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Greek Myths and Today's Legends and Monsters

A

Anonymous

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Hi, thought maybe some of you can help me with something.

I'm writing a paper about the similarities between the creatures and monsters of the Greek mythology and the ones we have today, which means creatures that range from different cryptids to folklore and modern myths such as vampires, zombies and etc...
I might choose to focus on one of the things but for now I'm thinking of it as a general research.

And now I have to start my research.

What I wanted to ask is if any of you has any thoughts of the subject? about any particular myth or legend? or generally about the idea?

Any recommended reading?

Would love to hear any thought.

Thanks.
Oren.
 
A tricky correlation... How about the Dogs of Hecate and the black shuck (dog), which may have become the ABC sightings of the present day, the dog myth becoming a cat myth since wild dogs are pretty rare in northern europe in latter days...

8¬)
 
... Have you thought about the comparison between the abduction and marriage (some would say rape) of Persephone as she is taken to the underworld by Hades and the modern phenomenon of accounts of alien abduction and rape or humans being abducted and implanted with an alien & human hybrid foetus ... ??
 
Wasn't there a news story in FT a few issues back about the theory that those ideas were inspired by the discovery of various fossils in the places where the legends were set?

-Justin.
 
Why don't you look up Jung?

The pyschologist, Jung, specialised in the paranormal, parapsychologal, mythical and mystical - he may have some papers on some patients who showed links between dreams/modern legends to ancient legends of the past - perhaps there's something about Greek legends somewhere in Jung's notes.

Hope this helps! :cool:
 
Some say that it was mammuth skulls that inspired the cyclops. And also the grif was inspired by finding triceratops skeletons. And perhaps the Kraken mentioned by the Greeks was a giant squid. That's all I can come up with right now.
 
Long shot reference...

In the 70s David Attenbough did a series on marvellous and mysterious beasts for BBC childrens TV. THere was a book published, which may sometimes be found in second hand bookshops. I doubt its library fodder, since its so old.

May be of interest if you can find it

8¬)
 
How about the Roc and the Garuda/Thunderbird/Texas Pterodactyls? Or possibly the Mothman?

ISTR that the Lamias seemed quite similar to the Mothman, as does that bat winged woman in Vietnam (you know the one I mean).
 
Parts of "Mysteries" by Colin Wilson are quite relevant to this. Pinch of salt and all that, mind.

"The Golden Bough" is probably pretty important if you are interested in the roots of the mythology- remember that much of what is described is probably symbolic rather than necessarily literal.
 
Just read HAARP's posting, and I can honestly admit that you made me think for a while - Persephone and alien abduction? Damn, there has to be a book in there somewhere!
Personally, if I were writing this paper, I would look into the history of the Unicorn.
Numbers 23:22 "God bought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn"
Job 39:9 "Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?"
The Hebrew word for Unicorn is re'em = wild ox. In Assyrian, rumu. With the first Greek translation of the Bible, they took the name "monokeros" - one horn - from the depiction of the wild ox on Assyrian bas-reliefs. The wild ox was always shown in profile, hence it showed only one horn. And hence, from humble beginnings, the legend of the Unicorn is born. During the same time, the Wild Ox population was decimated because of human expansion.

Hope this gives you some help!
 
It’s just struck me wondering about this that virtually all the classical Greek monsters I can think of are hybrids. Centaurs, Harpies, Basilisks, Sirens etc. are all composites of different species. I wonder if this gives them more in common with modern phenomena like the Owlman and Mothman rather than the Loch Ness monster and bigfoot. Also I wonder if it says something about the way our imaginations differ from the ancients.

My personal favourite is the Cockatrice, or Basilisk. Part poultry, part snake - enough to give Colonel Sanders a haemorrhage.
 
harlequin said:
Long shot reference...

In the 70s David Attenbough did a series on marvellous and mysterious beasts for BBC childrens TV. THere was a book published, which may sometimes be found in second hand bookshops. I doubt its library fodder, since its so old.

May be of interest if you can find it

8¬)

I remember that series! It unnerved me immensely as a boy - I remember a feature on good old Nessie, amongst others. But I can't for the life of me think what it was called. Any ideas out there?
 
The Dionysiac and Bacchic cults would seem to have some relation to UL's about religious terror and modern *controlling* cults. The gnomic sayings of the Pythia (Delphic oracle) to our weighted interpretations of Nostradamus and certain Vatican prophesies. Then there are the Athenian stories told about Spartan women and Spartan about Athenian look like some of our UL's about national sexual stereotypes
 
HP - only series I can remember on that subject was Arthur C. Clarkes "Mysterious World", which had a load of stuff on cryptozoology in it, and one by Gordon Honeycombe, the ex-reporter, the name of which I can't remember - good show though!
 
Anton La_Vey said:
HP - only series I can remember on that subject was Arthur C. Clarkes "Mysterious World", which had a load of stuff on cryptozoology in it, and one by Gordon Honeycombe, the ex-reporter, the name of which I can't remember - good show though!

Gordon Honeycombe was a regular narrator on ACCMW.

I think the DA series was called 'Fantastic Animals'... must have been about 1973-74. If I find the book I'll give the definitive title



8¬)
 
Thanks you all

Your comments helped a lot, thanks, I changed the concept of the paper a bit but still used some of the examples given here, gave me something to think of.

Thanks again.
Oren.
 
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