cks you designed to be ~exotic~ or whatever, and those rabid jerks at Disney can only grit their teeth now!
Aug
28th
2014
This is going to sound random at the moment... · 1:36pm Aug 28th, 2014
But do any of my readers know any good myths about salt?
Yes, salt. The white stuff most of you have some off in your very house.
If any cultures have some 'Prometheus' style deal with salt (IE man was given the knowledge from the gods) is in particular interest to me.
I already know of the whole symbol of purity, holiness and life thing, but I'm interested in more specific myths if there are any.
Just asking, because I'm normally quite good at mythology, but aside from Salasia (The Roman Goddess of salt water and deep seas, wife of Poseidon) I'm drawing a total blank.
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Lord Of Dorkness · 361 views
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I have somewhere entire book filled with stories and anecdotes about salt. Old children books are kickass like what.
I'll try to find it.
2408642
Oh, yes please!
I've run into the problem that something I don't consider very important is just that to one of my characters, and that book sounds just perfect for filling those gaps.
Are you going to do the whole 'Salt is an intoxicant to ponies' trope that is used in the memeverse among others, or is it going to be used for magic boosts, wards, etc?
In Aztec mythology, Huixtocihuatl was a fertility goddess who presided over salt and salt water.
2408683
Both, actually. Just seemed like a small culture clash I can wrangle some small jokes slash conflicts out of.
That and Björn (slight spoiler) really, really capital B Believes salt to be one of the most potent discoveries and symbols in the history of mankind.
Believe it or not, but I'm actually planning a few things I hope will be seen as crowning moments of awesome around that, if far further down the line.
I basically intend to start laying that foundation next chapter so the whole deal doesn't feel like a dues ex machina, but rather an organic progression for the character.
2408710
Oh nice! Thanks, I'll see what I can find about her.
The first that comes to mind is Lot's Wife from biblical mythology.
2408726
Thought that one was so well known I didn't need to mention it, but thanks for bringing it up anyway.
Better one time too many, and all that.
There's always the wikipedia salt article's usage in religion section, but there's not a lot there. The only things I can think of are how its supposed to keep away evil, spirits can't cross an unbroken line of salt and all that.
Other than that, I think salt used to be more valuable than gold at one point in time in the past.
Salt is supposed to hold sway over the forces of luck. If you waste it by accidentally spilling it, its supposed to visit you with bad luck, demons and gremlins that come and mess up things around you all invisible-like. On the other hand, offering a pinch of salt as a meaningful sacrifice and tossing it over your shoulder is supposed to drive away bad luck, and the same demons and gremlins.
2409006
Yeah, lots of religion have salt as a purity symbol, but few seem to have bothered to explain the why. I can guess given what an important food preservative it used to be, but still.
I've heard silver, but that's almost hair-splitting historically speaking.
2409018
Oh nice! Thanks!
I've heard the 'don't spill salt thing' but I thought that was for how voluble it used to be. That there was a 'logical' connection with luck is utterly new to me.
Thanks once more!
2409076 I'm making stuff up here, but it could be because salt is supposed to be tied to the earth and the physical world, and spirits aren't part of the physical world?
2409139
Think Wicca has that as its justification, come to think about it.
Traditionally however, it was that salt is almost scary good at keeping food fresh, IE keeping things whole and pure...
And since the only spirits you (as a rule) want to ward off are the unclean and slash or evil ones, that makes salt a good all-round spirit deterrent.
If I remember correctly the god Misor (Semtic I think) discovered/created salt and its uses.
The Tv show Supernatural has its own delightful mythology surrounding salt and how it interacts with the world after. Something about how (seeing as its main purpose to old old old timey people was to make thier food taste better) was a gluttony of the world of the living. Theres nothing of its opulance in the world thereafter, so it disrupts beings of that realm.