Story Lab - Crash Course Mythology (Gods and Goddesses)

I watched the four Crash Course Mythology videos for this weeks Story Lab. They were about different god/goddess archetypes, and more specific stories the showcase these archetypes. 

The first video talked about the goddess archetype, most notably, the Triple Goddess. One way that the Triple Goddess is described is as the Virgin, the Mother, and Crone. What I thought was so interesting was how this narrow characterization is repeated in modern society: The Mother, the Virgin, the B*tch, and the Whore. Anyway, a better characterization of the Triple Goddess is Life, Death, and Rebirth. For example, Gaia is the Earth Mother, symbolizing life; Persephone and Isis are 'Queens of Death," associated with growth and decay, as well as fate and magic; and finally, nymphs and maidens who symbolize rebirth, sexuality, and creation. Goddesses are often complex and multifaceted. 

In the second video, this idea is expanded on with the somewhat-contrasting stories of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, and the White Buffalo Woman of the Lakota and Dakota tribes. Pele exhibits both death and destruction when she believes that her younger sister has stolen her man. She does this via the power of lava: she uses it to destroy both her ex-lover and her sister's tree friend, but it also provides Hawaii with fertile soil, and by the end of the story, both the tree groves and the lover are restored. The White Buffalo Woman also exhibits the power of life and death. When the two scouts encounter her, one tries to grope her and is killed instantly with a lightning bolt. But the other is reverent, and she later brings his people the sacred pipe, corn, and knowledge of turnips--making her a culture hero. 

Male archetypes are covered in the third video, and we learn that there are six well-known archtypes for male gods. The Father/Son, a dynamic which is probably best exhibited by the succession myth of Uranus, then Kronus, then Zeus: each son usurps his father, usually by violent means (i.e. castration). The King/Judge, which is obvious in the Greek and Egyptian pantheons, by Zeus--king of the gods or by Osiris, king of the Underworld who also acts as the judge of human souls. The Savior or Sage, who brings advice to humanity about how to live a virtuous life, or saves humanity with knowledge or sacrifice--like Prometheus bringing fire to humanity or Jesus dying for the sins of men. There are also Shamans, who are sort of like sages. They communicate, operate, or solve problems in or between the spirit worlds and Earth. Hermes or Thoth are examples of Shamans. Tricksters, like Loki, remind us that the world is chaotic; while Lords of Destruction, like Hades have conflicting connotations. There is both the concept of death and excess, for example, 'plutocrats'--meaning greedy bastards--comes from the Latin name for Hades: Pluto. 

The Dying God was also discussed. Some 'dying god' stories are well known, like Jesus or Odin. Sometimes a god's death is an accident, like Adonis. Venus, who memorialized him as the anemone flower, reminds us of the cyclical nature of life with the flower's seasonal death and renewal. Another reason for a god to die is for the sake of humankind. For example, the Corn Mother of Native American mythology, asked her husband to kill her and have her sons drag her body around then bury her bones to give the First People corn, tobacco, and to allow the game to replenish. 

"Odin's Last Words to Baldr" by W. G. Collingwood
via Wikipedia

Reading Notes - Celtic Tales (Reading B)

I am honestly loving these Celtic Tales. They are so random and so entertaining, a lot of things are sort of familiar from pop-culture, like the fairies and the goblins, but also there are a lot of things that I'm learning that you can only get from going straight to the source. 

For example, I was watching or reading something, and the legendary hero was a guy named Andrew Coffey. I didn't understand why, but the point was that he could see into the ghost world. Reading the original story kind of helped me make sense of the reference, even though he's less heroic and more human in the story. Every reaction he has to Patrick Rooney's ghost(?) is a reaction I could totally see myself having. 

I am sticking with my original point from Reading A: these stories are meant to connect the past (mythical or not) to the present, and preserve history and culture in a much more direct way than I'm used to seeing in the Native American or African myths. They use people's reall names, first and last: "My grandfather, Andrew Coffey," or "Prince Llewelyn, son of King John" or "King O' Toole." I know for a fact there are some O'Tooles in Ireland or Scotland who at least claim connection to these old stories. I would. 

My favorite stories from this selection was "King O'Toole and his Goose" and the "Tale of Ivan." I liked the colloquial way that the story of King O'Toole was told. The narration included things like "I'm telling you...", which I rarely see in stories. I think that's an interesting and underappreciated way to tell a story: literally telling it to the reader, no grandiose language just a casual storyteller. I've never considered telling a story that way, but perhaps now I might. Another thing that I liked about the story of King O'Toole was the fact the Saint Kevin was the supernatural element of the story. Somehow, I forget that you can look at religious figures in a lot of ways: culture heroes, actual messengers of god, or just supernatural beings. And Saint Kevin was a really interesting way to remind me of that. 

I also liked the Tale of Ivan because it had foreshadowing every step of the way but there was still a twist. That story was awesome, relaxing and entertaining. I also really liked the "Brewery of Eggshells" because it gave me insight into where the myth of "Changelings" come from. 

"The Legend of St. Stephen" by Martino di Bartolomeo
via Wikimedia Commons

I know we're doing a StoryLab this week, but I might try out this new storytelling method for my story next week. Maybe it'd be relaxing to just calmly tell a story. 

Reading Notes - Celtic Tales (Reading A)

This week, I've decided to read the Celtic Tales for the British and Celtic unit. I have very little experience with Celtic culture or history, beyond what can be gleaned from pop-culture stereotypes of the region, the Vikings series or the show Outlander (both of which I highly recommend if you're into roguish-yet-lovable male protagonists and strong female characters). But I digress.

I found these stories were less about "deep, mystical truths" and more about entertainment and fun. Even more than that, they seemed to specifically have the goal or preserving Celtic cultural figures, like leprechauns, fairies and Druid magic. For example, the first story of "Connla and the Fairy Maiden" gave everyone a name except for the fairy maiden, and gave details about the king's Druid's method of getting rid of the Fairy. It also had lots of details about Fairy Land itself. The same is true for the "Field of Boliauns," wherein Tom Fitzpatrick (again, full names) tells us what to do and what not to do if we ever find a leprechaun chugging beer in a field. 

There were other stories that preserved history and cultural mysticism in a much creepier way. "The Horned Women" for one, was kind of weird. But now, I know what to do if a series of increasingly-horned witches enter my home and start weaving. "The Sprightly Tailor" gave us an actual location, as did the "Shepherd of Myddvai," which makes me feel like the point is to connect all generations of listeners/readers. 

My favorite story of these so far is a tie between "Munachar and Manachar" and the "Silver-Tree and Gold-Tree" story. The former is one of those stories/songs that makes a list of things and you have to keep track of all the things listed until the funny twist at the end. Loved that story, it was highly entertaining. The Snow-White story--Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree--was interesting. It's got everything, from filicide to polygamy. Both were highly entertaining. I look forward to reading the second section. 

"Munachar and Manachar" by John D. Batten
via Wikimedia Commons