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Ancient Monsters
Topic Started: Sep 23 2007, 05:54 AM (270 Views)
La Gringa
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Starving Artist
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I was watching a really interesting documentary last night on they Mythological Creatures of Ancient Greece. Many scholars think that some of the creatures they came up with evolved from fossil bones they found around a particular Greek Isle, Samos.

The Cyclops they think was actually a mastadon skeleton. They thought it was human and a giant. The single eye came from the skull, where the trunk would have been. The Ancient Greeks then reburied the skeleton with a "heroes" burial, and repositioned the bones to make it appear human. These same bones were then redug up by a later group of people, and again the myth kept going. Facinating!

I found that documentary extremely interesting. Does anybody know more about the Monster Myths of ancient Greece? I guess a lot of the Greek Isles were sources of these myths and monsters.

Dragons are another very cool thing. Why did so many cultures revere a creature that didn't exist? Did they find fossil bones as well, and think they were dragons? Is it like our Nessie or Big Foot (not to revisit that subject), but it seems that a lot of cultures have Dragons, and have had for a very very long time.

Anybody share this interest? I have always liked reading about it. Ancient Greek History was one of my favorite classes.
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Wayside
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I saw that same program a while back, and found it equally intruiging. Quite fascinating to think that about where a lot of that mythology may have come from. It did a really amazing job of explaining how ancient people may have produced and rationalized many of their myths, above and beyond simply having great imaginations and a dose of ergot poisoning :lol:

Very cool stuff!
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MistyBlue
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Dragons are probably from dinosaur fossils found here and there over history.
I'm still trying to figure out how dugongs and manatees (sea cows) are the basis for mermaids...how in the world did they go from those to lovely half fish women singing sailors to their deaths on rocks?
Sea creatures I can understand...the oceans were so rarely travelled and there are some pretty funky things in there. Narwhals and big squid and mantas...some pretty creepy stuff back then for people with extremely vivid imaginations and a strong sense of superstition. Not hard to go from one of those to a sea monster in the mind.
Nessie...well, the Scots were always fond of superstition and alcohol. After all, they did come up with golf and I find that far spookier than Nessie. ;)
Big Foot only seems to be seen by the same people who've also been alien abducted and sodomized. :P
There are lots of neat old stories and the reasons behind them. For ages the systems of rule, law, class system, royalty and a strong (and usually politically twisted) religion base were as much a reason to live in far as the fantastic creatures they thought were around. Many times creatures were made up as ways of controlling the populace too...or sometimes just harried moms trying to scare children into behaving. "Behave or the witch will come get you!" "Stay out of the woods or the Trolls will steal you."
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3Bays
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the Scots were always fond of superstition and alcohol. After all, they did come up with golf and I find that far spookier than Nessie. :lol:

That really cracked me up! My husband's family are Scots, and well, even HE thought this was hilarious! Appreciate the giggle! :innocent:

Seriously, tho, I've never seen that program, but it sure makes sense! I also agree that probably the dragons in so many cultures stem from dinosaur bones...there's nothing that we are aware of currently that co-existed with mankind that would give rise to this...but it IS curious that dragons are almost world-wide. A mystery to be sure!

Yes, I also agree that many mythological creatures were created as "control devices"...and yet, some of them probably stem from real creatures that were either misunderstood (that Cyclops idea) or twisted into a story to explain other phenomena or control people.

I also love ancient history and I love the study of mythology! Great posts, guys! ;)

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Fish Cheeks
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I didn't see the show but it sounds interesting.

One of our friends is Japanese and she was telling us about the scary monsters she was told about as a kid. One of them was the "Umbrella Monster" a one-eyed umbrella that hops around on one leg and I don't know what. I think she said he doesn't even do anything, it is just creepy and weird to think of a one-eyed umbrella coming for you! How on earth does something like that become folklore? I like to hear what other cultures find scary.

Mr. Fishy and I were telling her about the monster under the bed...but since she didn't have an "under the bed" hidey-hole, she hadn't heard of that one. Silly me, I still can't sleep with an arm hanging over the side of the bed! :jaw:

Dragons...I could see where they'd come from dinosaurs, but since we never lived together, how did the myths get started? Yes, I can see they found bones...but what about the fire-breathing part?

Then there are the dinosaurs that Jesus rode (scroll down a little bit): http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/something...this-way-comes/
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La Gringa
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The show was on the History Channel last night. It's called Ancient Monster Hunters.

http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=73251
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