Tag: Mythical narratives

The enigma of Tiahuanaco, cradle of the Incas and "Island of Creation" in Andean mythology

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Archeology, Atlas, folklore, Megalithism, Mito, History of Religions

by Marco Maculotti


For the purpose of the continuation of the analysis concerning the foundation myth by the Viracochas [cfr. Viracocha and the myths of the origins: creation of the world, anthropogenesis, foundation myths], it will now be useful to pause to produce some considerations on the importance in the Andean tradition of the ceremonial center of Tiahuanaco, "one of the most significant and disconcerting legacies of human prehistory" [Petratu and Roidinger, p.152], cradle of the first men of the "Fifth Sun" [cf. Pachacuti: cycles of creation and destruction of the world in the Andean tradition]. The origins of this monumental complex are lost in the mists of time: at the time of the conquest the Andes claimed to have never known the city if not in ruins; the Aymara, one of the most ancient peoples of the Andes, claimed that Tiahuanaco had been inhabited "from the first men of the Earth"[Charroux, p.52].Β For these reasons, by virtue of its enigmatic nature, Tiahuanaco has always attracted the curiosity of historians and explorers. In 1876 the French archaeologist Wiener wrote [cit. in Charroux p.49]:

"A day will come when it will be possible to say about the classical civilization of the Pharaohs, the Chaldeans, the Brahmans: you are cataloged in our books as the most ancient, but science proves that the pre-Inca civilization of Tiahuanaco precedes yours by many thousands years. "

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Pachacuti: cycles of creation and destruction of the world in the Andean tradition

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Anthropology, Esotericism, folklore, Mito, History of Religions

di Marco Maculotti
cover: Paracas culture textiles (coastal Peru)


A central concept in the Andean cosmogonic tradition is the belief in regular cycles of creation and destruction that would initiate and end the various cosmic eras. Time was conceived in a circular way; according to this doctrine, it had only two dimensions: the present (Kay Pasha) which at its end leads to the "ancient time"(Nawpa Pacha), from which we will return again to the present time [Carmona Cruz p.28].

This doctrine, comparable to that of the Indian Yuga and to the Hesiodic one of the ages, is based on a principle of cyclicality that would govern everything in the cosmos and which is called by the Andean tradition pachacuti, literally "a revolution, a procession of space and time". With this term, in the myths, a series of catastrophic events are described that foresee the general destruction of the humanity of the sky and its subsequent replacement with a new humanity - see the myths of origin of Lake Titicaca, in which it is said that Viracocha exterminated a previous race of giants with the flood or with a rain of fire to then create a subsequent humanity, the current one [cf. Viracocha and the myths of the origins: creation of the world, anthropogenesis, foundation myths].

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The "myths of emergence" in the traditions of Native Americans

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Anthropology, folklore, Mito, History of Religions

di Marco Maculotti

According to many mythical traditions, in the beginning the first members of the human race were generated in the bowels of the Earth, within underground worlds similar to cavernous wombs. The myths of emergence, particularly prevalent among Native American populations, provide us with the best examples of such subterranean realms. The mythical tales tell of how the first humans were brought to the surface to live in the sunlight only after they remained for a long time under the earth's surface, in the - so to speak - "larval" state, and after developing a rudimentary physical form. and a human conscience. According to native peoples, this emergence from the underworld marks the birth of man in the present era - or, to use a typical American term, the "Fifth Sun" - and also represents the transition from childhood and dependence on womb of Mother Earth to maturity and independence.

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The phenomenon of sleep paralysis: folkloric interpretations and recent hypotheses

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Anthropology, folklore, Mito, Shamanism, Science
The myths and the chronicles of folklore have transmitted to us with extreme clarity the way in which the ancients framed this phenomenon: surprisingly, all the chronicles and legends of antiquity agree in affirming that responsible for these disturbing experiences is a certain type of astral entities - sometimes labeled by modern minds as 'spirits', other times as 'demons', often also as 'fairies' and the like - who conduct their attacks only during the night, often pressing on the sleeping victim's body and sometimes entertaining with the subject has a sexual relationship. These entities, in various cultures, have been called in numerous ways, the best known of which to us Westerners are those of Latin derivation: 'succubi', 'nightmares' and 'larvae'.

di Marco Maculotti
cover: Johann Heinrich FΓΌssli, Nightmare

Sleep paralysis, also called hypnagogic hallucination, is a sleep disorder in which, between sleep and wakefulness (therefore in the moment before falling asleep or in the instant before waking up) one suddenly finds himself unable to move. Most of the time, according to what those who suffer from this disorder say, the paralysis begins with a tingling sensation that goes through the body, reaching the head, inside which the subject feels a kind of hum "like a swarm of bees ”or a sound similar to that of a washing machine or aβ€œ thumping and screeching of metal objects ”. Often the victim of this experience tries to scream for help, managing at best to whisper faintly, also experiencing the unpleasant sensation of hearing his own voice suffocated by something abnormal.

Often, if the victim is in bed with someone, the latter cannot notice anything, to the point that often even the most disturbing phenomena (terrifying sounds and noises, incomprehensible voices, sometimes even strange unnatural lights coming from outside) succeed to arouse the attention of those who do not undergo the episode in first person. It can also happen that the succubus (which, if once the name for the mysterious entity causing the phenomenon, is now the term by which medical science refers to the 'victim') hears familiar voices - or, sometimes, even 'demonic' - calling him, or arguing with each other behind the subject's back or, worse still, whispering close to his neck, often from behind, in a disturbing voice.

Science believes that this abnormal state is due to the persistence of the state of atony that the muscles present during sleep and is caused by a discrepancy between the mind and the body: with the consequence that, although the brain is active and conscious and the subject can often see and perceive clearly what surrounds him, despite this the body remains in a state of absolute rest, to the point that any movement is precluded for the duration of the experience. Of course, science denies the reality of the experiences experienced during this mysterious experience, reducing them to mere hallucinations caused by equally mysterious alterations in the subjects' brain balance, which would occur at the exact moment of the transition between wakefulness and sleep β€” and vice versa.

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Enigmas of the Mediterranean: the Guanches, the 'Peoples of the Sea' and Atlantis

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Anthropology, Archeology, Mito, History, History of Religions

An attempt at classification (cultural, anthropological and genetic)Β of the mysterious population of the Guanches, ancient inhabitants of the Canaries, and a look at the Hellenic myths concerning the "Fortunate Islands" and the 'mythical' war against Atlantis

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The mysterious Natchez Indians, Children of the Sun

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Among the myriad of populations that once inhabited the vast prairies of North America, the Natchez of the Southern Mississippi Valley. In fact, although belonging to the confederation of Cree tribes of the Muskogee language, they spoke a peculiar dialect and very distinct from that of the other populations of the South-East, called Natchesan. From the few sources that history has handed down to us it seems that their culture, of a sedentary type, was born around 700 AD and that it was strongly influenced by the great Mesoamerican civilizations, especially as regards the cult of the Sun β€” and of the deified ruler as his sonβ€”And the voluntary practice of immolation as a practice worthy of the highest honor.

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A cosmogonic reading of the pantheon of the Mexica tradition, in a perspective of religious syncretism

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Astrotheology, Mito, History of Religions
According to mexica mythology, each star embodies a certain character: the deities have so to speak "sacrificed" themselves in illo tempore to reincarnate in the stars. Thus, for example, Quetzalcoatl transformed himself into the planet Venus, the morning star, which therefore can be worshiped in the triple symbolic form of dynamic energy, of star and personified, as a cultural hero. In turn, the Sun, the main source of the tona or vital heat, arises from the immolation of Nanahuatzin.

The Aztec religion is a Mesoamerican religion that combines elements of polytheism, shamanism and animism, as well as aspects related to astronomy and the calendar. Aztec cosmology divided the world into three levels: an upper one, seat of the celestial gods, a lower one, seat of the underworld powers, and a middle one, in which the human consortium lives, equidistant from the gods and demons of nature and the subsoil. The concept of TheotlΒ it is fundamental in the Aztec religion. In language Nahuatl it is often considered synonymous with "God", even if, to be more precise, it refers to a more general concept, which refers to the immaterial dynamic energy of divinity (tona), similar to the Polynesian concept of mana. As the Tapas of the Indo-Aryans, this tona it is not always beneficial, since an overabundance of it brings death and destruction [Torres 2004, p.14].

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The "Little People" in Southeast Native American folklore

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Anthropology, folklore, Mito, Shamanism
The folklore of the native peoples of North America provides a vast recurrence of legends about a "little race of men" living deep in the woods, near ancient burial mounds or rocks near streams or the Great Lakes. In mythic narratives, they are often described as "hairy-faced dwarfs", while some petroglyphs depict them with horns traveling in a canoe in groups of five or seven. Among the Amerindian peoples, people refer to them with the names of Kanaka'wasa, Nuh-na-yie, Iyaganasha and others. According to traditional narratives, it is a population of very small beings, less than a meter tall. Apart from information about their small size, little is known about their physical appearance (however, many testimonies describe them as having long white beards and wearing very old-fashioned clothing - similar to the European tradition of Gnomes et al), as they remain mostly invisible, except for the people to whom they spontaneously decide to show themselves (children or medicine men).

The belief in the Little People is widespread not only in Europe, but also among the native peoples of North America. In this article we analyze the body of beliefs relating to the "hidden people" in the traditionsΒ Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw

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The oral tradition of the "Big Stories" as the foundation of the Native Peoples Law of Canada

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Anthropology, Mito

[Extract from the graduation thesis Recognition of the rights of the Native Peoples of Canada2015]

imagesserverLe First NationsΒ of Canada use the oral tradition to record information considered to be of primary importance, which is collected and shared through a form of literature which holds memory and the spoken word in high regard. Oral transmission allows the normative-behavioral systems of indigenous populations to be subjected, day after day, generation after generation, to continuous creation. A strong point of this methodology is the possibility of reinterpreting traditions in such a way as to come to terms with the needs of the contemporary world, without losing the truth or principles on which the stories are based. Rather, the need for continual modification is based on the understanding that the social context is continually changing, and consequently requires a constant reinterpretation of some of the narrative elements. The fluidity of the tales of First Nations it reflects the attempt to make the deepest sense of the narratives current, adapting it from time to time to the needs of listeners.Β 

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