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cosmology

Trickster Mythology

The trickster archetype: a boundary-breaking figure — Loki, Unktomee the Spider, the Cherokee Rabbit, Hermes — whose deception, cunning, and rule-violation drive mythic change, often doubling as culture hero; sacred disorder as an engine of the cosmos.

14 passages · 5 traditions
native_american: 6 passagesnative_american6biblical: 3 passagesbiblical3theosophy: 3 passagestheosophy3greek_mystery: 1 passagegreek_mystery1mesopotamian: 1 passagemesopotamian1
native_american6
Myths of the Cherokee | Myth 15a
“THE FOURFOOTED TRIBES In Cherokee mythology, as in that of Indian tribes generally, there is no essential difference between men and animals. In the primal genesis period they seem to be completely undifferentiated, and we find all creatur…”
Myths of the Cherokee | Myth 16
“THE RABBIT GOES DUCK HUNTING The Rabbit was so boastful that he would claim to do whatever he saw anyone else do, and so tricky that he could usually make the other animals believe it all. Once he pretended that he could swim in the water a…”
Myths of the Cherokee | Myth 20
“HOW THE TERRAPIN BEAT THE RABBIT The Rabbit was a great runner, and everybody knew it. No one thought the Terrapin anything but a slow traveler, but he was a great warrior and very boastful, and the two were always disputing about their spe…”
Myths of the Cherokee | Myth 22
“THE RABBIT AND THE POSSUM AFTER A WIFE The Rabbit and the Possum each wanted a wife, but no one would marry either of them. They talked over the matter and the Rabbit said, “We can’t get wives here; let’s go to the next settlement. I’m the…”
Myths of the Cherokee | Myth 24
“THE RABBIT ESCAPES FROM THE WOLVES Some Wolves once caught the Rabbit and were going to eat him when he asked leave to show them a new dance he was practicing. They knew that the Rabbit was a great song leader, and they wanted to learn the…”
Myths of the Cherokee | Myth 37
“HOW THE TURKEY GOT HIS BEARD When the Terrapin won the race from the Rabbit (see the story) all the animals wondered and talked about it a great deal, because they had always thought the Terrapin slow, although they knew that he was a warri…”
biblical3
Genesis (American Standard Version, 1901) | 2:15-3:11
“[2:15] And Jehovah God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. [2:16] And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: [2:17] but of the tree of the knowl…”
Genesis (American Standard Version, 1901) | 3:12-4:7
“[3:12] And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. [3:13] And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.…”
Genesis (American Standard Version, 1901) | 27:12-27:31
“[27:12] My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. [27:13] And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son; only obey my voice, and go fetch…”
theosophy3
The Secret Doctrine | Page 27 (part 5)
“We bow to thee, in the nature of Brahma uncreated, undecaying ( avyaya ), who art in our bodies and in all other bodies , and in all living creatures , and beside whom nothing exists. We glorify that Vasudeva, the lord of all, who is witho…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 27 (part 6)
“"They have seized upon the three worlds, and appropriated the offerings which are our portion, taking care not to transgress the Precepts of the Veda. Although we , as well as they , are parts of thee.* . . . . engaged as they are in t…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 71 (part 8)
“At the same time there is not an old fragment but shows belief in a multiform and even multigeneric evolution -- spiritual, psychic, intellectual and physical -- of human beings, just as given in the present work. A few of these claims hav…”
greek_mystery1
Orphic Hymns | Hymn XXVII. MERCURY
“XXVII. TO MERCURY. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. HERMES, draw near, and to my pray'r incline, Angel of Jove, and Maia's son divine; Studious of contests, ruler of mankind, With heart almighty, and a prudent mind. Celestial messenger, of…”
mesopotamian1
The Descent of the Goddess Ishtar into the Lower World | Section 1b
“"Why, O gatekeeper, dost thou remove the girdle of my body, studded with birth-stones?" "Enter, O lady, for such are the decrees of Ereshkigal." The sixth gate, he bade her enter, opened it wide, and removed the spangles off her hands and f…”