Media Literacy Presentation

Creation Myth

·         Creation Myths

·         Amma and Nummo Prepare the World

• Nigeria, Africa – Dogon Tribe
• Type of Myth: Secretion Myth

·         The Story

• Amma rapes Earth-Mother through anthill; results in Jackal
• Amma creates Nummo pair through intercourse with Earth

·         The Story

• Jackal incestuously rapes Earth-Mother
• Amma rejects her
• Nummo self-propagate into 8 ancestors
• 7^th ancestor falls from grace, urinates to purify world

·         The Creation, from The Eddas

• Iceland – Norse Myth
• Type of Myth: Secretion and Sacrifice Myth

·         The Story

• Ymir - frost giant: perspires out first man, woman, and cow
• Ymir’s descendants kill him and use his body to create the Earth
• Flesh = earth ; bones =mountains; blood= lakes
• Gods create Asgard- a sort of heaven

·        
From Chaos to King Zeus, from Hesiod's Theogony

• Type of Myth
•  Accretion
• Conjunction
• Theogony
• Genuine mythic consciousness

·         Gods

• Chaos (Kronos)
• Gaia
• Ouranos
• Eros

·         The Beginning

• CHAOS-->EREBOS-->BLACK NIGHT
• NIGHT-->AIR & DAY (Children)
• A God is in love with EROBOS
• GAIA (earth) birth to OURANOS
• GAIA birth to High Mountains
• Nymphs lived in the mountain valley
  
  

·         Born Gods from GAIA:

• PONTOS + OURANOS = OCEAN
• KIOS & KRIOS
• HYPERION & LAPETOS 
• THEIA & RHEA
• THEMIS & MNEMOSYNE
• PHOEBE
• TETHYS
  
  

·         Lessons to be Learned

• Most dreadful God=KRONOS
• KRONOS overcomes his father OURANOS
• ZEUS overcomes his father KRONOS

·         The Creation of Ulligara and Zalgarra.

• Sumarian Myth
• Iraq: The tablets of the myth were found approximately 800BCE
• Type of Myth: Secretion / Sacrifice

·         Gods Who Represent the Four Elements

• Anu (god of air and sky)
• Enlil (god of the storms and earth)

·         Gods

• Shamash (god of sun and fire)
• Ea (god of water)
• Anunnaki (destiny)

·         The Creation of Ulligara and Zalgarra.

• Gods kill 2 Lagma Gods in order to create humankind.
• The blood of slain Lagma Gods = ingredient for the creation.
• Ulligara (the establisher of abundance) and Zalgarra (establisher of plenty) created.

·         Reason For Creation

• Creating  humans to do the God’s daily labor
• Build temples/shrines
• Grow crops/tend fields
• Raise livestock
• Celebrate the Gods with offerings

·         Creation Myth from the Vishnu Purana

• Hindu (Indian)
• From Vedic texts – Puranas
• Type of Myth: Division/Consummation; Earth-Diver

·         Vishnu

• The Supreme Being
• Avatars: many forms/names

·         Brahma

• Brahma: self-born in the lotus flower
• Other interpretations:
• born in water /  a seed that became the golden egg.
• Remains of the golden egg expanded into the Universe.

·         Creation Myth from the Vishnu Purana

·         Popul Vuh

• Mayan Creation Myth
• Type of Myth : Deus Faber (“The Maker God”)

·         The Story

• Dual creator - three attempts to create man.
• 1^st attempt: man out of clay but rain comes-washed away.
• 2^nd attempt : man out of wood but no mind, no hearts -wiped by flood.

·         The Story

• 3^rd attempt: grind corn and shaped it but too perfect
• Outcome: decided to remake the corn-made man - impairing their eye sight and understanding

·         Popul Vuh

·         Genesis

• Hebrew – Middle East
• Type of Myth:
• Deus Faber
• Ex Nihilo (Out of Nothing)
• Seen in many religions:
• Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, and Judaism

·         Genesis

• God “speaking into existence” = Universe
• God creates mankind - out of the dust = Adam 
• Adam in Eden
• Banished to Earth

·         Bibliography

·         "HINDU CREATION MYTH." The Hindu Creation Myth. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.read-legends-and-myths.com/hindu-creation-myth.html>.

·         Leeming, David A. Creation Myths of the World:  An Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. : ABC-CLIO, 2010. 52+. Print.

·         McClure, Michael. "Creation Myths." Myth & Knowing: An Introduction to World Mythology. By Scott Leonard. New York: McGraw Hill, 2004. 32-101. Print.

Poem of Poetry

Poem of Poetry

It is the ballad of the Ancient Mariner, 

the terza rima of the Divine,

the Japanese haiku and tanka,

the Italian canzone and sonnet,

the trisyllabic meter of Thing 1 and Thing 2,

the couplet of thee summer’s love,

a meter, a verse, a foot,

a gender based rhyme,

a happily-dactyl,

an onomatopoeic cock-a-doodle-do,

a heart as rock -simile,

a sea of troubles -metaphor,

call it art, a literary phenomenon, 

or sing song silly rubbish,

but I call it

the Pierian Spring of lexis.

Calypso

Calypso

The oars on the boat row in fury to reach its sunset demise.

The sightless captain glimpses through a spyglass

in confirmation of his destination. Up is like down in Davy Jones’ Locker,

but reach the horizon where dagger meets tip, and waft in calm breaths of Aeolus.

Free the helm-sway to Siren songs, toward petal shores of her Majesty.

Anchor into dusty pixie sands of Ogygia

Dionysus orchards rejoice; flowing silks of violet in violet brush – feasting in jubilance.

                        Golden masked Nymphs welcome you to her diamond masque domicile

            Stay a while; fill your stomach in goddess feast,

 puffy clouds in your glass of wine are sprite ecstasy – Aphrodite’s potion

   enchants with velvety rhythmic moans arousing Olympus,

on her golden tiles, glass steps, silver bath tubs - Stay a while my love.

The Spring of Youth a gift to my gratified Mariner and hearty crew.

Stay with me (I Calypso), and be my immortal Kings.

            But veiled from veracity -

A single sunset for a thousand kisses, Graeae spins. 

Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ η μετενσάρκωση της Ἶσις * (*Cleopatra VII Philopator the Reincarnation of Isis)

Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ η μετενσάρκωση της Ἶσις *

(*Cleopatra VII Philopator the Reincarnation of  Isis)

Nefertiti’s Pythagorean Pyramid,

passed down to the notorious

narcoleptic, egocentric Cleopatra.

Escapes, Capulet style, 

to Caesar the Montague.

Vinegary wine retreat,

to land afar.

Amulet lit,

florescent serpent eyes, yellow-green,

return to Romeo’s eyes rolled back.

Ogles glow once more.

War admirers adhere,

her venom nipped Antony. 

A lie hissed by a handmaiden.

Juliet’s inert news

stabbed his core.  

She slithered and shed

shining striking skin.

Hauling him near, she spit

passionate expressions

gasping, rasping last breaths

for a venomous kiss.

A renaissance curse,

Aset twisted and spiraled.

Spoils of ivory Pompeii palaces to

the golden granite Nile shrines,

seized by providence.

Summoning Naja haje, sincere sister,

commanding Dionysus’ amethyst injection,

she silenced the slithering Latrodectus.

Rekindled at Hades horrid doors,

with deafening laughs of Jackal

and screeching cries of Hawk nearby,

she coiled undyingly into Osiris’ arms.

Barzakh

Barzakh

cotton white wrap

a pale dust coat

ten feet bellow

position me to the right

my head northeast

will darkness be my light?

verve above

the last to leave

takes forty steps

will faith, prayer, proclamation be enough to unmute my soul?

looming Munkar wa Nakir

with abyss spiked hammers

 their lips of black blaze

ask three questions-

my bodiless eyes sear

awaiting a final answer

Araneae’s Restoration

Araneae’s Restoration

artful ascendance

plucked home restored

against winds wrathful

green dew clouds

tree-ward once more              

a new tapestry embroidered