Mythology Across Cultures (Comparative Mythology)

Welcome to the otherworldly oracle official podcast, a burning halode's production. We are your host, Alora and Kitty. And welcome to episode 14, mythology across cultures. A wide variety of cultures have experienced the same mythologies with different names and faces across the vastness of space and time. No idea what I mean. Take a seat around our campfire while we retell some of the most prolific stories known to man and explore their similarities and differences from culture to culture. Don't touch that dial, grab your cuppa and settle in for an hour of mythological investigation. Kitty, kitty, kitty. Meow. So, in your metaphysical studies or even in your academic studies, have you examined the similarities of mythologies across different cultures? A have a bit, yes. And I will say his name probably a few times, but through the work of Joseph Campbell, he is one of the more well-known anthropologists was he did pass away in the 80s, 80s. But basically, someone introduced me to his work probably a good 10 years ago. And the series that I was introduced to is called the Power of Myth. And basically it was a television series where Bill Moyer's interviewed Joseph Campbell and he talks about his lifelong work, which is all about the myths across cultures and time. Some of his more well-known works include the hero with a thousand faces, the masks of God, and the historical atlas of world mythology. So I encourage everyone to, after this podcast, if you're really into this topic, definitely look up the power of myth with Joseph Campbell because it's, it's well worth a listen. Well, I'm definitely going to because I have not seen it. Yeah, or heard it, yeah, they have it on audio or I don't know if you can actually find the TV series, but it's definitely on audio that you can listen. And it's amazing. He actually helped George Lucas write Star Wars. That's awesome. Based on world mythology. Yeah. That's awesome. And we're actually going to get into how well the reasons that modern figures and pop culture becomes mythologized. And awesome. So I think in talking about Joseph Campbell, if it's really well with my next point, which is there is an entire discipline of anthropology that is dedicated to this particular subject. It's, it is known as comparative mythology and studies mythos from a linguistic structural cultural psychological and even from an environmental standpoint. There are types of myths that seem to exist in almost every culture. And these include creation, fire, flood, sacrifice, underworld, cautions of incest. Which I found really fascinating because anthropologically speaking, incest is the one thing that humans are hardwired to be a verse two. Yeah. Which is fascinating that yeah. Okay. So cautions of incest, miraculous births the hero's journey and the end of the world. Yeah. So Joseph Campbell talks about the hero's journey and the power of myths. So that's a yeah. Yeah. So those types of myths exist basically around the world. Yeah. So. Okay. So in talking about myths and mythology, why, why do it? What's the importance? How does myth fit into society period, right? Well, yeah, I mean, it's symbolic, right? Mm-hmm. Teach lessons. Yes. I'm like, do they teach lessons? No. So they teach the values of that culture, whichever culture that myth belongs to, right? They also present spiritual tabus and moral dilemmas that relate to the culture's environment for the preservation of the environment or to control the population. So we actually see that quite a lot in indigenous cultures. Yeah. Especially. Especially with concerning myths about the dead. Like if you don't do XYZ with the deceased, they will haunt you, right? Basically. And so it was actually those myths were actually in part created to prevent that particular culture from going into that space, that particular space where the deceased was to be placed. Makes sense, yeah. But not because not necessarily for just spiritual reasons, but I think that the myth came out of that particular area of land needed to be revived or refreshed. So that's why that became the place where the deceased were put. Does that make sense? Oh, yeah, that's interesting. Right. So they did it as a means of environmental preservation. Wow. Yeah. Blue my mind there. Very cool. I actually learned this in class. Nice. And myths are the oratory collective wisdom of humanity. So we know a lot of indigenous cultures today, but even humanity as a collective for centuries. This is the way that wisdom has been passed down from generation to generation. Can I read a Joseph Campbell quote? You can. It talks about, it talks about the importance of myth. So according to Campbell, the absolute mystery of life, what he called transcendent reality, cannot be captured directly in words or images. Symbols and mythic metaphors on the other hand point outside themselves and into that reality. That's deep. You're going to love him. You're going to be like, does I know if I not know about him? I know. He sounds like somebody I already want to read all of his things. Yeah. Yeah. I was actually surprised when you hadn't heard of him because I like I said, I someone I knew that I used to work with introduced me to him and just set like the the series on my desk one day and I was like, who put this here? You know, and I started listening. I was like, oh my god, this is so good. You know, but I would never have heard of him otherwise. Right. Yeah. So myths are cool. Like ancient myths are cool to read nowadays and stuff. But I don't think that people realize that as, you know, we live in our modern society, we are creating myths as well. And I think. Oh. Oh. And I think, well, I think nowadays it's more so. We're referred to as folklore. A lot of the time. But yeah, I mean, we are, we'll get to examples of this in a bit. But yes, we turn events and people into our own modern mythos. Yes. True. Yeah. So, okay. Let's talk about a few of the most prolific mythologies. Yes. Starting with the miraculous births. Yes. So I love this one because, okay. So before Jesus, wait a second. there was a before Jesus, I'm just kidding. There was a before Jesus. There was Horace. Yes. So the story of Horace predates Jesus by about 3000 years and Horace is from where, so that we all know. Egyptian mythology. Okay. So the story goes that Osiris dies and his wife ISIS flies around picking up the scattered pieces of Osiris because he was, so Osiris was killed by his brother, a set. And set scattered his, well, he dismembered Osiris and scattered all of his pieces all across all across the land. So ISIS goes out flies flies around picking up the pieces of Osiris. She throws them all into the Nile except for his doodle. That's what, that's what my kids call penis. She then fashions this doodle into a golden doodle. And I look, I'm trying to be clean for this podcast. Oh my god. It's not a labored doodle for God's sakes. There are golden doodles though. Anyway, but go ahead continue. Oh my god. Anyway. So she resurrects Osiris and then conceives Horace. She is considered a virgin mother since Osiris was actually dead when she conceived Horace. And then as Horace grows up, he performs miracles and becomes the rightful king of the gods. Okay, so I will tune in here real quick and just say that the ancient like statues and imagery of ISIS and Horace looks very similar to the next individual we'll be talking about. Which is? Jesus, just kidding. Jesus. Jesus. So Jesus. I mean, I don't really, I mean, well, okay. So I feel like I should, I feel like I shouldn't have to tell this story, but I will anyway because I have to tell it. I don't. So his mother Mary was visited by an angel who informed her that she was going to be the mother to the son of God. And she was like, oh my god. And then she was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. And she was already married to Joseph who, I mean, I can't even imagine being in this woman shoes going to your husband and be like, so I'm pregnant, but don't worry. I didn't cheat on you. It's a god. Maybe. Yeah, like, you know, Joseph was probably sitting there like, we are lying. Yeah. We're going to get a paternity test. No, I'm just kidding. I am. And okay. So anyways, but Joseph didn't do that. He was just like, team Mary, like, cool. We're doing this. I'll be Jesus step daddy. Oh, man. So as an adult, Jesus performed miracles. He was later crucified and was resurrected. So we see some similarities there between Horace and Jesus. They were both born of virgin mothers. Making their births miraculous. Yes. But the virgin, the virgin births miraculous births don't just end with Jesus and Horace. So there's a lot. No, there's a lot. Who else? So Laura, please tell us. So the twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, were born of the virgin ray Silva, who was impregnated by the god Mars. Now, I know about Romulus and Remus, but I didn't know that they were born of a virgin. I didn't know that part. So that's new to me. Yes. But it, um, so again, this mythology, when I hear it, it makes sense in my head, believe it or not, because if she was impregnated by the god Mars, and we know the history of Rome, right? Like that makes total sense. And if I could just cut in here real quick, it's kind of a fun story. Just go ahead. Listen, Remus. Do it. So the newest wonder woman, I don't know, it's like 1984 or something. That movie. Oh, yeah, yeah. My, yeah, it just rubbed me the wrong way because there's a part in it where they say, oh, Romulus and Remus were the last rulers of Rome. What? And I was like, excuse me. You mean they were the founders? The founders? Yeah. Oh my god. Yeah, I'm like, can we like as producers and movies just do a little bit of research into your mythology before you just slap some stuff out there, you know? That's not even something you need an expert for. Like that's a Google sir. Exactly. It's on Wikipedia. Okay, so continue on with the Virgin Mother talk. Okay, so then we've got Perseus who was born of a Virgin Mother as well. Her name was Dene and she was impregnated by Zeus via a golden ray of light. Oh, it wasn't a golden doodle. No, it was a golden ray of light. But you know, golden ray of light because then right there, we can have comparison as well to the story of Jesus because Mary got impregnated by the Holy Spirit. So then you have like this spirit of Zeus in a golden ray of light impregnating a woman. So you can draw all kinds of parallels between these stories. Definitely. Okay, then Persephone was a Virgin and she gave birth to Jason who had no, no, father, diviner, otherwise. And like I said, this particular theme of myth permeates many other cultures including Chinese culture with the birth of, I want to say Chi. Yep. whose mother was impregnated after stepping into the footprint of the God Shambhi. As tech culture as well and like the list goes on. Like it's everywhere. So there have been a lot of virgins that have had babies in mythology. Yes, there are also his, okay, let me back up to. There's also a lot of historical mythologies of people who were born of virgin birth. But that's a little bit different because that phrasing refers to the fact that their mother was a virgin prior to getting pregnant. Yes. So for instance, Plato was born of a virgin mother. But you can see how saying that can then get mythologized. Yes. Good. We're having light bulb moments people light bulb. Yeah, for real. Interesting. Never thought of it that way, but that makes complete sense. Yeah, so yeah, it is interesting. I think the mythology with the deity is definitely your, how do I put it? I can't think of what I'm trying to say. Anyways, we'll move on. All good. So let's move on from the virgin birth discussion and talk about another big myth that's found all over the place. And that is the great flood. Yeah, so the flood myth is another one that permeates lots of cultures, including several North American indigenous nations, China, Mesopotamia, the Middle East, the Baltic region, the Near East Polynesia, etc. Essentially, every culture known to man has a great flood story. Whether historic or pure mythology. And does this also tie into the legends of Atlantis? It could for sure. I could see that. Atlantis being destroyed by fire and water, you know. Theory. Right. Yes. But I, so there's as far as Atlantis goes, the first mention of Atlantis is by Plato's Plato in, I believe the cave. I believe that's the word, or good sin. So that's the first time we ever hear the term or the description of Atlantis. So, some people think that Plato made it up, and some people think that Atlantis was a place that existed a long time ago. And as far as its destruction is concerned, the, I don't think that great flood myths necessarily tie into Atlantis because there's at least in the stories that I've heard. There's a missing, I don't know. There's, there's too many contradicting stories, I guess, where Atlantis is concerned. Yeah, I got you. We didn't, I didn't mean to get you all. Oh no, I'm just saying like, there's the, there's one version where Atlantis is destroyed because the people became too technologically advanced, and so they started destroying, essentially their characters destroyed what they had built. They became jealous, etc, etc. And then there's this story that it was just a natural disaster. Like nothing actually happened. It's just you know, a tidal wave or a storm or whatever took it out or volcano. Right. Yeah. Yeah. So, the great flood myth doesn't necessarily tie to Atlantis, but it could, if that makes sense. Yeah, that's what I mean. I don't know that it it necessarily ties to it, but it's just an interesting parallel. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. What I find interesting about flood mythology is that despite every culture having a different version of the flood myth, one of the main themes of the myth remains that the earth needed to be renewed in some way, whether, so like, in Christianity, the flood came because God sought to cleanse the wickedness from the land. Right. So people didn't appreciate the gift of the earth, essentially. Okay. And thus the flood gave them a renewed sense of self and purpose and the earth and their fellow human beings. Yeah. So then if we look at Mesoamerican lore, the earth was flooded because people neglected the earth or the earth was very old and needed to be refreshed. And then in Hindu tradition, we see even greater parallels to Christianity as Matsya, which was Vishnu incarnate, goes out in Warn's Manu, who was a human, that a great disaster is coming and tells him to gather all the grains and creatures and put them in a boat to preserve them. Interesting how that works. Right. And we know that Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, I believe. If it's not the oldest, it's like right in there with the oldest. It's older than Christianity is my point. This reminds me of that old movie. I feel like Kevin Costner was in it. It was called Waterworld. Yes, I saw that when I was a kid. And to the contrast, Mad Max, Fury Road, where they have no water. Right. Oh gosh. But this is what I'm so when we were talking about Atlantis, this is what I've been to about the flood, the great flood myths could be related, is because if so if we believe the mythology that the people became, the technology became to advance and thus the people's character suffered. And they basically became terrible human beings and abused their privilege, then you could see the great flood myth fitting into that sense of you know needing to cleanse for sure that the lands. It's a baptism of the land. Right. Exactly. But yeah, I mean again, it's really interesting. I mean, water is purifying, right. And so that's in every way, not just for us, but also for the earth. And for Hinduism to basically have the same story as you know, what was it? No, wait, help me. Noah. Noah. I'm thinking Moses going up to the mountain. Yeah, no, wrong. Wrong. Wrong story. Wrong with all it's all good. I got you girl. Okay. So we on a boat. Now we're getting off. We're going to talk about. Huh. I also want to talk, I also want to talk quickly about one one that I didn't really write down. Wait, but one that story. No, one that no one that you and I can can talk about is the end of the world. Just quickly, we can talk about a couple of different cultures that have an apocalypse, saga, story, mythology. So in Christianity, of course, you have revelations, right. Oh, so you've got the four horsemen of the apocalypse and all that good stuff. Yeah, I think someone wrote that when they were on something very strong. And then you have Ragnarok, which is Norse, which again is an apocalypse story, like it is the end of the world. Yeah. And there's speculation, though with that, that Christianity kind of trickled into that mythos. Yeah, but that's a thing, right. So that would be interesting to look at when revelations was written versus how long Ragnar- the story of Ragnarok had existed. Well, we don't have any ideas to how long the story of Ragnarok existed because the first time it was written about it was by Snory Sturluson, the guy that wrote the Edas in the Middle Ages. That's the first time it was put on paper. And he was Christian or raised as Christian. Interesting. So do you think that the story of Ragnarok pulled from the book of revelations? Or do you think it was reversed? It's something to ponder. I really don't know, but I would like to think that they the idea of the gods like battling and going to war and probably was a part of the Norse belief or mythos, but some of the more apocalyptic features of it were probably influenced by Sturluson's upbringing and Christianity. That's just my theory. Yeah, that is interesting, considering that throughout Norse belief, there is Valhalla. And Valhalla exists all through North paganism. So through the Age of the Vikings and what have you? And with that, it's to Valhalla is the place where people are sent to wait for Ragnarok to begin. Right. Because Norse belief is one of the only belief systems where there's not a finite afterlife. Yeah. So yeah, like I think Ragnarok existed, had to exist way before that, unless somebody just tacked that on somewhere. But I don't think so. Yeah, like I said, I mean, it's something that we could go around and round with. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. But some other apocalyptic. myths though. I know that there's probably some indigenous ones, right? Oh yeah, there's definitely indigenous apocalyptic stories for sure. And not just North American indigenous. I'm sure that indigenous nations around the globe have their apocalyptic stories. But the point is is that these stories proliferate everywhere. So even though cultures are separated by water, by bodies of land, etc, they still contain specific stories of the same themes to use as learning tools, whether it's by warning or to teach values, etc. Right. Yeah, understood. Kind of like the whole red riding hood fairy tale. Yes, the lesson there was like not to talk to strangers or trust wolves or trust your grandmother. But yeah, they all have lessons. It was all to write, to convey these lessons and through symbolism, right? Yeah. Yeah. But you know, myths are, so this goes into the next thing. Myths are not just something of antiquity. Myths change with culture and time introducing new heroes into cultures. I think like I said it before, I think a more well understood term for what I mean would be to say that modern folklore and modern myth are one and the same. Yeah. So for example, this would include turning historical figures into heroes and villains with stories that exemplify a value to be adopted or avoided. So let's talk about some of this. Let's go with the all-time evil person. All-time evil. Hitler. Yeah, definitely. So Hitler is synonymous with evil. And if you were to call somebody Hitler today, they would know exactly what you meant. They are a person who is being dictatorial, cruel, and even inhumane. Hitler is a historical figure that has been utilized in modern society to mourn against things like prejudice, discrimination, restriction of freedom, and the list goes on. So yeah, so this is just, you know, and then we can look at the other side of the coin and talk about somebody who's been turned into a modern day hero. And so MLK, this man is so prolific that you don't even have to say his name. You can say his initials. Good point. And everybody knows who you're talking about. So even just his initials bring to mind heroic action. He is widely accepted as a historical hero for his actions during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. And he has been mythologized to teach modern society the values of standing up for what you believe in, overcoming obstacles, never giving up on your dreams, no matter how impossible they seem, and so much more. And of course we're talking about Martin Luther King Jr. That's right. Okay, I don't know. That was the correct answer. I'm like, do I say his name here? Yes, yes you do. Okay, can we also though, I feel like pop culture, people, characters will eventually become heroes and villains and part of our mythos at some point. Yes, does that make sense, sir? Yes. And I know in chaos magic, they're used quite a bit. But how do I put this? So not that, well, so pop culture is something of a modern convention. And I don't mean from stories because we've always had fairy tales and stuff. But when it comes to popular culture, we're talking about characters and movies, characters and movies, characters and TV series and things like that. Yeah, so I mean, though it has existed for centuries with fairy tales and stories written down, I think the concept of mythologizing things from TV. And movie is it relatively new thing? With the last one, it's around for so long, 100 or 200 years from now that it will probably become right. Yes, correct. Yeah, yeah, no, I agree. And I'm sorry. It's hard to say that now. And I know what you're what, yeah, I know what the drawback is, but I think eventually they will become part of the folklore because that's part of how we receive symbolism and messages and stuff now. Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, look at, I think for just for an example, I think the Hunger Games in and of itself will become one of those myths that everyone gets told about. I agree. Yep. Agreed. I also, I'm thinking specifically of the Avengers because I'm a Marvel nerd. I can't. Oh, yeah. I love Infinity War and Endgame. I just think they're phenomenal movies and the characters and everything. Well, and there's a reason why particular movies and series become this larger than life thing. Oh, yeah. I mean, you can even look at, you know, Star Wars, Harry Potter. What else? Yeah, I guess that earlier Star Wars was actually inspired by comparative mythology. Right. And if you look at the tarot, what is the tarot? The hero's journey. That like, so the tarot is the whole of the human condition. Right. So it looks at every aspect of the human condition. Yes. And you start with the fool, which is your hero. And he goes through all seven, D.A. or well, in the story of the trumps. He goes through all 20. Yep. Twenty two trumps. Yeah. And so even in our metaphysical world, these mythological themes exist. And if I could just, I'm just going to get off the topic of mythology really quick, but I think it's something that you need to know. The local five below store was literally selling tarot cards as well as witchcraft books. I'm not kidding you. Like, you know, if I below is like, yes, I do. I was like, is this for real? I never in my wildest dreams would have pictured this. But anyway, I would be more surprised if I didn't live in Australia now because here in Australia, you can buy these things at Kmart. Yeah. Yeah. And look, I'm not dissing. I don't know. Maybe I am, but I just, I just can't do it. Like, I know, I just can't do it because I almost bought them just for the heck of it, just to be like, what is this, you know, but then I was like, no. Yeah, because I'm a big proponent of the sacredness of where something's coming from. Yeah. Because I don't think that mass-produced large retail chains are where I want to get my spiritual tools. But that's just me. Agreed. Yeah. I wish it was going to do it to talk about it. You know, to mean like, look at this and see what was incorrect in it. But then I was like, I don't even want to spend the money. I don't even want to spend the five dollars. That's hilarious. Oh boy. Well, carrying on with mythology. So even stories of hours, you like you and me, they can be mythologized and we're already doing that. So modern digital history is really desperate to maintain oral history, i.e. myth. So so much so that there are now websites you can go to and record your story. If for no other reason, then to have it on record. One of the coolest ones I've seen, which I was introduced to when I was in university, is called StoryCore. Yeah. They have an app as well now for your phone. So it's super easy to use. You can also go on their website and you can listen to stories of individuals that are just fascinating. And we're talking about regular everyday people telling their stories about like when 9/11 happened, where they were, what they were doing, you know, just the whole the whole retelling of that day from an average person's perspective. People talking about the stories of when they came out to their family, love stories. It's a really awesome platform. And if you're, I don't know, if you're a history buff, if you are a mythology buff, if you are just a people buff, you can hear some really cool stories on there. I love that. Let me just say this though, with our podcasts, we're recording our stories. Yeah, maybe someday we'll be mythologized. Well, as a cautionary tale. Whatever. Oh, that's funny. Well, what I mean is we're recording ourselves right now telling stories technically. Yeah, true. Yeah. I don't think that. Well, I think that we're recording ourselves talking about a topic, but I don't think that we get as deeply personal as people do on story core. Well, I'm a mere as well. Oh, that's true. That's true. That one's a little bit different, though. I think we should have a whole podcast where we do nothing but tell our stories. Please do not make me do a third podcast. I won't be able to keep up. Fine. Well, I just don't know. Look, I love podcasting. I would do 10 podcasts if I could, but the problem is the recording part because we already do too. That's a lot. I'm with you to record. I'm with you. So if anyone out there wants to come up with a podcast and wants to have us as guests, where we just tell stories that'd be cool. Sounds good to me. Oh, man, we're funny. Okay. So the point is, yes, is that we become mythos in our modern culture. We are living myths and we proliferate and recreate the mythologies that we tell and the stories that we tell. So one day, many moons from now, your story could be a myth for someone else, maybe in your family, maybe in your town, maybe worldwide, who knows? Well, not ours because you poo pooed on that parade. What do you mean not ours? What are you talking about? You said we don't tell stories in this podcast so we could never be mythos. And you said, my mirror is well. And I said, you're right. I stand corrected. Okay. Okay. Are we going to wrap this up or is there more to talk about? Is okay. No, I think we covered it. All right. All right. I like that. We nerded out on that one. That was pretty fun now. All right. I'm going to wrap it up. Go for it. So you can read more mythology at otherworldlyworkl.com as well as folklore. The entire website is stoked with them in nearly 500 articles now. All in our high-vibing Facebook group to commune with like-minded individuals. And be sure to visit [email protected] for intuitive readings. The gift that keeps on giving the gift of self-discovery. Wow. That didn't sound like an infomercial. Just kidding. Okay. Like, subscribe to and review this podcast as a you'll gift to your witchy sisters. If you like what you've heard here and want to hear more of us, but even sass here, subscribe to our sister podcast mimiers well, whose next episode features discussions on religious trauma and the danger of cults. And remember whether you're in the land of the fae or the land of the ancestors, stay otherworldly.