Mythology Explained

By Mythology ExplainedHistory

Mythology Explained episodes

May 18, 2023 The Man Who Killed 1,000 Soldiers With a Donkey's Jawbone
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss Samson, one of the judges appointed by God to champion the Israelites. He's a man characterized by prodigious strength and ungovernable impulsivity, a man who could fairly be dubbed the biblical Hercules.

We'll begin by going over who exactly the judges were and who the Philistines were, and then with that covered, we'll spend the rest of the video going over Samson's story in its entirety.

Alright, let's get into it.

The judges are a series of leaders who guided and governed the Israelites before the establishment of the monarchy. Their stories are primarily recounted in the Book of Judges, which is the seventh book of the Old Testament.

The judges were not judges in the modern sense of the word; they were more like tribal leaders, military commanders, and deliverers chosen by God to rescue the Israelites from their enemies and to govern the people during times of crisis. The judges were seen as instruments of God's will, and their authority was believed to be divinely ordained.

The period of the judges lasted several centuries, from the time of Joshua's death until the rise of the monarchy with the anointing of King Saul. According to the Book of Judges, the Israelites would often fall into a cycle of disobedience and idolatry, prompting God to allow their enemies to oppress them. Then, when the Israelites cried out to God for help, He would raise up a judge to deliver them from their enemies, restoring peace and order for a time. However, once the judge died, the Israelites would often fall back into disobedience, and the cycle would repeat.

The Philistines were an ancient people who lived in the southern coastal region of Canaan, along the eastern Mediterranean coast, in what is now modern-day Israel and the Gaza Strip. Their territory, known as Philistia, comprised five main city-states: Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza. The Philistines emerged as a distinct culture around the 12th century BC and persisted until the Babylonian conquest in the 6th century BC.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 min
May 14, 2023 A King of Hell & God's Angel of Death
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss Samael, also known as Satan, Samil, Seir, Salmael, and Satanil, an enigmatic and ambiguous figure in that, depending on the source, he's portrayed as a either a champion of the light or as an entity of profound evil, comprising two diametrically opposed aspects.

Samael is the angel of the planet Mars and of one of the days of the week, Tuesday. He's the angel of death, for which he is known to stand near the heads of those for whom the end draws near, holding up a sword from which a single drop of poison falls into their mouths, ending life. He's described as the angel of Rome, an epithet with negative connotations given Rome's invasion of Israel; he's described as a great 12 winged serpent, and he's described as the serpent who tempts Eve, tempting her to sin, seducing her, and siring Cain, the world's first murderer.

Alright, let's get into it.

In some Jewish astrological works, Samael was thought to be the angel who presided over mars. Samael is said to either be the chief of the fifth heaven or to reside in the seventh. In the Talmud, He's presented as Esau's, the twin brother of Jacob's, guardian angel. Samael is described as the angelic prince guardian of Edom, an ancient name for the land - what is now southwestern Jordan - that borders Israel. In the Holy Kabbalah, he's designated as "the severity of God '' and features as the 5th archangel in Beri'ah: the world of creation, an angelological realm that exists next to Atzilut, the plane of divine emanation.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10 min
May 12, 2023 Why Doesn't God Kill Satan & End All Evil?
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In Today's video, we're going to dive into a question that has been debated by theologians since the inception - or close to it - of Christianity, which is why does God allow Satan to exist instead of just expunging him from creation. This dove-tails into the implicit overarching question of why God suffers the existence of evil to mar his grand design, for as an omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent being, he could simply extirpate evil, yanking it out root and stem with nothing more than a thought.

We're going to begin with a quick overview of Satan: who he was as angel, why he was cast out of heaven, and what he became after his precipitous expulsion, banished from the divine plane and plummeting like a lump of celestial rock burning through the atmosphere. After that, we'll spend the rest of the video going over four theological theories that explain why Satan - and more broadly, evil - are allowed to endure, including: free will, soul-making theodicy, the limitations of human understanding, and the greater good. Free will argues that God allows Satan to exist to preserve human moral agency, enabling meaningful choices between good and evil. Soul-making theodicy posits that Satan and evil serve as necessary challenges for humans to grow morally and spiritually. The limitations of human understanding suggest that humans cannot fully grasp God's reasons for allowing evil and Satan to exist, and the greater good theory asserts that God permits evil and Satan to achieve a higher purpose, such as developing virtues or fulfilling God's plan.

Alright, Let's get into it.

Before his fall, Satan held a high-ranking position among the angels in heaven; often it is inferred that he was formerly the highest ranking. Although the Bible does not provide explicit details about his pre-fall status, passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel are often interpreted as referring to Satan's fall due to pride.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 min
May 10, 2023 The Greek Lightning God More Powerful Than Zeus
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss Zagreus, the son of Zeus. He was destined to become the next king of the Cosmos, eventually replacing his father, this evidenced by Zeus seating Zagreus on his throne and arming him with lightning, the most powerful weapon in all of Greek mythology, Zeus having laid low countless foes with the searing destruction of his smoking bolts.

Zagreus is not a prominent figure in mainstream Greek mythology, and his existence is predominantly associated with Orphism, a religious movement that provided an alternative belief system in Ancient Greece. While some aspects of Zagreus' story occasionally overlap with traditional Greek myths, his importance is almost entirely exclusive to Orphic beliefs and texts.

First, we're going to get into what Orphism is: when it started, why Orpheus is the primary prophet, and what the core beliefs are. Second, we're going to explore the story of Zagreus: his birth, the lofty aspirations his father had for him, and his horrific death. And finally, we're going to wrap the video up with the birth of Dionysus, the God Zagreus became after his heart was saved and used to impregnate a mortal woman.

Alright, let's get into it.

Orphism is a religious movement and belief system that emerged in ancient Greece around the sixth century BC, offering its followers hope for salvation and the prospect of an afterlife that was more paradisiacal than the gloom of Hades' realm. It is named after the mythical musician and poet Orpheus, who was said to have ventured into the underworld and returned to the mortal plane, thus piercing the veil and coming back changed, now endowed with profound knowledge about the spiritual essence of humans and the path to salvation. The Orphic teachings, which are preserved in fragments and referenced by ancient authors such as Plato, provide a unique perspective on the nature of the human soul and its relationship with the divine, emphasizing the need for inner transformation and purification in order to achieve spiritual liberation.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 min
May 06, 2023 The Fallen Angels Who Created Demons & Destroyed the World
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video we're going to discuss the Watchers, a group of 200 fallen angels who unleashed evil into the world, triggering a chain of events that saw the world savaged by giants and later inundated by a world-consuming flood, saw the creation of the first demons (this coming from a more esoteric and marginally-endorsed origin story of how demons came to be), and saw the Watchers fall prey to ruination when the consequences of their actions finally caught up with them in the form of divine retribution.

We're going to begin by looking at what the Book of Enoch is, then looking at the Dead Sea Scrolls, a cache of religious texts found in the 1940s that forced people to rethink the importance of the Book of Enoch, now shown to be thousands of years old. After that, we'll go through the story of The Watchers, cover to cover, beginning with their departure from heaven and ending with their incarceration in the abyss.

Lastly, we'll examine an intriguing, lesser-known origin story of demons. While the mainstream belief holds that demons are fallen angels, this alternative account suggests that demons are the restless souls of the Nephilim, a race of fierce giants who were driven to extinction through deadly conflict orchestrated by the machinations of a cunning archangel.

Alright, Let's get into it.

The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious work ascribed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. Although it is not part of the biblical canon for most Christian denominations and is not considered part of the Hebrew Bible, the text has been influential in Christian eschatology and apocryphal literature. Composed during the Second Temple period (around 300 BC to 70 AD), it consists of five distinct sections, each addressing unique themes and purposes.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 min
May 04, 2023 The 8 Primordial Gods of Chaos Who Created the Universe
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss the Ogdoad, the group of 8 primordial gods who embody the qualities of chaos in Egyptian mythology - a group of 8 self-created gods so ancient they existed for years uncounted before creation even began.

We're going to begin with the Waters of Nun and at how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized the universe. Then we're going to discuss the Ogdoad: where they came from, who they were, and what their purpose was. And finally, we're going to wrap up by taking a quick look at the complementary nature of different creation myths in Ancient Egyptian mythology

Alright, let's get into it.

The Waters of Nun, also known as the Primordial Waters, are a fundamental concept in ancient Egyptian cosmology, referring to the formless, chaotic, and boundless expanse of water that existed before creation. In ancient Egyptian beliefs, the universe emerged from this watery abyss, with the primeval mound, or Benben, rising from the waters to become the first dry land and the site of creation. This process of emergence from the chaos of the Waters of Nun is often referred to as the "Zep Tepi," or the "First Time," which marked the beginning of time and heralded the beginning of life on Earth.

Similar concepts of an infinite chaos preceding creation can be found in other mythologies. In Greek mythology, Chaos is the primordial deity representing the void or formless state from which the cosmos emerged (Hesiod, 2006). In Norse mythology, Ginnungagap is the primordial void that existed before the creation of the cosmos. It is described as a vast abyss, lying between the realms of fire (Muspelheim) and ice (Niflheim). When the fire and ice met in Ginnungagap, they formed the first giant, Ymir, marking the beginning of creation.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 min
May 02, 2023 Seraphim: God's Most Powerful Angels
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss Seraphim, the angels closest to God's throne and the highest order of angels in the celestial hierarchy. Because of this, Seraphim can be viewed as the most powerful order of angels - the most powerful demons sometimes said to have been Seraphim before they fell from grace and became malevolent entities. However, it is important to note that certain named archangels, especially Michael, are often considered the most powerful angels. Michael, for example, is seen as a warrior and protector, and in the Bible, he is depicted as leading the heavenly host in the battle against Satan and the forces of evil. One reason that explains this is that the word 'archangel' has multiple meanings. In angelology, it usually refers to the second lowest angelic order. However, in the bible, the word 'archangel' has a more general meaning that simply denotes superior angelic beings.

The word Seraphim is derived from the Hebrew word "saraph," which means "to burn," and reflects their intense, fiery nature, usually associated with their burning love for God. They are mentioned explicitly in the Bible only in the Book of Isaiah, where they appear in a vision experienced by the prophet Isaiah. In this vision, the Seraphim are described as having six wings: two covering their faces, two covering their feet, and two for flying.

Seraphim are considered the highest order of angels in the Christian angelic hierarchy, this based on the classification system developed by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in his work "The Celestial Hierarchy." Thomas Aquinas, in his "Summa Theologica," further developed the understanding of Seraphim, emphasizing their unmatched love for God and their superior knowledge of divine truths. As part of the first triad in the angelic hierarchy (along with Cherubim and Thrones), Seraphim serve as intermediaries between God and the lower orders of angels, transmitting divine wisdom throughout the cosmos.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 min
April 30, 2023 The 9 Circles of Hell & How Satan Is Trapped in a Frozen Lake
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss the nine circles of Hell as they are presented in the Divine Comedy.

Alright, let's get into it.

The Divine Comedy is a 14th-century epic poem written by Italian poet Dante Alighieri, consisting of three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. It is an allegorical journey through the realms of the afterlife - Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven - serving as a reflection on human sin, morality, and redemption.

The protagonist, Dante, finds himself lost in a dark forest, symbolizing spiritual confusion. The Roman poet Virgil, sent by Dante's beloved Beatrice, guides him through Hell and Purgatory, while Beatrice herself leads him through Heaven. The narrative explores the various punishments and rewards experienced by souls based on their earthly deeds and spiritual growth.

In Inferno, Dante and Virgil journey through nine circles of Hell, each representing different categories of sin, with punishments tailored to the severity of the sins committed. Dante encounters historical and mythological figures, using their stories to explore themes of divine justice and the consequences of human actions and behavior.

Purgatorio, the second part of the poem, is set on Mount Purgatory, a seven-terraced mountain representing the seven deadly sins. As souls ascend the mountain, they undergo purification through penance and spiritual growth. Dante's journey through Purgatory serves as a metaphor for the process of overcoming sin and embracing virtue.

Finally, Paradiso depicts Dante's ascent through the celestial spheres of Heaven. Guided by Beatrice, Dante encounters various saints and theologians, exploring the nature of divine love and wisdom. The journey culminates in a vision of God, emphasizing the ultimate goal of spiritual enlightenment and union with the divine.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
19 min
April 26, 2023 The Deadliest & Most Bloodthirsty Goddess in All of Mythology
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we'll be discussing Sekhmet.

In the pantheon of ancient Egyptian deities, Sekhmet, the fierce and powerful lioness goddess, holds a unique position, one of great power and importance. Her name, derived from the ancient Egyptian word "sekhem" which means "power" or "might," captures the essence of her divine role as a protector and a punisher. Her head was surmounted by the sun disc encircled by the Uraeus. The sun disc symbolized the Eye of Ra, and the Uraeus was the rearing cobra that symbolized divine authority. Sekhmet embodied the dichotomy of life and death, wielding destruction and restoration as a person would a sword and shield - this making her a complex and enigmatic pattern in the tapestry of Egyptian mythology, for she was capable both of annihilating the enemies of the Sun God and of healing those fortunate enough to find succor beneath the bulwark of her protection.

While Sekhmet was a harbinger of death and did unleash carnage, when it came to royalty, particularly pharaohs, she was unequivocally a protective force, functioning as a sort of protective mother to the kings of Egypt. In Memphis, the capital city where the Pharaohs lived during the Old Kingdom, Sekhmet was worshiped as the consort of Ptah, who created the universe with his heart and tongue, and as the mother of Nefertem, the personification of the primeval lotus from which Ra, the sun god, emerged when creation commenced.

She was often associated with Ra, as his daughter and the manifestation of his destructive power. Her prowess as a warrior was legendary, her fiery breath and fierce gaze capable of either wiping-out her enemies or safeguarding those under her protection.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 min
April 24, 2023 The 7 Demon Lords Who Command the 7 Deadly Sins
Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss the seven deadly sins and the seven deadly demons who represent the seven deadly sins.

We're going to begin by looking at how the modern conceptualization of the seven deadly sins was created; then we're going to dive into what exactly the seven deadly sins are; and finally, we're going to look at the seven deadly demons who represent the seven deadly sins.

Let's get into it.

The modern conceptualization of the Seven Deadly Sins, also known as Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, emerged from early Christian monastic traditions in Egypt, which were significantly influenced by Neoplatonist teachings from the School of Alexandria, which was located in the city of Alexandria and was founded in the 3rd century BC. These sins represent the most objectionable vices in Christian moral teachings and are considered particularly harmful, as they lead to other immoral behaviors, hindering spiritual growth and righteousness.

To understand the development of the Seven Deadly Sins, it is essential to recognize the gradual process involving various theologians and thinkers who aimed to identify and classify human failings and vices that obstruct spiritual growth.

The Seven Deadly Sins are considered so odious and ruinous because they represent fundamental moral weaknesses and negative character traits that spawn immoral behavior, harm to oneself or others, and spiritual degradation. These sins are believed to be particularly destructive because they give rise to other vices and harmful actions. Additionally, they are considered obstacles to spiritual growth and the development of virtues, which are essential for living a morally upright life. By identifying and avoiding these sins, individuals are thought to be better able to cultivate virtues and live in harmony with themselves, others, and their spiritual beliefs.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
19 min

About Mythology Explained

From the publisher's feed

On Mythology Explained we will be diving deep in to all kinds of Mythology: Greek, Roman, Norse, Chinese, Egyptian - you name it. If you've always been curious about the beginnings of Hercules or how…