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I've noticed that in many different cultures that there are very distinct similarities that cross paths at about the same point in history. THough all myths have interpreted these similarities differently, they are still the same. This topic will be dedicated to these similarities. When someone finds something that is inherent in more than 2 cultures, then simply post it and we can all discuss it. ^_^

I'll go first:

The Great Deluge

Floods have always been seen as disasters, but the most disasterous was the the flood that most people would know as the Hebrew tale of Noah and his ark. In fact, they weren't the only ones to experience this world wide effect.

In Iceland, the flood was said to be caused by the flowing blood of Ice Giants. In Greece, Zeus swamped the country with torrental rains, drowning all but Deucalion and Pyrrha. In the Babylonian myths, the god Ea warned a man by the name of Utnapishtim that the Babylonians were going to be punished with a flood. So the worthy mortal built a large boat to carry animals, treasures and skilled craftsmen...and of course, a sailor to steer the barge like ship. Also in India, Prajapati spoke to Manu in the form of a fish. Manu was told to build a boat and used a serpent for his rope. He rode the boat to Mount Himalaya when the floods covered all of India. In Hebrew writings, Jehovah warned Noah and his family to build a great vessel of gopher wood and caulked with bituhan. He carried seven of each animal, but only two of each animal that had cloven feet. They all supposedly survived for a year until the waters subsided.

I don't know about many other myths, but both Norse and Greek mythology have a somewhat interesting version of gods. Given modern thought of a monotheistic God who "was, is, and will be forever", the Greek and Norse and (I believe) Egyptian gods could all be hurt and die. For the most part in myths I've heard anywhere, gods are basically humans, except on a different plane, perhaps the fourth dimension or something. They act like ordinary men, they can usually get hurt or even killed, and they drink and make merry. The play tricks both on each other and on men.

Heh, I hope that counts. Even though it's pretty well known. sweatdrop

The belief that giants and dragons roamed the earthbefore the current inhabitants filled the minds of the primatives worldwide. From the dragons in the Orient, Africa, Americas and the European continent, they may be different in ways, but the beliefs that giant lizards used to fill the skies and cover the globe even spills into the scientific world. Dinosaurs lived and controlled the planet WAY before humans were even dreamed of.

Giants, no matter how you explain it, were big people. The Nordic Frost Giants and their roles in the worlds creation, the Titans that lived before the Gods of Rome and Greece, the Chenoo of the North Eastern Native Americans, and Bran and his kin in the Celtic beliefs. They all have different names and appearences, but they are all large human-like peoples that lived before humans.

SIDE NOTE: Here's some food for thought, if you were a regal knight in the kings army in circa 1250 AD and you came across a skeleton of a, now known Tyranosaurus Rex, and not know what a dinosaur was...would you call it a dragon? If you came across a collosal leg bone or large rib-cage that seemed humanoid, would you say that it was once a giant? Think of it for a bit.

Not on the tip of my tongue, but hey, 99% of the creatures that ever lived have become extinct. I guess that we're a lucky 1%. ^_^

I know, and the human species is actually weakening and actually splitting so to speak. If Darwin was right about Natural Selection, then we will not evolve. The medicines and remedies that we have evolve new diseases that we make new medicines for, and the cycle continues. Plus, we've ravaged the wonderful beauty of most of the planet and aged it to a ripe old maid. If we can fell an entire forest in a single day, we should then also have the power to bring it back in the same amount of time. If not, we should just let nature take its course.

Damn skippy. lol ^_^ I should major in Philosophy when I go to college.

You also need to take into consideration...who is deciding who is superior? The squirrels? The 12 pounds of bacteria on our bodies? I'm also in the process of writing a few anti-human supremacy essays. like "The Nazi's of the Animal Kingdom" and "Stasis: Preventing Human Evolution"...and the all time favorite "Survival of the Weakest?" They're filled with a buncha facts. I'll probably post them later and give them a satirical element for the viewers enjoyment. ^_^

So many religions and such believe that they were created from clay, dirt, mud, earth, trees or part of another beings body...and to think of it...what is the scientific theory of evolution? That we evolved from single cellular organisms...that are about the size of a speck of dirt, virtually formed from nothing...or dirt?

Here is how I see the truth of reality:

One supreme being creates univerese
That one being splits itself into other beings
They breed and birth a new race of gods
The young gods rebel and win
The older gods are punished and banished
The New gods birth a race of giants and one of small fareies
The giants try to rebel against the gods and faeries help gods
The giants lose and are punished
The gods birth a race that's mortal, but much smaller than the giants, humanity
The humans worship the creator gods
When the humans try to reach the gods, the gods punish humanity by diversifying them
The humans become confused
In the confusion, the faeries no longer understand humanity and go into hiding within the earth
Humans grow smarter and forget the true roots of creation through confusion, neglect and ignorance