Rig VedaRig Veda oldest literary work of India. Earliest form of Sanskrit language. Rig “praise” + veda “knowledge”; knowledge in the praise of the gods.Sanskrit Indo-European language. Related to English, ancient Greece, Latin, and German. The Rig Veda was the earliest form of Sanskrit language.Vedic people composed Rig Veda. We think they called themselves the Aryans.Agni Vedic god of fire. Binatural god. Controls all possible senses of fireSoma Defied sacred drink. We don’t know exactly what Soma was made of but it was a drink that somehow produced a narcotic, high effect. Indra King of the Vedic gods. God of thunder and war. Avid drinker of soma.Vritra Dragon/serpant. Holding back all the waters of the world. Indra uses her thunderbolts to attack and kill Vritra and then rivers are created.Tiamat Sea god who battles a storm god and her waters are released to create rivers similar to Vritra. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are created out of her eyes. Sarama Indra’s dog. Loyal dog that can talk.Panis demons who live beyond the River Rasa that encircles the heaven and earth. They stole cattle, and Indra’s dog, Sarama is tracking down the cattle. river Rasa encircles the heavens and the earth. The Panis, or demons, live beyond it. Golden Embryo unknown creator god. Given the title, not the name, as the Golden Embryo. Referred to as Hiranyagarbha. There are a lot of internal contradictions with the golden embryo. Hiranyagarbha is the Golden Embryo. Gold = hirany and womb/seed/embryo/egg = garbha.Prajapati creator god. seen in a later addition.Purusha cosmic giant and primeval male. He is not a human being, he is a god and a giant. Sacrificed to create the universe.Aditi female creative force/infinity. we think she is the mother of Indra. Give birth to earth which holds up the sky.Daksha male creative force. Aditi vies birth to him and he gives birth to her. Another internal contradiction. Martanda Sun god. one of Aditi’s sons. Rejected by Aditi because the sun dies (sets) every day she thinks it’s defected.Yama King of the dead. First mortal to reach death realm, succefully making it to the afterlife. Three Days of Soma Ceremony. After cremation the fire burns for 3 days.Chinese Creation and FloodChinese Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China. Distinguished by its high level of internal diversity.Shang (or Yin) Dynasty first period of Chinese history. From 1766c-1123 BCE.Chou Dynasty Second period of Chinese history. From 1123c-221 BCE.Han Dynasty 206 BCE -220 CE. Golden age of ancient Chinese culture. Hits a high point.Questions of Heaven larger work of poetry. Part of Ch’u Tz’u, the songs of Ch’u.Ch’u Tz’u Songs of Ch’u. Larger work of poetryCh’u Yuan Author of Ch’u Tz’u. we don’t know if he existed or not. First named Chinese poet.Ch’u State in Chou Dynasty. Ch’u is a region.Hun Tun first element in creation of cosmos. First thing created. First represented empty space and chaos later represented confusion and disorder. Imagined as a cosmic egg with Yin(earth) and Yang (sky) in the egg along with P’an Ku.Yin heavy and feminine. Also associated with dark and darkness. Yin and Yang are a pair of oppositesYang light and masculine. Also associated with light and light colors. Ying and Yang are a pair of opposites.P’an Ku “coiled antiquity”. Primeval giant/god/man. P’an Ku is in the cosmic egg with Yin and Yang. Body of P’an Ku becomes part of the universe when P’an Ku dies.Nu Kua Creator goddess. Creates humans. Creates aristocrats, the noble best people, out of yellow earth and creates commoners, the ordinaries, out of mud to save time.Fu His God and culture hero. Invents writing, hunting/fishing, music, fire and cooking. Marries Nu Kau. Serpentine lower bodies and normal upper half.Kun trickster god. Steals hsi-jang from the gods and is then killed by the gods as punishment. His son, Yu, is born from his belly.hsi-jang “Breathing earth” Kun steals hsi-jang from the gods and is then killed.Yu Kun’s son born from his belly. Culture hero. Uses hsi-jang to stop the flood.Yu walk Yu shrivels up from working so hard. He is travelling the world to repair it, he now walks all shriveled up and bent over. Norse Creation and AfterlifeNorse Medieval Scandinavians. Also known as the Vikings.Æsir One of the two families of the Norse gods. War between the families, the Æsir and Vanir. Lived in Asgard.Vanir One of the two families of the Norse gods. War between the families, the Æsir and Vanir. Fertility gods.Njord Vanir. Sea god. Father of twins, Frey and Freyja.Frey God, fertility of earth. Twins with Freyja, Njord is their father.Freyja Goddess of sexual desire. Twins with Frey, Njord is their father.Jötnar Giants. Not always gigantic, often the enemies.Odin King of Æsir. God of Death and cleverness. Odin is in charge of Valhalla. Valhalla Hall in Asgard. For a select group of souls who die in battle. Norse idea of best afterlife.Asgard Home of the Æsir. Valhalla is a hall in Asgard.Valkyries “chooser of the slain”. Female spirits of battle, leads the souls to Valhalla.Saehrimnir Boar. Every night the boar magically regenerates itself and the people eat it again the next day. Heidrun Magical Goat. People drink the mead from the goat.Sleipnir Odin’s horse. Said to have 8 legs.Hugin stands for “thought”. One of the two ravens. Tells Odin’s news from around the world.Munin stands for “Mind/memory”. One of the two ravens. Tells Odin’s news from around the world.Yggdrasil World Tree. Supports the entire universe.Thor Storm god. Son of Odin.Mjollnir Thor’s hammer, one of his prized possessions along with his iron gloves and belt of strength. Loki trickster god. Purely mythic, son of giant and goddess. He is an outsider, not really one of Æsir.Fenrir wolf. Son of Loki. Æsir realizes he is dangerous and ties him up and puts him on a leash.Jormungand Son of Loki. Midgard Serpent. Midgard Serpent Also called Jormungand. Son of Loki.Hel underworld realm below Asgard. Lower level of Yggdrasil. Everyone who doesn’t die in battle goes to Hel. Prose Edda Work by Snorri
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