The Finale

Well, we have reached the end of the road in this Mythologies class (or have we just reached the beginning of our adventure in the reality of myth?) and I'm a little disappointed. Not in the class, but in that I wished I put forth more effort to read ALL of Ovid rather than 3/4 of it. But I suppose that's the nature of the beast; you don't realize how valuable something can be in your life until it's gone. But I will definitely be keeping my copy and hopefully when I get some more time and less distractions, I would like to once again dive head first into the secular scripture that is the Metamorphoses of Ovid. 

Like I said in my paper + my presentation, I really wasn't expecting this class to be more than just talking about a compilation of stories. I should have known better. It made me realize that I live my life with blinders on and once those have been removed you see the true mythology that is all around us. From the fact that the word "cereal" comes from the the goddess Ceres or noticing how some (or ALL) of the most famous stories in literature root from mythology. In the last literature class I took with Sexson, I learned that there is no such thing as an original story. Everything has already been told - everything is a retelling of someone else's experience. This goes with Mythology as well. Earlier in this semester, Dr. Sexson very briefly mentioned the novel "Room" by Emma Donoghue in which a 5-year old boy who spent his life within the confines of a singular room. I recently downloaded this book onto my nook (yeah... I caved in and bought an electronic reading device) and I want to start to approach my own life with the same awe an wonder as that of 5 year old Jack who is just now experiencing the world. Using my mythological eye, I hope to make the familiar strange once again.

But as engaging and interesting as this class was, it was very intimidating. My cohorts are so remarkably talented in their speaking skills (something I need to work on) and their writing abilities (something I could also work on). Ashley's blog, in particular, never ceased to impress mean. Such beautiful words. The same goes for Kari, who I think does such a wonderful job engaging an audience. Having the ability to tell a good story and demand the undivided attention of the room is truly a gift. And it goes without saying that literally everyone else in the class had exceptional blogs that I enjoyed reading as a supplement to the lectures. It amazes me how much you can learn from your peers. 

And on that note, I will thank everyone for being so insightful through our mythological journey together. Being in this class was truly a treat and I hope to see some of you in future classes!

-Michelle

The Abominable Snowman, circa 1964

The above is a portrait of myself thanks to pre-finals stress. Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful winter break!

Ovid - Book III-VI

Cadmus - Sent by his father to catch Europa. He was told by the oracle of Apollo to follow a cow until it laid down and that is where he would build his new city. A giant snake killed his men. Cadmus killed the snake and Athene came down to tell him not to stare at the snake. He pulled out the teeth of the snake and planted them in the ground where men arose and killed each other.

Actaeon - Cadmus marries Harmonia, Actaeon (his grandson) is killed by his own dogs when he is transformed into a deer after seeing Diana in the nude.

Semele - Cadmus' daughter, Semele, conceived Jove's child. Juno was jealous and wanted to trick the girl by disguising as her nurse and saying that she must see Jove in his true, god-like form. Being shown in all his glory, it killed Semele and Jove took his unborn son and implanted him to his thigh. Bacchus was born and was given to Semele's sister. MORTALS CAN'T SEE GODS IN THEIR TRUEST FORM!

The Daughter of Minyas - Bacchus declared a feast day which everyone was to participate in. The Minyas daughters refused to join in on the fun. Instead, they told stories....

Pyramus & Thisbe - These two were neighbors separated by a large wall. A Romeo and Juliet story about two "star-crossed lovers". Pyramus thinks his lover is eaten by lions, so he kills himself... then, of course, Thisbe kills herself and their blood is the color of the mullberry tree's berries.

Athamas & Ino - Bacchus has been living with Ino. Juno, being diagnosed with a case of the crazies once again, wanted to place madness up Athamas and Ino so they would destroy their children. Athamas trapped his wife and beat his son until Ino escaped and nearly jumped off a cliff - where Venus intervened and made them immortal.

Cadmus & Harmonia - Cadmus and his wife were very upset over the loss of their daugher, Ino. They left Thebes and Cadmus was transformed into a snake. Harmonia also wanted to be a snake so she left her husband coil around her until she transformed and they slithered off into the forest together. 

Perseus & Phineus - Phineus is furious that he lost his bride to Perseus and a gruesome fight broke out in the palace of Cepheus. Perseus fought like a pro. Perseus then whipped out Medusa's head and Phineus and his men were turned to stone. 

Arethusa & Alpheus - The muse had a song about how Arethusa became a river. She went swimming in the stream, Alpheus, where he fell in love with her. She fled from him, but he chased her. She cried out for Diana's help, but Alpheus waited where he footsteps disappeared. She was so scared she dripped sweat and transformed into a river and of course, Alpheus joined his river to hers (how sweet). 

Ceres & Proserpina - Ceres' daughter is Proserpina. Cupid shoots Hades with an arrow and he falls in love with dear Proserpina. He swoops her up in a field and takes her back to the underworld with him. Ceres was peeved. Proserpina had to eat more of the food of the underworld, but she had only eaten six pomegranate seeds. So she was forced to stay there half the year and spend the other half with her mom. Hence, the seasons. 

Arachne - Arachne fancied herself a pretty great weaver. She challenged Minerva to a weaving contest. And it was epic. Minerva showed the gods wreaking havoc on mortals while Arachne wove scenes of the delinquency of the gods. Minerva was upset about how great Arachne's weave was so she beat her. Arachne tried to hang herself but Minerva transformed her into a spider so she could still hang but survive.

Niobe - Niobe was a wealthy mother who thought she was better than the mother of Apollo and Diana because she only had two children while Niobe had many more. Apollo and Diana killed her seven sons and Niobe's husband killed himself due to his grief. And then Latona killed the other seven. Niobe was then turned to stone and placed on a moutain. 

Latona & the Lycian Peasants - Latona left Delos after giving birth to Apollo and Diana and ended up in Lycia. She wanted to drink the water there but the peasants wouldn't allow. She turned them into frogs.

Mythological Sense of Being

Upon actually reading this book, I found myself identifying with Eugene Henderson in very specific ways. It seems unlikely that a 20 year old female living in the 21st century could find parallels in her own life to that of a man who is in his mid-fifties, struggling with rage and alcoholism, but it strangely occurred. Similar to Henderson, I feel like I have spent my entire life asleep to the idea of a “mythological” sense of life. Maybe even more so than he has. Over the past year, I had my nose buried  in books by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Michael Shermer - all who are pretty well-known for debunking religious ideology and providing scientific explanations for literally everything in our natural world (and sometimes beyond). While I consider it a luxury to have the tools to make these kind of scientific observations, I often feel as though it keeps me from understanding the significance of mythology and its associated rituals.
I found insight to accompany this notion in the paper “Myth: The Way We Were or The Way We Are?” by Michael W. Sexson. While I was reading it, it was like taking a swift kick to the stomach because everything that I had convinced myself of in the past year through reading books and watching interviews by religious critics had formed this shield that prevented me from thinking outside of my comfort zone and expanding on the idea that mythology is, in fact, an integral part of my everyday life. I had brushed the idea of theology (an more importantly, mythology) off as blind naiveté and that I was a free-thinking, intellectually well-rounded person because I had science on my side. I don’t think I really need to explain the fact that the reality of my thinking was just the opposite. It was as though my life was being lived under a veil of skepticism that was unresponsive to the existential value of knowledge of the origin. As sad as it sounds, it never even crossed my mind that instilling mythology in my life could give it some sort of pupose; or that I did not even have to “instill” the mythology into my life, but that it had been there all along and I was too arrogant to see it.
The line between literal and eschatological beginnings and endings have been blurred. To me, life was linear. It was not until late that I realized that I have gone through my own beginnings and endings without being fully aware of it at the time. Going back to the similarities between myself and Henderson, he epitomized the “ugly American” and so did I. If something was broken, then you fix it. If something needed to be changed, then you change it, no questions asked. My approach to life has cultural insensitivity and I would have been next in line to say, “let’s just blow these frogs out of the water and your problems will be solved.” While those within the African tribe did not feel necessarily comfortable with the idea of killing the frogs out of the water, Henderson decided we wanted to do it for the benefit of the community. He says, “Under the circumstances I might have taken a tolerant or even affectionate attitude toward the. Basically, I had nothing against them” (Bellow 88). Although according to the Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, who believed in the reincarnation of the soul in the form of humans and animals until it was immortal, this could potentially mean sacrificing family members of either Henderson or one of the tribe members. Tears were shed over the loss of a cow because unlike Americans, they viewed the drought as a sign of the gods anger rather than just an extended period of time without precipitation. Henderson (or myself) would have simply assumed that tears were shed because the cow was a beloved animal or just a pet. At the risk of sounding ignorant or culturally insensitive, I have to say that this is something that would not have crossed my mind prior to taking this class.
Eugene Henderson traveled to Africa because he was dissatisfied with Western culture and wanted to meet the desires of the voice within him that kept yelling, “I want. I want.” This insatiable craving was so strong that the only cure was to completely immerse himself in a culture that was so foreign to his own. Even simply traveling to Africa with his American friend could not fill this void; He had to put his trust in Romilayu to lead him somewhere beyond the confines of American materialism and greed. In a similar sense, I may have subconsciously experienced a desire for alternative explanations for cosmogony. Now I realize that strictly looking at a scientific approach for why literally anything is the way it is today is  the easier route and does not speak to us about the conditions of the human mind. It very well could have been a case of my being bored with scientific explanations for why the sun rises and the sun sets or why the features of the earth simply existed. My own blind skepticism was something I was initially proud of, but after taking this course, I was humbled. I faced an inevitable choice: I could either take the easy scientific route that isolated man and or I could take my blinders off and see the significance of stories - how they bound groups of people together and set exemplary models for behavior. In my quest to become a more interesting, less boring person, I think my choice is clear: to lift the veil and embrace life with a mythological eye would leads to a richer understanding of life and leave the boring facts behind.

Eugene Henderson

Today in class, we briefly talked about the character of Henderson and how everyone in the class essentially hated his guts. I agree that I would probably dislike him if I met him and we had a conversation, but from a literary viewpoint, I thought he was just perfect because he was all too human. He was the painfully flawed, angry, "Ugly American" that we all loved to hate. Like Sexson said, is there anything interesting about reading about a pleasant person who leads a wonderful life? Not really. Because often times I've noticed that I see a bit of myself in those most-hated characters. I don't have the same rage issues and I'm not an alcoholic, but I did find myself empathizing with this horrible man at points.

For example, it really struck a chord with me when he was talking about learning to plan his father's violin (no pun intended). I feel like anyone who has ever lost a loved one holds very closely one or two of their possessions because it provides a connection to that person even if it's just within our own psyche. It's why I still wear a necklace my grandmother owned before she died.

For it so happened that I have never been able to convince myself the dead are utterly dead. I admire the rational people and envy their clear heads, but what's the use of kidding? pg. 30

Whether we like it or not, in some way or another, each and every individual is Eugene Henderson. And I think Saul Bellow intended it to be that way.

Ovid - Book II

Phaethon - Young Phaethon journeys to the palace of the sun to seek proof that the Sun God is actually his father. Phoebus, the Sun God made a promise that he would grant Phaethon's any wish to prove that he, indeed, was his son (but of course we all know what happens when the Gods make promises - they have to keep them, no matter what). Phaethon wanted to drive his father's chariot with his horses across the sky and even though Phoebus knew how dangerous this would be, he allowed it. Phaethon could not control the horses and as he bolted through the sky, he made several permanent changes to the earth as well as the sky. Jove hurled a lightning bolt at the boy and the chariot, causing them both to fall from the sky and killing the Phaethon. His body was buried and his sisters mourned his loss for so long that they turned into poplar trees and their tears formed amber. Phoebus swore he would never drive the chariot again... til Jove forced him to.

Callisto - While he was on Earth, Jove saw a nymph, with whom he fell in love with. He disguised himself as Diana as he approached the nymph, Callisto. She warmly greeted "Diana" until she realized by his kiss that it wasn't actually Diana. She fought against him, but he raped her before he disappeared. Callisto was ashamed of what happened, and after nine months, when the real Diana and her nymphs were going swimming, Callisto hesitated. Diana ripped her clothes off and saw she was pregnant. She was banished and later gave birth to a son named Arcas. This pissed Juno off and after Callisto gave birth, she transformed her into a bear. Callisto ran into the woods and after 16 years, her son met up with her again and nearly killed her before Jove prevented it and swept them both up into the constellations.

Ocyrhoe - Ocyrhoe, Chiron's daughter, had the gift of prophecy. She went to her father's cave and saw Phoebus' son, Aesculapias. She predicted that he would grow strong again one day. She also predicted that her immortal father would be granted death by the other gods due to the pain of a serpents venom that tortured him. But before she could finish her prophecy, she was turned into a mare.

Mercury, Herse, Aglauros - Mercury was flying over Athens after hiding Apollo's herd, when he saw a beautiful girl named Herse, daughter of Cecrops. Mercury entered Cecrops' palace and the sister Aglauros questioned his identity and his intentions. He said he was in love with Herse and Aglauros agreed to help him if he gave her a sum of gold. But he didn't have gold so she chased him off the palace. Athene saw this happen and got her revenge on Aglauros and told Envy to poison Aglauros. Mercury came the next day to see Herse, but Aglauros blocked the doorway because she was jealous. She said she would not move and Mercury transformed her into a statue.

Europa & Jove - Jove sent his son, Mercury down to the kingdom of Sidon. He was supposed to move the herd closer to where his daugter, Europa, played. Jove turned himself into a bull and lured Europa onto his back. He then carried her out into the ocean and to the island of Crete, against her will.

John of God

"Myth is a reflection of the deepest aspects of the human mind, a powerful religious expression not of the way were were but of the way were are." -Michael W. Sexson, Myth: The Way We Were or the Way We Are?


When we were giving our one-minute Ovid presentations, Dr. Sexson mentioned something about how you see get the sense of mythology simply by watching an episode of a day-time talk show, such as Oprah or the ever-popular Jerry Springer Show. The other day, I was watching an episode of Oprah (I'd like to say that I only watch her show because it's 'the only thing that's on TV when I'm done with class', but I actually think she has interesting topics.... some days) and they were discussing something that was right up the alley of mythology. It was about this Brazilian man the natives called "John of God" (not to be confused with St. John of God - a prominent religious figure in Spain) because of his 'healing powers'. People would travel far and wide to have a consultation with the man who claimed that not only can he emotionally/spiritually heal you, but that he can physically heal you as well. Thousands of people (all required to dress in white to provide the healer with a clear, mental palette)  each week (many with terminal illnesses) attend his congregations every week with high hopes and to my surprise, it seemed like none of them left disappointed that they hadn't been cured.

I think it's pretty obvious that by going to see this man with a third grade education, you're not going to be physically cured of your illnesses. But I also think it's extraordinary that all of these people left feeling spiritually awakened, or that they had purged all of their 'inner demons' or negative energy, which I think speaks volumes about the capacity of the human mind as well as the relevance of mythological events in our modern times. This reminded me of the Bhils, mentioned in Eliade's book: the magician purifies the space beside the patient's bed and draws a mandol with corn flour while at the center of the design, he puts the house of Isvor and Bhagwan together with their figures. This drawing is then preserved until the patient is completely cured. By doing this, the Bhil magician is actually repeating the cosmogyny.

"Made symbolically contemporary with the Creation of the World, the patient is immersed in the primordial fullness of life; he is penetrated by the gigantic forces that, in illo tempore, made the Creation possible." Eliade, pg. 25

Maybe I'm reaching here, but it could be that by having all of his patients dress in white, John of God is trying to create an image of a sense of the beginning of time - where everyone is created the same and notices no difference between those you walk with (i.e. Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden?). Like I said, I could be making some far-reaching analogies, but making these kind of mythological connections is something that this class has introduced me to, and now I'm starting to realize the true importance of mythology.

Iphis & Ianthe

"The personal qualities which recommended a man for a royal alliance and succession to the throne would naturally would vary according to the popular ideas of the time and the character of the king or his substitute, but it is reasonable to suppose that among them in early society, physical strength and beauty would hold a prominent place." The Golden Bough pg. 188

The story that I was asked to present on Tuesday is located in Book IX of Ovid and it is entitled "Iphis & Ianthe" and when I was assigned this story, I believe Dr. Sexson said that it was one of the most interesting stories in Ovid and I wholeheartedly agree. When you stumble upon a gem of a story written many, many years ago that still holds relevance today and might even make a bit of a political statement, it's easy to see that this Ovid guy was writing way ahead of his time.

Now, if you haven't read the story yet or if it's just currently lost amongst all the other myths we have read so far, I'll briefly sum it up right now. There was a couple on the island of Crete named Ligdus and Telethusa who were expecting a baby. Ligdus said to his pregnant wife, Telethusa, that they could not possibly afford to keep the infant if it was born a female. And while it pained Telethusa to accept this fact, she obeyed her husband's command. As she approached her due date, Telethusa saw (or thought she saw - perhaps it was all a dream) the goddess Isis and a bunch of her deities. Isis essentially told Telethusa to let her baby live, regardless of the gender, because Telethusa had worshiped her so faithfully, she would ensure that everything would eventually work itself out. When she awoke, she gave birth to a baby girl. Telethusa hid the sex of the baby from her husband and told the nurse to tell everyone it was a boy and gave her the name "Iphis" which fits either a boy or a girl. Telethusa continued to raise and dress Iphis as a boy. When Iphis was 13 years old, her/his father found her/him a bride named Ianthe whom Iphis is truly in love with. She pleads to the gods and goddesses while her mother postpones the wedding date. But of course, the wedding day is imminent and eventually it arrives. It is then that Isis transforms Iphis into a male and HE can finally have HIS bride.

After reading this, I thought of the Hilary Swank film "Boys Don't Cry" whereas Professor Sexson said it's similar to something you would see on Jerry Springer. Either way, it's easy to see how LIFE imitates ART, especially in Ovid.

Pygmalion

After reading Ovid, I think I've come to the conclusion that my favorite story out of the entire "secular bible" is, unironically, the story of Pygmalion. It doesn't surprise me because it's the one story that ends happily and I'm very intrigued by the idea of not being able to find the "perfect somebody" so you simply create someone who meets your every expectations of your ideal significant other. Obviously, I'm not the only one who feels this way because people are still making modern interpretations of this love story.

And even now, I think that people try to create their significant other - not necessarily out of ivory - but rather by forcing someone to meet our expectations of them. And we all know the story of women who think they can "fix" the "bad boy" but when it comes down to it, I think people are simply too incorrigible. And unlike the story of Pygmalion, we don't get our perfect person; we either compromise part of ourself to meet the standards of someone else or we reluctantly accept that other person, flaws and all.

For a quirky interpretation of  "Pygmalion" watch the film Lars and the Real Girl.

Bad Day

One of the assignments we were given over the weekend was to (unfortunately) have a bad day. And while I don't think I went out of my way to have a horrible day, I was definitely more acutely aware of all the little things that would normally roll right off my shoulder. One incident that stands out is when I was coming back home from playing tennis, I changed from tennis shoes to flips flops and stubbed my toe very abruptly  on a large rock. It was painful. Why is it that your small toe is such an insignificant part of your body yet has the ability to harbor so much pain but "stubbed" in the appropriate way. Another small "bad-day" occurrence was at Avo's in the SUB when the girl making my sandwich was supposed to toast it, but the toaster was not on, so we both waited there for a few minutes while my turkey-on-wheat remained untoasted in the toaster that wasn't even on. I guess she didn't notice and I didn't really care - but then I realized the assignment was to have bad day, and I immediately became FURIOUS! (just kidding, but for the sake of the story, let's say I threw up my fist of anger and slammed it down on the counter and demanded a new sandwich - toasted this time). The additional "badness" of my weekend was essentially just the amount of stress weighing on my shoulders from tests, quizzes, papers, and reading assignments - that can really kill your buzz. 

Whenever I think of "no-good-horrible-very-bad-days", I always think of  "The Book of Job" and suddenly my life isn't so bad. I mean, he is this guy who seems to have everything going for him and then BAM! his world is turned upside down. I mean, could you imagine that there is some sort of higher being who decides that the only reason you praise "Him" is because you've lived a very cushioned life and wants to test your devotion to "Him" by taking away everything that you love? I can imagine that would be a very life-altering change or series of changes. And still, when Job has nothing, he does not curse God. Job was punished because the Gods were simply "performing a social experiment" on him. I think that's how the stories of Ovid and other ancient mythology are all about; if the Gods are angry, some mortal being will suffer and there will be massive destruction. Or even if the Gods are particularly "mad" but just want to play a little game, it could result as the suffering of mortals. I feel like this could serve as some sort of explanation for "bad things" happening to us; it's not just spontaneous, the Gods are always behind it. So maybe Zeus was just really upset with me on Sunday and that's why I have to suffer with an un-toasted sub sandwich. 

Dream

After many nights of not remembering any of my dreams, I finally remembered one! It's wonderful news because often, the most recent dream I have at night (assuming the human brain dreams several times per night) seems to slip through my fingers as the day goes on and other thoughts take up the space which the dream once occupied. I (unintentionally) finished this assignment by taking a nap in the middle of the day, and sure enough, when I woke up, the memory was crystal clear.

The dream isn't too edge-of-your-seat exciting, but I was in the car with my family back home in Billings (which consists of my mom, dad, and two younger sisters) and we were driving around town in my first car (an '89 Buick Regal with red interior and a digital display - tres chic, I know) but for some reason I was very nervous about how my family would react to my driving skills after I had returned home from Bozeman. In fact, I could only physically drive with one arm. I was swerving in the road when we reached our destination - Softies ice cream. But as I was pulling into the small parking lot, my car scraped the side of a black Cadillac Escalade, leaving a very deep, distinct scratch on the car. The man behind the wheel had bright, curly, ginger hair and began screaming at me as I stepped outside the vehicle. He actually kind of looked like the Swedish chef from the Muppets. I began to cry, but then my mom put her arm around me as our family bought smoothies and drove away as if nothing ever happened, and everything was still perfectly fine. Then I woke up.

I am pretty lost as to what any of this symboloizes (maybe I have a fear of people with red hair and have underlying insecurities about my driving abilities, or lack thereof) but what I did noticed was that my dream included the "hero's" final stage in his journey - the eventual return back home. Maybe after leaving for college and facing some sort of initiation(?) this was my-welcome-back-home-to-the-family dream. Who knows. I guess I have a lot to ponder...

Apollo & Daphne

Impaled by disdain I do not

Wish to be yours forever.

You stare at me with eyes of

Admiration,

Or lust, it may be.

The fields scream with your stride

As you approach me from behind.

All is silent.

Then I begin to run.

Faster and faster our worlds quickly

Become one.

You pursue me with the intention

Of keeping me forever.

How long is ‘forever’ in a young man’s eyes?

Within seconds I am an object of your strife,

Your fingers dart for mine like a golden arrow

Only moments away from piercing my heart.

You may say that this is love, but what is love if it

Can never be returned?

I laugh at you silently as you try to reach for my hand.

Foolish man, you can never love a woman

Whose fingers have turned to leaves.

Apollo and Daphne. John William Waterhouse. Oil on canvas. 1908.

Metamorphoses Of Ovid - Book I

Book I

The Four Ages: The golden age, in many ways, was the ideal habitat for all living things and everyone "lived at peace in tranquil ease". The four seasons did not evolve until Jove's rule began(during the silver age), when the world began to experience the extreme changes in weather causing man to seek shelter. It was not until that bronze age that violence began and the use of weapons was needed. It marked the end of a peaceful existence and the beginning of savage behavior that "gave way to every foul impiety". 

(The Golden Age)

The Giants: After the mountain tops were struck down with bolts of lightning by Jove, the Giants' bodies sprawled across the Earth and was absorbed by it. In order to preserve these creatures, man was fashioned out of their warm blood to create a race that was hungry for war and resented the very gods themselves. 

The Flood: Jove originally intends to set the Earth on fire, but decides against it after he remembers that the book of fates states the setting the world on fire would undo the fabric of the universe. Instead, he floods the earth by freeing Notus with his beard made of rainclouds and calls upon his brother Neptune to send the river gods to flood everything between the poles until one cannot make a distinction between sea and shore. All animals now swim amongst the sea and most men have drowned. 

Apollo & Daphne: Still basking in pride post- defeating Python, Phoebus heckles Cupid for carrying a heavy bow, saying that his shoulders are much more suited for a weapon of that size. Cupid retorts by piercing him with him the golden tip of his arrow, causing Phoebus to fall in love with a lovely woodland nymph named Daphne who despises even the very thought of love. But Phoebus is lovestruck and pines for her everyday as she flees like the lamb before the wolf. As he races after her, she calls Peneus' stream nearby where he transforms her into a tree. But Apollo is still in love with her and continues to wear her leaves to wreathe his hair. 

Phaethon: Cocky Phaethon says to Epaphus that he is better than him because he is the son of the god of the sun, and after being embarrassed by Epaphus for saying that his mother made up silly stories about his lineage,   Phaethon runs to his mother demanding proof that his father is, indeed, the sun god. His mother, Clymene, raised her arms to the sky and proclaimed that he is indeed the son of the god of the sun and is presented to the earth as the world's great gaurdian and she grants him permission to go to the sun god's house to ask him himself. At the end of the story, Phaethon arrives at the steps of Phoebus' palace. 

(Phaethon)

Earliest Memories

I have to admit, I am a little behind on my blog. So I am going to go back a couple class periods and start from there.

As I said before in my previous literature class with Dr. Sexson, my earliest memory is from when I was about 4 years old. My father took me to Toys 'R' Us (I can't remember the reason... maybe to buy a birthday present or maybe just for kicks). I was following him around for a while and then eventually wandered off into the bright pink Barbie aisle, where I was entranced by all of the different dolls. Some amount of time went by before I realized my dad was not in the same aisle as me. I walked over a couple aisles looking for my dad when I arrived in an aisle full of baby strollers and car seats. I thought it was weird that he was looking at car seats, but I tapped him on the back anyway. But when the man turned around, I saw that IT WAS NOT MY DAD! OH, THE HORROR! Needless to say, I turned around and back away as my 4-year-old  eyes began to fill with plump tears that rolled down my chubby cheeks. I ran into the arms of my dad (the real one this time) and swore to myself at 4 years old that I would not stray from my parents' side ever again (actually, I'm not sure if that last part is true, but I would imagine it would be).

My Dad and Me

Another early memory I have from about the same age is from Thanksgiving when my family would go to my Grandma and Grandpa's house is Absarokee , MT. While my mom and my grandma were preparing dinner in the kitchen, I stood in front of the refrigerator with all of my stuffed "Winnie The Pooh" toys surrounding me, using the refrigerator magnets to give them some sort of "lecture". Now, my early memories may not be as profound as Alyosha's in "The Brothers Karamazov" nor that mythological, but I would say they're (somewhat) detailed, right?

The Golden Bough

It arrived! It finally arrived, my copy of The Golden Bough so now I can start the actual preface to my blog.

So let's see here, shall we....

"Clad in rags, daubed from head to foot with red ochre, and stinking shark oil, always solitary and silent, generally old, haggard, and wizened, often half crazed, he might be seen sitting motionlessly all day apart from the common path or thoroughfare of the village, gazing with lack-lustre eyes on the busy doing things in which he might never take a part." pg. 248

Needless to say (but I'm going to say it anyway), that is a very long, and descriptive sentence. I think the reason we were asked to do this assignment is because the language is so rich and full of detail that it is nearly impossible NOT to pull a wonderful sentence from it.

I like how Dr. Sexson brought up that mythology is around us everyday, all the time. If we look closely, almost everything in nature has some sort of mythological explanation for why it is the way it is. For example, the story of how the peacock got its many eyes was when Hermes played music which put the guardian's (Argus) many eyes to sleep and kills him (as demanded by Zeus). Then Hera puts Argus' many eyes into the feathers of the peacock and voila! we now have an explanation for this brightly colored bird. I can't believe I didn't pick up on this before, but on the show 30 Rock they briefly introduced a peacock whose name was unironically, Argus.

Interesting Find

“If myth is translated into literal fact, then myth is a lie. But if you read it as a reflection of the world inside you, then it’s true. Myth is the penultimate truth.”

—	Joseph Campbell, from a 1986 Houston Chronicle interview by Leslie Sowers: “Cultures Linked by Man’s Ideas, Mythologist Says.”

Most excellent visualization of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey/monomyth, which he argues is the basic pattern underlying narratives all over the wide, wide world.

“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” From The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Mythology & Art

I'm still patiently awaiting the arrival of my copy of The Golden Bough, but in the mean time I starting reading through Books I & II of Metamorphoses of Ovid. For some reason, I was expecting this book to be a much more challenging read than it actually is. It's quite a nice book of stories that I am really enjoying so far. But I do have a bit of confusion. I was under the impression that the son of Saturn was "Jupiter" and not "Jove". Perhaps they are the same God with two names. Either way, I am intrigued by the ultimate "God of the Gods" and all he encounters in the stories so far.

My boyfriend took a class last year that was about exploring famous artists and their lives. He was explaining the paintings of Picasso, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, etc. when one in particular stood out to me. It is called "Saturn Devouring His Son" by the legendary Francisco Goya. It's a rather disturbing painting but very clearly rooted from the Metamorphoses of Ovid.  The context of this painting is that the God Saturn feared that his six children would become so powerful that they would overthrow him. According to the myth, his wife hid his son "Jupiter" or "Jove" on the island of Crete and he did indeed end up overthrowing his almighty father. Even more fascinating is the fact that Goya painted this portrait directly on the wall of his dining room (not really my taste, but whatever). I am very interested to explore more artwork (paintings, music, film, etc.) that is so richly rooted in mythology. The Bible and  Metamorphoses  are the two ultimate books of stories and the fact that so many pieces pull inspiration from these makes me want to discover even more.

Just for practice...

I just wanted to make a post to make sure everything is set up correctly. I need to get used to blogging once again, but I'm looking forward to the class!