Fandom High School

Trebor was back today, toddling from student-to-student as they arrived with a big smile and showing off his newest toy -- a light globe he could toss in the air, and it would hover there for him (or someone else) to try and catch.

Yes, it was a repurposed combat training drone. Ghanima saw no reason not to start her son early.

"Since it's been a chilly week, I thought we might go somewhere a bit more tropical for the day," Ghanima said, deftly catching the darting light out of the air once class began and making it vanish into the sleeves of her gown. "Hawaiian mythology refers to the legends, historical tales and sayings of the ancient Hawaiian people. It is considered a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology, developing its own unique character for several centuries before about 1800. It is associated with the Hawaiian religion, the system of beliefs that represent the beauty and mystery of Hawaiian sacred traditions. The religion was officially suppressed in the 19th century, but kept alive by some practitioners to the modern day."

( Aloha ‘olua e noho mai la i ke anu )

"This week we turn our eyes southward, to the world 'Down Under', or Australia," Ghanima began, distributing the handouts to the class as soon as everyone had arrived, although Trebor got a coloring book instead of the handouts.

"Australian Aboriginal myths, also known as Dreamtime stories, Songlines or Aboriginal oral literature, are the stories traditionally performed by Aboriginal peoples within each of the language groups across Australia." "All such myths variously tell of significant truths within each Aboriginal groups' local landscape affectively layering the whole of the Australian continent's topography with cultural nuance and deeper meaning, effectively empowering selected audiences with the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of Australian Aboriginal ancestors back to time immemorial."

"Australian Aboriginal mythologies have been characterized as "at one and the same time fragments of a catechism, a liturgical manual, a history of civilization, a geography textbook, and to a much smaller extent a manual of cosmography".

"Now, there are over 400 distinct Aboriginal groups from across Australia, each distinguished from each other by unique names most often identifying the particular languages, dialects, or distinctive speech mannerisms. There are so many distinct Aboriginal groups, languages, beliefs and practices that it would not seem proper to attempt to characterize, under a single heading, the full range and diversity of all myths being variously and continuously told, developed, elaborated, performed, and experienced by members of each and every one to the groups across the whole of the continent," she said, continuing to pace the room. "Despite the daunting task of trying to catalog such an evolving mythology, The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia never-the-less observes: "One intriguing feature of Aboriginal Australian mythology is the mixture of diversity and similarity in myths across the entire continent.""

The traditions and lore of Australia's indigenous peoples belongs to what may be one of the oldest continuous culture on Earth, to my understanding, circa 50,000 years. Indigenous Australian peoples conceive of all things beginning with The Dreaming or Altjeringa, also called the Dreamtime, a sacred 'once upon a time', time out of time in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation." Ghanima smiled as she returned to the front of the class to sit on her desk. "Some of this may sound familiar by now, and while we could dedicate an entire semester to the power of the collective human unconscious, we unfortunately do not have the time."

"On your desks, you should now have four handouts regarding The Dreamtime, Songlines, and the Rainbow Serpent. Please read them over, and then we will discuss as a class."

When students arrived for class today, they'd find various teapots set out around the room, each one with a neatly-printed card saying what type of tea was in it, and enough teacups for everyone to have two or three different types.

( The Great Divinity That Illuminates Heaven )

"Eventually, Susanoo would apologize by gifting Amaterasu with the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, a powerful sword that he found in the body of a eight-headed dragon. The sword would later be renamed the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, and become one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan."

Students arriving today would find a sign on the door:

Your primary teacher is ill.
Your secondary teacher does not speak enough English to lead a discussion.

I am aware your parents and guardians will be arriving this weekend. Use this class period to prepare whatever myths you will need to sell to them regarding this place.

After this many years, Ghanima knew how these weekends tended to go.

"Today we're visiting with a few creation tales from some of the Indigenous cultures of this continent." Ghanima grabbed her handouts from the front desk and began walking up and down the rows, dropping papers on desks. "For me to try and cover the history and mythology of every tribe in a single day would be impossible, not to mention insulting to the cultures involved. A thoughtful, anthropologically sound approach to these stories would take up an entire semester, not a class period."

"Among many tribes there is a strong sense that behind all individual spirits and personifications of the divine, there is a single creative life-force, sometimes called ‘the Great Mystery’, which expresses itself throughout the universe, in every human, animal, tree and grain of sand. Every story, too, is a working out of this life-force. One aspect of this outlook is the major role played in the stories by animals, who often speak to humans and assist them. Most tribes thought of individual members of a species as expressions of the spiritual archetype of that species, which in turn embodied a particular spirit power."

"Another key feature of the Indigenous American spiritual outlook is found in the powers ascribed to the Four Directions, which occur either literally or in symbolic form throughout the stories. These are often represented by particular colours, or by animals. The Four Directions have to be in balance for all to be well with the world, and often a central point of balance is identified as a fifth direction; for example, four brothers represent the outer directions, and their sister the center."

"Indigenous tales include all the types found worldwide, such as stories of creation, and of heroic journeys. However, they are particularly rich in ‘trickster’ myths. Notable examples are Coyote, and Iktome. The trickster is an ambiguous figure who demonstrates the qualities of early human development, both cultural and psychological, that make civilization possible, and yet which cause problems. He is an expression of the least developed stage of life, which is dominated by physical appetites."

"Today we're talking about the Woman Who Fell From The Sky, a Haudenosaunee creation tale, and a version of the story of Sedna, an Inuit tale," she said, quickly handwavily going over both myths, "and we will discuss the differences, similarities, and how they relate to other creation myths you may know."

The return of fall also brought the return of a pair of Atreides to the teaching-side of Fandom High.

Ghanima was sitting on her desk, eating lemon drops as she watched the students arrive, blue-on-blue eyes intently observing them all. Trebor was perfectly happy in his playpen, amusing himself with some blocks. He was a far cry from the infant that had spent so much time in the baby-wrap when she had first returned to the island.

As usual, all of the student desks had been relegated to storage in favor of divans, cushions, and other comfortable seating. Once the last of the students arrived, her face lit up with a smile.

"Good morning," she said, her voice carrying effortlessly. "I am Lady Ghanima Atreides, and this is World Mythology. You may call me Lady Ghanima or Miss Ghanima, whichever you are more comfortable with. The first person to call me Lady Atreides gets detention." Ghani grinned wickedly. "Lady Atriedes is my grandmother, and I am nowhere near that old. And this young man--" she gestured down to her son, "--is my co-teacher, Trebor. Don't let his sweet looks fool you, he is very demanding."

She had been doing this for over a decade, and now had a toddler -- fifteen months! -- with her. And yet, Ghanima herself still didn't look a day over twenty-one.

"This is a survey class," she continued, "--intended to give you a gentle introduction to various pantheons and mythologies around the world. We will not be covering any country in-depth, instead, consider this a whirlwind tour. If you are looking for the class about gods as real people, you will want to join Professors Blake and Foster on Mondays."

"During this class, I’m going to ask you to keep in mind that many stories we consider today to be folklore or myths were originally part of a religion. I’m going to ask that you keep an open mind, and try not to let any ethnocentric biases show too badly. Yes, you may consider tales of the Tuatha de Danan or the Morrigan to be nothing more than fairy stories, but to someone else it may be a fundamental truth."

"Today we will start with the definition of a myth.” Ghanima hopped off the desk and grabbed a stack of handouts, beginning to distribute them around the room.

"In the academic fields of mythology, mythography, or folkloristics, a myth (mythos) is a sacred story concerning the origins of the world or how the world and the creatures in it came to be in their present form. The active beings in myths are generally gods and heroes. Myths often are said to take place before recorded history begins. In saying that a myth is a sacred narrative, what is meant is that a myth is believed to be true by people who attach religious or spiritual significance to it. Use of the term by scholars does not imply that the narrative is either true or false."

"For the purpose of this class, myths are stories that originate in the beliefs of nations and races and present episodes in which supernatural forces operate. Some myths try to make visible and concrete ways that humans see nature, like the division of the year into seasons. Many myths show the ways that humans see the forces that control them, and often explain creation, religion, and divinities; they guess at the meaning of life and death, or at the cause for good and evil."

"Now, it is important to separate myths from other types of stories. Mythology is frequently confused with fiction, legend, fairy tale, folklore, fable, and urban legend, each of which has a distinct meaning in academia. There is also epic poetry, which may retell a myth, but not every epic poem is a myth – many are legends or folklore."

"The effective telling of a myth usually has some sense of dignity or simplicity, even for the entertaining or amusing ones, for it tries to re-create the spirit and intention of the original. When myths are poorly told, they condescend to or even insult the efforts of earlier societies to find meaning in life. When myths are well told, they appeal to something deep within us."

"Instead of doing the typical introductions, I'd like to hear about the myths near and dear to your hearts."

Ghanima was not wearing her normal formal Imperial clothing. Instead of her usual elaborate gown and hat, she was dressed in her Fremen robes, hair pulled back into a simple ponytail instead of twisted into a cascade of complicated braids as she sat on the floor, awaiting them.

"Today, we're going to discuss what happens when myth becomes reality," she said, gesturing for the students to take seats on the pillows and cushions heaped around the room. "As some of you may know, myth does not always stay detached from our day-to-day lives. On occasion, myth becomes fact, fiction turns reality, and we are left with the aftermath of our gods and heroes."

"This is not as theoretical as you think. In Fandom alone, anything is possible, and many of us are from worlds where that it has already happened at least once," Ghanima said. "So, what do we do when faced with such an event? How do we reconcile the merge of two previously incompatible worlds?"

 The moment the students were seated, Ghanima launched into her lecture. 

"Given that we're in the early stage of winter," she began, "We'll start with the myths of a land known for its winter.  Today, we journey to Northern Europe, to take on Norse mythology."
( Ragnar�k. It's the End of the World As We Know It. )

"We're going north of our last class," Ghanima announced without preamble as the students arrived, "Past England and its stodgy weather to the madmen of Ireland.  If you need a good story, there's no better land for myth than Éire."

( Cut for the random academic babblings regarding sources, that quite possibly only Ghani cares about. )
"Looking over the two handouts of the story, I'd like you to pair up and discuss why this particular story is usually classified as myth by scholars, and if you see any parallels to other myths we've studied.  Begin."


[OOC: The OCD has landed, and is not a swan.]

When students arrived for class today, they'd find various teapots set out around the room, each one with a neatly-printed card saying what type of tea was in it, and enough cups for everyone to have two or three different types.

"Amaterasu, Amaterasu-ōmikami, or Ōhiru-menomuchi-no-kami, is a sun goddess and one of the principal Shinto deities or kami," Ghanima said once the class had assembled, sipping her own tea serenely. "Her name, Amaterasu, means literally 'that which illuminates Heaven.' She was born from the left eye of Izanagi as he purified himself in a river and went on to become the ruler of the Higher Celestial Plain, or Takamagahara. She is also said to be directly linked in lineage to the Imperial Household of Japan and the Emperor, who are considered descendants of the kami themselves."

"Amaterasu, the powerful sun goddess of Japan, is the most well-known deity of Japanese mythology. Her feuding with her uncontrollable brother Susanoo, however, is equally infamous and appears in several tales. One story tells of Susanoo's wicked behavior toward Izanagi. Izanagi, tired of Susanoo's repeated complaints, banished him to Yomi. Susanoo grudgingly acquiesced, but had to attend to some unfinished business first. He went to Takamagahara -- heaven -- to bid farewell to his sister, Amaterasu. Amaterasu knew her unpredictable brother did not have any good intentions in mind and prepared for battle. "For what purpose do you come here?", asked Amaterasu. "To say farewell", answered Susanoo. But she did not believe him and requested a contest for proof of his good faith. A challenge was set as to who could bring forth more noble and divine children. Amaterasu made three women from Susanoo's sword, while Susanoo made five men from Amaterasu's ornament chain. Amaterasu claimed the title to the five men made from her belongings. Therefore, the three women were attributed to Susanoo."

"Both gods declared themselves to be victorious. Amaterasu's insistence in her claim drove Susanoo to violent campaigns. He trampled Amaterasu Omikami's rice fields, filled all of her irrigation ditches and threw excrement into her palace and her shrines. The Omikami asked her brother to stop but he ignored her and even went so far as to throw the corpse of a skinned horse at her hand-maidens who were weaving at the time. The women were killed by the splintered wood from the looms piercing their bodies. Amaterasu, angered by the display, fled and hid in the cave called Iwayado. As the sun goddess disappeared into the cave, darkness covered the world

"Without her, everything began to wither and die. Countless Kami gathered in front of her cave and devised a way to lure her out. All the gods and goddesses in their turn strove to coax Amaterasu out of the cave, but she ignored them all. Finally, the kami of merriment, Ame-no-Uzume, hatched a plan. She placed a large bronze mirror on a tree, facing Amaterasu's cave. Then, Uzume clothed herself in flowers and leaves, overturned a washtub and began to dance on it, drumming the tub with her feet. Finally, Uzume shed the leaves and flowers and danced naked. All the male gods roared with laughter, and Amaterasu became curious. Amaterasu peeked out to see what the noise was about. She asked the nearest god what was going on and he replied that there was a new goddess. When Amaterasu asked where she was, he pointed to the mirror.

The Omikami had never seen herself before and when she caught her reflection, she stared at the radiance of her own form. She was so surprised she said "omo-shiroi", which means both "white face", which the Omikami had, and "fascinating". When she was out of the way, Tajikara-O shut the rock behind her. Having lured her out of the cave, the gods convinced her to go back into the Celestial Plain and all life began to grow again and become strong in her light. Once back in the Celestial Plain, she made sure that she was ready for her brother's harsh actions again by having a bow and quiver at her side."

"Eventually, Susanoo would apologize by gifting Amaterasu with the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, a powerful sword that he found in the body of a eight-headed dragon. The sword would later be renamed the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, and become one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan."

 Anansi is a fine fellow, and admittedly one of my favorite gods," Ghanima said, as her students arrived today.  "He is easily one of the most important characters of West African lore.  He is often depicted as a spider, a human, or combinations thereof."

"The Anansi legends are believed to have originated in the Ashanti tribe. They later spread to other Akan groups and then to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria. Anansi stories originated in Ghana, in Africa. The word Anansi is Akan and means spider.  Anansi stories are known as Anansesem to the Ashanti and Anansi-Tori to the Suriname.

"Anansi, the Spider, is one of the most popular animal tricksters from West African mythology. Tricksters are mischievous figures who often oppose the will of the gods, resulting in some kind of misfortune for humans. Like many trickster figures, the wily Anansi can change his appearance to look like whatever he chooses.  This makes for some entertaining escapades, and gets him into and out of a world of trouble."

"West Africans originally considered Anansi to be the creator of the world. He often acted as a go-between for humans in their dealings with the sky god Nyame, and he supposedly persuaded Nyame to give both rain and the night to people. In most stories, however, Anansi is a crafty and cunning trickster who makes life more enjoyable for himself (or more difficult for others) by fooling humans, other animals, and even the gods themselves, often using his cleverness and knowledge of his victims' ways of thinking to trick them and achieve his purpose."

"Many Anansi stories deal with him attempting to trick people into allowing him to steal food or money, or something else that could turn a profit, but our 'hero' doesn't always win!  It was not uncommon for a trick to backfire upon Anansi in some way or another."

"One of the very notable stories where Anansi himself was tricked, was when he tried to fight a tar baby after trying to steal food, but became stuck to it instead. The "tar-baby" tale appears in a variety of ethnic African folklore contexts. It is perhaps best known to Americans from the Brer Rabbit version, found in the Uncle Remus stories. These were derived from African-American folktales in the Southern United States. Ultimately this version was adapted and used in the 1946 live-action/animated Walt Disney movie Song of the South, which is an entire dissertation  on mythology, sociology, and American racism in and of itself.  We will not get into that here."

"Now, why is this figure so universal?" she asked,  "And why did so many African American folk tales recount his exploits, under one name or another? Anansi is the spirit of rebellion; he is able to overturn the social order; he can marry the King's daughter, create wealth out of thin air; baffle the Devil and cheat Death. Even if Anansi loses in one story, you know that he will overcome in the next. Anansi conveys a simple message --that freedom and dignity are worth fighting for, at any odds."

"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."

When the students arrived that day, they'd find the table along the back wall held plenty of juice boxes, granola, and yogurt, and Ghanima was sitting on top of her desk, as usual, but once again dressed very informally.

"Well, it seems that the island has returned to one of my more favorite weekends, so we'll be topical today.  ( Therefore, we are going to touch on the Romans, and look at the tale of Romulus and Remus. )  

"So, what do you think? For those not normally in this class, after spending the weekend with your parents, would it be better or worse to be raised by a wolf? What makes a 'parent?' What is 'family?' Genetics, affection, support? For the regular denizens of Fandom, what makes our guests 'your' children? A quirk of the timeline, or something more eternal?" Ghanima smiled at the class angelically. "Discuss."

Ghanima had overcome her distaste for email to send something out to the entire class:

I am from a desert planet.
I highly doubt they have cleared the streets from town to the dorms to the school.
Go do whatever the window pictures are telling you to do.

She'd phoned the school, to have the Moose put a similar note on the door of the classroom, in case someone didn't use email.

But as far as she was concerned, that was that. Ghanima was staying inside, thank you very much, with her heat turned up as high as it could go and the curtains drawn so she could pretend the snow was not there. It was unnatural, and wet and cold and she hated it.

Enjoy the snow day, students!

"Morning, students," Ghanima said as everyone assembled. "In light of the past week's vacation, and the fact my brain is currently on a different galactic time standard, you're going to be watching The Siblings Morbid today. I'd like you to make yourselves comfortable, be it on the floor or at your desks, and decide what myths, if any, you see referenced in the movie, or if it's pure fairy tale."

"There is tea, coco, water, and hot apple cider in the marked containers along the south wall. Please, help yourselves."

When students arrived for class today, they'd find various teapots set out around the room, each one with a neatly-printed card saying what type of tea was in it, and enough cups for everyone to have two or three different types.

"Amaterasu, Amaterasu-ōmikami, or Ōhiru-menomuchi-no-kami, is a sun goddess and one of the principal Shinto deities or kami," Ghanima said once the class had assembled, sipping her own tea serenely.  "Her name, Amaterasu, means literally "that which illuminates Heaven". She was born from the left eye of Izanagi as he purified himself in a river and went on to become the ruler of the Higher Celestial Plain, or Takamagahara.  She is also said to be directly linked in lineage to the Imperial Household of Japan and the Emperor, who are considered descendants of the kami themselves." 

( Do you need proof of God? Does one light a torch to see the sun? )

"Eventually, Susanoo would apologize by gifting Amaterasu with the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, a powerful sword that he found in the body of a eight-headed dragon.  The sword would later be renamed the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, and become one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan."

 

The moment the students were seated, Ghanima launched into her lecture. 

"Given that we're in the midst of winter," she began, "We'll start with the myths of a land known for its winter.  Today, we journey to Northern Europe, to take on Norse mythology."
( Ragnar�k. It's the End of the World As We Know It. )

Ghanima was sitting on her desk, eating lemon drops as she watched the students arrive, blue-on-blue eyes intently observing them all.  Once the last of the students arrived, her face lit up with a smile.

"Good morning,” she said, her voice carrying effortlessly. “I am Lady Ghanima Atreides, and this is World Mythology.  You may call me Lady Ghanima or Miss Ghanima, whichever you are more comfortable with.  The first person to call me Lady Atreides gets detention.”  Ghani grinned wickedly.  "Lady Atriedes is my grandmother, and I am nowhere near that old."

( Without a knowledge of mythology much of the elegant literature of our own language cannot be understood and appreciated. )

"Instead of doing the typical introductions, I'd like to hear about the myths near and dear to your hearts."

Ghanima had flung open all the classroom windows today, letting in as much fresh air as possible. The desks were gone, replaced with the large fluffy pillows that the students most likely knew to associate with a movie day. Today, however, they'd only be half-right.

"Hello, students," she said once everyone had arrived. "It sounds like you all followed my advice last week, so well done. If you need to leave today to visit the clinic or go back to bed and rest, please feel free to do so."

"Today, we'll be watching a movie, and then you'll grab some weapons and go outside to reenact it as you like. And yes, you may keep your swords."

Anansi is a fine fellow, and admittedly one of my favorite gods," Ghanima said, as her students arrived today.  "He is easily one of the most important characters of West African lore.  He is often depicted as a spider, a human, or combinations thereof."

"The Anansi legends are believed to have originated in the Ashanti tribe. They later spread to other Akan groups and then to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria. Anansi stories originated in Ghana, in Africa. The word Anansi is Akan and means spider.  Anansi stories are known as Anansesem to the Ashanti and Anansi-Tori to the Suriname.

Grinning, Ghanima hopped off her desk to begin wandering the rows of desks as she talked.  "Anansi, the Spider, is one of the most popular animal tricksters from West African mythology. Tricksters are mischievous figures who often oppose the will of the gods, resulting in some kind of misfortune for humans. Like many trickster figures, the wily Anansi can change his appearance to look like whatever he chooses.  This makes for some entertaining escapades, and gets him into and out of a world of trouble."

"West Africans originally considered Anansi to be the creator of the world. He often acted as a go-between for humans in their dealings with the sky god Nyame, and he supposedly persuaded Nyame to give both rain and the night to people. In most stories, however, Anansi is a crafty and cunning trickster who makes life more enjoyable for himself (or more difficult for others) by fooling humans, other animals, and even the gods themselves, often using his cleverness and knowledge of his victims' ways of thinking to trick them and achieve his purpose."

"Many Anansi stories deal with him attempting to trick people into allowing him to steal food or money, or something else that could turn a profit, but our 'hero' doesn't always win!  It was not uncommon for a trick to backfire upon Anansi in some way or another."

"One of the very notable stories where Anansi himself was tricked, was when he tried to fight a tar baby after trying to steal food, but became stuck to it instead. The "tar-baby" tale appears in a variety of ethnic African folklore contexts. It is perhaps best known to Americans from the Brer Rabbit version, found in the Uncle Remus stories. These were derived from African-American folktales in the Southern United States. Ultimately this version was adapted and used in the 1946 live-action/animated Walt Disney movie Song of the South, which is an entire dissertation  on mythology, sociology, and American racism in and of itself.  We will not get into that here."

"Now, why is this figure so universal?" she asked,  "And why did so many African American folk tales recount his exploits, under one name or another? Anansi is the spirit of rebellion; he is able to overturn the social order; he can marry the King's daughter, create wealth out of thin air; baffle the Devil and cheat Death. Even if Anansi loses in one story, you know that he will overcome in the next. Anansi conveys a simple message --that freedom and dignity are worth fighting for, at any odds."

"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."

( e-nu-ma e-liš la na-bu-ú šá-ma-mu // šap-liš am-ma-tum šu-ma la zak-rat // ZU.AB-ma reš-tu-ú za-ru-šu-un // mu-um-mu ti-amat mu-al-li-da-at gim-ri-šú-un // A.MEŠ-šú-nu iš-te-niš i-ḫi-qu-ú-šú-un // gi-pa-ra la ki-is-su-ru su-sa-a la she-'u-ú // e-nu-ma dingir dingir la šu-pu-u ma-na-ma' )

"Congratulations," Ghanima said as everyone arrived. "You've made it through yet another semester relatively intact."

"As any of you know who have taken my classes before, I don't believe in finals," she continued. "Either you have learned from the material or you have not, and making you cram for a test is no indication of your intelligence levels."

"So instead, I want to hear from you today. I'd like everyone to take a moment to stand up and share with us one myth from this class that resonated with them, and why. I am not requiring a verbal defense of a thesis, but heartfelt honesty is appreciated, when approaching the mythos of a culture."

[OCD has arrived!]

"We're going back around the world," Ghanima announced without preamble as the students arrived, "Back to Europe, and slightly north, past England and its stodgy weather to the madmen of Ireland.  If you need a good story, there's no better land for myth than Éire."


"Looking over the two handouts of the story, I'd like you to pair up and discuss why this particular story is usually classified as myth by scholars, and if you see any parallels to other myths we've studied.  Begin."


[OOC: The OCD has landed, and is not a swan.]