1. List and discuss the major primary sources for the mythology of three Indo-European cultures, including their dates of origin and authorship (if known). Discuss any important factors that may cause problems in interpreting these sources, such as the existence of multiple revisions, or the presence of Christian or other outside influences in surviving texts. (minimum 300 words)

    The Greeks are the obvious place to start, as they are often the first culture most people think of when we think of mythology. This is due to the rich resources we have for their myths and stories. There are a number of primary sources that are still read by millions of people, such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey (T Gantz 1), Hesiod's Theogony (Vol. Gantz 1), Pindar's Olympic Odes (T Gantz 31), and other works of Homer, works such as the Orphic Hymns and many others. All of this writing was pre-Christian and therefore free of Christian influence. Since the Greeks were a crossroads of many cultures, their myth were influenced by other pre-Christian cultures as well which creates a unique and amazing collection of stories.

    Unfortunately, much of the original Celtic mythology was never written down. We do not have many sources from before the Christian migration. What writing there we have is the result of the Roman invasion of mainland Europe and eventually, the British Isles. When Romans such as Lucan, who mentions the deities Taranius, Teutatus, and Essa in his poetry (Puhvel 168), and Caesar in his Gallic Wars (Puhvel 166), wrote about the Gauls, they wrote about them as deities, although names that people actually used are rarely included. We have writings long after Celtic Christianity, such as the Mabinogion (c 1325 (J Gantz 10)) for the Welsh and the Táin Bó Cúailnge (11th-12th century (Rees and Rees 17)). We do have Irish myth, however, much of this writing was tainted by Christian influence, as it was mostly written by monks after the introduction of Christianity.

    If we look at Norwegian/Germanic next, they are in a similar situation. Much of their knowledge was never written down in pre-Christian days. Since all this happened, relatively little has been written. The Roman Tacitus and his Germania are the main source for this period and are usually observed from a distance. (Puhvel 189) But we have more contemporary sources in Snorri Sturluson and Saxo Grammaticus Saxo was a Danish author who wrote about Germanic myths around the end of the 13th century (Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe 46) Snorri was a few years later and in Iceland writing about Norse myths (Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe 24) Both men wrote after cultural Christianity, so their work is definitely written through a Christian lens Snorri's works, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, are usually what most people think of when it comes to Norse/Germanic myths.

  2. Summarize, then compare and contrast the myths of at least two Indo-European cultures with respect to the following topics (you need not use the same two cultures as a basis of comparison for each topic): (minimum 300 words for each)

    • tales of creation

    • tales of divine war

    • tales which describe the fate of the dead

  3. Explain how each of the following elements of ADF ritual does or does not resonate with elements of two different Indo-European cultures (you need not use the same two cultures as a basis of comparison for each element): (minimum 100 words for each)

    • Earth Mother

    • Deities of Land

    • Deities of Sea

    • Deities of Sky

    • Outsiders

    • Nature Spirits

    • Ancestors

  4. Discuss how the following seven elements of ADF's cosmology are (or are not) reflected in the myths of two different Indo-European cultures. For this question, please use the same two cultures as a basis of comparison for the entire question. (minimum 100 words each)

    • Upperworld

    • Middleworld

    • Divisions Of Middleworld (e.g., 4 Quarters, 3 Triads, 8 Sections)

    • Nether/Underworld

    • Fire

    • Well

    • Tree

  5. To what extent do you think we can offer conjectures about Indo-European myths in general? Are the common themes strong enough that the myths seem like variations? Or are the differences so powerful that the themes are less important than the cultural variations? (minimum 300 words)