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Yoruba people and culture
Yoruba people and culture
Yoruba religion in nigeria research essay
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The Orishas are entities that reflect the powers of Olodumare (Supreme God). Each Orisha has a role in controlling the forces of nature and lives of the mortals. Each Orisha is distinguished by many things among these thing is their color which is their mark, their favorite food which they like to receive as a gift or an offering, their emblem which is their weapon or symbol, etc. here are some examples of Orishas:
Eshu, also known as Elegba or Legba, he is known as the trickster god, he is unforeseeable, clever, deceitful, and a prankster. He serves as an envoy between the people and the gods, and he speaks all the languages. He also delivers the sacrifices people make to the heavens. Many believe that he became the envoy after playing a
The book, Memoirs of a Geisha, is about a girl, Chiyo, who was born in a fishing village in Yoroido, Japan. Chiyo was born into a lower income village; she and her sister, Satsu, were sold by their father into the geisha society to make up for the lack of medicine that her mom needed. Satsu ended up in the pleasure district in Kyoto and Chiyo was forced to go to an Okiya house to work to become a Geisha for the rest of her life. The meaning of a geisha is artisan, it is a Japanese hostess trained to entertain men with conversation, dance, and song.
Tricksters are prevalent in multiple folktales and mythological accounts worldwide. Despite variation differences, each of the roles played originate from cultures. Often ostentatious, the persona of a trickster is the opposite of mundane. Coyote and Hermes are two trickster gods that share the common themes of responsibility, gender roles, intent, and morale through diverse personas; their main differences are in translations and impact on Ancient Greek and Native American cultures.
known in the Bible as Erech (now Warka, Iraq). According to the myth, the gods
The Odyssey is a gateway into the lives and minds of Ancient Greeks and their culture. It shows their fears, views on life, and things looked up upon by the Ancient Greeks through archetypes. These archetypes are some of the best tools to learn about ancient civilizations such as the Greeks. There are plenty of archetypes in The Odyssey that help it relate to real-world situations even now while it was written over three thousand years ago. Three examples of them are the hero, the monster, and the journey for love. The hero tells about a character overcoming amazing obstacles to do good and what he needs to do. That happens in life now in many different ways but overall the same idea. The monster is like a big obstacle
Tricksters appear in the mythology and folklore of many cultures around the world. Although the power and relative divinity of each Trickster varies from tradition to tradition, Tricksters have important roles in the creation, development, and sometimes destruction, of each culture. The Coyote of Native North American traditions is often depicted as assisting the “Great Mystery” or “Great Spirit” in the creating and populating of the world (Leeming). In the Greek myths Hermes is initially a sly infant who captures a tortoise with his untruths and fashions the first lyre from its shell, but eventually transitions to a place amongst the Olympic pantheon as the messenger of the gods. In the Norse myths of the Scandinavian countries, Loki is a mischievous nuisance, nonetheless responsible for the creation of many of the other gods' most identifiable possessions, but also the driving force behind the prophesied apocalypse, Ragnarok. Tricksters are more than thieves and mischief makers. As Lewis Hyde says in his introduction to the book Trickster Makes This World, “When he lies and steals, it isn't so much to get away with something or get rich as to disturb the established categories of truth and property and, by so doing, open the road to possible new worlds” (13).
He introduces himself to the Cyclops as ‘Nobody’’; he manages to trick and stab the Polyphemus in the eye because he wants to go and be with his wife and child. Throughout their journeys, the search for the meaning of life is portrayed by the trials and tribulations they both undergo. For instance, Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk and is portrayed as one-third man and two-thirds god. Based on this, the epic is a tale relating to the myths and tales that preexisted through many generations with the subject relating his deeds to the hymns sung to the gods. Gilgamesh however oppresses his people after short breaks in the text. In return, the gods create rivalry with Gilgamesh after hearing the people’s pleas. Thus, Enkidu is formed and this challenges Gilgamesh as the tale
They disliked everyone and everything. They are servants of the Dark Lord and Sauron, and don’t really have a relationship to the land. At first glance, Orcs seem to be pure evil, however they are not evil at heart. Their leaders corrupt them, making them into dutiful servants. The do as they are told, and fight, even if they do not understand the reason. Their main intent is to be loyal to their master and follow orders. Orcs were created from dead Elves many years ago. They were first corrupted by Melkor, and then more recently, by Sauron and Saruman. The orcs can be described as inhuman evils. In the end, the Orcs don’t care about
The God Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia (nymph), was known as the messenger of the Gods and was a guide of souls to the Underworld. Hermes was a very impressive baby, the day he was born he founded and empty tortoise shells and created an instrument out of it called a Lyre. Hermes then had a sudden hunger for meat Hermes discovered the herd very soon. One by one, he started pulling the hoofs out of the cows’ feet and re-attaching them in the reverse order to confuse anyone looking at the tracks. Hermes then did the same to his own sandals. He then took the herd, and hid the them inside a cave.
The extraordinary archetype, the trickster figure, appears in folklore and mythology around the world. In cultures, where a trickster god, or creature, is present, it is ‘the other gods who have made the various forms of perfection’ (Atwood 2). Trickster is the one who is seen as responsible for the changes, the mistakes (2). Trickster has been credited for a score of positive developments, such as bringing sunshine, life and food to Earth (Hyde 25), and has been blamed for the just as many negative, such as the reason why people need food to survive (23), and why they cannot return from the dead (86). Because trickster is ‘at one and the same time creator and destroyer, giver and negator, he who dupes others and who is always duped himself’
The ancient greeks believed that once a person died their spirit lived out the rest of eternity in the underworld. Depending on how a person lived their life would determine if the were punished in the underworld. Cerberus is best known as the guard of the underworld. Cerberus is described as a three headed dog with a snake for a tail. Cerberus was the offspring of Echidna and Typhon. Cerberus is mostly known for his capture by Hercules as one of Hercules twelve labors.
Agni: Agni is the god of fire and acceptor of sacrifices. He is also a messenger so the sacrifices will travel to other gods as well. He is immortal because a fire is lit everyday.
The Epic of Gilgamesh Is a story of a city that lived in the cradle of civilization, Mesopotamia. This city which is known by the name of Uruk was governed by a king named Gilgamesh. A king who was ⅔ god and ⅓ man, and was also greater in size than the average human at this time. He was a cruel king who relentlessly and without warning sacrificed the lives of men in his city for the sake of war, and raped the newly wed wives before they got the chance to be with their husbands. All was soon to be forgotten as the people of Uruk prayed to the gods to stop their cruel ruler from oppressing his people. The gods created Enkidu who would balance Gilgamesh's evil and bring peace to Uruk.
The Anglo Saxon had a specific name for him and it was Woden (Wednesday). He could also help humans communicate with spirits
The Indians believed in many gods, spirits, demons and ghosts. Filling the entire world supernatural power could be understood as a set of forces each of them, or as a kind of impersonal force. Whatever its nature, it is thanks to her the knife becomes sharper, the speed of an arrow right and the man stood out among his tribesmen. Also the Indians were analog Scythian god Loki. He was the mythic figure of the cultural hero, which in the past has taught tribal people to their way of life. Another popular figure in Indian folklore was a trickster is the legendary cunning and sly, a former part of a sacred being and partly comic hero.
The prophet Nehemiah is known too much such an interesting character within the Bible; the meaning of Nehemiah is “The Lord comforts.” Not many people today know who Nehemiah is in the Bible. However for those who do know, they would say that Nehemiah was probably one of the most influential characters in the Bible. Many do not commonly know Nehemiah because he is not commonly mentioned throughout the Bible. In fact, he is only mentioned in the Old Testament and in the only book that bears his name ; with the exception of Ezra 2:2.