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| Thread: Back to basics - the origin of all creatures | |
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Paiazza
Known Hero
لىخ ضل
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posted January 10, 2011 05:59 PM |
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Edited by Paiazza at 18:01, 10 Jan 2011.
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Back to basics - the origin of all creatures
Note: some of you might not agree with this, I do not imply that this is the real truth, all are speculations and some might be true, we may never know the exact thruth.
I've searched the origins of a lot of creatures and it seems that many are actually "the same creature" only with time they lost their initial sense. Because of this disambiguation what once was something now they are many (many creatures, really different from one to other but initially being the same).
Angel - let's say only about the most known angels and not all, some weren't even used in games, so we have archangel, seraph(seraphim) and cherub(cherubim)
- seraphim are fire angels, if not all angels are made of fire unlike humans which are made of clay, even the words itself means "the burning ones", or "the burning one" singular - seraph. In the Bible they were described as having 6 wings, 2 covering their head and body, 2 covering they feet, and 2 to fly with, this description fits as a humanoid angel, anthropomorphic but they are also described as fire serpents, fire snakes, or in Christian Gnostic texts as "dragon-shaped angels". Also Lucifer is a fallen angel that some scholars say it was a seraph, he has many names but one of the most important are Satan, The Devil, The Beast(with 7 heads and 10 horns on each head) or The Dragon. This also says that seraphim might be dragon-angels. Also in antiquity aztec's god Quetzalcoatl, the feathered snake could have been a fallen angel that impose the aztecs to worship him, or chinese dragons might have been angels.
Other creatures that were "invented", because of the lack of information or just from stories through long periods of time could have been, Kirin which is the chinese unicorn but is more likely a dragon, or even pegasus, so we have these horse with a horn and horse with wings from disambiguation and misunderstanding
- cherubim are described as having 4 heads, one of a lion, one of an eagle, one of an ox and one of a human, or maybe one single head of only one from these 4. The following creatures might have all have the same origin - the cherub: griffin, lamassu, shedu, sphinx or many others of which we don't even know is the same creature.
Other creature might have been the minotaur, which was described by OVid "part man and part bull", this is the only information not that only the head was bull, or other descriptions he had hooves.
Vampire - which in hungarian literally means undead according to some information, or in other countries is known as vrykolakas which is again associated with varkolak which means werewolf but nevertheless, the creature as described in original folklore is more similar to a vampire. So in antiquity or middle ages the vampire and the werewolf were one and the same creature.
The terms Basilisk, Flying snake and Dragon appear in the Bible.
And there are many more of such disambiguated creatures, these are just some i though for now as i came up with this idea.
If you know any other similar stuff, share your knowledge.
Discuss 
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kodial79
Promising
Supreme Hero
How'd Phi's Lov't
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posted January 10, 2011 06:36 PM |
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Edited by kodial79 at 18:37, 10 Jan 2011.
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You should know though that the word Vampire is not Hungarian. To put it simply, its origin is lost and will never be found.
Thanks to Wikipedia, we know that the earlier written form of the word vampire comes from a letter of a Russian Monk who described a prince (or himself? I don't remember) as a Upyr Likhiy. Upyr is the vampire. Guess what other very famous undead has its roots to the word 'Likhiy'? 
We might not know who first came up with the word vampire but I'm sure that their legend starts from Ancient Greece. I pinpoint the mythical Lamia as the origin of the later Vampires. Or at least, a very influential turning point that helped create the portrait of the vampire as it was introduced during the times of the Vampire Hysteria.
I really tried to analyze that but as I was writing paragraph after paragraph, I decided to spare the poor souls who would try to read through... 
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Signature? I don't need no stinking signature!
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Jiriki9
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Altar Dweller
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posted January 10, 2011 06:38 PM |
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Quote:
The terms Basilisk, Flying snake and Dragon appear in the Bible.
As do many other terms^^
for the general thing: I like the idea of thinking about this! 
Yet it seems a bit confusing, not organized completely on the first look, though it is organized...
and some thoughts I cannot share:
1. You should not generalize the origins and draw from the biblical angels to the atztecs!!! assuming these creatures are MYTHS, there will hardly be DIRECT connection between the aztec and Monotheistic myths.
I agree to werewolf and vampire..also note that rabies may be one origin for that creatures.
To many others...hmmm. I don' think like you. the antique MYths allready had a bulk of creatures and I do not think, for example, these got ideas from china...china was a VERY far-away land these times, India allready believed to be literally the end of the world...
Pegasus, for example, is a myth of ancient europe, as far as I know. The minotaur dfinitely IS AND wasn't invented by Ovid, who was Roman...The minotaur is a minoan legend..the minoans (on Crete) were a high civilization for a time, dominant in the mediterranean sea...until that volcano erupted and killed their fleet, well...so what I was trying to say: Bulls were dominant in Minoan culture. their king was Minos. And in some way, he had THE (it was a single creature, yes) minotaurus in a labyrinth. I believe Zeus (that chicksterminator ) slept with Minos' wife in his bullform and so she gave birth to that demi-beast half-god^^
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Paiazza
Known Hero
لىخ ضل
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posted January 10, 2011 06:45 PM |
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Edited by Paiazza at 18:50, 10 Jan 2011.
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Her name is Europa
A Phoenician princess. Zeus, very much enamored with Europa, transformed himself into a tame white bull and was able to blend in quite well with her father’s herds. While Europa was busy picking flowers, she noticed the bull and stroke him, eventually climbing onto his back. Zeus, not one to miss a golden opportunity, ran toward the sea and swam to the island of Crete, where he exposed his real identity, made her the first queen of the island and lavished her with many gifts. Three sons were born to them: Minos, Rhadamanthus and Sarpedon, all of whom became judges of the dead in Hades upon their deaths.
But enough with myths legends and stories about one single creature, this is to discuss as many creatures as possible.
And this is exactly what I'm saying, the creature didn't came up from stories, were not invented, we must go further than that, to the real origins of those stories.
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Jiriki9
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Altar Dweller
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posted January 10, 2011 07:43 PM |
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@paiazza...the myths differ, there, I think.
Abotu the origins...these myths are the origins and they are (as myths) a way to explain history and world, as well as entertainment in a time where there was no tv. They also were used for legitimate rulerships, very often, and they offered moral guidance, showed wrong and right things^^ All other things are speculation...maybe the original "Europe" was a sodomic woman and had three very bulky, stupid, strong, hairy children
For centaur, I suppose (and am not alone, I think), that the legend originates from when a tribe who allready knew how to ride horses met a tribe who didn't and who thought the riders as a mighty, wild, horse-man-race^^
Harpies maybe indeed were jsut Birds of prey, getting more dangerous and wicked in the stories...and that's jsut the point: many WERE invented!!! Or so I believe^^ I mean, seriously, what do you think, that these beings existed. I really doubt that^^
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted January 10, 2011 07:43 PM |
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Sleeping_Sun
Promising
Famous Hero
Townscreen Architect
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posted January 10, 2011 09:13 PM |
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Actually, Vampire is one of two Serbian words which is used across the globe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbian_language -> check vocabulary section.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire
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"The age can be wicked to those who walk alone. When I look into the Mirror, I see myself as I might become..." -Freya
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Charrclaw
Known Hero
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posted January 10, 2011 09:24 PM |
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Too bad we are not popular cuz of Vamps 
Anyway, why bother with this when they have their own origins for creatures?
But still, it's kinda fun reading your posts 
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Meherunes
Adventuring Hero
Daedra Summoner
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posted January 11, 2011 06:53 PM |
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I have a book about the origins and myths of Vampires, Zombies and Werewolves, though the last ones are not in H6 so there's no point discussing them I guess. Anyway, I'll try finding the book and telling you some stuff on Vampires!
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