Historical Legends, Tales, and Myths of The World

Atlantis

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Atlantis is a fabled city on the floor of the sea worn ocean, covered by a massive tidal wave centuries ago. In an attempt to rid the notion that Greeks had accomplished a superior race of man, the Egyptians told Solon the story of Atlantis, where thousands of years before the noblest of men ruled the world.

Poseidon, God of the Sea, became smitten with Clito, daughter of Evenor and Leucippe who lived on a rocky island. Poseidon married Clito and transformed an island to a virtual paradise with circular belts of land and seas and an island in the middle. The island boasted tropical fruits and lush vegetation, and exotic animals walked the land.

The outer walls were paved with bronze and the inner walls were adorned with tin. Poseidon's temple was made of solid gold and it was placed in the center of Atlantis. Bridges were constructed between the landmasses to get back and forth.

To make their lives even more perfect, Poseidon and Clito had 5 sets of twin boys and they ran Atlantis wisely and well. However, the blood between them grew thin and their passions grew into greed.

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Zeus was angered at what Atlantis had become so he rebuked Poseidon for allowing these things to happen to his favored race. And Poseidon, in pain and sorrow, stirred up the sea, engulfing the land of Atlantis in a massive tidal wave.

Up until now, no one has ever known where Atlantis was situated. Archaeologists have studied sites for years, but alas, their own money funds their searches for so many think Atlantis never existed.

Image by guano via Flickr

What they do believe is that the Island of Stronhyle in the eastern Mediterranean was submerged by a massive volcanic eruption in 1500 BC. This may have been the location of Atlantis.

Made Out of Mud

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Ulgan the Great came down to make the earth. In a pile of mud he saw a figure of a face and a body floating on the surface. Ulgan brought the figure to life and made it into his companion, calling it 'Erlik".

Ulgan told Erlik to dive down in the mud and bring up some more mud to make the earth. Erlik decided he would try and make earth so he swallowed as much mud as he could. Ulgan told the earth to expand and so it did and in Erliks mouth it obeyed. Erlik started choking and spit out the earth and that's we have boggy places.

Ulgan made the first man out of mud and used stones for bone. Then a woman was created out of the mans ribs. There was no life to the creatures so he went to seek spirits. He told the first dog, a Siberian Husky, to watch the bodies.

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As Erlik came out of the mud, he noticed that the dog had no hair so he gave him a coat in order to distract him from his duties. Using a reed, Erlik blew life into the man and woman, thus becoming the creator of man.

When Ulgan came back he was quite angered. He told the dog he had failed him, and his life would be spent as a servant and worker for man. As for Erlik, Ulgan banished him to the underworld where he sits on a black thrown, surrounded by evil spirits whom he sends out every night in search for weak souls.

Pandora's Box

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Hephaestus

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Zeus ordered Hephaestus to make a woman out of clay. One that could possess the beauty of a immortal goddess and would bring misfortune to the human race. She was showered with gifts by all the gods.

Zeus sent Epimetheus as a gift for Pandora even though Prometheus, his brother, told him not to accept the position. Epimetheus helped in the distribution of gifts and in his own home he kept a small box that contained illness, grief, madness, old age, and hope.

Pandora, believing that every gift was hers, opened the box and released all it's contents, except one. Hope was stuck at the bottom of the box. She reopened it and restored peace to mankind.

The Reason We Die

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The Great Spirit Ibo of Southeastern Nigeria sent a dog down to tell the people that when someone dies, to lay their body upon the earth and sprinkle it with ashes so that it may come back to life.

Unfortunately, the dog strayed and so a sheep was sent to deliver the message. When the sheep arrived, it forgot was it was supposed to say, so it told the people to bury the dead in the ground.

When the dog finally arrived it was to late. The people told him "we have been told to bury the dead, and that is what we shall do". So death now comes to all.

The Phoenix

The phoenix from the Aberdeen Bestiary.

The phoenix on top of Kinkaku-ji temple, Kyoto, Japan

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The Phoenix is said to contain all things male and female,Yin and Yang. It's feathers are a blend of all the colors in the rainbow and it's voice is a harmony of 5 notes. The head is a rooster of the sun and it's back is curved like the crescent moon. It's wings represent the wind, it's tail is a symbol for the trees and flowers, and it's feet are the earth.

If you ever see a phoenix, it means that there will be days of prosperity; however when it leaves you will surely see bad luck.

The Egyptians and Greeks also believed in the phoenix, although their representation contains only one bird. When the phoenix grows old, it makes a nest of cassia twigs and frankincense and bursts into flames. The center of the fire is where the phoenix is reborn. "The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (sun city in Greek)."

The Goddess Devi

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Diva is the mother of life and death and consort of Shiva. She is said to bring rain and protect against disease. As the mother of death, she is terrible and as Durga she has eight arms and rides into battle against her enemies.

When Kali springs from her forehead, she becomes enraged and desires blood. If she is not stopped, she will eliminate every soul from the face of the earth.

Above all she is a fighter. She protects the gods from Mahisha, who comes in the form of a buffalo, destroying whomever is in it's path with it's hurricane breath.

Durga rode her lion into battle against the buffalo and caught it in a noose, however it turned itself in to a lion. Durga chopped off the head, but the demon became a man and Durga shot the man with an arrow. Once again Mahisha turned itself into an elephant and Durga cut off it's trunk. The last attempt of Mahisha was the transformation back into an buffalo, but Durga cut off it's head. When the demons were released, the crowd chanted "Victory".