mythology

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Disc Reading 'He Is Odin's Man' Alters Timeline for Norse God

Find dates to 5th century, experts say

(Newser) - A gold disc unearthed in Denmark has changed experts' understanding of Norse mythology. The bracteate, which was found in the village of Vindelev last year, bears the inscription, "He is Odin's man," providing the earliest reference yet to one of the primary gods in the pre-Christian pagan...

'Killing Stone' of Japanese Legend Splits in Two

It's a very bad omen, according to ancient folklore

(Newser) - A famous stone in the mountains of central Honshu Island, Japan, has split in two, and that's an extremely bad omen, according to ancient Japanese mythology. Legends say that the Sessho-Seki—"Killing Stone"—contained the transformed corpse of Tamomo-no-Mae, a woman who was possessed by an evil...

Menstruating Teen Sent to Outdoor Hut. She Didn't Survive

Nepal tradition of 'chaupadi' banishes menstruating females from their homes

(Newser) - A 15-year-old girl in Nepal who had been banished to a tiny, outdoor hut because she was having her period was found dead in the morning, and now police are investigating, reports the BBC . It was cold, and she'd lit a small fire, but "there wasn't any...

Poseidon's Ancient Wrath? Probably a Tsunami

Mythical event confirmed by modern seismologists

(Newser) - Herodotus tells it this way: As the Persians were charging toward a Greek town, the sea receded, and then mighty Poseidon sent a crushing wave down upon them, a "great flood-tide of the sea, higher than ever before." Now, modern scientists have found evidence that it actually happened,...

4 Stories