HUM/105 week three
Divine Roles across Cultures Matrix
Title: God of War; war gods
Column A
Divinity Name: Mextli
Culture of Origin: Mexico
Column B
Divinity Name: Bishamon
Culture of Origin: Japan
1. How is this divinity portrayed? Describe the divinity’s role within the myth.
Sun God in charge of war, warriors and death
The god of war, the distributor of and wealth and protector
2. Is the divinity male or female? What function does this gender play?
Male, the god of war and storms and was born fully armed as a warrior
Male, he appears as a powerful monarch, in full armor, standing on demons
3. Within the myth of origin, how does this divinity compare with other divinities? How does this divinity interact with or compare to divinities of the same gender and to divinities of the opposite gender?
In the Mexican culture he killed his way up to become the supreme god of gods. He was known for accepting sacrifices and death. Interaction with him ended in death. Compared to Bishamon, the god of war of Japan, he did not interact with inferior beings.
In the Japanese culture, Bishamon was a much praised god that protected followers from demons and diseases. He was very interactive in order to persuade followers to continue with him. So interaction was not an issue for Bishamon
4. What are the divinity’s attributes, such as divine powers or characteristics? What objects does the divinity possess, such as a weapon or animal that assists him or her?
War god; Mextli owned the awesome fire snake weapon which frazzled foes with minimum fuss
The god of war, the distributor of and wealth and protector. He possesses a spear that is used to fight off demons, and a wheel of fire. He protects against demons and diseases, and a guardian of one of the four cardinal points (the North)
5. Identify one character from contemporary culture that shares characteristics of each divinity and explain why you chose each character. What real-life ideals
Title: God of War; war gods
Column A
Divinity Name: Mextli
Culture of Origin: Mexico
Column B
Divinity Name: Bishamon
Culture of Origin: Japan
1. How is this divinity portrayed? Describe the divinity’s role within the myth.
Sun God in charge of war, warriors and death
The god of war, the distributor of and wealth and protector
2. Is the divinity male or female? What function does this gender play?
Male, the god of war and storms and was born fully armed as a warrior
Male, he appears as a powerful monarch, in full armor, standing on demons
3. Within the myth of origin, how does this divinity compare with other divinities? How does this divinity interact with or compare to divinities of the same gender and to divinities of the opposite gender?
In the Mexican culture he killed his way up to become the supreme god of gods. He was known for accepting sacrifices and death. Interaction with him ended in death. Compared to Bishamon, the god of war of Japan, he did not interact with inferior beings.
In the Japanese culture, Bishamon was a much praised god that protected followers from demons and diseases. He was very interactive in order to persuade followers to continue with him. So interaction was not an issue for Bishamon
4. What are the divinity’s attributes, such as divine powers or characteristics? What objects does the divinity possess, such as a weapon or animal that assists him or her?
War god; Mextli owned the awesome fire snake weapon which frazzled foes with minimum fuss
The god of war, the distributor of and wealth and protector. He possesses a spear that is used to fight off demons, and a wheel of fire. He protects against demons and diseases, and a guardian of one of the four cardinal points (the North)
5. Identify one character from contemporary culture that shares characteristics of each divinity and explain why you chose each character. What real-life ideals