CLT3378-04: Ancient Mythology: East and WestSpring 2013 Study Guide for Final ExamList of Terms Ten of the following terms will appear in the Identifications section of the exam. These terms are drawn from the Lecture Outlines and from the Background Readings. Specific lectures and background readings are underlined. Rig Veda – Indian MythologyRig Veda – The Rig Veda is a collection of over 1,000 poems in Indian culture. These poems are written as hymns to the gods.Sanskrit – Sanskrit is an indo-European language used in Indian around 1700-1100 B.C. This is the language of the Rig VedaVedic people – The Vedic people are the people that wrote the Rig Veda. The wrote the Rig Veda in Sanskrit.Agni – Agni is the binatural god of fire in Indian mythology. He is many types of fire (funeral, ritual, domestic, natural…)Soma – Soma is the binatural god of a sacred drink in Indian mythology. It is thought to give vitality and immortality.Indra – Indra was the king of the gods in Indian mythology. He was an avid drinker of Soma. Vritra – Vritra is the dragon/serpent that hoards all of the fresh water in Indian mythology. He is killed by Indra.Tiamat – Tiamat is the Mesopotamian goddess of salt water. She is similar to Vritra in that many rivers are created as a result of their respective deaths.Sarama – Sarama is the dog of Indra in Indian mythology. He resists bribes from demons when he tracks cattle down.Panis – the name for the demons that steal Indra’s cattle. They try to bribe Samara to get them out of trouble.River Rasa – River Rasa is a river in Indian mythology that encircles heaven/earth. The Panis live beyond this river.Golden Embryo – The Golden Embryo is the unknown creator god in Indian mythology. The egg both rises from and creates the primordial waters. Hiranyagarbha - Hiranyagarbha is the name whose meaning is Golden Embryo in Indian mythology. Hiranyagarbha rose from and created the primordial waters. Prajapati – Prajapati is the name given to the golden embryo in Indian mythology. He rose from and created the primordial waters. Purusha – Purusha is a cosmic giant in Indian mythology. His body is used to create the universe (the Earth, sky, gods…)Aditi – Aditi is the female creativity force in Indian mythology. Daksha and Aditi give birth to each other.Daksha – Daksha is the male creative force in Indian mythology. Daksha and Aditi give birth to each other.Martanda – Martanda is one of Daksha’s 8 sons in Indian mythology. He is rejected and eventually dies because of it.Yama – Yama is the king of the dead in Indian mythology. He was the first mortal to reach the death realm.Three Days of Soma – 3 days of Soma is a time of sacrifice in Indian mythology. After cremation fire burns for three days and the soul is given a path to travel.Chinese Creation and Flood – Chinese mythologyChinese – Chinese refers to the culture of China. Chinese mythology believe in a god called P’an Ku whose dead body formed the universe.Shang (or Yin) Dynasty – All Chinese myths were thought to have been written during this dynasty, but there are no sources from this dynasty. This is the earliest known Chinese dynasty.Chou Dynasty – The Chou dynasty was the dynasty in China during the warring states era. The Chou dynasty encompassed the warring states era.Han Dynasty – The Han dynasty was a dynasty in China from 200BC to 200AD. This is known as the height of cultural flowering among the dynasties.Questions of Heaven – The Questions of Heaven is a collection of 186 poetic verses. It was written during the warring states era in China. Ch’u Tz’u – The Ch’u Tz’u was written by Ch’u Yuan around 4 BC. It was a book that contained many parts, including the Questions of Heaven.Ch’u Yuan – Ch’u Yuan was the author of the Ch’u Tz’u. Ch’u Yuan is the first named Chinese poet. Ch’u – Ch’u was a state in the Chou dynasty. It was in existence during the warring states era.Hun Tun – Hun Tun is the first element in creation of cosmos in Chinese mythology. Yin and Yang rose from Hun Tun.Yin – Yin rose from Hun Tun in Chinese mythology. Yin in the heavy and feminine opposite to Yang.Yang – Yang rose from Hun Tun in Chinese mythology. Yang is the light and masculine opposite to Yin.P’an Ku – P’an Ku is said to come from Hun Tun like Yin and Yang in the beginning in Chinese mythology. The death of P’an Ku resulted in the creation of the universe. Nu Kua – Nu Kua is part of the divine couple with Fu Hsi in Chinese mythology. She is the creator goddess that creates Aristocrats out of yellow earth and commoners out of mud.Fu His – Fu Hsi is part of the divine couple with Nu Kua in Chinese mythology. He invents many important things, like writing, hunting, music…Kun – Kun is the trickster god in Chinese mythology. He is killed by gods but still has a son, Yu.hsi-jang - Hsi-jang is regenerating soil in Chinese mythology. Kun uses this to stop the flood.Yu – Yu is the son of Kun in Chinese mythology. He is born from Kun after Kun is killed.Yu walk – Yu becomes all shriveled up after repairing the world from the flood. He develops a certain walking style because of it, the Yu walk. Norse Creation and Afterlife – Norse MythologyNorse – Norse refers to the warrior culture in Scandanavia. Their mythology involves charcters such as Thor, Loki, Heimdall, Odin, and many others.Æsir – Æsir is a family of Norse gods that live with the Vanir on Asgard in Norse mythology. The Æsir are ruled by Odin.Vanir – The Vanir are the fertility gods that live in Asgard with the Æsir in Norse mythology. Included in the Vanir are Njord and his twins Frey and Freyja.Njord – Njord is the sea god in Norse mythology. He is part of the Vanir and has two twins.Frey – Frey is one of Njord’s two twins in Norse mythology. He is the fertility of Earth god. Freyja – Freyja is oen of Njord’s two sons in Norse mythology. She is the goddess of sexual desire.Jötnar - Jötnar refers to the giants in Norse mythology. The Jötnar represent the evil against the Æsir, which represent good.Odin – Odin is the king of the Æsir in Norse mythology. Odin has an 8-legged horse named Sleipnir.Valhalla – Valhalla is the idea of heaven in Norse mythology. You can only go there if you were killed in battle.Asgard – Asgard is one of the levels on the world tree, Yggrasil in Norse mythology. It contains the hall of
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