Let's talk gods

[Galapagos]

OBATALA : The deity from African Mythology

Originally Posted by godchecker

OBATALA: One of the ORISHAS, he's a Creator God who didn't get a chance to create.

He was issued with the task of building the Earth by Sky God OLORUN, who gave him blueprints, a handful of mud, a chain, a five-toed chicken, and detailed instructions.

Unfortunately, on his way to perform this important task, OBATALA accidentally gatecrashed a Godparty and spent the rest of the evening roaring drunk on palm wine. Seeing the chance for fame and glory, his younger brother ODUDUWA pinched the holy building materials and attempted to jerry-build the Earth himself.

Advised by a friendly chameleon, he lowered the chain over the edge of heaven, climbed down, and tossed the lump of mud into the primeval sea. The chicken hopped onto the mud and began scratching it in all directions.

Pretty soon there was a decent size landscape and thus was the Earth born. OLORUN was so pleased with ODUDUWA that he promoted him to God of the Earth, while the disgraced and boozy OBATALA was put to work making mankind as punishment.

Obtala

Originally Posted by wiki

According to mythical stories Obatala created "defective" (handicapped) individuals while drunk on palm wine, making him the patron deity of such people. People born with congenital defects are called 'eni orisa': literally, "people of Obatala". He is also referred to as the orisha of the north. He is always dressed in white, hence the meaning of his name, Obatala (King or ruler of the white cloth). His worshippers strive to practice moral correctness as unblemished as his robe.
[...]
According to mythical stories Obatala is the eldest of all orisha and was granted authority to create the earth. Before he could return to heaven and report to Olodumare however, his rival Oduduwa (also called Oduwa, Oodua, Odudua or Eleduwa), often described as his younger brother, usurped his position by taking the satchel and returning to heaven. A great feud ensued between the two that is re-enacted every year in Ile Ife, Nigeria. Ultimately, Oduduwa and his sons were able to rule without Obatala's consent.

In Yoruba theology, Obatala must never be worshipped with palm wine, palm oil or salt. His worshippers may eat palm oil and salt, but never taste palm wine.

This guy would be cool if he let his worshipers slack off and have some palm wine on occasion! How selfish is that. It says he expects his worshipers to be as morally unblemished as his white robe... lets hope he can keep his robe clean at all the godparties he crashes, otherwise a spilled drink might result in moral upheaval and anarchy among his followers

There were gods in the Roman pantheon who were very involved in agriculture, each playing a special role in development:

Seia- responsible for sprouting the seed
Segesta-responsible for shoots emerging from soil
Proserpina-responsible for stalk formation
Nodotus-responsible for forming sections of stem
Volutina-responsible for forming protective sheath around seeds
Patelana- later removes protective sheath from around seeds
Lacturnus and Matuta -ripening of grain at two stages
Flora- responsible for plant blossoming


Lets talk about interesting gods! Unique gods, and what makes them that way. Cool gods you wouldn't mind sitting down and having a drink with(or crashing a palm wine god party with).
Here is a cool resource:
Godchecker.com - Your Guide To The Gods. Mythology with a twist!
Very extensive, funny, and fun to just browse around when bored.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deities

*note-wasn't sure if this should go in anthropology or theology... gods---errr, i mean mods-- relocate if you see fit

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Galapagos

Lets talk about interesting gods! Unique gods, and what makes them that way. Cool gods you wouldn't mind sitting down and having a drink with(or crashing a palm wine god party with).

*note-wasn't sure if this should go in anthropology or theology... gods---errr, i mean mods-- relocate if you see fit

This put me in mind of Rabbit Boy, and while not a god per se, he is a creator of god-like repute. Here is just the start of the story to get the flavor of what it means to be descended from a kicked-around bloodclot of unknown origin. Just give me a kick if this is not what you had in mind. If I hit the mark however, I know some interesting turtle-god stories.

Originally Posted by Sioux

...In these far-gone days, hidden from us as in a mist, there lived a rabbit - a very lively, playful, good-hearted rabbit.

One day this rabbit was walking, enjoying himself, when he came across a clot of blood. How it got there, nobody knows. It looked like a blister, a little bladder full of red liquid. Well, the playful rabbit began toying with that clot of blood, kicking it around as if it were a tiny ball.

Now, we Indians believe in Takuskanskan, the mysterious power of motion. Its spirit is in anything that moves. It animates things and makes them come alive.

Well, the rabbit got into this strange moving power without even knowing it, and the motion of being kicked around, or rather the spirit of the motion - and I hope you can grasp what I mean by that - began to work on the little blob of blood so that it took shape, forming a little gut.

The rabbit kicked it some more, and the blob began to grow tiny hands and arms. The rabbit kept nudging it, and suddenly it had eyes and a beating heart. In this way the rabbit, with the help of the mysterious moving power, formed a human being, a little boy.

The rabbit called him "We-Ota-Wichasha", Much-Blood Boy, but he is better known as Rabbit Boy. ...

...rest of the story

[Galapagos]

Originally Posted by Turtle

This put me in mind of Rabbit Boy, and while not a god per se, he is a creator of god-like repute. Here is just the start of the story to get the flavor of what it means to be descended from a kicked-around bloodclot of unknown origin. Just give me a kick if this is not what you had in mind. If I hit the mark however, I know some interesting turtle-god stories.



...rest of the story

The line between spirit and god characters is kind of a blurry one I think, so Rabbit Boys are welcome! Turtle deities too, this thread is just about interesting supernatural agents in general.

Next up is Gaia. Gaia is interesting because the Earth-Mother theme occurs in many cultures: the Greek pantheon, Tiamat of Sumerian mythology, Jörð in Norse mythology, again as Gaia in new-age and neo-pagan religions, and in several others.
The Gaia Hypothesis of James Lovelock resulted in some in some strange ideas that further blurr the line between gods, spirits, and uhhh.. .other entities:

Originally Posted by wik

A version called "Optimizing Gaia" asserts that biota manipulate their physical environment for the purpose of creating biologically favorable, or even optimal, conditions for themselves. "The Earth's atmosphere is more than merely anomalous; it appears to be a contrivance specifically constituted for a set of purposes"[7]. Further, "... it is unlikely that chance alone accounts for the fact that temperature, pH and the presence of compounds of nutrient elements have been, for immense periods, just those optimal for surface life. Rather, ... energy is expended by the biota to actively maintain these optima"[7].

Another strong hypothesis is the one called "Omega Gaia"[23]. Teilhard de Chardin claimed that the Earth is evolving through stages of cosmogenesis, affecting the geosphere, biogenesis of the biosphere, and noogenesis of the noosphere, culminating in the Omega Point. Another form of the strong Gaia hypothesis is proposed by Guy Murchie who extends the quality of a holistic lifeform to galaxies. "After all, we are made of star dust. Life is inherent in nature." Murchie describes geologic phenomena such as sand dunes, glaciers, fires, etc. as living organisms, as well as the life of metals and crystals. "The question is not whether there is life outside our planet, but whether it is possible to have "nonlife".

There are speculative versions of the Gaia hypothesis, including versions in which it is held that the Earth is conscious or part of some universe-wide evolution such as expressed in the Selfish Biocosm hypothesis strain of a larger speculative Gaia philosophy.

Gaia is still invoked today as a metaphor by environmental groups like the Gaia Movement. I quick scan of their principles page did not reveal anything religious or mystical in nature. I find it interesting that this one concept is so pervasive in its many mutated forms.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Galapagos

The line between spirit and god characters is kind of a blurry one I think, so Rabbit Boys are welcome! Turtle deities too, this thread is just about interesting supernatural agents in general.

Next up is Gaia.

Excellent. Of course everyone knows that Gaia rests on the back of a great turtle.

But later for that because it's the Black Tortoise God I'm after here.

Black Tortoise - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by Wikid

In the classic novel, Journey to the West, Xuánwǔ was a king of the north who had two generals serving under him, a "Tortoise General" and a "Snake General." This king had a temple at Wudang Mountains in Hubei, thus there is a "Tortoise Mountain" and a "Snake Mountain" on the opposite sides of a river in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei.

In Taoist legend it was said that Xuánwǔ was the prince of a Chinese Emperor. However, he was not interested in taking the throne, but decided to study in Tao's way. At age 15, he left his parents to search for enlightenment in Tao's way. It was said that he eventually achieved god status and was worshipped as a god of northern sky. ..

[Galapagos]

The Ifuago are mountain dwellers native to the Phillipines. Their pantheon contains many interesting classes of gods, one of which is known as the "paybackables". They, just like people, are easily motivated by bribery. A prayer to the paybackables is useless without a sacrifice as payment. The Ifuago believe large portions of their culture are the result of direct trade between their ancestors and these deities.
I now quote from "The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft", by Stein/Stein:

...Barton lists 168 "paybackables". An example is the deities that are involved with the activity of weaving. they include "Separator of Seeds from Cotton", "Separator of Defective, Lumped Fibers", "Fluffer", "Spinner", "Draw out of Thread on Spindle Bob", "Black Dyer", "Red Dyer", Yellow Dyer", "Winder into Ball", "weaver's First Helper Who Receives the Ball and Passes It Back and Forth", "Second Helper Who Passes Ball Around the End STick", "Scrutinizer (who sees that the job of setting up the loom is done right)"...

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Epic of Gilgamesh

...Take and read out from the lapis lazuli tablet
how Gilgamesh went through every hardship.


Supreme over other kings, lordly in appearance,
he is the hero, born of Uruk, the goring wild bull.
He walks out in front, the leader,
and walks at the rear, trusted by his companions.
Mighty net, protector of his people,
raging flood-wave who destroys even walls of stone!
Offspring of Lugalbanda, Gilgamesh is strong to perfection,
son of the august cow, Rimat-Ninsun;... Gilgamesh is awesome to perfection.
It was he who opened the mountain passes,
who dug wells on the flank of the mountain.
It was he who crossed the ocean, the vast seas, to the rising sun,
who explored the world regions, seeking life.
It was he who reached by his own sheer strength Utanapishtim, the Faraway,
who restored the cities that the Flood had destroyed!
... for teeming mankind.
Who can compare with him in kingliness?
Who can say like Gilgamesh: "I am King!"?
Whose name, from the day of his birth, was called "Gilgamesh"?
Two-thirds of him is god, one-third of him is human.
The Great Goddess [Aruru] designed(?) the model for his body,
she prepared his form ...
... beautiful, handsomest of men,
... perfect

>> Epic of Gilgamesh: Tablet I

[Moontanman]

My ancestors worshiped the "Great Spirit" I have always been partial to that legend.

[Galapagos]

In the modern world, we usually encounter gods who are benevolent at least toward their own followers(although often hateful of the followers of other gods or minority groups). Some humans have believed in gods that were not benevolent at all. "Among pre-columbian Mayan and Mexicans, for example, there appears to have been no entirely benevolent deity, and all were feared(to greater or lesser degrees) for their ability to bring death on almost anyone, almost anywhere".*

Chaak was a Thunder God of the Lowland Maya, and one who required ritual sacrifice:
The New York Times--The Grim Story of Maya Blue

When the skies looked too much like Maya blue — cloudless and dry — the Maya sometimes selected an unlucky victim to be painted this color and sacrificed to Chaak in hopes that the rains would follow.

An account by a 16th-century Spanish priest described rituals where victims were stripped, painted and thrown onto a stone altar where their hearts, still beating, were cut out.

Quetzalcoatal was a god who appeared as a feathered serpent, and among the Toltec required ritual human sacrifices. THe sacrifices were done in the same manner as those for Chaak, with the victims placed on a stone altar, and their hearts removed with an Obsidian blade.

*quoted from S. Atran's "In God's We Trust"

[HydrogenBond]

Quetzalcoatal was a god who appeared as a feathered serpent, and among the Toltec required ritual human sacrifices. THe sacrifices were done in the same manner as those for Chaak, with the victims placed on a stone altar, and their hearts removed with an Obsidian blade.

I believe these were unconscious projections or dreams that reflected the state of mind of those people. If the above was a dream symbol, a serpent would imply impulse or cold blooded reflex action like a snake. This type of impulse has no warmness in its heart.

The dream gave the serpent feathers like a bird to show the snake is in the air. This means cold blooded impulse that appears in the head as thoughts and is then acted without warmness. The priest sort of plays this role in the drama, where he kills the victim in a cold blooded and calculated way.

If someone had this dream, it would be telling you to not be so cold with blind impulse, but warm up or you will lose your heart or your ability to feel empathy. By acting out this dream symbolism in reality, especially using an innocent virgin, people would feel empathy.

If you look at it logically, the type of person who thinks they would enjoy this would have to be cold blooded and almost desensitized to the suffering of others. But after they see this happen, the image of the sweet innocent virgin being butchered will linger in the mind and haunt them. Now the dream or god is within them. He is the cold impulse, separating out of the unconsciousness of the person. When a person becomes cold impulse they now think about the god, the girl and slow down their reflex action.

It is similar to going to a slaughter house to see how steak is made. The next time you want steak that image in the slaughter house also appears and makes you sort of think twice. You may still eat but now steak isn't just a cold abstraction that comes in slices. It was a brutal group therapy that most cultures eliminated as people evolved.

With animal sacrifices the empathy was for natural instincts. The lamb or calf is natural and innocent. Instinct became perverted or overlapped, so the empathy indiction was for the old natural state before culture. This would separate out from god or goddess of the aberration who demanded that this sacrifice be made.

[Turtle]

no good male god is worth their salt without braggin' on their virility.

Originally Posted by Bhagavan Sri Krishna

Bhagavad Gita 14.3: "The total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of all living beings, O son of Bharata."

The Gita: Chapter 14