Week 11: Wikipedia Trail

 

The mušḫuššu is a serpentine, draconic monster from ancient Mesopotamian mythology with the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a lion, and the hind-legs of a bird.^[55] Here it is shown as it appears in the Ishtar Gate from the city Sourceof Babylon
Source

 

Dragon

I've been very interested in dragon myths lately. I decided to start here because there's so many interesting pages associated with dragons. This led me to Mesopotamian mythology — Mushussu

Mušḫuššu

When I saw the name of this, I thought of Mushu from Mulan. There wasn't anything to indicate that Mushu had been named after this mythological creature, but based on it's description I wouldn't doubt it. The image is mushussu taken from the Ishtar Gate.

Ishtar Gate

This gate is the eighth inner gate in the city of Babylon. It's absolutely gorgeous, and is meant to look like lapis lazuli. It's made of glazed bricks and cedar. King Nebuchadnezzar II commissioned the gate, and named it after to goddess Ishtar (Ianna).

Ishtar


Ishtar is the Mesopotamian goddess of love, beauty, sex, war, justice and political power. She was originally worshiped in Aratta and Sumer under the name "Inanna", and was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians under the name Ishtar.


Inanna/Ishtar's most famous myth is the story of her descent into and return from Kur, the ancient Sumerian Underworld, a myth in which she attempts to conquer the domain of her older sister Ereshkigal, the queen of the Underworld, but is instead deemed guilty of hubris by the seven judges of the Underworld and struck dead. Three days later, Ninshubur pleads with all the gods to bring Inanna back, but all of them refuse her except Enki, who sends two sexless beings to rescue Inanna. They escort Inanna out of the Underworld, but the galla, the guardians of the Underworld, drag her husband Dumuzid down to the Underworld as her replacement. Dumuzid is eventually permitted to return to heaven for half the year while his sister Geshtinanna remains in the Underworld for the other half, resulting in the cycle of the seasons.- wiki

Week 11 Story: Two Dragon Myths from Two Different Countries

 

Painting of a Japanese dragon by Hokusai (c. 1730 – 1849). Source

China

In a small village lived a lord. His name was Lord Ye Gao. Lord Ye Gao was known throughout his village as a man who loved dragons. He loved them to the point of obsession. All throughout his house, the Lord adorned dragon motifs, paintings, vases, statues. Whenever he walked through town, Lord Ye Gao would find a new piece to add to his collection. 

Lord Ye Gao wished with all his heart to see a dragon. He prayed to the gods for this to come true, but none ever appeared.

One day, a dragon flew over this village and happened to see Lord Ye Gao's dragon shrine. The dragon was so impressed by the pieces that he flew closer to get a better look. Indeed, the Lord's collection was bountiful, and the dragon wanted to meet the person who so admired his kind. 

The dragon knocked on Lord Ye Gao's door with his tail. Not expecting any visitors, Lord Ye Gao opened the door and was shocked at what he saw: a magnificent dragon. The creature's giant head loomed above him. It stared at the Lord with intense, black eyes. It opened it's large mouth, showing dagger-like teeth, and Lord Ye Gao ran away in fright. He wouldn't chance being eaten by such a terror.

The dragon watched this in confusion. As he flew away, he thought about the wonderful collection of the running human. Perhaps he'd find out another time. 

Japan

A brave samurai named Minamoto no Mitsunaka was hunting in his lands. The samurai grew tired, and decided to nap under a nice, shady tree.

The samurai dreamed of a beautiful woman. He could see she was saying something, but he couldn't quite hear her. As he got closer, her words became more clear: "Please save my land. A dragon is killing my people."

The brave samurai agreed to save them. In thanks, the maiden offered him the fastest horse in all the lands. She disappeared, and the samurai awoke. 

Upon awaking, he noticed a magnificent white horse standing before him. The samurai climbed on, and made haste to the lands of the maiden.

Upon arriving in the lands, the samurai came upon Sumiyoshi. He stopped, and prayed to the gods for 8 days. When he felt he was ready, the samurai left and confronted the dragon.

He saw the serpent flying above the river. It was larger than anything he had ever seen before. The samurai nocked an arrow, and let loose. It flew through the air, and lodged itself in the eye of the dragon. The dragon let out a mighty roar, and fell from the air, landing in the river below. 

The lands were safe, and the samurai rode off on the next adventure.

Author's Note: I've been really interested in dragons lately. I'm not sure why, but I read these two stories and wanted to retell them. The first story is a myth from China, and is considered one of the most famous legends. The second from Japan features a real person and the myths surrounding him. It's really fascinating, and I love reading about them! 

Bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon#Asia

Week 11: Reading Notes - Native American Myths: California/Southwest

 

Source

Coyote - created the earth and hills

Eagle - scratched ridges to perch

Fox - Created man with coyote. Wanted them to live forever, but coyote won

Old Mole - formed the world after burrowing down

Flood Myth - a great flood took out everything on earth. Coyote planted a feather in the ground and revived everyone.

Week 11: Growth Mindset all the cats

 

The poor cat's face cracked me up. I try to be inspired by other's success, but some times it is difficult. I have to remind myself that everyone finds success in different ways, and just because I'm not a CEO of a fortune 500 company doesn't mean I'm not successful. I've successfully grown a garden lol.

Source

All the anarchy. I love this little cat. It makes me glad my cats don't know how doorknobs work. I get very little time away from them so if they're locked out of my room they scream.