Tricksters: Mischievous Troublemakers Making Attempts To Help And Hinder In Mythologies Of Ancient Cultures

A.Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – In mythologies of many ancient cultures, there is a male figure known as a trickster. Occasionally, this figure has also a nickname ‘rogue’, ‘prankster, or ‘cheater’.

His ambiguous character combined both godlike and demonic qualities, which expressed themselves in good and evil deeds.

The trickster could create a good, honest impression on people or gods.  He acts as a creator, destroyer, sage, or simply prankster. His actions were often proof of his cunning and cleverness.

Ancient people also talked of trickster’s wisdom, his braveness, or how he acted in a cowardly manner. The trickster could be also incredibly selfish, stubborn, and often demonstrated disrespectful behavior.

“There is a character called the Trickster who plays a crucial role in much of the world’s mythology and folklore. The Trickster has many incarnations, he is, in the words of Lewis Hyde, “the adept who can move between heaven and earth, and between the living and the dead… he is sometimes the messenger of the gods and sometimes the guide of the souls, carrying the dead into the underworld or opening the tomb…” (Joseph Maurone, ‘The Trickster Icon and Objectivism’).

Cruelty, a weakness for women, and greed were also familiar to him. If necessary, however, he was able to save the world from monsters and evil rulers, bring gifts to people, and at the same time, provoke quarrels between them.

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