Mythology and Folklore

                 Hestia, who once was one of the twelve Olympians before she gave up her seat to keep harmony in Olympus, regarded her Temple with a careful eye. Her Temple was a humble one, for Hestia was the goddess of hearth and home, and had no need for the gold and statues the other gods favored. No priestesses had been here for quite some time, and it was extremely apparent. Something had happened in the city near her—Hestia was not sure what—and everyone had left quite quickly. The doors to her Temple had been left open, and all sorts of things had blown in. Cobwebs and dust were present on nearly every surface, and the fire in the hearth had long since blown out.   Hestia sighed, pursing her lips. She would deal with this tomorrow. It had been a long day for her, and even goddesses got tired. As she turned, she saw a very small person making their way into her Temple. Though, all people were small to Olympians (and she was...

  Bibliography:   Myths and Legends of the Great Plains  by Katharine Berry Judson (1913) The Ghost and the Traveler Teton There was a man who was at the edge of a forest during a storm. He waited and noticed a light in the forest after it got dark. He followed it and found a sweat lodge with two ghosts in it. The man fled but the ghosts followed. He heard a woman cry out, and thought of her, and a woman appeared. She had no legs, but she kept up with the man all the same. The man feared her, and the woman vanished.   The Man Who Shot a Ghost Teton A man who was traveling alone killed several rabbits. He made a fire and cooked one of the rabbits. He heard a great many people talking and figured they must be ghosts. A ghost kicked the man, so the man shot him. The ghost went off to find the rest of them, and the man found bones at the base of a tree.   The India Who Wrestled With a Ghost There was a young man who had to spend the night in the ...

Bibliography:  Judson's  Myths and Legends of the Great Plains    The Creation Osage (Wazhá zhe group) The Sun is their father and the moon their mother. They were sent down to Earth, but it was covered in water. They called to the Elk, who is responsible for revealing the land on Earth and for the first crops.   Osage (Hoga group) Same beginning. The Elk made a little space for them on the rocks, but they knew they would need more room. Crawfish swam down and came back up with mud in his claws, which was used to make the land.   Sacred Legend The people were born in water. Eventually, they came up to land, only they were poor and cold. They made clothes for themselves out of grass, and chipped stones for hunting weapons. Eventually, they discovered fire. They got bored of roasted meat and evented clay pots, so they could boil their meat. They kept the hides from the animals they killed and started making clothes out of them. They used buffa...