I didn’t understand “myth.” I knew it, of course, but, then again, my
grasp faltered and all that myth is dissolved away. Like a specter, I could sense it’s presence
but not its intentions. Therefore my
Myth Journal began a little fuzzy, a little abstract. My first couple entries reflect on introversion,
marinating on my story, my “mythic figure,” and myself.
The
Jeweled. She followed me through my
dreams and I gave her a story to live in.
As subtle as a river in the Sahara, she wandered through replays of
other tales. She broke Harry's glasses,
rode Sapphira (much to Eragon's displeasure), backhanded several irritating
characters in the face, and slaughtered any idiot who dared to hurt the good
ones. With each story she visited, she acquired a new ability until, finally,
she was complete. (See MJ#1).
After the first few weeks of class,
I gained a better understanding of myth and how to analyze it. In this blog alone, I have analyzed Legend of the Seeker, Oedipus, Mwindo, and The Little
Mermaid through the eyes of influential people such as Carl Jung, Otto
Rank, Vladimir Propp, and Joseph Campbell.
I think the most enlightening of these musings was that of The Little Mermaid. My favourite movie as a child, The Little Mermaid explores many aspects
of what it means to be human. Jung’s
analysis reveals the complex interaction of the characters, most especially
with Scuttles acting as the dreamer. I
never realized what an important role he plays in the film. (See MJ#7). Two
months later I looked at the same tale through a Proppian lens. The
Little Mermaid, shares many traits with Propp’s categorization of a classic
folk or fairytale. The story fits almost
flawlessly into the Proppian structure. (See MJ#16).
After I mastered forms of analyzing
myths, I delved into the actual mythmaking process itself. I tried my hand at a Halloween myth: one of
ghosts and hope and the unknown.
The
wind brushed its soft fingers through her dress, teasing her ankles to move.
With an inward smile she obliged, turning her toes toward the next house. The
pale fire in her eyes glanced upward, flirting with the moon. The countdown had
begun. (See MJ#11).
In the “myth” I played with
frequent concepts surrounding Halloween.
The moon, calling at a strangers door, ghosts, and a quiet mystery. From here I journeyed farther into the dark
with an apocalypse myth.
Adrian
stared up at the sky in amazement. It
was as if the eyes of heaven were turning away in shame, closing forever on the
sin of humanity. His wife, close and
familiar, huddled under the jacket they shared.
“Is
that…?”
“The
stars. The stars are going out.”
As
the spirits of the great universe abandoned their children in the pursuit of
darkness, the Sun wondered at its path.
The Earth cried out and decreed Importance and tossed little trinkets of
invention as offering into its depths, but the Sun couldn’t resist heavy
eyelids. When the Sun closed its eyes,
so did the Earth. And tears fell like
rain. (See MJ#12).
I surprised myself with this very
existentialist view, but I was rather pleased with the result. Now that I had my fun and played with the
construction of my own myths, I could properly examine myths in the world
around me. I see implications of myth everywhere
that I go. Captain Jack Sparrow is a
liminal figure (as is Captain Jack Harkness), something I would never have
considered had I not taken Mythology.
Liminality, actually, has become quite a point of interest to me, the
Doctor not being the least of which.
Explored in this blog is the liminality of Lelouch vi Britania of the
fantastic anime series Code Geass:
Lelouch of the Rebellion.
Lelouch
vi Britania is neither good nor bad and it took our discussion in class today
to comprehend that he plays the trickster.
He hides behind a mask of Zero and orders his followers to do his bidding. Although he calls them his pawns and only
leads them to gain the throne, his instruction guides the oppressed 'elevens'
(the lost Japan) out of the hands of the oppressors (the Britanians). Classic trickster: he helps others by
achieving only his personal agenda.
Starting with Loki, the liminal
trickster figure in Norse mythology, many other liminal figures came to my
attention. Not as many as the amount of
other Norse “myth sightings” I encountered while reading the Prose Edda. For a full list of Norse myth sightings see
the entry entitled “Norse Myth Sightings.”
Finally, after a full semester of
studying mythology, the cycle is complete.
I began by relating myth to myself except now I have the background to truly
understand the impact mythology has on the world. The Liminal vs. the Liminoidal (See MJ#13),
the Apollonian vs. the Dionysian (See MJ#14), and Racism as an old myth with a
new chapter (See MJ#15) all explore the ways myth and its concepts have
affected my life.
As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed
this class and keeping up on this blog.
I’d definitely consider my interest in this blog to be of “A” efforts. (According to my roommate, my enthusiasm was
paramount). I have a feeling that this
won’t be my last entry. Even if the
class ends, myth will live on!
