-
Recent Comments
Blog Won Award
Tag Archives: mythology
Thanksgiving as Mythmaking in Action
Just about every ancient people had an etiological creation myth explaining how their society came about and why it is special and favored by the gods. The ancient Greeks had a variety of them. In a lesser-known myth, contained in Plato’s … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Mythology
Tagged communitas, creation myths, Mircea Eliade, myth of the eternal return, mythology, Thanksgiving
5 Comments
Myths Underlying Halloween and Myths about It
Halloween is full of ritual, and behind rituals lurk myths. Understanding this holiday is a challenge because it has both Christian and pagan roots in myth and ritual. Also, as is the case with myths themselves, festivals and rituals concerning … Continue reading
Posted in Mythology
Tagged All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, Allhallowtide, Anthesteria, Halloween, holidays, Lemuria, mythology, Robert Burns, Ronald Hutton, Samhain
12 Comments
Mythology’s Rightful Place in Biblical Criticism
While watching the address of Pope Francis to our lawmakers in Congress yesterday, I was impressed by how deftly he invoked the figure of Moses to point out that, as a lawgiver at the earthly level he brought justice to … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Mythology
Tagged Alan Watts, biblical criticism, Carl Jung, Christ, D. Andrew Kille, garden of eden, Jacob and Esau, John Domonic Crossan, Joseph Campbell, mythological biblical criticism, mythology, mythopolemics, Phil Cousineau, Pope Francis, psychological biblical criticism, The Mythology of Eden, Wayne Rollins
4 Comments
Speaking in Milwaukee September 27th
I’ll be speaking at the Mythinformation Conference in Milwaukee on Sunday, September 27th, giving a talk entitled “What Really Happened in Eden”? based on my recent book about the subject, The Mythology of Eden. Most of us realize that the … Continue reading
Independence Day Mythology: Our Goddess Liberty
Not many of us know that a goddess stood behind our founding fathers in America’s struggle for independence. And she has served as a national symbol ever since then, which continues to irritate some religious conservatives. These days when questions … Continue reading
Posted in Goddess, Holidays, Mythology
Tagged Eleutheria, goddess, holidays, independence day, Indian Princess, Indian Queen, July 4th, Libertas, mythology, vindicta, Vindicus, Zeus, Zeus Eleutherios
11 Comments
Myths and National Holidays: Our July 4th
Virtually every country has a holiday celebrating its national identity. Each year when it rolls around, we have a special collective opportunity not only to take pride in the accomplishments of our national past, but also to reflect on who … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Mythology
Tagged Bastille Day, Donald Trump, holidays, independence day, mythology, national holidays, October Revolution, shadow
Leave a comment
Summer Solstice Mythology: Midsummer Night
We all have heard of the ancient summer solstice observances held at holy places like Stonehenge and Chichen Itza, and we have read or watched a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but few of us know the meanings … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Mythology
Tagged A Midsummer Night's Dream, Andrei Rublev, Andrei Tarkovsky, Catherine wheel, Chichen Itza, Holly King, James Frazer, Kupala Night, midsummer, midsummer day, midsummer eve, mythology, Oak King, Robert Graves, St. John's Day, St. John's Wort, Stonehenge, summer solstice
11 Comments
Why Myths Matter
Myths are fabulous stories, but too many people consider them simply falsehoods or lies, and therefore disregard them. In a sense myths are lies, but they are lies that tell important truths—truths about ourselves, human nature, our societies, and our … Continue reading
Posted in Mythology
Tagged evolutionary psychology, myth, myth matters, mythic travel, mythology, myths matter
Leave a comment
Blogging My Bliss
This is my first blog post, so I should welcome my readers by saying why I’m here. I’m creating my blog as a space to which I can return from my mythic journeys—whether spiritual, psychic, real travel, writing, reading, or … Continue reading
Mythology Matters 