Dionysos, Olympian god in Greek folklore, is the son of Zeus and the mortal woman, Semele (daughter of Cadmus of Thebes).

Semele is killed by Zeus' lightning bolts while Dionysus is still in her womb. Dionysus is rescued and undergoes a second birth from Zeus after developing in his thigh.

Zeus then gives the infant to some nymphs to be raised. In another version, one with more explicit religious overtones, Dionysus, also referred to as Zagreus in this account, is the son of Zeus and Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.

Hera gets the Titans to lure the infant with toys, and then they rip him to shreds eating everything but Zagreus' heart, which is saved by either Athena, Rhea, or Demeter.

Zeus remakes his son from the heart and implants him in Semele who bears a new Dionysus Zagreus.

Hence, as in the earlier account, Dionysus is called "twice born." The latter account formed a part of the Orphic religion's religious mythos.

At any rates, Dionysus appears to be of two distinct origins.

On the one hand, Dionysus was the god of wine, agriculture, and fertility of nature, who is also the patron god of the Greek stage.

On the other hand, Dionysus also represents the outstanding features of mystery religions, such as those practiced at Eleusis: ecstasy, personal delivery from the daily world through physical or spiritual intoxication, and initiation into secret rites.

Scholars have long suspected that the god known as Dionysus is in fact a fusion of a local Greek nature god, and another more potent god imported rather late in Greek pre-history from Phrygia (the central area of modern day Turkey) or Thrace...

It does seem clear that Dionysus, at least the Phrygian Dionysus, was a late arrival in the Greek world...

Briefly, Dionysus returns to Thebes, his putative birthplace, where his cousin Pentheus is king. He has returned to punish the women of Thebes for denying that he was a god and born of a god. Pentheus is enraged at the worship of Dionysus and forbids it, but he cannot stop the women, including his mother Agave, or even the elder statesmen of the kingdom from swarming to the wilds to join the Maenads (a term given to women under the ecstatic spell of Dionysus) in worship.

Dionysus lures Pentheus to the wilds where he is killed by the Maenads and then mutilated by Agave...

Dionysus is depicted as either an older bearded god or a pretty effeminate, long-haired youth.

His attributes included the thyrsos (a pine-cone tipped staff), drinking cup, leopard and fruiting vine.

Dionysus was usually accompanied by a troop of Satyrs and Mainades (female devotees or nymphs)...

Writers often contrast Dionysus with his half-brother Apollo. Where Apollo personifies the cerebral aspects of mankind, Dionysus represents the libido and gratification...

Resources:

http://bit.ly/GDCDI

http://abt.cm/bQVoBT

http://bit.ly/dk3Nni

http://bit.ly/1abeJvK

http://bit.ly/15J2C9F

http://bit.ly/18VmSoh

http://bit.ly/rb9My

http://bit.ly/rXamh

http://bit.ly/gNsiI

See Hera:

http://sco.lt/62EIHx

See Persephone:

http://sco.lt/99nIMD

See Apollon:

http://sco.lt/8aFV5N

See Rhea:
http://sco.lt/4j2aeH

See Demeter:

http://sco.lt/7JiyNV

See the Ourea:

http://sco.lt/8rNa9h

See Satyr:

http://sco.lt/61Ovjt

Post Image: http://bit.ly/18gFnUI

Shoten is esoteric Japanese Buddhism's version of the Indian elephant-headed god Gaṇeśa or Vināyaka.

Shoten is the patron of enterprise, who removes obstacles and vouchsafes wisdom...

As in India he came to be thought of as the son of Śiva, or Daijizaiten in Japan.

The cult of Shoten was brought to Japan from China and Tantric Buddhism by the founder of the Shingon sect early in the ninth century and was also taken up by the Tendai sect.

Shoten is depicted as a double figure: a powerful male god in an embrace with a gentle goddess or bodhisattva.

The connection between this dual image and the embracing Śiva and his śakti is obvious.

In both cases the embrace has symbolic importance, conveying wholeness.

Shoten also signifies the union of the individual with the Buddha...

With Enlightenment the two images become one...

It is said that the single-bodied version of Shoten may have two, four or six arms and is yellowish-red in colour...

Resources:

http://bit.ly/16mUEWa

http://bit.ly/1b7WKel

http://bit.ly/15nAzhH

http://bit.ly/16VqsPk

http://bit.ly/1b0kxcw

http://bit.ly/15nwdBS

http://bit.ly/15Q9MsM

http://bit.ly/16uE28d

http://bit.ly/1fw60Z8

http://bit.ly/15nC5jH

http://bit.ly/1b7Ybte

See Gaṇeśa:

http://sco.lt/6uLnVp

Post Image: http://bit.ly/16mWTbU

What fearsome creature howls under the full moon? Loup-garou is native to France and Francophone regions of North America...

In French Canada, it can only be one thing: the legendary loup-garou, the lone werewolf of Quebec lore. 

The Loup-garou is fearsome werewolf; said to roam the thick forests of 19th-century Quebec.

Akin to the male Rougarou, the female Loup-garou tranforms from a woman to werewolf-like being (she-wolf) at her own will.

The legend says that when a person comes into contact with a loup garou and sheds the blood of the beast, the Loup Garou will then changed to its human form and reveal their secret.

The victim then becomes a Loup Garou for one hundred and one days. If the victim speak of the encounter to anyone, they become a loup garou themselves.

But if they remain quiet about it, they will return to their human form and continue on with their lives. In the legends, the loup garou is said to be someone the victim knows, such as a jealous former lover.

What the makes the Loups-ga·rous different from the common werewolves is that they don't change with the cycles of the moon and have complete change over their actions.

So, what makes these creatures so dangerous and terrifying is the fact that while in their wolf form they are completely aware and as intelligent as they are in their human form.

Like any good legend, the story of the loup-garou changes with the teller. With their enhanced abilities and senses, it make them difficult to destroy. These are magnificent, intelligent and blessed creatures (in some tales), but beware le Loup Garou...

Very often the loup garou to the wendigo. For example, the Ojibwa people tell stories of the “rugaru,” as a creature indulging in cannibalism, which is the same process for becoming a wendigo.

Both creatures are described as large bipedal creatures with fierce animal aspects...

A young man named André apprentices as a hunter and trapper with an experienced coureur de bois who has a terrible secret... 

Resources:

http://bit.ly/18x2OaH

http://bit.ly/1fw8OrF

http://bit.ly/cg7fd

http://bit.ly/19abWA1

http://bit.ly/1bhMbFw

http://bit.ly/a3mymV

http://bit.ly/179EE7q

http://bit.ly/1bhMsIw

http://bit.ly/1bNSmR7

http://bit.ly/18aQ76r

See The Rougarou II: The Male:

http://sco.lt/4mPlrt

See the Wendigo:

http://sco.lt/60UYiH

Image adapted from: http://bit.ly/1beygwy

The goddess of pleasure, the beautiful daughter of Cupid and Psyche in Roman folklore...

She is often found in the company of the Charites, or Three Graces, and she is known as the goddess of "sensual pleasures" whose Latin name means "pleasure" or "bliss".

Hedone is her Greek counterpart.

Volupta's opposites are the Algea, or pains...

Resources:

http://bit.ly/19Rn2La

http://bit.ly/1eVclP6

http://bit.ly/GzxWhU

http://bit.ly/15Ft7P3

Post Image: http://bit.ly/1bnkKH6

Bangpūtys, the god of waves and storms, who sails over the wild sea in a boat which has a golden anchor, in Lithuanian folklore...

According to the reconstructions, he is austere, unrelenting.

He has beard, wings and two faces. He has fish in left hand, utensil in right hand and rooster on the head.

His sons are gods of wind: Rytys, Pietys, Šiaurys and Vakaris (easterly, souther, norther and westerly).

Bangpūtys is very vindictive god. Once Auštaras (son of Aušrinė and Mėnulis, other god of easterly wind) was swimming in the sea and made a storm. Bangpūtys did not like and thus wanted to drown him.

Resources:

http://bit.ly/GC4GGN

http://bit.ly/1dHrFcY

http://bit.ly/1bJJutb

http://bit.ly/17GMZzI

See Posieidon:

http://bit.ly/N3pcQ1

See Neptune :

http://sco.lt/8zmw1R

See Thor:

http://sco.lt/8ryxwf

See Taranis:

http://sco.lt/7YdleD

Post Image: http://bit.ly/GEILyM

Taranis is the god of thunder in Celtic folklore, in the Iberian penninsula of the Gallaeci, and possibly the earlier Celtiberians, as well as of the Gauls, but also in the Rhineland and Danube regions, amongst others.

He was associated, as was the cyclops Brontes ("thunder") in Greek lore, with the wheel... i.e. the wheel of time. Apparently he controlled this by way of ritual matings with Diur, or the oak tree.

Taranis’ name and attributes are likely related to those of Thor, the Norse thunder god.

Many representations of a bearded god with a thunderbolt in one hand and a wheel in the other have been recovered from Gaul, where this deity apparently came to be syncretised with Jupiter.

Taranis was said to infiltrate the sky with thunderous energy when he became inebriated after drinking too much Celtic mead. As mead was often a constant during celebrations of marriage and battle victories, Taranis was a good-humored god and served as a figure of whole-hearted joy and zeal.

Some Roman sources associate Taranis with the Roman war god, Mars.

Taranis is commonly seen riding across the heavens in a chariot, his horses very much a part of his power – their galloping hooves would usually produce the crack of thunder and sparks of lightening in the skies...

Resources:

http://bit.ly/1glaFxv

http://bit.ly/1bDrUdR

http://bit.ly/19vr15f

http://bit.ly/1a63bbt

http://bit.ly/19weKrx

http://bit.ly/19bnNSD

http://bit.ly/16OJGZT

http://bit.ly/16OJWb6

http://bit.ly/14PvuU

http://bit.ly/16OJZ6M

http://bit.ly/cE7tFA

See Jupiter:

http://sco.lt/4wH33p

See Thor:

http://sco.lt/8ryxwf

See Mars:

http://sco.lt/745zYf

See Bangpūtys:

http://sco.lt/6ECQgj

Post Image: http://bit.ly/1cp8QiK

The three-legged (or tripedal) crow is a supernatural creature found in various parts of the world including Asia, Asia Minor, and North Africa.

It is believed by many cultures to inhabit and represent the sun.

This seems to vary depending on cultural folklore...

Some of the more common ones include:

Chinese:

The three-legged crow in Chinese folklore is called Sānzúwū.It dates back to the Zhou dynasty (11th to 3rd century BC), when it appeared as a decoration on formal imperial garments... 

The earliest known depiction of a three-legged crow appears in Neolithic pottery of the Yangshao culture... Sanzuwu is referred to as Sun crow, and usually depicted as red rather than black...

It is responsible for the sun’s passage across the sky. There are many legends of this bird, e.g.:

The Chinese sun goddess was the mother to ten child-suns. Every day one of the children would be carried to the top of a mulberry tree on the back of a crow, and then fly into the sky to be the sun for each day.

Each child took turns each day so there was light during the days.

It is said that one day, all ten child-suns ascended to the sky on the same day and scorched Earth to drought.

The emperor, who also happened to be their father, tried to convince the child-suns to ascend one at a time, but after they did not listen, he ordered an archer to shoot them down.

It just happened that one of the child-suns was visiting the underworld that day and hence was not killed.

Folklore says this three-legged crow now lives inside the sun...

Japanese:

In Japan the tripedal crow is called Yatagarasu. This great crow was sent from heaven as a guide for Emperor Jimmu on his initial journey from the region which would become Kumano to what would become Yamato.

It is generally accepted that Yatagarasu is an incarnation of Taketsunimi no mikoto...

The word Yatagarasu has been translated as “eight-span crow” (i.e. giant crow) or and deemed to mean Supreme (or Perfect) Divine Crow (the number ‘eight’ in Japanese numerology having the meanings of ‘many’ or ‘a multitude’, or ‘perfect’ or ‘supreme’) or just “large crow”.

Although there is no description in the ancient historical chronicles stating that the Yatagarasu was specifically three-legged,  the crow has been depicted as such at various shrine locations...

Shrine or temple traditions clearly state the crow is three-legged.

http://bit.ly/1cFCKj3

Korean:

During the period of the Koguryo Kingdom, the Samjok-o was a highly regarded symbol of power, thought superior to both the dragon and the Korean phoenix...

The three-legged crow was one of several emblems under consideration to replace the phoenix in the Korean seal of state when its revision was considered in 2008...

Resources:

http://bit.ly/s3gjBa

http://bit.ly/1cFCKj3

http://bit.ly/1eeOuqJ

http://bit.ly/15uM30N

http://bit.ly/1gxPkRp

http://bit.ly/1bknLHu

http://bit.ly/1auZ9uH

http://bit.ly/1eeOM0I

http://bit.ly/15uPzIl

Post Image: http://bit.ly/19wweYR

A Sheela na Gigis a medieval stone carving of a naked woman with her legs spread wide.

Sheela na Gigs are considered to be mother goddesses, a patron for fertility in British-Celtic folklore. However, some other references might downgrade them to the level of demons.

These have been found mainly in the British Isles. Oddly enough, many of these old representations of goddess are found on churches, and some castles.

It is said that the Sheela na Gig is there to keep evil spirits away, but there may be a deeper and more positive significance.

She is the Earth mother who gives and receives life back to herself, a figure of change and transition.

"...A delicious irony in this history of the sheelas is that, even if they were introduced into the Celtic lands as a Christian attack on women, “it seems wise to suggest that the device of the sheela… was absorbed there into a native belief in powerful female protectors.

These carvings upon the later medieval buildings of Ireland may, then, have been a last manifestation of the old tutelary goddesses.”

                               __ Kathryn Price NicDhàna

http://bit.ly/TLEjD8

The name, Sheela na Gig, was first published in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 1840-44, as a local name for a carving once present on a church gable wall in Rochestown, County Tipperary, Ireland; the name also was recorded in 1840 by John O'Donovan, an official of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, referring to a figure on Kiltinan Castle, County Tipperary.

Scholars disagree about the origin and meaning of the name in Ireland, as it is not directly translatable into Irish. Alternative spellings of "Sheela" may sometimes be encountered; they include Sheila, Síle and Síla.

There are many theories surrounding the meaning behind the sheela na gig, and the most popular is that she is a survivor of an ancient pagan goddess.

Usually, the sheela has been identified with the Celtic goddess Callieach who is known to be a "hag" like figure of Irish folklore.

The lore of the sheela says, that she appeared as a lustful hag, and most men refused her advances, except one.

After this man slept with her, she turned into a beautiful maiden, and granted the man with royalty and blessed his reign...

 "Womb as tomb"

An interesting theory was envisaged by Sligo Artist Michael Quirke.

He believes that the sheela image is the third in the Celtic goddess trinity of maiden-mother-crone.

In her aspect as the crone, she invites the hero back into her womb to death.

Through this stark figure, we are reminded that we are all born of Mother Earth, and we will all return to the earth in death (through the same "door"--the womb of the earth).

http://bit.ly/GOnYc0

In this aspect, sheela-na-gig could be very like the Indian deity Kali, goddess of death.

Depictions of Kali are often even more fearsome than sheela-na-gigs. In addition to having withered breasts, fierce visages and visibly empty wombs, Kali figures often wear garlands of human skulls!

Sheela na Gig's appearance can differ, she can represent fertility and look youthful or withered like an old infertile hag.

She represents the extremes of birth and death.

She is the mother who nurtures and devours all nature at the same time...

Resources:

http://bit.ly/16IO4qT

http://bit.ly/92nIZo

http://bit.ly/19NOCON

http://bit.ly/19JMG3N

http://bit.ly/99OKi

http://bbc.in/16IPbad

http://bit.ly/165O9qk

http://bit.ly/GOnYc0

http://bit.ly/TLEjD8

http://bit.ly/193lFve

http://bit.ly/ihi1kq

http://bit.ly/if1UNv

http://bit.ly/19C98ht

http://bit.ly/170oIqN

http://bit.ly/GVH4xj

http://bit.ly/1alQTvw

http://bit.ly/18fE2xH

http://bit.ly/GVIAzf

Post Image: http://bit.ly/15CLF03

An Elfish version of Síla na Géige :

http://bit.ly/GVJpbk

Snotra is a wise and gentle goddess in Norse folklore. She shows decorous of manner.

Guerber calls her the goddess of virtue and master of all knowledge. She knew the value of self-discipline.

Snotra is solely attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...

Snotra is one of The Asynjur of Asgard. They are of no less authority and just as divine as their male counterparts...

Reources:

http://bit.ly/19VjbjU

http://bit.ly/18qFcqn

http://bit.ly/19PTiO8

http://bit.ly/19VjMlt

http://bit.ly/tIFjYV

http://bit.ly/GT7105

http://bit.ly/19VjpaG

http://bit.ly/1gPnMqR

http://bit.ly/H4i736

http://bit.ly/16Sn9Jp

http://bit.ly/1czx4Vj

Post Image: http://bit.ly/15MLKhX

The Ourea were the Protogenoi* (primeval gods) or rustic Daimones** (spirits) of the mountains. They are children of Gaea. .

Each and every Mountain was said to have its own ancient bearded god.

Mountains were occasionally depicted in classical art as bearded old men rising up from between their craggy peaks.

There are 10 total and each mountain has its own god:
Aitna: The volcano of Sikelia (Sicily in Italy) and its goddess.

Athos: A Mountain of Thrake (North of Greece) and its god.

Helikon: A Mountain of Boiotia (in Central Greece) and its god. He entered a singing contest with the neighbouring Mount Kithairon.

Kithairon: A Mountain of Boiotia (in Central Greece) and its god. He entered a singing contest with the neighbouring Mount Helikon.

Nysos: A Mountain of Boiotia? (in Central Greece) and its god. He was the nurse of the god Dionysos.

Olympos1: A mountain in Thessalia (northern Greece), the home of the gods, and its god.

Olympos 2: A Mountain of Phrygia (in Anatolia) and its god.

Oreios: The Mountain-God of Mount Othrys in Malis (central Greece).

Parnes: A Mountain of Boiotia and Attika (in Centra Greece) and its god.

Tmolos: A Mountain of Lydia (in Anatolia) and its god. He was the judge of a musical contest between Apollon and Pan.

"And she brought forth long hills, graceful haunts
of the goddess Nymphs who dwell amongst the glens of the hills..."

Hesiod, Theogony, 129–131; Argonautica, 1.498.

*Protogenoi:

The primeval gods or "Protogenoi" of Greek mythology were the basic components of the universe which were emerged at creation.

They included Earth, Air, Sea, Sky, Fresh Water, Underworld, Darkness, Night, Light, Day, Procreation and Time.

http://bit.ly/oQSLsU

**Daimones:

The "Theoi Nomioi" were the gods of the countryside, the pastures and wild forests.

They fell under the dominion of three gods : Hermes the lord of the herds, Dionysos the god of wild vegetation, and Artemis queen of the beasts.

Bonus:

Tmolos and the Musical Contest between Apollo and Marsyas; A Punishment Story

The Satyr Marsyas was a famous flutist from Phrygia, in today's Central Turkey, who boasted that he could play the double flute better than Apollo.

When Apollo found out, he challenged the Satyr to a musical contest.

The victor of the contest would do whatever he wished with the loser and the judges of the contest would be the Muses.

First played Marsyas on his flute and the melody was wonderful. Then it was Apollo's turn. Apollo played notes full of harmony with his lyre and his voice was heavenly spellbinding everything around him.

Then Apollo played with his lyre upside down and told Marsyas to do the same, but Marsyas was unable to.

So Apollo was declared as the winner of the contest... and the punishment he chose for Marsyas was harsh: Apollo hang Marsyas over a pine tree and flayed him alive...

It is said that Tmolos was supposedly the judge of the musical contest between Apollo and the satyr...

http://bit.ly/183kyIA

http://bit.ly/5idQA8

See Gaea:

http://sco.lt/7LK6i1

See Dionysus:

http://sco.lt/75uyrB

See Apollon:

http://sco.lt/8aFV5N

See Satyr:

http://sco.lt/61Ovjt

Resources:

http://bit.ly/1bQWjBj

http://bit.ly/1aBnTjC

http://bit.ly/175QJex

http://bit.ly/hzDPJG

http://bit.ly/1a17c2m

http://bit.ly/1a9zRnC

http://bit.ly/1cQqFoC

Post Image: http://bit.ly/1cazc9c

Caedea, a huntress and the mother of Proca by Janus, is the goddess of thresholds and especially door-pivots (cardo "door-pivot"), health (akin to Carna), and family in Roman folklore.

Cardea is the protectress of little children against the attacks of vampire-witches. 

It is said that she used to be seen as a two-faced goddess perhaps indicating a dual nature...

She obtained the office from Janus in exchange for her personal favors. She lured Janus into a cave and tried to run away but he saw her with his other face and caught her.

She was given the power to repel demons and bore a son, Proca. However, this story is also told of the nymph Carna.

Some identify Cardea with Eurynome, others with Artemis, Carna, Carnea or Rhea...

Reources:

http://bit.ly/17hMsa4

http://bit.ly/17hMuPm

http://bit.ly/1hdTazC

http://bit.ly/1fYCCfG

http://bit.ly/1d45X4V

http://bit.ly/17gpNZu

http://bit.ly/1d473xm

http://bit.ly/16yT2Da

See Rhea:

http://sco.lt/4j2aeH

Image adapted from: http://bit.ly/1hdVxlS

Meili, old Norse "the lovely one or mile-stepper, is son of Odin and brother of Thor, in old Germanic folklore...

It is proposed that Meili's mother is Jörð, a goddess and the personified Earth... In the Harbaardzljod from the Poetic Edda, Thor told Harbard (Odin in disguise as a ferryman) that he had brother named Meili.

Thor spake:

"My name indeed shall I tell,

| though in danger I am,

And all my race; 

I am Othin's son,

Meili's brother,

and Magni's father."

But, Meili is not mentioned elsewhere despite his apparent importance to Thor!!!

Another theory advocates that Baldr and Meili are one and the same...

Only very little is known about Meili...

His name  as mile-stepper, if accurate, could mean that he was a Norse god of travel.

Given the importance of travel in Norse culture, Meili would then have been an important figure in the Norse pantheon, but no first-hand accounts of his status are known to exist, so his rank and function among the Æsir* remains a point of conjecture...

http://bit.ly/16FwtSM

*Æsir: (Aesir are warrior deities of the sky who lived in Asgard**).

http://bit.ly/ZFdO1M

** Asgard: The Aesir lived in a heavenly realm ruled by Odin called Asgard. This place, which contained the great hall known as Valhalla, was separated from Jotunheim below, the place of the gods known as the Vanir, by a bridge, Bifrost (perhaps the Milky Way), guarded by Heimdall.

 http://bit.ly/1bwQHLN

Resources:

http://bit.ly/1bwMd80

http://bit.ly/1f0yrgA

http://bit.ly/193SE3u

http://bit.ly/1alvA2z

http://bit.ly/Hs9638

http://bit.ly/HmVMgV

http://bit.ly/8REOSm

See Odin:

http://sco.lt/6K9qtd

See Thor:

http://bit.ly/Ow9BG4

See Heimdall:

http://sco.lt/7MVpDN

Post Image: http://bit.ly/1aCKSy1

The Simurgh is a Griffin-like gigantic bird creature in Persian literature, art and culture.

It is also evident in the iconography of medieval Armenia, the Byzantine empire, and other regions that were within the sphere of Persian cultural influence...

The Simurgh is also found in the folklore of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia...

The Persian legend describes the Simurgh is a gigantic, fabulous, benevolent, winged monster in the shape of a bird; a kind of peacock with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion. Its natural habitat is a place with plenty of water. In some legends, the Simurgh can actually purify water from poisons and encourage fertility... 

The Simurgh is thought to have originally roosted in Gaokerena, the Tree of Life, which stood in the middle of the world sea, Vounukhasa.

The tree was said to house the seeds of all plant life on earth and when the Simorgh took flight from its branches its leaves shook causing the seeds of these plant to fall out.

These seeds were then said to have floated around the world on the winds of Vayu-Vata and the rains of Tishtrya, eventually taking root to become the many forms of plant life we know today...

This fabulous bird is said to have the gift of human speech.

 As for the simurgh, in the Shahnama, the great 11th century Iranian epic poem of Ferdowsi, Prince Zal, the son of Saam was born an albino, so his father considered him the spawn of the devil and abandoned him to die.

But he didn’t die because he was adopted by the simurgh and taken to her nest where she raised him. 

Years later, Saam regretted what he had done and when he learned his son was still alive, he called him back. As Zal left the simurgh’s nest, she gave him some of her feathers to burn if he ever needed help.

 Zal eventually became shah of Iran and fathered Rustam, the great hero of the Shah-nama.... 

The simurgh is best described in a 13th century Persian book known as “The Conference of the Birds.” In it the author, Farid ad-Din ‘Attar (d. 1230), described how 30 of the birds (si means 30 in Persian, murgh is bird) decided to seek out their leader, the simurgh, the legendary bird... 

They had to pass through seven valleys which represent the spiritual way before they reached the simurgh.

There they meditated and then asked the simurgh what was the secret of the mystery of the unity and plurality of beings. The answer was to annihilate themselves in the simurgh because there they would find themselves. 

In other words, this was one of the earliest examples of an allegorical journey in Middle Eastern mysticism. Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (d. 1273) is supposed to have been greatly influenced by ‘Attar’s work...

In another example, the physician Hypocrates has mounted a simurgh and is off to the Kaf Mountains, presumably to obtain medicine... 

The Simurgh is sometimes compared to a Phoenix...

 According to a legend, this creature is so old that it has seen the world destroyed three times over. In all that time, Simurgh has learned so much that it is thought to possess the knowledge of all ages...

Excerpted from the following Resources:

http://bit.ly/Hi2HYx

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See the Gryphon:

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See the Phoenix:

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Brer Rabbit is a trickster who outsmarts larger and stronger animals, such as Brer Fox and Brer Bear....

Brer Rabbit is perhaps related to the Hare trickster of Africa...

Many stories about Brer Rabbit originated in African folklore and were brought to America by slaves....

He is a mischievous figure appearing in various forms in the folktales and myythos of many different peoples...

Brer Rabbit was made famous by Joel Chandler Harris in his Uncle Remus tales. A tale that obviously owes something to a similar tale about the African trickster Ananse and a “Gum Doll” is that of Brer Rabbit and the tar baby.

The story reminds us that tricksters themselves sometimes become the victims of tricks.

In this tale, Brer Fox makes a life-size figure out of sticky tar and places it on the road.

Brer Rabbit greets the tar baby several times but gets no reply. Annoyed, he hits the tar baby and gets stuck in the tar.

Brer Fox seizes him and wonders about a punishment. Brer Rabbit begs him to do anything he wants except throw him into the briar patch.

Brer Fox, of course, does exactly that. Brer Rabbit, however, easily escapes because, as he says, "I was born and raised in the briar patch." Brer Rabbit is successful in tricking Brer Fox...

Note:

Many Native American cultures have oral traditions that involve animals that speak. Throughout eastern North America, it was typically the rabbit, which was the "trickster." However, the Uncle Remus Tales exactly match the ancient children's stories of the Creek Indians of Georgia, the Carolinas and Alabama...

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This image illustrates the lastest 'evolutionarised' appearance of the Brer Rabbit...

Old ancounters described him similar to the following:

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Sárkány is a Hungarian humanoid demon.

He has the power to turn people to stone in a gaze. 

His function is to control the weather and he can be seen riding his horse in the thunder clouds. 

In some versions he is regarded as a dragon. 

He is sometimes depicted with seven or nine heads on a human body; identified as Sárkány.

Instead of a hoard of gold, this dragon sleeps on a bed of diamonds and crystals...   

More:

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Erlang Shen has a third truth-seeing eye in the middle of his forehead.

Chinese myths portray Erlang Shen, as a powerful god who has a magical third eye in the middle of his forehead that sees truth.

Er Lang Shen was also able to use his eyes as a weapon.

In Buddhism he is considered a protective deity and the second son of the Northern Heavenly King Vaishravana.

He is warring deity... he carries a three-pronged, two-edged polearm and has a Heavenly Dog that follows him around...

Er Lang has access to and is conversant with theThree-Point Double-Blade Knife. According to the legends of the old tradition at Shaolin this weapon was called: Fang Tian Ji (Chin.: 方天戟) or "Four Directions Heaven Lance" In ancient times...

The Fang Tian Lance was considered a sacred weapon.

In the book Feng Shen Bang (Canonization by the gods) Er Lang Shen used this weapon.

This weapon could be extended or shortened at will. Extended, one could use it as a ruler to measure the universe and heavens...

It is said that during the early 10th century CE, Er Lang appeared as Guankou Shen, an incarnation of the famous Li Bing of Qin prefecture (modern-day Sichuan) who was celebrated as a hero for quelling the Minjiang River and building the famous Dujiangyan---waterworks of the third century BCE.

He then was identified with the second son of Li Bing. He was recognized by the Song emperors.

Another tales states that throughout the course of Erlang's duel with Sun Wukong, Erlang had been the stronger adversary.

After many transformations that were performed in their duel (Sun Wukong fleeing as a fish; Erlang and Sun Wukong becoming larger birds, and so forth).

Near the conclusion of the battle, he managed to see through Sun Wukong's disguise (as a temple) using his third-eye.

He eventually defeated Wukong through teamwork with several other gods; Lao Tzu personally had dropped his refined golden ring that had hit Sun Wukong on the head, giving Erlang a chance to bring him down, and Erlang's dog bit him in the leg.

After Sun Wukong had been captured (to which Sun Wukong retorts that they are cowards for attacking from behind), he and his heavenly soldiers would burn random areas of the Bloom Mountains.

Erlang would once again be seen far later into the novel, in which he would assist Sun Wukong through chance by fighting against a certain ancient Dragon King and his allies...

Another legend tells of Li Erlang suppressing a fire dragon that lived in the mountains north of Dujiangyan by climbing to the top of Mount Yulei, turning into a giant and building a dam with 66 mountains then filling it with water from Dragon Pacifying Pool.

Yuan drama and Ming vernacular fiction reconstructed the god's image and created new tales, which contributed to the popularity of another identity of Erlang Shen---Yang Jian, who monopolizes the image of Erlang Shen in popular literature.

It is argued that Erlang's father is the scholar Lau Yin Cheung a scholar and his mother is the Holy Mother of Mount Hua.

She was admonished by the Jade Emperor for this unlawful human-deity union and imprisoned under Mt Hua.

When Erlang came of age, he split the mountain with an axe to free his mother...

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See Sun Wukong:

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Post Image: http://bit.ly/188Q38G

One of the ancient Protogenoi*, Nyx in Greek folklore, (Nox in Roman translation) is the primordial goddess of the night, and embodiment of the night...

A shadowy figure, Nyx is the mother of personified gods such as Hypnos (sleep) and Thánatos (death).

Her appearances in lore are sparse, but reveal her as a figure of exceptional power and beauty...

In Hesiod’s Theogony, Nyx is born of Chaos; her offspring are many, and telling.

With Erebus the deity of shadow and darkness, Nyx gives birth to Aether (atmosphere) and Hemera (day). Later, on her own, Nyx gives birth to Momus (blame), Ponos (toil), Moros (fate), Thanatos (death), Hypnos (sleep), Charon (the ferryman of Hades),the Oneiroi (dreams), the Hesperides, the Keres and Fates, Apate(deception), Philotes (friendship), Geras (age), and Eris (strife)...

Also deadly Night bore Nemesis Indignation to afflict mortal men, and after her, Deceit Apate and Friendship and hateful Age and hard-hearted Strife...

In Book 14 of Homer’s Iliad, there is a quote by Hypnos, the minor god of sleep, in which he reminds Hera of an old favor after she asks him to put Zeus to sleep.

He had once before put Zeus to sleep at the bidding of Hera, allowing her to cause Heracles (who was returning by sea from Laomedon’s Troy) great misfortune.

Zeus was furious and would have smitten Hypnos into the sea if he had not fled to Nyx, his mother, in fear.

Hypnos goes on to say that Zeus, fearing to anger Nyx, held his fury at bay, and in this way Hypnos escaped the wrath of Zeus.

Nyx took on an even more important role in several fragmentary poems attributed to Orpheus.

In them, Nyx, rather than Chaos, is the first principle. Nyx occupies a cave or adyton, in which she gives oracles. 

Kronos – who is chained within, asleep and drunk on honey – dreams and prophesises.

Outside the cave, Adrastea clashes cymbals and beats upon her tympanon, moving the entire universe in an ecstatic dance to the rhythm of Nyx’s chanting. Phanes – the strange, monstrous, hermaphrodite Orphic demiurge – was the child or father of Nyx.

Nyx is also the first principle in the opening chorus of Aristophanes’s Birds, which may be Orphic in inspiration. Here she is also the mother of Eros.

In other texts she may be the mother of Charon (with Erebus), and Phthonus “envy” (with Dionysus?).

The theme of Nyx’s cave or house, beyond the ocean (as in Hesiod) or somewhere at the edge of the cosmos (as in later Orphism) may be echoed in the philosophical poem of Parmenides.

The classical scholar Walter Burkert has speculated that the house of the goddess to which the philosopher is transported is the palace of Nyx; this hypothesis, however, must remain tentative.

There is also rumor that Nyx gave birth to her reincarnation, a son whose name would also be Nyx.

But she gave birth to twins, having a daughter as well, who was named Hemera, “Day”.

The text implied that Hemera was not the sister of Aether, but the sister of Nyx’s reincarnation...

Tartarus, the Residence of Nyx:

Nyx resided in a gloomy house located in Tartarus, in the depths of Hades' Underworld.

Nyx was sharing her residence with her daughter Hemera, the embodiment of the Day, without the two of them ever meeting each other at home.

The Transition from Day to Night:

Nyx used to reside in her home all day long, taking care of her dark spirited children.

But when the evening set in, Nyx was leaving her home to set off for her nightly journey.

On her way she met Hemera, the Day, who was returning home from her daily trip and they were greeting each other peacefully.

*Protogenoi:

In the Greek folklore the name Protogenoi (pl.; Gr. Πρωτογενοι, sing. Protogenos) means First Born or Primeval and are a group of beings who were born in the beginning of our universe.

The Protogenoi are the first entities or beings that come into existence. They form the very fabric of our universe and as such are immortal.

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See Hypnos:

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See Hera:

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See Hades:

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See Dionysos:

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Post Image: http://bit.ly/17Or1Z3

It is said that long before the Dutch drained the marshland in Lincolnshire (UK) known as the Carrs, through which the River Ancholme flows, a race of supernatural creatures  lived in the wetlands around places like Brigg, Broughton and Hibaldstow.

The Tiddy Mun dwelt deep down in the green water holes and came out at evening when the mists rose.

When he came out he came creeping like a limping lobelty with long white hair and a beard that was all matted and tangled all sheathed in grey so he could not easily be seen in the dark.

But his whistle could be heard like a peewit laughing into the wind.

He was not wicked like some of the others, but was eerie enough. But on wet seasons when the water rose to the people's doorsteps, the whole family would go out together and, shivering in the darkness, would call:

Tiddy Mun wi'out a name
Tha watter's thruff

And they would call this until the heard the whistling like a peewit across the marsh, and then they'd go home.

Next morning the waters would be down.

But then it was decided to drain the marshes, though the farmers would not have anything to do with it, for what would Tiddy Mun do then?

But ditches were dug and the land got drier and drier and Tiddy Mun grew angry.

Then the cattle began to die, and milk curdled and children pined and died in their mothers' arms. And they didn't know if it was the bogles or Tiddy Mun himself, so they all took a stoup each of water and came to the dyke edge and and poured the water out together chanting:

Tiddy Mun wi'out a name
Here's watter for thee, tak thy spell undone...

.

.

.

And every Full Moon they would go out with the stoups of water to say their rhyme.

While they did this Tiddy Mun stayed for a while longer.

But the land is all drained now and he has gone away.

And the land is empty...

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The Inuit goddess Sedna 's story begins with a common theme—a beautiful young woman who is not impressed by any of her multiple suitors. 

Sedna's father, a widower, was constantly trying to marry her off, but she would have none of it. 

One fateful day a sea bird (a fulmar) promised to take her away to his “comfortable, luxurious” home. The impulsive young girl eloped with the fulmar. 

The “veritable palace” he had described turned out to be a filthy, smelly nest. And, to make matters worse, her new husband treated her like a slave. 

Sedna begged her father to come and take her back home, and he agreed...

But as they were heading across the waters, a flock of fulmars surrounded the boat.

The incessant flapping of their wings caused a tremendous storm to arise and their small vessel was being tossed from side to side. 

Fearing for his own safety, Sedna's father threw her into the ocean to appease the angry birds. 

When Sedna tried to climb back into the boat, he cut off her fingers.

As she struggled to use her mutilated hands to try again, he cut off her hands and threw her and her appendages into the water. 

As she sank to the bottom of the ocean, her dismembered limbs grew into fish, seals, whales, and all of the other sea mammals.

She descended to Adlivum (the Inuit Land of the Dead) where she  rules. 

 As Queen of the Adlivum, Sedna is responsible for sending food to the hunters. 

To ensure that she continues to feed the people, shamans must descend through many horrifying places to reach Sedna and soothe her....

The goddess Sedna teaches us that we must delve into the dark, cold places that we fear most if we are to find the riches that rest there...

Sedna reminds us that, in spite of all our infirmities (and foolish mistakes), we are still worthy of love and respect and have every right to expect, and even demand, that others treat us well....

If the hunters and shamans do not catch anything for a long time, the Shaman will transform himself into a fish. In this new form, he or she will swim down to the bottom of the ocean to appease Sedna the Sea goddess.

The Shaman will comb the tangles out of Sedna's hair and put it into braids.

This makes her happy and soothes her anger.

Perhaps it is because Sedna lost her fingers that she likes to have her hair combed and braided by someone else.

When she is happy, she allows her animals to make themselves available to the hunters.

Animals do not mind giving themselves up to provide food, clothes, and shelter for the Inuit...

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The Ogre of the Smeeth is a terrible giant from the folklore of England. He had a bad temper and was quick to anger. The Giant lived in a cave near the East Anglian town of Wisbech during the 11th century...

Everyone avoided going near his territory and would sometimes take twice as long to travel to their destination to avoid this aggressive beast.

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Tom Hickathrift was a giant of a man.

As a child, he ate as much as five ordinary men could in one sitting and, by the time he was ten years old, he was already eight feet tall! Tom was well known for having supernatural strength but boy, was he lazy.

He wasn't that smart either - until one day, when he came face to face with the Ogre of the Smeeth. One day, his elderly mother sent Tom to a local farmer for straw.

He amazed everyone by using a cart-rope to gather together more than twenty hundredweight of straw and believe me, that's a lot of straw! The farmer laughed and called Tom a fool.

"Do you really think you can carry such a heavy load? " jeered the farmer.

Tom flung the load over his shoulder, as if it was as light as a feather.

The farmer and his men stood by, speechless.

Once his incredible strength became known, Tom's lazy days were over.

No more could he sit in the chimney corner doing as little as possible, as everyone wanted to hire him for work.

Tom soon found that work brought its own reward and he became very merry, taking delight in company, going to fairs and meetings and he had many Adventures.

Tom's fame soon spread to a wealthy brewer at King's Lynn.

Wanting a good strong man to carry his beer to Wisbech, he hired Tom.

The brewer was very careful to tell Tom the route he must take around the Smeeth, an area of boggy marshland between the two towns, for a fearsome and terrible Ogre lived in a cave there.

Ogres in general are not very pleasant and this one was worse than most. He had a monstrous appetite for eating passers-by!

Unfortunately, avoiding the Ogre meant taking the long route - over twenty miles - around the great common, which belonged to the seven villages of the marshland; a very long detour for one so naturally lazy.

It was a scorching hot summer's day, as Tom wearily hauled his cart of beer barrels along the winding path.

Weary of the long trek, he foolishly decided to take a short cut through the Smeeth - into the Ogre's territory.

The first sign that this was a mistake was the sight of human skulls hanging from every tree along his path.

The second sign was even more obvious, the Ogre stood silently on the path before him!

If you thought Tom was big, you should have seen the Ogre!

He was twelve feet tall and six feet around the waist, a large Ogre indeed.

"Who gave you authority to come this way? " he roared.

"I'll make an example of you - see how many heads hang on yonder tree?

Yours shall hang higher than all the rest. "

Suddenly, Tom realised he had no weapon!

For once in his life, Tom thought quickly and, without hesitation, he ripped an axle and a wheel off his cart.

He bravely faced the slavering Ogre with these for sword and shield.

The fight was long and terrible, the sound of the mighty blows echoed across the marshland.

The Ogre was strong and rained down heavy blows on Tom, but Tom gave as good as he got and was quicker and lighter on his feet.

A well aimed blow to the side of the Ogre's head sent him reeling.

Knowing that he was weakening, the Ogre tried a trick and asked Tom for a drink.

Tom would have none of it; his dim days were behind him.

"Oh no," he said, "my mother taught me better than that; who'd be a fool then? "

Using all his strength, Tom felled the Ogre with one last crushing blow.

His head rolled and stopped at Tom's feet. The Ogre was dead.

Exhausted but curious, Tom looked inside the Ogre's cave and was amazed and astonished by what he saw. Gold, silver and jewels lay everywhere!

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