What is a myth?
Before taking this class, I would have define myths as stories that help a culture to answer its great philosophical questions. I would now modify this definition to "stories that define a culture and help it to answer its great philosophical questions."
What do myths do?
Before taking this class, I would have said that myths exist to answer spiritual, philosophical, and ethical questions, as well as explaining our world and cultures, and how they came to be. To this definition, I would now add that myths help us define or explain ourselves and our culture, and that they record cultural history.
When do we need myth?
Before taking this class, I would have said we need myth when we have questions that science does not provide an adequate or satisfying answer to. After having taken the class, I also think we need myth to help us understand who we are and how to deal with our culture.
Where do myths come from?
Before taking the class, I would have guessed that myths originate when the same people tell the same story over and over again. In addition, I would now say that the creation of the myth is not complete until people internalize it as part of their identity.
How do myths survive?
Before taking the class, I would have said that myths survive in the way they are created, by being retold, and also by being taught and referred to in modern works. Now, I would say that myths also survive by being retold in more modern ways with more modern characters -- this is more than just the "reference" I would have called it before taking the class. Myths can also survive by having their character types carry over into more modern stories, as we can see by the sheer volume of Christ figures in English literature.
How do we know what we know about myth?
Before taking the class, I would have said that our knowledge of myth comes from study by doctors of literature & language, religion, history and anthropology. To this list must be added archaeologists, psychologists, and philosophers. Where mythology is concerned, many of these fields have some overlap.
Why do we study myth?
Before taking the class, I would say we study myth to understand where we came from (that is, the social, cultural, and literary history of humanity) and because it's interesting. Now I think we also study myth to help understand ourselves, and where we're going.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Self-Definition
I think this topic is interesting. In my view, myths in monolithic urban cultures limit self-definition rather than enabling it. In any culture, of course, myths create certain "types" that people are encouraged to model themselves after. However, in a small village or tribal culture, a person has more opportunity to influence or change the culture's mythical foundation, or even invent a new story that will help define the future of the culture.
In a culture like ours, huge and urbanized, there is an enormous "myth-making industry" that tells the same stories over and over, and the social expectation is that we conform to them rather than write our own. (If you don't believe me, I'll come to your next mythology class and tell everyone that the character I most identify with is one I'm writing myself -- tell me I won't get weird looks from most of the class.) In an urbanized culture without a Hollywood industrial complex, they have a privileged priest class, which is essentially still a high-dollar myth creation industry.
I have heard people define themselves by the stories they tell and the songs they sing, and in our society, any stories or songs not sanctioned by the corporate story and song industries have a social stigma attached to them. I know people who are more interested in celebrity gossip than the lives of their own friends, because only one of those stories is on TV. I find that disturbing.
Even more disturbing to me than the myth industry itself is what our current myth industry puts out. You basically get your choice between ridiculous and outdated gender rules, intentional and unrealistic complete reversals of these, and being ridiculously heartbroken or lovelorn. About the only decent and believable role models I can seem to find in modern myth are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger, and that only works if you're a kid.
In a culture like ours, huge and urbanized, there is an enormous "myth-making industry" that tells the same stories over and over, and the social expectation is that we conform to them rather than write our own. (If you don't believe me, I'll come to your next mythology class and tell everyone that the character I most identify with is one I'm writing myself -- tell me I won't get weird looks from most of the class.) In an urbanized culture without a Hollywood industrial complex, they have a privileged priest class, which is essentially still a high-dollar myth creation industry.
I have heard people define themselves by the stories they tell and the songs they sing, and in our society, any stories or songs not sanctioned by the corporate story and song industries have a social stigma attached to them. I know people who are more interested in celebrity gossip than the lives of their own friends, because only one of those stories is on TV. I find that disturbing.
Even more disturbing to me than the myth industry itself is what our current myth industry puts out. You basically get your choice between ridiculous and outdated gender rules, intentional and unrealistic complete reversals of these, and being ridiculously heartbroken or lovelorn. About the only decent and believable role models I can seem to find in modern myth are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger, and that only works if you're a kid.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Even more myth sightings on TV
The TV show Archer draws on the modern myths of the glamorous, adventurous spy and the relative cheapness of equipment and infrastructure in the KGB and Russia in general, but it also refers to more traditional ancient myths. Two of the major players in the show are the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the Organization of Democratic Intelligence Networks (ODIN). As far as I can tell, the names don't really correspond to the mythological characteristics of Isis and Odin, but considering there's two of them, it's likely they were intentional references to myth.
Thanksgiving
For as long as I can remember, we've had three Thanksgiving traditions in my family: parades, food and football. How exactly we've fulfilled each of those traditional elements has changed over time.
When I was younger, my brother and I would hold our own "parade" in the halls of our house before the real parade in New York came on TV. My brother would dress up like an Indian and play a toy drum, I would dress up like a pilgrim and play a toy trumpet, and we'd march about the house. It's somewhat embarrassing to write about at this point, but evidently my grade depends on it, and a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
In any case, we eventually grew out of holding our own parade, but we still watched the one on TV. That was around the same time that my brother and I had more traditional Thanksgiving football than what we watched. Instead of two parades in the morning, we'd watch the parade and play our own game of street football with the neighborhood kids. Sometimes, if the snow in the yard was real deep, we'd play tackle football in the snow instead.
That changed in 2001, when luck threw a giant twist into my traditional Thanksgiving day parade. That day I still saw the MACY*S Thanksgiving Day Parade, but not on TV. I actually got to march in it with the MSU band.. The rest of my family got to watch from the sidewalk. They were in the very front. There was a policewoman right there who wouldn't let anyone sit or stand in front of them. Ten years later, and we all tell stories about that one every time Thanksgiving comes around and the parade goes on TV.
This also threw our tradition of food into some degree of disarray. Until that year, we'd always had a huge Thanksgiving dinner at our house, but that year, we had a big banquet in a hotel conference room instead. My parents never had Thanksgiving dinner at their house again. Instead, we went out to one of the fancy dinners at a hotel. The MACY*S parade also put an end to the tradition of a pickup football game, but I still watched a game that year in a different hotel conference room where the band crashed after a getting up at 1 AM to rehearse and then get to the staging area, and my family watched on in their hotel room. After that, we always just watched the games on TV.
Always until this year, that is, when I flew to Florida to see my brother for Thanksgiving. This year, instead of watching the games, my brother, his roommate and I played Madden for a few hours before dinner. It goes without saying that I also "went out" even further than usual for Thanksgiving dinner. The tradition of watching the parade and telling stories about 2001 remains just as it's been for a decade.
Traditions bring our family together.
When I was younger, my brother and I would hold our own "parade" in the halls of our house before the real parade in New York came on TV. My brother would dress up like an Indian and play a toy drum, I would dress up like a pilgrim and play a toy trumpet, and we'd march about the house. It's somewhat embarrassing to write about at this point, but evidently my grade depends on it, and a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
In any case, we eventually grew out of holding our own parade, but we still watched the one on TV. That was around the same time that my brother and I had more traditional Thanksgiving football than what we watched. Instead of two parades in the morning, we'd watch the parade and play our own game of street football with the neighborhood kids. Sometimes, if the snow in the yard was real deep, we'd play tackle football in the snow instead.
That changed in 2001, when luck threw a giant twist into my traditional Thanksgiving day parade. That day I still saw the MACY*S Thanksgiving Day Parade, but not on TV. I actually got to march in it with the MSU band.. The rest of my family got to watch from the sidewalk. They were in the very front. There was a policewoman right there who wouldn't let anyone sit or stand in front of them. Ten years later, and we all tell stories about that one every time Thanksgiving comes around and the parade goes on TV.
This also threw our tradition of food into some degree of disarray. Until that year, we'd always had a huge Thanksgiving dinner at our house, but that year, we had a big banquet in a hotel conference room instead. My parents never had Thanksgiving dinner at their house again. Instead, we went out to one of the fancy dinners at a hotel. The MACY*S parade also put an end to the tradition of a pickup football game, but I still watched a game that year in a different hotel conference room where the band crashed after a getting up at 1 AM to rehearse and then get to the staging area, and my family watched on in their hotel room. After that, we always just watched the games on TV.
Always until this year, that is, when I flew to Florida to see my brother for Thanksgiving. This year, instead of watching the games, my brother, his roommate and I played Madden for a few hours before dinner. It goes without saying that I also "went out" even further than usual for Thanksgiving dinner. The tradition of watching the parade and telling stories about 2001 remains just as it's been for a decade.
Traditions bring our family together.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Four (or five?) Ages
The ages of my life go pretty much backwards. I was a little heathen demon child who was hateful and greedy and violent and stole things, so it was at my youngest that I represented the "Iron Age." This lasted for a very long time.
During High School, I underwent serious life changes, and for a short time in and then out of High School, I was actually a kind, caring and courageous human being. This was my Heroic Age. I then suffered some reverses in my life, which made me angry, and started playing football seriously. I was generous with my time and money (not impious), but still warlike and violent. I used football and weight-lifting, and physical labor to contain these violent impulses. This was my Bronze age.
Then I suffered a serious injury at work (undone by my recklessness?) and came back to college to study. This was my Silver age. I was not particularly concerned with my others (was not worshipping the Gods), but I was no longer engaging in violent past-times (was not warlike). Finally, I have continued my education and am beginning to give back to others. Through this, I hope to enter my Golden Age.
During High School, I underwent serious life changes, and for a short time in and then out of High School, I was actually a kind, caring and courageous human being. This was my Heroic Age. I then suffered some reverses in my life, which made me angry, and started playing football seriously. I was generous with my time and money (not impious), but still warlike and violent. I used football and weight-lifting, and physical labor to contain these violent impulses. This was my Bronze age.
Then I suffered a serious injury at work (undone by my recklessness?) and came back to college to study. This was my Silver age. I was not particularly concerned with my others (was not worshipping the Gods), but I was no longer engaging in violent past-times (was not warlike). Finally, I have continued my education and am beginning to give back to others. Through this, I hope to enter my Golden Age.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
More Myth Sightings on TV
The whole X-Files show is built on citing urban myths, but they make plenty of references to "traditional" myth as well. Two that come to mind are an episode entitled "The Post-Modern Prometheus" and a business in the show called Zeus Storage. "The Post-Modern Prometheus" is interesting, because it refers both to the Greek myth of Prometheus and the enlightenment myth of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Frankenstein meets I, Robot
I've got a pitch for a new movie called Prometheus.
We start out with two brilliant scientists in a state-of-the-art military lab, just as their combat drone has failed another simulator test. One scientist, methodical, with a neatly-cropped beard, goes over the code and calculations, trying to find a mistake. The other, hyperactive and intuitive, mutters to himself, wondering what is wrong, then comes up with an outside-the-box solution: what if they could think for themselves? But the technology is 10 or 15 years away, says the methodical guy...and what of the consequences?
Fast forward 15 years. Methodical man, 15 years older, now the famous mind behind an act of law limiting robot intelligence, autonomy, and influence on the economy, is running for office. Meanwhile, Hyperactive/Intuitive has been working in secret, creating a factory that runs itself, with the ability to think, eliminating human error.
Unfortunately, these thinking robots do not feel. Soon, the sentient factory is building its own robot army, conquering the planet, etc etc, with no regard or sentiment for their creators. The robot senate approves the creation of sub-Robot, biological drones to perform their menial and dangerous work.
These meat-drones are sufficient for the simplest of tasks, but cannot assemble large structures or dispose of dangerous nuclear wastes without incident. The robots begin developing drones that can think.
The robots' strength up to this point, their inability to feel, turns into their weakness, as these uncompassionate conquerors do not fear history repeating itself. The robots are overthrown by their biological, sentient creations.
So I guess this isn't so much Frankenstien meets I, Robot as it is Frankenstein and I, Robot ride the train together for a month, then hook up ten years later on the Missed Connections section of Craigslist, go home together, and decide to watch The Matrix.
Yes, it's a stretch. Yes, the title is ironic. Yes, I enjoy making absurd and labyrinthine cultural references. Why do you ask?
We start out with two brilliant scientists in a state-of-the-art military lab, just as their combat drone has failed another simulator test. One scientist, methodical, with a neatly-cropped beard, goes over the code and calculations, trying to find a mistake. The other, hyperactive and intuitive, mutters to himself, wondering what is wrong, then comes up with an outside-the-box solution: what if they could think for themselves? But the technology is 10 or 15 years away, says the methodical guy...and what of the consequences?
Fast forward 15 years. Methodical man, 15 years older, now the famous mind behind an act of law limiting robot intelligence, autonomy, and influence on the economy, is running for office. Meanwhile, Hyperactive/Intuitive has been working in secret, creating a factory that runs itself, with the ability to think, eliminating human error.
Unfortunately, these thinking robots do not feel. Soon, the sentient factory is building its own robot army, conquering the planet, etc etc, with no regard or sentiment for their creators. The robot senate approves the creation of sub-Robot, biological drones to perform their menial and dangerous work.
These meat-drones are sufficient for the simplest of tasks, but cannot assemble large structures or dispose of dangerous nuclear wastes without incident. The robots begin developing drones that can think.
The robots' strength up to this point, their inability to feel, turns into their weakness, as these uncompassionate conquerors do not fear history repeating itself. The robots are overthrown by their biological, sentient creations.
So I guess this isn't so much Frankenstien meets I, Robot as it is Frankenstein and I, Robot ride the train together for a month, then hook up ten years later on the Missed Connections section of Craigslist, go home together, and decide to watch The Matrix.
Yes, it's a stretch. Yes, the title is ironic. Yes, I enjoy making absurd and labyrinthine cultural references. Why do you ask?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Myth Sighting
I like to watch an animated show called Metalocalypse, about an insanely popular heavy-metal band. In one episode, the band makes a movie, and the lead guitarist plays a "Space Viking" who worships "Space Odin".
I'm pretty sure Space Odin is the coolest idea ever. I'm certain it's a reference to the ruler of Asgard in Norse mythology.
I'm pretty sure Space Odin is the coolest idea ever. I'm certain it's a reference to the ruler of Asgard in Norse mythology.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Oedipus' Complexity
Jungian Analysis of Oedipus
Oedipus raised by king of Corinth (self -- guides Oedipus from likely death at abandonment to adulthood)
Oedipus meets the drunk (shadow -- drunk is of low station but has knowledge, while Oedipus is royal but ignorant)
Oedipus goes to the Oracle (shadow -- the Oracle has knowledge and wisdom, while Oedipus is ignorant and has the hubris to resist the fate that Olympus has assigned him)
Oedipus meets his father Laius on the road (self -- Laius and Oedipus are the same: strong, proud kings who reign over prosperity until done in by their own pride and ignorance. Laius and Oedipus are both ignorant of the full realities of this situation, both have had the hubris to resist the word of the Gods, and in fighting Oedipus, Laius tests the strength that Oedipus will need to rule Thebes.)
Oedipus meets the Sphinx (positive anima -- the Sphinx, like Laius, shows Oedipus his true strength and puts him on the path to assuming his rightful throne)
Oedipus marries Jocasta (destructive anima -- Jocasta's resistance to the original prophecy put Oedipus on his path to eventual ruin, and now...I mean, dude, she married her son. Destructive anima.)
Oedipus meets Teirsias (self -- Teirsias puts together all the pieces of Oedipus' life and reconciles them with the prophecy that Oedipus has always feared and denied. In one way, each has been blind. Once Oedipus knows the truth, he blinds himself, and he and Teirsias are now the same.)
Oedipus raised by king of Corinth (self -- guides Oedipus from likely death at abandonment to adulthood)
Oedipus meets the drunk (shadow -- drunk is of low station but has knowledge, while Oedipus is royal but ignorant)
Oedipus goes to the Oracle (shadow -- the Oracle has knowledge and wisdom, while Oedipus is ignorant and has the hubris to resist the fate that Olympus has assigned him)
Oedipus meets his father Laius on the road (self -- Laius and Oedipus are the same: strong, proud kings who reign over prosperity until done in by their own pride and ignorance. Laius and Oedipus are both ignorant of the full realities of this situation, both have had the hubris to resist the word of the Gods, and in fighting Oedipus, Laius tests the strength that Oedipus will need to rule Thebes.)
Oedipus meets the Sphinx (positive anima -- the Sphinx, like Laius, shows Oedipus his true strength and puts him on the path to assuming his rightful throne)
Oedipus marries Jocasta (destructive anima -- Jocasta's resistance to the original prophecy put Oedipus on his path to eventual ruin, and now...I mean, dude, she married her son. Destructive anima.)
Oedipus meets Teirsias (self -- Teirsias puts together all the pieces of Oedipus' life and reconciles them with the prophecy that Oedipus has always feared and denied. In one way, each has been blind. Once Oedipus knows the truth, he blinds himself, and he and Teirsias are now the same.)
The Hunt for Red Psychoanalysis
Jungian Analysis of Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood is on the way to see Grandma (self--grandmother is same sex and a guiding figure)
Little Red Riding Hood meets the Big Bad Wolf [destructive animus--represents male desire to fight, kill, eat (and according to some interpretations, rape)]
Little Red Riding Hood meets the Big Bad Wolf disguised as Grandma (I'm going to take the sex change cue and call this the shadow--represents male-like violent and sexual hungers in a female form)
Little Red Riding Hood rescued by a hunter (positive animus)
Little Red Riding Hood, from the point of view of the Wolf
Wolf meets LRRH (positive animus -- guides him to Grandma's house)
Wolf done in by Hunter (shadow -- the hunter is the wolf's foil)
Little Red Riding Hood is on the way to see Grandma (self--grandmother is same sex and a guiding figure)
Little Red Riding Hood meets the Big Bad Wolf [destructive animus--represents male desire to fight, kill, eat (and according to some interpretations, rape)]
Little Red Riding Hood meets the Big Bad Wolf disguised as Grandma (I'm going to take the sex change cue and call this the shadow--represents male-like violent and sexual hungers in a female form)
Little Red Riding Hood rescued by a hunter (positive animus)
Little Red Riding Hood, from the point of view of the Wolf
Wolf meets LRRH (positive animus -- guides him to Grandma's house)
Wolf done in by Hunter (shadow -- the hunter is the wolf's foil)
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Campbell and Mwindo
Am I the only one who keeps wanting to call Joseph Campbell "Jason Campbell?"
I am? Okay then.
Call to Adventure/Crossing the Threshold: Mwindo floats down the river in the drum, singing "fairwell to Shemwindo."
Refusal of the Call: Mwindo seems uniquely born to the station of mythic hero, even when compared to other "chosen from birth" heroes. He never denies the status, but immediately embraces it. He does refuse death when he is buried in a shallow grave, and death is one part of the hero's journey, so that's probably as close as he gets.
Supernatural Aid: Mwindo's scepter. Mwindo is born with this supernatural aid, further supporting my theory that Mwindo is "chosen from birth" to an unusual degree even in a genre overflowing with "chosen ones".
Belly of the Whale: Mwindo's acceptance of the journey and his unsual status is almost immediate. He officially accepts his identity as a hero in the song he sings at the beginning of his journey, when he gives himself the name "Little One Just Born He Walked".
Road of Trials: Most of the story could be described as a "road of trials". However, Muisa's tests of Mwindo in the Underworld more specifically fit this archetype. Mwindo passes three tests: the riddles upon entrance, the cultivation of bananas, and the gathering of honey. Mwindo almost-kinda fails in gathering the honey, and has to be bailed out by his scepter.
Meeting with the Goddess: This step occurs out of order. Mwindo's bond with his aunt is immediate, fulfilling, unbreakable, and a guiding principal in Mwindo's journey, qualifying it as the Meeting with the Goddess.
Woman as the Temptress: Mwindo is instantly attracted to Kahindo, and is later offered her hand in marriage. Mwindo declines, hardly seeming to be tempted at all, as he is needed on earth as a chief. This archetype is barely present in the story.
Atonement with the Father: This step is out of order, coming near the end of the epic. It also comes very literally: Mwindo and his father cease hostilities.
Apothesis: Mwindo is resurrected from death by his scepter.
The Ultimate Boon: in this story is difficult to place. On the one hand, the object Mwindo has been seeking on his quest is his father. On the other hand, the father doesn't seem like much of a boon: he doesn't do a lot in the story besides tick Mwindo off and then make up with him. The scepter is definitely a boon, in that it enriches and brings life to Mwindo's people, but Mwindo has had that from birth. Maybe the boon is the wisdom to use the scepter properly.
The Refusal of Return: does not happen in this story. Muisa asks him to stay in the underworld and marry his hot daughter, but Mwindo isn't having it. Mwindo is a little too perfect to be an interesting protagonist, IMO.
Magic Flight: Mwindo uses magical objects, like the scepter and the plates, to travel. However, his return from his journey is easy.
Rescue from Without: Mwindo is aided by his aunt, but more on the journey out than on the return. Mwindo thinks of his aunt on his way back home, thus tagging this archetype on the way to the next.
Crossing of the Return Threshold/Master of Two Worlds/Freedom to Live: These archetypes are all rolled into one by Mwindo's orgy of resurrection on his return journey.
I am? Okay then.
Call to Adventure/Crossing the Threshold: Mwindo floats down the river in the drum, singing "fairwell to Shemwindo."
Refusal of the Call: Mwindo seems uniquely born to the station of mythic hero, even when compared to other "chosen from birth" heroes. He never denies the status, but immediately embraces it. He does refuse death when he is buried in a shallow grave, and death is one part of the hero's journey, so that's probably as close as he gets.
Supernatural Aid: Mwindo's scepter. Mwindo is born with this supernatural aid, further supporting my theory that Mwindo is "chosen from birth" to an unusual degree even in a genre overflowing with "chosen ones".
Belly of the Whale: Mwindo's acceptance of the journey and his unsual status is almost immediate. He officially accepts his identity as a hero in the song he sings at the beginning of his journey, when he gives himself the name "Little One Just Born He Walked".
Road of Trials: Most of the story could be described as a "road of trials". However, Muisa's tests of Mwindo in the Underworld more specifically fit this archetype. Mwindo passes three tests: the riddles upon entrance, the cultivation of bananas, and the gathering of honey. Mwindo almost-kinda fails in gathering the honey, and has to be bailed out by his scepter.
Meeting with the Goddess: This step occurs out of order. Mwindo's bond with his aunt is immediate, fulfilling, unbreakable, and a guiding principal in Mwindo's journey, qualifying it as the Meeting with the Goddess.
Woman as the Temptress: Mwindo is instantly attracted to Kahindo, and is later offered her hand in marriage. Mwindo declines, hardly seeming to be tempted at all, as he is needed on earth as a chief. This archetype is barely present in the story.
Atonement with the Father: This step is out of order, coming near the end of the epic. It also comes very literally: Mwindo and his father cease hostilities.
Apothesis: Mwindo is resurrected from death by his scepter.
The Ultimate Boon: in this story is difficult to place. On the one hand, the object Mwindo has been seeking on his quest is his father. On the other hand, the father doesn't seem like much of a boon: he doesn't do a lot in the story besides tick Mwindo off and then make up with him. The scepter is definitely a boon, in that it enriches and brings life to Mwindo's people, but Mwindo has had that from birth. Maybe the boon is the wisdom to use the scepter properly.
The Refusal of Return: does not happen in this story. Muisa asks him to stay in the underworld and marry his hot daughter, but Mwindo isn't having it. Mwindo is a little too perfect to be an interesting protagonist, IMO.
Magic Flight: Mwindo uses magical objects, like the scepter and the plates, to travel. However, his return from his journey is easy.
Rescue from Without: Mwindo is aided by his aunt, but more on the journey out than on the return. Mwindo thinks of his aunt on his way back home, thus tagging this archetype on the way to the next.
Crossing of the Return Threshold/Master of Two Worlds/Freedom to Live: These archetypes are all rolled into one by Mwindo's orgy of resurrection on his return journey.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Journey of the Sidekick
I refuse to fully cast myself as a hero. I find heroes sort of boring -- all that tall, slender, pristine, high-born, marked-from-childhood stuff doesn't interest me. When those types succeed, it's almost anticlimactic, because it's expected. The only interesting thing you can do with a prophecy is avert it. I prefer sidekicks, nobodies from nowhere who do the dirty work so the hero can get his name in the paper. I think Campbell's journey could be applied to my life, but I don't regard it as a journey of the hero when I take it, because I've got a beard and a bad body and I'm 5'8". Plus, it isn't going to end with me being the king of anyplace. So when I start on Campbell's journey, I call it the Journey of the Sidekick.
I have completed the Departure phase of Campbell's journey. I first heard the Call to Adventure when I graduated high school. I did not take it immediately. I liked where I was, and I didn't particularly care about where I was going. I went to college for a year after graduating, but spent more time partying, playing football, and pursuing women than actually going to class. I dropped out after a year. Thus, I refused the call. I spent a few years, bouncing around, doing this and that, none of which was interesting. I ended up in the belly of the whale, unemployed and broke (and indifferent to these facts), before I crossed the threshold and began studying seriously. I discovered that I wanted to do something more than just work I didn't care about for money I don't care about.
I would say that right now, I'm somewhere on the Road of Trials. I must complete a series of tasks and then return to the regular world of career people. I would say that I have definitely not taken these steps in the order that Campbell presents them. For instance, I'm still not sure if my supernatural aid is gonna get here. I have met many temtpresses, and other sorts of temptation as well (hello, Netflix!) while I'm still passing my Trials, and I haven't had any encounter with Campbell's version of the Goddess yet. So it will be interesting to see where this ends.
I have completed the Departure phase of Campbell's journey. I first heard the Call to Adventure when I graduated high school. I did not take it immediately. I liked where I was, and I didn't particularly care about where I was going. I went to college for a year after graduating, but spent more time partying, playing football, and pursuing women than actually going to class. I dropped out after a year. Thus, I refused the call. I spent a few years, bouncing around, doing this and that, none of which was interesting. I ended up in the belly of the whale, unemployed and broke (and indifferent to these facts), before I crossed the threshold and began studying seriously. I discovered that I wanted to do something more than just work I didn't care about for money I don't care about.
I would say that right now, I'm somewhere on the Road of Trials. I must complete a series of tasks and then return to the regular world of career people. I would say that I have definitely not taken these steps in the order that Campbell presents them. For instance, I'm still not sure if my supernatural aid is gonna get here. I have met many temtpresses, and other sorts of temptation as well (hello, Netflix!) while I'm still passing my Trials, and I haven't had any encounter with Campbell's version of the Goddess yet. So it will be interesting to see where this ends.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Inhereted Mythology
My family doesn't really have a single coherent mythology. We're utter mutts, though the family tree is punctuated with mythic figures. Or, as I once told a friend of questionable values in a state of questionable sobriety, "my family's all pirates, rebels, injuns and n*****s."
The pirate captain Henry Morgan, the namesake of Captain Morgan rum, is an uncle of mine, on my father's side, a few dozen generations ago. I've told the story of his conquest of Jamaica at more than a few gatherings, with more than a little Captain in me. If I were a direct descendent, I'd actually be a Fitzmorgan, as I am also related to one of his slaves.
On my mother's side, I'm descended from a signer of the Declaration of Independence, James Smith of Pennsylvania. As Irish blood probably constitutes the greatest single percentage of my descent, through my Grandfather, and because my mother's side of the family have lived in Pennsylvania for as long as they care to recount, this portion of my origin story is extremely important to my grandparents and their antecedents, more important than it is to my parents or to me. It is likely a more important part of my brother's mythic origin than mine, as well. He was born on the 4th of July, and for a long time he surrounded himself with anything he could that was Revolutionary or Red White & Blue.
Perhaps the strongest mythic roots I have were pushed aside and buried by many previous generations in my family. I have Lenape Indian blood. According to the story (as my mother and uncle tell it), I am descended from a clan chief. For hundreds of years before I was born, this story was suppressed, because it was shameful for a white woman to have married a Native American man. However, my NA descent is probably the most important part of my family history to one of my uncles.
More recent mythic figures and stories include my great-grandpa Davis, a half-indian farmer married to a temperance union woman, who kept moonshine whiskey in his barn with his mules and grew marijuana in his back field, and my grandpa Bell, who was a radio man in a B-52 that made the Burma run from India. He once saved his entire crew by refueling the plane, on his own and against orders, before a short base-to-base hop that turned into a debacle when the Japanese attacked and the pilot got lost.
The pirate captain Henry Morgan, the namesake of Captain Morgan rum, is an uncle of mine, on my father's side, a few dozen generations ago. I've told the story of his conquest of Jamaica at more than a few gatherings, with more than a little Captain in me. If I were a direct descendent, I'd actually be a Fitzmorgan, as I am also related to one of his slaves.
On my mother's side, I'm descended from a signer of the Declaration of Independence, James Smith of Pennsylvania. As Irish blood probably constitutes the greatest single percentage of my descent, through my Grandfather, and because my mother's side of the family have lived in Pennsylvania for as long as they care to recount, this portion of my origin story is extremely important to my grandparents and their antecedents, more important than it is to my parents or to me. It is likely a more important part of my brother's mythic origin than mine, as well. He was born on the 4th of July, and for a long time he surrounded himself with anything he could that was Revolutionary or Red White & Blue.
Perhaps the strongest mythic roots I have were pushed aside and buried by many previous generations in my family. I have Lenape Indian blood. According to the story (as my mother and uncle tell it), I am descended from a clan chief. For hundreds of years before I was born, this story was suppressed, because it was shameful for a white woman to have married a Native American man. However, my NA descent is probably the most important part of my family history to one of my uncles.
More recent mythic figures and stories include my great-grandpa Davis, a half-indian farmer married to a temperance union woman, who kept moonshine whiskey in his barn with his mules and grew marijuana in his back field, and my grandpa Bell, who was a radio man in a B-52 that made the Burma run from India. He once saved his entire crew by refueling the plane, on his own and against orders, before a short base-to-base hop that turned into a debacle when the Japanese attacked and the pilot got lost.
Reverse Myth Sighting
I'm frequently traffic, and rarely terrific, so it was an odd change when today, I was mythic. I gave a beautiful young maiden the gift of sight.
Okay, not exactly. What actually happened was that as I was walking back from Mythology class, I saw a young lady on a bike drop her glasses in the crosswalk and a car start to creep toward them. I couldn't get to the crosswalk in time to stop the car, so I reached under it as it crept forward, retrieved the glasses, and ran across the street to return them to the young woman. Since there are many myths about the loss and return of sight, about giving gifts to pretty girls, and about undertaking personal risk for the sake of each, I thought that this was sufficiently symbolic and mythic to record here.
Okay, not exactly. What actually happened was that as I was walking back from Mythology class, I saw a young lady on a bike drop her glasses in the crosswalk and a car start to creep toward them. I couldn't get to the crosswalk in time to stop the car, so I reached under it as it crept forward, retrieved the glasses, and ran across the street to return them to the young woman. Since there are many myths about the loss and return of sight, about giving gifts to pretty girls, and about undertaking personal risk for the sake of each, I thought that this was sufficiently symbolic and mythic to record here.
Gilgamesh and Han Solo
I see a little bit of Gilgamesh in Han Solo. For instance, each of their stories begin in the middle: at the beginning of (some translations of some versions of) the Epic of Gilgamesh, we are told that Gilgamesh is already famous for his deeds as the king of Uruk. When we first meet Solo in Star Wars, we learn that he is already an accomplished smuggler with some reputation.
Both Gilgamesh and Han Solo are jerks and reluctant heroes before meeting younger, friendlier companions: Enkidu and Luke Skywalker, respectively. A new companion is the stimulus each of these characters needs to hear the summons to go out and be epic.
Gilgamesh and Han Solo both remove great evils and dangers from the world over the course of their journeys. However, neither has motives as "pure" as those we typically expect from superheroes. Gilgamesh hunts down Humbaba so that he may become more famous, and kills the Bull of Heaven for the sake of self-presevation. Solo only rescues Princess Leia because Luke tells him there's money in it, and one could argue that after meeting her, he sticks around looking to get laid.
Gilgamesh and Han Solo both fight and destroy two different monsters. Gilgamesh tangles with Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Han Solo aids in the destruction of two different death stars. Each has one of his epic battles in the forest, but not two: Gilgamesh kills Humbaba in the forest, and Solo disables the Death Star's shields in the forests on Endor.
Both Han Solo and Gilgamesh attain, and lose, an artificial state of immortality. Gilgamesh is given a plant that will make him immortal, which is stolen from him. Han Solo is encased in carbonite, where he could remain alive indefinitely. Leia eventually unfreezes him.
Both of these epic characters achieve immortality through the record of their stories. For many casual (or even serious) fans, Star Wars defines the entire genre of science fiction film, and the Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story still being re-told today.
(Technically, if you break down their respective tropes, Han Solo is the sidekick, not the hero. So what? I like sidekicks.)
Both Gilgamesh and Han Solo are jerks and reluctant heroes before meeting younger, friendlier companions: Enkidu and Luke Skywalker, respectively. A new companion is the stimulus each of these characters needs to hear the summons to go out and be epic.
Gilgamesh and Han Solo both remove great evils and dangers from the world over the course of their journeys. However, neither has motives as "pure" as those we typically expect from superheroes. Gilgamesh hunts down Humbaba so that he may become more famous, and kills the Bull of Heaven for the sake of self-presevation. Solo only rescues Princess Leia because Luke tells him there's money in it, and one could argue that after meeting her, he sticks around looking to get laid.
Gilgamesh and Han Solo both fight and destroy two different monsters. Gilgamesh tangles with Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Han Solo aids in the destruction of two different death stars. Each has one of his epic battles in the forest, but not two: Gilgamesh kills Humbaba in the forest, and Solo disables the Death Star's shields in the forests on Endor.
Both Han Solo and Gilgamesh attain, and lose, an artificial state of immortality. Gilgamesh is given a plant that will make him immortal, which is stolen from him. Han Solo is encased in carbonite, where he could remain alive indefinitely. Leia eventually unfreezes him.
Both of these epic characters achieve immortality through the record of their stories. For many casual (or even serious) fans, Star Wars defines the entire genre of science fiction film, and the Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story still being re-told today.
(Technically, if you break down their respective tropes, Han Solo is the sidekick, not the hero. So what? I like sidekicks.)
Thursday, September 1, 2011
How Does My Myth Work?
Dr. John Watson is sidekick to the great and famous Sherlock Holmes, as well as his biographer, in the well-known short stories and novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As such, he must improve and employ his powers of observation and deduction, though obviously never to the degree that Holmes does. Watson is not, as often portrayed in the movies, a bumbler or an oaf. He is a reasonably intelligent man in the company of the genius Holmes.
This story parallels my time in the university, where I will reason my way through various texts in the company of my professors and the brilliant classmates toward whom I gravitate. I will, inevitably, write a lot as well. Knowing the stories written by Doyle, I realize that this means I can still have a successful university career without achieving the heights of knowledge reached by my professors or more-intelligent classmates. It also gives me a glimpse into how genius works when I encounter it. Finally, it provides me with the scientific and investigative worldview that I find most comforting: with enough data, and enough power to process it, a person can discover the cause of any past event and predict any event in the future.
This story parallels my time in the university, where I will reason my way through various texts in the company of my professors and the brilliant classmates toward whom I gravitate. I will, inevitably, write a lot as well. Knowing the stories written by Doyle, I realize that this means I can still have a successful university career without achieving the heights of knowledge reached by my professors or more-intelligent classmates. It also gives me a glimpse into how genius works when I encounter it. Finally, it provides me with the scientific and investigative worldview that I find most comforting: with enough data, and enough power to process it, a person can discover the cause of any past event and predict any event in the future.
Exploring My Mythic Identity
I would say that if I identify with any mythic figure, it would be Sherlock Holmes' best friend, John Watson. John Watson likes to surround himself with brilliant people, especially Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft, but also in the medical community. I have attempted to do the same on this campus. Watson and I share a fascination with the world of crime, without the often-attendant desire to become practicing criminals. We both apprentice ourselves to brilliant detectives -- he to Sherlock Holmes in life, I to Holmes and his spiritual descendents in literature. This allows us to experience adventure and intrigue while also remaining morally on the side of right. Holmes, though reticent socially, makes a better friend than an enemy. Eventually, I hope that the brilliance of my colleagues and the observational powers of the mythic detectives will rub off on me, as it did on Watson, who went on to solve a number of cases himself.
I see shades of Watson in my past. Both Watson and I were once physical, athletic young men. We shared a similar squat build and surprising quickness. These traits served me well in football and track, while Watson was a rugger. Much to both our inconvenience, a leg injury robbed each of us of our former quickness. Watson took a jezail bullet in the leg, and I tore the patellar tendon in my knee. Following the injuries, Watson and I both suffered significant weight loss, and as their results, both of us walk with a slight limp. Thus far, the limp has effected neither my writing nor Dr. Watson's, preserving at least one of our shared hobbies.
I would venture to guess that the professors for whom I have written papers on Sherlock Holmes know that I identify with Dr. Watson. I doubt anybody else is aware.
I have an affinity for epic sidekicks. I wouldn't mind meeting Enkidu or trading places with Ron Weasley. I also wouldn't mind trading places with Richard Cypher, the world's only fantasy-novel detective (as far as I am aware) and epic hero of the Sword of Truth series.
I was, at one point, something of a mythic figure. I used to play a text-based online game, and was well-enough known by other players that I was referred to only by the initials of the alias I used on the game. Some people were intimidated by me. Others built themselves up by exaggerating or fabricating stories of my exploits and placing themselves in them. I would make up new words to describe in-game actors or actions, to see if other people began using them as well. They did. I still get the occasional email asking me to come back or begging to know my secrets. I answer only when it suits me, mostly because I'm not exactly that proud of having spent so much time playing an online game.
I see shades of Watson in my past. Both Watson and I were once physical, athletic young men. We shared a similar squat build and surprising quickness. These traits served me well in football and track, while Watson was a rugger. Much to both our inconvenience, a leg injury robbed each of us of our former quickness. Watson took a jezail bullet in the leg, and I tore the patellar tendon in my knee. Following the injuries, Watson and I both suffered significant weight loss, and as their results, both of us walk with a slight limp. Thus far, the limp has effected neither my writing nor Dr. Watson's, preserving at least one of our shared hobbies.
I would venture to guess that the professors for whom I have written papers on Sherlock Holmes know that I identify with Dr. Watson. I doubt anybody else is aware.
I have an affinity for epic sidekicks. I wouldn't mind meeting Enkidu or trading places with Ron Weasley. I also wouldn't mind trading places with Richard Cypher, the world's only fantasy-novel detective (as far as I am aware) and epic hero of the Sword of Truth series.
I was, at one point, something of a mythic figure. I used to play a text-based online game, and was well-enough known by other players that I was referred to only by the initials of the alias I used on the game. Some people were intimidated by me. Others built themselves up by exaggerating or fabricating stories of my exploits and placing themselves in them. I would make up new words to describe in-game actors or actions, to see if other people began using them as well. They did. I still get the occasional email asking me to come back or begging to know my secrets. I answer only when it suits me, mostly because I'm not exactly that proud of having spent so much time playing an online game.
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