Catherine Lucille Moore's Shambleu and Greek Mythology
Throughout history, humans have had legends, myths and folk tales. Many of these dealt with monsters that cannot be found on the planet Earth, at least any more, especially the myths of ancient Greece. In such cases, there can be a fine line between where myth ends and science fiction starts. In Catherine Lucille Moore’s short story "Shambleau," one such myth crosses that line. That myth is the ancient Greek myth of the Gorgons. Gorgons had snakes for hair and could turn anyone into stone by looking at them in the eyes. "Shambleau" tells the tail of something very much like a Gorgon with snakes as its hair. This creature, called a "Shambleau," comes to and terrorizes a town.
In the American Heritage College Dictionary, myth is defined as: "A traditional story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that informs or shapes the world view of a people" (903). The same dictionary has science fiction defined as: "A literary genre in which the plot is typically based on…space travel, or life on other planets" (1221). Both definitions deal with life that is not natural to Earth. While the origins of such creatures may be different, they both deal with non-human sentient beings. Several science fiction stories deal with extraterrestrials visiting Earth in what humans would call the "Ancient" era and becoming part of a culture’s mythology. Then they might come back in the "Modern" era. One such story is Moore’s "Shambleau."
Gorgons from ancient Greek mythology are creatures who look human but have snakes for hair and can make anyone or anything that looks them in the eye turn into stone. In "Shambleau," a female extraterrestrial, resembling a Gorgon but with subtle differences, terrorizes a town. A man, not knowing what she is or what she does, tries to protect her from an angry mob until he finds out her true intentions. The story ends with him promising to go off and kill her. However, it is said that she does something to humans which is like an addictive drug. Unlike a Gorgon, however, she had feline qualities such as "three fingers and a thumb, and her feet had four digits apiece too, and all sixteen of them were tipped with round claws that sheathed back into the flesh" (528). Yet, like a Gorgon, she had hair that "squirmed of itself against her cheek" (531).
These detailed descriptions of a simple tattoo create a vivid image of seemingly mythical proportion. The words “neat lines” and “blue swirls” suggests that the setting of the scene is supernaturally created, as lightning strikes are seldom “neat” nor are ocean waves “blue” in reality. Yet, this supernatural setting provides a fitting backdrop, for the violence and struggle in the foreground. Serpents and dragons are certainly supernatural beings: both are associated with great power, violence and destruction. The word “twist” may describe the natural movement of the body of the serpent, but can also suggest that its body is twisted out of shape from great exertion or from sustained injuries.
In Jenny Strauss Clay’s “The Generation of Monsters in Hesiod,” she explores the relationship of Greek monsters and gods in order to point out the “natural hierarchy of men and beasts” in Greek culture (Clay 112). As with any hierarchy, differences between people, or in this case “distinguishing features of the divine, the bestial, and the human” suggest that some creatures are superior than others (Clay 108). As Hesiod writes in the Theogony, most monsters are either related to or are descendants of Gaia; however it is their appearances that set them apart from the gods. Despite having a common ancestor, Clay defines all monsters as anomalies. From birth, a monster “does not fit into usual classifications, or transgresses normal limits, and
Jeffery Cohen's first thesis states “the monster's body is a cultural body”. Monsters give meaning to culture. A monsters characteristics come from a culture's most deep-seated fears and fantasies. Monsters are metaphors and pure representative allegories. What a society chooses to make monstrous says a lot about that society’s people. Monsters help us express and find our darkest places, deepest fears, or creepiest thoughts. Monsters that scare us,vampires, zombies, witches, help us cope with what we dread most in life. Fear of the monstrous has brought communities and cultures together. Society is made up of different beliefs, ideas, and cultural actions. Within society there are always outcasts, people that do not fit into the norm or do not follow the status quo. Those people that do not fit in become monsters that are feared almost unanimously by the people who stick to the status quo.
Asma, Stephen. On Monsters :An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
When I was little, I used to stay up late at night, watching old movies with my father. He worked at night, so on his nights off, he often could not sleep. Our dad-daughter bond was, no doubt, forged by our love of old black and white and even cheesy films. It was on one of these late nights that I first saw a huge snake coiled next to a tree, draped in a glittery sheep’s fur. I am sure that my eyes were big with awe the whole time, for to this day, when I watch or even read mythological stories, I feel the same childhood awe. The movie Jason and the Argonauts, directed by Nick Willing in 2000, is certainly not as campy as the old black and white, but it is just as awe-inspiring as is Peter Green’s translation of Apollonius of Rhodes’ version of Jason’s story: “Argonautika: The Story of Jason and the
Ménez, Andre’. The Subtle Beast: Snakes, from Myth to Medicine. New York, New York: CRC Press, 2003.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
This fictional story, Lusus Laturae, is written by Margaret Atwood. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, the origin of the Lusus Naturae is from Latin and the meaning is “freak of nature.” That is direct enough to assume the story is about a monster figure that will be a symbol of the story. According to the book “Freak of Nature,” the history of freak of nature to scientists and philosophers is an unfortunate, grotesque creature because it is odd or abnormal such as a conjoined twin which has two heads and shared a body (Blumberg 5). The criterion of being odd or abnormal starts from the visual difference seen by people. In the story, through the narration and point of view, character, symbol and figurative language, plot, and setting, it is revealed that the society and even the family ostracizes the protagonist who is defined as a monster due to her different appearance from others.
“Are you delighted with what I have done? Now anyone who glances in your eyes will turn into stone and no one will be able to save them,” I snapped quickly. “Even you, Medusa, should you seek your reflection, will turn to rock the moment you lay eyes on your face.” In order for no one to lay eyes on her by accident, I sent her to live with blind monsters, named the Gorgon
Throughout several myths, monsters are described as many diverse creatures. At first glance, they all seem very distinctive. However, each monster is like a combination of several qualities and characteristics that are matched in different ways to form the monsters that appear in myths such as Hercules, Bellerophon, and Perseus. All monsters have very distinct looks that make them inferior to humans. Generally, they are a mixture of two or more different animals such as snakes, lions, or humans and they may have multiple heads. For example, Cerberus was a horrific three-headed dog that had the tail of a dragon and his back was covered with snakes. Several monsters have some part of them from a snake. Snakes symbolize an evil quality and that is why many monsters are forms of them. Cerberus had his whole back covered in snakes and a dragon tail. Both of these are snake-like parts that contribute to Cerberus looking terrifying. His tail is from a dragon which is very similar to a snake and his back is filled with snakes like fur. The Hydra of Lerna is also an im...
Myths and religious doctrine are generally recognized as two entirely different things. Myths are usually referred to as a fictitious story or a half-truth; often they are stories shared between groups of people that are part of a cultural society. Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, and purpose of the universe, and often containing an ethical code dictating appropriate human conduct. Although they differ in certain aspects, they still hold similarities. Comparable to parables within the Bible, myths have different versions which are both motivating, as well as entertaining. There are not only parallels to the idea of the stories but specific tales hold similar morals and equivalent characters.
The founder of Buddhism was a man named Siddharta Gautama. He was born as a prince of a small kingdom located near today’s Nepal, around 500 B.C.E. (Gurinder 1). According to the legends, Siddharta was raised in the lap of luxury. He was given the finest clothes, riches, and a mansion for every season (Fisher 136). Despite having anything his imagination could conjure, he was unconvinced of their value (136). As the story continues, he was presented with the four sights that were being kept from him (136). These sights included death, sickness, old age, and a monk seeking lasting happiness rather than material possessions (136). After these sights, Sidhharta began his long path to enlightenment. After six years of searching, he had reached his goal of an ultimate consciousness called Nirvana, or enlightenment that is above ordinary human states of mind (Gurinder, Numrich, Williams 1-2). After his discovery of the ultimate consciousness, he was given the title of Buhhda, which means “Enlighten One” (2).
Monsters are a representation of fear and are like nightmares. This is so because many of the monsters’ qualities strike fear thus, they are a representation of fear itself. Monsters are like nightmares is that one having the nightmare always awakes before the end, symbolizing the victory of good over evil. This is why monsters’ symbolize evil as well as fear. This was the case with Heracles and the snakes. Even danger was lurking, baby Heracles woke up before tragedy could strike and struck back at tragedy.
Monsters are towering, fierce beings best known for causing nightmares and battling heroes. Tales are told of their devastating power, but also of their agonizing defeats. Monsters are symbols of the inherent evil of human nature and of the dark truths of the natural world. Monsters are also challenges, tasks a hero must complete. Sometimes monsters are the ultimate measure of a hero’s worth, other times just another step in a hero’s journey. In the book Bulfinch’s Mythology, Thomas Bulfinch writes that “Monsters, in the language of mythology, were beings of unnatural proportions or parts, usually regarded with terror, as possessing immense strength and ferocity, which they employed for the injury and annoyance of men.” Although independent of what they represent, Monsters come in numerous builds and multiple figures, like humans.
Mythology is defined as a collection of interrelated stories of a given culture. Myths are intended to explain and describe the mysteries of nature and give understanding about the world that surrounds us. Each culture has their own mythology that reflects their values and beliefs. Myths were also generated to tell the story of the first people to inhabit the earth. The Egyptian mythology elevated these people to the level of Gods and Goddesses by giving them supernatural and special powers. These myths of creation were passed from one generation to the next, either orally or by hieroglyphs painted in sacred temples, pyramids, and sanctuaries.