Bhima (terrible)

1. Warrior god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A prince of the mythical Pandu family and one of the heroes of the Mahabharata epic, Bhima is usually depicted wielding a sword and a club. He is a son of the god of the winds VAYU. He is perceived as a god of immense strength and great cruelty, which separates him from the heroic figure of ARJUNA, his brother, with whom he is linked in the epic. Attribute: a club. Also Bhimasena.

Balarama (strength of Rama)

Incarnation of the god VISˇNU. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). May have originated in Vedic times as an agricultural fertility deity. He is the son of VASUDEVA and DEVAKI, though born from the womb of ROHINI. Jointly with KRSNA (his brother), he is identified as the eighth avatara (incarnation) of Visˇnu, or, with RAMA, as the seventh. Legend describes how Visˇnu impregnated the belly of the goddess Devaki with two hairs, one black, one white. To ensure their safety against a demon king, they were transferred before birth to Rohini. Krsna grew to be dark-skinned, and Balarama light. The latter enjoys similar characteristics to Krsna but fails to attract the same popularity. He is usually depicted on the right side of Krsna, rarely standing alone. The consort of Balarama is REVATI and his sons are Nisatha and Ulmuka. Epithets included Ananda (joy). In Jainism he is known as Baladeva.

Brontes

by Christina Dillman, Clarksville Middle School

 
One of three Cyclopes, a fierce giant with one eyes in the center of his forehead, in Greek Mythology. In Hesiad, a the brother of Arges and Steropes and child of Uranus of Gaia. Brontes was thrown into the lower world by his other brother, Cronus, a first (after Cronus dethroned Uranus) he was released by Zeus and in gratitude, he gave Zeus the gifts of thunder and lighting. He always possessed the weapon of thunder. He was a very powerful and destructive creature.

Pakrokitat

by Caitlin Dieringer, Clarksville Middle School

 
According to the myths of the Serrano Indians of California, Pakrokitat was the creator. He had a younger brother, Kukitat, who was born from his left shoulder. They were always quarreling. Kukitat disagreed with how Pakrokitat made man. After this Pakrokitat left the world and retired to his own world, Panamam, which he made, the island of Payait. Kukitat made death come to the world. The souls of the dead had to come to Pakrokitat’s world after they visited the three beautiful goddesses. Pakrokitat made this happen. Kukitat made men divide into nations and fight each other when Pakrokitat left. After a while the men that were fighting got tired of Kukitat and killed him.

On Greatfulness by David Steindl-Rast

“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more.”

 

Brother David Steindl-Rast

Ephialtis

by Allison Kupec, Clarksville Middle School

 
Ephialtis was one of the Aloadae, the son of Poseidon. He was a Greek who allegedly told the Persians of the Greek position during the battle of Thermopylae in 400 BCE. Along with his brother, Otus, Ephialtis was colossal in size. Together, Ephialtis and Otus battled the gods. Every year, the brothers grew an ell in breadth and a fathom in length, and within nine year they were 36 feet tall. Because the two were founders of Naxos and Boeotian Ascra, they were worshiped as heroes in those cities.

Euanthes

by Dr Alena Trckova-Flamee Ph.D.

 
According to certain myths, Euanthes was one of the sons of Ariadne and Dionysus, and the grandson of King Minos from Crete. He was the brother of Oenopion, Thoas, Staphylus, Tauropolus, and Latramys. According to some accounts Euanthes was not Oenopion’s brother, but his son, and that he arrived with his father and the other children with a Cretan fleet at the island of Chios.

Amphiaraus

by Dr Alena Trckova-Flamee, Ph.D.

 
Amphiaraus – the legendary king of Argos, the seer and healer, honored as a god.
According to the mythological story Amphiaraus was the son of king Oikles (Oicles) from the line of Melampus, who was a great seer-healer. This gift was handed down from generation to generation and Amphiaraus took this disposition too. He became the king of Argos, ruling together with Adrastus, whose sister Eriphyle became his spouse too. Polynices, the son of Oedipus, chased by his brother, visited Argos and asked for the assistance to seize Thebes. Amphiaraus did not agree to take part in the war, because he already knew, that the gods would get angry and the leaders should pay for it very badly.

Krishna

by Alan G. Hefner

In Hinduism and Indian mythology Krishna is the eighth avatar or reincarnation of the god Vishnu. Also Krishna is one of the most popular Hindu gods. Tradition holds that Krishna saw Vishnu in a vision in which the former deity told Krishna to destroy Kamsa son of a demon, a tyrannical ruler of the world. Krishna’s mother, Devaki, was Kamsa’s half-sister. Kamsa already killed her first six sons because he had been told one of her sons would kill him. Krishna’s brother, Devaki’s seventh child, Balarama was miraculously saved by Vishnu.

Melicertes

by Adam Gulliford, Clarksville Middle School

God of harbors in Greek mythology, he was the son of Athamas and Ino, and the brother of Learchus.