Anatomia do mito

Abstract

The focus of this dissertation is the creation of a hypothetical anatomy for six mythological creatures, which come from three distinct locations in the world. These regions are Africa, home of ancient Egypt and its beliefs; Europe, the cradle of ancient Greece, which is famous for its intricate mythology, and of Renaissance Italy, whose poets restored and reinvented legends of old; and Asia, home of two very advanced civilizations, China and Japan, that are filled with rich and complex mythologies. The analyzed creatures are Ammut, an Egyptian female demon that plays an important role on the judgment of the dead, not widely known within the European community; the Sphinx, known as the guardian of treasures and tombs, a symbol of Egyptian culture, extremely popular within the European community; the Hydra, creature with many heads that is slain by Hercules as one of the twelve labors, relatively popular within the European community; the Hippogriff, product of the mind of a Renaissance author, symbol of eternal and undying love, very popular within the European community; the Qilin, also called the “Chinese unicorn”, famous for its kindness and graciousness, little known within the European community; and the Kappa, a Japanese water demon known for its mischievous pranks, quite unknown to the European community. For each creature, studies were conducted regarding the possible skeletal system, muscular system and integumentary system, as well as taxonomic classification, dimensions, behavior, feeding habits and habitat, using scientific and anatomical references. Three illustrative and explanatory drawings were created, concerning the first three topics mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, as well as a fourth coloured drawing, which illustrates the final look of the creature