Introduction Although one cannot tell a book by its cover, we often look to physical appearance to give us clues about a person's sanity, morality, intelligence, and abilities. ... Roman soldiers who encountered Briton warriors adopted tattooing themselves, and spread the practice wherever Roman legions were sent. ... Women's ability to give birth is revered as sacred by the Ba Thonga people, and they believe that for anyone to see a woman before her tattoos have healed would endanger the life source of the village. ...

• Word Count: 4851
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: High School

In Homer's The Odyssey, the protagonist of the story, Odysseus, was a valiant warrior, who along with his men fought in the famed Trojan War and came out as the victors. Now, Odysseus and his brave warrior troops must return home to reunite with their people and loved ones again. ... In book five of The Odyssey, Homer perceptively describes the contempt Poseidon feels towards Odysseus in the following passage: But now Poseidon, god of the earthquake, saw him- just returning home from his Ethiopian friends, from miles away on the Solymi mountain-range and it made his fury boil e...

• Word Count: 2649
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

For instance, many of the Greek vases depicting women show them handing warriors their helmets as they prepare for battle, and so some scholars point to the passive role of women. ... Present-day interpretations of these tales are often moot regarding woman's status, but the ideas of the stories vastly impacted Greece's history. ... In a fascinating book entitled Lost Goddesses of Early Greece, Sharleen Spretnak, remarks about the rich oral tradition where goddesses reigned supreme. ...

• Word Count: 7196
• Approx Pages: 29
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

What kind of person would she be without Pelele She would not be a woman at all." "The plug of wood in the lips, which became little by little a disk, and then a real plaque, was in some manner a sign of possession of the husband of the Djinja woman. ... The septum piercing is particularly prevalent among warrior cultures, this probably has to do with the fact that large tusks through the septum give the face a fierce appearance. ...

• Word Count: 5222
• Approx Pages: 21
• Grade Level: High School

Note that these myths were the Norse people's religion. ... These realms are subdivided into nine worlds, peopled variously by gods, slain warriors, elves, humans, dwarves, giants, and the dead. ... The many stories in Norse mythology all follow this form of outline, as well almost every creation myth, every story, every book, and everyone in their daily lives. ... Thor finds out that not only is he going to have to venture into Jotunheim (the giants' homeland) without his hammer, but he's going to have to pretend to be a woman in the process. ... Not only is this hard for Thor ...

• Word Count: 2799
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School