Hang it all!

My school librarian showed me this web site: http://postertext.com/.  It takes a book and makes a poster of it using the words to spell out a picture.  I would love to have either one of these two hanging in my classroom:

They have several others too, though not mythology related.  The Great Gatsby and Grimm's Fairy Tales are especially nice.

They can even custom design it for you, so maybe someone can make Hamilton's mythology.  The picture that should show through would certainly need to be Medusa's decapitated head, since that seems to make the cover of all the editions of this book that I have ever seen.

Does anyone have on?  Is anyone planning on getting one?  Let me know!  Or even better, buy me one!

Mythology Posters

As a teacher I get all kinds of junk mail asking me to buy stuff.  Come on!  I'm a teacher!  Like I have money to buy stuff.  Anyway, I normally just throw them in the recycling bin, but this one caught my eye.  It's from Teacher's Discovery.  What caught my eye were the mythology posters.  When I turned to that page, i thought to myself that I had to have these posters!  So now I need to find a way to not only get the Mythology Teacher posters, but these too!

They're all in the form of a 1950's comic book cover.

You can order these posters at: http://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Poster-Set-of-6/dp/B005FM4FFY?tag=nongying-20  for $30.

The Shoes Make the Woman

Check these babies out.  If you don't have a pair in your closet, you should seriously get shopping.  Fertility goddess high heels will cost you only $1600.  Notice the pregnant goddess as the heel and the snake skin pattern shoe.  Snakes are often associated with fertility for their phallic property.  

This particular fertility goddess is African.  I did not find which one and the problem with doing African mythology is that there are several different mythologies due to there having been several different tribes that did not always interact with each other.

I was going to be real smart and try to track down which goddess was the source of the inspiration for these shoes; however, my search pulled up a virus problem twice, so I'm stopping here and letting Malwarebytes finish scanning for anymore problems.

Anyone who knows is more than welcome to post it in the comments.  If you do, you'll win a No Prize!

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Zeus on the Loose

When we thought Raegan was coming early, we cut our beach trip short and rushed home to get to the doctor's office.  Luckily everything was O.K.  My wife, however, was a bit miffed that she didn't get one last chance to eat at our favorite breakfast restaurant.  So, I took her to a substitute closer to home.  After filling up on waffles and country ham, we stopped at a small toy store near by where they had toys you don't usually find at Walmart of Target.

I found a mythology based card game here called Zeus on the Loose.  Here is what the box says about this game:

Catch Zeus if you can! The great Greek god has bolted from Mount Olympus and it's up to you to nab this dashing deity. Play cards strategically, adding numbers as you climb up the mythic mountain. Grab Zeus when the total reaches a multiple of 10. Better yet, summon the strength of Apollo, Poseidon, or all-powerful Hera to bring Zeus within your grasp. Reach the top of Mount Olympus with Zeus in hand and you're a mortal among the gods. To play is human. To win, divine!


I thought it looked interesting, but my cheap side wouldn't shell out the $13 for it to find out.  I'm curious if any of you out there has played the game.  If so, post a comment giving it a lightning bolt rating out of five.  It won a lot of awards, so I figure it is probably a neat game.  You can buy it at Gamewright for slightly cheaper, if you want.

The Sole of Mythology

The following information came from hypebeast.com:

"Beginning April 2009, Lacoste will begin production on a pack of (9) sneakers celebrating the legend of Rene Lacoste and the mythologies surrounding crocodiles around the world. The special collection begins with the release of their Tiller Egypt, Revan NYC, and Tennis 91 West Africa models. The shoes will be released over three months (April, May and June 2009) and will only be available from an exclusive selection of stores globally."

“Crocodiles are featured in many myths and legends around the world with diverse stories ranging from Ancient Egypt where the powerful half man, half crocodile Sobek came out of the sea to create the world.

To the Albino Crocodile in South Africa which inhabits the sacred Lake Venda.

In Melanesia the Kawai people of Papua New Guinea believe that they are descendants of Nuga, a half man, half crocodile creature created long ago from a piece of wood and in New York we explore the reported sightings of sewer crocodiles around the city.”

Really???

I thought I liked Bubo, the R2D2 rip off from Clash of the Titans, but apparently some people LOVE him.  Those that do might waste their money on this:

I'm assuming that Bubo must mean something else here because if you are spending your money on this....

Actually, there are a ton of stuff with this logo on it at ShopZeus.  No, I do NOT have any of it.

Bubo's Back!

Well, not in the movie.  I can't find any evidence that they will use the mechanical owl in the upcoming Clash of the Titans movie; however, Bubo is alive and well as the name of a new iPhone adaptor.  It is an OWLE (Optical Widget for Life Enhancement) that you use to connect your iPhone to your camcorder.  It comes with a lens, attachments for more lenses, connectors for tripods, LED lights, and I'm sure more stuff. All this for less than a hundred dollars.  If you are into phones (I am not), then go to this link for the whole picture:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/26/owle-launches-bubo-ultimate-iphone-video-rig/

11 Mythology Gifts

Well it is that time of year again. Stuck on what to get? Have no fear. Here is the list of 10 stranger mythology themed gifts to give this year. Of course, I'll help you decide on whom to give it to as well. Just one of the many holiday services we offer here at Bubo's Blog. Merry Christmas!


Cyclops Action Figure (with rock throwing action!)

Every kid has a Transformer. But what kid has Polyphemus? And what kid wouldn't be thrilled to get one? At only $19.99, it's a steal! Your nephew will think you're the greatest.

Chinese Mythology End Table

The perfect gift for your parents. Style up their home with the elegant end table painted with Chinese mythology scene. The best thing? You can make up the stories about what the mythological scenes mean since no one else knows the Chinese myths! Think of how smart you can make yourself seem. With that in mind, $449 seems a small price to pay.


Eye of Ra Bottle Cap Necklace

Nothing says, "I Love You" more than bottle caps - especially one that you can wear and reminds you that death is only the beginning. Guys, trust me. She'll go wild for one of these and at only $5.94, you'll have plenty of cash to get that Double Doozie cookie at the mall.

Gods of Mythology Chess Set

This set features Zeus as king and Aphrodite as queen (why not Hera?). Asklepios (god of healing and medicine) is the bishop and the knight is a centaur. A Corinthian column serves as rook and to wrap things up, Pan is the pawn figure. The pieces are made of stone and can be yours for $229. Of course, you could just ship this gift directly to me.


Egyptian Thoth Candleholder

Think of all the romantic candle light dinners you can share with that special love one. What could make those nights better, why an Egyptian god candle holder of course. Let Thoth, inventer of writing and recorder of the deeds of the dead light your night to romantic bliss. At only $34.99, you could take two! Plus it will go well with the bottle cap necklace.

Mythology - An Epic Adventure for the Bravest of Heroes : The Board Game

O.K., enter the labyrinth and save the day.  Got it.  Certainly to beat Monopoly any day.  The box says you can be one of the famous heroes of Greek mythology.  Who did they pick?  Theseus, Perseus, Odysseus, Heracles, Fason, and Achilles.

Wait!  Fason?  Fason?  Who the heck would have made a Fason character over a, say, Hector?  What about Atalanta for the female players?  FASON????  (Who the heck is Fason anyway? - My best guess is that it was just a typo on the web site and that it really is Jason. I'd still rather be Hector, though.

Anyway, I'm as much nerd as the next guy, but $99 seems a bit steep for a board game.  Especially one without any electronics.  Still, the box seems pretty thick. Maybe there is more than meets the eye.

Mars Cufflinks

Give your dad that power aura as he walks into the next board meeting with these Mars, god of war, cufflinks.  At only $9.99, you'll have enough money to get that board game for yourself.

Atlas Book Ends

Perfect for Grandma.  Sure, she can't see the words on her favorite book anymore, but she still wants to display them, and what better way than with Atlas?  Want to be real clever?  Buy a bunch of atlases to go inbetween the Atlas bookends.  How much would you pay for them?  $10?  $50?  $100?  Good.  They are $100 and worth every cent.  Warning, the picture only guarentees that they are heavy enough to hold up one book.  Bubo's Blog is not held responsible for any damages resulting for dangerous acts like trying to use these bookends on two or more books.

Medusa Shower Curtain

If you have a college student or some newlyweds, you can help them out with practical gift.  The Medusa shower curtain is not only practical, but also emotionally helpful.  Think of all those mornings where some woman stresses over a bad hair day.  If you had this in the background, it would put bad hair day in perspective!  It is a little pricey at $59.99, but you can't put a price tag on peace of mind.  Also comes in Eye of Horus fashions (for that "sometimes I feel like someone is watching me" feeling).

Kitchen Tile Mural

What says, "I love you, Mom" better than a "Feast of the Gods" kitchen mural?  It is practical too.  When you get this beautiful kitchen tile mural for mom, she will love being in the kitchen so much that she'll stay in there and cook more homemade goodies!  Who wouldn't pay $240 for more homemade goodies?

Excalibur

A life size replica of the sword of kings.  Perfect for your boss and not as much as you would think.  Only $49.99.  Your boss is a female?  No worries, this gift idea comes from a web site titled, Something for Her. Obviously females love replica swords (not being one, I can't say for sure, but they couldn't put stuff like that on the Internet if it wasn't true).

So there you go.  Eleven gifts that any mythology nerd can give this holiday season.  And you thought that you could only give books if you wanted to give the gift of mythology this Christmas.  The best part is that I found all of these online so I didn't have to go to the mall (unless I wanted one of those cookies or something)!

Merry Christmas!

Chi-Chi-Chia

"I pity the fool that doesn't water my Chia!"

Before you think I have completely lost it, I do have a connection between the wonderful Chia pet and mythology.

For the Aztecs and Mayans, chia pets may not have been the rage, but chia seeds were. They were cultivated for consumption as far back as 3400 BC. The Aztec warriors used it in their rituals and it was believed that a tablespoon of seeds would sustain a warrior for 24 hours. It was so much a part of their mythology that the Spanish conquistadors banned it.

There is even a South American goddess named Chia, although I think that is just a coincidence. Doesn't matter to me. This goddess would give any Greek goddess a run for her money. Here is what God Checker says about her:

CHIA: Evil Moon Goddess and wife ofBOCHICA.

Identified with HUITACA, the drunken Goddess of Bad Behavior, she is believed to have caused a number of floods — possibly in association withCHIBCHACHUM.

As punishment for her crimes against humanity, she was transformed into the Moon. Or — if you prefer a different version of the legend — an owl. Or possibly the owl in the moon, or an owl that moons.

She was known to be on friendly terms with CHIBCHACHUM, but the rumor mill has long since closed down.

Now I was able to beat the Obscure Goddess Online Dictionary on this one, but that is only because they have their hands full with other cultures and are smart enough not to tackle Meso-American cultures. Unfortunately, Goddess-a-Day has beaten me to it with this entry:

Huitaca is the Chibcha Goddess of the moon, pleasure, and drunkenness. Also known as Chia or Chie, she advised her followers to live a life of happiness and joy, much to the chagrin of her husband, Bochica, God of laws and morals. Tired of having Huitaca undo all his hard work, Bochica turned her into an owl.

I think we need to petition the Chia Pet company to stop avoiding mythological chia ideas. I mean, come on, there are Obama Chias, Mr. T Chias,Shrek Chias, Homer Simpson Chias, and every type of everyday normal animal chias, but no Cerberus Chia, or Pegasus Chia. How ridiculous is that? Just imagine, if we can get the goddess Chia into the mainstream, then maybe we could have a Chia Chia!

You know, that idea is right up there with my CuChulainn action figure...

I'll leave you with this. I found this picture on the internet from Guatemala. Evidently, someone has taken my idea of mythological chia and has stopped at no expense to make sure it is down right - after all, if it is worth doing, it is worth overdoing (which I think is from Mythbusters... - another myth connection!)

Sand Castles

When I go to the beach, my sons and I always build a sand castle.  I thought we were pretty good, but then I saw this on Oddee:

I am assuming that this is Pluto and Cerberus (maybe we just can't see the third head?  Or maybe the sad two-headed version of Cerberus found on The Clash of the Titans?  And yes, that is sand he's working with.  Or how about this one:

O.K., I see Icarus (and those of you familiar with this blog know that I like the Icarus story), and I see the minotaur.  What I can't tell is the event that is going on in the corner.  I assume that it has to do with Daedalus in some shape, form, or fashion, but for the life of me I can't place it?  

How about you?  Anyone got any ideas on what is the myth in the corner?  I'll give an electronic no-prize to the person who comes up with the best possibility.

And now, to top things off..

Introducing the Medusa hat, by Oakley.

I don't know what disturbs me most about this hat.  Is it the fact that they didn't include little snake heads?  Is it the mannequin's face?  Or is it the fact that this item is OUT OF STOCK, meaning that whatever the number they made, they sold them all! (no offense to those of you sporting one right now, I'm sure it looks great in person.)

More Odd Stuff

Just to piggy back the last post, here are a few odd mythology pictures that I found on Oddee.com: 

Here is a fountain in Rome dedicated to Neptune.

Cupid waits around the corner in this statue in Japan:

How about these pretty neat face paintings?

That's enough.  I think I've exhausted the myth value of Oddee!  Real posts to come soon!