Do any of our ancient myths and legends have anything to do with the world today?
367040
When Plato's ancestor Solon went to Sais in Egypt (600 BC), the priests told him about Atlantis. They also said that inscriptions on their temple walls told how many times civilisations had risen to great heights and then fallen because of natural catastrophes such as floods, fire, earthquakes, etc. I think that maybe we are being a little presumptuous to think that it can't happen to us. I have spent the last 15/20 years researching a related subject and in my opinion the last great catastrophe was 9600 BC, with the sudden and abrupt end of the mini-ice-age called the Younger Dryas period. I believe that this is the basis of the Biblical flood. Getting back to today - the Christian versus Muslim thing - yep, of course it coming, you can smell it! I should imagine that most of the faceless men in grey suits already know this and are moving their pieces on the world chess board accordingly. Humans are amazing - we've been on the moon and sent machines out to beyond the solar system, I can pick up my phone and talk immediately to a person on the other side of the world, I can sit in my armchair and with the smallest of thumb movements be entertained by 100 different TV channels - but with the flick of an eyelid this civilisation can be destroyed because people believe that their unseen and unproven overlord of the cosmos is better than the other man's invisible and all-seeing ever-present boss. It almost makes you want to scream! We're such clever animals - but I don't think that we're too intelligent - and when it's all over we'll begin again.
232223
Yes, hard to believe that some would try to cover it up like it never happened.  \n\nI visited the Halocaust memorial in Israel.  Very moving.\n\nhttp://www.yadvashem.org/\n\nMy question to you is, why did you place this question in the Mythology and Folklore section?
461435
They probably existed in some way or another but where glorified through the ages, making them the legends that we know today.
246638
Yep. Dragon legends are found in nearly every culture and in all parts of the earth, so I would say it's fairly likely that they legends and myths have at least some basis in truth, and that dragons and people lived on the earth at the same time.\n\nMore importantly, the Bible talks about a fire-breathing dragon in Job chapter 41, and I believe that the bible is true, so I have to accept as a fact that God created a type of dragon that spewed fire.\n\nFor further study on this topic, visit this site:\nhttp://www.drdino.com
588238
I dont think there WERE any states in ancient times
970856
The collective unconscious (as coined by Jung) would most certainly explain common elements in world mythology.  Many cultures have a flood story (the original one from the Middle East was found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, I believe).  The sun is worshipped in ancient Middle Eastern cultures, ancient Britain (as hinted by the Stonehenge monument) and in the Americas.  The rituals are different (culturally motivated), but the symbols and their meaning are similar, if not identical.\n\nSo yes, you're right!
862021
we as humans have pulled apart and studied so many little things about creatures, humans, places. etc.. there is nothing left for the imagination.\n\nAlthough back in the olden times.  people could only go on what they felt and saw.  A lot of stories were made up (folklaw) to explain these happenings the best they could..  Some were written down others passed on though the generations. \nSome made a little nicer for kiddies stories.\n\nAlthough that doesn't mean all folktales are wrong or made up creations of people. \n\nI guess like myself, i believe in dragons.  yes they don't exist on this dimension and in the physical world to ours any more. \nBut they do visit from time to time. \nMuch like a Ghost or a Angel would.
973736
Here's the Wikpedia link that lists both the modern & ancient wonders of the world......\n\n http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_the_Modern_World
860086
I believe people explain things to the best of their knowledge, and the people in the past are no different. As a general rule, mythology has some connection to fact - even if it is a very slim link.\n\nLet's take for example the Centaur - a being that has the body of a horse, and the torso of a man where the horses head would be. Now, imagine if you will that you have no concept of saddlery and you see at a distance a man or group of men riding horses. Anyone knows that a well-trained rider on a horse can appear to be fluid, and accomplish some amazing feats, so at a distance it might seem that a four-legged beast with the torso of a man is maneuvering. So the beginnings of a myth are created, and are propagated by the retelling of this tale.\n\nConsider another example - Dragons. While the exact appearance of a dragon varies (Eastern vs Western, wyrms vs serpents), one common detail is large size. Now, despite the reluctance of the current government, it can be agreed that China is the site of amazing fossil remains, as are many other locations all over the world. Imagine that someone was to dig up large petrified bones, but had no concept of 'dinosaurs' or the theory of evolution. A peasant, a magistrate, a knight, a feudal lord - all might surmise that they are the bones of a large animal and where there is one large animal, there are others. Eastern mythology places Dragons as part of the Celestial Order, Western mythology sees them as the test of mettle and chivalric valour. Again, the tale is told to any who will listen and gains some credence in folklore.\n\nGranted, this is supposition on my part, and might be a grand example of pulling together some half-assed truths. Then again, people judge their world by their own experiences and knowledge. It is easy enough for 'errors' in the retelling of tales about foreign creatures or things found to accumulate over time. From here, a fact becomes a tall tale, and over an age become legend and then myth. \n\nBesides - you know how gullible some people are...   8)
403329
I do not...all of this religion stuff to me could be considered a myth...all beliefs are opinions from ones upbringings,teachings,and faith.
439258
I have the perfect site for you to look up the information you  are looking for. It has myths listed from Aboriginal tribes up to the latest urban mythology. I am sure you will find this link most useful for your studies.
355249
Post this in the Mythology section, or maybe Entertainment.\n\nMaybe someone will be amused.
618192
What does this have to do with Mythology and Folklore?
435752
Seahorses - yes\nMermaids/mermen - i wish, but not currently\nAtlantis - i think yes, it did exist at some point,  because of the oral legends.  For years people thought Troy was only a legend, and then evidence of where it was was, was found (in the 70's or 80's i think).  So, i'm holding out hope for Atlantis....
1018798
I don't think so.  Look into Egyptian mythology and see what the allure was to them.  I don't even think that the Egyptians thought that.
1054386
Exactly - so many cultures, both pre and post Christianity include a "flood" story as part of their emic mythology, and explanation for things. Noah's story is just example - clearly borrowed from Babylonian and Sumerian mythologies.\n\nIn addition, had it not been for media, technology, and science, it would seem likely that similar stories would have developed in the major tsunami that occured in south-east Asia, about 1 and a half years ago. Oral traditions developing from chaos, uncertainty, and without explanation all lead to the development of myths to explan the mysterous.
34392
Are you asking about a specific Indian legend?