Mythology..A Tradition of Myths: December 2012

Sunday 30 December 2012

UFOs and effect on people

The Effects of UFO's on People
By Steve Edwards

Almost every civilization in history that has kept a written history has recorded the sightings of strange objects and lights in the skies. These objects have been described as glowing wheels, colored balls of light, and disk shaped objects. Today unexplained aerial phenomena are generally referred to as unidentified flying objects (UFO's) or flying saucers.
The effects of extra terrestrial sightings can have an adverse effect on people if influenced the wrong way. No solid proof has shown that UFO's are real, but many sightings cannot be proven otherwise. The media, stories, or one's own experience may often influence what one believes. The government once stated that they had captured extra terrestrials. (60 minutes, CBS) On the contrary, most scientists now agree that almost all sightings and stories of extra terrestrials are not authentic.
The United States government has records of thousands of UFO sightings since 1948, including photos of alleged UFOs and interviews with people who claim to have seen them. Since UFOs were considered a potential security risk, the report on these sightings was originally classified as secret. (Craig, 917) When the report was later declassified it showed that 90 percent of all UFO sightings could be easily explained. Most of the sightings turned out to be celestial objects, such as stars or bright planets like Venus, or atmospheric events such as auroras or meteors falling through the atmosphere. Many other sightings turned out to be objects such as weather balloons, satellites, aircraft lights, or formations of birds. Often these sightings were accompanied by unusual weather conditions. Only 5.6 percent of these cases were not explained.
Testimonies by people are often very inaccurate and dramatized. People have the tendency to explain everything they see, which is not usually completely accurate. The unaided human eye can be tricked into hallucination and has an inaccurate depth perception. Reflections from windows and eyeglasses can provide an optical illusion of a UFO. Radar is much more reliable to identify objects, but it cannot detect many characteristics that separate natural phenomena and physical objects. Radar often picks up ionized gas, rain, or thermal discontinuities. Electronic interference is also a frequent problem. Either way, scientists are left with many unanswered questions.
There are many mysteries about UFO's with many indefinite answers. Many investigators have tried to solve some peculiar questions about UFO's, but many of their conclusions cannot be proven. In 1968 the United States Air Force asked Edward U. Condon, a physicist at the University of Colorado, to head a panel studying the claims of extraterrestrial crafts. (Unidentified Flying Objects, Encarta encyclopedia) The committee's final report was reviewed by a special committee of the National Academy of Sciences and released in early 1969. The 37 scientists who contributed to the report interviewed UFO witnesses and studied physical and photographic evidence. The report, also known as the Condon Report, concluded that not only was there no evidence of extraterrestrial control of UFOs but also that no further UFO studies were needed. Their advice was accepted by the United States, but for other independent laboratories it was not enough.
Whether or not a person believes UFO's are, in fact, real or not is probably because of influence from the media. For instance, the smash hit movie Independence Day was a movie about aliens attacking Earth so they can keep it for themselves. The company that made the movie, FOX, has been promoting extra terrestrial ideas to bring media attention to UFO's. The company bought the stretch of highway 375 outside the mysterious secret military base named Area 51, which plays an important part in the movie. In it, several aliens were captured and stored along with their aircraft. In fact, the government has announced that it has captured aliens and their aircraft, but that was later denied. (Woolward, 912) This has been said to be the cause of the vast amount of UFO reports since 1948. The government also denied that Area 51 even existed for several years, even though it had been photographed many times. Today, the military base is thought to be a very heavily guarded test sight for many stealth planes in development for the military, including some possible "flying saucers". This sight is responsible for several of the military's top planes used today. Local residents persist that they have never seen any UFO's that couldn't be explained by the military's aerial experiments. Tourists swear they have seen several UFO's that couldn't be anything else but extra terrestrial. Many magazines and tabloids visit the area to report about such sightings and print there own far-fetched ideas.
People interpret these articles in many different ways. Because there is no true proof of any extra terrestrial crafts, people are forced to make their own decisions about reality. For instance, in March 1997, thirty-nine people committed suicide to join with "Ti and Do", two "UFO forces". Printed on their page on the Internet, it stated, "Our 22 years of classroom here on planet Earth is finally coming to conclusion - 'graduation' from the Human Evolutionary Level. We are happily prepared to leave 'this world' and go with Ti's crew." (Heaven's Gate, WWW) Such cases like these are extreme, but recent studies have shown that fifty percent of America does believe that there is life on other planets that may be trying to visit us. However, the majority of these people do not worry about any unwelcome situation.
Opinions may vary, but until any conclusive evidence can be shown that life is visiting Earth from somewhere out in space, it is safe to say that humans are alone in their home planet. It is possible that this theorem will be proved wrong in the future, but until then all any person can do is guess, hope, and wait. What the future holds for Earth may not be what is expected, but until then scientists will be examining all the evidence to help provide a better future for the home to life as we now know it.

Works Cited

"Unidentified Flying Objects" World Book Encyclopedia, 1992. Page 19, volume U-V, 1992

Craig, Pat. "On Nevada's Extra Terrestrial Highway." Tribune News Service August 19, 1996: Page 819 from InfoTrack/Super Tom+. On CD-ROM. Foster City, CA: Information access, 1997

"Unidentified Flying Objects" Groiler's Encyclopedia, 1994. Page 17, volume U-V, 1994

Woolard, John. "UFO Investigators Scoff at Abduction Claims." Tribune News Service, September 12, 1996. Page 912 from InfoTrack/Super Tom+. On CD-ROM. Foster City, CA: Information Access, 1997

60 Minutes, CBS Television Network. April 4, 1997

Heaven's Gate Home Page, http://www.aeok.com/heavensgate/index.htm
Steve Edwards, 1

UFO Fact Or Fiction

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<h3>Unidentified Flying Objects: Fact or Fiction?</h3>

<pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>     Unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, as they're fondly called, are</pre><pre>one of the century's most intriguing and controversial mysteries.  Since</pre><pre>ancient times, UFOs of all types have been accounted for.  More today than</pre><pre>ever, hundreds of thinkers, theologians, and scientists have tried to</pre><pre>answer why there are or whether there aren't UFOs.  According to some, the</pre><pre>speculation that UFOs are alien spacecrafts from another world is an</pre><pre>absurd and foolish proposal.  Others vehemently disagree and assert that</pre><pre>extraterrestrial life is not only possible, but such life forms may be</pre><pre>superior, technologically advanced beings who visit our Earth regularly. </pre><pre>    Are these "flying saucers" a figment of our imagination?  Or, are they</pre><pre>a genuine reality we prefer to dismiss because we fear the scary truth</pre><pre>that we are not the only master race?  Are we hesitant because society</pre><pre>dubs such "immature" psycho tantamount to subscribing to belief in ghosts? </pre><pre>These are a few of the many pertinent UFO questions the mature individual</pre><pre>must address. </pre><pre>     One of the most popular theories that support and explains the</pre><pre>existence of alien beings is the ancient astronaut theory.  This theory</pre><pre>contains three main schools of thought.  The first states that aliens bred</pre><pre>with our primitive forebears thereby creating modern man.  The second is</pre><pre>quite similar.  Aliens performed genetic engineering on apes thereby</pre><pre>creating the Homo Sapiens and man's intelligence.  The third, and least</pre><pre>accepted, is that colonists from another galaxy came to Earth, mated with</pre><pre>the primitives and established a high level of culture, before being</pre><pre>destroyed by some natural catastrophe.  And upon this catastrophe and</pre><pre>destruction, we build and grow (Fitzgerald 1).  Berossus, a Babylonian</pre><pre>scholar, may have been the first astronaut historian.  He said that "</pre><pre>animals endowed with reason" bestowed the Sumerian culture before 3000</pre><pre>BCE.  The Sumerians, along with their cultural inheritors, the</pre><pre>Babylonians, never referred to such beings as gods.  Rather they were</pre><pre>depicted as "disgusting abominations," a description only deserved by</pre><pre>uninvited alien visitors (2). </pre><pre>     One step further takes the astronaut theory and surmises that with</pre><pre>it, we can understand the later religious cultures, such as the Hebrews</pre><pre>who are thought to have borrowed much of Sumerian practice.  Such</pre><pre>religions and secret societies, with their elaborate and complicated</pre><pre>rituals may actually be "preserving from a previous epoch fragments of an</pre><pre>esoteric and little understood knowledge, just as the Egyptian, Hebrew,</pre><pre>and Mayan priests guarded in their temples the inspired word of their</pre><pre>self-possessed creators (3)."  Alien originators may have set down certain</pre><pre>rites which became confused over the years, resulting in the various</pre><pre>ancient religions; aliens being the source of our notion of God.  This</pre><pre>also may explain how miles long designs, only viewable from the air, were</pre><pre>created in ancient times.  The only rationalization for the possibility of</pre><pre>such designs is that the ancients had assistance from the sky, namely</pre><pre>extraterrestrial assistance.  Many UFO theorists, astronomer Morris Jessup</pre><pre>being the forerunner, go even further: not only were pre-Biblical and</pre><pre>Biblical times full of Alien intervention, but he contends that the UFO</pre><pre>phenomenon is the missing link between Biblical supernatural accounts of</pre><pre>miracles and established, contradicting science.  Jessup explains that</pre><pre>"nothing is supernatural and nothing is outside nature (12)."  He</pre><pre>continues that the Bible is full of UFO accounts, depicted by various</pre><pre>descriptions: angels, the revelation on Mt. Sinai, the burning bush, and</pre><pre>Elijah's levitation to heaven.  Jessup says the Bible is a physical</pre><pre>record, not a collection of divine revelation "although the miracles of</pre><pre>this and all religions invite rational and physical explanation, if we</pre><pre>grant the 'existence of spatial intelligence (13).'"  Another thinker,</pre><pre>Brinsley Trent, follows the theme of extraterrestrial interpretations of</pre><pre>the Bible and claims that the Garden of Eden was, as many ancient texts</pre><pre>point out, not the underground, but in the Underworld - i.e. outside the</pre><pre>orbit of earth, meaning Mars.  When the Great Flood occurred, Noah built a</pre><pre>great "boat," a spaceship, and landed on Earth (Life 16).  However,</pre><pre>Cornell astronomer Carl Sagan warns that this ancient astronaut theory and</pre><pre>the "saucer myths" represent a compromise "between the need to believe in</pre><pre>a traditional God and the contemporary pressures to accept the</pre><pre>pronouncement of science (Fitzgerald 5);"  therefore, according to Sagan,</pre><pre>the proposition that aliens exist and the astronaut theory should be</pre><pre>tossed. </pre><pre>     Many theorists assume the Bible is a totally separate entity and</pre><pre>don't associate or contradict the UFO phenomenon with the well established</pre><pre>theological belief system in the supernatural.  Wilhelm Reich, for one, a</pre><pre>noted Austrian psychoanalyst, claimed to have witnessed various UFO crafts</pre><pre>and believed that these aliens are hostile.  Such aliens wish to rob Earth</pre><pre>of orgone, a "cosmic life energy allegedly present in air, water, and all</pre><pre>organic matter (Life 52)." </pre><pre> He proceeds to say that saucers run on this orgone energy, hence exhuming</pre><pre>a bluish color due to "orgone exhaust."  Moreover, orgone exhaust is</pre><pre>"deadly orgone (Life)," causing sickness in people and creating parched</pre><pre>desert where ever the crafts land.  The Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung,</pre><pre>totally differed.  He theorized that all "people can tap into...(a )</pre><pre>collective unconciousness-an area of the unconscious that...contains</pre><pre>information derived from the experiences of the human race as a whole</pre><pre>rather than the individual...This storehouse contains universal symbols</pre><pre>called archtypes...that present themselves spontaneously in dreams or</pre><pre>visions...evoking strong imaginative response...One such image was the</pre><pre>mandala, a disk shaped symbol that represents completion...[hence UFOs are</pre><pre>not] real objects, but rather mandalas...visioned by people looking</pre><pre>for...equilibrium (53)." </pre><pre>  Jung's approach is quite debatable.  However, as shaky an argument it</pre><pre>may sound, it's as viable as those who welcome the notion that aliens do</pre><pre>exist. </pre><pre>     Other more common and more understood theories explain that aliens</pre><pre>are well intentioned visitors who wish to observe their human</pre><pre>contemporaries for purely scientific purposes.  However, British</pre><pre>astronomers Sir Martin Ryle and Sir Bernard Lovell both warn that we must</pre><pre>regard all other life in the universe as potentially a fatal threat to</pre><pre>humankind and, in effect, discourage the effort to communicate with such</pre><pre>beings (Referring to the many attempts to communicate with aliens via</pre><pre>powerful satellite dishes.) (Fitzgerald 7). </pre><pre>     With all the theories in mind, we come to the next issue.  What are</pre><pre>people, in reality, seeing? </pre><pre>     Kenneth Arnold was a normal businessman in Idaho.  As an upstanding</pre><pre>and reputable citizen and an expert on flying, Arnold was believed when he</pre><pre>said that he witnessed a ship zoom back and forth at an approximated 1,350</pre><pre>miles per hour.  This incident provoked a considerable amount of national</pre><pre>debate and gave birth to what historians termed the "modern flying saucer</pre><pre>era."  There were sightings before the Arnold case.  However, following</pre><pre>it, there was a myriad of reports and calls.  Although many were hoaxes,</pre><pre>not all were.  And most of those who have claimed to have witnessed UFOs</pre><pre>swear that in no way could they be anything but an alien spaceship. </pre><pre>Simply due to the fact, as in the Arnold case, that these crafts maneuver</pre><pre>in such humanly impossible speeds and in gravity defying manners. </pre><pre> At one moment the UFO is spotted hovering over a house and one second</pre><pre>later can be seen 25 miles away.  People also have described the crafts as</pre><pre>huge cigar shaped buzzing objects or the more popular silent, metallic</pre><pre>type saucers.  These reports include interference with television signals</pre><pre>and the halting of car ignitions.  Such claims, as Bob Bletchman, in an</pre><pre>interview explained, are the best evidence due to their testimonial</pre><pre>consistency.  When you have hundreds of people on an individual basis,</pre><pre>from all backgrounds, depict the same scenario, time and time again, there</pre><pre>is little room to doubt their truthfulness.  People even assert that</pre><pre>they've seen the pilots: described anywhere between two inch bees to Nazis</pre><pre>(Fitzgerald 3) to little green men with six fingers. </pre><pre>     An eerie complement of UFO sightings are these strange and exact</pre><pre>circular patches of parched, bent, but not cracked vegetation.  Such</pre><pre>mysterious circles are believed to be the place of the saucers' landing. </pre><pre>Even more interesting, the circles can't bear any vegetable growth for</pre><pre>many years afterwards (Life 125). </pre><pre>     Many allege that not only have they been visited, but kidnapped too. </pre><pre> One of my main research sources, a curious, but perhaps crafty David</pre><pre>Jacobs, Ph.D., took 60 men and women who claimed abduction and put them</pre><pre>under hypnosis in an effort to document and establish whether all this</pre><pre>mumbo jumbo is true. </pre><pre> Although generally most abductees remember nothing but the fact that they</pre><pre>were abducted, hypnosis proved to uncover many layers of lost memories. </pre><pre>Through these hypnotic sessions, Dr. Jacobs claimed to have found many</pre><pre>reasons the aliens "gave" for such abductions:  scientific research,</pre><pre>crossbreeding and general observance of the human condition.  He also</pre><pre>"discovered" many underlying messages from the aliens:  They mean no harm. </pre><pre>They care and respect humans and do only that which is necessary.  His</pre><pre>book sounded very convincing, but perhaps too convincing.  Through careful</pre><pre>reading, I began to realize that this Dr. Jacobs is full of bologna. </pre><pre>Session after session, Dr. Jacobs fabricates his "patients'" conversations</pre><pre>with the aliens. However, the conversations sound too repetitive in</pre><pre>personality and too sensational in respect to the aliens' response.  In an</pre><pre>effort to sound very natural, Dr. Jacobs picks up an almost artificial</pre><pre>grammatically incorrect tone of voice.  For example:  "Mm-hmm, but fast,</pre><pre>not slow...like whizzed by (Secret 69),"  and "I just sink to the bottom</pre><pre>and start to breathe (189)," and "inside out, yeah (211)."  These are just</pre><pre>a few quotes of the literally hundreds of repetitive speech patterns in</pre><pre>his book.  I get the feeling this "Dr." Jacobs is trying to make a</pre><pre>believable, sensational story by feeding the reader what we'd like to</pre><pre>hear:  Kind aliens, cross breeding, scientific experimentation, etc. </pre><pre>(Although I found fault with one of my primary sources, it by no means</pre><pre>typifies the value of other such publications.  Each book must be valued</pre><pre>on its own.)</pre><pre>     Using super high-tech computer photograph analyzers, scientists were</pre><pre>able to determine the validity of the widely known Trent photos.  In</pre><pre>Oregon, 1950, a Mrs. Trent was feeding rabbits in her backyard when she</pre><pre>saw a huge metallic disk, silently gliding through the air.  She called</pre><pre>her husband to fetch a camera and managed to get two shots.  These two</pre><pre>shots were scrutinized by the U.S. Air Force and a variety of other</pre><pre>investigators.  The 1969's skeptical Condon Report stated: "The simplest,</pre><pre>most direct interpretation of the photographs confirms</pre><pre> precisely what the witnesses said they saw (Life 138)."  Later on, a</pre><pre>William Spaulding of the Ground Saucer Watch Inc., put these Trent photos</pre><pre>under intense computer scrutiny and came out with the same conclusion: It</pre><pre>was no hoax (Life). </pre><pre>     In World War Two, Allied and Axis air pilots witnessed these eerie</pre><pre>luminous balls that would either chase planes or zip in and out of the</pre><pre>planes' courses.  Such oddities were to be eventually called "foo</pre><pre>fighters."  World War Two was a time of secrecy and great inventions. </pre><pre>Instinctively, the allies thought they were some kind of high tech German</pre><pre>innovation.  Naturally, too, the Germans thought vice versa.  Therefore,</pre><pre>nothing of an extraterrestrial nature was ever reported (Life 26), at</pre><pre>least officially. </pre><pre>          There are countless reports where U.S. air force personnel</pre><pre>witnessed a flying saucer and reported it; only to be told that it was</pre><pre>probably a jet or weather balloon.  Despite the fact that Project Blue</pre><pre>Book (a government UFO investigation) yielded a 1,465 page scientific</pre><pre>report containing charts, photographs and analyses, worth about a half</pre><pre>million dollars in research, the government stated in a 1969 news release</pre><pre>that due to lack of any "significant" conclusions, UFO research would be</pre><pre>terminated.  Most fans of the research only read the introduction and</pre><pre>conclusion sections of the report.  Unfortunately those sections were</pre><pre>written by an enthusiast of the U.S. Air Force:  and hence embraced their</pre><pre>policy of denial and falsehood (Life 118).  Consequently, the government's</pre><pre>decision to halt research was accepted with little protest or suspicion. </pre><pre> Yet, the question whether the government is holding back vital UFO</pre><pre>information is still very strong.  Many contend that the U.S. government</pre><pre>is doing so in an effort to ensure national safety and prevent potential</pre><pre>mass hysteria by publicizing the existence of alien beings. </pre><pre>     In 1947, in New Mexico, one of the most famous and potent pieces of</pre><pre>evidence literally befell the United States.  "Barney" Barnett, and some</pre><pre>local archeological students found shriveled and broken up pieces of shiny</pre><pre>metal and scattered dead bodies all over.  A few days later, the army had</pre><pre>quarantined the area, shipped everything away, and told the witnesses that</pre><pre>it was their "patriotic duty" to keep the incident a secret.  Nonetheless,</pre><pre>Barnett and the students went public about it (Life 74).  To this day,</pre><pre>hundreds of reports and books detail this famous "Roswell incident" and</pre><pre>claim that the government, again, is hiding undeniable proof of alien</pre><pre>life. </pre><pre>     The Viking mission to Mars in 1976 is another prime example of the</pre><pre>government's policy of non cooperation and denial.  The Voyager had taken</pre><pre>two pictures of a rock form of a human face on Mars' surface.  Before a</pre><pre>1992 Observer voyage to Mars, many requested NASA to take high resolution</pre><pre>photos of this "Face" to determine whether it is really a three</pre><pre>dimensional rock formation.  NASA responded in the negative, although the</pre><pre>government gave NASA an extra $90 million for the exact purpose of seeking</pre><pre>out Martian life forms.  NASA gave a stupid explanation, claiming that the</pre><pre>1992 Observer was only photographing meter long objects, which the "'Face'</pre><pre>could be a candidate target.  However, there are no plans to tailor the</pre><pre>mission to assure that the 'Face' is imaged (Boyce)." </pre><pre>  In a letter, Bob Bletchman cynically responded: "How can NASA not tilt</pre><pre>the camera to possibly answer the most profound question ever asked, 'Are</pre><pre>we alone?' (Bletchman)" </pre><pre>     Nevertheless, many scientists maintain that the many UFO sightings</pre><pre>may simply be meteorites, some type of atmospheric phenomena, or high</pre><pre>tech, saucer-like airplanes used by the military.  One factor that greatly</pre><pre>contributes to UFO skepticism is created by the thousands of UFO hoaxes</pre><pre>made each year.  A prime and famous example of such hoaxes occurred in New</pre><pre>Mexico, 1963.  Paul Villa claimed that UFO aliens had become so friendly</pre><pre>with him that they agreed to pose their ship for a camera shot.  Using the</pre><pre>same high-tech computers as was used for the Trent photos, scientists</pre><pre>revealed a tiny wire that was used to suspend the "UFO" in the air (Life</pre><pre>140). </pre><pre>     Although it's very easy to scoff at the thought of Martians and</pre><pre>flying saucers due to the subject's emotional sensationalistic attributes</pre><pre>and attractabilty to the fantasizer, one can not simply dismiss the</pre><pre>possibility.  There is too much evidence and too many good and honest</pre><pre>people out there who can give testimony.  Too often, we hear of the many</pre><pre>government cover-ups and attempts to keep things concealed.  Although the</pre><pre>government tries hard, they can't keep it a secret forever.  Little by</pre><pre>little, as more incidents occur and as more is leaked out, the world will</pre><pre>know that we are not alone. </pre><pre>     It should be noted that this report by no means begins to even</pre><pre>scratch the surface of the UFO mystery.  Not only are thousands of books</pre><pre>written on each issue, but each individual case is worthy of whole books</pre><pre>on its own.  It therefore follows that this paper was a simple over of an</pre><pre>overview of the massive topics and subtopics that follow. </pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Works Cited</pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Bletchman, Bob.  National Board,  International Mutual UFO Network.</pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Bletchman, Bob.  National Board,  International Mutual UFO Network.  Letters.</pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>        </pre><pre>        Connecticut: 1988</pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Boyce, Jacobs.  Discipline Scientist, Planetary Geoscience, Solar System    </pre><pre>        Exploration Division, NASA.  Letter.  Washington, D.C.: 1988</pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Editors of Time-Life Books, eds.  The UFO Phenomenon. Virginia: Time-</pre><pre>        Life Books, 1987</pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Fitzgerald, Randall.  The Complete Book of Extraterrestrial Encounters.  New </pre><pre>        York: Collier Books, 1979 </pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Jacobs, David M.  Secret life.  New York: Simon & Schuster. 1992 </pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Works Consulted</pre><pre><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Fact or Fiction:  The Roswell Autopsy. TV Program.  N.p.: n.p., 1997.</pre></div>

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Tristans Tragedy

"Tristan's Tragedy"

As told to (author's name)
By Tristan

"What an unusual Christian name, '(author's name)'! And you say you know but two
languages? You must jest to render the title of 'scholar' upon yourself. During my training, I have
learned seven, all the while being taught horsemanship and swordsmanship. Alas, all of my accolades
serve me not here. True nobility never makes excuses for shortcomings; however, in this despair I
can know no greater loss.
After being wounded in battle with the giant Morolt (who was subsequently slain by my steel)
I journeyed to Ireland in search of Queen Isolt and her medicinal power. Disguised as a wandering
minstrel, I succeeded in endearing myself to her court by performing deeds impossible for the
average. I also taught her daughter, my beautiful Isolt, the art of the lyre. I returned to Cornwall,
and upon hearing my account of Isolt's charm, my king Mark resolved to make her his own.
After convincing her family to allow her to wed the king, we set back on a ship for Cornwall.
I remember the night on which we fell in love. Perhaps it was the wine, or perhaps I was merely
intoxicated by her. Nonetheless, she amazingly felt the same drawing to me, and we were unable to
contain our affections. We continued seeing one another in secret after the wedding; after all, without
love her marriage was invalid. After a while, though, our conniving king took aware of our dealings
and banished me to the barren Arundel.
It was there I met a woman of average beauty, but with the only name worthy of my
attentions: Isolt des Mains-Blancs. (That's "of the white hands" if your other language fails you.) I
could not betray my love however, so our marriage was never consummated. Rightly so, because
in due time I received a letter from my true Isolt, giving account of her flight from the king. She
requested a meeting with me, saying her ship would bear a white sail. I kept the new Isolt on guard
for weeks. Finally, I was informed that my Isolt was spotted on a ship, yet one bedecked with a black
sail. In shock of my love's betrayal of truth, I fell dead, and I became as you now regard me.
Let not this cruel fate befall you, (author's name). Let not your weak education impede your
ambitions. Let not a love enter your heart, for you will be only distracted from duties at hand. And
finally, let not blind trust influence your decisions, as you will find yourself in the whirlwind where
I abode..."

THESEUS

THESEUS
GOT A B+ (89%)
In Greek mythology, Theseus can truely be thought of as the greatest Athenian hero.
He was the son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and Aethra, princess of Troezen, and daughter of
Pittheus, king of Troezen.
Before Theseus was born his father Aegeus left Aethra in Troezen of Argolis and
returned to Athens before he was born. But before he left king Aegeus put his sword and his
pair of sandals under a large rock and said to Aethra that when Theseus was old enough to lift
the heavy rock that Theseus should take the sword and sandals and come to see him in
Athens.
At the age of 16 after being brought up in Troezen, Theseus was finally able to lift the
heavy rock. Theseus with his long blond hair then took the sword and the sandals and began
his journey to Athens to claim Aegeus as his father. The young Theseus made his hazardous
journey by the coast road along the Isthmus, clearing the road of six villains, murderers, and
monsters which inhabited the road. Theseus killed these villains by the same method by which
they had murdered their own victims. Among the villains that Theseus killed, were Sciron,
Sinis, Procrustes and Phaea.
Theseus arrived in Athens wearing a sword and a pair of sandals that Aegeus had left
for him in Troezen. He was then greeted by his father Aegeus and his stepmother Medea
who was a sorceress. But she was jealous of his influence over Aegeus so Medea tried to kill
him by sending him to kill a wild bull. But Theseus succeeded and sacrificed the bull to Apollo.
He then returned to Athens and was almost poisoned by Medea, but as soon as Aegeus got
wind of her plot, he proclaimed Theseus his son and heir to the thrown and banished Medea
from Athens and she escaped to what is now Asia.
According to legend, the people of Athens had to send seven youths and seven
Maidens every year as a tribute to Minos, the king of Create, to be eaten by the Minitor, who
was a terrible monster, half man and half bull.
Theseus decided to go as one of the youths and try to kill the minitor. When he
reached Create, Ariadne, the beautiful daughter of Minos fell in love will him and helped him
kill the Minitor by giving him a sword which he killed the Minitor with and a ball of thread to
help him find his way out of the labyrinth in which the Minitor lived. Theseus then left Create
with Ariadne but dumped her on the way back to Athens.
On his return from Create to Athens, however, in his hurry to get home, he forgot to
hoist a white sail signaling his success against the Minotaur. So when Aegeus saw a black
sail, he believed that his son was dead and was so sad that he threw himself from a high
rocky cliff into the sea, which has ever since been known as the Aegean Sea in his honor.
Theseus then became the King of Athens. And as king of Athens, Theseus was wise
and generous, and united the many small communitties of the Attic plain into a strong and
powerful nation and brought prosperity and civilization to the people.
But he kept his love of danger and adventure and during a war with the Amazon
Women he abducted the Amazon Hippolyta, who bore him a son who was named Hippolytus.
He took part in the Calydonian boar hunt and in the quest of the Argonauts for the Golden
Fleece. He was a devoted friend of Pirithous, king of the Lapithae, whom he accompanied to
the underworld to rescue the goddess Persephone. Both men were imprisoned by the god
Hades for their rash deed, but Theseus was subsequently rescued by Hercules.
Returning to Athens, Theseus found his kingdom in disarray, torn by rebellion and corruption.
Unable to reestablish authority, he sent his children away and sailed to the island of Skyros,
where Lycomedes, king of Skyros, murdered him by throwing him from a cliff into the sea.
Later the Delphic oracle commanded the Athenians to gather Theseus's bones and bring them
back to Athens. The Athenians then paid him great honor by building him a tomb dedicated to
the poor and helpless whom he had befriended.

Theseus and his Adventures in the Labyrynth

Theseus Athens great hero

At birth Theseus an unknown father. His mother , Aethra , was friendly with both Poseidon and Aegeus (Hunt 3-6). Before Theseus was born Aegeus said to Aethra ." If we are to have a son , when he is grown have him take my sword and sandals from under this boulder to me ," then he was off to Athens. Theseus was born in a small town called Troezen and grew up there, in a normal way.
When Theseus was old enough Aethra took Theseus to the boulder where the sandals and sword were and told him what Aegeus had said. Theseus lifted the giant boulder with ease and immediately wanted to go to Athens. He insisted on going by land even though it is much more dangerous for there are thieves and he did not want to heed his mother's warnings. So he was off to Athens on foot to meet his father.
On the journey Theseus met many thieves and out whited every one of them from asking to see there nice weapons and using them agents the thieves to seeing what they were trying to do to him and using that to hurt or usually kill them. Either way Theseus showed courage and wisdom in his quick thinking that would make him a great hero that would be remembered for many years to come.
The first day in Athens Theseus started looking for Aegeus' castle but what he did not know was that Aegeus was ,at the time, under the power of a sorcerer by the name of Medea. She could see the power in him from afar and saw that he would take her power so she told Aegeus to kill him. At this time either Aegeus nor Theseus knew that they were related. Media told Aegeus to invite Theseus to a party or ball coming in the near feature and to poison his drink. Aegeus poisoned his drink and gave it to Theseus. Just before Theseus drank the wine Aegeus dashed the glass to the ground for he had just recognized his sword.
Aegeus and Theseus became good friends and lived together for a time. One day Theseus saw ships with black sails coming and heard that there were taking 20 people to the labyrinth where they would be killed by a monster called the Minitor. Theseus had to stop this annual occurrence and went on the boat and promised if he lived to change the sails from black to white to tell Aegeus that Theseus was alive.
Theseus went on the ship to the labyrinth in Crete and met Ariadne , who he fell in love with immediately, who gave him a ball of silk for which to get out of the maze. Theseus got all of the others to follow him and finally found and killed the Minitor by himself. He then followed the silk back out. He loved Ariadne and took her home with him. On the way Dionysis said that he was already to be wed with Ariadne and took her with him. Theseus was so sad that he forgot to change the sails. Aegeus saw the black sails from atop a high cliff while watching for his son and jumped into the sea below him killing himself in what is now called the Aegean sea.

The Trojan War

The Trojan War

Homer was the god who wrote three famous poems, the Illiad, the Oddessy, and the Beowulf. The Illiad was the story of the Trojan war. Here's how the trojan war went.
Helen, Clytemnestra's sister, was married to Menelaus. A while later, Menelaus went hunting, and Paris from Troy came and took Helen away. Agamemnon heard the news and was furious. So, he got together troops and set off to Troy to get Helen back. But, they couldn't sail out of the bay..the wind held them back. So they had to sacrafice a maiden. Agamemnon sacraficed Iphigenia, his daughter. Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife, was NOT happy, for Iphigenia was her favorite daughter.
Clytemnestra set out to murder Agamemnon, but it was too late. He was already on his way out to Troy.
During the war, Hector had killed Achilles' best friend. Achilles was FURIOUS. So Achilles dragged Hector in a circle 3 times by his hair and gave killed him.
Then Agamemnon came back, married to beautiful princess Cassandra. Clytemnestra had even more reason to kill Agamemnon now. So, she killed Cassandra, then took her husband's live.
Orestus and Electra, Clytemnestra and Agamemnon's other two chilren, then killed their mother for killing their father.
After the war, Odysseus set out on a journey, and killed Achilles.

The Story of Atalanta

The story of Atalanta

Atalanta was a goddess who wasn't wanted by her father. So her father took and put her in the forest to die. Her dad wanted a boy.
She was saved and raised by a bear. For many years she was raised by bears. Soon some hunters found her and returned
her to here father. Her father was happy, but soon got sick of her again. She said whom ever chould beat here in a foot race whould be here new
husband. If they lost they whould be put to death. Many lost. Intill one boy who asked help from the goddess of
another god. The god gave him 3 golden apples. Then was the race. The race started and he threw the first golden apple.
Atalanta went to pick it up. He was in the lead, but atalanta caught up. He threw the second one further. Atalanta went to pick it up.
He gained more space. The race was near end and atalanta was gaining on him. So he took the last apple and through it real far.
Atalanta went to get it. He won the race. They were wed. Soon they whould offend Zues though.
And be turned into lioness.

The scientific explanation for the existence of Vampires

Vampires have been seen and documented throughout history. The history of
vampires goes further back in time than most people realize. The chaldeans, who lived
near the Euphrates river in the southwestern part of Asia more than five hundred years
before the time of Christ , feared vampire or creatures similar to vampires enough so that
they created charms to protect themselves from being attacked by such creatures. The
Assyrians and the Babylonians feared a creature similar to a vampire known as an
Ekimmu. These creatures known as Ekimmus were believed by the Assyrians to roam the
planet searching for food although it was not always a persons blood but rather a persons'
vitality or that persons' energy force. It was believed that if such a creature would enter
someone's house that person along with his or her family would slowly weaken, get sick
and probably die. In the countries of Syria and Palestine references were made to such
blood sucking monsters on ancient carved tablets. In Ireland the people believed in these
creatures, which they affectionately came to call "red blood suckers" . Due to their belief
in these mythical creatures they began the practice of placing stones on these vampires
graves to kep them from escaping.This then became standard practice and is still used to
this day in the form of a tombstone. Tombstones were used to control ghosts and other
spirits instead of their original use in controlling vampires.
Due to the fact that vampires seemed to be so commonplace around the globe,
there was a large variety of vampires that differed in shape, behavior and method of
becoming a vampire. All of these factors varied from region to region. In the country of
Bulgaria a vampire had only one nostril. This Bulgarian vampire would rise out of it's
grave nine days after death in the form of a shower of sparks and remained in this shape
for a period of forty days. After the completion of these forty days the shower of sparks
would regain it's human form. Once human-like the vampire goes from playing childish
tricks, which it did in it's "spark" form , to more serious matters , such as the attacking of
humans and drinking of their blood. Vampires are well known for their craving for
blood but in many countries vampires were not limited to just that substance as part of
their diet, but would also consume foods that humans ate such as eggs and rice. That,
however, does not mean that their yearn for blood was any weaker than before. Most
vampires would attack their victims and suck the blood from puncture wounds made in
the neck (The Russian vampire would suck the blood directly from the victims heart).
Sometimes the vampire would gorge itself until it had drained the victim completely
while other times it would take just enough to satisfy that night's thirst and come back the
following night and take a bit more. The method of drinking from the same victim night
after night would cause the victim to get weaker and weaker . Due to the fact that the
victim was indeed attacked by a vampire, that would mean that upon the victims death
they too would become "undead." (. Vampires p22)
Certain cultures around the globe also had systems to recognize vampires. In
some cultures vampires were distinguished due to the color of their hair. In most
Christian countries vampires could be recognized because they had red hair like Judas
Iscariot, the man who betrayed Christ in the bible, was said to have had red hair. Eye
color was another tell-tale sign used to identify vampires. In Greece ,where most people
have dark colored eyes, vampires were said to have blue eyes, Rumania they were said to
have had gray eyes, and in Ireland they had black eyes.
Vampires have been around for centuries , in some cases they have been
recognized and feared by cultures that were around thousands of years before the time of
Christ, such as the Babylonians and the Assyrians. Throughout the ages many medical
explanations that could explain the vampire phenomena have been overlooked. The first
reason was the lack of education that many people, because schooling was not an
important part of these societies. Their lack of medical knowledge about diseases, some
of which are quite rare and hard to explain even to this day was a large factor in the
spread of vampire lore. Along with the fact that very uneducated people have always had
a tendency of being overly superstitious also contributed to the vampire legend. In 1985
Dr. David Dolphin, Ph.D., a professor of chemistry at the University of British Columbia
presented his theory that blood-drinking vampires were not vampires at all but rather
victims of a disease known as Porphyria.(Dresser, Norine. American Vampires p171) "
Porphyria is an incurable genetic disease which affects at least 50,000 patients in the U.S.
that causes sudden symptoms of severe pain , respiratory problems, Skin lesions and
sometimes death."(Dresser, Norine. American vampires p171) "Porphyria may well have
been responsible for many a vampire tale - especially since the disease is hereditary"
(Garden, Nancy. Vampires p98) A person that is affected by Porphyria can seem very
scary to the average person since the disease causes the persons gums to tighten. That
causes their teeth to be seen much more prominently as well as causing their teeth and
nails to gain a fluorescent glow.These traits could then go on to explain the fact that
many vampire stories described the vampires as giving off a greenish glow. Victims of
this disease are likely to be deformed in other ways as well but usually in the facial area.
Because of the skin lesions suffered by victims of Porphyria they are usually very
sensitive to light which would cause them to not venture out of their homes until night.
This aspect of the lifestyles of people suffering Porphyria would fit in very well
with vampire lore. Garlic was used as a repellent of vampires butmore likely victims of
the disease known as Porphyria would have a strange chemical reaction with garlic which
would cause the person to have a severe porphyria attack. This would then make that
person very reluctant to come close to the garlic since it contains large amounts of
Dialkyl Disulfide which destroys Heme in the persons blood ( Heme is the pigmented
component of Hemoglobin and related substances found in largest amounts in the bone
marrow, red blood cells, and the liver ). The further destruction of Heme in a Porphyria
victim would set off a severe allergic reaction. Since Porphyria is also a genetic disease
several siblings in a family usually carry the defective gene. While the siblings may share
the same defective gene sometimes only one of the siblings will display any of the
symptoms . It is known that in many vampire tales , vampires return to attack their
sibling or other family members.This along with the fact that Porphyria could be
triggered in a person who is genetically predisposed to have the disease by a sudden loss
of large amounts of blood. When these factor are taken into consideration, one could say
that when a vampire came back to attack a sibling and when the sibling also began to
show some vampire characteristics , it could be assumed that the Porphyria gene in the
second sibling could have been triggered by the loss of blood which was suffered during
the attack by the first sibling or the "vampire." This would make it seem as though the
vampire attack had caused the second sibling to turn into a vampire as well.
Plague was another factor which could explain the growth of the vampire legend.
In the Stephen King book Salem's Lot which is the story of a town that is infested by
Vampires and due to the infestation of vampires causes the town to become a ghost town.
In the book it says" But a little over a year ago something began to happen in Jerusalem's
Lot that was not unusual, people began to drop out of sight." (King, Stephen. Salem's Lot
p15) This phenomenon which is found in Stephen King's book was not at all uncommon
in ancient times especially in remote places. Villagers in these remote places would have
believed that blood was a Vital substance that gave life. Since they did not know much
about disease their lack of knowledge of diseases and their lack of medical practitioners
in these remote areas would give the perfect opportunity for their superstitious beliefs to
come into play. If suddenly much of the town began to fall ill at the same time and they
all displayed similar symptoms such as weight loss , weakness and paleness they would
think that these people must have been drained of the vital substance, blood. Searching
for an explanation without any medical knowledge the one thing that would make sense
to them would be that a vampire was on the loose while the fact that the town could be in
the middle of an epidemic such as the black plague during the Dark Ages. In Stephen
King's book a town would just seem to disappear for no reason and the only explanation
would be vampires. In the Dark ages the situation would be very similar to that in the
Stephen King book except that in Stephen King's book the vampires are real.
Tuberculosis or consumption as it was often called is a disease that although was
not highly contagious was a very common disease up until the mid-1800's . The
beginning stages of this disease do not contain very recognizable symptoms.By the time
the symptoms showed up (such as weight loss and fatigue which is where the name
consumption came from) the disease was already in it's later stages. Tuberculosis would
have been very difficult to diagnose by people with no medical knowledge especially
when the most serious symptoms of the disease such as coughing and spitting up blood
were not present. Tuberculosis was often openly confused with vampirism as was the
case when in the mid- 1800's the corpses of many victims of Tuberculosis were treated as
vampires and buried face down or by being dug up and burned when members of their
families suddenly came down with Tuberculosis.(Garden,Nancy. Vampires p69)
The mental aspect of vampires has always seemed to be that of someone who was
not in their right mind. In Anne Rice's book The Vampire Lestat at one point one of the
vampires in the book just looks at the other one and simply says "You're the mad one." (
Rice, Anne. The Vampire Lestat p73) not realizing that madness plays a large part
towards explaining the vampire legend as well as other mental conditions. One of these
conditions which could explain the vampire legend is the condition known as a cataleptic
condition which many times is brought

The Riddle of the Sphinx

The Riddle of the Sphinx

The study of myths probably began in the 4th century. BC. when Euthemerus explained
them as exaggerated adventures of historical individuals. The allegorical interpretation of
myths , stemming from the 18th century study , says that at one time myths were invented
by wise men to point out a truth, but after a time myths were taken literally. The linguistic
corruption interpretation says that myths could be understood as allegory for events found in
nature. The Jungians school denoted myths as a mechanism of wish fulfillment. Sir James
Frazer, believed that all myths were originally connected with the idea of fertility in nature,
with birth, death, and resurrection of vegetation as a constantly recurring motif. Though the
modern interpretation of myths is not general but a specific explanation for myths of a single
people. The theological interpretation states that myths are foreshadowings of facts of the
Scripture or corruptions of them. This view, which is not contemporarily popular, is
surprisingly enlightening when attention is paid to the meaning of names of characters and
places in relation to Biblical stories. Even recent fairy tales which fall into the category of
myth, often reveal through metaphor more truth in scripture than one would anticipate.

The most relevant and necessary topic for the understanding of the imagery and
symbolism of myth is found in the framework of the celestial zodiac. The pictures found
today in the zodiac were not developed by the Greeks, but were in place perhaps as early as
4000 B.C. predating even the civilizations of Sumaria. The pictures were not arranged in
haphazard order to aid in the tracking of the star movements but with order and purpose of
depicting an epic narrative. This understanding of the zodiac reveals an intelligence and
scientific understanding that was corrupted through time . The symbolism which remains can
be analyzed to reveal the basic truth behind it.

The story of the sphinx is an excellent example of the zodiac / myth connection. The
sphinx a composite creature with the head of a woman or man and the body of a lion was
associated with the guarding of sacred sites of antiquity. It represented the whole of the
narrative of the zodiac, with the head of a woman, Virgo the beginning of the celestial cycle
and the body of a lion, Leo,the end of the cycle. In fact, the actual design for what scripture
calls a cherub is in actuality,a sphinx. The angels were beings whose sole purpose was to
reflect the will and the glory of the God who created them. They were depicted symbolically
as composite creatures whose parts reflected the zodiacal narrative. The Greek myth
Oedipus Rex contains symbols of relevance to corrupted truth. When Oedipus encountered
the Greek sphinx, he was asked a riddle., "What speaks with one voice, yet in the morning
walks on four legs, walks at noon on two legs and in the evening walks on three legs?"
Oedipus was the only man to answer correctly. The answer was "man". Upon hearing her
riddle solved the sphinx screamed in rage, threw herself to the rocks below her lofty perch
and died.

Such a simple answer to this enigmatic question leaves one to ponder its significance.What
more can be gleaned from the content of the story? The sphinx as it has been stated was
actually a symbolic depiction of an angel. This angel was not, however, anything like the
dutiful messengers of God described in scripture but a horrible monster bent on the destruction of
any man it came in contact with. The biblical basis for such a creature is found in Ezekial 28.
The "king of Tyre" or "King of the rock" as he is symbolically addressed, was the greatest of
all angels. In fact so great was his splendor that he believed himself as great as his creator.

The Odyssey

THE ODYSSEY

The Odyssey was full of wonder, power, and surprises. It is packed with epic heroes, creatures, gods, and goddesses. The gods, goddesses, and creatures had supernatural powers that effected the lives of Odysseus, his crew, and his family. Their actions proved to be powerful, benificial, and deadly.
The gods, godesses, and creatures in The Odyssey on many occations proved to be powerful. Zeus, leader of the gods, was a prime example of this. When, "Zeus the lord of cloud roused in the north/ a storm against the ships, and driving veils/ of squall"(p.444, 66-68) , many of Odysseus men died. Another account when Zeus was very powerful was, "Zeus Cronion piled a thunderhead above the ship....then the squall struck whining from the west, with gale force, breaking both forestays"(p.465, 678-682) destroying the ship. When Odysseus tells the Cyclops "Poseidon Lord, who sets the earth a-tremble,/ broke it up on the rocks.....a wind from seaward"(p.450, 254-256) it shows how Poseidon was very powerful. Also how Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag of winds that his men unleash that throw them off course.
Although the gods and goddesses were powerful they were also benificial. Zeus was beneficial in the way that he helped Odysseus, "Then Zeus thundered/ overhead, one loud crack for a sign."(p.478, 1032-1033), this sign told Odysseus to start attacking the suitors. The way Circe helps Odysseus in warning him of dangers to come, "Circe forsaw for us and shared with me,/ so let me tell her forcast: then we die/ with out eyes open."(p.459, 528-530) She warned of the Sirens, Charybdis, Scylla, and the island of the sun god. Also Athene help Odysseus fight the suitors and win. She also disguises Odysseus to hide him from the suitors and Penelope.

In The Odyssey the gods, goddesses, and creatures proved to be deadly. The six-headed monster, Scylla, killed six of Odysseus' men, "whisking six of my best men from the ship.....She ate them as they shrieked there."(p.464, 652-662) Not far from Scylla was a deadly whirlpool called Charybdis, "dire gorge of the salt-sea tide.....all the sea was like a caldron/ seething over intense fire......when she swallowed the sea water down/ we saw the funnel of the maelstrom."(p.464, 639-645) Also when Zeus was throwing thunderbolts at the ship killing all his men "Zeus let fly/ a bolt against the ship....and all the men were flung into the sea."(p.465, 688-691) Also the Sirens, sea nymphs, lured men to their death on the rocks with sweat songs.
In The Odyssey the gods, goddesses, and monstrs influenced the lives of Odysseus, his men, and his family with their supernatural powers. They showed to be fierce, helpful, and lethal. These episodes in The Odyssey came together to make one of the greatest epics of all time.

Homer. The Odyssey. Understanding
Literature. New York: Scribner
Educational Publishers, 1987.

The Odyssey 2

The Odyssey Report

In The Odyssey , Homer uses guest-host relationships as an ethical norm against which behavior is measured. When the ritual is preformed correctly by guest-host, good results ensue. In contrast, the violations of this ethical norm results in misfortune. This idea was taken very seriously by people of that time and it can be found throughout the story.
A great example of a guest host relationship where both the guest and the host behave properly is the relationship between Telemachos and King Menelaos. As a guest Telemachos treats his host with respect and dignity. He address menelaos as "my lord" to give reverence to his kindness and to be polite. Telemachos is very complimentary to his host by saying "Zeus must have such a place" when referring to menelaos' house. He does this to let him know that he will be a good guest and that he is a proper gentleman. Menelaos shows that he to can be a good host and gives Telemachos food and shelter even when there is a wedding going on. He says "go and take out their horses, and bring the men in to share our feast". This shows that menelaos must be a good guest especially to give them shelter during a wedding. Menelaos also does not pressure Telemachos into answering any questions before he eats and enjoys the festivities; nor does he give any indication that he wants Telemachos to leave. He says "stay here in my mansion for ten or twelve days and then I will give you a good send off and a handsome gift, three horses and a chariot: I will give you a fine chalice too, that when you pour your drop to the immortal gods you may think of me all your days". This statement shows that not only does he wish Telemachos to stay but that he is a very generous man indeed. Due to kindness of both men good things are bound to ensue. For Telemachos the good outcome he receives is the accurate news of his fathers whereabouts. For Menelaos the good outcome is that whenever he may need help Telemachos is always there for him.
Another example in which there is a good host and a good guest is the relationship between Odysseus and Eumaios, the swine herd. Despite Odysseus' appearance as a beggar, since he is in disguise, Eumaios treats him with the same respect as he would any person. He takes him into his home and tells him to "eat away" and to enjoy himself. Also Eumaios "laid a bed for him near the fire, a heap of sheepskins, and their Odysseus lay down". This is a good indication that the swineherd is a good host. Odysseus returns this kindness by saying "I pray Zeus may bless you as I do, for the honour you have done" as a way to show his thankfulness and his gratitude. He also shares his stories of the past as a way to amuse his host. Odysseus continues by regarding Eumaios as "my friend" as a way to let him know he is very appreciative. When Telemachos enters Odysseus, the beggar, offers his seat at the table, but Telemachos being the good guest that he is refuses the seat. Thus Telemachos can be considered again as another good guest. Their rewards are that Odysseus finds out about the suitors and that Eumaios is a faithful person to him. Odysseus also gains a warrior in the battle against the suitors. Eumaios' reward is that his life is spared by Odysseus. Odysseus also says "I will find wives for both of you, and give you land and well built houses close to myself; and you shall be friends and brothers of my son Telemachos". This is a great honor especially for a swineherd. Finally, even Telemachos is rewarded for his kindness; he is made aware of the beggar's true identity as being his father and their conquer over the suitors.
However not all guest-host relationships are ones in which the guest and the host act properly. For instance, the relationship between Odysseus and Polyphemos, the cyclops. When Odysseus first arrives at the cave of Polyphemos it says he "walked briskly to the cave, but found him not at home...so we entered". This action is not a good way to be a guest because he comes in uninvited. He even goes a little further he says "we lit a fire and...helped ourselves to as many cheeses as we wanted to eat". This is another way he is a bad guest because he takes what he wants even without it being offered to him. Upon Polyphemos' return he to shows he can be a bad host because "he picked up a great huge stone and placed it in the doorway" which made escape almost impossible. He continues his streak of meanness by eating some of Odysseus' men. It says he "devoured them like a mountain lion, bowels and flesh and marrow-bones and left nothing". Odysseus get angry and devises a plan which will allow him to escape. He then takes a wooden rod and "thrust the sharp point into his eye and leaned hard on it from above and turned it round and round". This is the punishment Polyphemos receives for his being a bad host. However Odysseus also receives a punishment for entering into Polyphemos' house without permission and being a bad guest. His punishment is the great loss of men which he receives, his quick evacuation of the island, and the anger he brings to Poseidon; which causes him to have the suitors come to his house and reek havoc in his kingdom.
The final example of a guest-host relationship in which both the guest and host act unaccordingly is Odysseus and the suitors.
Odysseus reaches his home and finds his house in shambles. The suitors continuously refer to Odysseus as a "nuisance" and at one point one of them decides to show his anger. "Then picking up the footstool, he threw it, and hit him full in the back under the right shoulder". This is not the actions of a good host so something bad is bound to happen. However this does not enter into the minds of the suitor and they continue with their verbal and physical bashing. They continue to badger Penelopeia with there empty promises so she will choose another husband and the suitors will gain control of the kingdom. Since it is not polite to marry a man's wife while he is away; this to is another situation in which a good guest or host does not get into. This arouses Odysseus anger and he makes a plan to rid himself of the suitors. He establishes a contest with a bow which he uses to divert the suitors attention and he begin his slaughter. He shots a arrow at Aninoos which "struck him in the throat, and the point ran threw the soft neck". He even goes as far as to remove the "cods" of one of the traitors of his house. This action seems justified to the reader and for the most part it is. However, this is still something a bad guest does and therefore a little punishment must ensue. After all the suitors are dead he tells Penelopeia "to be careful" because "as soon as the sun rises, everyone will hear about the men I have killed". When the families of the slain men hear of this they are obligated to go and kill Odysseus for what he has done. So as his punishment he must flee to his fathers estate and he must live with the fear of death at all times.
In The Odyssey, the guest-host relationship is very important to safety and well being of the people. Then believe that if one of the two, either the guest or the host, acts improperly something bad was bound to happen. This idea is practiced almost always by the people and they live there life in harmony; however if one of them breaks these guidelines then something bad ensues.

The King Must Die

The King Must Die

Is Theseus to perfect to be a human being?

To be considered a human being one must be subject to or indicative of the weakness, imperfections, and fragility associated with human beings. This definition separates us from any lower being, or for this book's concern separates us from any higher being. Theseus had endured a life that during some times showed to be like that of any human. Yet, there were numerous occasions that proved Theseus to be not of human flesh and blood, but that of a god.

The most compelling event of the book, in my mind, that would define Theseus to be more than a human being took place under the strength of the Isthmus' current between Athens and Troizen. Theseus was losing strength and falling deeper into his coffin. Theseus had not sooner lost the struggle against the angry current as Poseidon lifted his body, in an invisible form, and carried him to shore safely. Theseus had been looking for a sign from a god. He had been looking for one all his life. When he was old enough his mother told him that he could have been born of a Greek god. Voluntarily or not, his life would become a search for the truth. This sign proved him to be more than human.

A hard challenge was brought onto to a younger Theseus' shoulders when he worked under his grandfather at the tender age of eight. Theseus was to teach the inner workings of his job that was soon to be passed on to his apprentice. Yet, this boy tested his patience every day and would push him around and laugh at the year older Theseus. Theseus thought that if he was truly born of a god that he could show this boy who he was. One day Theseus had a small quarrel with this boy. The result of this quarrel was Theseus showing, for the first time in the book that he was not of the ingredients that other humans were. The small quarrel had erupted into a mighty battle. Theseus then pounded his foot on the ground and created a massive earthquake leaving the boy's body hurdled onto rocks and praying for Theseus not to kill him. Theseus remained untouched throughout the event and in return the boy put full trust in the fact Theseus was born of a god.

In the later part of this book, Theseus became bolder and now believed himself he was born of a god. What better character to look upon to tell us the truth behind this question then Theseus himself? If Theseus believes that he truly is born of a god, then the events and actions in the book must then prove it with substantial evidence. I believe that the answer to this question is found within the way Theseus acts and thinks, rather then in physical evidence we perceive to be the answer. The changing
of his view of life, his interaction with others, and his overall thinking of if he was born of a god was amazing over the course of the book. He was at first doubtful of his status as a human being. He would not overlook the harsh words said to him at his childhood when the matter was brought up as words of no meaning. He was then hopeful and more confident when he received signs from a god that he was not normal, but of something more than human. In the end he was so confident that he slayed the Minotaur, watched the labyrinth fall, then married Ariedne. His confidence was so high with his knowledge of his birth origin that even without the prior events, he could have brought the labyrinth to fall and slayed the Minotaur.

Theseus was the King of Athens. He had something inside him that all men do not have. He was special in many ways. His presence on earth was not the same as normal humans. Yet it is not for us mortals to question whether a higher being is not a man but something more.

The Hope of the Phoenix

The Hope of the Phoenix

The word phoenix had symbolize immortality, but for the people in Fahrenheit 451, their only hope was that the phoenix would be burn out, and be reborn again. The myth of the phoenix gave optimism to the life of Montag, to the books, and to the world of Fahrenheit 451. The world was now dying, and nobody seemed to care, because the government had brainwashed the people. It was a situation, where not only the brave, but the ones who can think for themselves, who can help break the government's control.

The life Montag had been a bumpy road. He thought he had a good life, because he enjoyed his job, and was happy. Soon Montag discovered that he was not happy at all, and that his life was nothing. His wife Mildred did not love him at all, and his only friend (that he could remember) Clarisse died in a car crash. All of sudden, he was not happy, but he did not know why. He thought maybe because his wife had pulled the fire alarm on him, but really it was he did not love her at all. "It's strange, I don't miss her at all(155)" Montag had uncertainly about his marriage, because marriage was suppose to be bonded with love, but with his marriage love was extinct and nowhere to be seen. His life had died, when his wife Mildred pulled the alarm and had told the firemen that Montag had books. To Montag, the books was like a sweet piece of candy. He did not know why he liked them, but he always wanted more. But when Captain Beatty forced Montag to burn his own house, Montag's soul had died, but then resurrected. His life which was suppose to be happy was burning right in front of his eyes. How ironic, that Montag was a fireman himself but like the phoenix, Montag rose from his own ashes. Montag was now reborn, because he knew his life was wrong, and that the world was wrong. He did not know why it was wrong, but he knew that he had to do something about it. He started that by burning Captain Beatty into "a charred wax doll(119)". Montag now had the feeling of hope, not much since he believed he could not do anything. But Montag had now broken the control of the government and was using the books as his aid.
How ironic, in the real world, people were always talking about how people wasted paper, which mean wasting trees, but in the world of Fahrenheit 451, every tree that had been cut down, and was use for books was now being burned away. To the people of Fahrenheit 451 "books show the pores the face of life,(83)". The people were scared and uncertain about books, so society decided to hire firemen to burn the books. Although most people were scared of books, the books acted like their own phoenix by giving people some hope. People like Montag, and Faber. If it wasn't for the law of prohibiting books, Montag might have never seen the light, and if wasn't for the old woman burning herself with books, Montag might have seen what the books actually meant to people, therefore the books themselves have been reborn. Ironic, that books were made to be read, but even without reading, Montag was able to see what they meant to society.
The world of Fahrenheit 451 WAS quite different from the world now. Instead of people fighting for equal rights, people were already equal. Equal in everything from physical abilities to mental abilities. No problem right? But one constant problem was everyone were always trying to commit suicide. They tried this, because living in the world of Fahrenheit 451 was like hell, because nobody was allowed to think, express their ideas, or to enjoy life. It seemed the world had no hope in changing, because the government thought that they had destroyed the main force against them, books. But the people themselves were optimistic about living a better world, and now had formed an alliance to help restore the world. Montag was one of them, he and many others believed a new world with individuality. All a sudden the phoenix symbolized the suicides, the books and hope. If it wasn't for the suicides, the books, the hope, many people in Fahrenheit 451 would be still living in a nightmare, because they would live in a world, where they would living a life that was controlled by someone. Like the old saying goes out of the old and in with the new really fitted as the motto for the world of Fahrenheit 451 . Many people were dying because they just wanted to escape from the world, but some believed that if they die, a new world will be born with individuality, hoping this time the world would not fly too close to the sun.

Hope was a word, many people used to help them succeed in something, but for the people in Fahrenheit 451, the word phoenix was the driving force that would help them fly over the fire. This was a world, which many people had hoped to live in, because in this world nothing happened, and that was the problem. Nothing did happen. Nothing. It was a world where being equal had a price, a price which many people would never want, their individuality. How ironic, although the government tried hard to control the people, it was a myth that came and helped guide the people through the way. A myth that came from books, that were now being burned. It was a myth which people were not allowed to read about, but at the end, the myth over came all obstacles and now had brightened the sun for many. This event had helped proved that not everyone could every be equal, because there would always be people who would write the other way.

Written by: Vivian Chan

the giant lives on

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Ben Daily
Carolyn Kremers
English 213-002
February 10, 1997
The Giant Lives On
Every time I read the Tlingit Legend, "How Mosquitoes Came To Be," there are certain questions that come to mind about where the legend came from and who wrote it. The legend was first published in 1883 and later found by Richard Erdoes, who included it in one of his publications, American Indian Myths and Legends. Why is the human race so selfish to think we can be the hunter and not the hunted. Although giants could be a dominant presence in our lives, humans prove that they will not be over-taken.
Each time I read the Tlingit legend, a new question would arise in my mind as to how this legend came to be and particularly, who wrote it? The first question I thought of was, is he the only giant on the planet? This was answered for me with the introduction of the giant's son. As I read on, something seemed puzzling to me, the fact that why humans are so selfish to think they are better than giants, let alone anything else. For instance, why is it okay for humans to kill a chicken, roast it and eat it, and a giant is bad to "kill humans, eat their flesh, and drink their blood"(11)? Later in the story we learn that the giant also liked to roast the hearts of humans. Another puzzling question I asked myself is, if the giant was stabbed by the human and "The monster screamed and
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fell down dead."(12), why did the giant still speak? I know this is a legend or maybe just a fictionous story, but if the giant is also a spirit then that would be helpful when reading the legend. I will analyze these questions in hopes of understanding the problems with humans and giants, which I might add is still being dealt with today with mosquitoes everywhere.
My first question, if this giant was the only one on the planet, seemed answered toward the end of the story with the introduction of the giant's son. When the human threatened the life of the boy giant as he asked where the heart of his father was, why didn't he kill the boy anyway? As we all know, a boy will eventually become a person, and the boy is in fact a giant, therefore by killing the giant by stabbing him in the left heel, the human simply forgot the son. There are a lot of parts in this legend that are very unclear and when we ask why, who, what, where and when, we are led into yet another question to be answered. Which leads me into my next question, What makes a human better than a giant?
In the Tlingit legend, a human feels threatened by a giant and kills it, why? I tend to think giants like to kill and eat humans, just as humans like to kill and eat cows, chicken and other animals. So tell me gentle reader, what is the difference? Is it that we are humans and we cannot be subject to be hunted as we do other animals. The only explanation is that human nature will only lead us to believe that we will not be overcome by anything except ourselves. One possibility for the actions of the humans against the

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giant would be that the giant can speak, and shows some intelligence, after all he did build a home for his son and himself. Therefore the humans might have thought that the
giant was beyond reasoning with, thus the basis for killing the giant. Another question that poked at my brain was that even though the giant was declared dead, he still spoke the words "Though I am dead, though you killed me, I am going to keep eating on you and all the other humans in the world forever"(12). Okay, maybe as he was dying he muttered those words, but how do you explain the laughing as his ashes were being thrown into the wind? If the giant was in fact burnt to ashes how could he possibly laugh and talk to the human. My last argument is how the ending was abruptly cut short and how it left the reader hanging without knowing what happened to the giant's son. Also, if there is a boy giant, what about the mother giant? I often questioned the credibility of this legend and the author, but that is something that has to be considered when reading "How Mosquitoes Came To Be."
I did a little research about this legend, curious about who wrote it and when exactly it was written. According to the paragraph at the top of page 11 from the legend, the essay was first published in 1883 in an English-language source and was found by Richard Erdoes. Checking the gnosis system in the Rasmuson library for several possibilities as to who and when the legend was written, I came up short.
This legend was a simple story about a small community with a big problem. A giant who likes to eat people was a menace who needed to be dealt with. One human decided to take matters into his own hands and try to kill the giant himself. This human

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played opossum on the trail of the giant and eventually was picked up by the giant. The giant, unknowing that he was being set up to be killed, was overjoyed that he could find a fresh human to feed upon. Throwing the human over his shoulder, he finds his way back home and drops the person on the floor and retreats outside to get some firewood.
In the mean time the human gets up off the floor and retrieves and huge knife that belonged to the giant, just as the boy giant comes into the room. The human immediately put the knife to the boy's throat, threatening to kill him if he did not reveal the place of his father's heart. Scared from all of the commotion that seemed to come from nowhere, the boy told the human his father's heart was in his left heel. Just then, the giant walked into the room, the person immediately stabbed the giant in the left heel. As the giant collapsed he vowed to continue to eat humans until the end of time.
Foolishly, the human told the giant he would never allow the giant to do such a thing and cut the giant into pieces and burnt him to ashes. The human, thinking he has saved the human race, threw the ashes into the wind. Just as the ashes were thrown into the air, they immediately turned into mosquitoes and began to suck the human's blood. It seems that the giant got the last laugh, continuing to eat humans until the end of time.
After reading this legend over and over, I find that looking beyond all of the questions that have come to mind, I found the story to be a change of pace verses the conventional ways about explaining the creation of insects. Yet some parts of the legend seemed sketchy as to how this chain of events took place. My biggest questions, which may never be answered, are who started the legend and when it originated. Overall I

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enjoyed the legend and the creativity, but after reading it several times the questions began to jump out at me like crickets in the night. Humans need to learn that we are not the only intelligent life on the planet, and if we ever did come across any giants, we should try to act rationale instead of rash.