Story Book Plan

 

Dogs of Mythology

Here is my Mushy Dog, Archie.

Personal Photo

Sources

• Source 1
• Source 2
• Source 3

Story Ideas

•     The stories about dogs in Greek Mythology are fairly short so for this segment it would be a couple of the dogs from Greek mythology telling their stories to each other. I will definitely mention Cerberus, Argos, and probably Laelaps. Their stories are mentioned briefly in a prior post.
•     The Egyptians are known for revering cats highly but what a lot of people don't know is that the revered dogs just as highly. It was a crime to kill a dog and even harsher a crime if the dog was collared and clearly a pet. People would mourn their dogs as they would their humans, believing they will meet them again in the afterlife. When dogs died people would shave their heads and eyebrows, which was the sign of mourning. Anubis was represented with the head of a Dog, some say it is a jackal but the Egyptians actually did not distinguish between domestic dogs and jackals given that the breeds in that region closely resembled them.
•     Aztec god of fire and lightning but also twins, deformities, and sickness. He is the king of the underworld and in Aztec mythology, not a very nice guy. Dogs were looked down upon in Aztec culture so I want to display probably the only dog that could be a "bad boy." He was also the twin of Quetzalcotl who was highly revered. This is kind of odd given that twins were seen as a deformity. In the creation story all the gods sacrifice themselves for the sake of the world, Xolotl acted as the executioner who was supposed to sacrifice himself at the end. There are different endings to this, some include him actually commiting suicide as he is supposed to, others have him not doing so then crying so hard his eyes fall out, and another has Quetzalcotl returning and exacting punishment. No matter how it happens Xolotle is seen as a trickster with hollow eye sockets. 

Story Format

I would like to make this an anthology of formats being told by the different dogs at at dog park

Main Idea

I would like to get the idea across that there are important animals in mythology and that dogs can be just as interesting as humanoids in mythology.

Topic Research: Mythological Dogs

 

Mythological Dogs

Greek Mythology

    The stories about dogs in Greek Mythology are fairly short so for this segment it would be a couple of the dogs from Greek mythology telling their stories to each other. I will definitely mention Cerberus, Argos, and probably Laelaps. Their stories are mentioned briefly in a prior post.

Source 1

Egyptian mythology

    The Egyptians are known for revering cats highly but what a lot of people don't know is that the revered dogs just as highly. It was a crime to kill a dog and even harsher a crime if the dog was collared and clearly a pet. People would mourn their dogs as they would their humans, believing they will meet them again in the afterlife. When dogs died people would shave their heads and eyebrows, which was the sign of mourning. Anubis was represented with the head of a Dog, some say it is a jackal but the Egyptians actually did not distinguish between domestic dogs and jackals given that the breeds in that region closely resembled them.

Source 2

Source 1

Basenji Puppy

Basenji dogs are an Egyptian dog breed that is one of the oldest breeds known.

Photo Source 

Xolotl

    Aztec god of fire and lightning but also twins, deformities, and sickness. He is the king of the underworld and in Aztec mythology, not a very nice guy. Dogs were looked down upon in Aztec culture so I want to display probably the only dog that could be a "bad boy." He was also the twin of Quetzalcotl who was highly revered. This is kind of odd given that twins were seen as a deformity. In the creation story all the gods sacrifice themselves for the sake of the world, Xolotl acted as the executioner who was supposed to sacrifice himself at the end. There are different endings to this, some include him actually commiting suicide as he is supposed to, others have him not doing so then crying so hard his eyes fall out, and another has Quetzalcotl returning and exacting punishment. No matter how it happens Xolotle is seen as a trickster with hollow eye sockets. 

Source 3

Source 1

Project Topic Brainstorm

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Freya

Norse Mythology

Norse Mythology is one of my favorite segments of Mythology. I read about it in the Rick Riordan series, Magnus Chase. I may be 20 but the books are still entertaining. Those books prompted me to do more of my own research into Norse Mythology. That and Thor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Freya in particular is interesting to me. She's goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and sex but also war, gold, and magic. She has a cat drawn carriage and is married to Óŏr who is gone most of the time and she tries searching for him whilst crying tears of red gold. We all Know that half of the dead go to Valhalla ruled by Odin, the other half go to the "heavenly field," Fólkvanger which Freya runs. Thor even portrays her once to get his hammer back. In this topic I would probably tell of some of Freya's adventures, possibly the ones in search of Óŏr.

Source1  Source 2 

Italian Folklore

    I am not familiar with much Italian Folklore despite being Spanish Italian. However, I am familiar with La Befana, the Christmas Witch who gets her name from the Catholic celebration of Epiphany or when the 3 wise men visited Christ. La Befana acts like an Italian Santa Claus. There are a variety of legends as to how she started this tradition. One is that the 3 Magi stopped asking for directions to the Messiah, she did not know but provided lodging, they invited her to come along and she said she was too busy cleaning but later decided to go, she never found him so she brings gifts to all the good children along the way and onions, coal, and garlic to the bad. Another story shares the search for Jesus but this reasoning is because her own child died and she believes Jesus to be him. Similar to the first, the Magi ask Befana to help look for the Messiah but she turns them away because she is busy cleaning, later feeling guilty she searches for Jesus with a bag of baked goods for him and a broom for the new mother. She never finds him but again leaves gifts for the children she comes across because "The Child of Christ is in all children." Children awake when she arrives receive a thump on the head with her broom. I would include this story among others.
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Mythological Dogs

    I almost named Archie, Argos after Odysseus' dog. However, that story is pretty depressing so I decided against it. I would include a collection of stories of different mythological dogs told from their perspective I would include Argos as well, as if Argos went with Odysseus. I would also touch on Cerberus of course. There also is Laelaps, a gift from Zeus to Europa later passed down to King Minos. Laelaps caught everything he sought after. One day Cephalus used Laelaps to chase the uncatchable Tuemessian Fox. A dog who catches all his prey and an uncatchable fox perplexed Zeus in this never ending paradox so he turned them to stone and then into the respective constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor. The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl has a dog headed twin brother Xolotl. He was god of Fire and Lightening and a guide for the newly dead souls.

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Ladies of Legend

    I was thinking of showcasing 3 or 4 female heroines or goddesses. My favorite Disney movie is Mulan, she may not be a princess but she is better. So I would showcase her in a more true to tale way. The Amazons, Hippolyta in particular would be an interesting lady to showcase but maybe over done. Enyo, daughter or sister of Ares, goddess of war who enjoys destruction, I may tell as a reckless party girl. Atalanta is one of the sole mortal heroines of ancient Greece. She was super athletic and skilled in archery and battle and didn't marry until Hippomenes beat her in a race, the two were later turned into lions by one of the gods. The Valkries are another possibility.

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