@mythologyolympics / mythologyolympics.tumblr.com
A tournament pitting mythological figures from any pantheon worldwide, including fictional ones! Submissions are now closed and polls are going up weekly.
Current schedule: 4 polls on each Thursday and Saturday evenings (EST). Open polls are tagged with #vote.
Cassandra in Greek mythology was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies but never to be believed. In modern usage her name is employed as a rhetorical device to indicate a person whose accurate prophecies, generally of impending disaster, are not believed. Cassandra was a daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her elder brother was Hector, the hero of the Greek-Trojan War. The older and most common versions of the myth state that she was admired by the god Apollo, who sought to win her love by means of the gift of seeing the future. According to Aeschylus, she promised him her favours, but after receiving the gift, she went back on her word. As the enraged Apollo could not revoke a divine power, he added to it the curse that nobody would believe her prophecies.
Propaganda from the submitter:
The literal inventor of ‘I knew this was going to happen please I am begging you to LISTEN’ on account of refusing to betray her vows and sleep with Apollo and subsequently getting cursed with “everything you ever foresee will come true but no one will ever believe you”. Also she then got murdered by the wife of the guy who took her home to be his slave after her city was destroyed.
Coyote (Navajo: mąʼii) is an irresponsible and trouble-making character who is nevertheless one of the most important and revered characters in Navajo mythology. Even though Tó Neinilii is the Navajo god of rain, Coyote also has powers over rain. Coyote’s ceremonial name is Áłtsé hashké which means "first scolder". In Navajo tradition, Coyote appears in creation myths, teaching stories, and healing ceremonies. Coyote is a key figure in Navajo mythology, and of all the figures in Navajo mythology, Coyote (Mąʼii) is the most contradictory. He is a shadowy figure that can be funny or fearsome. Coyote is greedy, vain, foolish, cunning and also occasionally displays a degree of power. "In common with Tricksters generally, he serves to test the bounds of possibilities and order." Coyote looks like a coyote in animal form and she looks like a sagacious woman in human form.
Propaganda from the submitter:
Coyote is smarter than Odin, and trickier than Loki. Coyote parties harder than Dionysius and made more stars than Hollywood. You can't fuck with Coyote, because Coyote has already fucked with you.
Jesus, also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most Christian denominations believe Jesus to be the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited messiah, or Christ, a descendant from the Davidic line that is prophesied in the Old Testament. Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically. Accounts of Jesus's life are contained in the Gospels, especially the four canonical Gospels in the New Testament. Academic research has yielded various views on the historical reliability of the Gospels and how closely they reflect the historical Jesus.
Beaivi is the Sami Sun-deity; the name of the deity is the same as the name of the Sun. The Sami Sun-deity is usually depicted as female, but sometimes as male. In Sápmi, north of the Polar circle, where the sun does not even reach the horizon in winter, the sun was widely venerated and played a major role in the cultic coherence. Beaivi is goddess of the sun, spring, and sanity, associated with the fertility of plants and animals, particularly reindeer. She made the plants grow so that the reindeer flourished and reproduced, and brought wealth and prosperity to the humans. On the winter solstice, a white female animal or animals, usually reindeer, were sacrificed in honor of Beivve, to ensure that she returned to the world and put an end to the long winter season.
In Greek and Roman mythology, Iphis was a child of Telethusa and Ligdus in Crete, born female and raised as male, who was later transformed by the Egyptian goddess Isis into a man. As Iphis mother's Telethusa's due date drew near, her husband Ligdus informed her of his desire for a son, since the couple could not afford a dowry for a daughter. He said if the baby was not a boy, he intended to put it to death. The goddess Isis visited Telethusa and advised her despondent follower to disobey her husband's orders and keep the child, regardless of its sex. Isis also promised to aid Telethusa and her child in any future troubles. When Telethusa gave birth to a girl, she concealed the infant's sex from her husband and conspired with her nursemaid to raise her child as a son. The child was named Iphis, a name Telethusa secretly rejoiced in, as it was gender neutral.
Propaganda from the submitter:
Iphis is just so gender
The Morrígan or Mórrígan , also known as Morrígu, is a figure from Irish mythology and has been translated as "great queen" or "phantom queen". The Morrígan is mainly associated with war and fate, especially with foretelling doom, death, or victory in battle. In this role she often appears as a crow, the badb. She incites warriors to battle and can help bring about victory over their enemies. The Morrígan encourages warriors to do brave deeds, strikes fear into their enemies, and is portrayed washing the bloodstained clothes of those fated to die. She is most frequently seen as a goddess of battle and war and has also been seen as a manifestation of the earth- and sovereignty-goddess, chiefly representing the goddess's role as guardian of the territory and its people.
Tláloc is the god of rain in Aztec religion. He was also a deity of earthly fertility and water, worshipped as a giver of life and sustenance. This came to be due to many rituals, and sacrifices that were held in his name. He was feared, but not maliciously, for his power over hail, thunder, lightning, and even rain. He is also associated with caves, springs, and mountains, most specifically the sacred mountain where he was believed to reside. Cerro Tláloc is very important in understanding how rituals surrounding this deity played out. His followers were one of the oldest and most universal in ancient Mexico.
The Luisón is one of the seven legendary beasts of Paraguay, and is the seventh and last son of Tau and Kerana. He appeared to be a giant dog, and was said to be extremely ugly, even horrendous looking. The myth says that in a family with seven male children, the last child will become Luisón.
Propaganda from the submitter:
If you heard about the argentinian law that the seventh son born in a family is to be protected/blessed by the president this is why. The belief that the seventh son born in a family transforms in a werebeast led to some families to be fearful of the child and only with the president as godfather could the curse begone.
Galatea is the post-antiquity name popularly applied to the statue carved of ivory alabaster by Pygmalion of Cyprus, which then came to life in Greek mythology. The king Pygmalion is a sculptor who fell in love with a marble statue he had crafted with his own hands. In answer to his prayers, the goddess Aphrodite brought it to life and united the couple in marriage. The daemon of Pygmalion's goddess, animating her cult image, bore him a son Paphus—the eponym of the city of Paphos—and Metharme. Of "this ecstatic relationship", Meyer Reinhold has remarked, "there may be lurking a survival of the ancient cult of the Great Goddess and her consort".
Māui or Maui is the great culture hero and trickster in Polynesian mythology. Very rarely was Māui actually worshipped, being less of a deity (Demigod) and more of a folk hero. His origins vary from culture to culture, but many of his main exploits remain relatively similar. Tales of Māui's exploits and adventures are told throughout most of Polynesia; they can be traced back as far west as islands off New Guinea. Some exploits common to most Polynesian traditions are stealing fire for humans from the underworld, fishing up islands with his magical hook, and capturing the Sun to lengthen the days. There is a great deal of variation in the representations of Māui from nation to nation, from being a handsome young man, to being an old wise wandering priest. Although Māui was said to be very rascally or "kolohe", many of his deeds were to better the lives of his fellow people.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
The worship of Epona, "the sole Celtic divinity ultimately worshipped in Rome itself", as the patroness of cavalry, was widespread in the Roman Empire between the first and third centuries AD; this is unusual for a Celtic deity, most of whom were associated with specific localities. In Gallo-Roman religion, Epona was a protector of horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a patera, cornucopia, ears of grain, and the presence of foals in some sculptures. She and her horses might also have been leaders of the soul in the after-life ride, with later literary parallels in Rhiannon of the Mabinogion.
Maleldil, or Urendi Maleldil, the Incarnation, the Voice, Someone's Presence, The Holy One, Someone Else, and the Presence, was the Ransom for the human race, the Supreme Being, the Creator and the representation of God in The Space Trilogy. Maleldil is King of the Eldila, dwells with his Father, the Old One, and possibly also the Third One. He was in opposition to The Bent One of Earth, the National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments, and the likes of Edward Rolles Weston and Richard Devine. For much of the trilogy, Maleldil is an unseen presence in the background, but it appears Maleldil is in regular communication with Oyarsa. He also communicates more easily with those who are less corrupted or incorrupt, such as Tinidril, the Green Lady of Perelandra.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
Hermes is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quickly and freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine aided by his winged sandals. Hermes plays the role of the psychopomp or "soul guide"—a conductor of souls into the afterlife. In myth, Hermes functions as the emissary and messenger of the gods, and is often presented as the son of Zeus and Maia, the Pleiad. He is regarded as "the divine trickster", about which the Homeric Hymn to Hermes offers the most well-known account.
In Lakota mythology, Iktómi is a spider-trickster spirit, and a culture hero for the Lakota people. He is the first born son of Inyan, the Rock. He was originally called Ksa. According to author James Walker, Iktómi has his roots in Ksa, the god of wisdom: "Because Ksa had used his wisdom to cause a goddess to hide her face in shame and a god to bow his head in grief, Scan, the god of motion condemned him that he should sit at the feasts of gods no more and should sit on the world without a friend, and his wisdom should be only cunning that would entrap him in his own schemes. He named him Iktómi. So Iktómi is the imp of mischief whose delight is to make others ridiculous."
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
Lietuvēns or lietonis is a mythological creature in Latvian folklore. According to Latvian folk epics and omens, lietuvēns is the soul of a murdered (strangled, drowned or hanged) person cursed to live in this world as long as it has been meant to live. By some beliefs, it is the soul of an unbaptized child. It attacks both people and domestic animals. Sleep paralysis is thought to be torture or strangling by a lietuvēns. When under attack, one must move the toe of the left foot to get rid of the attacker. It is also said that lietuvēns is able to penetrate into houses, even through keyholes and, aside from nightmares, can strangle the victim.
Propaganda from the submitter:
Apparently ancient latvians had sleep paralysis too and this is the guy that causes it. Folk wisdom says to wiggle your toe to make him go away, but why would you want to? Hes just a little guy! Wikipedia describes him looking as "a labored wretched child" - just like me fr. Vote lietuvēns guys
Aulë was a Vala and one of the Aratar, also known as the Smith and Smith of the Valar, concerned with rock, metal, nature of substances and works of craft. Aulë governed the substances of the Ambar and he delighted in all works and crafts all of which he was master, from small works of skin to the forging of all lands and mountains and basins of the sea. He made the rocks, the gems and all minerals. He enjoyed devising and making new things, and being praised. In these thoughts and powers he was like Melkor, as Ilúvatar gave him scarce less skill and knowledge. Aulë had always been faithful to Eru and submitted all his creations to His will. He was never jealous of others' creations, but sought and gave counsel. He enjoyed the things he has created and in act of making itself and passed ever to some new work, without hoarding or possessing. For this, there was much strife between him and Melkor who envied him; Melkor always marred his work and Aulë always sought to repair them.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
Nephthys or Nebet-Het in ancient Egyptian was a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. A member of the Great Ennead of Heliopolis in Egyptian mythology, she was a daughter of Nut and Geb. Nephthys was typically paired with her sister Isis in funerary rites because of their role as protectors of the mummy and the god Osiris and as the sister-wife of Set. She was associated with mourning, the night/darkness, service (specifically temples), childbirth, the dead, protection, magic, health, embalming, and beer.
Anahita is the Old Persian form of the name of an Iranian goddess and appears in complete and earlier form as Aradvi Sura Anahita (Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā), the Avestan name of an Indo-Iranian cosmological figure venerated as the divinity of "the Waters" (Aban) and hence associated with fertility, healing and wisdom. The symbol of goddess Anahita is the Lotus flower. Lotus Festival (Persian: Jashn-e Nilupar) is an Iranian festival that is held on the end of the first week of July. Holding this festival at this time was probably based on the blooming of lotus flowers at the beginning of summer.
Nephthys moves on to round 2!
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Apophis was a malevolent deity or demon, often depicted as a giant serpent or snake. He was considered to be the embodiment of chaos, of destruction, and deep darkness. Ultimately, it was believed to be the primary enemy of the gods and the pharaoh. Since Apophis was seen as a constant threat to the order of the universe, his ultimate goal was to devour the sun god Ra and plunge the world into eternal darkness. He was often invoked in protective spells and incantations to ward off evil and ensure the continued prosperity of the kingdom.
Propaganda from the submitter:
He's just a lil' big worm boi
Flora is a Roman goddess of flowers and spring. She was one of the twelve deities of traditional Roman religion who had their own flamen, the Floralis, one of the flamines minores. Her association with spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime, as did her role as goddess of youth. She is one of several fertility goddesses and a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology. Her Greek counterpart is Chloris.
Apophis moves on to round 2!
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone, also called Kore (lit. 'the maiden') or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld after her abduction by her uncle Hades, the king of the underworld, who would later also take her into marriage. The myth of her abduction, her sojourn in the underworld, and her cyclical return to the surface represents her functions as the embodiment of spring and the personification of vegetation, especially grain crops, which disappear into the earth when sown, sprout from the earth in spring, and are harvested when fully grown. In Classical Greek art, Persephone is invariably portrayed robed, often carrying a sheaf of grain.
In Greek mythology, Prometheus (possibly meaning "forethought") is one of the Titans and a god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, knowledge and, more generally, civilization. In some versions of the myth, he is also credited with the creation of humanity from clay. The punishment of Prometheus for stealing fire from Olympus and giving it to humans is a subject of both ancient and modern culture. Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, condemned Prometheus to eternal torment for his transgression. Prometheus was bound to a rock, and an eagle—the emblem of Zeus—was sent to eat his liver (in ancient Greece, the liver was thought to be the seat of human emotions). His liver would then grow back overnight, only to be eaten again the next day in an ongoing cycle. According to several major versions of the myth, most notably that of Hesiod, Prometheus was eventually freed by the hero Heracles.
Persephone moves on to round 2!
Guinevere (Gwenhwyfar in Welsh) was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First mentioned in popular literature in the early 12th century, nearly 700 years after the purported times of Arthur, Guinevere has since been portrayed as everything from a fatally flawed, villainous, and opportunistic traitor to a noble and virtuous lady. Many records of the legend also feature the variably recounted story of her abduction and rescue as a major part of the tale.
Propaganda from the submitter:
Wife of King Arthur and encompasses the duality (triality?) of either being a super loyal wife and mother who loses her husband to prophecy OR being a loyal wife doomed to never having children and joining a nunnery as a direct result OR falling in love with her husbands loyal knight and having a legendary affair that everyone has heard of that ends in tragedy and doom. All depending on version of the story of course.
Anansi or Ananse (literally translates to spider) is an Akan folktale character associated with stories, wisdom, knowledge, and trickery, most commonly depicted as a spider, in Akan folklore. Taking the role of a trickster, he is also one of the most important characters of West African, African American, and West Indian folklore. Originating in Ghana, these spider tales were transmitted to the Caribbean by way of the transatlantic slave trade. Anansi is best known for his ability to outsmart and triumph over more powerful opponents through his use of cunning, creativity and wit. Despite taking on a trickster role, Anansi often takes centre stage in stories and is commonly portrayed as both the protagonist and antagonist.
Propaganda from the submitter:
He's a funny spider god. And he owns all the stories.
Anansi moves on to round 2!
Huītzilōpōchtli is the solar and war deity of sacrifice in Aztec religion. He was also the patron god of the Aztecs and their capital city, Tenochtitlan. He wielded Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent, as a weapon, thus also associating Huitzilopochtli with fire. One origin story for him has him as one of four sibings, children of the creator couple Tōnacātēcuhtli and Tōnacācihuātl. His mother and father instructed him and his brother Quetzalcoatl to bring order to the world. Together, Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcoatl created fire, the first male and female humans, the Earth, and the Sun.
Boitatá is the Brazilian equivalent of the will-o'-the-wisp. The name comes from the Old Tupi language and means "fiery serpent" (mboî tatá). Its great fiery eyes leave it almost blind by day, but by night, it can see everything. According to legend, Boi-tatá was a big serpent which survived a great deluge. A "boiguaçu" (cave anaconda) left its cave after the deluge and, in the dark, went through the fields preying on the animals and corpses, eating exclusively its favourite morsel, the eyes. The collected light from the eaten eyes gave boitatá its fiery gaze. [image credit]
Boitatá is also the protector of the forest against criminal arson and wildfire. He disguises himself as a burning log and attacks anyone who sets fire to the forest as a giant fire snake.
The manananggal (lit. 'remover') is a mythical creature in the Philippines that is able to separate its upper torso from the lower part of its body. Their fangs and wings give them a vampire-like appearance. is described as scary, often hideous, usually depicted as female, and always capable of severing its upper torso with its intestines trailing out and sprouting huge bat-like wings to fly into the night in search of its victims. The manananggal is said to favor preying on sleeping, pregnant women, using an elongated proboscis-like tongue to suck out fetuses, or the blood of someone who is sleeping. It also haunts newlyweds or couples in love and sometimes newborn children. Due to being left at the altar, grooms-to-be are one of its main targets.
Propaganda from the submitter:
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥WOOUGH
Frigg is a goddess in Norse mythology, where she is associated with marriage, prophecy, clairvoyance, and motherhood, and dwells in the wetland halls of Fensalir. She is mentioned in the Poetic Edda, which was compiled during the 13th century from earlier traditional material, and plays a prominent role in the prose introduction to the poem. She is also often mentioned in the Prose Edda. Some scholars posit that she and Freyja are descendents of the same mythological figure in earlier tales.
Mary Magdalene was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurrection. She is mentioned by name twelve times in the canonical gospels, more than most of the apostles and more than any other woman in the gospels, other than Jesus's family. Mary Magdalene was one of the women who traveled with Jesus and helped support his ministry "out of their resources", indicating that she was probably wealthy. The gospels also state that seven demons had been driven out of her. Mary Magdalene is a witness to the crucifixion of Jesus and, in the Synoptic Gospels, she is also present at his burial. All four gospels identify her, either alone or as a member of a larger group of women, as the first to witness the empty tomb, and, either alone or as a member of a group, as the first to witness Jesus's resurrection.
Lares were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an amalgam of these. Lares were believed to observe, protect, and influence all that happened within the boundaries of their location or function. The statues of domestic Lares were placed at the table during family meals; their presence, cult, and blessing seem to have been required at all important family events. Roman writers sometimes identify or conflate them with ancestor-deities, domestic Penates, and the hearth. Because of these associations, Lares are sometimes categorised as household gods, but some had much broader domains. Roadways, seaways, agriculture, livestock, towns, cities, the state, and its military were all under the protection of their particular Lar or Lares.
Nausicaä is a character in Homer's Odyssey. She is the daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete of Phaeacia. Her name means "burner of ships". Nausicaä is presented as a potential love interest for Odysseus: she tells her friend that she would like her husband to be like him, and her father tells Odysseus that he would let him marry her. The two do not have a romantic relationship, however, and she marries Telemachus in some versions. Nausicaä is also a mother figure for Odysseus; she ensures his return home, and says "Never forget me, for I gave you life". Odysseus never tells Penelope about his encounter with Nausicaä, out of all the women he met on his long journey home.
Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous peoples of the Andes. In Inca mythology she is an "Earth Mother" type goddess, and a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting, embodies the mountains, and causes earthquakes. She is also an ever-present and independent deity who has her own creative power to sustain life on Earth. Her shrines are hallowed rocks, or the boles of legendary trees, and her artists envision her as an adult female bearing harvests of potatoes or coca leaves. The four cosmological Quechua principles – Water, Earth, Sun, and Moon – claim Pachamama as their prime origin. Priests sacrifice offerings of llamas, cuy (guinea pigs), and elaborate, miniature, burned garments to her.
