The Central Idea Shared by All Myths
Wisdom is never given for free.
You always pay a heavy price: an eye, suffering, life, madness, or loneliness.
It is not book-learning — it is knowledge that changes you forever and often
makes you an outsider among ordinary people.
This is why, in all cultures, the sage is always “different”: the one-eyed Odin,
the elephant-headed Ganesha, the mad prophet, or the hermit speaking in riddles.
In mythology, wisdom is almost always a divine fire that can be stolen or bought,
but cannot simply be “learned.”