Mythology Final Review Prose Edda 4 sections o Prologue Gylfaginning Skoldskaparmal Hottatal o Gylfaginning largest and most important section of the Prose Edda Author Snorri Sturluson Icelandic Christian author Types of Myth o Aetiology Combat Aetiologies Frame Narrative Gylfi Swedish King upset that Aesir is moving in from the North Christian message in the Gylfaginning o Norse myths are an illusion o Aesir are not gods Two realms fomed o Niflheim Cold In North o Muspelll Fiery In South Interaction of these two realms creates Ymir o Ymir Enormous frost giant made from the melting ice o His sweat creates more frost giants Audumla Cow o Milk feeds Ymir o Buri first Aesir born from the ice that Audumla is licking Buri had a son named Borr o Borr and Bestla daughter of a giant Odin and Brothers Half giant not fully god o Odin and brothers Vili Ve kill Ymir From Ymir s blood mini flood myth o All giants drown except Bergelmir and Wife Parents of all future frost giants Odin and brother divide Ymir s body Odin and Brother make humans o Males ash trees ask o Females Elm Trees Embla Create Asgard home of Aesir Norse Viking Imbedded Narratives o Testing of Thor o Event in the mythic present some time in the past o With Loki travels to the hall of Utgard Loki giant o Thor undergoes 3 test 1 Empty drinking horn in one gulp takes 3 doesn t finish 2 Life cat makes back of cat lurch upward 3 Wrestle an old woman close wrestling match falls to one knee Fails in each test o Utgard Loki reveals illusions the next day Drinking horn sea Cat Midgard Serpent Thor s arch nemesis Old Woman old age death reflects thor s mortality Getting to Ragnarok o Death of Baldr hasn t happened yet prophesized o Baldr good beautiful god son of Odin dreams of his own death then tells his mother Frigg Loki diquised as a woman asks Frigg what can hurt Baldr Mistletoes can harm him Loki takes a mistletoe shaft to Hodr blind god and kills Baldr Baldr goes to Hel since he did not die in battle o Aetiology for Earhquakes caused by Loki writhing in pain from snake venom Ragnarok End of the Gods Weird of the Gods Apocalyptic myth o Death of most of the gods o World s destruction by fire o In the future has not happened yet o Surt giant from Muspell leads evil forces over the Bifrost and breaks it o Final Battle combat myth Aesir vs Jotnar good vs evil Odin is swallowed by Fenrir o Jormungand killed by Thor Thor dies from poison o Odin s son Vidar kills Fenrir with a shoe o Loki kills killed by Heimdall o Surt sets fire to the world Signs of Ragnarok o Pre sign with death of Baldr o 3 winters no summers o Humans turn wicked war murder incest o Sun and moon swallowed by wolves Quote from Prose Edda o When these things come to pass then shall Heimdallr rise up and blow mightily in the Gjallar Horn and awaken all the gods and they shall hold council together Then Odin shall ride to Mimir s Well and take counsel of Mimir for himself and his host Then the Ash of Yggdrasil shall tremble and nothing then shall be without fear in heaven or in earth Then shall the all the Champions and advance to the field Gylfaginning sir put on their war weeds and Beowulf Epic Anglo Saxon story Written in Old English Language Christian culture similar to A Thousand and One Nights Types of Myths o Epic Hero Quest Creation Succession Main Characters o Beowulf Son of Ecgtheow nephew of Hygelac a Geat o Hygelac King of the Geats o Hrothgar King of the Danes aka Shieldings Series of succession myths to get to Hrothgar o Unferth advisor to Hrothgar o Grendel and Grendel s mother monsters o A dragon o Wiglaf relative and follower of Beowulf Hrothgar lives at Heorot and decides to build a mead hall Heorot is plagued by Grendel Grendel is upset at the noise coming from the hall o Terrorizes Heorot for 12 years but will not attack Hrothgar People of Heorot forced to turn to ancient pagan gods Beowulf makes a boat to save Hrothgar requests to meet him Unferth taunts Beowulf Grendel enters mead hall Beowulf mortally wounds Grendel by pulling arm and shoulder free Grendel dies back in his cave combat myth Grendel s mother kills Dane o Beowulf puts on armor and beheads Grendel and his mother take back Grendel s head to Heorot o Have a feast to celebrate double victory Imbedded Narrative o Beowulf gets land and is named king rules for 50 years o Dragon attacks at night and burns down the mead hall Beowulf attacks dragon with sword Dragon attack 1 sword fails Dragon attack 2 sword breaks Dragon attack 3 sinks fangs into Beowulf beowulf drives knife into the dragon s side succeeds from killing dragon Beowulf dies from the poison Lof old English word o Praise glory o Achieved through deeds in battle Quotes Once again the king gathered his strength and drew a stabbing knife he carried on his belt sharpened for battle He stuck it deep into the dragon s flank Beowulf dealt it a deadly wound They had killed the enemy courage quelled his life that pair of kinsmen partners in nobility had destroyed the foe So every man should act be at hand when needed but now for the king this would be the last of his many labours and triumphs in the world o Then a powerful demon a prowler through the dark o nursed a hard grievance It harrowed him o to hear the din of the loud banquet o every day in the hall the harp being struck o and the clear song of a skilled poet o telling with the mastery of man s beginnings o how the Almighty had made the earth o a gleaming plain girdled with waters o in His splendour He set the sun and the moon o to be earth s lamplight lanterns for men o and filled the broad lap of the world o with branches and leaves and quickened life o in every other thing that moved King Arthur Legendary British King Types of Myths o Hero Quest Combat Folktale Succession Author Sir Thomas Malory Main Characters o Uther Pendragon earlier king of England father of Arthur o Igraine Dutchess of Tintagel mother of Arthur o Sir Ulfius friend of uther and friend of Merlin o Merlin Wizard Tirickster Prophet o Sir Ector Arthur s uncle o Sir Kay Ector s son o King Arthur Main character o Lady of the Lake water nymph like creature o Guenever daughter of Leodegrance wife of Arthur o Sir Mordred enemy of King Arthur o Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere Arthur s knights at final battle Uther is already king marries Igraine Merlin prophesizes the birth of Arthur Queen is unexpectedly pregnant Merlin takes Arthur to Sir Ector King Uther ill tells Merlin Arthur …
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