Category Archives: Native American

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Nathan

Picture by Susan Seddon Boulet One of the mythical Navajo beings who plays a part in Rebecca Roanhorse’s Race to the Sun is Spider Woman, and there is a mention of Peter Parker in this context. Spider-Woman in Marvel Comics is … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Aztec, Comics, hopi, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Navajo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Navajo Know

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Nathan

The Chronicles of Banarnia, by Robert Rankin – The follow-up to The Lord of the Ring Roads continues the tale of fairies who had been driven underground by humans taking over Brentford. In this book, Jim Pooley and John Omally journey … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Brentford Trilogy, Humor, Magic, Mayan, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Navajo, Prejudice, Rick Riordan, Robert Rankin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nobody Ever Suspects the Butterfly

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Nathan

Picture by Carsten Witte In this post about a Chinese drama, there’s a mention of butterfly demons, and some possibilities as to how this links to mythology. Butterflies are apparently considered manifestations of the soul in Greek, Chinese, and Japanese culture. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Aztec, Chinese, Dragon Quest, Greek Mythology, Japanese, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Roman, Urban Legends, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Whale of an Island

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Nathan

There are many tales of gigantic sea monsters, perhaps because what’s under the sea is pretty mysterious, and some of what people see really IS pretty monstrous. Northern Europe has many such legends, and this is where people really did encounter … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Inuit, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Norse, Poetry, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sisters Are Flying for Themselves

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Nathan

The Fire Keeper, by J.C. Cervantes – The sequel to The Storm Runner begins with Zane Obispo, his family, and his friend Brooks hiding out on a hidden tropical island. He finds out that the memoir he’d written at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Families, Feminism, L. Frank Baum, madeleine l'engle, Magic, Mayan, Mythology, Native American, Oz, Oz Authors, Politics, Prejudice, Rick Riordan, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Most Horrific Time of the Year

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Nathan

Here are some thoughts on the horror and horror-adjacent movies that Beth and I watched this month. Halloween in a Box – This documentary is about the cheap costumes that came in what looked like pie boxes, made by Ben … Continue reading →

Posted in Aztec, Cartoons, Halloween, Holidays, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Snobbery, Star Wars, Television, The Simpsons, Urban Legends, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Moonstruck

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Nathan

In Jordanna Max Brodsky’s The Wolf in the Whale, the moon god Taqqiq was an antagonist of Omat. Looking up Inuit lunar mythology, there are many different names for this god, Igaluk being perhaps the most popular one, while he’s … Continue reading →

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Clash of Cultures

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Nathan

Immortal Longings of Oz, by Paul Dana – The adventures of Button-Bright and Ojo, who have obtained magic powers and use them to help people, continue with this trip to the Land of Ev. As this neighboring fairyland doesn’t share … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Characters, Christianity, Gender, History, Inuit, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Mythology, Native American, Norse, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Relationships, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You Always Lose with Impundulus

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Nathan

I’ve written a bit about thunderbirds before, but I’ve only recently come across their African counterparts, lightning birds. They’re part of Zulu, Pondo, and Xhosa culture; and beliefs about them vary somewhat. The most common name for the bird seems … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Animals, Chinese, Magic, Medicine, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Pokémon, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

¿Donde Estan Mis Hijos?

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Nathan

La Llorona, most literally “The Crier,” but more often translated as the Weeping or Wailing Woman, is one of the most famous Mexican ghosts, but as with most folklore, there are several different versions of her story. What’s consistent is … Continue reading →

Posted in Aztec, Colonization of America, Greek Mythology, History, Mesoamerica, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Urban Legends | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment