Yesterday I fell into a #mythology rabbithole on Baba Yaga.
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Yesterday I fell into a #mythology rabbithole on Baba Yaga. There were hints about her having origins in a kind of death / underworld goddess. Having listened to a lot of german fairy tales recently, I recognized some story elements from Baba Yaga stories there too. And now I wonder if stories in which people are rescued from an evil witch / enchantress / ogress were originally about people dying and being rescued from the underworld. #fairytales
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Yesterday I fell into a #mythology rabbithole on Baba Yaga. There were hints about her having origins in a kind of death / underworld goddess. Having listened to a lot of german fairy tales recently, I recognized some story elements from Baba Yaga stories there too. And now I wonder if stories in which people are rescued from an evil witch / enchantress / ogress were originally about people dying and being rescued from the underworld. #fairytales
@JohannaMakesGames there is merit to your observation. it sure is strange that there is no underworld in fairy tales, unlike in greek mythology for example.
maybe it is for narrative reasons. the underworld, just like the stomach of a wolf seems like a place you don't return from, so it is surprising and awesome when someone does.
but is it scarier than verging on death? already trapped in a cell, waiting to be baked in an oven...
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J Jürgen Hubert shared this topic
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@JohannaMakesGames there is merit to your observation. it sure is strange that there is no underworld in fairy tales, unlike in greek mythology for example.
maybe it is for narrative reasons. the underworld, just like the stomach of a wolf seems like a place you don't return from, so it is surprising and awesome when someone does.
but is it scarier than verging on death? already trapped in a cell, waiting to be baked in an oven...
I dunno about fairy tales, but German folk tales and local legends have _lots_ of Underworlds.
If there is interest, I can dig up a few of these tales and put them on my wiki.
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I dunno about fairy tales, but German folk tales and local legends have _lots_ of Underworlds.
If there is interest, I can dig up a few of these tales and put them on my wiki.
@juergen_hubert @JohannaMakesGames maybe i'm overlooking something. got a quick popular example?
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@juergen_hubert @JohannaMakesGames maybe i'm overlooking something. got a quick popular example?
One of the most iconic examples are the "Sleeping Emperor" tales where a past ruler sleeps in some hill or mountain somewhere. Not quite dead but not quite alive - and like the rest of the souls of the dead, they will be released for Judgment Day.
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I dunno about fairy tales, but German folk tales and local legends have _lots_ of Underworlds.
If there is interest, I can dig up a few of these tales and put them on my wiki.
@juergen_hubert @lritter yes please 🤩
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@juergen_hubert @lritter yes please 🤩
Okay, I finished a lengthy thread:
Jürgen Hubert (@juergen_hubert@mementomori.social)
1/ Since @JohannaMakesGames@mastodon.gamedev.place was curious, here is a thread on assorted "Underworlds" from German folklore. This will be a slow-moving thread since I need to go through my backlog of translated folk tales and put them on my wiki. One iconic type of "Underworld" is one inhabited by a "Sleeping Ruler" - a former emperor, king, or other leader who is neither dead nor alive, but sleeps beneath the mountain until he is needed once more. #folklore #death #underworld https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Category:Sleeping_Ruler
Memento mori (mementomori.social)
