Mythology: tell us about your favourite gods/goddesses!

[Reprobate]

Loki is certainly one of the most interesting deities. He's a prankster of sorts, but some of his pranks are pretty malevolent.

I am a non-religious Asatruar in a way. I enjoy the Mythology of the Norse and the Havamal. Of the all of the Aesir and Vanir, my favorite is Odin. It was Odin who hanged for three days on the World Tree, was pierced by a spear,(Any of that sound familiar?) and sacrificed an eye for knowledge and the secrets of the runes, a sacrifice which he hasn't thrown in our faces for 2000 years now.

[Sweetdeath]

It's funny you bring up. Norse mythology is suppose to be a lot older than Christian mythology.
I tried to bring the sacrafice thing up with various religious people, and they just brushed it off.  :\

[Reprobate]

It's funny you bring up. Norse mythology is suppose to be a lot older than Christian mythology.
I tried to bring the sacrafice thing up with various religious people, and they just brushed it off.  :\

I don't know that it is older than the christian mythology, but it certainly arose indepently of christian influence. I think the time frame may actually be a couple/ few centuries later, but it definitely evolved from older Germanic beliefs. I'm not sure anyone knows when they began.

[Amicale]

It's funny you bring up. Norse mythology is suppose to be a lot older than Christian mythology.
I tried to bring the sacrafice thing up with various religious people, and they just brushed it off.  :\

I don't know that it is older than the christian mythology, but it certainly arose indepently of christian influence. I think the time frame may actually be a couple/ few centuries later, but it definitely evolved from older Germanic beliefs. I'm not sure anyone knows when they began.

From my (limited) understanding of Norse culture, the culture itself arose several centuries BCE, but it wasn't written down or recorded. What we do have from the ancient Norse culture are the statues of gods and goddesses that show us that their mythology was well developed, although perhaps not documented (or if it was, it's been lost to history). Most of what we know of Norse mythology today was developed after the spread of Judeo-Christianity developed. As you said, it definitely evolved from the older beliefs.

[Reprobate]

From my (limited) understanding of Norse culture, the culture itself arose several centuries BCE, but it wasn't written down or recorded. What we do have from the ancient Norse culture are the statues of gods and goddesses that show us that their mythology was well developed, although perhaps not documented (or if it was, it's been lost to history). Most of what we know of Norse mythology today was developed after the spread of Judeo-Christianity developed. As you said, it definitely evolved from the older beliefs.

Most of the record that remains came from Iceland, the Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson. Whatever may have been recorded elsewhere would have been destroyed for being heretical and blasphemous when Scandanavia converted to Christianity. Some remained as oral tradition in Europe, but the conversion of Iceland came after the church had relented somewhat in the destruction of historical and cultural texts. Some of the older Anglo-Saxon beliefs are similar, but knowledge of them is sketchy as well.

[Beachdragon]

I was extremely fascinated by Greek mythology for a while. I even named my snake after the Greek goddess of the blue sky, Theia.

I agree that Greek Mythology is a rich and interesting subject. Didn't Bill & Ted go there?

They got Plato or Socrates in one of the movies, right?

Yes. I think it was them.

It was Socrates...pronounced Sow Craytes. 

Be excellent to each other.

[En_Route]

Blanaid the goddess of punctures, defective anti-virus programmes and cancelled airflights. At least she moved with the times.And possibly to Hebden Bridge.