fandomhigh | World Mythology -- Third Period -- Monday

"Today, we start at the very beginning," Ghanima announced crisply. "Or as close to the beginning as such a young planet can get. Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian mythologies from parts of the fertile crescent, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq."

"The Sumerians practiced a polytheistic religion, with anthropomorphic gods or goddesses representing forces or presences in the world, in much the same way as later Greek mythology. According to said mythology, the gods originally created humans as servant and freed them when they became too much to handle. Many stories in Sumerian religion appear similar to stories in other Middle-Eastern religions. Gods and Goddesses from Sumer have similar representations in the religions of the Akkadians, Canaanites, and others."

"Today we look at one of the first primordial goddesses of this world: Tiamat. Tiamat is considered the embodiment of primordial chaos. Although there are no early precedents for it, some sources identify her with images of a sea serpent or dragon. In the Enûma Elish, the Babylonian epic of creation, she gives birth to the first generation of deities; she later makes war upon them and is killed by the storm-god Marduk. The heavens and the earth are formed from her divided body."

[~~Wait for the OC of D!~~ The OCD hath been achieved. Go forth!]

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"No," she shrugged. "It is only humans who are so arrogant as to think the world began when they start to walk upon it," she rolled her eyes.

"That's one way of looking at it," Jacob agreed with a laugh and he shrugged a shoulder. "I kind of like them. It gives meaning to things."

Firekeeper raised an eyebrow. "Wolves howl at the moon because it is pretty, not because we think a god live there. Still, there is meaning enough in joy."

"I said nothing about god," he defended quickly, making sure not to talk too loudly. It wouldn't do to get the teacher on his case again. "Joy's fine by me."

She was just a little touchy about the issue, perhaps. Despite evidence that gods (or creatures close enough to what could be considered godhood) actually did exist. They didn't exist in the culture of the wolves she was raised with or the humans she'd been adopted by more recently, and that was that.

"But you say we need these creation myths for world to have meaning," Firekeeper pointed out. "Perhaps is true for some, but my people have no such stories. And we still have meaning."

Jacob nodded. "For the Quileute, the stories are our history," he said. "Not so much the creation legends, but what came after. I used to think it were just stories, but they mean a lot to the tribe."

"A true story is a different thing," Firekeeper agreed. "Beasts have these, telling of things that happen in long-ago times." She paused, then added: "Some humans from my world have such stories as well."

Jacob nodded, "But it's hard to say where what truly happened gets changed. It happens all the time that stories get mixed up so in the long run? Some of it can't be completely true anymore."

"Perhaps in your world," Firekeeper allowed. "The true stories I know are of the coming of humans and how they bring Fire Plague," little did she know that there were important details left out of that account, "and..." to bring things slightly more back on track with the class discussion, "the binding of Dragon of Despair." Which was human and not a Beast story, but true nonetheless.

Edited 2010-01-11 22:52 (UTC)

"The binding of Dragon of Despair?" Jacob repeated, smirking a little. "They couldn't think of a heavier title?"

"That were name of dragon, and binding is what they do," Firekeeper replied. "What is wrong with that?"

"That's a sucky name," he informed her, because it was. "He had to get teased a lot by the other dragons. So um... you really did say dragon, right? Not lizard or something smaller?"

"You are lucky," Firekeeper told him archly, "that he cannot hear you say such things. I do not think he be pleased with such insult. No lizard," she confirmed, "dragon."

"I'm just saying it as I see it. You're going to get funny looks if you walk around town calling for 'Despair'," he said. It might have been a distraction from the boggling that was going on, which he was refusing to show. "You sound like you know him personally."

"And I just say, you should not make light of things you do not understand," and now there was a bit of a growl in her voice as she spoke. "He," and it was only a he insofar as it was easier to think of it in such terms, "try to trick me, once."

But making light of things was like second nature to him!

"Sure, sure," he shrugged. "You're right, I don't understand. How did he trick you? And what's the binding thing?"

Unfortunately, humor wasn't one of Firekeeper's strong points, thus her opinion of Jacob was rather rapidly plummeting.

"You do not know," she said, a bit incredulously, "what 'binding' mean?"

He was good at that.

"I know what the word means, but I can't say I know it in relation to dragons," he shrugged again. "So no, I'm not sure I'm getting what you're saying."

"A wizard make a dragon," she said slowly. "Because he were foolish and arrogant and using power he should not have. This dragon cause much trouble for people, so another wizard create a spell that bind it in the earth below ground."

Okay, how the hell could she expect him to know that?

"See, I know engines and that's about it. Magic? So not my thing. Or my world's thing," he added, scratching the back of his neck. "That sounds like a Frankenstein thing. Except for how Frankenstein isn't real."

She didn't expect him to know it! Just to take it seriously. She hadn't known it until a few years ago.

"My world is not supposed to have magic," Firekeeper shrugged. "But just because some say it is rule does not make it truth."

He was completely serious! Look at that face! Serious! Also, a bit confused.

"So how did you end up with wizards and dragons?" he asked.

"Because dragon were bound long before Fire Plague come and take away magic. Most magic," she shrugged.

She had a very confusing world, but he thought he was possibly beginning to grasp what she was saying. "So now the magic's gone and the dragon's stuck?"

"Not quite," Firekeeper corrected. "Magic was gone- or thought gone- for a long time, so there was no danger of dragon being freed. Then, one find how to free dragon, and try this, because she want its power."

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