Discover with us the 10 most surprising religious myths. Get to know their legends and surprising stories that still survive.
What are religious myths?
Religion is a belief system, which includes belief in the existence of at least one of the following: a human soul or spirit, a deity or higher being, or oneself after the death of the body. Religious mythology comprises traditional legends accepted as history; It served to explain the worldview of a people within religious myths.
.Ceremonial rituals
Rituals are ceremonies in which a god and goddess, or a concept of the sacred is honored; a milestone is celebrated or energy is focused toward a specific goal. Religion is widely practiced through rituals that combine the ideas of religious mythology represented by symbols.
Rituals are inspired by stories of religious mythology passed down from generation to generation to perpetuate the traditions of a religion and often hold many ideas of symbolic meanings. Symbols are often based on specific episodes told in myths; signifying a specific worldview.
During antiquity, the complexity of human communication was made possible by the ability of humans to create and use symbols. Symbolism for anthropology covers a vast area of human life, from the body to the importance of colors, to the worship of idols and religious symbols; its defining characteristic is that they represent something other than their intrinsic property.
Colors, symbols and rituals
For example, the color red has been associated with danger in various societies. Conversely, it can also be seen as the color of luck or marriage for Chinese and Indian cultures. For Catholics, bread and wine are a symbol of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and by partaking of the elements, the believer commemorates Christ’s sacrificial death.
A religious ritual is a standardized and repetitive sequence of activities. It involves the documentation of religious symbols such as prayers, offerings, and readings from sacred literature. Rituals generally have traditions prescribed by a religion and may be performed at regular intervals, or on specific occasions, or at the discretion of individuals or communities.
Timeless narratives
Religious myths are religious narratives or stories that have the religious basis for religious beliefs or practices. Some religious myths exist as written texts, while in non-literate societies they exist as oral narratives. These religious stories may be told in the form of art, music, and dance. Anthropologists use the term to refer to sacred religious stories believed by people who tell them they are true.
For many of us, religion is the most dominant force in our daily lives. Without an explanation of the world around us we cannot find our own identity within it, therefore, our life is meaningless without religion. There is no simple definition of religion, as there are many religions that claim that their religious activities do not involve the worship of spiritual beings. Here are 10 religious myths and their meanings.
1. The Witch of Endor
Saul and the Witch of Endor in one of the religious myths dated 1526. Found in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. The Christian Bible has an injunction against the practice of witchcraft and divination, and that can probably be blamed on the Witch of Endor.
In the first book of Samuel, King Saul of Israel got into trouble when he sought the help of the witch and asked her to predict the future. Saul and his sons were about to march into battle against their enemies, the Philistines, and Saul decided it was time to get a supernatural insight into what would happen the next day.
Saul began by asking God for help, but God was silent… and so Saul took it upon himself to look elsewhere for answers.
Summoning the witch
According to the Bible, Saul summoned the witch of Endor, who was a well-known medium in the area. Disguising himself so that she did not know he was in the king’s presence, Saul asked the witch to revive the dead prophet Samuel so that she could tell Saul what was going to happen.
Who was the witch of Endor in religious myths? Like many other biblical figures, no one really knows. Although her identity is lost in religious myths and popular legend, she has managed to appear in more contemporary literature. Geoffrey Chaucer makes reference to her in The Canterbury Tales, in the tale created by the friar to entertain his fellow pilgrims. The friar tells his listeners:
“Tell me, though,” said the summoner,” if it be true: Do you make your new bodies ever so out of the elements? The demon said, “No, sometimes it is only a form of disguise; we can enter into corpses that arise to speak with all reason and also with regard to the witch of Endor that Samuel spoke.”
2. Jainism
Among the religious myths is the Jain faith, which is one of the oldest Indian religions, the mountain is the earthly representation of the legendary Mount Meru, the center of the universe. The sacred five-peaked mountain that is present in Jain, Buddhist and Hindu cosmology, Mount Meru is considered the center of all universes, including the physical, metaphysical and spiritual.
The closest mountain to Mount Kailash in Tibet, known as Mount Ashtapada. It is believed to be the site where the first Tirthankara (the savior and spiritual master) of the Jain religion, Rishabhadeva, attained his liberation or enlightenment. Ashtapada is also believed to be one of the five peaks of Mount Meru on Earth, according to the religious mythology of this religion.
3. Bonism
Bonism is the native religion in Tibet. It considers the mountain to be the legendary nine-story religious text of the swastika cross of Bon Mountain. This mythological Tibetan religion, then prevalent on the plateau, had no real name, nor was it really recognized as a formal religion as it is known today.
The followers of these religious myths believe that Mount Kailash is the earthly representation of Yungdrung Gutsek. And the pyramid-shaped mountain that serves as the axis mundi in their spiritual realm of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring.according to the tertons it reappeared in the 10th 11th century. and reinforcing the Bon faith in parts of Tibet.
The creator of the mythological religion, Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche was born in the spiritual realm. And it was during a stay in the Mount Kailash area that a demon stole his horse, leaving him stranded. Because of the sacredness of the axis mundi, which is believed to be Mount Kailash, the left-facing swastika is considered auspicious.
This religious myth tells that by looking at the side of Mount Kailash at the right time of the year (when it is not covered with snow). It shows the vertical cleft that appears to be carved into the south face of the mountain, along with the natural horizontal layers of the rock strata. It appears to be in the shape of a left-facing swastika.
As one of the most auspicious signs in Bonism. This denotes that the mountain must be sacred and the mundi axis of Yungdrung Gutsek.
4. Holi
In religious myths the vitality of Hindu festivals is largely due to Holi, a festival of colors and a harbinger of spring in India. The beginning of Holi is marked by the burning of an effigy of Holika, an evil entity in Hindu mythology, to signify the reign of good over evil.
The night of revelry around the bonfire continues until the embers die. The next morning begins with a smearing of colored powder on each other, more excitement and occasionally involves the consumption of bhang, an edible cannabis preparation and intoxicants!
5. Scientology
This is one of the strangest and most current religious myths that talks about aliens. Scientology may not be the largest organization that believes in extraterrestrial existence, but it is certainly one of the most powerful and influential.
It has an impressive number of Hollywood members and Tom Cruise is on the list of followers. Founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1952, this mythological religion is famous for its secrecy and its often bizarre practices. To study Scientology, members have to learn level by level; it is often claimed that a typical Scientologist must spend several years and about $100,000 in auditing fees before reaching OT III: The Wall of Fire.
In religious myths this belief and story begins with the galactic dictator Xenu.
6. The golem of Prague
In religious myths there are also apparitions of extraordinary creatures and in the Jewish community there is the Golem of Prague. This belief was accused of blood libel (the murder of Christians for using their blood for ritual purposes), Rabbi JudahLoew prayed for protection. He received an answer in the form of a dream.
In this dream, God gave him the secret of how to create a clay golem, and that this golem would protect the Jews against their would-be attackers. Gathering a small team of assistants, whom he swore to secrecy, Loew led them out of the city in the middle of the night. They went down to the Moldau River, where they dug clay from the banks and used it to sculpt a human form.
Each of the men walked around this form seven times, reciting a spell until the golem slowly began to glow, its body was covered with hair and nails grew over its hands and feet. At this point, they recited the verse: “And God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature”.
According to this religious myth, it is said that in this situation, the golem opened its eyes and looked at its creators with astonishment. Loew ordered the creature to get up, and they dressed it to look like a human being.
The creature continued to defend the Jewish community in Prague until the accusations of blood libel ended; at this point, Loew undid the spell while the golem slept, reducing it to a mass of clay that is said to still be found in the attic of the Alt-Neu synagogue in Prague, which can be reached by ladder.
7. The Unfinished Corner of Creation
This is the second of the Jewish religious myths that tells the story of pilgrimage due to the extremely cold winds that arose in the area where they lived, the ancient Hebrews considered the north to be the home of all evil spirits.
In this religious myth, when God had almost finished all of creation, he stopped short at the northern corner of the world. He began to create it, but decided to leave it unfinished, saying, “Whoever declares himself to be God, let him come and finish this corner, and all will know that he is a god.“
It is in this unfinished corner that earthquakes, demons, winds and all manner of evil spirits are said to dwell and venture into the world from their winter abode. These evil spirits are drawn to this remaining corner of primordial darkness by arrogance, desire to face the challenge of God and the simple desire to hide from the light.
Other versions of these religious myths include God leaving a corner of creation unfinished so that humanity can finish it, completing creation.
8. Og the giant
This religious myth tells of the King of Bashan, who turned out to be a giant named Og, who pledged allegiance to Noah if he would allow the giant to enter the ark during the biblical flood. Noah accepted and Og rode on the roof of the ark, becoming the only giant to survive the flood.
Jewish religious mythology explains that the giant Og would later become a bitter enemy of Israel, and it is said that he uprooted a mountain in preparation for hurling it and destroying the entire country.
Fortunately, God sent a swarm of rock-eating ants against Og, which ate part of the gigantic boulder and made a hole in the stone and then fell on Og’s head and trapped him inside it. A long time later Moses arrived and struck Og on the ankle with a hammer, causing him to fall and perish under the weight of the mountain on his head.
However, the mountain fell and began to roll toward Israel, and God had to intervene again, suspending the huge rock between heaven and earth. Later, Og’s skeleton was found by a man who accidentally happened to be exploring the mountain and discovered a cavern that turned out to be the giant’s thigh bone, into which he chased a deer for three miles.
9. Lilith
Lilith is one of the most feared figures in all of Jewish religious mythology, and she has a decidedly surprising origin.
This one of the Jewish religious myths of creation and what happened during this process; When God saw that Adam was alone, he created a woman from the dust to accompany him. Then Adam and this woman immediately began to fight. When Lilith saw that they would never get along with Adam, she uttered the true name of God, a word that can grant powers and flew into the air.
Lilith fled to a cave, where she began to take demons and make them her lovers, spawning an increasingly demonic progeny. When three angels of God caught up with her and demanded that she return to Adam, lest they kill 100 of her offspring a day, she refused.
In religious myths Lilith was Adam’s first wife labeled as a demon, a child murderer and the personification of lust (a succubus). She is said to continually stalk the night, seeking men to seduce in order to have more demonic children.
According to Jewish religious myths, the only way to get rid of her is to recite: “Away with Lilith. Lilith, in the name of God, and in the names of the three angels sent after you, Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof, to remember the vow you made, that when you find their names you will not cause harm.”
10. Vampire of Solomon
Among the countless religious myths, a vampire is the last thing you’d expect to find in Jewish tradition, but that’s exactly what this religious myth from the Testament of Solomon stars.
The myth tells of demons who did not want the biblical King Solomon to build the temple. They could not harm Solomon or his chief builder, so a vampire demon attacked the builder’s son, sucking blood from his thumb.
It did this again and again, until the boy was very weak. When Solomon noticed the boy’s condition, the young boy told Solomon about the attacks, and the supernaturally wise king immediately knew what to do.
He gave the boy his royal ring, with instructions to throw it at the demon when it came near. This would make the demon the boy’s prisoner, and the creature could be returned to Solomon.
The demon, named Ornias, was successfully captured and interrogated intensely about other demons and their names. Knowing the true names of demons gives power over them, this is according to Jewish religious myths.
Learning these demonic names gave power over all demons to Solomon. They could not harm him in the years he spent building the Temple and so, because of the vampire demon, Solomon succeeded in protecting his people and finishing the Temple.