All Questions
2,053
questions
2
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207
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Where is it said that Pandora opened the box out of curiosity?
The earliest mention of Pandora seems to be Hesiod's Works and Days:
Zeus in the anger of his heart hid it, because Prometheus the crafty deceived him; therefore he planned sorrow and mischief ...
- 103
2
votes
0
answers
28
views
Who was the King of Scotland that asked Robbie to stand on Castle Rock and play the bagpipes?
Legend has it that there is a secret tunnel leading from Holyrood Palace to Edinburgh Castle, and that Robbie the Piper was one day asked by the King of Scotland to go down and find this tunnel by ...
- 151
6
votes
1
answer
94
views
Is there any ancient source that says the Augean Stables hadn't been cleaned for 30 years?
It is commonly stated in books (including Merriam-Webster's dictionary) that the Augean Stables hadn't been cleaned for 30 years prior to the labor of Heracles, yet none of those books list a source ...
- 332
2
votes
1
answer
258
views
What's the difference between daimons and gods in Greek mythology?
From my understanding, daimons are a race of beings that are immortal, but they are not gods. Like they are above humans but below gods.
- 397
3
votes
0
answers
147
views
How long did it take Daedalus to build the Labyrinth
There may be no answer to this, as Greek mythology is full of inconsistent timelines, but is there any known indication of how long it took Daedalus to build the labyrinth?
Presuming Minos orders ...
- 161
1
vote
0
answers
63
views
Should "obake" be understood to refer to shapeshifters, or rather to things that have been transformed?
In the tvtropes article on Youkai, the following remark is made on the meaning of "obake":
Obake is another Japanese word that can indicate some type of monster. Derived from the word for &...
- 11
2
votes
1
answer
105
views
Why does Cronus have the power to cast hailstones, in the Dionysiaca of Nonnus?
I was reading the page of Cronus on Theoi.com when I saw this passage, which talks about the fight between Zeus and Cronus:
Broadbeard Kronos fanned the flame of Enyo (War) as he cast icy spears
...
- 103
1
vote
1
answer
115
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Mythology of Crete
Are there any mythological beings that are Cretan ,and not Greek .For example the minotaur is set in Crete but a Greek story .Are there any pure Cretan legends or Myths .
- 41
1
vote
0
answers
39
views
Town tricks a besieging army into leaving
I believe the following story qualifies as folklore. The general canvas goes thusly:
A town is besieged by an army, trying to starve it into surrendering
The town is running short in supplies
The ...
- 111
-1
votes
1
answer
87
views
How would the Gates of Ivory and Horn from the Odyssey be said in ancient Greek?
How would one say the name of each individual gate from the Gates of Ivory and Horn? According to the Odyssey, they are located in the underworld near the Asphodel fields. I have found that (ἐλέφας) ...
- 651
0
votes
0
answers
90
views
Do dragons marry human women?
I found a collection of 3 love stories from medieval European folklore about dragons disguising themselves as handsome men to seduce beautiful women, usually a princess and marry them.
Is this a ...
- 397
0
votes
1
answer
147
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What are some actually evil gods around the world?
I mean gods that are truly evil, not ones who are reflecting the social norms of the era they were worshiped in. (Zeus for example, he wasn't evil, his actions were seen as acceptable and normal at ...
- 397
2
votes
1
answer
221
views
Why was phoenician Melqart identified with Heracles?
From the Wikipedia article on Melkart:
To the Greeks and the Romans, who identified Melqart with Hercules, he was often distinguished as the Tyrian Hercules.
What attributes did they share for this ...
user10066
1
vote
2
answers
126
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Are there analogues of Chaos in mythologies other than Greek?
By Chaos I mean the primordial, undifferentiated substance from which everything begins in Hesiod's Theogony:
First it was Chaos, and next broad-bosomed Earth, ever secure seat of all the immortals, ...
user10066
0
votes
0
answers
92
views
What is a reptile with many heads meant to symbolize?
I'm from Romania, a country where you fill like you are in a trash can in urban zones, but feels like a fairy tale in rural zones. In school we learn about fairy tales (which is a species of very ...
- 101