Obscure Mythology Chapter 23: Wu Chi, Chinese,

state of existence.

     Getting down to the wire now! Just three chapters to go and I will actually finish a project, even if it took me a few months longer than expected! I was going through the W’s and realized I had done 22 chapters and failed to get much if any Chinese myth or legends. I had to rectify that problem so I concentrated on searching for an Eastern myth. Easter philosophies and religions were one of the main reasons I minored I Religious studies in college. I know a little bit about Buddhism and Shinto because I have been fascinated by the Japanese culture ever since I was a young kid. I was lucky to have a Buddhist couple who had actually lived and taught In Japan as my neighbors when I was growing up. He happened to be the local college’s professor of religious studies and I babysat for them often so I got to see all their awesome art, literature, etc. That they brought back with them. I don’t know nearly as much about the rich history and culture of the Chinese but do plan on fixing that in the near future as well. I believe this particular entry is from the Taoism. I decided to use this entry because it can easily encompass many of the basic tenants of most Eastern philosophy and as you will see it is the very beginning of everything. The Chinese people can draw their ancient lineage all the way back to some of the first humans to come out of Africa (Homo Erectus), 2 million years ago, so their myths and legends could go that far back! So let me put what the Mythology Dictionary has to say about Wu Chi and then discuss it a tad more afterward.

Wu Chi, Chinese, the unlimited state that arose when the Tao came into existence.

It is said that from this state came Huntun, the state of chaos, from which evolved time and space.

     A few entries after this I came across, Wu Wu, which is the state that was before Wu Chi, a state of nothingness. I think it should be noted that they believe the universe was created not by the Wu Chi but by the Chaos that followed. It was from chaos that our universe and thus we came into being. Many ancient civilizations incorporate a chaotic or primordial state of being before our universal origins. Two well known scientists calculated the odds of life forming by natural processes. They estimated that there is less than 1 chance in 10 to the 40,000power that life could have originated by random trials. 10 to the 40,000power is a 1 with 40,000 zeros after it! (Wikipedia) Those odds are pretty fascinating if you think about how improbable that really is but that is just the tip of the ice berg, if we try to calculate the odds of something like the Big Bang it is impossible to come up with a viable number since the odds of it happening are nil! So if the chances of the Universe being created by a massive explosion of matter that came out of nowhere is so minuscule that a number wouldn’t do it justice and the chances of life forming on this little piece of rock that we live on at around 1 with 40,000 zeroes, you are left with such an infinitesimal percentage that there can be only one fathomable answer.  "When you have eliminated the impossible then what remains, however improbable, must be the truth," Sherlock Holmes. Mr. Holmes never spoke truer words.

So chances are that something or someone would have had to ignite the Big Bang and probably life as well for it to happen at all. Who or what did it and what was their ultimate purpose? Isn’t that what we strive to find out as we grow old and get closer to our own mortality? Don’t all religions and beliefs try to answer this question daily? Scientists from every aspect of academia are still unsure of how our universe really started and they have way more questions than answers. The more of the universe we uncover the more mysteries we come across. It is this yearning for the answer, for the real truth of life, the Universe and everything (a nod to one of my favorite authors), that makes me love this kind of research. The more I learn, the more I lust for more. Every time I open a book or read an article I am diving deeper, opening more doors than I am closing but more importantly expanding my wisdom and knowledge of the true chaos that still swirls around us everyday.

Have a great day, a Happy Halloween (belated) and as always…PEACE!

Obscure Mythology Chapter 22: Viracocha, South America

     Today’s installment may not be so obscure for those who have studied Incan or Peruvian mythology but there is a lot more to this mysterious creator god than most know. There are some fringe researchers, like myself, who believe that Viracocha was an actual person or people. He was described as pale skinned, with long white hair and a long white beard and flowing white robes (Gandalf?) who came from the sea and taught the people of Central and South America the skills to become more civilized, like writing, mathematics, music, agriculture, etc. He was known as Quetzacotl to the Aztec and other Central American people. He promoted peace and knowledge over war and banned all sacrifices, human and animal. After a time, the nobles and elite felt threatened by him and he was either killed or forced back into the sea or as one tale suggests his own attendant killed him. However it happened he disappeared just as mysteriously as he arrived. I believe he and his people were explorers or exiles from perhaps Minoa or Greece and that they really did interact with and maybe even rule the ancient Peruvians. In fact the Incans believed that the Spanish conquistadors were Viracocha and his second coming because of their appearance, Gram Hancock’s book Footprint of the Gods and Our Occulterd History by Jim Marrs, are great sources of information on Viracocha and his connection to other ancient civilizations. I highly recommend reading one or both of these great books.There are even some researchers who believe Viracocha and his men could have come from Atlantis! I will post what the Dictionary of Mythology has to say about him and then go a little more into his mysterious past and connections.

Viracocha, South American, an ancient Peruvian creator-god, storm-god, and sun-god, recognized by the Incas. Son of Inti, some say husband of Mama Cocha.

He is said to have emerged from Lake Titicaca or from the Pacari cave. He destroyed in a flood the humans created by an earlier god, or by his own unsuccessful efforts, and made new races appropriate to their environment, traveling amongst them, teaching them the basic skills. He finally disappeared over the Pacific, walking on the water.

In another version he is said to have emerged from the cave Pacari, with Ayar Manco and Pahacamac. In this version they were all sons of Inti.

He is depicted as crowned with the sun and thunderbolts.

Some writers regard Viracocha as a generic name for sacred beings rather than the name of a specific deity.

     The first thing that caught my attention was the mention of him being depicted with a crowen and thunderbolts. Who else in ancient mythology was depicted with thunderbolts and wearing a crown, I may add he was usually described as having a white beard and hair? Yes, Zeus! Remember how I mentioned some say Viracocha could have been Greek? Well there is a pretty solid connection, sure the crown and thunderbolts are depicted in mythology quite often but I don’t think this in coincidence. I should mention, I didn’t read what the dictionary said about him until I began writing this, I wanted to see what the Dictionary had to say against what I had already known or thought I knew! So when I read that he was responsible for the flood that destroyed a previous human race it instantly brought up connections to the Annunaki (Sumerian sky-Gods who may have been an ancient alien race whom once ruled the Earth. This is for anyone who hasn’t read this blog or researched ancient alien myth.) and especially the story of the Igigi, (Chapter 9 of my Obscure Mythology anthology, the one you’re reading now!) The Igigi were demi-gods under the Annunaki and were tasked with mining the gold needed to save their home world’s atmosphere, they rebelled and were replaced by humans, who the Annunkai had created by splicing Igigi and Homo Erectus DNA. Some ancient Sumerian texts say the Great Flood was the Annunaki destroying the Igigi. Perhaps Viracocha was an Annunaki. There seems to be a connection there as well. Of course, we have the Great Flood myth yet again, at this point we have to believe that at some point in ancient human history, there had to have been some catastrophic flood that destroyed a vast amount of territory and people, again, I believe it may have been when the Atlantic broke into the Mediterranean sea, which was land locked before the ocean crashed through what is now the Straights of Gibraltar, again this is just my Flood myth theory but it does make a lot of sense and that event probably happened after the last Glacial melt, around 10,000 years ago. Archeologists are finding a lot of evidence of ancient settlements under the waters of the Mediterranean, which would have been on dry land before sea levels rose. So here we are on Chapter 22 and we have connected yet more world myths together. So did some ancient beings from another planet or a lost continent arrive on the shores of South America to teach humans the ways of civilization? Was it explorers from Europe or the Mediterranean?

The last thing I wanted to comment on was the fact that there are numerous local legends about Lake Titicaca. The areas around it are also well known and very mysterious, these sights include, the Nazca lines, Pums Punku, Tiahuanaco, Machu Pichu and many more. A lot of UFOs are sighted around the Lake and many UFO researchers believe there may be an underwater alien base hidden under the Lake. I know I am stretching a little here but I have been researching ancient South America mythology for a long time and everything about it is fascinating. There is so much mystery and intrigue, 99% of the Incans written texts were destroyed by the conquistadors and lost to history forever.

Well, I suppose I have kept you all long enough for today. I hope you enjoyed this installment and I can’t wait to share the next with you very soon. Until then have a great week and as always…..PEACE!

Obscure Mythology Chapter 21: Udar

An Arabian ghul.

This week’s installment is quite intriguing and may be a little unsettling, it does contain sexual content. So I am going to put a few disclaimers just to be safe and to let you the reader know that something extremely crazy is going to be written about and discussed. All of this is for research and entertainment purposes and is not intended to harm or cast any dispersions on anyone’s beliefs. The thoughts below are my own and the entry came from the The Dictionary of Mythology, an A-Z of themes, legends and myths.

Warning: this post may contain graphic or explicit content, proceed at your own caution.

Now with all that out of the way, I am going to introduce you all to the Arabian ghuls (A ghul is a monster or evil spirit in Arabic mythology) the Udar, and their very interesting and very disturbing modus operendi. Without further ado, here are the Udar.

Udar, Arabian, a type of ghul (ghoul).

This being lives in the desert and rapes male travelers. As a result, the victim may develop worms in his anus, a condition which is invariably fatal.

Yeah, when I first read this entry, I had to go back and reread it a few times. Of the thousands of entries I’ve read up until this point, none made me do a double take like this one. After I read it a few times, I started to get an idea of why it was probably even a myth to begin with. The Arab world’s religions are notoriously anti-homosexual and as I have stated before extremely sexist as well. I included this unique entry to show you how some myths or legends were created to scare people or steer them away from unwanted behavior. I have a very strong feeling this myth was perpetuated throughout the Middle east in an attempt to scare men aware from homosexual activity. These Udar, were probably made up to scare men straight, literally, or to at least keep them away from attempting homosexual activity due to the threat of anus worms. By putting these horrible ghuls and their grotesque acts into their religious and person beliefs the founders of this myth instilled fear not only into homosexual acts but of the horrible consequences that can come from them, i.e., the anal worms from the stories. I have to admit that I don’t know anything about this myth or most any Arabian myth but as I have seen with every other religion or belief system, their myths have a deeper meaning. There may have been some crazy madman who lived in the desert once and raped a few travelers and it is very possible that local religious leaders at the time used that crazy madman’s actions to dictate their laws and to make up scary stories to keep people from doing things they don’t want done. It happens in all religions and it is still happening today. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being homosexual, it occurs naturally, it became a pariah when a few homophobes with power decided it was immoral and sacrilegious. For all I know there could have been a kindly old gay man who lived in the desert but offended one of the ruling elite of the day, this kindly old hermit became a man raping ghul in retaliation. 

The point is, that as long as a few people have all the power than it will be their will that is imposed on the masses, when in reality it should be the masses who control their own destinies but through fear and diversion the ruling elite have set the course of humanity. Well I suppose I have offended and rambled enough for today. I hope my post today can bring about a conversation among you and your friends, it is truly amazing what you can find when you start looking. I am just five entries away from finally finishing the alphabet of obscurity and moving on to more of the strange and mysterious, thank you for reading and I can’t wait to share my next installment with you all very soon. Until then have a great week and as always, PEACE!!!!!!!!!

Obscure Mythology Chapter 20: Ta-aroa

Pacific Islands, a Tahitian creator-God

     Welcome back to installment number 20 of my Obscure Mythology project, just 6 more to go! I know it took all summer and I really didn’t plan on it taking until probably November to finish but I have to admit, it has been very fun and educational. I have begun many projects in my blogging lifetime and I have never completed one, I will be very happy when I actually finish this one! In all of my artistic endeavors over 30 plus years I have only finished one project, a role playing game based on Special Operations missions, that my friends and I played for many years in the mid-90’s but that is it. I have left dozens of novels, hundreds of short stories and a plethora of photography and blog related projects unfinished and collecting dust. I am hoping that perhaps when I do actually finish this project it will  motivate me to try finishing one or two of my previously abandoned works, I guess only time will tell. Anyway, it took me exactly one minute to pick this weeks installment since I ended up using the very first entry under T, in the Dictionary of Mythology. I was instantly drawn to yet another creation story that sounds awfully familiar, this one is from the Pacific Islands and as you will see it has many similarities to the other creation myths we have looked at throughout this project. I must admit, Pacific Island mythology is very obscure to me as I haven’t read much about it until this project. I have always been fascinated by the Polynesian people’s rich history and excellent seafaring skills (they colonized the Pacific Islands at a time when most civilizations were just figuring out how to travel on water) which rival even that of the Vikings and I do believe they “discovered” South America before the Spaniards by at least 500 years. Numerous artifacts including chicken bones and a certain type of Pacific Island yams have been found in many areas of coastal South America. If they could travel on the open ocean to discover islands like Hawaii and Easter Island what would have stopped them from exploring further? I also believe the Chinese explorer and Admiral Zheng He was on the west coast of North America in or around 1410-20 and there is actual evidence to show that the Vikings were on the east coast of North America around 1000, so why couldn’t the excellent sailors of Polynesia have reached South America? They had the ability and the curiosity to accomplish the feat and they most likely did, mainstream researchers and scholars disagree but that is only because they are suppressing the real truth about our ancient ancestors and their abilities, why? I am not sure but I know as do many others that the real truth is being hidden. Some day I hope to focus more of my time and research on the answer to the suppression but like I said earlier I have to actually finish a project before I can do any others! Now onto Ta-aroa, creator god of the Tahitian people.

Ta-aroa, Pacific Islands, creator god of the Tahitian people.

Some say that he hatched from a cosmic egg and used the shell to create earth (Fa’ahotu) and sky (Atea), others that he created the world inside of a mussel, others that he built the universe from his own body. Some say that he pulled up the islands from the bottom of the ocean on a hook and fishing-line.

He also made men from red clay and later put a man to sleep, took a bone from his body and from it made the first woman.

I have mentioned a few times how a lot of Native American creation myths mention man being created from clay or mud and this myth from the Pacific Islands, a half a world away, says the same thing. Of course we also have the fact that a bone from man was used to create woman, which is strikingly similar to the story of man and woman’s creation from the Book of Genesis, were God uses one of Adam’s ribs to create Eve, don’t forget that Eve was Adam’s second wife, Lilith was created at the same time as Adam not from any part of him. Anyway you look at that creation myth you must look back to the ancient Sumerian’s account of the Annunaki (sky Gods, whom I’ve mentioned numerous times in previous posts) and how they created humans by genetically altering the proto-humans that were on earth at the time with their own DNA. It should also be mentioned that Pacific Islanders have genetic markers left from at least two ancient human species, the Denisovans and an as yet unknown ancient human species. Is it possible that all of these creation stories are based on reality? Could we have been genetically altered by an ancient race of aliens? It does explain how Homo sapiens grew from obscurity to global dominance in less than 100,000 years or so. These are the reasons I love this research and love asking questions. The search for truth may never lead me to any solid answers but it sure gives me reason to continue researching and seeking for it. I hope you enjoyed this installment and I look forward to sharing the next one with you soon enough. We are just five installments away from getting into some real exciting things, in the meantime I certainly hope you’ve enjoyed this look at Obscure culture as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing it with you all. Until the next time, PEACE!!!!!!!

Obscure Mythology Chapter 19:

Samhain, Celtic festival, Wiccan sabbat.

Well I think I have the Chapter correct, finally, of course I have to go back and fix all the incorrect ones but that isn’t as important as getting this project done. Just seven more chapters and I will have posted an A-Z entry of obscure mythology and then I can finally get into other intriguing and mysterious posts and research. I did start this blog a few months back as a place to find such topics as the unexplained, mysterious, strange, unusual and of course Mandela effect as well and I will get to those things I just need to see this project through first. I can’t stop on Chapter 19, I’ve come so close to the end of the alphabet, I just hope everyone can hang on for a few more weeks. Once I have the Obscure Mythology project I will delve deeply into my favorite subjects like the Voynich manuscript, ancient aliens, anomalies on the moon and Mars, etc. I will warn you all now that I have become less and less interested in the Mandela Effect for one simple reason, It has become too mainstream! Now anyone with a bad memory or a  Mandela Effect for one simple reason, It has become too mainstream! Now anyone with a bad memory and a youtube channel is screaming Mandela when a product changes its name or a new species of animal is discovered, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that there is something to it and it does deserve to be researched and exposed but the way it is happening now is the way the flat earth conspiracy theorists are being treated. By bombarding youtube and social media with all things Mandela the community is actually harming it more than helping it. I got into a very long winded and pointless argument with one popular Mandela theorist when he posted a video claiming that King Tut’s crwon had changed in this universe because it now had a snake and a vulture. Without going into the exact details I politely told him he was wrong and that the dual crown signified a unified (Upper & Lower Egypt) and had been part of Egyptian culture for thousands of years but because this guy had no prior knowledge and did absolutely no research, he automatically assumed it was a Mandela effect, he then made a five minute video saying how this dual crown must be a Mandela Effect. Four thousand people viewed it within a few hours and just like that this guy spread his theory to a bunch of gullible people. This is what is wrong with the Mandela community and why I took a step back from it. I won’t be associated with all these greedy youtubers that are only out for views and cash. I want to spread the truth and try to figure out why it’s happening not perpetuate the idea that the Mandela community is just another tin foil hatted group of crazy conspiracy theorists. There is truth to it and its existence but right now it is being treated more as a joke than a mystery. Alright, enough on that for now, after my Mythology project is done I will dive much deeper into all of these anomalies throughout the world. I chose Samhain as my S entry for a few reasons, the first being that it is associated with Halloween which is the only “holiday” I acknowledge and actually sort of enjoy, the second reason is because I identify as a Wiccan if I had to write down what my religious beliefs are and lastly because it fits in with much of what I have been saying about how Catholicism stole and incorporated numerous pagan rites into their own dogma. So let us read what the Mythology dictionary says about Samhain.

Samhain: Celtic: a festival on October 31/November 1, the Celtic New Year

This was the one occasion when the Otherworld became visible to mortals. The gates were opened so that those who had been wronged by those still living could exact vengeance. It was adapted by Christianity as St. Martin’s Mass or All Hallows, and the night of October 31^st became Hallowe’en, a night when demons are let loose on the earth to entrap the innocent.

(Dictionary of Mythology, an A-Z of themes, legends and heroes. J.A. Coleman)

I know everyone knows what Halloween is but not many really know the history or its origins. There are numerous stories and myths from all over the world about how our ancient ancestors revered and honored their dead. A ritual in South America (the name of the ritual and the tribe escapes me right now) saw people dig up their deceased and mummified relatives and parade them around town, even throwing a large banquet for them before placing them back in their tombs or graves when the ritual was over. Other ancients used to bury their dead under the floors of their homes. Archaeologists have uncovered some of these ancient homes with two or three generations of family buried beneath the main floor of the domiciles. Humans have always been fascinated and scared by death and perhaps these rituals helped put death in perspective and I suppose when you interact with the deceased in the ways they did perhaps it helped them to remember the dead that way keeping them alive eternally in their hearts and minds. Of course when it comes to the Catholic church they had to make it a scary unhappy holiday so you had a reason to run to the church for help and salvation. They took an elaborate celebration of the dead and tried to turn it into another way to control and cause fear among the populace. I was fortunate enough to be in Key West, Florida back in the early 1990’s and one of the most memorable events I witnessed was the celebration of Fantasy Festival, which is celebrated on All Hallow’s Eve. It is an amalgamation of Halloween, Samhain, Mardi Gras, Voodoo and more. I don’t know the true origins of Fantasy Fest or if it is still celebrated but I can tell you it was the closest thing to an ancient celebration that I have seen. People were dressed in elaborate costumes, others wore skeleton masks and costumes, all while dancing, singing and drinking throughout the night. At midnight a massive parade travels down the main street and the party gets into full swing. It was quite the sight especially for an 18 year old kid from Northern Wisconsin. I digress as usual. I wanted to show how our ancient ancestors respected their dead but also how the mainstream religions stole and absorbed these rituals for their own advancement.

Well, I suppose I rambled on enough for today, I hope you enjoyed it and continue to come back and read my posts and I do promise to get back into the strange and mysterious once my alphabet is complete! Until then, take care, respect each other and nature and above all question everything and do your own research. Never take someone’s word just because they have a youtube channel or thousands of followers on social media, there is much more going on out there than meets the eye and the only way to find the truth is to look for it. Have a great day and as always: PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 above image: Costumed revelers at Key West's Fantasy Festival.

Obscure Mythology R: Ruwa, A supreme god of the Chagga in Tanzania

     Welcome back to my next installment of Obscure Mythology A-Z. I messed up the Chapter numbers a few letters back and have yet to rectify it on my older posts so I decided just to bypass the number for today. Here we are on R, almost done with the alphabet and this project. Like I said once I am done with this I will be getting back to the world of the weird and mysterious. It has been fun researching all these obscure myths and I will miss doing this but I am also nearly ready to tackle some other awesome and intriguing stuff as well! I had envisioned doing this A-Z project in a month or so but that would have required posting just about everyday when I started this and this summer with all of its twists and turns were not going to allow that to happen but I am glad to be back on the computer and doing a blog a week, it is better than not doing this at all. I’ve stated it a million times but I will say it again, writing, researching and sharing my thoughts are my therapy and I’ve needed it lately! Today’s installment comes from the Chagga people of Africa (located in what is now Tanzania) and it has a few recognizable themes, which is one of the main reasons I did this project. It still amazes me after 15 plus entries that so many myths and legends from around the world are similar. You will definitely see that in today’s post. Keep in mind that these myths are thousands of years old, passed down orally for generations, they precede the Bible, Torah or Quaran or any other religious text by thousands of years. How can these stories be so similar from so many different places before the written word? That is why I do this, to start these debates, to spark something in your mind to question everything you’ve been taught and to think for yourself. Here is Ruwa:

Ruwa: a supreme god of the Chagga in Tanzania.

Ruwa made the first humans, who were immortal, and placed them in a garden on earth where they were forbidden to eat the fruit of just one plant, the yam called Utaho. The serpent of death tempted them and they ate some of the yam, losing their immortality. The plant itself was taken up to heaven and restored.

Another version says that Ruwa gave humans the power to renew themselves by sloughing their skins as a snake does. This worked for some time than failed.

(The Dictionary of Mythology, an A-Z of themes, legends and heroes. J.A. Coleman)

                                                             above image: the official badge of the Chagga Chieftain.

See what I mean about being very familiar? That is the story of Adam and Eve yet it is thousands of years older than the bible. We also see the similarities between the serpent and the forbidden fruit! Now some skeptics say that these tribes must have incorporated Christian themes in their stories as explorer’s and missionaries entered Africa but these stories are way older than that! The west didn’t even really begin exploiting Africa until the 19^th Century and these stories were already thousands of years old. Sure Christians have been in Africa for about 2,000 years but that was mostly in the north, especially Ethiopia, but these stories precede Christianity or Judaism. Tribal societies pass down their myths and legends through oral traditions and even have an appointed story teller or two who’s only job is to be taught the ancient stories, preserve them and share them with the next generation. It is already a known fact that mainstream religions like Christianity have incorporated or flat out stolen ancient pagan rituals and stories for their own so why wouldn’t they steal stories about creation and the first men and women? Every organized religion around today (except Scientology, that’s just pure Sci-Fi) can trace its roots back to ancient religions or rites. The Sumerian tales of Gilgamesh closely parallel the biblical story of Noah and the Ark while the story of Osiris shares many similarities with the biblical stories of a certain guy names Jesus. They even share the same birthday (December 25^th) which just so happens to fall right around a very important ancient religious “holiday”, the Winter Solstice. This is not a mere coincidence I can guarantee you that.

Did you notice how in this tale it wasn’t a certain person who was tempted to eat the fruit but the group as a whole? Of course the Bible had to blame Eve because they had to establish that woman was inferior to man and the reason we have original sin and mortality today. The leaders of the early Christian church had to find a way to get the tribal savages their missionaries were enlightening to diverge away from the matriarchal hierarchies most of them had known for tens of thousands of years, so they vilified the first woman Eve (although we all know from my L entry that there was in fact a female before Eve, Lilith and she was kicked out of Eden for demanding to be treated as an equal, the bible then vilified her by making her a consort of the devil) in attempt to put them in their place, in their minds. Early catholic leaders also dismissed, rewrote or destroyed any gospels or stories centered on Mary Magdalene and Mary, Jesus’ Mother, for fear that women would believe they were equal to man. Even in today’s society we deal with sexism some middle eastern countries still give women no rights at all yet we know through research and artifacts that women were paramount in ancient societies and religions. It is yet another attempt to divide us as a whole. The truth is humans, Homo sapiens, could not exist without women and with the technology of the 21^st century men are not even really needed. This is what researching ancient and obscure myths and stories can lead you to. I could go on for hours but I have two small children who demand a lot of my attention so unfortunately for me and perhaps fortunately for you I must end this. I did want to touch on the last part of the entry about how the other version says humans could slough their skin and renew themselves. I have found this a very common myth in African circles especially, while most Native American myths incorporate humans being made of mud from the aftermath of the great flood. I will look more into these similarities in future posts and hope to find more examples in my future research. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope that I may have ignited a spark in a few of you to research this and other myths, mysteries and legends. Until the next time take care and as always…………….PEACE………………………………..

                                                          above image: women of the Chagga tribe. women play a prominent role in the tribe and were not blamed 

                                                          specifically for eating the forbidden yams.

Chapter  ??, Obscure Mythology: Qivittoq

I had to put question marks for my header because I realized I have messed up the Chapter titles. I looked back at the posts before this and noticed a couple of chapter 15’s and such. I will have to go back and edit the headers one of these days when I have an extra minute. I don’t like seeing such blatant mistakes on my posts but I also have so much happening that I may have to let those slight errors slide for now. I have four computers in this house, two older laptops, an ancient desktop and a newer desktop and all four of them have an issue right now! I spent three hours yesterday trying to print a single piece of paper and between all four computers it didn’t even happen. I have a feeling it has something to do with Windows 10 or the printer which is fairly old is kaput, whatever the reasons this is the stuff I have been dealing with lately and that’s just the minor stuff! Anyhow, I’m trying to work through these technical and personal problems to get my posts out a little more frequently since I still have about ten chapters of the Obscure Mtyhs to post before I can get back to my other stuff. I am really excited for post on the Voynich manuscript, I’ve been doing a lot of research and I believe my theory may have some validity! I would imagine I should have it posted sometime next year at the p[ace I’ve been working. So the technical problems get worse when it seems like I have the slowest and most unreliable internet in the entire universe as well! You know for a long time I always believed I was cursed, either myself directly or my family was the target of a curse years back and it is in full swing right now. My favorite season (Summer) has all but passed and I have gotten almost zero accomplished. I suppose it didn’t help that it rained about three quarters of the season and all these damn solar flares may have something to do with my spotty internet. Anyway, I am rambling like usual but I also wanted to make today’s entry seem more relevant. It comes from the Inuit people of Greenland and it is called qivittoq (great scrabble word!) and with the summer I’ve been having it seems pretty okay with me. I will let you read for yourself what it is then we can discuss a little about it.

Qivittoq: a wandering spirit in Greenland, Inuit

A person who leaves the community to live alone in the wild who soon develops the physical attributes of an animal such as claws, fur, etc. He depends on his own efforts but sometimes steals food from the community he left to become a qivittoq.

Sounds pretty good, run away into the wild and become a hermit that develops certain animal parts to help you survive! I suppose the stories started from old disheveled hermits being seen by their old community members scavenging, wearing furs and other accruements associated with the flora and fauna that they escaped into. What better way to keep kids away from the creepy hermits than to make them afraid of them. I suppose there are other reasons for the stories but that one is probably the one used the most. I don’t know how many times in my life I’ve wanted to just grab a backpack of essentials and move out into the woods, no electronics, no distractions just the wide open spaces of nature and me. I was lucky to be born in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and to have a Grandfather who grew up surviving in the woods so I learned a great deal about the natural world that surrounded me and how to coexist with it. I have a deep respect and understanding of nature and would make a pretty decent hermit, at least I think. The guy from the Into the Wild book had absolutely no knowledge of the wilderness and did a decent job by himself for a while, he died making careless mistakes when his hunger got the best of him, but had he been even just a little more trained or knowledgeable he could have made it a long time. As awesome as running away and becoming a Wildman sounds like fun, I know I could never leave my responsibilities behind just to save my own sanity. Perhaps that’s why these intuits made up these stories in the hopes that it would frighten people away from the idea of running and keep them in the community as a valued member instead of a selfish exile. Sure someday when the crap really hits the fan I will disappear into the wild but I will bring my family along and it will be for survival not self exile. So when I got to Q in the Mythology dictionary and came across this I had to use it because even as crappy as my summer has been and even though I’ve fantasized about just slipping into the woods and disappearing I know my place is here with my loved ones, my readers and this blog. I can escape into my writing whenever I want without worries of starving or turning into a half rabbit half man. Well, I hope you enjoyed this entry and I hope you come back next time, until then stay safe and as always: PEACE!!!!!!

PS: these last two images are just showing the beauty of Greenland, no real connection to the entry. The bottom image is of a statue of the Goddess of the sea, such a powerful and beautiful sculpture!