Andrew Elaryan's Mythology and Folklore Blog

What is Myth? I loved the Slurpee simile to start off the series, as it is important to acknowledge that there are so many concepts that go into myths that the subject has to be looked at holistically. Myths are also not just important because of the stories themselves. Arguably, the interpretation is just as, if not more, important, and can be affected by societal and cultural factors. As myths are often older stories, there is also the aspect of translation and language barriers which may cause interpretations of the same story to differ depending on the language. Myths which we are concerned with are significant, in that they explain something important in the natural world or carry a moral message, and have staying power, which is evident by the fact that we are even studying those stories thousands of years in the future! Theories of Myth The most interesting part of this video, for me, was the explanation of similarities between myths in different cultures. I have found...

Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900). The Terrapin's Escape From The Wolves Persimmons: First of all, before I even read the story, I have to shout out persimmons. The stories mention that the Possum and the Terrapin go out together to look for persimmons. Persimmons are the most underrated fruit of all time. They bring a combination of a very firm texture and high sweetness that is rare in many other fruits. Personally, I have them EASILY in my top 3, but I have a lot of friends who have never even had them! Cross-section of a persimmon. Source:  Wikipedia Ears As Spoons: All I have to say is I really hope the Terrapin washed those ears before using them as spoons. Also, that is pretty dang disrespectful, but at the same time, the wolf started it. I am not sure which side I'm on yet. Terrapin Shell: I like how the story explains why terrapin shells are patterned the way they are. The shell broke when he was thrown into the water and hit a ...

Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900). How The World Was Made Story Idea: In this story, the water beetle goes down into the vast ocean from the sky to explore. He brings up some mud from the ocean floor which expands to create the earth. My idea, however, is to have the earth's surface already exist. I'll have the Water-beetle go down to the surface as a dare, but when he gets there he finds out that land is pretty cool. It's definitely a lot easier to stand on than the soft, mushy clouds. Eventually, all the animals come down to land and decide to stay there. Perhaps I could add in a small ending bit about the animals wanting to go back up, but the birds can't carry them back because they have all gotten fat and lazy. Mountains: Being from Virginia, it is cool to have seen the mountains that the Cherokee were talking about being molded by the wing flaps of a Great Buzzard. In the story, the Buzzard's wings were able to create mountains and val...