A "wiseman" from the ancient myths

Bravo · Jan 24, 2007

hey guys,

im looking for someone who's fairly well-known for his wisdom and justice. this could be from any culture and mythology; but im hoping for some sort of "name" recognition. i had king solomon in mind as the kind of character i wanted, but theres some problems w using him since he's a historical figure not mythological one.

any and all names would be appreciated.

thank you

roach · Jan 24, 2007

Merlin?

Sean D. Schaffer · Jan 24, 2007

Bravo said:
hey guys,

im looking for someone who's fairly well-known for his wisdom and justice. this could be from any culture and mythology; but im hoping for some sort of "name" recognition. i had king solomon in mind as the kind of character i wanted, but theres some problems w using him since he's a historical figure not mythological one.

any and all names would be appreciated.

thank you

What about Herakles (better known as Hercules)?

farfromfearless · Jan 24, 2007

Bravo said:
hey guys,

im looking for someone who's fairly well-known for his wisdom and justice. this could be from any culture and mythology; but im hoping for some sort of "name" recognition. i had king solomon in mind as the kind of character i wanted, but theres some problems w using him since he's a historical figure not mythological one.

any and all names would be appreciated.

thank you

Athur comes to mind, Utnapishtim, Nereus, Chiron, Dievs, Cormac Mac Airt - sorry I can't be more help, those are the ones that can name of the top of my head - also on that site, you might be able to find more.

finch · Jan 24, 2007

Tyr leaps immediately to mind, though he's a god, not a mortal.

Vincent · Jan 24, 2007

Gandalf. 20th century myth, but still...

alleycat · Jan 25, 2007

Athena was considered the Greek god of wisdom.

Odin, the Norse god.

There might be a character or two from Aesop's Fable that would qualify; I can't think of any names at the moment.

K1P1 · Jan 25, 2007

Athena was the goddess of wisdom and justice (so if you're looking for a wise MAN, that won't work).

Themis was the titan of justice and order, also female.

Prometheus was the wisest of the Titans and was able to foretell future events.

Odin/Woden/Wotan is the Norse god of wisdom, wit and learning. BTW the d in Odin is really the eth (d with a slash across the stem) and is a soft th sound, like in "other".)

Thoth is the Eqyptian god of wisdom.

And then there are the Seven Wise Men of Greece.

And let's not forget Socrates.

Rabe · Jan 25, 2007

What? No one has mentioned Daedalus?

Considered probably the wisest man of his generation. And is pretty much mythological.

Vanatru · Jan 25, 2007

I always thought Ghandi was a pretty wise guy with some learned insight.

Benjamin Franklin was another pretty smart guy.

Did you just want wiseguys? Or can we throw in some wise woman as well?

-Bill

MMcC · Jan 25, 2007

What about the actual three wise men?

Kaspar (aka Gaspar and Caspar)
Balthazar
Melchior

The thing is... we know a bit about them but there is a great deal of mystery surrounding them, too. So in a sense you have templates to fill in.

WishWords · Jan 25, 2007

How about Soloman or the Nesradin Hodja (aka Hodja)?

Parkinsonsd · Jan 26, 2007

I'd go with Prometheus. (Gave fire to man, ended up stuck on a rock while vultures ate his liver for eternity)
You could go with Odysseus (Ulysses) for his trickery (Trojan Horse), but that doesn't necessarily imply justice.
I tend to think of Merlin as imposing his own plans on the future monarchy as opposed to someone reknown for his justice.
Hercules was more known for his bulging biceps as opposed to his sense of fair play.
But Solomon is most reknown for his intelligence and justice.

Bravo · Jan 26, 2007

Parkinsonsd said:
But Solomon is most reknown for his intelligence and justice.

i agree.

i might have to stick w him. the other suggestion of daedalus was great, but i dont think he's known for his "justice" and that's what i need here.

i cant use prometheus b/c im planning on putting lucifer in there, and prometheus is very similar to him. it wont really work...

hmmm...

keep the ideas coming though.

this is extremely helpful.

thank you

waylander · Jan 26, 2007

Mr Spock?
I mean, it was years ago.

Akuma · Jan 26, 2007

waylander said:
Mr Spock?
I mean, it was years ago.

This choice is logical.

Christine N. · Jan 26, 2007

I'm working on a book that uses Chinese myths, so Yu-Huang is the Emperor of Heaven. I'd call him wise.

Confucius (I know that's probably not spelled right, I can't remember how to spell it) but if you have problems with Solomon, he might not work for you.

Evaine · Jan 28, 2007

Mullah Nasruddin was great fun (as mentioned above) - the sort of chap who does ridiculous things to get people to see a situation differently.

roach · Jan 28, 2007

As a way to avoid writing I did some digging around on Wikipedia and came up with this (from the article on the US Supreme Court building):

Courtroom friezes - the South Wall Frieze includes figures of lawgivers from the B.C.E. times, and includes Menes, Hammurabi, Moses, Solomon, Lycurgus, Solon, Draco, Confucius, and Octavian.

The North Wall Frieze shows lawgivers from the Anno Domini era and includes representations of Justinian, Muhammad, Charlemange, King John, Louis IX, Hugo Grotius, Sir William Blackstone, John Marshall, and Napoleon.

So, some more wise guys (heh) for you to consider.

aruna · Jan 30, 2007

Vanatru said:
I always thought Ghandi was a pretty wise guy with some learned insight.

~~Ghandi~~ = Gandhi (sorry - a pet peeve with me!)

Bravo, I could name several from the Indian tradition but no name recognition there. Sorry.
I would go with Mulla Narruddin but I don't think there'd be much name recognition here either.

blackpen · Feb 4, 2007

teresias?

scarletpeaches · Feb 4, 2007

Nemesis? A woman, but...represented justice/fate. Could work.

alaskamatt17 · Feb 4, 2007

Confucius? The Buddha? Both were real men, but they have attained mythical status.

Other than that, I would go with Odin.

poetinahat · Feb 4, 2007

Roy Bean.

Ruth Barringham · Feb 8, 2007

What about Buddha. He was a very wise person and they say that he wasn't the only Buddha, only the original so anyone (and some say they have) can become a Buddha (if they practice really hard). The Buddha also taught in parables and so has lots of wise stories that he used for teaching.

A "wiseman" from the ancient myths

Socialitest

annoyed and annoying

Cheers

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Procrastination is its own reward

the living dead

practical experience, FTW

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haz a shiny new book cover

annoyed and annoying

On a wing and a prayer

Bizzare in Berkeley

Numbers are beautiful

Still writing