Don’t Know Much About® Mythology (76 page)

gods

African, 409–10, 418–27

Aztec, 470–74

in, 45

Chinese, 374–79

Egyptian, 78–82, 93–97

Goddess movement, 41–42, 140–42, 309

Greek and Roman, 199–216

Incan, 479–81

Japanese, 387–91

Mayan, 462–63

Mesopotamian, 126–29, 144–50

and, 25–28

Norse, 300–306

North American, 488–92

theme, 16, 41–42, 89, 147, 206, 208–9, 472–73

sexuality of, 26–27, 47 (
see also
sexuality)

shifting, 281, 284, 307, 424, 451

sun (
see
sun gods)

Golden Bough, The
, 16, 20, 41–42

Golden Fleece, Jason and the (Greek), 35, 226–28

gold ring story (Norse), 306–8

Gong Gong (Chinese), 373, 377

gospel, myth as, 25

government.
See
democracy; kleptocracy; monarchy; rulers; theocracy

Great Ennead family (Egyptian), 78–82

Great Mother

African, 11

American, 449–50, 484, 491

Celtic, 274

Chinese, 378–79

Egyptian, 81, 88, 95–96, 113

Goddess worship and, 41–42

Greek, 185, 211–12, 215

Mesopotamian, 140–42

Norse, 302

Virgin Mary, 88

Great Pyramid, 99–103

Great Seal of the United States, 104–5

Great Sphinx, 97–98

Great Spirit (American), 449

Great Wall of China, 361

Greek myths, 171–261

of theocracy, 187–90

Asclepius, 228–30

Atlantis, 231–34

myths, 194–98

Delphic Oracle, 237–39

influences, 88–89, 182–87

gods, 199–216

Greek history and, 179–82

Hesiod, Homer, and, 191–93

Hippocrates, 230–31

Homer’s
Iliad
and
Odyssey
, 241–45

Jason and the Golden Fleece, 35, 226–28

of Heracles (Hercules), 222–26

milestones, 175–78

Odysseus, 248–51

Oedipus, 47, 239–41

Pandora, 218–19

Perseus and Medusa, 30, 221

Promotheus, 216–18

Roman myths as, 251–54 (
see also
Roman myths)

Theseus and the Minotaur, 234–37

Trojan War, 245–48

Zeus and flood story, 219–20

Guan Di (Chinese), 375

guardian spirits (African), 410

Gucumatz (Aztec), 472

Gunnodyak (North American), 488

Gupta Empire, 330, 351

Hachiman (Japanese), 388

Hades (Greek), 205–6, 209–11, 225–26

Hahgwedhdiyu and Hahgwedaetgan (North American), 488

Halloween

Celtic Samhain festival and, 290–92

Día del los Muertos and, 5, 469–70

Hamilton, Edith, 172, 180

Hammurabi, 136, 142–44

Hanuman (Indian), 347

Hapy (Egyptian), 94

Harappan civilization, 324–25

Hare (African), 5, 410–11, 414

Harris, Joel Chandler, 411, 426

hatha yoga, 340

Hathor (Egyptian), 94–95

Hauhet (Egyptian), 76–77

Havva, 10

Hawaii, 501, 503

healers.
See
shamans

hearts, ritual weighing of, 90–93

Hebe (Greek), 212, 226

Hebrew myths.
See
Judeo-Christian religion

Hecatonchires (Greek), 195, 197

Hector (Greek), 244

Heh (Egyptian), 76–77

Heimdall (Norse), 302–3

Hel (Norse), 7, 301, 303

Helen of Troy (Greek), 27, 216, 243–44, 246–47

Heliopolis, 77–78, 79, 83–84

Helios (Greek), 202, 203

Hell (Judeo-Christian), 7, 209

Hellene (Greek), 220

Hephaestus (Greek), 76, 203, 211, 212, 217

Hera (Greek), 2, 27, 185, 193, 207, 211–12, 215, 222

Heracles or Hercules (Greek), 198, 212, 221–27

Hermaphroditus (Greek), 201

Hermes (Greek), 2, 76, 201, 207, 212–13, 228

Herodotus, 63, 77, 99, 128, 186

heroes, myths and, 26–27, 378–79

Hesiod, 19, 191–93, 199, 216, 218–19

Hesperides, apples of the, 225

Hestia (Greek), 185, 213–14

heterae (Greek), 200

Hiawatha, 495–98

hieroglyphics

Aztec and Maya, 447

Egyptian, 36, 66, 71–72

Mayan, 455–56

Hina (Pacific Island), 503

Hinduism.
See
Indian myths

Hinun (North American), 488

Hippocrates, 171, 230–31

Hippolyta, girdle of, 224–25

history.
See also
milestones

Abraham, 163–64

Celtic myths, 272–76

Chinese myths, 361–64

Delphic Oracle, 238

of Troy, 37–38

Egyptian myths, 70–74

Gilgamesh, 156–57

Greek myths, 179–82

Homer, 242

Imhotep, 95

Indian myths, 317–25

King Arthur, 294–95

and, 28

Mayan myths, 453–54

Mesopotamian myths, 13, 117–18, 122–26, 129–31, 133–34, 156–57

Moses, 109–10

as historical allegory, 34–37, 156–57

Noah’s flood, 159

Norse myths, 295–98

oral (
see
oral traditions)

of myths in, 8–9, 12–15, 111–13

Trojan War, 247–48

Hitler, Adolf, 8, 318–19

Hod (Norse), 301

holidays

Aztec, 469–70

Christmas (
see
Christmas)

Greek, 189

Halloween (
see
Halloween)

May Day, 291–92

Mesopotamian New Year, 128, 139–40, 153

myths and, 5–6

new world myths and, 396

Holy Grail, 8, 29, 283, 293

Holy Trinity, 278

Homer, 1, 24, 26, 37–38, 181, 191–93, 199, 226, 241–45, 255–57

homosexuality, 155, 216

horned gods, 281

horse of Diomede, 224

horses, North Americans and, 483

Horus (Egyptian), 27, 86, 87–88, 95, 105, 113

Hou I or Hou Yi (Chinese), 378–79

Hou T’ou (Chinese), 376

Huai-nan Tzu, 354

Huang Di or Huang-Ti (Chinese), 374, 376

Huang Shang-Ti (Chinese), 376

Huitzilopochtli (Aztec), 465, 467, 471

human evolution, 405

humanism, Greek, 180–81, 190

human sacrifice

Aztecs and, 465–67, 473, 474

Celtic, 276–79, 282

Chinese, 366

Egyptian, 100

Greek, 188, 210, 220

Incan, 476

Indian myths and, 7–8, 341

Jewish rejection of, 164

Mayan, 459–62

Mesopotamian, 145, 153

and, 8, 16

Norse, 297

Humbaba (Mesopotamian), 155

Hunab (Mayan), 462

Hunahpu (Mayan), 457, 460–62

Huracan (Mayan), 456

Hyacinth (Greek), 202–3

Hydra, Lernean, 223

Hyksos kings, Egyptian, 69–70

Hyperion (Greek), 195

Icarus, 235

I Ching, 353, 365, 367–68, 375, 381

Idun (Norse), 303

Ifa (African), 425

Igaluk (North American), 488

Iktome or Ik-to-mi (North American), 488–89

Iliad
, 37–38, 181, 241–45, 255–57

Imana (African), 420

Imbolc festival, 282

Imhotep (Egyptian), 95

immaculate conception, Aztec, 471

immortality, 155, 157, 303

Inanna (Mesopotamian), 41–42, 89, 128, 135, 145, 148, 150–54, 166

Inari (Japanese), 388–89

Incan myths, 475–81.
See also
American myths

of Machu Picchu, 475–78

myth, 478–79

gods, 479–81

incest.
See also
sexuality

Chinese, 372–73

Egyptian, 89–90

Incan, 479

Japanese, 387–88

Mesopotamian, 147

Indian (term), 441

Indian myths, 313–52

avatars, 333

Buddhism, Jainism, and, 9, 348–52

creation myths, 331–33

gods, 334–45

Mahabharata
, Bhagavad-Gita, and, 345–47

Indian history and, 7–8, 309–11, 317–30

milestones, 315–16

Rama and
Ramayana
, 347–48

Rig-Veda, 40, 45

Indo-European languages, 252, 318, 321–22

Indra (Indian), 252, 334–35, 349

Indus River Valley, 318

Inti (Incan), 449, 479–80

Io (Greek), 2, 212

Iphigenia, 245

Iran, 319

Iraq, 123, 124–25, 131

Ireland, 275, 282–84.
See also
Celtic myths

Ishtar.
See
Inanna (Mesopotamian)

Isis (Egyptian), 42, 81, 85–90, 93, 96, 113

Islam, 9, 58–59, 309, 394, 406

Israel, 108, 166

Itzamna (Mayan), 462–63

Ixbalanque (Mayan), 457, 460–62

Ixchel (Mayan), 463

Ixtab (Mayan), 463

Izanagi and Izanami (Japanese), 387, 389, 390

Jade Emperor (Chinese), 376

Jainism, 319, 348, 351–52

Japanese myths, 384–91.
See also
Chinese myths

emperors and, 9, 384–86

gods, 387–91

milestones, 360

Shinto religion, 386–87

Jarl (Norse), 303

Jarmo, 130

Jason and the Golden Fleece (Greek), 35, 226–28

jen concept (Chinese), 381

Jerusalem, 70, 162

Jesus Christ, 5–6, 29, 42, 113, 169, 216–17, 278, 304.
See also
Bible; Judeo-Christian religion; Christmas

Jewish myths.
See
Judeo-Christian religion

Jimmu-tenno (Japanese), 384–85, 388, 390