Autism in Mythology

April is Autism Acceptance Month.

As a person with autism, I feel very much appreciated by this.

In fact, I have always been appreciated throughout my social history.

I have made plenty of friends as I have gone through life; most recently, at work.

When I was a young boy, my Autism Acceptance Month tradition was going to the Philadelphia Zoo with my parents and sister.

Nowadays, I have joined my workplace's disability acceptance organization.

Even though autism was not properly identified until the 1940s C.E., I have managed to learn about mythical characters with traits that are common among some individuals with autism (including me):

In the realm of high cognitive abilities, gods of wisdom such as the Greek goddess Athena and the Hindu god Ganesh can be included here.

Athena is essentially the brain of Zeus.

By focusing on one particular thing (writing the great Hindu epic known as the Mahabharata), Ganesh exhibits another common trait of autism:

focusing on particular things

Cryptozoological creatures can represent difficulty socializing.

Sasquatch and the like are always hiding from humans and just don't want to be discovered.

If the world of mythology had socialization programs, these hidden beasts would have been proven real.

The same can also apply to the elves of Icelandic folklore, known as the Huldufolk ("hidden people").

The dwarves of Norse mythology focus on crafting precious items...whereas Hephaestus (the Greek god of smithing) focuses on building metallic objects, including constructs.

Hephaestus loves his metalworks!

Brigit, the Irish goddess of wisdom and crafts, has high cognitive abilities and a creative thought process.

Nu-Wa of Chinese myth focused on the task of creating the human race.

Maui, the great Polynesian hero, had expert problem-solving skills.

He solved humanity's problems by fishing up the islands of Polynesia, pushing the sky upwards, and intimidating the Sun such that the days are longer for humankind to do things.

"You're welcome!"

Herakles (Hercules, if we use the Roman name) is more than just his incredible strength...he too was able to solve problems incredibly well in performing his Twelve Labors.

This god-to-be strangled a lion that was impervious to weapon damage, used a torch to prevent a multiheaded serpent from regrowing heads, and cleaned a stable by diverting rivers!

Trolls (the mythical Norse ones, not the Internet ones) have high sensitivity to sunlight.

When exposed to the sun, they turn to stone.

"NOOO!! Not the sun! Why'd it have to be a sunny day?!"

There is a Japanese folktale called The Boy Who Drew Cats.

As the title suggests, it is about a boy who focuses on drawing pictures of cats.

Since I don't have a drawing of this folktale, here is an AI "drawing of a cat".

The mimis, fairylike beings from the Indigenous folklore of northern Australia, are highly sensitive to wind...which causes them to break apart.

Due to this, they dwell in crevices.

Loki, the Lord of Mischief in Norse mythology, had all kinds of creative ways to solve the gods' problems.

A good example is how he cross-dressed Thor and himself to crash a giant's wedding such that Thor would get his stolen hammer back.

Another example is how he shape-shifted into a mare to distract the stallion that was helping the builder of the Asgard wall such that the gods wouldn't have to hand over the sun, the moon, and Freya.

...and then...well...Sleipnir was born

Tricksters in general are incredibly crafty, and have all kinds of creative ways to get what they want as well as provide humanity with gifts.

As a good example, Raven (the trickster from Native American cultures of the Pacific Northwest) provided sunlight for humanity by cleverly sneaking into the Sky Chief's house and stealing a box of light from him.

Scientifically speaking, ravens are very intelligent.

Until I started researching for this post, I never realized that there were so many mythological figures who exhibited traits typical of people with autism!

These are just some of the countless examples.

I myself focus heavily on drawing as well as mythology (hence this website).

My extraordinary creative ability definitely shows here as well as in the cartoons I post on my social media accounts.

Check out my Facebook and Instagram for more cartoon stories from my incredible mind!

I have very high cognitive abilities too.

As a result, I was pretty much the brain in all of my school classes.

I also have very strong emotional reactions and difficulty socializing...but I have been working to control these behaviors as the years go by.

Happy Autism Acceptance Month