For this week's extra credit reading I've chosen pantheons! While looking over the list, I quickly was drawn to the one on the Indian pantheon. Before going into the CrashCourse video on Indian gods and goddesses, I didn't have a whole lot of knowledge about Indian mythology. However, this overview of it all was quite enlightening.
One of the main distinctions the authors are quick to convey is that Indian mythology is different from other types in that plays a role in a living belief system: Hinduism. Indian mythology is the foundation for the aforementioned religion for more than 900 million adherents. With this in mind, it's safe to say that it's a whole different monster of its own.
A couple of other things that were very clarifying were the explanations for avatars and how different gods and goddesses were known for different things. Coming from a monotheistic belief system, it is already a massive hurdle to wrap my head around all these gods and goddesses. But to throw a wrench in the gears and say that they're each known for various things made it all so much more complicated. This is why understanding the role of avatars in Hinduism and Indian mythology was a big relief. I had never known that certain deities were reincarnated into what became other popular deities within Hinduism. Finally learning that a neat family tree of sorts could be made and referred to made the whole idea of diving into Indian deities and mythology a lot more doable.
Overall, I am glad that this video was made, as it has greatly helped me wrap my head around Indian mythology. Now, time to watch it 100 more times to catch every tiny little thing about the Indian pantheon.
Bibliography:
CrashCourse, Indian Pantheons: Crash Course World Mythology #8, Source
One of the main distinctions the authors are quick to convey is that Indian mythology is different from other types in that plays a role in a living belief system: Hinduism. Indian mythology is the foundation for the aforementioned religion for more than 900 million adherents. With this in mind, it's safe to say that it's a whole different monster of its own.
A couple of other things that were very clarifying were the explanations for avatars and how different gods and goddesses were known for different things. Coming from a monotheistic belief system, it is already a massive hurdle to wrap my head around all these gods and goddesses. But to throw a wrench in the gears and say that they're each known for various things made it all so much more complicated. This is why understanding the role of avatars in Hinduism and Indian mythology was a big relief. I had never known that certain deities were reincarnated into what became other popular deities within Hinduism. Finally learning that a neat family tree of sorts could be made and referred to made the whole idea of diving into Indian deities and mythology a lot more doable.
Overall, I am glad that this video was made, as it has greatly helped me wrap my head around Indian mythology. Now, time to watch it 100 more times to catch every tiny little thing about the Indian pantheon.
Bibliography:
CrashCourse, Indian Pantheons: Crash Course World Mythology #8, Source
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| This CrashCourse video talked about Durga, a badass warrior goddess, as seen above. Source |
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