RLGA01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Spirit Guide, Sky Father, Japanese Festivals
Document Summary
Looking both ways from stonehenge: basic human religion: stonehenge is one of several ancient rock structures thought to have been constructed for ritual purposes. Three worlds: humans imagine the world with 3 levels: sky, earth, and underworld, the sky was considered the home of the deities. Probably cause of the power of storms. Sky father, creator, or king of heaven: male; forerunner of the god of the monotheistic religion: under earth lived the spirits of serpents or reptilian monsters; associated with dark and hidden places; imagined as evil. Naga is a mythical cobra living in the underworld, often associated with water and fertility in indian religions: between the sky and the underworld lay the earth; where humans lived. Sacred places: mountains and hilltops, high places are sacred areas located on hill- or mountain tops; such places existed throughout the ancient near east.
