Battle of the Mythologies

[mkreku]

Oh, no matter. I voted for Thor anyhow since he's always been my favourite god. His horse has like a myriad of legs and that hammer of his.. phew! It could split the skies.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Ahem, Thor doesn't have a horse, Odin has a horse, with 8 legs. I believe Thor has a goat if memory serves me correctly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Argh, you are right. I checked up on it and I had Odin's 8-legged horse confused with Thor's chariot (pulled by two goats). I just remembered the old tales of Thor riding around the skies, making thunder (thunderous hoofs) and figured it was Sleipner making the noice. OH WELL: I'll have to settle for two.. goats. :angry:

[Cantousent]

Yeah, but you can eat the goats and they regenerate in sunlight.

 

My exposure to myths tends to be those from Greece and Rome, but I can tell you that things change constantly in myths over time.

[BetaSquad]

Loki would own. For a moment, forget about the fact that he spent the last eternity with a snake dripping poison over his head. He is a master trickster, and if fighting came around, he could convince some other god to act as a bodyguard (Thor is out of the question, but Ares could make a fine sub).

 

Well, all of the gods would probably split into five hundred factions and duke it out to the death, right? Well, Loki could just stay on the sidelines and goad them on.

 

"Zeus, did you here that Thor called your robe a dress?"

 

"Hey Hera! Zeus is getting it on with Odin in the back room! I think he's cheating on you again!"

 

"Hey Giants! Look at that! Hercules is dead! No more invincible hero to save the Gods this time! Go get em!"

 

And so on until everyone is almost dead, and Loki gets Aphrodite (sp?). He wouldn't even have to lift a finger, and if any thunderbolts come his way he could just get Ares or some other stupid god to jump in the way. B)

[Child of Flame]

Loki would own.  For a moment, forget about the fact that he spent the last eternity with a snake dripping poison over his head.  He is a master trickster, and if fighting came around, he could convince some other god to act as a bodyguard (Thor is out of the question, but Ares could make a fine sub).

 

Well, all of the gods would probably split into five hundred factions and duke it out to the death, right?  Well, Loki could just stay on the sidelines and goad them on.

 

"Zeus, did you here that Thor called your robe a dress?"

 

"Hey Hera!  Zeus is getting it on with Odin in the back room!  I think he's cheating on you again!"

 

"Hey Giants!  Look at that!  Hercules is dead!  No more invincible hero to save the Gods this time!  Go get em!"

 

And so on until everyone is almost dead, and Loki gets Aphrodite (sp?).  He wouldn't even have to lift a finger, and if any thunderbolts come his way he could just get Ares or some other stupid god to jump in the way.  B)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Exactly, this is exactly what I thought. B)

 

 

Oh, FYI, Loki's Sleipnir's mother.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

Yeah, but you can eat the goats and they regenerate in sunlight.

 

My exposure to myths tends to be those from Greece and Rome, but I can tell you that things change constantly in myths over time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Actually he can eat the goats and use mjollnir to regenerate them, but if the bones are broken then he is unable to. I think it's a clear point about nature.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

I still think Baldur will be the last one standing, the rest will just kill each other off and he'll return from Hel.

[Phosphor]

Gotta go with good old Wednesday on this one. He's just too tough and wiley a bugger to be permanently done-in.

The Trimurti might give him a good run for his mead, though.

[roshan]

Indra is a power gamer; being the god of war, the god of thunder and storms, the greatest of all warriors, and the strongest of all beings. Indra's going to make it to the end and then stomp on everyone remaining.

 

LOL youre right, Indra is a powergamer compared to the other gods.

 

9. Kali has four arms, and yes, she is pissed. I don't think she'll beat Indra though.

 

Kali actually has EIGHT arms, the most in the Hindu pantheon ( Normally minor dieties like Indra have 2 arms while major ones like Vishnu and Shiva have 4). Kali is represented with a hideous and terrible countenance, dripping with blood, encircled with snakes, having garlands of skulls and human heads, and in all respects resembling a demon rather than a goddess.

 

Shes the goddess of death, desruction, war, and pretty much everything evil. Her other personality(the positive form), Durga, is the goddess of divine power and the slayer of demons. Durga is pictured as a beautiful woman, and she rides a lion, and carries a conch, discus, trident, bow, arrow, sword, dagger, serpent, mace and other objects.

 

I think theres no beating Kali.

[stian1986]

loke was half jotun

[Whitemithrandir]

Normally minor dieties like Indra have 2 arms while major ones like Vishnu and Shiva have 4

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Now, I'm by no means an expert in Hindu mythology, but I do live in Edison, NJ (we have more Indians than India does, and cricket is a national sport here) and all my best friends are Indian.

 

 

I was under the impression that Indra was a pretty major god?

[roshan]

Normally minor dieties like Indra have 2 arms while major ones like Vishnu and Shiva have 4

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Now, I'm by no means an expert in Hindu mythology, but I do live in Edison, NJ (we have more Indians than India does, and cricket is a national sport here) and all my best friends are Indian.

 

I was under the impression that Indra was a pretty major god?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

No, in fact no one prays to Indra at all! Ask youre friends if any of them have ever prayed to Indra, Im sure that no one will say yes.

 

The only gods worshipped in India are:

Vishnu/Krishna/Rama

Shiva

Kali/Durga/Mahakali/etc

Lakshmi/Parvati

Saraswati

Ganesh(the one with the elephant head)

Murugan/Kaartikeya/Skanda - (the brother of Ganesh)

*Various incarnations and forms of the above Gods are also worshipped

*In some regions of India some of the other gods are worshipped but this is not widespread

*For Hindus who like to worship god in a female form, lakshmi/saraswati/durga are regarded as a single goddess who is called Devi Ma(mother goddess).

 

Some dieties like Hanuman(the monkey) or radha(devotee of Krishna) are worshipped but are not considered gods but worshipped as a symbol of devotion to god (the way catholics worship saints).

 

Brahma is considered a God but he is not worshipped.

 

So there are only 7 Gods who are worshipped in modern Hinduism(and 1 that isnt).

 

The gods such as Indra, Yama, Agni, Surya, Varuna, Chandra, Soma and all the others were worshipped in India thousands of years ago during the Vedic period before the development of classical Hinduism. Like the Greek pantheon, each of these gods was in charge of some aspect of nature, such as the moon, the planets, the earth, thunder, seas, oceans etc. However, they were not regarded as individual beings but more of diff ways of representing god. Hinduism believes in a single "divinity" that pervades the entire universe(pantheism/monism). So these gods personified different forces or parts of the divinity that pervaded the world/universe. So, the Vedas declare "Truth(god) is one, but it is called by many different names".

 

However later on the trio of gods (brahma, vishnu shiva = trimurti) who symbolized creation, existence and destruction basically became regarded as the supreme gods because in later Hinduism, the functions they personified became regarded as the most important ones. And their consorts also became major goddeses symbolizing wealth, knowledge and power(the thigns that people want most). The incarnations of Vishnu and the sons of Shiva also became popular. When these gods took over and Hinduism evolved, new texts called "Puranas" which deal mostly about these gods instead of the vedic ones complemented the Vedas(which mostly praised older gods like Indra). In the Vedas, for example, Vishnu was just a minor diety who considered a friend of Indra. But in the Puranas he is one of the supreme Gods. However Shiva(called Rudra in the vedas) and Brahma were important Vedic dieties, but they were not the top ones.

 

Today most of the Vedic gods like Indra and the others are considered as demigods(but not as God itself like the 8 I mentioned) and are still respected and considered to rule the various aspects of the universe but they are not worshipped.(although some rituals are still performed dedicated to them)

[Whitemithrandir]

Okay thanks Roshan

[roshan]

No prob.

[Nartwak]

Nice explanation roshan.

[roshan]

Thanks.