Favorite mythological tales?

[Quintessence]

What is one of your favorite mythological tales and why? What is it about the story that resonates with you or entertains you? The characters? The conflict? The resolution? The moral or ethical message?

For those of you that contribute, I encourage you to post up a short synopsis of the tale or an expert from it for the rest of us to read and enjoy. Please put any excerpts in quotes and cite where you got it from. Have fun!

 

[granpa]

five suns:
The term Five Suns in the context of creation myths, describes the doctrine of the Aztec and other Nahua people, supported amply by ancient texts and calendars, in which the present world was preceded by four other cycles of creation and destruction

• Nahui-Ocelotl (Jaguar Sun) - Inhabitants were giants who were devoured by jaguars. The world was destroyed.
• Nahui-Ehécatl (Wind Sun) - Inhabitants were transformed into monkeys. This world was destroyed by hurricanes.
• Nahui-Quiahuitl (Rain Sun) - Inhabitants were destroyed by rain of fire. Only birds survived (or inhabitants survived by becoming birds).
• Nahui-Atl (Water Sun) - This world was flooded turning the inhabitants into fish. A couple escaped but were transformed into dogs.
• Nahui-Ollin (Earthquake Sun) - We are the inhabitants of this world. This world will be destroyed by earthquakes (or one large earthquake).

 

[granpa]

Typhon:
In Hesiod Typhaon and Typhoeus are two distinct beings. Typhaon there is a son of Typhoeus (Theog. 869), and a fearful hurricane, who by Echidna became the father of the dog Orthus, Cerberus, the Lernaean hydra, Chimaera, and the Sphynx.

Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 28 :
"Egyptian priests and some poets say that once when many gods had assembled in Egypt, suddenly Typhon, an exceedingly fierce monster and deadly enemy of the gods, came to that place. Terrified by him, they changed their shapes into other forms: Mercurius [Hermes] became an ibis, Apollo [Apollon], the bird that is called Thracian, Diana [Artemis], a cat. For this reason they say the Egyptians do not permit these creatures to be injured, because they are called representations of gods"

 

[Stella Polaris]

I have many, but here's one--

For some reason, I've always liked the birth story of Huitzilopochtli. He was born of the goddess Coatlicue. She was sweeping in a temple and from the sky, a ball of feathers floated down. She put these feathers under her clothes, either by her breasts or stomach and from those feathers, the god was born (they impregnated her somehow).

Though what happened after wasn't so nice. Coatlicue's other children didn't believe the feather story and thought she was violated or slept around (reasons differ with the retelling). So her daughter Coyolxauhqui (moon goddess) rallied the 400 star siblings to kill Coatlicue, thinking she was shamed. Huitzilopochtli, though emerged fully grown and armed (like Athene in Greek myth) from Coatlicue and slew Coyolxauhqui and the siblings. Coyolxauhqui's head became the moon.

The image of the ball of feathers, for some reason always amused me.
Also, the contrast of something so light and delicate being the cause of a fierce, powerful war god's birth is interesting. I am sure the ball of feathers could mean something else (not literal). The only thing I saw was a mention that it could symbolize the soul of a warrior. Not sure if that's the case.

See:
Sala 4 Huitzilopochtli y Coyolxauhqui