@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.
The Lady of the Lake is a title used by multiple characters in the Matter of Britain, the body of medieval literature and mythology associated with the legend of King Arthur. As either actually fairy or fairy-like yet human enchantresses, they play important roles in various stories, notably by providing Arthur with the sword Excalibur, eliminating the wizard Merlin, raising the knight Lancelot after the death of his father, and helping to take the dying Arthur to Avalon after his final battle. Different Ladies of the Lake appear concurrently as separate characters in some versions of the legend since at least the Post-Vulgate Cycle and consequently the seminal Le Morte d'Arthur, with the latter describing them as members of a hierarchical group, while some texts also give this title to either Morgan or her sister.
Propaganda from the submitter:
There are literally so many versions of her that whatever role you want her to take in the Arthurian legend, she probably already has taken in at least one version. She contains multitudes (literally!)
In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Creator was the designation given by V'ger to the entity that had created it. V'ger, however, did not know what the Creator was, but believed that it was an artificial lifeform, like itself. The goal of V'ger's journey was to find the Creator, to join with it and become one with the Creator. After Spock had mind melded with V'ger, he commented: "It only knows that it needs… But like so many of us, it does not know what." In the 2270s, when V'ger arrived to "the Creator's planet", Earth, the Creator did not respond to it. V'ger initially thought that the Human "infestation" of Earth was somehow interfering with the Creator. It was then discovered that V'ger was in fact the ancient Earth probe Voyager 6, and that 20th century Humans were its creators. V'ger's ultimate goal, to find the Creator and merge with it was achieved when Will Decker chose to sacrifice himself to save Earth and merged with V'ger.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. The Pandora myth is a kind of theodicy, addressing the question of why there is evil in the world, according to which, Pandora opened a jar (pithos; commonly referred to as "Pandora's box") releasing all the evils of humanity. It has been argued that Hesiod's interpretation of Pandora's story went on to influence both Jewish and Christian theology and so perpetuated her bad reputation into the Renaissance. Later poets, dramatists, painters and sculptors made her their subject.
In Greek mythology, Thisbe, from the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, is one of a pair of ill-fated lovers from Babylon, whose story is best known from Ovid's narrative poem Metamorphoses. Pyramus and Thisbe's parents, driven by rivalry, forbade their union, but they communicated through a crack in the wall between their houses. They planned to meet under a mulberry tree, but a series of tragic misunderstandings led to their deaths: Thisbe fled from a lioness, leaving her cloak behind, which Pyramus found and mistook as evidence of her death. Believing Thisbe was killed by the lioness, Pyramus committed suicide, staining the mulberry fruits with his blood. Thisbe, upon finding Pyramus dead, also killed herself. The gods changed the color of the mulberry fruits to honor their forbidden love.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
Ammit was an ancient Egyptian goddess with the forequarters of a lion, the hindquarters of a hippopotamus, and the head of a crocodile—the three largest "man-eating" animals known to ancient Egyptians. In ancient Egyptian religion, Ammit played an important role during the funerary ritual, the Judgment of the Dead. Unlike other gods featured in ancient Egyptian religion, Ammit was not worshipped. Instead, Ammit was feared and believed to be a demon rather than a deity, due to her role as the 'devourer of the dead'. During the New Kingdom, deities and demons were differentiated by having a cult or center of worship. Demons in ancient Egyptian religion had supernatural powers and roles, but were ranked below the gods and did not have a place of worship. In the case of Ammit, she was a guardian demon. A guardian demon was tied to a specific place, such as Duat.
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janus (Ianuarius). Janus presided over the beginning and ending of conflict, and hence war and peace. The gates of a building in Rome named after him (not a temple, as it is often called, but an open enclosure with gates at each end) were opened in time of war, and closed to mark the arrival of peace. As a god of transitions, he had functions pertaining to birth and to journeys and exchange, and in his association with Portunus, a similar harbor and gateway god, he was concerned with travelling, trading and shipping.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet is a warrior goddess as well as goddess of medicine. Sekhmet is also a solar deity, sometimes given the epithet 'the eye of Ra'. She is often associated with the goddesses Hathor and Bastet. Sekhmet is said to breathe fire, and the hot winds of the desert were likened to her breath. She is also believed to cause plagues (which were described as being her servants or messengers) although she is also called upon to ward off disease and heal the sick.
In Norse mythology, Skaði is a jötunn and goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. Skaði is the daughter of the deceased Þjazi, and Skaði married the god Njörðr as part of the compensation provided by the gods for killing her father Þjazi. In Heimskringla, Skaði is described as having split up with Njörðr and as later having married the god Odin, and that the two produced many children together. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Skaði is responsible for placing the serpent that drips venom onto the bound Loki.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
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 moves on to round 2!
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.
Patchamama moves on to round 2!
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.
Mary Magdalene moves on to round 2!
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.
Frigg moves on to round 2!
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.
Tláloc moves on to round 2!
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.
The Morrigan moves on to round 2!
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.
Beaivi moves on to round 2!
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.
Coyote moves on to round 2!
every time i see someone call kirk and spock the oldest ship, i'm filled with the urge to go "hmm actually the holmes and watson girlies have been here for a hundred years now", and i refrain because i know the natural conclusion of this game is gilgamesh and enkidu
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.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
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.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
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.
Last day for this poll! Reblog for reach!
