The achievements of the ancient Greeks in art, science and politics had a significant impact on the development of European states. Not last role Mythology, one of the most well studied in the world, also played a role in this process. For many hundreds of years it has appeared for many creators. The history and myths of Ancient Greece have always been closely intertwined. The realities of the archaic era are known to us precisely thanks to the legends of that period.
Greek mythology took shape at the turn II-I millennium BC e. Tales of gods and heroes spread throughout Hellas thanks to the Aeds - wandering reciters, the most famous of whom was Homer. Later, during Greek classics, mythological stories reflected in works of art great playwrights - Euripides and Aeschylus. Even later, at the beginning of our era, Greek scientists began to classify myths, compose family trees heroes - in other words, to study the heritage of their ancestors.
Origin of the Gods
Ancient myths and legends of Greece are dedicated to gods and heroes. According to the ideas of the Hellenes, there were several generations of gods. The first couple to have anthropomorphic features was Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). They gave birth to 12 titans, as well as one-eyed Cyclops and multi-headed and multi-armed giants, the Hecatoncheires. The birth of monster children did not please Uranus, and he cast them into the great abyss - Tartarus. This, in turn, did not please Gaia, and she persuaded her titan children to overthrow their father (the myths about the ancient gods of Greece are replete with similar motives). The youngest of her sons, Kronos (Time), managed to accomplish this. With the beginning of his reign, history repeated itself.
He, like his father, was afraid of his powerful children and therefore, as soon as his wife (and sister) Rhea gave birth to another child, he swallowed it. This fate befell Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera and Hades. Nose last son Rhea could not part ways: when Zeus was born, she hid him in a cave on the island of Crete and instructed the nymphs and curetes to raise the child, and brought a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to her husband, which he swallowed.
War with the Titans
The ancient myths and legends of Greece were filled with bloody wars for power. The first of them began after the grown-up Zeus forced Kronos to vomit the swallowed children. Having enlisted the support of his brothers and sisters and calling upon the giants imprisoned in Tartarus for help, Zeus began to fight his father and other titans (some later went over to his side). The main weapons of Zeus were lightning and thunder, which the Cyclops forged for him. The war lasted a whole decade; Zeus and his allies defeated and imprisoned their enemies in Tartarus. It must be said that Zeus was also destined for his father’s fate (to fall at the hands of his son), but he managed to avoid it thanks to the help of the titan Prometheus.
Myths about the ancient gods of Greece - the Olympians. Descendants of Zeus
Power over the world was shared by three titans, representing the third generation of gods. These were Zeus the Thunderer (he became the supreme god of the ancient Greeks), Poseidon (lord of the seas) and Hades (master underground kingdom dead).
They had numerous descendants. All the supreme gods, except Hades and his family, lived on Mount Olympus (which exists in reality). IN ancient greek mythology there were 12 main celestials. Zeus's wife Hera was considered the patroness of marriage, and the goddess Hestia was hearth and home. Demeter was in charge of agriculture, Apollo was in charge of light and the arts, and his sister Artemis was revered as the goddess of the moon and the hunt. The daughter of Zeus Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, was one of the most respected celestials. The Greeks, sensitive to beauty, also revered the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite and her husband Ares, a warlike god. Hephaestus, the god of fire, was praised by artisans (in particular, blacksmiths). The cunning Hermes, the mediator between gods and people and the patron of trade and livestock, also demanded respect.
Divine Geography
Ancient myths and legends of Greece are created in the mind modern reader very controversial image God. On the one hand, the Olympians were considered powerful, wise and beautiful, and on the other, they were characterized by all the weaknesses and vices of mortal people: envy, jealousy, greed and anger.
As already mentioned, Zeus ruled over gods and people. He gave people laws and controlled their destinies. But not in all areas of Greece the Supreme Olympian was the most revered god. The Greeks lived in city-states and believed that each such city (polis) had its own divine patron. So, Athena favored Attica and its main city - Athens.
Aphrodite was glorified in Cyprus, off the coast of which she was born. Poseidon guarded Troy, Artemis and Apollo guarded Delphi. Mycenae, Argos and Samos offered sacrifices to Hera.
Other divine entities
The ancient myths and legends of Greece would not be so rich if only people and gods acted in them. But the Greeks, like other peoples of those times, were inclined to deify the forces of nature, and therefore other powerful creatures are often mentioned in myths. These are, for example, naiads (patrons of rivers and streams), dryads (patrons of groves), oreads (mountain nymphs), nereids (daughters of the sea sage Nereus), as well as various magical creatures and monsters.
In addition, goat-footed satyrs lived in the forests, accompanying the god Dionysus. Many legends featured wise and warlike centaurs. At the throne of Hades stood the goddess of vengeance Erinnia, and on Olympus the gods were entertained by muses and charites, patroness of the arts. All these entities often argued with the gods or entered into marriage with them or with people. Many great heroes and gods were born as a result of such marriages.
Myths of Ancient Greece: Hercules and his exploits
As for heroes, in every region of Greece it was also customary to honor their own. But invented in the north of Hellas, in Epirus, Hercules became one of the most beloved characters ancient myths. Hercules is known for the fact that, while in the service of his relative, King Eurystheus, he performed 12 labors (killing the Lernaean Hydra, capturing the Kerynean fallow deer and the Erymanthian boar, bringing the belt of Hippolyta, delivering the people from the Stymphalian birds, taming the mares of Diomedes, going to the Kingdom of Hades and other).
Not everyone knows that these acts were carried out by Hercules as atonement for his guilt (in a fit of madness, he destroyed his family). After the death of Hercules, the gods accepted him into their ranks: even Hera, who plotted intrigues against him throughout the hero’s life, was forced to recognize him.
Conclusion
Ancient myths were created many centuries ago. But they have by no means primitive content. The myths of Ancient Greece are the key to understanding modern European culture.
Every nation has beautiful and amazing legends. They are varied in topic: legends about the exploits of heroes, stories about the origin of the names of geographical objects, horror stories O supernatural beings and novelistic tales of lovers.
Definition of the term
A legend is an unreliable account of an event. It is very similar to the myth and can be considered its approximate analogue. But legend and myth still cannot be called completely identical concepts. If we are talking about myth, then there are fictional heroes who have nothing to do with reality. The legend allows at its core real events, later supplemented or embellished. Since many fictitious facts are added to them, for reliable scientists legends do not accept.
If we take as a basis classical meaning words, then a legend is a tradition set out in artistic form. Such legends exist among almost all nations.
Top Legends world - they will be discussed in the article.
Types of legends
1. Oral legends- most ancient look. They spread through wandering storytellers.
2. Written traditions - recorded oral stories.
3. Religious legends- narratives about events and persons from church history.
4. Social legends - all other legends that are not related to religion.
5. Toponymic - explaining the origin of the names of geographical objects (rivers, lakes, cities).
6. Urban legends - newest look, which has become widespread these days.
In addition, there are many more varieties of legends, depending on the plot that underlies them - zootropomorphic, cosmogonic, etiological, eschatonic and heroic. There are very short legends and long narratives. The latter are usually associated with a story about the heroic achievements of a person. For example, the legend about the hero Ilya Muromets.
How did legends arise?
WITH Latin language legenda translates as “that which must be read.” The history of legends goes back a long way and has the same roots as myth. having no idea about the reasons for many things happening around him natural phenomena, composed myths. Through them he tried to explain his vision of the world. Later, based on mythology, amazing and interesting legends about heroes, gods and supernatural phenomena began to arise. Many of them have been preserved in the traditions of the peoples of the world.
Atlantis - the legend of the lost paradise
The best legends that arose in ancient times have survived to this day. Many of them still captivate the imagination of adventurers with their beauty and realism. The story of Atlantis says that in ancient times there was an island whose inhabitants achieved incredible heights in many sciences. But then it was destroyed strong earthquake and sank along with the Atlanteans - its inhabitants.
We must express our gratitude to the great ancient Greek philosopher Plato and the no less revered historian Herodotus for the story of Atlantis. An interesting legend excited the minds of these outstanding scientists during their lifetime. ancient Greece. It has not lost its relevance even today. The search for the wonderful island, which sank thousands of years ago, continues to this day.
If the legend about Atlantis turns out to be true, this event will be one of the greatest discoveries century. After all, there was no less interesting legend about the mythical Troy, in the existence of which Heinrich Schliemann sincerely believed. In the end, he managed to find this city and prove that there was some truth in the ancient legends.
Founding of Rome
This interesting legend is one of the most famous in the world. The city of Rome arose in ancient times on the banks of the Tiber. The proximity of the sea made it possible to engage in trade, and at the same time the city was well protected from a sudden attack by sea robbers. According to legend, Rome was founded by the brothers Romulus and Remus, who were suckled by a she-wolf. By order of the ruler, they were supposed to be killed, but a careless servant threw the basket with the children into the Tiber, hoping that it would drown. She was picked up by a shepherd and became the foster father for the twins. Having matured and learned about their origin, they rebelled against a relative and took away power from him. The brothers decided to found their own city, but during construction they quarreled, and Romulus killed Remus.
He named the built city after himself. The legend about the emergence of Rome belongs to toponymic legends.
The Legend of the Golden Dragon - The Path to the Heavenly Temple
Among the legends, stories about dragons are very popular. Many nations have them, but traditionally it is one of the favorite themes of Chinese folklore.
The legend of the golden dragon says that between heaven and earth there is a bridge that leads to the Heavenly Temple. It belongs to the Lord of the World. They can only get into it pure souls. Two golden dragons stand guard over the shrine. They sense an unworthy soul and can tear it apart when trying to enter the temple. One day one of the dragons angered the Lord, and he expelled him. The dragon descended to earth, met other creatures and dragons of different stripes were born from him. The Lord became angry when he saw them and destroyed everyone except those not yet born. Having been born, they hid for a long time. But the Lord of the World did not destroy the new dragons, but left them on earth as his governors.
Treasures and Treasures
Legends about gold occupy no last place on the list of popular legends. One of the most famous and beautiful myths of ancient Greece tells about the Argonauts' search for the Golden Fleece. For a long time The legend about the treasure was simply considered a legend until Heinrich Schliemann found a treasure of pure gold at the excavation site of Mycenae, the capital of the legendary king.
Kolchak's Gold is another famous legend. In the years Civil War ended up in my hands most of Russia's gold reserves are about seven hundred tons of gold. It was transported in several trains. Historians know what happened to one train. He was captured by the rebel Czechoslovak Corps and handed over to the authorities (Bolsheviks). But the fate of the remaining two is unknown to this day. The precious cargo could have been dumped into a mine, hidden or buried in the vast area between Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk. All the excavations that have been carried out so far (starting with the security officers) have not yielded results.
The Well to Hell and the Library of Ivan the Terrible
Russia also has its own interesting legends. One of them, which appeared relatively recently, is one of the so-called urban legends. This is a story about a well to hell. This name was given to one of the deepest man-made wells in the world - Kola. Its drilling began in 1970. The length is 12,262 meters. The well was created exclusively for scientific purposes. Now it is mothballed because there are no funds to maintain it in working condition. The legend appeared in 1989, when a story was heard on American television that sensors lowered to the very depths of the well recorded sounds similar to moans and screams of people.
Another interesting legend, which may well be true, speaks of a library of books, scrolls and manuscripts. The last owner of the precious collection was Ivan IV. It is believed that she was part of her niece's dowry Byzantine Emperor Konstantin.
Afraid that the precious books in wooden Moscow could be burned in a fire, she ordered the library to be placed in the basements under the Kremlin. According to the seekers of the famous Liberia, it may contain 800 volumes of priceless works of ancient and medieval authors. Now there are about 60 versions of where the mysterious library may be stored.
Dear reader! Collected here short parables, fables and legends for children junior classes. They are redone and written in short sentences. Easy to read children. Will fit for children of any grade. Parables are added. If you have your own good parable, fable or legend - please send it. Or post it in the comments. Thank you! 🙂
Parable. What to be afraid of?
One day it started heavy thunderstorm. All the children ran home. But the little girl herself was not there.
Mom went to look for her. It was raining in the yard. Lightning flashed brightly. Thunder rumbled loudly.
Mom was scared. She closed her eyes from every lightning. And from every thunder she covered her head with her hands.
Mom found her daughter on the street. The girl was all wet. She jumped and danced in the rain. And when lightning flashed, the girl raised her face up. And smiled at the sky.
Mom was very surprised. She asked:
- Daughter! Are not you afraid? Are you scared?
But the daughter answered in surprise:
- No, mom! I'm not scared! I don't know what to be afraid of here?
And then she said:
- Mother! Look! I dance and the sky takes pictures of me!
The same parable performed by Alexandra
Don't judge strictly, performance without rehearsal:
Two apples
A parable about not making hasty conclusions.
A little girl brought two apples from the street. Probably someone gave it to me.
– Mom, look how beautiful the apples are!
- Yes, beautiful! Will you treat me? - Mom asked.
The little girl looked at the apples. And then she took a bite from one apple. I thought for a second and... – I bit the second one.
Mom was surprised. And I thought:
– What a greedy girl I’m growing up. She started eating both apples, but didn’t offer me one.
But to her surprise, the girl handed her mother one apple with the words:
- Mommy! Take this apple! It's sweeter! 🙂
Dear reader!
Fable for children
Fable Lion and Mouse
The lion was sleeping under a tree. And under this tree there was a Mouse hole. The mouse began to crawl out of the hole and woke up the Lion. The lion woke up and caught the mouse. The mouse began to ask:
- Let go! I promise to help you when you ask me.
The Lion let go of the Mouse and laughed. He said:
- How can you help me? You're so small.
Time has passed. The hunters wounded the lion. They tied him up with rope and decided to sell him to the zoo.
The lion roared loudly, but none of the animals came to the rescue. All the animals were also afraid of the hunters.
But the Mouse came running. She chewed the rope at night. And Leo was freed.
Then the Mouse said to the Lion:
– Remember, you laughed at me for being so small. You didn't believe that I could help you.
Lev said:
- Sorry, Mouse, that I laughed. I didn’t know that small animals can also be useful.
Fable for children
Fable Dog and Reflection
The dog walked along the plank across the river. She carried a bone in her teeth.
Suddenly the Dog saw her reflection in the water. She thought that another dog was carrying prey there. And it seemed to the dog that that dog had a much larger bone than hers.
The dog abandoned his prey and rushed to take the bone from the reflection.
As a result, the Dog was left with nothing. She lost hers and couldn’t take away someone else’s.
This fable is about a cowardly heart.
No matter how much you help a coward, he will still be afraid.
Mouse heart
Young speaker Once upon a time there lived a little Mouse who was unhappy because he was afraid of everything. But most of all he was afraid of falling into the paws of a cat.
The mouse came to the Wizard and began to ask him to make him a cat.
The wizard took pity on the mouse and turned him into a cat.
But then this cat began to be afraid of dogs.
The wizard turned a former mouse into a dog. But then he began to be afraid of wolves.
The wizard turned him into a wolf. But then he became very afraid of hunters.
And then the Wizard gave up. He again turned him into a mouse and said:
- Nothing will help you. Because you have the heart of a cowardly mouse.
The Legend of King Solomon's Ring.
There is a legend about King Solomon.
This legend is about King Solomon and the magic ring. I think children will understand it just as much as adults.
The sage gave King Solomon a magic ring. He put this ring on the king's finger and said:
“Never take off the ring!”
On this ring was the inscription:
"All will pass!"
When the king was sad, Solomon looked at the ring and read the inscription:
"All will pass!"
And the magic of the ring acted on the king. Solomon stopped grieving.
The ring always helped the king. Even when Solomon was angry, he also looked at the ring and read:
"All will pass!"
He smiled and calmed down.
But one day a great grief happened. Solomon looked at the ring and read the inscription. But he didn’t calm down, he even got angry. Then he took the ring off his finger for the first time and wanted to throw it away. But he saw that there was also an inscription inside the ring. He read:
“This too shall pass!”
Solomon calmed down and smiled.
He never took his magic ring off his hand again. And he gave the sage an expensive gift.
Parable for children
Where does a zebra get stripes? African legend.
Once upon a time, the zebra was one color. She was brown, like an antelope. And Zebra didn't like it. But she didn't know what color she should be. She liked black and white.
The zebra took two brushes and two cans of paint: white and black.
Each time she painted herself, sometimes with black paint, sometimes with white. This is how the stripes appeared. She never decided what she should be, white or black.
Then Zebra decided to take a swim to wash off the paint. But the paint was already so ingrained that it was impossible to get rid of it. Since then, Zebras have become black and white striped.
The Legend of Narcissus.
It was a long time ago. Back when people didn't have mirrors.
One young man was very handsome. And to see his beauty, he went to the stream to look at his reflection.
He looked at his reflection for a long time and admired himself. Then a Fairy appeared from the forest and made the young man beautiful flower. This beautiful flower remained on the bank of the stream, admiring its reflection.
And people began to say to those who often look at their reflection:
– Don’t admire yourself for too long, lest you turn into a flower like Narcissus
Parables for children
The legend of how the kangaroo got its name.
The famous navigator James Cook sailed to Australia. There he saw amazing animals that jumped with huge leaps on two legs.
The surprised captain asked local resident:
-What is the name of this beast?
The native shrugged his shoulders because he didn’t understand anything.
Cook asked again:
- Who is this?– and pointed to the jumping animal.
The native replied:
- Kan garu.
In the local language this meant: "I do not understand you".
Cook asked:
- Kangaroo?
The native nodded his head:
– Kan garu
Cook wrote in his journal that he saw amazing animals that run by jumping on two legs. And these animals are called: kangaroo.
Parables for children
The dispute between the Sun and the Wind. Who is stronger?
The wind was bragging about how strong it was. The Sun decided to teach the Wind a lesson. It said:
“You see, there’s an old man in a raincoat.” Can you take his cloak off?
“Of course I can,” answered the Wind.
The sun hid behind a cloud, and the wind began to blow. It got stronger and stronger until it finally turned into a hurricane. But the stronger the Wind blew, the more the traveler wrapped himself in his cloak.
The sun said:
- Enough! Now it's my turn!
The wind died down and stopped.
And the Sun smiled at the traveler and warmed him with its rays. The old man cheered up, he felt warm - and he took off his cloak.
And the Sun said to the Wind:
- See! There is another force.
Since then, the Wind has stopped boasting of its power in front of the Sun.
Parables for children
Parable. How to divide equally?
Two brothers lived in the same village. Father, we will give them a field. And the brothers decided to divide the field in half.
We started dividing. It seemed to one that the other was getting most of it... then vice versa... They couldn’t draw a line. We thought and wondered... we almost came to a fight...
And they decided to turn to the Sage.
- Tell me, Sage... How can we equally and peacefully divide the field among ourselves?
And the sage says:
- Do this. Let one brother divide the field in half as he decides to do it. And let the second one choose from two halves: which part will be his, and which part will go to his brother.
And so they did. One brother divided the field in half. He tried very hard to make sure the halves were the same. The second brother chose one half of the field. And I was pleased too. After this incident, the brothers began to divide everything in this way.
Parables for children
How to feel about your work.
Three workers were carrying bricks. A boy came up to them and asked:
- What are you doing?
The worker wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied:
– Don’t you see that we are carrying bricks?
- But why?
- Baby, this is our job.
The boy did not understand why people carry bricks. He approached another worker and asked:
- What are you doing?
He rolled up his sleeves and said matter-of-factly:
– Don’t you see? - We earn money.
- What for?
- What do you mean why? I need money, otherwise I wouldn't take this job.
Then the boy approached the third worker.
- What are you doing?
The man smiled and said:
- Like what? We are doing a good job. We are building a house for good people. People will live happily in it. I am glad that I have already built many beautiful houses.
The boy thought about it. people do the same work various reasons. And with different moods.
Children's parables
Fight with Leo
Lion resting in the shade big tree after a hearty lunch. It was midday. Heat.
The Jackal approached the Lion. He looked at the resting Leo and timidly said:
- A lion! Let's fight!
But the answer was only silence.
The jackal began to speak louder:
- A lion! Let's fight! Let's have a battle in this clearing. You are against me!
Leo didn't pay any attention to him.
Then the Jackal threatened:
- Let's fight! Otherwise I’ll go and tell everyone that you, Leo, scared me terribly.
Leo yawned, stretched lazily and said:
- And who will believe you? Just think! Even if someone condemns me for cowardice, it is still much more pleasant than the fact that they will despise me. Despised for fighting with some Jackal...
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Parables for children
Fly and bee
Mosquito asked Mukha:
- Is there somewhere nearby? beautiful flowers?
But the Fly answered Mosquito:
- There are no flowers here. But there are a lot of good trash heaps. You definitely need to fly to them. There's so much interesting stuff there.
The mosquito flew away. And he met the Bee. He asked:
- Bee! Where are the trash cans? I can't find them at all.
And the Bee answers:
- Don't know. I saw only beautiful flowers nearby. Let's fly together and I'll show them to you.
Parables for children
Ghost tree.
Not far from the road stood a large withered tree.
One night a thief passed by on the road. He saw a tree in the dark. But this silhouette seemed to him in the form of a policeman. The thief got scared and ran away.
In the evening a lover passed by. From a distance he noticed an elegant silhouette and thought that it was his beloved who had been waiting for him for a long time. His heart began to beat joyfully. He smiled and quickened his pace.
One day a mother and child walked past the tree. Kid scared scary tales, thought there was a ghost near the road and burst into tears.
But the tree always remained just a tree!
The world around us is a reflection of ourselves.
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Parables for children
What else could I become?
There lived two brothers. There was one brother successful person who achieved fame for their good deeds. The other brother was a criminal.
One day the police caught the criminal and the case was brought to court. Before the trial, a group of journalists surrounded him, and one asked a question:
- How did it happen that you became a criminal?
- I had a difficult childhood. My father drank, beat my mother and my brother and me. Who else could I become?
After a while, several journalists approached the first brother, and one asked:
- You are known for your achievements and good deeds. How did you achieve all this?
The man thought for a moment and then answered:
- I had a difficult childhood. My father drank, beat my mother, my brother and me. Who else could I become?
Parables for children
ALL IN YOUR HANDS
Parable
Once upon a time, in one city, there lived a great sage. The fame of his wisdom spread far around him hometown, people from afar came to him for advice.
But there was a man in the city who was jealous of his glory. He once came to a meadow, caught a butterfly, planted it between his closed palms and thought:
- Let me go to the sage and ask him: tell me, oh wisest one, which butterfly is in my hands - alive or dead? - If he says dead, I will open my palms and the butterfly will fly away. If he says alive, I will close my palms and the butterfly will die. Then everyone will understand which of us is smarter.
That's how it all turned out. An envious man came to the city and asked the sage: “Tell me, oh wisest one, which butterfly is in my hands - alive or dead?”
Looking intently into the eyes, the sage said:
"All in your hands".
Parables for children
Parable. MASTER OF TOYS
Lived in a distant country an old man, Very loving children. He constantly made toys for them.
But these toys turned out to be so fragile that they broke faster than the child had time to play with them. Having broken another toy, the children were very upset and came to the master to ask for new ones. He gladly gave them others, even more fragile ones...
Finally, the parents intervened. They came to the old man with a question:
- Tell us, O Wise One, why do you always give our children such fragile toys that the children cry inconsolably when they break them?
And then the sage said:
- Quite a few years will pass, and someone will give this former children my heart. Maybe, having learned not to break fragile toys, they will be more careful about someone else’s heart?..
The parents thought for a long time. And they left, thanking the Teacher.
Parables for children
Paper
The teacher called his students and showed them a piece of white paper.
-What do you see here? – asked the Sage.
“Point,” one answered.
All the other students nodded their heads as a sign that they also saw the dot.
“Take a closer look,” said the Teacher.
But no matter how hard the students looked, they saw nothing but a black dot.
And then the teacher said:
- You all saw a small black dot, and no one noticed a clean white sheet…
“So I still have something to teach you.”
Parables for children
About trading methods
Once at the bazaar an ancient old man appeared in a skullcap and an oriental robe embroidered with an unusual pattern. The old man was selling watermelons.
There was a sign above his product:
“One watermelon – 3 rubles. Three watermelons – 10 rubles.”
A bearded man comes up and buys a watermelon for three rubles...
Then another watermelon for three rubles...
And at parting he joyfully says to the seller:
- Look, I bought three watermelons, but only paid 9 rubles, not 10. You don’t know how to trade!
The old man looks after him:
- Yes! They buy three watermelons from me instead of one, and then teach me how to trade...
Children's parables
Parable of two wolves
Once upon a time, an old Indian revealed one vital truth to his grandson.
- You see, in every the man is walking struggle. This fight is very similar to the fight between two wolves. One wolf represents evil: envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, greed, lies... And the other wolf represents good: peace, love, hope, care, kindness, loyalty... And others good qualities person.
The little Indian thought for a long time. And then he asked:
- Grandfather! Which wolf wins in the end? Bad wolf or good wolf?
The old Indian smiled faintly and replied:
- Remember: the wolf you feed always wins.
Parables for children
A stupid boy
A little boy walks into a barber shop. The hairdresser recognizes him immediately and says to his clients:
- Look, this is the stupidest boy in the world! Now I will prove it to you.
The barber takes $1 in one hand and 25 cents in the other. He calls the boy and invites him to choose:
– Do you choose 1 or 25?
- Twenty five!
Everyone laughs. The boy receives 25 cents and leaves.
Soon, one client catches up with the boy and asks:
- Boy! Tell me, why did you choose 25 cents and not 1 dollar? Are you really that stupid that you don't realize that $1 is more than 25 cents?
- Fine! What will I get for this?
- You'll get another 25 cents.
The boy receives coins and says:
- Because the day I choose $1, I think the hairdresser will stop being happy. Visitors will have nothing to laugh about. I will become “smart”, I will no longer be “stupid”. And I won’t be able to get 25 cents every time.
Children's parables
The Legend of the Temple of a Thousand Mirrors
Many hundreds of years ago, high in the mountains there was a Temple with a Thousand Mirrors. Many people went to see him.
One day, a dog entered this temple. Looking around, the dog saw a thousand dogs in the mirrors and, frightened, bared its teeth.
At that moment she saw a thousand grinning dogs. The dog growled. And the echo responded with a growl...
With its tail between its legs, the dog jumped out of the temple, convinced that evil dogs lived in this temple.
A month later, another dog came to the temple with a thousand mirrors.
She entered it and, looking in the mirrors, saw a thousand friendly and peaceful dogs. She wagged her tail. And I saw a thousand friendly dogs.
Barking joyfully, she left the temple with full confidence that this Temple was full of friendly dogs.
- The world is often only a reflection of ourselves: if we look at the world brightly and joyfully, then it responds to us in the same way!
Parables for children
Bucket of apples
The man bought it for himself new house- large, beautiful - and a garden with fruit trees near the house. And nearby in an old house lived an envious neighbor.
One day a man woke up in good mood, went out onto the porch, and there was a pile of garbage.
What to do? Your porch needs to be cleaned. And also to find out who it was. And he found out - an envious neighbor.
I wanted to go and argue, but after thinking about it, I decided to do it differently.
He went into the garden, picked up the ripest apples and went to his neighbor.
The neighbor, hearing a knock on the door, thought maliciously: “Finally, my neighbor is angry!” Opens the door.
To his surprise, there was no one there, only apples. And on the apples there is a note:
He who is rich in what, shares it!
Children's parables
Bad words.
Two friends quarreled. And one began to tell everyone he knew bad words about your friend.
But then he calmed down and realized that he was wrong. He came to his friend and began to ask him for forgiveness.
Then the second friend said:
- Fine! I'll forgive you. Only on one condition.
- Which one?
- Take a pillow and let all the feathers out into the wind.
The first friend did just that. He tore the pillow. And the wind carried the feathers throughout the village.
A satisfied friend came to another and said:
- I completed your task. Am I forgiven?
- Yes, if you put all the feathers back into the pillow.
But you understand that it is impossible to collect all the feathers back. Likewise, bad words that have already scattered throughout the village cannot be taken back.
Sincerely, rhetoric coach Oleg Bolsunov.
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We are sure that many of you still believe in unicorns. It seems wonderful to imagine that they still exist somewhere, and we just haven’t found them yet. However, even the myth about such a magical creature has a very prosaic and even somewhat frightening explanation.
If you feel like website If you are very skeptical and no longer believe in magic, then at the end of the article a real miracle awaits you!
Great Flood
Scientists believe that the legend of the Great Flood is based on the memory of major flood, the epicenter of which was Mesopotamia. At the beginning of the last century, during excavations of the tombs of Ur, a layer of clay was found that separated two cultural layers. Only a catastrophic flood of the Tigris and Euphrates could lead to the appearance of such a phenomenon.
According to other estimates, 10–15 thousand years BC. e. An incredible flood happened in the Caspian Sea, which spilled over an area of about 1 million square meters. km. The version was confirmed after scientists found it on the territory Western Siberia sea shells, the closest distribution area of which is in the Caspian Sea. This flood was so powerful that there was a huge waterfall on the Bosphorus, through which approximately 40 cubic meters were poured per day. km of water (200 times the volume of water passing through Niagara Falls). There was a flow of this power for at least 300 days.
This version seems crazy, but in this case, ancient people cannot be accused of exaggerating events!
Giants
In modern Ireland, legends are still told about people of gigantic stature who can create an island simply by throwing a handful of earth into the sea. Endocrinologist Martha Korbonitz came up with the idea that ancient legends could have a scientific basis. Incredibly, the researchers found what they were looking for. A huge number of people in Ireland have mutations in the AIP gene. It was these mutations that caused the development of acromegaly and gigantism. If in the UK the mutation carrier is 1 in 2,000 people, then in the province of Mid-Ulster it is every 150th.
One of the famous Irish giants was Charles Byrne (1761–1783), his height was over 230 cm.
Legends, of course, endow giants with enormous power, but in reality, not everything is so rosy. People with acromegaly and gigantism often suffer from cardiovascular diseases, vision problems and frequent pain in the joints. Without treatment, many giants may not live to see 30 years of age.
Werewolves
The legend about werewolves has several origins. Firstly, people's lives have always been connected with the forest. From the deepest antiquity we have reached rock paintings hybrids of humans and animals. People wanted to be stronger, they chose a totem animal and wore its skin. These beliefs were also the basis for the narcotic drugs that warriors took before battle and imagined themselves to be invincible wolves.
Secondly, the belief in the existence of werewolves was also supported by the presence in people of such a genetic disease as hypertrichosis- excessive growth of hair on the body and face, which was called “werewolf syndrome.” It was only in 1963 that doctor Lee Illis gave the disease a medical basis. In addition to the genetic disease, there was also a mental disease known as lycanthropy, during attacks of which people lose their minds and lose human qualities, considering themselves wolves. In addition, there is an exacerbation of the disease during certain lunar phases.
By the way, the wolf from the world famous “Little Red Riding Hood”, according to, was none other than a werewolf. And he didn’t eat the grandmother, but fed it to her granddaughter.
Vampires
As for the scientific basis for these myths, in 1914, paleontologist Otenio Abel suggested that the ancient finds of dwarf elephant skulls became the reason for the birth of the myth of the Cyclops, since the central nasal opening can easily be mistaken for a giant eye socket. It is curious that these elephants were found precisely on the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus, Malta, and Crete.
Sodom and Gomorrah
We don’t know about you, but we always thought that Sodom and Gomorrah are a very large-scale myth and rather some kind of personification of vicious cities. However, this is quite a historical fact.
Excavations have been underway at Tell el-Hammam in Jordan for a decade now. ancient city. Archaeologists are confident that they have found the biblical Sodom. The approximate location of the city has always been known - the Bible described the “Sodom Pentate City” in the Jordan Valley. However, its exact location has always raised questions.
In 2006, excavations began, and scientists found a large ancient settlement surrounded by a powerful rampart. According to researchers, people lived here between 3500 and 1540 BC. e. There is no other option for the name of the city, otherwise the mention of such a large settlement would have remained in written sources.
Kraken
Kraken - legendary mythical sea monster gigantic size, cephalopod, known from descriptions of sailors. The first extensive description was made by Eric Pontoppidan - he wrote that the kraken is an animal “the size of a floating island.” According to him, the monster is able to grab with its tentacles capital ship and drag it to the bottom, but the whirlpool that occurs when the kraken quickly sinks to the bottom is much more dangerous. It turns out that a sad end is inevitable - both when the monster attacks and when it runs away from you. Really creepy!
The rationale for the myth of the “creepy monster” is simple: Giant squids still exist today and reach 16 meters in length. They really are an impressive sight - in addition to suckers, some species also have claws and teeth on their tentacles, but they can only threaten someone by pressing them down from above. Even if modern man Having met such a creature, one gets very scared, let alone medieval fishermen - for them the giant squid was definitely a mythical monster.
Unicorn
When it comes to unicorns, we immediately imagine a graceful creature with a rainbow horn in its forehead. Interestingly, they are found in the legends and myths of many cultures. The very first images were found in India and are over 4,000 years old. Later the myth spread across the continent and reached Ancient Rome, where they were considered absolutely real animals.
Chindo in South Korea. Here the waters between the islands part to a whole hour, opening wide and long way ! Scientists explain this miracle by the difference in the timing of low and high tides.
Of course, many tourists come there - in addition to simple walks, they have the opportunity to see the marine inhabitants who remained on the opened land. The amazing thing about the Moses Trail is that it leads from the mainland to the island.
May 30, 2018The debate between supporters of the theory of creationism and evolutionary theory continues to this day. However, unlike the theory of evolution, creationism includes not one, but hundreds of different theories (if not more). In this article we will talk about ten of the most unusual myths of antiquity.
10. The myth of Pan-gu
The Chinese have their own ideas about how the world came into being. The most popular myth can be called the myth of Pan-gu, the giant man. The plot is as follows: at the dawn of time, Heaven and Earth were so close to each other that they merged into a single black mass.
According to legend, this mass was an egg, and Pan-gu lived inside it, and lived for a long time - many millions of years. But one fine day he got tired of such a life, and, swinging a heavy ax, Pan-gu got out of his egg, splitting it into two parts. These parts subsequently became Heaven and Earth. He was of unimaginable height - about fifty kilometers in length, which, by the standards of the ancient Chinese, was the distance between Heaven and Earth.
Unfortunately for Pan-gu and fortunately for us, the colossus was mortal and, like all mortals, died. And then Pan-gu decomposed. But not the way we do it - Pan-gu decomposed in a really cool way: his voice turned into thunder, his skin and bones became the firmament of the earth, and his head became the Cosmos. Thus, his death gave life to our world.
9. Chernobog and Belobog
This is one of the most significant myths of the Slavs. It tells about the confrontation between Good and Evil - the White and Black gods. It all started like this: when there was only one continuous sea around, Belobog decided to create dry land, sending his shadow - Chernobog - to do all the dirty work. Chernobog did everything as expected, however, having a selfish and proud nature, he did not want to share power over the firmament with Belobog, deciding to drown the latter.
Belobog got out of this situation, did not allow himself to be killed, and even blessed the land erected by Chernobog. However, with the advent of land, one small problem arose: its area grew exponentially, threatening to swallow everything around.
Then Belobog sent his delegation to Earth with the goal of finding out from Chernobog how to stop this matter. Well, Chernobog sat on a goat and went to negotiate. The delegates, seeing Chernobog galloping towards them on a goat, were imbued with the comedy of this spectacle and burst into wild laughter. Chernobog did not understand the humor, was very offended and flatly refused to talk to them.
Meanwhile, Belobog, still wanting to save the Earth from dehydration, decided to spy on Chernobog, making a bee for this purpose. The insect coped with the task successfully and learned the secret, which was as follows: in order to stop the growth of land, you need to draw a cross on it and say cherished word- "enough". Which is what Belobog did.
To say that Chernobog was not happy is to say nothing. Wanting revenge, he cursed Belobog, and he cursed him in a very original way - for his meanness, Belobog was now supposed to eat bee feces for the rest of his life. However, Belobog was not at a loss, and made bee excrement as sweet as sugar - this is how honey appeared. For some reason, the Slavs did not think about how people appeared... The main thing is that there is honey.
8. Armenian duality
Armenian myths resemble Slavic ones, and also tell us about the existence of two opposite principles - this time male and female. Unfortunately, the myth does not answer the question of how our world was created; it only explains how everything around us works. But that doesn't make it any less interesting.
So here you go short summary: Heaven and Earth are a husband and wife separated by an ocean; The sky is a city, and the Earth is a piece of rock, which is held on its huge horns by an equally huge bull - when it shakes its horns, the earth bursts at the seams from earthquakes. That, in fact, is all - this is how the Armenians imagined the Earth.
There is an alternative myth where the Earth is in the middle of the sea, and Leviathan floats around it, trying to grab onto its own tail, and constant earthquakes were also explained by its flopping. When Leviathan finally bites its tail, life on Earth will cease and the apocalypse will begin. Have a nice day.
7. Scandinavian myth about the ice giant
It would seem that there is nothing in common between the Chinese and the Scandinavians - but no, the Vikings also had their own giant - the origin of everything, only his name was Ymir, and he was icy and with a club. Before his appearance, the world was divided into Muspelheim and Niflheim - the kingdoms of fire and ice, respectively. And between them stretched Ginnungagap, symbolizing absolute chaos, and there, from the fusion of two opposing elements, Ymir was born.
And now closer to us, to the people. When Ymir began to sweat, a man and a woman emerged from his right armpit along with the sweat. It’s strange, yes, we understand this - well, that’s how they are, harsh Vikings, nothing can be done. But let's get back to the point. The man's name was Buri, he had a son Ber, and Ber had three sons - Odin, Vili and Ve. Three brothers were gods and ruled Asgard. This seemed to them not enough, and they decided to kill Ymir’s great-grandfather, making a world out of him.
Ymir was not happy, but no one asked him. In the process, he shed a lot of blood - enough to fill the seas and oceans; From the skull of the unfortunate man, the brothers created the vault of heaven, broke his bones, making mountains and cobblestones from them, and made clouds from the torn brains of poor Ymir.
This new world Odin and the company immediately decided to settle: so they found two beautiful trees on the seashore - ash and alder, making a man from the ash, and a woman from the alder, thereby giving rise to the human race.
6. Greek myth about the balls
Like many other peoples, the ancient Greeks believed that before our world appeared, there was only complete Chaos around. There was neither the sun nor the moon - everything was dumped into one big pile, where things were inseparable from each other.
But then a certain god came, looked at the chaos reigning around, thought and decided that all this was not good, and got down to business: he separated the cold from the heat, foggy morning from a clear day and stuff like that.
Then he set to work on the Earth, rolling it into a ball and dividing this ball into five parts: at the equator it was very hot, at the poles it was extremely cold, but between the poles and the equator it was just right, you couldn’t imagine anything more comfortable. Further, from the seed of an unknown god, most likely Zeus, known to the Romans as Jupiter, the first man was created - two-faced and also in the shape of a ball.
And then they tore him in two, making him a man and a woman - the future of you and me.
5. An Egyptian god who loved his shadow very much
In the beginning there was a great ocean, whose name was “Nu,” and this ocean was Chaos, and besides it there was nothing. It was not until Atum, by an effort of will and thought, created himself out of this Chaos. Yes, the man had balls. But further - more and more interesting. So, he created himself, now he had to create land in the ocean. Which is what he did. After wandering around the earth and realizing his total loneliness, Atum became unbearably bored, and he decided to plan on more gods. How? And just like that, with an ardent, passionate feeling for your own shadow.
Thus fertilized, Atum gave birth to Shu and Tefnut, spitting them out of his mouth. But, apparently, he overdid it, and the newborn gods were lost in the ocean of Chaos. Atum grieved, but soon, to his relief, he found and rediscovered his children. He was so glad to be reunited that he cried for a long, long time, and his tears, touching the earth, fertilized it - and people grew out of the earth, many people! Then, while people impregnated each other, Shu and Tefnut also had coitus, and they gave birth to other gods - more gods to the god of gods! - Gebu and Nutu, who became the personification of the Earth and the sky.
There is another myth in which Atum is replaced by Ra, but this does not change the main essence - there, too, everyone fertilizes each other en masse.
4. The myth of the Yoruba people - about the Sands of Life and the chicken
There is one African people- Yoruba. So, they also have their own myth about the origin of all things.
In general, it was like this: there was one God, his name was Olorun, and one fine day the idea came to his mind that the Earth needed to be equipped somehow (at that time the Earth was one continuous wasteland).
Olorun didn’t really want to do this himself, so he sent his son, Obotala, to Earth. However, at that moment, Obotala had more important things to do (in fact, there was a gorgeous party planned in heaven, and Obotala simply could not miss it).
While Obotala was having fun, all the responsibility was placed on Odudawa. Having nothing at hand except chicken and sand, Odudawa nevertheless set to work. His principle was the following: he took sand from a cup, poured it onto the Earth, and then let the chicken run around in the sand and trample it thoroughly.
After carrying out several such simple manipulations, Odudawa created the land of Lfe or Lle-lfe. This is where Odudawa's story ends, and Obotala appears on the stage again, this time completely drunk - the party was a great success.
And so, being in a state of divine alcohol intoxication, the son of Olorun set about creating us humans. It turned out very badly for him, and he created disabled people, dwarfs and freaks. Having sobered up, Obotala was horrified and quickly corrected everything by creating normal people.
According to another version, Obotala never recovered, and Odudawa also made people, simply lowering us from the sky and at the same time assigning himself the status of ruler of humanity.
3. Aztec "War of the Gods"
According to Aztec myth, there was no primordial Chaos. But there was a primary order - an absolute vacuum, impenetrably black and endless, in which some in a strange way lived the Supreme God - Ometeotl. He had a dual nature, possessing both feminine and masculine principles, was good and at the same time evil, was both warm and cold, truth and lies, white and black.
He gave birth to the remaining gods: Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca and Xipe Totec, who, in turn, created giants, water, fish and other gods.
Tezcatlipoca ascended to the heavens, sacrificing himself and becoming the Sun. However, there he encountered Quetzalcoatl, entered into battle with him and lost to him. Quetzalcoatl threw Tezcatlipoca from the sky and became the Sun himself. Then, Quetzalcoatl gave birth to people and gave them nuts to eat.
Tezcatlipoca, still harboring a grudge against Quetzalcoatl, decided to take revenge on his creations by turning people into monkeys. Seeing what happened to his first people, Quetzalcoatl flew into a rage and caused a powerful hurricane that scattered the vile monkeys throughout the world.
While Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoc were at war with each other, Tialoc and Chalchiuhtlicue also turned into suns in order to continue the cycle of day and night. However, the fierce battle between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca affected them too - then they too were thrown from heaven.
In the end, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoc stopped their feud, forgetting past grievances and creating new people - the Aztecs - from the dead bones and blood of Quetzalcoatl.
2. Japanese “World Cauldron”
Japan. Again Chaos, again in the form of an ocean, this time as dirty as a swamp. In this ocean-swamp, magical reeds (or reeds) grew, and from this reeds (or reeds), like our children from cabbage, gods were born, a great many of them. All of them together were called Kotoamatsukami - and that’s all that is known about them, for as soon as they were born, they immediately hastened to hide in the reeds. Or in the reeds.
While they were hiding, new gods appeared, including Ijinami and Ijinagi. They began to stir the ocean until it thickened, and from it the land was formed - Japan. Ijinami and Ijinagi had a son, Ebisu, who became the god of all fishermen, a daughter, Amaterasu, who became the Sun, and another daughter, Tsukiyomi, who became the Moon. They also had one more son, the last - Susanoo, for his violent temper received the status of the god of wind and storms.
1. Lotus flower and “Om-m”
Like many other religions, Hinduism also features the concept of the world emerging from the void. Well, as if out of nowhere, there was an endless ocean in which a giant cobra swam, and there was Vishnu, who slept on the cobra’s tail. And nothing more.
Time passed, days followed each other one after another, and it seemed that it would always be like this. But one day, everything around was filled with a sound that had never been heard before - the sound of “Om-m”, and the previously empty world was overwhelmed with energy. Vishnu awoke from sleep, and Brahma appeared from the lotus flower at his navel. Vishnu ordered Brahma to create the world, and in the meantime he disappeared, taking with him a snake.
Brahma, sitting in the lotus position on a lotus flower, set to work: he divided the flower into three parts, using one to create Heaven and Hell, another to create Earth, and the third to create heaven. Brahma then created animals, birds, people and trees, thus creating all living things.
