Post Aj8NB7b9udgOFcAMUq by qurlyjoe@mstdn.social
(DIR) More posts by qurlyjoe@mstdn.social
(DIR) Post #Aj8Lt3p17BFJN6TKvA by ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T23:10:14Z
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So, 10-year-old is super into mythology, especially epic, especially Iliad and Ramayana. She wants the Jewish version of this stuff, and I'm not sure what it is. Any recommendations?
(DIR) Post #Aj8MA6vGq5IbuaWkuu by ebooksyearn@thepit.social
2024-06-20T23:13:16Z
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@ZachWeinersmith I'm asking my mom, a Jew who teaches the great works at St Johns College in Annapolis MD
(DIR) Post #Aj8MPCr34C4oeXkbHk by paninid@mastodon.world
2024-06-20T23:16:00Z
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@ZachWeinersmith As an Indian-American kid, and #history nerd, who grew up reading about Hindu mythology, I find it is very cool that the #Iliad and #Ramayana are being mentioned in the same sentence.I am also curious about similar ancient stories with Mosaic roots.
(DIR) Post #Aj8Maph30PTyIJcIIS by alexanderhay@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T23:18:08Z
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@ZachWeinersmith Well, arguably, Jack Kirby's take on mythology, not to mention his New Gods mythos, counts.
(DIR) Post #Aj8MdwuWczwNY0PHbE by desafinado@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T23:18:40Z
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@ZachWeinersmith The Book of Genesis isn’t epic poetry, but it’s chock full of mythology. In many respects, it can be compared to Hesiod.
(DIR) Post #Aj8Mh50EzvmfVuZaRU by ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T23:19:16Z
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She's a big Lakshmana fan. For whatever reason there's a TON of really good stuff for kids in the Hindu tradition.
(DIR) Post #Aj8Mt5nDt12LRHDD5E by dougfort@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T23:21:26Z
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@ZachWeinersmith https://www.davidzwirner.com/collect/the-book-of-genesis-illustrated-by-r-crumb-book
(DIR) Post #Aj8MywAoZ30BLH2A76 by paper_clip@twit.social
2024-06-20T23:22:29Z
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@ZachWeinersmith I'm vaguely surprised that there isn't a book called "The Old Testament: The Good Parts".
(DIR) Post #Aj8N94nVM564z7xvbk by fazalmajid@social.vivaldi.net
2024-06-20T23:24:19Z
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@ZachWeinersmith Judaism is too sensible to make for good mythology, I'm afraid. You could introduce her to the Kalevala, the Finnish mythology anthologized by Elias Lönnrot in the 19th Century. Very different vibe to most. If you squint hard enough, Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldeans, so you could lay claim to Sumerian myths including Gilgamesh, but the Inanna cycle is highly entertaining, if a bit too bawdy for a 10 year old.
(DIR) Post #Aj8NB7b9udgOFcAMUq by qurlyjoe@mstdn.social
2024-06-20T23:24:41Z
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@ZachWeinersmith Isn’t that the Torah? (He says in ignorance.)
(DIR) Post #Aj8NEORbjhf5MmG6IC by ViciousBabushka@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T23:25:17Z
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@ZachWeinersmith Well, you can tell her about the Matriarchs. Sarah's superpower was fire. Her lamps burned all week long. Rebekah's superpower was water, the water in the well poured itself into her bucket.There are the tales of the Golem of Prague (which was made into a comic in the '90's as "Mendy and the Golem")You can make superhero stories out of Tanakh. Just be aware some of the stories are fucked up and not for 10 year olds.
(DIR) Post #Aj8NLrU6ADlDSZz7xI by ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T23:26:38Z
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@qurlyjoe The Torah isn't epic storytelling, it's a grab-bag of songs, poems, laws, etc. But nothing like e.g. Sigemund, Journey to the West, Ramayana,etc.
(DIR) Post #Aj8NYQZLXtpJkRQomu by Rycaut@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T23:28:55Z
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@ZachWeinersmith I haven’t read it but this looks to be a good but also academic source. https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/tree-of-souls-the-mythology-of-judaism(From Oxford university press)And from the internet archive this book (and others by the editor of it Dov Noy who was a professor at Hebrew University are probably also worth seeking out)https://archive.org/details/folktalesofisrae0000unse/page/n5/mode/1upI’m sure there are also more popular books of Yiddish folklore as well as some from other branches of Judaism (I’m more familiar with Ashkenazi traditions)
(DIR) Post #Aj8NogBRG9deoBzxT6 by qurlyjoe@mstdn.social
2024-06-20T23:31:50Z
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@ZachWeinersmith Tried reading it once as a teenager. Honestly, I gave up in the begats.
(DIR) Post #Aj8OFu0TyNr3V1r2kC by warren__terra@mastodon.online
2024-06-20T23:36:45Z
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@ZachWeinersmith I read a lot of mythology around that age, and definitely would have read Jewish mythology if I'd found any, but didn't.On the other hand, at the same time I really enjoyed the Chelm stories. Obviously not at all epic, but she might like them? And some even echo some mythologies (specifically trapping the moon in a bucket, which a simpleton of Chelm does and also Raven does, as I recall, rather differently).
(DIR) Post #Aj8OLmcKMOPSJoMPGi by jsjoshua@esq.social
2024-06-20T23:35:32Z
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@ZachWeinersmith https://www.sefaria.org/Legends_of_the_Jews?tab=contents
(DIR) Post #Aj8OYcwjcxhe5c1wae by nitpicking@mstdn.party
2024-06-20T23:40:08Z
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@ZachWeinersmith Talmudic miracle stories? Golem stories? Kabbalist stories?
(DIR) Post #Aj8S5uGIZMGNDAk22i by ErisCaffee@masto.ai
2024-06-21T00:19:46Z
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@ZachWeinersmith I'm pretty sure that's just called The Bible. The storiies of the Jewish Bible are pretty epic mythology in and of themselves. Perhaps you could look into some of the old Bible movies from the 50's and 60's that told the stories. The Ten Commandments, with Charelton Heston as Moses, is very slow in action by today's standards, but it's really an incredibly good movie. The scene at the Red Sea is one of my favorites in any movie ever.
(DIR) Post #Aj8TPKn8FzxawovX3g by pooserville@dice.camp
2024-06-21T00:34:28Z
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@ZachWeinersmith You might find some resources here (h/t @yochaigal) https://newschoolrevolution.com/2022/05/20/inspirational-sources
(DIR) Post #Aj8TjOvIbZejYOJcUy by cheddarcrisp@hachyderm.io
2024-06-21T00:38:07Z
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@ZachWeinersmith Does non-canonical apocalyptic text work? I haven’t read it but the synopsis of the Book of Enoch has always sounded fascinating. It would probably make Good Omens that much more fun too.
(DIR) Post #Aj8U6nbd0950lZGtmq by gregagenesis@ohai.social
2024-06-21T00:42:20Z
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@ZachWeinersmith The Books of Enoch are pretty interesting!
(DIR) Post #Aj8UONpTZpoe2A8LhY by jessekelber@writing.exchange
2024-06-21T00:45:31Z
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@ZachWeinersmith Find some stories of the Dybbukim?There's a list of literary appearances of the Golem on the Wikipedia page.Something about the Maggid of Mezeritch and/or the Baal Shem Tov?The Tanakh does have some good examples, two that come to mind are the stories of Gideon and the story of the Maccabees.(should add, I'm Ashkenazi, and my exposure to Sefaradi and/or Mizrachi mythology is extremely limited. Something I keep meaning to remedy...)
(DIR) Post #Aj8Wacka7txbh5oDJI by ditol@freiburg.social
2024-06-21T01:10:08Z
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@ZachWeinersmith What's with the books of the Tanakh that come after the Thorah? Like Joshua, Judges and Samuel? They are quite entertaining.
(DIR) Post #Aj8ZHgeLhhW89GYUe8 by TomF@mastodon.gamedev.place
2024-06-21T01:40:20Z
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There's the Kabbalah, but it doesn't really have "epic tales" as such. The actual book of Jewish epic mythology is just the Old Testament. Maybe a bit spicy for a 10-year-old though?
(DIR) Post #Aj8bq5uuT3EMGcptSK by itspip@mastodon.social
2024-06-21T02:08:54Z
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@ZachWeinersmith while not Jewish, I've been reading Myths From Mesopotamia; Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and others.
(DIR) Post #Aj8cI6ctQJuiZklX1s by paninid@mastodon.world
2024-06-21T02:14:01Z
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@ZachWeinersmith That’s funny. My brother and I would play-act being Rama or Lakshmana growing up.I recommend Grant Morrison’s 18 Days series on the #Mahabharata: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVQ-5tGttzR9txcAtYJG2_XEieXE2yVnz&feature=shared
(DIR) Post #Aj8kwnJEwocGAgUBcm by Crell@phpc.social
2024-06-21T03:51:01Z
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@ZachWeinersmith My orthodox wife suggested The Golem of Prague. Not really epic, though.I'd say, well, Exodus? It's more mythological than the Iliad. But the OT is the epic mytho-history of the 2nd Temple Jews.
(DIR) Post #Aj8qOdp2JVnScuSLDc by ArpComics@hachyderm.io
2024-06-21T04:52:04Z
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@ZachWeinersmith I don’t know of any Jewish myths but maybe some neighboring myths like Gilgamesh would be interesting. Japan & China have some great deities & characters in their myths.
(DIR) Post #Aj8zAYknGD1GRMpd20 by DrorBedrack@mastodon.social
2024-06-21T06:30:23Z
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@ZachWeinersmith I always liked the stories of King David.
(DIR) Post #Aj95imos4PMTdSRW52 by breiter@hachyderm.io
2024-06-21T07:43:46Z
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@ZachWeinersmith @lisamelton Holy crap the Iliad is full of rape and the most graphic violence like stabbing people through the eye or neck with a spear, beheading your captives, and disemboweling men with all of the characters being completely terrible. Achilles spends most of the epic in a sulk because Agamemnon took the woman he took to rape for himself to rape. The only redeeming moments are Hector playing with his baby and the genuine affection between Achilles and Patroclus.
(DIR) Post #Aj9JSzCpeGkqmC0hu4 by desafinado@mastodon.social
2024-06-21T10:17:50Z
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@ZachWeinersmith @qurlyjoe Books 2-4 of the Torah seem pretty close to the mark, no? With interruptions, they make for an extended narrative of the journey of Moses and the Chidren of Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the very threshold of the Promised Land.