Rain Myths
The Chinese Rain-Master: Shi Zong Di
Near the beginning of life on Earth, Shen Nong, who was the Lord of the Wind, made many journeys over our world. Shen Nong was the second of the Three Sovereigns. The other two Chinese sovereigns were called Fu Xi and Yen Ti. One after another, they helped create civilization and imparted to mankind many skills, lessons, and gifts.
Shen Nong, a known shape-shifter, was the són of a princess and a sky-dragon. His shapes were many.
Most often he chose to appear as a human with the head of an ox. At other times, his form became an encompassing and fiery wind.
Wherever Shen Nong roamed in the form of this scorching wind, he would destroy the plants and trees of the land and dry the ground of all its moisture. The fires made by the heat of the wind would consume entire forests. Shen Nong, content and quick in his travels, was oblivious to the havoc he left behind in his wake.
Before all hope was lost and the world's vegetation was completely ruined by Shen Nong's careless destruction, Shi Zong Di, one of the Lord of the Wind's ministers, used his powers to intervene. After pouring water into a large bowl, he put a branch into it, and then shook the water off the branch and over the entire Earth. The fires were extinguished and the parched soil received much-needed water. This was the first rain ever to shower down from the sky.
For creating this remarkable occurrence, Shi Zong Di was given immortality and awarded the title "Rain-Master." He also held a post as a prominent member of the celestial court, the ruling authority in China.
After many years of service, he decided to join a revolt against the ruling emperor of the time. As punishment from the emperor after the revolution failed, Shi Zong Di was no longer allowed to use his branch to sprinkle rain down from his perch in the sky. Instead, for the rest of his existence, he was relegated to throwing dust in official processions of the emperor and could no longer intervene in Earth's happenings.
A Madagascan Myth: The First Rain
Before the world was as we know it, there was 'Ndriananahary, the creator, and his son, Ataokoloinona, whose name means "how strange." In the beginning, Ndriananahary worked diligently to create the earth out of mud. Then he left this newly made surface exposed to the sun's hot rays to dry out and tum to soil.
Much later, when he thought surely the soil must be ready and fully dry, he sent his son down to check if perhaps, at this point, the earth was habitable and the ground was no longer hot. His dutiful son, who spent most of his days relaxing in the heavens, readily agreed and made his way down to the surface in service to his father. As soon as Atackoloinona made contact with the ground, however, he quickly disappeared, pulled beneath the surface through the still-searing sand by what appeared to his father to be unknown forces.
His father, watching from above in the sky, was alarmed and did not know how to bring his son back from beneath the surface of the earth. He waited to see i his son would retum on his own. He started to wonder it his son had vanished on purpose. Desperate, he decided to send showers of rain down to chill the scorching ground and perhaps provide a way for his son to come back through to the surface. Still his son did not return. He then chose to send human beings in his place to search the desolate earth for his only child. Still no one could find his son. To this day, Atackoloinona has never been seen again. Still, Ndriananahary continues to pour heavy rains down from above. He also continues to send humans to search in his place, in futile attempts to find his son who vanished without a trace into the world his father had created.
In Rain Myths, which conclusion about the Madagascan people is most justified by "A Madagascan Myth"?
* The Madagascans had religious beliefs based on the land.
* The Madagascans had cultural values based on family.
* O The Madagascans had religious beliefs based on the sun.
* The Madagascans had cultural values based on safety.
9 answers
Theseus, the son of Aegeus, the king of Athens, was also the city of Athens' greatest hero. He was not as physically powerful as his cousin, Hercules, but he possessed other heroic qualities, such as courage, resourcefulness, and the pursuit of excellence. He was raised in his mother's land, but once she told him who his father was, he decided to go to Athens to claim his birthright. Theseus always wanted to be a great hero, like Hercules, and now what he wanted most was to enter Athens worthy of being the son of the king. Therefore, although he could have taken a safe journey by sea to Athens, he instead chose the dangerous route by land. The route, which passed the six entrances to the Underworld, was littered with violent brigands. Theseus believed he could achieve greatness by defeating these brigands, who tormented travelers, and indeed carried this out.
Of all his adventures, the one for which Theseus is best known is his confrontation with the Minotaur on the island of Crete. The king of Crete, Minos, was the son of a god, Jupiter, and a human, Europa. The Minotaur, a fearsome beast that was part man, part bull, was born to Minos's wife. The story went that King Minos was once given a white bull to sacrifice to Poseidon, but the bull was so beautiful he decided to sacrifice another bull instead. In revenge, Poseidon caused King Minos's wife, Pasipha®, to fall madly in love with the white bull. The Minotaur was their offspring. As it grew older, it grew wilder and fed on humans, so King Minos had him confined in a labyrinth built by the great artisan, Daedalus.
One day, news reached King Minos that one of his sons was killed in Athens. He launched a war on that city. In exchange for peace, he demanded tribute in the form of seven Athenian boys and seven girls. They were to be delivered to Crete every seven years and sacrificed to the Minotaur.
King Minos himself would travel to Athens and choose the boys and girls to ensure that they were the children of lawful citizens. They would be taken to Knossos in Crete and thrown into the labyrinth, where they would wander through the long, twisting maze, until they came face to face with the Minotaur.
Theseus witnessed the suffering this penalty had on his fellow citizens. When the time came for the fathers to present their children for selection, the Athenians accused King Aegeus of causing this misery, shouting that their true-born children had to die so that his foreign-born child could become king.
Hearing this, Theseus volunteered to go as one of the sacrificial party to slay the monster. The Athenians were moved by this noble action of their prince, but his father begged him not to go. Theseus would not be swayed and promised his father that he would put up white sails on his journey back if he succeeded and he would have his crew put up black sails if he was killed. Then he went to the temple of Apollo to say his last prayers.
Theseus arrived in Crete, whereupon King Minos's daughter, Ariadne, fell in love with him at first sight.
Daedalus warned Ariadne that even should Theseus kill the Minotaur, he would never find his way out of the labyrinth. So to help her beloved, Ariadne gave him a sword and a ball of thread and instructed him on how to make his way through the labyrinth. Following Daedalus's instructions, he went forwards and down, never left or right. Theseus found the Minotaur asleep and pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. He killed the beast and used his sword to decapitate it. Once the Minotaur was dead, Theseus used the thread to retrace his steps and lead the other captive Athenians out.
Unfortunately, on the voyage home, events took place that caused Theseus to forget to put up white sails.
When King Aegeus saw the black sails of his son's ship in the distance, he threw himself off a cliff.
Theseus became ruler of Athens and was known for his charity to the poor and for organizing a commonwealth so that Athenian citizens could vote and govern themselves. Athens thereafter became one of the most prosperous cities on Earth.
In Theseus, the author gives King Minos some characteristics of a Greek hero by
* identifying his group of followers.
* pointing out his supernatural gifts.
* illustrating his character faults.
* showing his speech-making talents.
Theseus always wanted to be a great hero, like Hercules, and now what he wanted most was to enter Athens worthy of being the son of the king. Therefore, although he could have taken a safe journey by sea to Athens, he instead chose the dangerous route by land.
The route, which passed the six entrances to the Underworld, was littered with violent brigands.
What aspect of ancient Greek daily life does this passage reveal?
• Ocean travel was risky.
• Ocean travel was common.
It was unusual to travel to Athens.
It was common to travel to the Underworld.
• He was raised in his mother's land, but once she told him who his father was, he decided to go to Athens to claim his birthright.
• Theseus believed he could achieve greatness by defeating these brigands, who tormented travelers, and indeed
carried this out.
• Theseus arrived in Crete, whereupon King Minos's daughter, Ariadne, fell in love with him at first sight.
• Unfortunately, on the voyage home, events took place that caused Theseus to forget to put up white sails.
Of all his adventures, the one for which Theseus is best known is his confrontation with the Minotaur on the island of Crete. The king of Crete, Minos, was the son of a god, Jupiter, and a human, Europa. The Minotaur, a fearsome beast that was part man, part bull, was born to Minos's wife. The story went that King Minos was once given a white bull to sacrifice to Poseidon, but the bull was so beautiful he decided to sacrifice another bull instead. In revenge, Poseidon caused King Minos's wife, Pasiphae, to fall madly in love with the white bull. The Minotaur was their offspring. As it grew older, it grew wilder and fed on humans, so King Minos had him confined in a labyrinth built by the great artisan, Daedalus.
How does the passage reflect Greek mythological beliefs?
• It portrays gods as uninvolved in the affairs of humans.
• It suggests that confinement in a labyrinth was common punishment
• It minimizes the significance of mythical creatures in
Greek culture.
• It highlights the consequences of disobeying the gods.