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Mythology

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About Mythology

Introduction

About Egyptian Mythology

Introduction
Principal Egyptian Gods

Summary and Analysis for Egyptian Mythology

The Creation
Osiris

About Babylonian Mythology

Introduction
Major Babylonian Gods

Summary and Analysis for Babylonian Mythology

The Creation, the Flood, and Gilgamesh

About Indian Mythology

Introduction
Main Vedic Gods
Hindu Gods and Concepts

Summary and Analysis for Indian Mythology

Indra and the Dragon
Bhrigu and the Three Gods
Rama and Sita and Buddha

About Greek Mythology

Introduction
The Titans
Other Primordial Deities
The Olympian Gods
Other Gods
Mythical Greek Geography

Summary and Analysis for Greek Mythology

The Beginnings — Creation
The Beginnings — Prometheus and Man, and The Five Ages of Man and the Flood
The Beginnings — Loves of Zeus
The Beginnings — Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hermes, Demeter, and Dionysus
The Heroes — Perseus, Bellerophon, and Heracles
The Heroes — Jason and Theseus
The Heroes — Meleager and Orpheus
The Tragic Dynasties — Crete: The House Of Minos
The Tragic Dynasties — Mycenae: The House Of Atreus
The Tragic Dynasties — Thebes: The House of Cadmus
The Tragic Dynasties — Athens: The House of Erichthonius
The Trojan War — The Preliminaries, The Course of the War, The Fall of Troy, and The Returns
The Trojan War — Odysseus' Adventures
Other Myths

About Roman Mythology

Introduction
The Roman Gods

Summary and Analysis in Roman Mythology

Patriotic Legends — Aeneas and Romulus and Remus
Love Tales — Pyramus and Thisbe, Baucis and Philemon, Pygmalion, Vertumnus and Pomona, Hero and Leander, Cupid and Psyche

About Norse Mythology

Introduction
Supernatural Races in Norse Myth
The Major Norse Gods
Creation and Catastrophe

Summary and Analysis for Norse Mythology

The Norse Gods — Odin, Thor, Balder, Frey, Freya, and Loki
Beowulf, The Volsungs, and Sigurd

About Arthurian Legends

Introduction

Summary and Analysis for Arthurian Legends

Merlin, King Arthur, Gawain, Launcelot, Geraint, Tristram, Percivale, the Grail Quest, and the Passing of Arthur's Realm

Critical Essays

A Brief Look at Mythology

Study and Homework Help

Essay Questions

Cite this Literature Note

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Summary and Analysis for Egyptian Mythology

Osiris

By this time Horus had gathered an army with which to attack Set. Under Set's reign Egypt had become parched and infertile, and many of Set's followers were deserting to serve Horus. After restoring his father's body, Horus set out to wreak vengeance on the dreadful king. Set and Horus fought furiously for three days and nights in hand-to-hand combat, and Set was defeated. Horus turned the wretched captive over to his mother Isis and went off to pursue and kill Set's followers.

Set seemed merely pitiable in chains, and using all his powers of persuasion, he talked the forgiving Isis into releasing him. When Horus returned and learned of this, his anger was so great that he chopped off his mother's head. The god Thoth then replaced Isis' head with that of the cow-goddess Hathor and brought her back to life.

Together Horus and Isis pursued Set, and when they met the fighting was even more intense. Set managed to grab Horus' eye and tear it out, but Horus wrested it back and finally drove Set into the Red Sea forever.

Horus and Isis then returned to the temple where Osiris' body lay. Horus embraced the body and fed it his own eye that had been torn out, and Osiris revived as a truly godlike personage. Next Horus prepared a ladder for his father to ascend into heaven. By this means Osiris rose into the sky, with Isis on one side of him and Nephthys on the other. The gods sat in judgment on him, and with Thoth as his advocate Osiris was declared to have lived a pure and truthful life. From there Osiris went to the Seat of Judgment, where he in turn was allowed to judge the souls of the dead.

Horus was recognized by the gods as being Osiris' legitimate son and the rightful heir to the throne of Egypt. Under his dominion Egypt grew fruitful again, and he sired four pure sons from whom the entire line of Egyptian Pharaohs descended.


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