Some readers and researchers may look at mythology as accounts of fictional heroes and places. Perhaps some myths are, but even those must have a kernel of truth behind them. I am going to read a variety of ancient and mythological texts at face value, taking notes on characters and events as fact. This approach to interpreting the mythological texts is called euhemerism. I will be taking this approach regardless of the text's status as totally mythological or semi-historical. While other approaches may be taken in understanding a text (i.e. historical, allegorical, religious, cultural, scientific, etc.), such interpretations are not the main focus of my research; however, some of these other approaches may be utilized providing they help support, and help the reader to understand, my euhemeric approach.
The adventures in this multi-part series will take us to Mesopotamia in The Epic of Gilgamesh, Scandinavia in The Prose Edda, along the Silk Road in Journey to the West, and many more destinations and eras all from the comfort of home, or wherever you are. So, get ready for an incredible journey around the world and throughout time! The secrets of the past are waiting to be discovered; We need only to begin to look. Who's up for an adventure?
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April 2024
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