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When dissecting motifs, themes, and archetypes within mythology it is effortless to analyze one select culture, instead of several different cultures simply, because of the fact that same cultures would have more similarities and therefore differences would be pointed out immediately. Almost everything about them is different except for their topic: creation. Although selecting which myth to analyze is what posed to be a challenge as well as comparing their differences. While some myths gave too much detail, others gave too little. At least in my opinion and after a lengthy elimination process I finally chose to compare myths within Hinduism. “The Vishnu Purana” from the creation myth section and “Kali Beheaded” a reading from the feminine divine section. With little knowledge of the culture my plan is to analyze these two myths with the best of my abilities, compare them to what I know about the culture from previous knowledge and find/address and misinterpretations, as well as comparing the two to find similar themes and structures. …show more content…
Which is a concept where the universe is continuously destroyed and is recreated in cycles. Kali was a deity, a goddess I Indra’s heaven until other jealous beheaded her. Kali’s head was found and placed on a body nearby, although it was not her body. It was the body of a prostitute, filthy of the flesh and probably with an unhappy soul, the complete opposite of Kali. Dishonored and now unclean Kali succumbed to her new environment, and embraced the lifestyle of her “new” body. Since according to the Hindu metaphysics “The universe is comprised of discrete objects that are other than the self,” (Leonard and McClure
Most cultures have a creation myth, a story of how humans came to exist in the world. Often, they involve Gods of some capacity who exist without much question or explanation. Many myths have a common idea for the origin of the world, like Earth being born from water, a golden egg, or a great monster. The Mayan creation myth and the Babylonian creation myth are similar in that they both begin with water, and account the creation and purpose of man. They also differ, as the Mayan Popol Vuh chronicles a peaceful tale of trials to forge the Earth and sentient beings to worship the gods, while the Babylonian Enuma Elish tells of wars between gods that lead to the creation of Earth and of man as a servant to the gods.
Every story has characters with different roles, and each of them are important to make the story complete. Three characters, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Smaug represent three archetypal roles in this story. Their guide Gandalf, represents the mentor, Bilbo represents the hero, and Smaug represents the shadow. Smaug symbolizes fear to the characters, and the dragon represents one of the characters that are most often causing the most terror and trouble to the other characters in the story. The hobbit symbolizes the hero of the story, because he sacrifices himself throughout the book. Mr. Bilbo Baggins learns more and more each day, and he tries to always do the right thing. Gandalf symbolizes the guidance and help as a mentor, and he provides training and motivation to the characters. These three important characters greatly explain the
In his research on mythology, Eric Csapo examines its large role in the ancient Mediterranean. He begins with a rejection to begin his argument with a definition of myth. He states that “it [the definition] is rather always the final precipitate of an already elaborate theory” so he starts at the basis of any theoretical interpretation, he asks what we mean by “myth.” Csapo immediately addresses the flaw of selectivity in the vocabulary used to describe a story. Most commonly the words myth, folktale, and legend are confused and misappropriated. One delineation he discusses is that myths, in theory, are based on ritual and as a product of humans, are received as true accounts of the past. He continues with the discrepancy of the word truth that anthropologists struggle with. This said, Csapo ultimately rejects these confining definitions for their cross-cultural differences and ends with the notion that myth is a social ideology that stresses the reception over the content.
Vampires are mythical creatures that many in this world have tried to find existence. People predicted vampires came from Transylvania, slept upside down during the morning and burnt to ashes when they were out in the sunlight. An American author named Stephanie Meyer had written four books in total, involving a human and a vampire meeting by chance and falling in love. With the spread of the saga of books spreading quickly, the four popular books soon made it onto the big screen. Not only were these series a hit in English-speaking nations, it attracted other international audiences, allowing people of different ethnic and origins to relate to it. How do people relate to these movies? Due to the series being
An archetype is a human experience or symbol that is universally known and accepted. Archetypes can be images or stories passed on through history. Carl Jung, a prominent psychiatrist in the early 1900’s, used archetypes in his theory about the human psyche and how humans can recognize these symbols because they reside in the collective human subconscious. Some common examples of archetypes are The Hero, The Mentor, The Mother, The Villain and many more. Archetypes like these can be seen in everyday things like books, tv or movies. In The Complete Stories by Zora Neale Hurston there are many different archetypes in each story but three prominent ones are The Trickster, The Devil or Evil, and The Hero. In the novel The Trickster archetype
They had similar beliefs, but also immeasurable differences. It was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all played a part in the everyday life of the average Roman and Greek person of that time.
Just look at two creation stories side-by-side and you should easily see their similarities. Perhaps the easiest way to do this would be to take one unknown creation story and compare it to one from one’s own culture. Below is an example of a Mongolian creation myth:
Bellerophon goes to Africa and then is sent on a mission to find a deadly beast named Chimaera that is
In my opinion, books is a mystery, we don’t know what is inside a book so to be able to figure out, understand, and know about it mystery, we must read them. The Mythology lens in literature will allow the reader to reach the puzzle events and understand them thoroughly.
The Greek God Hercules is a legendary hero whose story has been retold in many ways, and each time his Greek archetype is modified or changed completely. Hercules the Myth is an innocent archetype seeking loyalty from the gods and village people, while in the movie Hercules starts out as an orphan and seeks a place where he belongs. Though there are many different depictions of Hercules he will still be a hero.
Jessica Chan Ms. Babcock ENG2D1 Wednesday April 2, 2014 In mythology, the hero often begins their life at a disadvantage. They usually have not discovered their physical strength. Hero faces many obstacles to test his heroic abilities. However, through the experience of these harsh challenges, hero gains knowledge of himself and the nature of life.
Archetypes are everywhere, both in real life and in literature around the world, and humans know them all. American Gods is a fantasy novel written by Neil Gaiman in 2001. The book revolves around the premise that every god that has been believed in has manifested into human form and has traveled to America through the minds of immigrants. Shadow Moon is the main character in this novel, which follows his adventure with the American gods. Wednesday, Odin, is Shadow’s boss and also the strongest advocate for fighting the new gods: internet, plastic, and TV. Laura is Shadow’s wife, who died in a car accident at the beginning of the novel, and is staying alive with the help of a magical golden coin. Other characters that
How did the world begin? Have you ever wondered this most likely yes. Everyone has been asking this question for millions of years. The explanation of this is called Mythology. By looking at What Mythology is, the categories of Mythology, the regions of major myths, some of the key players of myths, and finally the similarities of the cultures. With that I will start my paper and by the end of it you will have a more in depth knowledge of Mythology.
Zeus hurls his thunderbolt and the world trembles. Odin invites fallen warriors in the halls of Valhalla for a drink. Jesus Christ spreads the words of his father and gathers disciples. Buddha sits and meditates the meaning of the universe. Across the world there have always been mythological stories. From the first civilization to modern times, mythologies help explain the vents of the world and attempt to provide answers for unanswerable questions. Though every mythology appears different, if one looks close enough, commonalities appear. Joseph Campbell spent his life studying mythologies and religions along with compiling the commonalities amongst them. This study on the works of Joseph Campbell focuses on the following areas:
Classical Hindu Mythology. Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978. 38-40. Print.