulbs and long-term proďŹ t for themselves.
69
Bloody Mary If you turn out the lights, look into a mirror, and say Bloody Mary three times then you will summon the spirit of Mary Worth, a woman who is said to have been executed for being a witch.
71
72
The Urine Sampler The professor was demonstrating urine sampling to a class of students. He dipped his finger in to one of the specimen cups, raised his finger to his mouth and licked it. The students were then invited to follow his example, which they duly did, including the finger dipping and licking. Afterwards the professor addressed the students. He said that he couldn’t fault their techniques but that they had poor observation skills. He then told the students that if they had been more observant they would have noticed that he licked his second finger, but had dipped his first.
73
The Hitchhiker A man was driving home one night when he stopped to pick up a young woman who was hitchhiking on the lonely stretch of road. He drove her home to discover that she has disappeared from his backseat. After knocking on her door he was greeted by a man who explained that the girl died in a car accident years ago in the very same spot that he picked her up.
75
Big Pharma Pharmaceutical companies make massive profits off of expensive products that people literally can’t live without. Some believe that the pharmaceutical companies, along with other medical providers, have conspired to keep people sick by not revealing numerous cures that have already been found in order to keep profits up.
76
77
The Importance of Myth Every culture has its own mythology, legends and folklore. Myths encapsulate the values and knowledge of a society and its beliefs in memorable narrative for so that they may be passed down. The mythology of each culture is the accumulation of that culture's knowledge, wisdom and experience. Myth is the core element of many belief systems and religions enabling people to understand the world around them. Myths were recounted long before the introduction of the written word and form the basis of most of the world's religions, philosophies, literature and art. Myths from around the world are plentiful, and enormous bodies of stories make up a culture or civilization's belief system. Myths are an indication of human creativity and the desire to believe in something greater than ourselves. The most wonderful part of storytelling is the bonding of people. The shared experience brings people together. All societies use stories to pass on group values, even today. Told in an entertaining way, a moral goes down easily. Perhaps best of all, myths stretch the imagination. The story teller takes the listener to distant places where remarkable things happen.
81
Suggested Reading A list of some books which were valuable while writing this book and would be suitable for a more in-depth reading.
Debunked!: Conspiracy Theories, Urban Legends, and Evil Plots of the 21st Century Richard Roeper
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton
Folklore and Legends C J. T. Sta
Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America David Leeming
Illustrated Book of Myths Neil Philip
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Alvin Schwartz
Japanese Mythology A-Z Jeremy Roberts
Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand
Mythologies Roland Barthes Mythology C. Scott Littleton Mythology for Dummies Amy Hackney Blackwell
Urban Legends Thomas J. Craughwell Urban Myths Kozyndan
85
Tall Tales & Short Stories encourages readers to rekindle their imaginative side through the idea of myths. This book serves as an introduction to the world of mythology, folklore and legends and how the stories are shaped and why they are important to us. Myths are entrenched deeply in our culture and have aided in shaping who we are today. From mythological creatures, fabled tales of heroes, to unexplained occurrences and superstitious beliefs, myths are everywhere. Throughout history, mythologies have provided explanations for humankind’s existential surroundings through collective beliefs and shared verbal and visual narratives. Mythic customs are not just a thing of the past. Today’s storytellers also create connections between what many of us experience daily and the profound mystery of the reality that encompasses everything. Storytelling is a powerful force used to bring attention to the web of interconnections that make up our global community, and to the meaningful challenges that people will face in coming generations.