CLT 3378-04 (Ancient Mythology) Final Exam Study GuideRig Veda (Vedic)• Rig Veda: Oldest literary work of India Composed sometime between 1700-1100 BCE Written in early Sanskrit Originally oral for many centuries, but then written down “Rig”: praise; “veda”: knowledge 1028 hymns to gods, spread throughout 10 books Earliest of the four Vedas Later, became a sacred text for Hindus (compare to Israelite scriptures being sacred to both Jews and Christians); still holy to modern peoples The hymns in the Rig Veda are enigmatic, confusing in nature. They are intended to make the reader think, and are full of internal contradictions • Sanskrit: Indo- European language Dialect in which the Rig Veda is written in• Vedic People: Composers of the Rig Veda People that lived in modern-day India• Agni: “Fire” Binatural (Agni is both a thing and a god) Agni represents various representations of fire:o Natural: he is fire itself, as well as the heat present in lightning and the suno Domestic: hearth- he represents the fire at the center of the homeo Ritual: he is the fire used in sacrificeso Funereal: he is the fire that is used to cremate the deado Poetry: he serves as the spark/the light/the inspiration for poets• Soma: Deified sacred drink Binatural (Soma is both a thing and a god) Hallucinogenic drink The ingredients to make Soma came from an unknown plant that grows high in the mountains Drank by both gods and people that are close to gods (i.e. priests) Gives poets vision to produce better poetry Reinforces the immortality of the gods and gives them strength Mind altering effects, including the experience of fear and exultation• Indra: King of the gods (compare to Zeus/Marduk) God of thunder and war (therefore, he is a storm god) Connected to both rain and fertility Avid drinker of soma Considered to be a poet all by himself, as well as a model for all poets Indra is kept in his mother’s womb to protect him from his father→ Indra bursts out the side of his mother’s womb→ kills father• Vritra: Likely the father of Indra (unclear in the Rig Veda, but assumed to be Vritra based on later hymns) Dragon/serpent Hold back waters (no freshwater in the world) With the help of thunderbolts, Indra is able to kill Vritra From Vritra’s body, rivers are created• Tiamat: Sea monster that represents salt water in the Enuma Elish Killed by Marduk→ the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow out of her eyes Marduk vs. Tiamat and Indra vs. Vritra both represent a battle between a storm god and a dragon(or serpent)• Sarama: Indra’s dog Told by Indra to seek out stolen cattle→ Sarama travels beyond the river Rasa to reach the Panis→ resists the bribes of the Panis• Panis: Demons that live beyond the river Rasa Steal the cattle of Angirases (a family of priests) Try unsuccessfully to bribe Sarama into joining their group• River Rasa: The Panis live beyond this river The river Rasa encircles heaven/earth (the worlds of both the gods and the humans) Can be compared to the Greek Okeanos (body of water that surrounds Earth)• Golden Embryo: Unknown creator god Referred to as Hiranyagarbha Arises from primordial waters/ creates the waters at the same timeo Internal contradiction Is said to separate the earth and sky before creating the earth and skyo Another internal contradiction• Hiranyagarbha: Another name for the Golden Embryo (however, more of a title than a name) “Gold” (hirany) “Womb/seed/embryo/egg” (garbha)• Prajapati: Unknown creator god is given this name (Prajapati is a known Vedic creator god) This is seen as a possible later addition to the Rig Veda→ whomever wrote this in likely wanted to put a face to the unknown creator god • Purusha: Cosmic giant/primeval man Dismembered by creator god Purusha’s body is used to create the universe The earth/sky/gods/humans/animals are formed out of the body of Purusha First Sacrificeo Purusha as an object of sacrifice (he is killed)o Purusha is also the recipient of his own sacrificeo Another internal contradiction• Aditi: Female creative force Gives birth to earth (which then bears/holds up the sky) Bears 8 gods, but rejects Martanda Thought to be the mother of Indra (but unclear)• Daksha: Male creative force Aditi gives birth to Daksha, while Daksha gives birth to Aditio Internal Contradiction• Martanda: The sun Found in water, yet also born from Aditio Internal contradiction Martanda is seen as defective in the eyes of Aditi (the sun dies every night→ replaced with the moon at sunset) → Aditi rejects Martanda• Yama: King of the dead First mortal to reach death realm (in heaven), however he is not the first person to die Serves a path maker for humans, helping them find their way to the death realm Has a four-eyed dog that guards the path to the death realm (helps humans pass rather than keep them out)• Three Days of Soma: After a person dies, their body is cremated→ a fire burns for 3 days→ soma is offered to the mourners→ this ceremony is supposed to help the deceased soul pass successfully into the death realmChinese Creation and Flood (Chinese)• Chinese: Culture that wrote these creation/flood myths Consists of a series of dynasties (chronological periods) Sources influenced by philosophical views (i.e. Confucianism/Taoism)• Shang (or Yin) Dynasty: 1766-1123 BCE Earliest historical period The Chinese myths develop here, but we only have later retellings of the originals• Chou Dynasty: 1123-221 BCE Consists of various other subdynasties:o Western Chouo Eastern Chouo Spring and Autumn Erao Warring States Era A majority of our Chinese myths come from this periodo The “Questions of Heaven” comes from the Warring States period• Han Dynasty: 206 BCE-220 CE Ancient China reaches the height of its cultural power during this time• Questions of Heaven: Part of the larger work, Ch’u Tz’u 186 poetic verses 4th century BCE Chou Dynasty (Warring States Era to be specific) Earliest comprehensive collection of Chinese myths Poses questions about creation• Ch’u Tz’u: “Songs of Ch’u” “Questions of Heaven” is within this work• Ch’u Yuan: Author of Ch’u Tz’u First named
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