World Mythology - Monday, January 21st - 2th Period
Must. Not. Mock. Students.
Ghanima, who had happily been herself all weekend long, was feeling generous. She had re-arranged the classroom slightly, and there was now a long table along one side of the room. Thanks to handwaved stops by JGoB and the Perk on the way in, there were various moddable pastries, juices, teas, and large bottles of asprin.
Poor things probably needed it.
"Good morning, class!" Okay, the level of cheer might be a bit cruel, but she couldn't help it. "Today we are looking at Meso and South American mythologies. Since there are a number of potential cultures we could examine, we're just going to look at the big three. The Aztec, Incan, and Mayan mythologies will be our focus today." Oh look, here come the packets!
"First off, we have the Aztec civilization, which recognized a polytheistic mythology, containing many gods and supernatural creatures from their religious beliefs. Aztec culture is generally grouped with the cultural complex known as the Nahua because of the common language they shared. According to legend, the various groups who were to become the Aztecs arrived from the north into the Anahuac valley around Lake Texcoco. The location of this valley and lake of destination is clear - it is the heart of modern Mexico City - but little can be known with certainty about the origin of the Aztec."
"There are different accounts of their origin, mainly because they were infamous for absorbing other cultures. In one myth the ancestors of the Mexica/Aztec came from a place in the north called Aztlán, the last of seven nahuatlacas (Nahuatl-speaking tribes, from tlaca, "man") to make the journey southward, hence their name "Azteca". Other accounts cite their origin in Chicomostoc, "the place of the seven caves", or at Tamonachan."
"The Mexica/Aztec were said to be guided by their god Huitzilopochtli, meaning "Left-handed Hummingbird" or "Hummingbird from the South". When they arrived at an island in the lake, they saw an eagle which was perched on a nopal cactus full of its fruits (nochtli). (Due to a mistranslation of an account by Tesozomoc, it became popular to say the eagle was devouring a snake, but in the original Aztec accounts, the snake is not mentioned. One states that it was eating a bird, another indicates that it was only perched in the cactus, and a third just says it was eating something.) This vision fulfilled a prophecy telling them that they should found their new home on that spot. The Aztecs built their city of Tenochtitlan on that site, building a great artificial island, which today is in the center of Mexico City. This legendary vision is pictured on the Coat of Arms of Mexico."
"We also have the Mayans. Mayan mythology refers to the pre-Columbian Maya civilization's extensive polytheistic religious beliefs. These beliefs had most likely been long-established by the time the earliest-known distinctively Maya monuments had been built and inscriptions depicting their deities recorded, considerably pre-dating the 1st millennium BC. Over the succeeding millennia this intricate and multi-faceted system of beliefs was extended, varying to a degree between regions and time periods, but maintaining also an inherited tradition and customary observances. The Maya shared many traditions and rituals with the other cultures in the Mesoamerican region, both preceding and contemporary societies, and in general the entire region formed an interrelated mosaic of belief systems and conceptions on the nature of the world and human existence. However, the various Maya peoples over time developed a unique and continuous set of traditions which are particularly associated with their societies, and their achievements."
"Though the Spanish conquest interrupted the Mayan tradition of elite literacy and destroyed the large majority of Mayan codices, the stories and traditions of the Maya continued to be handed down to succeeding generations, albeit much influenced and restricted by the influx of European practices and beliefs, Roman Catholicism in particular. Many Maya have experienced considerable persecution for their beliefs and political oppression over the centuries since the first European arrivals; although there can be no doubt that Maya society and tradition has undergone substantial change, many Maya people today maintain an identity which is very much informed by their collective history, traditions and beliefs- a heritage which is distinctively Maya even where substantially combined with the widespread adoption of Christianity. Modern Mayan oral traditions are often referred to as Maya folklore to distinguish them from the pre-Columbian literate mythology."
"Last, but far from least, are the Inca. Inca mythology includes a number of stories and legends that are mythological and helps explain or symbolizes Inca beliefs. The Inca were a huge empire, and like the Romans, they permitted the cultures they integrated into their empire to keep their individual religions."
"Many of the Christian priests that followed the Spanish conquest of Peru by Francisco Pizarro burned the records of the Inca culture, which had been kept on knotted cords called Quipus. (Khipus Information) There is currently a theory put forward by Gary Urton that the Quipus represented a binary system capable of recording phonological or logographic data. All information for what is known is based on what was recorded by priests, from the iconography on Incan pottery and architecture, and the myths and legends which survived amongst the native peoples."
"Now, it's your turn, " she said, taking a long drink of her tea. "Discussion time! Today we'll have both class and small group discussions. What similarities do you see between the three cultures and their myths? How do you think that the missionaria agenda of the Spanish influenced their mythological development?"
[Wait for the OCD up! Go forth and myth! As usual, text ruthlessly and unrepentantly pillaged from Wikipedia and my own obscene personal library. Copyright infringement totally committed, but not necessarily intended, citing the Fair Use clause and my status as a non-profit entity. See your local librarian for details.]
Ghanima, who had happily been herself all weekend long, was feeling generous. She had re-arranged the classroom slightly, and there was now a long table along one side of the room. Thanks to handwaved stops by JGoB and the Perk on the way in, there were various moddable pastries, juices, teas, and large bottles of asprin.
Poor things probably needed it.
"Good morning, class!" Okay, the level of cheer might be a bit cruel, but she couldn't help it. "Today we are looking at Meso and South American mythologies. Since there are a number of potential cultures we could examine, we're just going to look at the big three. The Aztec, Incan, and Mayan mythologies will be our focus today." Oh look, here come the packets!
"First off, we have the Aztec civilization, which recognized a polytheistic mythology, containing many gods and supernatural creatures from their religious beliefs. Aztec culture is generally grouped with the cultural complex known as the Nahua because of the common language they shared. According to legend, the various groups who were to become the Aztecs arrived from the north into the Anahuac valley around Lake Texcoco. The location of this valley and lake of destination is clear - it is the heart of modern Mexico City - but little can be known with certainty about the origin of the Aztec."
"There are different accounts of their origin, mainly because they were infamous for absorbing other cultures. In one myth the ancestors of the Mexica/Aztec came from a place in the north called Aztlán, the last of seven nahuatlacas (Nahuatl-speaking tribes, from tlaca, "man") to make the journey southward, hence their name "Azteca". Other accounts cite their origin in Chicomostoc, "the place of the seven caves", or at Tamonachan."
"The Mexica/Aztec were said to be guided by their god Huitzilopochtli, meaning "Left-handed Hummingbird" or "Hummingbird from the South". When they arrived at an island in the lake, they saw an eagle which was perched on a nopal cactus full of its fruits (nochtli). (Due to a mistranslation of an account by Tesozomoc, it became popular to say the eagle was devouring a snake, but in the original Aztec accounts, the snake is not mentioned. One states that it was eating a bird, another indicates that it was only perched in the cactus, and a third just says it was eating something.) This vision fulfilled a prophecy telling them that they should found their new home on that spot. The Aztecs built their city of Tenochtitlan on that site, building a great artificial island, which today is in the center of Mexico City. This legendary vision is pictured on the Coat of Arms of Mexico."
"We also have the Mayans. Mayan mythology refers to the pre-Columbian Maya civilization's extensive polytheistic religious beliefs. These beliefs had most likely been long-established by the time the earliest-known distinctively Maya monuments had been built and inscriptions depicting their deities recorded, considerably pre-dating the 1st millennium BC. Over the succeeding millennia this intricate and multi-faceted system of beliefs was extended, varying to a degree between regions and time periods, but maintaining also an inherited tradition and customary observances. The Maya shared many traditions and rituals with the other cultures in the Mesoamerican region, both preceding and contemporary societies, and in general the entire region formed an interrelated mosaic of belief systems and conceptions on the nature of the world and human existence. However, the various Maya peoples over time developed a unique and continuous set of traditions which are particularly associated with their societies, and their achievements."
"Though the Spanish conquest interrupted the Mayan tradition of elite literacy and destroyed the large majority of Mayan codices, the stories and traditions of the Maya continued to be handed down to succeeding generations, albeit much influenced and restricted by the influx of European practices and beliefs, Roman Catholicism in particular. Many Maya have experienced considerable persecution for their beliefs and political oppression over the centuries since the first European arrivals; although there can be no doubt that Maya society and tradition has undergone substantial change, many Maya people today maintain an identity which is very much informed by their collective history, traditions and beliefs- a heritage which is distinctively Maya even where substantially combined with the widespread adoption of Christianity. Modern Mayan oral traditions are often referred to as Maya folklore to distinguish them from the pre-Columbian literate mythology."
"Last, but far from least, are the Inca. Inca mythology includes a number of stories and legends that are mythological and helps explain or symbolizes Inca beliefs. The Inca were a huge empire, and like the Romans, they permitted the cultures they integrated into their empire to keep their individual religions."
"Many of the Christian priests that followed the Spanish conquest of Peru by Francisco Pizarro burned the records of the Inca culture, which had been kept on knotted cords called Quipus. (Khipus Information) There is currently a theory put forward by Gary Urton that the Quipus represented a binary system capable of recording phonological or logographic data. All information for what is known is based on what was recorded by priests, from the iconography on Incan pottery and architecture, and the myths and legends which survived amongst the native peoples."
"Now, it's your turn, " she said, taking a long drink of her tea. "Discussion time! Today we'll have both class and small group discussions. What similarities do you see between the three cultures and their myths? How do you think that the missionaria agenda of the Spanish influenced their mythological development?"
[Wait for the OCD up! Go forth and myth! As usual, text ruthlessly and unrepentantly pillaged from Wikipedia and my own obscene personal library. Copyright infringement totally committed, but not necessarily intended, citing the Fair Use clause and my status as a non-profit entity. See your local librarian for details.]