CHAPTER
4
CHAPTER
4
Dawn of the gods
1. In ancient civilizations, why were strength
& courage admired so much?
They meant the difference
between life and death. The
strongest and bravest were held in
highest esteem.
3. What strange theory does zechariah
sitchin have about sumerian gods?
He claims that the sumerian gods
are accounts of a race of
extraterrestrials that colonized
earth and created humanity as its
slave race.
4. What can be seen as the “original comic
strip”?
The Egyptian
hieroglyphics and
picture stories can
be seen as the
“original comic strip”
5. What are the netjer ?
The netjer are an
array of colorful and
exotic Egyptian
gods who
controlled all
aspects of creation
and existence.
6. Who was osiris?
Osiris was lord of
the underworld in
Egyptian mythology.
He sat in judgment
of the dead and
determined whether
they went to
paradise or whether
their souls were
7. Who was isis?
Isis was osiris’ sister
and eventually
overshadowed him.
She served many
functions and over
time absorbed those
of earlier goddesses.
She is also the
mother of horus.
8. Who was horus?
Horus was the god of the
sun, of the sky, and of the
horizons.
9. What is considered egypt’s greatest
legacy?
Egypt’s greatest legacy
is in its role as the
birthplace of the
mystery religions.
10. On what do the
epic myths of the
greeks focus around?
The epic myths
of the greeks
focus around
godlike
superheroes.
11. What term is
associated with “high
adventure”?
The term “odyssey”
or the name
“Odysseus” is used
as a synonym for
“high adventure”
12. Every would-be
conqueror of ancient
times measured
themselves against
whom?
Would-be
conquerors
measured
themselves
against
alexander the
great
13. What made the
Hebrews great
storytellers?
The Hebrews
ability to expertly
embroider myth
and parable into
their tribal
history made
them great
storytellers
14. According to scholars, how were Hebrew
heroes different from the heroes of the greek
myths?
Hebrew heroes did not have their
own power. It was granted to them
by yahweh and their feats were
meant to bear witness to his wrath
15. What element of their
heroic history do both
hercules and samsom
have in common?
Both involved pillars
– hercules created
pillars from a
mountain while
samson destroyed
an entire temple by
knocking down two
16. How are norse heroes
similar to greeks?
They are both
warlike and their
greatness was
proved in battle.
17. What norse story is believed to be the first
literary work in the english language?
beowulf
18. What is ragnarok?
Ragnarok is the final battle between
the norse forces of order (led by
odin) and the forces of chaos (led by
Loki). This is followed by the end of
creation and then a golden age of
peace between men and gods.
19. What norse gods show up as regular
characters in the marvel comics?
The norse gods thor, balder, sif,
odin, loki, and heimdall are regular
characters in the marvel comics.
20. Final thought : what patters or “similar
stuff” do you see in the different stories and
sets of gods?