the myth of lost luggage

The frustrating nature of lost luggage has plagued man as long as airports have been around. Why is this happening if we have a “perfect system”? This can only be explained by the power of the gods. This is the actual truth behind the annoying, enraging phenomenon we call lost luggage.

Most ancient cultures assign a god specifically to every occurrence. In the case of lost luggage his name is Cleptomethious. The reason he is in charge of such a frowned upon task is that although he is a full blooded god and needed to have control over something in the mortal world, he’s also Hade’s wife’s nephew and all of his first choices (computers, people who win the lottery, ice cream) were beyond him socially. Now I know that you want to correct me on the fact that Persephone can’t have a nephew when she doesn’t have any siblings. Well…as we all know Zeus was fond of Demeter but let’s not get into that.

Like most gods, his choices about what happens to whom are influenced by his own interests. Like if he sees a business C.E.O. not give a tip to the guy who shined his shoes, or if someone brings in the latest addition of the Spiderman comics (even though he could just make it appear at his leisure because he is a god…but things have more meaning to him when they are stolen), or if he’s bored and just wants to make someone twenty minutes late for their ride. Some of the time his motives for making a person a duffle bag lighter are for the good, refer to the C.E.O. statement, but as a practicing kleptomaniac, any stealing, to him, is for the greater good. If you didn’t know, it may help to learn, that most items that aren’t able to be returned back to their original owners are sold and the money goes to the government or is given to the homeless.

Like all gods sometimes Cleptomethious makes mistakes. That’s why you hear so many stories about people getting their stuff back. Instead of following the trend of trying to cover up his mess, he does the honorable thing, admits his fault and tries to make it right. Compulsion and conflict beg for resolution. This is why you can find lost luggage offices in airports. If you get your items back unharmed then you have the apologetic eyes of Cleptomethious watching over you, if not then you might want to start packing lighter or taking the train.

Hopefully this explains all the trouble you had when you came back from your vacation and found your bag of souvenirs wasn’t waiting for you at baggage claim. It would be horrible to think that your bobble heads and flower covered shirts were lost by being accidentally transferred to northwest Russia. At least with the first option you made a sacrifice that may have pleased the gods and now you might win the lottery.

the Bad Wife

The Bad Wife

Warrior has only one wife and loves her very much as a result; Woman gets anything she desires. Woman picks berries during dangerous season. They try to escape on horse, doesn’t work, too heavy man throws wife off horse says he will be back with warriors therefore; Man is sad party goes to rescue afterward; Sneaks into the camp at night, doesn’t see her, waits by the river where women get water meanwhile; He sees her, she tells him she will not go without her valuables therefore; He waits. She gets warriors who kill his party. He is taken prisoner, tortured. Tied to a post and left for dead. An old woman helps him. He plots revenge. Wife becomes chief. He gets revenge.

zeus, leader of the gods
cast thunderbolts from his throne with an iron rule
forced apon the sacrafice of prometheus
and later. the world



a myth among men, seen as ruler of the sky
in trouble with his wife
due to constant infedelity
he lives a rather mechevious life



lives in a cycle of cyclical irony
to be outwitted and tempted by the forms of mortals
a slave to universal characteristics is he
patron of dramatic sqables

vocabulary and examples

myth: an explanation or rationalization of natural phenomena, that can be tied to religious or ethical belief.
example: the story of Hercules, the strongest man to ever live

hero:a human who goes above and beyond to help people, facing challenges with great courage and persistence.
example: Perseus's journey which ends in the The death of Medusa .

hero journey:the events and path that brings a hero from the call to adventure to the ultimate battle.
example:the odyssey which tells of the challenges Odysseus must overcome in order to return home after war.

universal: the largest plane in which to perceive reality or one size fits all.
example: all heroes are human in some way or another.

archetype: kind/ model original
example: ouranos is the first god in greek mythology.

cyclical: circle or one end a beginning one beginning an end.
example: yin and yang are the oriental symbol for ever cycling life as well as good and evil.

duality: an object or symbol that has dual or corresponding meanings
example: the ankh in egypyion mythology is the symbol of immortality, and life in general.

creation: an idea, or explanation, that justifies how the world was created.
example: in greek mythology, there was nothing then, there was darkness, then light, then mother earth, and all that exist followed.

cosmology: study of the universe and its creation.
example:

life from death: how death supports life.
example: the death of cronus, father of the gods, leads to the birth of Aphrodite.

matriarchal: society with a female power authority.
example: in greek mythology the earth was concidered a mother, her name was geia.

patriarchal: a society ruled by men.
example: in egyption mythology, marduk was deemed god of all gods by his peers.

sacrifice: giving something up for a greater cause.
example: the story of promethius, he give fire to man, and is then punished by zeus for it.

non verbal representation

interpritation essay

Eli Hoaglund
Interpretation essay
Mythology period 6
16 September 2008


Pyramus and Thisbe
To have what you long for within sight, within smell, within audoucy, but not within touch is a cruel fate indeed. Such is the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe.

The sudden loss of love is a thing that can cause even the most reasonable people to become temporarily insane with there longing of what has been lost. In those times of irrationality choices are made that wouldn’t be made otherwise. In this case the loss of two vibrant, promising people because of the rash nature of the insanity, which shadows grief.

In literature, there are three types of interpretation or perspectives in which to veiw a situation from; natural (the tangible, physical things and symbolism), social (how the conflict effects a group be in the inhabitants of a city or an organization and how they react to it), and psychological (how it affects the individual).

Pyramus and Thisbe were lovers separated by the wall with a crack in it that joined their houses, and the beliefs of there families. This caused their longing for one another to grow; because it is inherent in human nature to want most what we do not have. After several days of basing their existence around the next secret set of whispers this state of having what they both long for so close but yet so far becomes unbearable and they decide to meet. Under the cover of night Thisbe arrives first, waits only to be scared off by a lion, in her haste she loses her cloak that is maimed by the lion. Pyrimus comes soon after to find only the mangled cloak covered in blood; in this first glance he immediately assumes that Thisbe is dead and in his grief plunges his sword into his chest. Soon after, in pyramuses dying moments, Thisbe comes back to find her love with the sword gaping from his limp body and some life still in his eyes. she Sees the cloak and immediately understands why he has done this. She kisses him in this last moment. He dies, in her sudden suddenness and grief and desperation she takes his sword and to kills herself.
This loss caused the rivaling families of the lovers to find peace between one another. When resources are scares and one is lost people become stronger to make up for it; in this case rival families find comfort in their sadness when they both know the pain that the other faction is enduring.

A basic need in human psychology is to belong or to have companionship.

sweet! i have a blog again.