Essay: Indian Mysticism

(Image Information: Comanche Camp by George Catlin (1834);
Web Source: Texas Indians)

As I got further and further into the Tejas Legends unit, I began to realize a recurring motif. In each story, something supernatural always seemed to play a key, if not major role in the story. Whether is was a talking animal, or someone with a mysterious power, it was always something out of the ordinary. While it is often the goal of storytelling to preserve one's culture, I think it is often the Native American stories that best do this. Their stories represent their belief in the supernatural, their gods, and their strong connection to the land. They treat the land not as something they live on, but rather something they live with. They believe they coexist with the land, and this shows in their storytelling.

In Why the Woodpecker Pecks, a group of people in a tribe do not heed the advice of the medicine man, and eat a plant that is off limits. It is during this time that a god sees their children in danger and places each one of them in a tree for safety from the sun and coyotes. When the parents realize the children are gone, they beg the god for mercy, and he turns them into birds (woodpeckers).

In other stories such as The Plant that Grows in Trees, The Maiden who Loved A Star, and How Sickness Entered the World (among others), there was much more magic at hand. All of these stories well represent the Native American belief that one must respect his/her elders, the gods, and nature in order to live a full and happy life. Among all of these stories, there’s good little life lessons too (see Why Hummingbirds Only Drink Dew for gambling tips).

These Tejas Legends did a very good job, in my opinion, of representing not only good life lessons for children and young adults, but they also did a great job of giving a view of what life for Native Americans was like. They are a very proud, honorable people who coexist with nature.

Essay: Repercussions in Eskimo Folktales

(Image Information: An Inupiat Family from Noatak, AK,
1929; Web Source: Wikimedia)

The Eskimo Folk Tales were actually very entertaining. Once you get past the impossible-to-pronounce names, the stories are appealing. They have a good combination of men, women, heroes, and magic. One thing they really go overboard with, however, is the punishments and violence in some stories becomes a bit harsh.

In “Papik, Who Killed His Wife’s Brother,” Papik goes on hunts with his wife’s brother, Aliaq. As you can guess from the name of the tale, Papik killed Aliaq because he was jealous of Aliaq’s ability to hunt. Aliaq’s mother, who knew of Papik’s sin, called him out on it and told him that she would make him pay. The woman went down to the shore and let the tide rush upon her, drowning her. After time had passed, Papik, no longer afraid, returned to the hunt, and immediately, the ghost of the mother found him and tore Papik to pieces. This story is a harsh way of saying men should not kill other men. Another story very similar to this is “Pâtussorssuaq, Who Killed His Uncle.” Pâtussorssuaq killed his uncle because his wife was so beautiful, but the uncle came back as a fox and ripped Pâtussorssuaq limb from limb.

In addition to killing, these people found lying to be just as bad. This can be seen in “The Woman Who Lied.” In this story (you guessed it) a woman lied. She lied to her old tribe that her husband’s new tribe was treating her poorly, and so the old tribe attacked the new tribe and slayed all but three of their women. When the new tribe saw what happened, they knew the woman was to blame, so they went back to where the old tribe was, killed the men, and took the women for themselves. But they didn’t forget about the woman who lied. They cut her arms off and let her bleed to death.

I certainly recommend this unit to anyone who is undecided on what Native American unit to do. It was a quick and interesting read. Just be sure to prepare yourself for the extremely violent, eye for an eye repercussions.

Essay: Brer Rabbit's Wits

(Image Information: Brer Rabbit; Web Source Wikimedia)

In the Tales of Brer Rabbit I, there are many stories that include Brer Rabbit, but there are almost as many that do not have Brer Rabbit. Something that is present in each and every story, is the motif of intelligence. In each story, the smartest animal will be the one who comes out triumphant. There are several times where the smartest animal in one story is not the smartest in the next (e.g. “Mr. Fox in The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story” and Brer Rabbit in “How Mr. Rabbit was Too Sharp for Mr. Fox”). However, most of the time it is Brer Rabbit coming out on top, and Mr. Fox falling short.

One of the most interesting stories, “Old Mr. Rabbit, He’s a Good Fisherman,” many of the animals are working together, but Brer Rabbit is tired and so he finds an excuse to take a break. He finds a bucket, but ends up trapped at the bottom of the well. When Brer Fox sees him at the bottom of the well, Brer Rabbit says he is “fishing for suckers,” alluding to Brer Fox, and Brer Rabbit dupes Brer Fox into getting into the other empty bucket, causing him to fall to the bottom while Brer Rabbit rises to the top and escapes.

Another story worth mentioning is “Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Bear”. In this story, Brer Rabbit eats food from Brer Fox’s garden, but Brer Fox cannot prove it is the rabbit’s doing, so Brer Fox sets a trap, which works on Brer Rabbit the next day. While hanging in the trap, Brer Rabbit is approached by a curious Brer Bear. Brer Rabbit deceives Brer Bear and says he is making a dollar a day by being a scarecrow in Brer Fox’s garden. Brer Bear, eager to make some money, willingly takes Brer Rabbit’s place in the trap. Again, Brer Rabbit makes a clean getaway.

The wits in the Tales of Brer Rabbit keep me very interested in these stories. They make you really eager to see what is going to happen next.

Essay: Yamato and Tacibana

(Image Information: The great Yamato-Takeru; Web Source: Wikipedia)

After reading the section on Japanese Mythology, I found it very interesting that there was a Japanese hero who is very much like the great Hercules. What I liked so much about this version of Hercules, was the influence his princess had on him.

We first meet Yamato, the Japanese Hercules, and he is the ultimate warrior. He uses his skill in warfare to defeat many vicious bandits, but besides using his brawn, his also uses his brain. Deceiving the bandit leader into thinking he was a girl, being invited in, and then killing the bandit leader. He successfully rescued his princess, Tacibana.

Next, Yamato meets a beautiful siren. This women appeals so greatly to Yamato that he says he will perform any task to prove his love to her. The siren tells Yamato that he must obtain and bring a golden apple. Yamato, enamored with this siren and completely ignoring his princess, sets out to find said apples. On his quest he comes across a demon boar and defeats it. Then, he is deceived by a group of travelers, and death for him and his men seems certain. It is in his moment of greatest doubt, when he is encircled by flames, a figure comes through the flames. It is the princess, Tacibana. She brings Yamato the grass-cleaving sword, and he uses this sword to save his men.

After he and his men are saved, Yamato tells his savior, Tacibana, that the flames have made her hideous and that she must go home and hide herself until she is beautiful again. Tacibana is heartbroken but listens to her hero, whom she loves unconditionally. Then, Yamato returns to the siren, and again, Yamato is deceived. The siren fools him and takes his sacred sword. Yamato is helped by the goddess Kwannon, and he finally regains the sacred sword.

This cycle repeats, until finally, Yamato realizes that he was a fool and Tacibana’s unending love for him has saved him time and time again. One last time, Yamato travels the sea, after having already defeated the sea god and upsetting him. This time, the sea god, in his own territory, creates a brutal storm and says that he will have Yamato now; in one last show of her undying love for her hero, Tacibana sacrifices herself and jumps into the sea, dying.

These stories with Yamato were very interesting because behind the talented, yet arrogant hero, was a loving, virtuous princess who stood by her man through thick and thin. Its a great love story.

Essay: Animal Wit

(Image Information: A fox; Web Source: Wikipedia)

In every case, the last man, or animal, standing was not the strongest, or the fastest, but was the most intelligent. This week was a nice shift of gears from mythology and into some shorter fables. The Tortoise and the Geese and Other Fables of Bidpai had plenty of stories, and almost every story, at the end, included a “winner” who was more cunning than his peers. Also, it is interesting to note that, in each story, there was usually one person who thought he was the smartest, but ended up being bested by another who was better than him.

For example, in The Hare, the Fox, and the Wolf, the hare intends to use the wolf as a means of removing the pesky fox from the hare’s worries. The hare devises an entire plan to have the wolf kill the fox; however, in the end it is the fox (commonly recognized as a cunning, or sly, animal) who emerges victorious, and the wolf who the hare was going to use to kill the fox, actually killed the hare. The fox was the smartest of the three creatures, so he survived in the end, capturing both the hare and the wolf.

Again, in The Camel Driver and the Adder, wit wins out. And this time, a fox is again involved in the victory. The camel driver, out of the goodness of his heart, saves the adder from certain death, only to be told that the adder still must kill him. He tries to wiggle out of it, but is unable to do so multiple times. Finally, before it’s over, a fox comes along and helps the camel driver. The fox tricks the adder into returning to the tiny bag he was saved in, and the camel driver closes the bag and kills the adder. Again, the fox (and the camel driver) wins.

Finally, there was the story of The Three Fish. This story blatantly says that wit is a most important quality. The fish who always used his wits was able to escape, the fish who sometimes used his wits was able to survive, and the stupid fish… he died. The moral of the story is be smart.

Essay: Women of Egypt

(Image Information: Depiction
of Isis; Web Source: Wikipedia)

This week, I moved from Greek Mythology to Ancient Egyptian Mythology. The last two essays have been over the role women played in part one and two of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and while the women in part two had more of an influence than those in part one, still no women were happy at the end of their stories. This week, I focused on the stories of Osiris and Isis as well as “The Two Brothers”, and analyzed the role women play in these stories.

Osiris, an Egyptian god, begins his story as he takes over the throne, after Ra ascended to heaven. Osiris built a glorious and honorable Egypt where he was known as “Osiris the Good” because he was so widely loved for his success. Unfortunately, he had an evil brother, Set, who desired the power Osiris held and plotted to take it from him. Enter Isis, the wife of Osiris. While Osiris was away, Isis successfully protected the throne from Set and his servants. Then, upon Osiris’s return, Set put his final plan into motion and successfully killed the king. Isis heard this news and was heartbroken. With Set on the throne, Egypt was thrust back into turmoil, so Isis set out to find her husband’s body. After searching for years, she finally found the body. She also gave birth to a boy, Horus, who was destined to overthrow Set and return peace to Egypt. On her way back, Set happened across his brother’s body and was so furious he had it cut into pieces and thrown into the Nile. Isis, determined to help her love find peace in the afterlife, went and found every piece of his body and gave each piece a proper burial. While she was not happy, her passion for her husband and the sympathy of Ra allowed her to successfully find Osiris’s body twice and give it a proper Egyptian burial. This is the first story I read where a women succeeded without going mad in the process.

In the tale of the two brothers, much like before, the women play a much less honorable role. The wife of the older brother, Anpu, attempts to seduce the younger brother, Bata, and then lies to Anpu about her doings, placing all the blame on Bata. This leads to Anpu attempting to murder Bata, and Bata’s decision to leave. Then, the gods create a wife for Bata, and this wife eventually decides to give Bata up and has him killed. These women, in the end, were both unsuccessful (Anpu’s wife was slain, and Bata’s wife gave rebirth to Bata so he could become king of Egypt) in their attempts to deceive their husbands.

In these Ancient Egyptian stories, mortal women played much of the same role as before. They are far inferior to the powers of gods and men. In this section, however, there was Isis, who did succeed in laying her husband to rest.

Essay: More Mortal Women

(Image Information: Medea, by Evelyn de
Morgan (1889); Web Source: Art Renewal)

Last week, I read books 1-4 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses and discussed how many of the women in these stories were easily manipulated and controlled by men and gods (e.g. Io, Semele, Callisto, Andromeda). However, this week, the women had much more a mind of their own in Ovid’s Metamorphoses books 5-7. These women, although much more independent, still did not ever get the happy ending they desired; their skills, passions, and intelligence were not enough for them to win what they desired. Not even the mighty Medea got what she wanted in the end.

First, there was the weaver Arachne. Arachne was so talented that she thought she was better than the mighty Minerva herself. Even after Minerva disguised herself as an old women and pleaded with Arachne to worship the goddess, Arachne (being so bold, and so brash) ignored the women. This lead to Minerva revealing herself, but even this was not enough for Arachne to bow. The overly proud mortal dueled the goddess, and unsurprisingly, the goddess defeated Arachne and turned her into a spider. Arachne’s refusal to honor the gods that created her led to her ultimate downfall. Although Arachne is a strong woman, she is portrayed as a weak character because of her reckless attitude.

Much like Arachne, and actually a friend of the mortal turned spider, was Niobe. Niobe, a beautiful woman with godly bloodlines, seven daughters, and seven sons. Considered herself to be so great that she should be a goddess herself. She not only refused to worship Latona, but she forced others to stop public prayer for the goddess. Latona made sure this sacrilegious woman was put in her place, killing all seven of her daughters, and all seven of her sons. Niobe’s arrogance did not stop until the final child was killed.

The best, and most impressive, of all the women was Medea, the daughter of King Aeetes. Medea quickly falls in love with Jason and is willing to do anything to help him successfully return with the golden fleece so long as he promises he will marry her after he succeeds. So he promises, and she helps him. Then, Medea used her knowledge of certain herbs and magic to restore Aeson’s (Jason’s father) youthfulness at Jason’s request. Her greatness continued to grow as she tricked the daughters of King Pelias (Aeson’s brother) to kill the King. This allowed Aeson to return to the throne. However, in truly tragic form, Jason found another woman, and Medea was driven mad with fury. In this maniacal episode of rage, Medea killed the two sons she shared with Jason, again leaving no one happy.

Besides these three women there was also Procne and Philomela. These sisters, similar to the women of last week, were deceived by a man; and while the ending is not happy, Procne does exact revenge on Tereus by murdering their son and feeding him his remains. While Procne does react and fire back at Tereus, in no way does she win or even come close to being satisfied at the end of the story. Her vicious insanity shows more of her unstable mind than her power over a man. Just as before, the women in books 5-7 fell at the feet of those who were considered more important than them (i.e. gods, goddesses, and men).

Essay: Women's Woes in Metapmorphoses

(Image Information: Jupiter and Semele by
Gustave Moreau (1895); Web Source: Art Magick)

Women had it all. Women had nothing. Women showed bravery. Women showed fear. In Ovid's Metamorphoses (books 1-4) there were women of varying personalities and situations; however, no matter what characteristics they had, they were subject to a higher power. None of them were strong enough or smart enough to outwit the gods, who always decided their fate.

Io, Callisto, and Semele were all women who were raped by Jupiter because of their immense beauty and appeal to the king of the gods. They had no say in the matter and were often deceived by Jupiter so that he could have his way with them. Afterwards, the girls would feel a great sense of shame, but this shame would stay with them for at least nine months as they carried one of Jupiter’s bastards. It was only a matter of time before Juno would discover her husband’s infidelities and take revenge on the women. Io was raped and transformed into a heifer by Jupiter, taken prisoner by Juno, and eventually left alone and returned to human form. This sparing, due to a lot of pleading by Jupiter, is very similar to Jupiter changing Callisto and her son, Arcas, into constellations before Arcas shoots down his mother. In this story, it is Juno that changes Callisto into a bear. Semele is not as fortunate as the other two, and Juno tricks her into walking right into her own death.

Then, there was the brave nymph. While other nymphs were having relationships with Jupiter, Juno would come looking to punish them. Everytime she would appear, so would Echo, and Echo would use an endless stream of conversation so that the other nymphs could flee and not be found with Jupiter. This constant deception lead to Juno’s decision to punish Echo, leaving her unable to create her own words. Because Echo could only repeat the words she heard, when she saw beautiful Narcissus, she was unable to appeal to him. Still to this day she lives in nature, often repeating what she hears.

As for a typical women, look no further than the story of Perseus and Andromeda. Andromeda was the daughter of Cassiopeia and was doomed by her mother’s words to be sacrificed to the sea monster. Andromeda was beautiful, but she was no more than that. When Perseus passed by her he thought she was so beautiful that he decided to save her in exchange for her hand, terms which the king and queen accepted immediately. Andromeda screamed in fear of the monster, and after being saved, was enamored by her hero.

Women (mortal women) came from a variety of backgrounds in this unit, but one thing seemed to remain consistent. These women did not hold any power over their own lives. They were subordinates to stronger men or gods, and it was these superiors who held the women’s fates in their hands.