I'm trying to find autism in mythology and folklore.

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Read Autism the Engima. It suggests certain aspects of Sleeping Beauty, etc. have autistic characteristics.

Thanks for all the information everyone.

Try the Bible (I mean to look for characters with AS traits)

It contains a vast amount of information on everything from science to semantics.

So far in most research I've found many parallels between people being fanatical about not wanting a changeling and all the Propaganda Autism Speaks is encouraging.

I dunno, when Moses had that meltdown and smashed those stone tablets.....aspie moment there.

I'm sorry, I'm too immature for this thread.

No you're not. You just are giving your own interpretation nothing immature about that.

Supposedly:

Brother Juniper (lack of empathy big time there)
Wild boy of Aveyron (mute "feral" child. Couldn't be "taught" how to be a part of society)

as mentioned earlier...

The Wise Fool

the word fool in the meaning of idiot should draw attention... because a wise idiot is a an idiot who knows things... who is savant...

by following the words you will automatically wind up with...

The Idiot Savant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiot_savant

most savants have autistic like traits... or are known to be autistic.

Very good question. Short of the Fool, I'm struggling to think of any quickly. Magician, artificer and outsider types, I guess, but none are really completely "right". I'm thinking of Gwydion (the Bloduewedd thing), Vainamoinen (the cant and the disconnection from people), Odin (the whole runes business), Wayland perhaps (if you're up on your mythology you'll realise why I'm more than a little concerned that this bunch are the ones that I empathise with. ) I'm not big on stuff away from the North Sea though.

Good post everyone.

Hymir, the vikings god of beer and the grandfather of Týr (viking god of war) could be on the spectrum.... he was know as "Hymir the wise" - a giant Jötunn - the wisest man in Asgard and the counselor of Odín...

not in myth and legend but in literature there's Gimpel the Fool by Isaac Bashevis Singer

Oh, I love Gimpel the Fool. That story makes me cry my eyes out.

Actually, a few of his characters in his short stories, now that I think about it... I forget the name of the gentle and studious man who wanted to be a Rabbi, but was forced to be a butcher instead. That's an outstanding story... The nature of his breakdown is just so well written.

I was just thinking about another possibility but I'd have to find the book again. It's one of C.S.Lewis' fiction works and it's a retelling of the Psyche myth. The main character (not the Psyche persona) strikes me as having autistic qualities. It's set somewhere in Southern Europe while still occupied by Rome.

The Golden Age Greeks wrote of the Muses. Credited with being the source of all art and engineering.

To look upon the gods directly caused madness. It still does. The Muses were intermediate spirits, that only made people partly mad, for a while.

Being with your Muse was described, people got such a strong idea that they did not respond to the world, eat, sleep, bathe, as they worked with all their energy on something, till they fell into sleep, still dressed, then awoke to start again. This continued till they were done, at which point they became people again. It was advised to just leave food and drink near, not to speak to them, for the gifts of the gods were to be honored.

The Greeks said everything of great perfection came this way. All of the Epic works. The Muses chose few, and those without were pitied, they could do ordinary work, but great works took having a Muse.

The Muses were named for the gifts they brought, song, poetry, music, seven in all I think. Wiki your Muse.

As a group they were Deamons, less than gods, more than men. Having one was considered the greatest gift of the gods, to be chosen to bring knowledge and beauty into the world.

I see a lot of autism in the description, and wonder at the Greeks who were wise enough to look at the gifts, and accept the people who brought them.

In fact, it was also an honor to be their Patron, to protect and care for those the gods had chosen. It was considered a joint venture with the gods, supporting their work on earth. Hence, a very high form of worship.

According to the Greeks this system worked well. Everyone shared in the gifts, the person with a Muse was cared for, for they were reused by the gods and needed to be kept in good shape between obsessions, when they were just ordinary people. If you knew, you could tell they had been touched by the gods, for they did have some traits that only they shared. They talked to the unseen when alone.

Mostly they were common people, good only at one thing, but very good at that, and another thing was, the doors of the richest and most powerful were always open to them, for they brought messages that should be heard. They were always first to bring forth the new ideas.

From the gods, through the Muses, to who they chose, then to men. Wise men listened, for this fool speaks the message of the gods.

For me, the tale of Echo and Narcissus speaks of autism. Echo could only repeat what others said; Narcissus fell in love with his reflection in a pool, not realizing it was himself. Both were seen to be 'cursed by the gods.' Maybe ancient peoples invented myths to explain what they couldn't understand? This one strikes me as a way of 'explaining' why people who otherwise looked 'normal' and attractive displayed autistic traits: an inability to use language to communicate; an 'obsession.'