IOWA STATE

UNIVERSITY

CI 505: A. TROXEL

MORTALITY & MYTHOLOGY

How to use

Courtesy of Commander-Salamander

As the human species flourished and mastered the

necessary components of sustaining life around 10,000

years ago they began to observe their environment and

look deeper to provide an explanation for civilization’s

most important question; who are we? Oral traditions

and subsequent written mythology provides a true sense

of our culture’s deepest and most valued traditions.

Mythology attempts to provide order and balance to a

seemingly random and chaotic world. Myths include

stories, traditions, and propositions about the very fabric

of a systematic belief system; which humans have

developed to explain the world and life itself (creation,

death, and afterlife).

Many civilizations throughout human history have

experimented with these inquiries and produced belief

systems that have united vast populations; while tearing

others apart. Mythology is a very humanistic creation

that transcends time and searches to provide evidence

for the most fundamental question that humans have

ever attempted to answer, which is to provide the

universal definition that explains our purpose and

existence.

Four Essential Types of Myths

1. COSMIC (creation, natural elements, universe) 2. THEISTIC (stories of deities) 3. HERO (heroic cycle, ideal individuals) 4. PLACE & OBJECT (sacred locations & objects)

WHAT IS MYTHOLOGY?

DECEMBER 2012

MORTALITY & MYTHOLOGY

The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered by many

historians and scholars to be the most enduring

masterpiece of literature in human history. The themes

of the epic are believed to be a culmination of various

ancient poems and stories combined into one piece of

work that illustrates mankind’s conscious desire to gain

immortality. This story is written on twelve clay tablets

written in Akkadian, the language of Sumer’s Semitic

captors, found in the vast Assyrian library of King

Ashurbanipal.

The Epic of Gilgamesh chronicles a legendary and

historic king from the Sumerian city-state of Uruk. The

story concentrates on the transformation of a tyrannical

ruler (Gilgamesh) to a just king. Initially Gilgamesh is

challenged by Enkidu (wild man) but eventually the two

demigods forge a deep bond and eventually venture out

on a quest to obtain immortality. King Gilgamesh

ultimately realizes that death is inevitable

and his only chance at immortality is in

his legacy to be a righteous ruler.

GILGAMESH THE KING

COURTESEY OF LAURA GIBBS

CHASING IMMORTALITY

ATLAS

COURTESEY OF BORIS VALLEJO

OSIRIS WAS A ZOMBIE!

The Egyptian God of the

Underworld was dismembered by his

brother but later pieced back together

by his wife (Isis) and revived to father

Horus and judge the deceased.

MORTALITY & MYTHOLOGY

INFAMOUS IMMORTALS

ANNUNAKI COURTESEY OF TORTUGA767

The Egyptians mummified the body so that the BA

(soul) would recognize the body in the afterlife. The

Romans placed coins on the eyes/mouth of the

decreased so they could pay Charon to ferry them

across the river Styx. Emperor Huang made an entire

army that would become animated after death. Many

other cultures also practiced rituals like those noted

above to prepare the death for the afterlife.

Mythology is rooted in oral traditions that are passed on

between generations and provide insight into both life and

death. Many stories chronicle the creation of humans;

Abrahamic faiths outline the creation of humans from clay,

Sumerians attributed their existence to genetic alteration by

the Annunaki, the Ancient Egyptians suggest that humans

emerged from Aten's tears, and the Greeks subscribe to

the four phases of human creation. In every tradition our

existence is attributed to an omnipotent immortal being who

is credited as being the divine creator of the universe.

Many cultures have been driven to cheat the inevitable

from Ponce de Leon's quest for the Fountain of Youth to

Chinese emperor Huang's drive to obtain the elixir of

life. The vast majority of discussions on the topic of

immortality have noted mythological and historical figures

that have succeeded. The result has been a large following

that believe in the existence of a location or object that will

help obtain immortality. These beings are not limited but

include:

Annunaki (Seven Sumerian Gods)

Ennead (Nine Egyptian Gods)

Greco-Roman Pantheon (12 Olympian Gods)

Demigods: Hercules, Achilles, Tithonus, etc.

Abrahamic Monotheism (Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, God)

THE JOURNEY Contemporary thought theorizes that immortality is a

spiritual process rather than a physical journey.

Buddhism and Hinduism acknowledge the process of

reincarnation, the Abrahamic faiths illustrate a heavenly

paradise for believers, and other animistic religions

acknowledge the transfer of a spirit onward after death.

Ancient ideologies viewed the afterlife as a continuation

. of their mortal existence.

PICK YOUR POISON

DECEMBER 2012

TERRA COTTA ARMY

COURTESEY OF VYBR8

The first emperor of China, Qin Shi

Huang, sought immortality. One of the

remedies prescribed by his doctors was to

ingest mercury. This sped up the process

and eventually killed him.

MORTALITY & MYTHOLOGY

THAT’S EPIC! GOOD VS. EVIL

The intent of mythology is to showcase an

individual’s (deity or human) struggle to

complete a task in order to provide some

explanation to an unknown concept or event. Some

believers subscribe to these stories as literal, where

scholars typically pinpoint the symbolic message of the

myth as the original intent. Usually the antithesis of the

hero is a symbol of an abstract idea – ambition, greed,

pride, selfishness, life and death. In many ancient

cultures adherents obeyed their gods out of fear of their

wrath or what they may unleash upon them.

Myths are not devoid of villains; how else could

heroes become righteous if they didn’t overcome evil.

Monsters make multiple appearances throughout

mythology. The appearance of these beings often

represent struggle and reveal their intent to plunge the

world into darkness and chaos. In many of the quests,

the success or failure of the individual, and some cases

humanity, depends solely on the epic battle between

good and evil.

9 MYHTOLOGICAL MONSTERS Some the monsters evident in mythology “existed” in the mortal world while other had a very important role in the afterlife. Regardless here is a list of some of the most terrifying monsters in religion and mythology.

1. Gorgons: Most famous was Medusa. Look them

in the eye and be turned to stone! 2. Chimera: Part lion, goat, and dragon and breathed

fire. 3. Cerberus: Guarded the entrance to hell. The 3

heads kept the living away while the tail, with a dragon head, kept the dead in the underworld.

4. Sphinx: Guardian of wisdom. Can you answer the

riddle of the Sphinx? 5. Ammit: Devoured the heart of the sinful and

obliterated their existence. Be nice! 6. Apophis: Giant snake that fought the passage of

the pharaoh through the night. Wanted to plunge the world into darkness.

7. Minotaur: Head of a bull and guarded the labyrinth. 8. Satan: Fallen angel of darkness, rules Hell.

9. Gallas: Mesopotamian demons that drug the sinful

to the underworld. They usually hid in dark alleys.

Cerberus could be tamed by

deceased souls traveling

through the underworld by

giving him honey cakes.

CERBERUS COURTESEY OF BORIS VALLEJO

APOPHIS OF ANCIENT EGYPT

DECEMBER 2012

MORTALITY & MYTHOLOGY

CHARON THE FERYMAN

ALEXANDER LITOVCHENCHO

their final judgment was given. This hall was called the

hall of two truths. Osiris presided over the the

judgment of souls during the weighing of the heart

ceremony. If an individual’s heart was heavy with sin it

was devoured by Ammit the gobbler and they ceased

to exist. However if one was righteous and their heart

was lighter than the feather of Ma’at(truth and justice)

they were admitted into the field of Reeds (paradise).

Ancient Greek and Romans subscribed to an

afterlife that the God Hades/Pluto ruled. Souls were

brought to the edge of the River Styx (separated life

and death) and ferried across if they had coins to be

judged. Once across into the underworld a soul would

be judged and destined to live eternity in one of three

locations (1.) Fields of Elysium (Righteous), 2.)

Tartarus (Sinful), 3.) Asphodel Fields (Intermediate

between the two))

The Greeks believed in three

powerful goddesses called the Fates.

They decided how long someone lived.

Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (the

measurer), Atropos (cut the thread).

HANGING ON BY A THREAD

Once an individual’s life has ended, many cultures

have a final judgment that takes place to determine

what happens in the afterlife. The determining factor

for the vast majority of religious and mythological

ideologies is the position someone took in the epic

battle between good and evil. This divine judgment

consumed the life of many believers across various

religions.

In Mesopotamian myths, those who died traveled

into an underworld where they took on a ghostly

shade and wandered in the darkness.

. . . the house where none leave who have entered

it . Where dust is their fare and clay their food.

(Epic of Gilgamesh, Wolkstein and Kramer, 1983,

p.159)

Ancient Egyptians illustrated their underworld as a

tapered valley with a river running through the

terrtain. There were seven halls in this environment,

each of which having a different function. The

majority of common souls were standing at the

entrance of the fifth hall and pleading for entrance

into the subsequent halls. Those that were favored

were eventually admitted into the seventh hall where

their final judgment was given. This hall was called

JOURNEY’S END AND FINAL JUDGEMENT

WEIGHING OF THE HEART CEREMONY

DECEMBER 2012

MORTALITY & MYTHOLOGY

CHRIST THE REDEEMER PHOTO COURTESEY OF AVINASH ACHAR

WORLDWIDE RELIGION TODAY Culture can be defined as a set of norms and values

that are shared by a specific population. Religion is largely

regarded as the most influential cultural component of

modern society, as it formulates an ethnic identification and

lifestyle for many followers. Religion has undergone

massive transformations throughout human history and

today is a very complex and diversified system. Most

religions have an overarching doctrine. The foundational

doctrines have been debated over time and various

religious sects have diverged within the belief systems.

The global dynamic illustrates that a majority of the world’s

population subscribes to a religious doctrine. A 2012 poll

reported that 59% of the World’s population is religious;

whereas 23% indicate no religious affiliation; with 13%

citing atheism (Gilani, Shahid & Zuettel, 2012).

The fastest growing religious

movement in the United States is the

non-religious (15% growth between

2001-2008 – American Religious

Identification Survey (2009)).

QUIZ

Andrew Troxel Social Studies Teacher

awtroxel@gmail.com

Hello!

I appreciate you taking the time to review this

document and increase your knowledge about

mythology. I use this document in my Antiquity

course as part of the Historical Inquiry Unit. I was

thrilled to use the LAYAR software for this project as

part of my graduate course through Iowa State

University because I can add so much more rich and

interesting content throughout the document. Please

let me know what you think about this document and

feel free to contact me with questions!

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Please take a moment and test your newfound knowledge of immortality and mythology. You’re well on your way to become the next Indiana Jones! Please visit the following site to take the quiz for this document. This link should be available for those using LAYAR. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHFXQk5yZTl3dW9sV1VMMk5XZ2FnY1E6MQ#gid=1

MORTALITY & MYTHOLOGY

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Philip, N., & Wilkinson, P. (2007). Eyewitness

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Thompson, W. I. (2002). The evolution of the

afterlife.Journal of Consciousness Studies, 9(8), 61-71.

Retrieved from http://www.imprint.co.uk/pdf/afterlife.pdf

Woolf, G. (2007). Ancient civilizations: The illustrated

guide to belief, mythology, and art. New York: Barnes &

Noble and Duncan Brothers.

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TerraCottaArmy_2008'4-crwpps.jpg

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Retrievedfrom http://www.imaginistix.com/details.cfm?Id=531

DECEMBER 2012