Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in The Mythographer's LiveJournal:

Thursday, March 1st, 2007
8:24 am	The tiger in Korean folk tales Of all the spirits and goblins that haunted Korean stories, no imaginary creature was more fearsome than the very real Siberian tiger. The tigers in those mountains were easily three times the weight of a strong man, with a pelt thick against sword and spear, paws like maces and teeth like knives, capable of killing a man in a single bite. Try to run, and a tiger will be on your back in two bounds. Climb, swim, jump? Never, a tiger can get up a tree or cross a river far faster than you can. The Koreans have long identified the tiger as their symbol—some even claim that their peninsula has the shape of a tiger crouching to strike. The origin story of the capital of Pyongyang says that once a bear and a tiger prayed each day by a sandalwood tree to become human. The Prince of Heaven came to them bearing several cloves of garlic and a sheaf of mugwort, saying that if they could stay in a cave for one hundred days, eating only the plants he gave them, they could be transformed. The bear endured the trial, becoming a beautiful woman, and eventually the mother of Korea’s first king, but the tiger failed, saying he could not bear the confinement. Not even the promised blessings of a god could cage the spirit of the great tiger. Pray, hide, lock your door, pen your animals. Quell your fear with stories of greedy beasts, sometimes a little foolish and passionate, bound by their taste for blood to the world of men.  ( Read more... ) (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 7th, 2006
7:33 pm	Great line from the Smithsonian There's an article in the February 2006 Smithsonian magazine about a cargo cult in Vanuatu, one of the last of its kind. (if you're not familiar with cargo cult religions, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult) The people on Vanuatu believe that John Frum will return one day, bringing manufactured goods, medicine, machines. My favorite passage, where the author asks Chief Isaac, a leader of the cult, about his faith: "John promised you much cargo more than 60 years ago, and none has come," I (ed: the author) point out. "So why do you keep faith with him? Why do you still believe in him?" Chief Isaac shoots me an amused look. "You Christians have been waiting 2,000 years for Jesus to return to earth," he says, "and you haven't given up hope." (Comment on this)
Monday, November 7th, 2005
5:09 pm	Theoi Found this neat website, Theoi Project. It was linked from, of all places, Manolo's Shoe Blog. It's a compendium of gods, spirits, and monsters from Greek Mythology. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004
10:06 pm	Why are the Fae so stupid? Why can they be tricked into thinking you're someone else if you wear your coat inside out? Why can't they help but count all the kernels in a handful of grain you throw in front of them? In short, why does this alien race, our legendary neighbors for millenia, seem to be ( so gullible? ) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 24th, 2004
8:39 pm	The Clever Servant This one's in honor of Shrek 2... it's got ogres. They'll suck the jelly from your eyes, you know. There are many folktales about the clever servant who pulled one over on his master. And why shouldn't there be? Nobody wants to hear the one about the master who made his servants work until they dropped for no pay. That's been status quo since time immemorial. Notable in the story is a contract that expires when some sort of natural phenomenon occurs, in this case, the first call of the cuckoo, heralding spring (an Armenian version has the exact same element). With no real access to calendars out in the coutryside, this is pretty much how they observed the passing of months. Other notes: league = appx. 3 miles. The Tower of Montpeyroux is referenced in this story-- it's in Auvergne. Some of these stories contain an element of the supernatural as well... maybe the master is a witch, an ogre, or the Devil himself-- cruelty to others is second nature to them. So when a servant turns the tables on them, it's not only a victory for the servant, it's a ( victory for the forces of good. ) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 19th, 2004
8:01 pm	Our Dear Aunt Flo I have a question that just occurred to me this weekend, apologies if it's a bit yucky to some. Is there any old culture on earth that DOESN'T have some sort of taboo associated with menstruation? No "don't sleep with a woman who's menstruating, don't eat food she's made, sit in her vicinity, etc." bans? No more abhorrance than maybe a mild "ick" factor? Just curious... I was running over in my head some of the bigger elements in western cultures in re: sex, and just thought of that. Is there some tribe out in BFE that doesn't mind it if a woman menstruates? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 12th, 2004
10:33 pm	The herbs of the field Spring is here, and with it comes the task of planning a garden for the next year. Of all the plants that can go in a garden plot, herbs are a gardener's enduring friend, and have been since time immemorial: most herbs are perennial, not choosy about soil or water quality, and useful in food and medicinal preparations. Our ancestors saw how they livened up a dish or stimulated health, and quite naturally attributed magical powers to these plants-- and after a fashion, they were correct-- medical science is now turning back to the plants themselves for new cures that seem a bit like ( magic. ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 6th, 2004
9:22 pm	Epic Battles, Monkey Business I have another article, which will be about herbs, coming online in a little while, but until then, I thought I take some time out to talk about what's been on my reading list for the last few months. I'm on a definite Chinese kick-- a few chapters into The Three Kingdoms, by Luo Guanzhong. Now, extensive videogaming attention has been paid to this Chinese novel, so a neat place to check out some pictures of the main characters and abbreviated biographies is at kongming.net. The Three Kingdoms can be oversimplified by describing it as China's Arthurian legend. Not Arthurian in terms of plot, to be sure, for it describes the ambitions and fates of a HUGE cast of individuals, but Arthurian in terms of scope and its mark on literature. Tons of bold deeds done by noble knights, keen generals with incredible tactical skill, and many larger-than life characters, plus lots of magic. The one disadvantage to this book is that it has a cast of thousands and a ton of battles. Patience is a necessity with this book. I'm currently reading the version translated by Moss Roberts, which is pretty helpful for someone like me, who isn't terribly familiar with Chinese naming conventions. But right now, I'm taking a break, and finishing up Journey to the West. If you have to start somewhere with Chinese literature, start here. Written in the 1500s by Wu Cheng'en, this is simultaneously: the original buddy road film the original Jackie Chan smackfest and a wry, affectionate look at Chinese religion, particularly Buddhism, all contained in a lyrical prose style that's fun to read. Where else can you have deep analysis of Taoist ritual, then in a later chapter, three statues of the Taoist gods are heaved into the privy so that Monkey and his buddies can pig out on the food offered to the statues? Even Buddhism, whose scriptures act as the MacGuffin for this book, gets a pie in the face every now and then. For those who want summaries of these books, plus plenty of neat pictures to look at, China-on-Site has comics on the books I mentioned, plus Peony Pavilion, Water Margins (which the Japanese call Suikoden) and lots more. The illos for Three Kingdoms, in particular, knocked my socks off. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 17th, 2004
8:53 pm	"I invoke the land of Ireland" Shining, shining sea; Fertile, fertile mountain; Gladed, gladed wood! Abundant river, abundant in water! Fish-abounding lake! So the poet Amergin invoked the land itself to aid him... Ireland's influence on song and story worldwide is overwhelming... but on St. Patrick's Day, which is very much an American holiday these days, folks only want to talk about leprechauns and beer. The following story has ( both. ) (Comment on this)
Saturday, September 20th, 2003
2:42 pm	The Monks (and Tengu) of Mount Hiei Not all monks sit with folded hands and pray for enlightenment to come. Some push their bodies to the physical limit to explore the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual. Genshin Fujinami, a monk of the Enryakuji temple on Mt. Hiei, just completed a 40,000 kilometer run in straw sandals to test his endurance and faith. Only 46 monks have successfully completed this run since 1885, and failure to complete it demands suicide. Some may wonder about the harshness of an order that demands this level of dedication to the faith, but Enryakuji has been famous for its warrior monks, sohei , ( who showed no fear in spiritual or worldly matters. ) Current Mood: warlike Current Music: Orbital - Satan (Industry Standard) (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2003
11:40 pm	The Twelve Months: A Fairytale of Greece Today I had the treat of dealing with one of those special people, who, when you ask them "How are you?" they don't reply with "Fine, thank you," but "Oh, well, it's one thing after the other, what with my insurance and blah, blah, blah..." He's mostly harmless, but it put me in mind about this story of what happens to the perpetual pessimist (hint: it ain't pretty). Stories like this one, with a poor person getting a reward from a spiritual agency for doing them a courtesy, and the greedy neighbor copying them, are very common thoughout the world, but I like this one in particular for detailing Greek country life and the little blessings it holds for those ( wise and good enough to see them. ) (Comment on this)
Monday, June 30th, 2003
12:04 am	Outwitting Fate: A Tamil tale from INdia Fate is incontrovertible, and sometimes Fate does not give a shit if you're naughty or nice. The gods, especially in the case of the following tale, do not know what Fate has in store for them or their creations. Brahma is recognized as the creator god and the god of wisdom in the Hindu pantheon, and is part of the sacred triad of Brahma (the Maker of Creation), Vishnu (the Preserver of Creation) and Shiva (the Destroyer of Creation). When Karma turns you into a lemon...( Read more... ) (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 7th, 2003
10:31 pm	Fin MacCoul and the Fenians: Black, Brown, and Gray Fin MacCoul was a legendary Irish warrior who led a company of men called the Fenians. Fin was possessed of a great fighting dog, Bran, who could fight nearly as well as her master. Also, when in great need, Fin could chew his thumb and receive omniscient knowledge, thanks to having touched the salmon of knowledge in his youth. (No, I'm not kidding. Salmon were symbols of wisdom and longevity in ancient Ireland. Makes me wonder what they were using for bait if they thought the fish were so smart.) The following is a story that touches on a few interesting aspects of old Gaelic culture-- the importance for a lord to keep his promises, the importance for a lord to keep his men well-provided, and, most importantly, to ( never leave an enemy standing. ) (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 16th, 2003
10:50 pm	Baba Yaga Russians do indeed have their celebrities in fairy tales. Koschei the Deathless comes to mind-- an undead sorcerer who travels in a great whirlwind, who is immortal unless you can find and destroy his life. But most likely to be known to Westerners is the great and terrible Baba Yaga, she who is practically the physical embodiment of Mother Russia's colder, crueler nature. Lean, tough, bony, veined of snout with spindly legs, she flew the skies in a giant mortar, steering it with a pestle and sweeping away the traces of her flight with a broom. She lived in a hut that stood on two great chicken's legs-- sometimes when it took her fancy, she'd have her house stride through the deep forests. Woe to anyone who crossed her path! Baba Yaga has her good points, as you'll find in the following story. She's tough, but she's fair, and as long as you show her respect, she'll do you a good turn. Maybe. Just watch your back! This story is interesting for a lot of reasons-- on the surface it's your standard magical helper story, but there are a lot of Old Russian pagan elements, if you look-- the triple horseman motif, and, of course, Baba Yaga's revulsion for all things holy. Dolls having a protective influence over their owners is also a strong motif in Russian stories. ( Read more... ) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 14th, 2003
9:37 pm	Still a delay, but... SUPA SAIYAN NERDY RESEARCH POWA-UP! YAAAAAAAAAARGHAGHRAAAAAGH! Integration of historical Japanese maps with modern geospatial goodness. Two great tastes that taste great together. http://www.davidrumsey.com/japan/gis.html Still powering up for the next myth... YYAAAAARRRGHRAAAAGAAAAAAAARGH! (Comment on this)
Monday, April 7th, 2003
5:15 pm	Updates after 4/13 Hey, folks-- I'll be posting a new set of stories on 4/16. Thanks for your patience! Stay tuned for the wickedest witch of them all... The Baba Yaga! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 26th, 2003
11:52 pm	Taoist Monks So the subject of Taoist monks vs. Tao-using-but-not-monks yin-yang wizards came up. Whoosh, into the library I went. And so I found a new book that just hit the shelves-- it's about the Boxer Rebellion and sounds pretty interesting. Anyway, on to the monks. Their reputation for magic, particularly the magic of illusion, is what I'll focus on in these ( two stories. ) (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, March 17th, 2003
9:25 pm	Onmyodo Yin-yang wizardry was, in actual practice, far less interesting than the tossing of explosive wards one sees in anime and manga. In actual fact, diviners were mostly called upon to use their skills to interpret signs and portents. But one, Abe no Seimei, was celebrated in Heian-era Japanese stories for his skill at averting curses. In a hotly jealous imperial court, keeping curses at bay from courtiers was a profitable skill. Plus, Seimei was one baaaad mutha. ( wocka-chicka-wocka-chicka.... ) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 12th, 2003
10:26 pm	The Middle East's "Wise Fool": Djuha Djuha's stories have migrated as far as Italy and Spain from the Middle East-- he is known also as Si' Djeha, Nasreddin Hodja, and many more names besides. A stint in a Turkish prison led Cervantes to transform Djuha's off-kilter philosophy and earthy humor into the character of Sancho Panza (this may be the only good thing to ever come out of being in a Turkish prison). From Iraq: One year, Djuha's crop of pomegranates was particularly fine, so he picked three lovely ones, deep red and filled to bursting with glittering seeds, and took them to the emir. For his pains, the emir gave Djuha a generous gift. So when Djuha's turnips came forth from the ground, crisp and white as snow, he thought to take some to the emir. But a neighbor sneered at the thought. "Imagine taking peasant fare like turnips to a great prince. They only eat dainty things-- take him some figs instead." Quite a welcome was waiting for Djuha-- the emir was in a foul temper, and instead of accepting the fruit, he had Djuha ushered out of his sight and pelted with his own fruit. Whenever a fig hit him, Djuha cried, "God bless you and keep you, my neighbor," and "May you be given riches from God, my neighbor!" Perplexed, the emir had Djuha brought back in for an explanation. "Well, I WAS going to take you some of the biggest, whitest, sweetest turnips you've ever seen," explained Djuha, "but my neighbor stopped me, saying that wasn't a fit gift to bring you. And he deserves to be thanked, let me tell you-- if they'd thrown turnips I'd be dead!" The emir could not help laughing at this, and sent Djuha home with a bag of money. This one's from Syria: Djuha wasn't the best-dressed of men, which served him ill when he was invited to a feast. Taking him for a beggar, the servant turned Djuha away. So Djuha went back home, dressed in his best and came back to the feast, where he was welcomed like a king. Once inside and seated at the table, Djuha set to filling his sleeves with meat and rice, and dipping his cuffs in the sauce. When asked to keep his clothes out of the food, he flatly refused, saying "Eat, clothes, eat! It's obvious that you are more welcome than I am in this house." And one more for the road: One day, while relaxing under a great wanut tree, Djuha turned his wayward thoughts to Allah. "Surely He is great and good in all things," Djuha thought, "but I do wonder why He made things the way He did." His eyes lit upon some pumpkins growing nearby, their thin vines coiling along the ground, heavy with huge orange fruit. He then looked up into the huge branches of the walnut. "For instance," he pondered, "why did He put such big, heavy fruits on the thin pumpkin vine, and tiny nuts in the walnut tree? Shouldn't a walnut's big branches bear giant pumpkins, and the slender pumpkin vine yield walnuts?" Overcome by such mental activity, he lapsed into slumber. He had not been asleep long when a walnut dropped right on his bald head. He woke with a start. "Allah is great! Allah is wise!" he exclaimed. "Oh, Allah, if the world were made to my specifications, that would have been a pumpkin! Allah, I shall never question your judgement again!" (Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 4th, 2003
7:05 pm	Weekly Story: The Two Brothers Starting this week, I'm putting up one folktale or myth a week on this blog. I love storytelling, and this will be a great opportunity to share some of the stuff I've picked up over the years. Here's one of the oldest existing folktales in the world: an ancient Egyptian story called ( The Two Brothers. ) (Comment on this)