- Oh, hello.
So this week we,
oh,
legendary glasses of the nerd.
Completely changes my look.
So when we think of mythology,
the first thing that comes to most people's minds
is Greek mythology, like gods and goddesses.
But what you might not know
is that mythology exists
in almost every culture and religion
in the world.
And these stories of supernatural beings,
heroes, and ancestors often include
fabled objects of immeasurable power,
that most consider to be myth.
Well, we may never know if these objects
ever actually did once exist,
but what we do is that the legend of them
has lived on for thousands of years
to this day.
So this week, I gathered the most interesting
and legendary ones to share with you all.
So here they are,
the 10 Most Fascinating Mythological Objects of All Time.
Number one is the Aegis.
Originating in Greek mythology,
the Aegis was first mentioned
in the ancient Greek poem,
"The Illiad" by Homer.
Said to be created by the goddess Athena herself,
the Aegis granted its owner protection
from any harm while in battle.
Interestingly, scholars have never known
exactly what the Aegis is,
although it's generally believed to be a shield
forged from the skin of a giant
during the great battle between
the Olympians and the Titans.
It's also said that the hero Perseus
killed the snake-haired Gorgon Medusa
and that her face, capable of turning any man into stone,
was afixed to the front of the shield,
making it not only a powerful defense
but also a powerful weapon.
Very cool object,
not so cool name.
I mean, it sounds like the name of Hercules' grandmother.
Aegis.
Come here, Hercules,
and give you grandmother Aegis a hug.
Number 2 is the Cap of Invisibility.
Originating in Greek mythology,
the Cap of Invisibility is a cap or helmet
that grants its wearer invisibility.
Surprsing based on its name, I know.
Also known as the Cap of Hades,
the Helmet of Hades,
or the Helmet of Darkness,
the cap is said to be one of a few powerful items
given from the Cyclopes to the gods
to help them defeat the Titans.
The Cap of Invisibility also enables its user
to become invisible to other supernatural entities,
functioning much like the cloud of mist
that the gods surround themselves in
to become undetectable to mortals.
Number three is the Book of Thoth.
Originating in Egyptian mythology,
the Book of Thoth was a book of ancient magic
said to be written by Thoth,
the Egyptian god of writing and knowledge.
The book is said to contain two spells,
one to give someone the ability
to understand the minds of the gods,
and the other gives someone the ability
to understand animals.
The story is that a prince of Egypt Neferkaptah
stole the book but was punished by Thoth
by killing his wife and son.
Neferkaptah then committed suicide,
where his body was entombed with the book,
where his ghost guards it to this day.
Interesting fable, but if this book were real,
it doesn't really seem worth it
to have all that happen to you
just to be able to hear what a cow has to say,
you know what I'm saying?
Number four is the Spear of Destiny.
Originating in Christian mythology,
the Spear of Destiny,
also known as the Holy Lance
or Holy Spear,
is the name given to the lance
that pierced the side of Jesus Christ
as he hung on the cross.
As legend has it,
the one who holds this sacred relic
is granted the power to control the world.
Unlike the other mythological objects on this list,
this one's unique in that there are multiple churches
across the world all claiming to have
the original Spear of Destiny
in their possession today.
But, then again, this wouldn't be the first time
that religious institutions argued over
something that may or may not have ever existed, so.
Yeah, par for the course, I guess.
Number five is the Hand of Glory.
Well, this one's on the creepy side.
Originating in European mythology,
the Hand of Glory is a mythological object
said to have the power to unlock doors
and freeze anybody in their place
who is in its presence.
It's said to be made of a dried, pickled hand
of a murderer who was hanged.
A candle made of the fat of a dead criminal
was afixed to one of the fingers,
and the dead man's hair was used as a wick.
The candle is said to give light to
only those who hold it,
and can only be put out by the same person.
It's said to be the product
of the darkest of black magic,
and some nut job who decided to make a candle
out of some dead guy's hand.
Yeah, phrase of the day folks, "mental illness",
it's a thing.
Number six is the Cintamani Stone.
Originating in Oriental mythology,
the Cintamani Stone is said to be
a wish-fulfilling jewel
that descended from Buddha himself.
In Buddhism, this stone is said to be
one of four relics that came in a chest
that fell from the sky in Tibet in 173 A.D.
Besides its supernatural powers,
its said to represent
the values and teachings of the Buddha,
making it a revered object of lore.
The Western equivalent of this jewel
would be the Philosopher's Stone,
which is a legendary alchemical substance
said to be able to turn
base metals like lead into silver and gold.
Number seven is the Skatert-Samobrankh.
Originating in Russian mythology,
the Skatert-Samobrankh was a magical tablecloth,
but it's not as lame as it sounds.
When unfolded, it would magically produce food,
and when folded up again,
it would magically clean itself.
However, there were rules to using it.
The tablecloth was sentient,
meaning it had the ability to perceive and feel things,
so it had to be cared for and respected.
If it wasn't cared for,
it would ruin the food that it created,
and if it was damaged in any way,
it would slowly lose its magical powers.
Damn!
Well if Disney movies have taught me anything,
it's that magic fabrics can be very tempermental,
and I don't care what this thing offers me,
I've got more respect for myself than that honey, mmhmm.
Number eight is the Ring of Gyges.
Originating in Greek mythology,
the Ring of Gyges is a magical artifact
said to grant its owner the power
to become invisible at will.
The ring was first mentioned
by the philosopher Plato
in Book 2 of his literary work, "The Republic".
The story is that a shepherd named Gyges
entered a tomb in a mountain
that was revealed after an earthquake happened.
He then discovers a golden ring on a corpse
thats much larger than a regular man.
Upon taking the ring and putting it on his finger,
he discovers that he can become invisible at will
simply by adjusting it.
The ring then corrupts him,
where he goes to the palace,
seduces the queen,
kills the king,
and becomes king himself.
Well, if somebody who finds a magical gold ring
who goes crazy sounds familiar to you,
that's because it happened to me!
(maniacal laughter)
No, I'm just kidding, that's "Lord of the Rings".
Number nine are the Seven League Boots.
Originating in European mythology,
the Seven League Boots
are said to allow the wearer to take strides
of seven leagues, or 30 kilometers, per step.
These boots are the subject of many European fairytales,
and are often presented by a magical character
to a protagonist to aid
them in the completion of an important task.
These boots have appeared in over 20 stories
in various countries around the world,
including Germany, France, Norway, Russia,
England, and the United States.
And number 10, the Holy Grail.
Originating in Christian mythology,
the Holy Grail is quite possibly
the most well-known mythological object of all time.
Although it's well-known,
scholars differ quite a bit
when it comes to the possible origins of the Grail.
Some stories say that the Grail was used
by Jesus himself to give communion
to his followers during the Last Supper
before he was killed.
Other stories say that the Grail was used
by Joseph of Arimathea
to catch Jesus' blood after he was pierced
by the Spear of Destiny while on the cross.
Regardless of its true origin,
one thing remains the same,
which is that the Grail is said to grant
immeasurable power and immortality
to anyone who drinks from it.
Well, that a way to reach the top of the charts,
am I right, playa?
(hip hop beat)
Anyways, that's all for this video guys,
keep in mind that this was not an exhaustive list.
There are many other really cool
mythological objects out there
like Achilles' armor, and Excalibur, and Pandora's Box.
So, if you want to learn more about any of those,
I'll put a link in the description
to the Wikipedia article where I found all these from,
and if you want to add me to
Facebook and Twitter
or check out my second channel,
I'll put a link to all of those
in the description below,
along with all my other social networking links,
and I will see you all back here next Saturday
with a brand new video, peace.
Sike!
No, I'm still here,
but I'm gonna go now,
bye!
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You hold the power, baby.
Much like that golden magical ring.
Actually, J.K. Rowling's got a little bit
of 'splaining to do,
because she kind of took that
from the mythological story,
but it's all good,
everything's a remix,
you know what I'm saying?
Kind of like this video.
(imitates musical sounds)
I don't know.
Bye!