Since your last turn:

• Nomad7^r+ said "I took it.... Sorry, it looked good. But now I've got grease in my beard." (11 hours and 27 minutes ago)
• Sankeh^r+ said "*pac iks sih slaets dna 7damoN nopu spael*" (11 hours and 8 minutes ago)
• Nomad7^r+ said "Hey! *Chases wolf around with intent to grab it, probably not the brightest idea*" (exactly 11 hours ago)
• Nomad7^r+ said "*Pulls Three year old candy-bar out of backpack* I'll trade!" (10 hours and 57 minutes ago)
• Sankeh^r+ said "*swap sih neewteb degdew tah eht ta gnillup dna gniwehc snigeb dna nwod seil ,'on' daeh sih sekahs*" (10 hours and 42 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "All right, I believe it is the appointed time, so I will go ahead and start the lecture. *FX collects his notes*" (5 hours and 30 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "First, I'd like to thank the MCM for being a place where people can discuss and learn without worrying about zombies or ignorants. Your school is a lighthouse for the dark city of Malton, and everyone here can be proud to be part of the cure to Ignorance." (5 hours and 28 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "In the way of an introduction, I am foxlion, more commonly known as FX, of the Philosophe Knights. Today, I would like to offer a brief look at the fascinating subject of mythos." (5 hours and 27 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "While it may not seem like a practical subject, myth remains deeply embedded in our cultural DNA. Who here has not heard of mythic figures like Hercules or Loki, though centuries have passed since their origins?" (5 hours and 27 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "While language and customs certainly define nationalities, each society's myths and legends are even more defining and dividing. Study a nation's myths, and you see its soul." (5 hours and 26 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Some may consider myth just a primitive form of literature, or very old folktales, but myths have a deeper power- a sense of awe and reverence not present in other genres." (5 hours and 26 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Many people and governments, even of the modern age, use myths when they want to inspire. Much of the legitimacy of the Pharaohs, Asian emperors and many other rulers came from the belief that they were descended from, or chosen by, the gods." (5 hours and 25 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "More recently, Hitler, a student of Norse myth, drew on its rich heritage to support the Nazi theories about the 'superior' Nordic race. Myth is a powerful tool even when abused." (5 hours and 24 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "I'm sure you've noticed how the eagle is a strong symbol of governmental authority, with various empires like Rome, Germany, Austria, Russia, and even the USA, using it as their coat-of-arms." (5 hours and 23 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "But in fact the Byzantines themselves based their double-headed eagle standard off ancient, mythic gods from Asia Minor, most likely a figure in Sumerian myth named Ninurta." (5 hours and 22 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Myths are the earliest form of human imagination, the first time people invented stories and shared them with one another. They are found in any old civilization, whatever the race or geography." (5 hours and 21 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Myth is universal, because it served an important role in society. Today, we have to admit they are some of the richest remnants of our cultural history, and arguably contain the most powerful stories the human mind has ever conceived." (5 hours and 21 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "'Mythos' was originally the ancient Greek word for any kind of speech. Eventually, the term came to specifically mean 'narrative speech'- a speech that told a story." (5 hours and 21 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "The meaning slowly changed in Greek vocabulary until the word meant 'false story'- tales with underlying truth, but much exaggeration and fancy." (5 hours and 20 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "After the decline of the Hellenic civilization, their myths were referred to as 'fabulae', or Latin for 'tall tales', and largely ignored through the Medieval Age." (5 hours and 20 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "The interest of various scholars in the Enlightenment era revived myths with their full glory and the term 'mythos', simplified to 'myth' in English, regained its earlier prestige." (5 hours and 20 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Today, the word is used to refer to the earliest stories of all cultures, those that blur the line between history and fiction, religion and art." (5 hours and 19 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Due to limited time, I will not attempt to define where the border of myth and literature is, but simply offer a look at why myths were so powerful, especially in ancient societies and what role it played there." (5 hours and 19 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Firstly, myths were considered true by the ancients, hardly fictional or tall tales. People knew many details were exaggerated, but they did not question the gods, monsters and great heroes mentioned were real." (5 hours and 19 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Thus myths had the authority to play the combined role of religion, science and moral compass in ancient societies." (5 hours and 18 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "In all cultures, myths provided origin stories. Before there was science, myths were the most logical explanation for how the first humans were created, why the sun rose, why night existed, and what happened after death." (5 hours and 18 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Poetic explanations, yes, but something that explained otherwise unanswerable questions." (5 hours and 17 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Humans are thinking beings, and we naturally begin to query 'why' as we mature. Not knowing 'why' makes us uncomfortable, and myth filled that gap for our ancestors." (5 hours and 17 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Another leading theory is that myths helped define humanity. What did it mean to be human? What was our place in the world?" (5 hours and 17 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "The ancients were at the absolute mercy of weather and fate to a degree we, comfortable with our modern technology, can't imagine. Humans were not strong as monsters, gods or even animals. It was reasonable for them to feel insecure." (5 hours and 16 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "But myths portrayed benevolent gods and always gave the most important role to human heroes. Looking at myths, you feel humans are fated to survive-the gods want, create, need and support humans." (5 hours and 15 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "By telling myths, by defining their own role as intelligent and blessed god-worshippers, humans carved a niche for themselves, a rather large niche one may say, in nature's scheme." (5 hours and 15 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "The interesting Greek myth of Persephone shows this relationship. Persephone is kidnapped by Hades to be his wife and doomed to stay in his domain, the Underworld." (5 hours and 14 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Her mother, Demeter-the goddess of fertility- threatens the whole world will suffer with her. She forbids the earth to produce any crops until her daughter is safely returned." (5 hours and 13 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "People starved, and had no crops to sacrifice to the Olympic gods. The gods suffered in turn, and they convinced Zeus, the ruling god, to let Persephone return to her mother. Though humans are weak, we feed and sustain the gods- not the other way around." (5 hours and 12 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Secondly, before organized religion existed, myth let us know what the gods were like, and in ancient cultures where people feared gods' caprices and needed to 'win their favor' to get good crops or win wars, this alone made myth a necessary knowledge." (5 hours and 12 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Myths also served as teaching tools to show people the basic values and practices of a race. The stories provided heroes and villains, role models that showed people precedents to emulate or shun. Naturally, each race had different heroes." (5 hours and 11 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Homer describes Odysseus as the 'polytropos' (the quality of being extremely adaptable to any situation) man, a fitting role model for the Greeks who had to explore new trade routes and colonize wild islands." (5 hours and 10 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Virgil's Aeneas provides an example of the disciplined, duty-driven and fatherly leader to the Romans. He is not an explorer as Odysseus, but rather a fair leader who nurtures his people. He possessed all the highest virtues of the Romans." (5 hours and 10 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "These heroes' choices let humans know how to think, and like the priest of later years, taught them the right thing to do. Since historical records were not clear-cut in ancient times, the orators had more room to create and answer hypothetical problems." (5 hours and 9 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Sophocles used his Oedipus trilogy to define perfect tragedy. How could Oedipus makes amends for his great mistake? It was not his intention, but his soul was heavily polluted from killing his father and marrying his mother." (5 hours and 8 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "He punishes himself by tearing out his eyes and entering voluntary exile, embracing his fate in a dignified manner. We may continually be drawn to Oedipus, since he showed the Greeks and modern readers how to nobly accept tragedy beyond one's doing." (5 hours and 8 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "The Oresteia shows a different dilemma- a mother murders a father. Do you avenge your father, an important duty, or protect your mother? What is the moral thing to do?" (5 hours and 7 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Aeschylus answers this by having Orestes punish his mother without question. The gods protect Orestes and free him from the guilt of murdering his mother, saying it is justified by the superior duty of avenging a father." (5 hours and 7 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "This would have been an important confirmation for the Greek mentality. Myths taught humans proper conduct, and also served the practical role of validating certain cultural practices." (5 hours and 7 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "The anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942) theorized myths helped justify social habits, creating a school of thought known as functionalism." (5 hours and 6 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Every culture has certain rituals, principles that are not questioned, though no one really knows where they came from. Myths served to reinforce the validity of those customs, playing an important societal function." (5 hours and 5 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Malinowski explained nearly all cultures had stories in common, and common themes were repeated again and again, by all peoples. These themes usually reflected core human values." (5 hours and 5 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "As a simple example, nearly every culture has its own version of the Cinderella story. Even the relatively isolated Asians and Native Americans had their own versions of the Aschenputtel story, complete with evil stepmother and stepsisters." (5 hours and 4 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "Though Cinderella is not quite epic 'myth', her story served as an useful folktale to imprint the importance of being obedient and pure-hearted on young girls. Practicality makes powerful, Malinowski would say." (5 hours and 4 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "I'm afraid I have to break off here, due to time constraints. Part two will continue tomorrow night at roughly the same time, looking at what other practical roles myth played." (5 hours and 3 minutes ago)
• foxlion^r+ said "I look forward to seeing you then, and if you leave any questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability. Thank you for your time. Praise Knowledge." (5 hours and 2 minutes ago)
• Lifemender^r+ said "Well, that was quite a tasty meal of knowledge" (4 hours and 54 minutes ago)
• cadwah1^r+ said "For the library QBee: http://iamscott.net/1363954143224.html" (34 minutes ago)
• Dutcher Bailey^r+ said "Thank you, FX, for that wonderful lecture. I'm looking forward to part two." (25 minutes ago)
• Dutcher Bailey^r+ said "Cades are at EHB++, there are 25 zombies and one survivor outside. Endovior is a zombie outside Pippard." (21 minutes ago)
• noushi^r+ said "http://iamscott.net/1363955190367.html is a slightly shorter recording, for what it's worth..." (16 minutes ago)
• Victor Jordan^r+ destroyed the generator. (4 minutes ago)
• Sankeh^r+ said "lmth.2496195593631/ten.ttocsmai//:ptth ?siht gniod ew erA ?gniht a siht sI" (3 minutes ago)

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You are 98% encumbered.