Crash Course Myth: Monsters, Horses, Dragons
This was a really fun one to watch! The definition for monster, "to describe something or someone outside the bounds of acceptable form or behavior," means there are more monsters out there than we know. This definition can easily develop into many monsters depending on how a person perceived another's actions. I may think someone is a monster for littering because in my mind that is outside the bounds of acceptable behavior.
Monsters are very important for mythological stories. Without them who would the heroes fight? Monsters make our stories more interesting and fun. I like the story of the Wendigo because it shows a human fear much like all monsters do. The Wendigo is a monster that originated in Canada. It lives in the forest and its favorite food is humans. This story came to be because in dreadful winters food was scarce and the people would often go hungry. Unfortunately this would result in cannibalism in the worst case. So in their mind the Wendigo was formed from a human's worst fear. Losing one's self and going against social norms and behaviors.
The many stories of horses came to be because they have been such a large part of human transportation for hundreds of years. People were dependent upon them in battle and getting far distances. Because of this it is easy to understand why people created so many stories of them being radiant, magical, and pure. There are many forms of horses and my favorite is Pegasus. I did not know until watching this video that Pegasus was born from the blood of Medusa's body. I think that makes Pegasus even more badass than before.
The story of the Chinese dragon was incredible. It came from five groups of animals all procreating with the monkey. I wonder why they chose the monkey? Maybe because it resided in the middle of the earth so it was easiest for all of the animals to gather there. I love how the dragon had a little bit of each animal. A lions head, serpent body, bird claws, pigs nose, and wings. The Chinese dragon is truly magnificent.
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