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  1. Olsen

    No greek magic!

    Are you referring to humans (mortals) practicing magic? Yeah, in that case there are only two instances where this happens, namely Circe and Medea. I know there was a goddess of witchcraft called Hecate. I wonder whether witches and sorcerer were thought to have their powers from her or from...
  2. Olsen

    How could gods of different cultures exist side by side - a debate

    How come? Christianity has been around for 2000 years and it doesn't seem to be fading away; Islam for almost 1500 years. What makes you think that in another 1000 years religions will change? Technological evolution doesn't seem to contribute to the changing of religions. Even if we discover...
  3. Olsen

    Detecting 2-way mirrors

    I didn't know about this method. Is there any place to purchase a two-way mirror, and are they expensive? I assume you don't have to get arrested, but rather just go to a police station and ask the officers to allow you to verify this urban legend.
  4. Olsen

    Unicorns

    I've always wondered whether any particular animal inspired the myth of unicorns. They are mentioned in the Bible, after all. Their absence in the modern world should not cause us to doubt their past existence. Eighteenth century reports from southern Africa described rock drawings and...
  5. Olsen

    Translators to the gods?

    On the contrary; I imagine the god wold be more upset if you asked him whether he speaks a certain language. He could consider that you are underestimating his powers, and would probably answer angrily, "I AM THE ALMIGHTY (... the god's name ...)! Of course I speak your language!". Wasn't...
  6. Olsen

    Superstitious

    Well, I'm not really superstitious, but I try to avoid doing stuff that is thought to bring bad luck. I don't have any particular routines to break a curse, like some people have, so my idea of staying protected from bad luck is to not break mirrors, spill salt and keep away from black cats...
  7. Olsen

    Dragons, good or evil?

    I've recently watched the animation movie "How to train your dragon". It was loosly based on a series of children's books. I found the film very interesting and well-written. Do you know whether there are any myths about the early Vikings fighting dragons (which may have inspired the writers)?
  8. Olsen

    Why can't we walk straight?

    Did you know that humans can't walk in a straight line without a visible guide point (such as the sun, a tall building or a mountain)? http://vimeo.com/17083789?pg=embed&sec=17083789 Scientists have shown that, if we lack visual cues to guide us, we tend to walk in circles. Many theories have...
  9. Olsen

    Azeban, the trickster god

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azeban Azeban was a trickster god in the Abenaki mythology. He was a raccoon-like being who played tricks on animals and people in order to obtain various advantages from them. However, he is not considered dangerous because he would never kill a creature with his...
  10. Olsen

    How could gods of different cultures exist side by side - a debate

    That is an interesting idea. Separating them geographically would work for some gods, but what about the gods of the sea? I wonder how Poseidon, Lir, Neptune and all the other gods of water would divide their aquatic territories. Also, I think the gods of war would just fight each other until...
  11. Olsen

    Human sacrifice

    Do you know any accounts of human sacrifice in Norse mythology? I read online that there are several historians who wrote about this issue (Ahmad ibn Fadlan, Tacitus, Saxo Grammaticus and Adam von Bremen). There is one story about a slave-girl who had volunteered to accompany her lord to the...
  12. Olsen

    The telchines

    I'm not very familiar with the Telchines, but I find the subject interesting. I wonder how they could be skilled metal workers if they had flippers instead of hands and lived on an island. It says on Wikipedia that they made a trident for Poseidon and a sickle for Cronus. Where did they get the...
  13. Olsen

    Wedding myths and superstitions

    I think the contradictory myth regarding the (accidental) dropping of the wedding ring is somehow fascinating. On the one hand, dropping the wedding ring during the wedding ceremony is considered lucky (I heard it was something related to shaking out evil spirits hiding in the ring). On the...
  14. Olsen

    Favorite roman god or goddess

    I like Apollo because he's the only god that maintains his name the same in both Greek and Roman mythologies (although some Roman poets often referred to him as Phoebus). Also, he was the protector of arts and the Romans dedicated a lot of games and festivities to him. He was very important...
  15. Olsen

    Your historical idol

    I would have to say Jesus. Anyone who, without any political or economical power at all, succeeds in making thousands of people give up their centuries-old beliefs and embrace a completely different religion is an idol of mine.
  16. Olsen

    Trolls

    Does anyone know any details about trolls? No, not the ones on the internet. The ones from Norse mythology. The only thing I know is that they differ in form from legend to legend. They are either hairy hunchbacked monsters that live in the mountains and hills, or giant humans that resemble the...
  17. Olsen

    Vampires

    What do you think of the evolution of vampires in popular culture over the years? From Bram Stoker's blood-thirsty Dracula, who was based on the cruel prince of Wallachia, Vlad III the Impaler, to the sparkling vampires from Twilight, the vampire species has sure changed a lot, don't you think...
  18. Olsen

    Getting over hitler

    I'm not German, but I can imagine how Germans must feel with the shadow of Hitler and the Nazis hovering in their historical background... Especially with so much fiction being based on the World War II. Take these comic book-based Hollywood movies that have come out lately, for example - I've...
  19. Olsen

    Slave trade research

    Well, I took a course in Afro-American literature and culture during my Master's Degree period. I found it absolutely fascinating to read how slaves were treated and how they reacted against their landowners by self-educating themselves and writing their own feelings into poetry and songs. A...
  20. Olsen

    The encantado

    Yes, the similarity between the Encantado and the mermaids is too great to be a simple coincidence. I think they must be based on some sort of common legend of aquatic creatures. I wonder if this may be related to the way in which tribes living on islands were said to lure ships by singing and...
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