Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Week 1-3 Questions
1. What genres do the following texts belong to?
Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).
2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to site from the original texts).
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).
6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ?
8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer).
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Question 1:
ReplyDeleteThe Hobbit potentially fits into several different genres. Obviously, it fits into the mega-genre of the novel, as well as film (a recent development that is somewhat less relevant). Fantasy is the main genre that springs to mind when we think of Hobbits and dwarves and dragons. More specifically, it is "high fantasy", because it takes place in a realm that remains inaccessible to the human world.
It follows the traditional "hero's journey" model; starting in the ordinary world of the character, followed by the call to adventure. The characters also fit Vogler’s archetypes, including the hero (Bilbo), the mentor (Gandalf) and the Threshold Guardian (Smaug the Dragon). The presence of these aspects means that the story could also be classed as an epic. "The Hobbit" has mythological characteristics too. It is said that it provides England with its “forgotten roots, the mythology it has lost” (Howse, C. 2012). Tolkien created it because of his interest in Britain’s lack of ancient history. However, because the story ultimately concerns mortals and not Gods, I would consider it more epic than mythological.
Sources:
Howse, C. 2012. The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9575599/The-Hobbit-unearths-a-hoard-of-myths.html
Wikipedia. 2012. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Writer's_Journey:_Mythic_Structure_for_Writers
I like how you referenced the heroes journey model it fits this novel very well.
DeleteI would like to point out that within the content of the novel itself there is there are genres closely linked to epics that depict the plights of other characters that live within the historical context of their world. For example in the extract we are given, it tells of dragon slaying but not by the characters we know and love such as Gandalf or Bilbo instead it depicts the plight of a man named Bard who with his black arrow manages to slay the assaulting dragon Smaug. Then it goes onto how the city is rebuilt after the destruction. This story exists within the novel and even has its own genre as an epic this kind of extends the bounds of what genre the Hobbit can fall into.
I also like how you have included the heroes journey model. I remember this from our creative writing classes and you are right, the hobbit fits the model exactly!
DeleteI enjoyed comment on the exploration of "The Hobbit's" general genre to it s most specific of forms.The Hobbit potential to integrate into several different genres such as Fantasy is the main genre and More specifically as a form of "high fantasy". I am particularly fascinated on your research on following the traditional "hero's journey" model which is consistent with the idea of "Monomyth", with the main character starting off in the ordinary world leading the character in the call to adventure. Your connections and comparisons between Tolkiens "middle earth tales" (Lord of the rings books and The hobbit) with mythological tales ties together quite nicely and enhances my understanding of the origins and the birth place of first fantasy begun to emerge from.
DeleteI liked how you said that it has provided england with its forgotten roots. As it is said the 'The Lord of the Rings' has saved the poem of Beowulf from prosterity.
DeleteQuestion 1: I will be discussing the genre that Beowulf is part of. Beowulf is an epic poem and was written in archaic but was originated as Anglo Saxon literature. The poem was written by an anonymous author and can be dated back from the 8th century and early 11th century.
ReplyDeleteThe story explores the struggle and monsters such as Grendel and a dragon that this character has to face. Here is an example of Beowulf facing a dragon “When the dragon awoke, trouble flared again. He rippled down the rock, writhing with anger when he saw the footprints of the prowler who had stolen too close to his dreaming head.” (pg 73, Heaney)
Reference
Heaney, S. (Trans). (1999). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin,pp 70-80.
Wikipedia, 2013 Beowulf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf
Question 8:
ReplyDeleteThe Old Norse myth Vǫluspá is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It tells the story of a Prophecy explaining the creation of the world, the universe and its coming doom apocalypse known as “ragnarok” told through the eyes of völva aka Seeress who addresses Odin high father of the gods. It is one of the most important primary sources for the study of Norse mythology and can be looked at as desirable text for it's Religious properties and insight into the early stages of oral storytelling.
In terms of religious properties the Norse religion is a subset of Germanic paganism Norse paganism was the inspiration behind the Neopagan religions of Asatru and Odinism, which originated in the 20th century. They are both subsets of the larger Germanic neopaganism. Valuspa can be read for educational value, by being studying it to better understanding the movement of early written texts/materials.
Sources:
Gill N.S.( n.d )About.com guide
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/norsemyth/a/aa081799Norse.ht
Wikipedia. 2012. Norse religion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_religion
Like you said Kendall, Voluspa describes the creation of the world, as well as its imminent doom. Like any text of this magnitude, it ultimately wants to draw people into believing something. "The acknowledged aim of this presentation is to attract people "of good will" to the Nordic tradition" (Kodratoff, Y 1998)
Deletehttp://www.nordic-life.org/nmh/voluspa.htm
To go further into this if we look closely at their poem they are strong believers in fate:
Delete"Much wisdom have the three maidens
who come from the waters close to that tree;
they established laws, decided the lives
men were to lead, marked out their fates."
The Goddesses of Norn seem to be at the center of all the events that occur within their daily lives. It seems almost as if this poem that depicts the beginning and ending of the world was written and sung by the Goddesses of Norn since it depicts events that happens both in the past and future with absolute clarity such as Fenrir escaping and the death of Thor.
From this train of thought it can be understood that Fate was an integral role in Nordic life. The desire of these poems therefore becomes one of security, where it gives off the impression that no matter what happens it happens because the fates have predetermined it.
References:
Völuspá, from Terry, P. (Trans). (1990, 1966). Poems of the Elder Edda. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteThe Volsunga Saga is by its title a saga whose meanings can be disputed as translations vary according to place and location. To give likeness they are generally stories told but they are more than this in some senses as they are also tales, legends and most prominently histories. If one looks beyond the Dragon slaying of Fanfir and the magic of witches it can be seen that the characters are very much real in terms of their actions and follows the nature of nobility of the time. In this it included themes of treachery, incest, inter-family killings, passion, love, expanded territory through marriage etc. all these themes lead me to believe that this saga fall under the definition of light fiction rather than that of heavy fiction.
I read a bit beyond the prose given here and sought out more parts of the Volsunga saga and although a summary of the events, it can be seen that each section can be likened to an episode such as that of a T.V. episode. Linking it to modern genre’s it could be likened to a miniseries in which the telling of the story is episodic but focused on particular themes and kept within a certain type of setting. This also meant that certain actions in the present had consequences later in the series such as the cursing of the ring Andvaranaut which is renamed to Ottergild which later on becomes Sigurd’s whom he gives to Brynhild and causes the tragedies to ensue.
References
Joe, J. (2010, April 4). Völsunga Saga. Timeless Myths. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from http://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/volsunga.html
Wikipedia (2013, March 12). Miniseries. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniseries
Wikipedia (2013, February 23). Saga. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saga
Wikipedia (2013, March 10). Völsunga saga. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%B6lsunga_saga
Question 2:
ReplyDeleteSecondary Orality as Ong (1982) suggests is orality that is the result of the written word, ie language that can only exist because of literacy. Therefore in the case of Volsunga, we must look carefully at the language used in the translation.
The first and foremost evidence of Secondary orality in the Voluspa extract we are given is “ordered time by years.” (Voluspa, 1990, Stanza 6) If looked at carefully ordering time by years has implications of time being recorded because to conceptualise time by years you would need to be able to view it and thus must have some form of recording it, therefore could have only arisen because a form of literacy being able to record and categorise something.
If the notion of "I" and "My" are secondary then "hear my words" is evidence of secondary orality, in which case the primary oralitic "we" phrase would most likely be "hear the words of our ancestors/predecessors" which very well might have been an original non recorded version.
The notion of using adjectives such as "fair dwelling" itself can be evidence of secondary orality. I draw this conclusion on the basis that literacy introduced the concept of elaborating phrases and words. Primary poetic orality as I see it would instead of elaboration have its muse dictate the tone, feeling and mood of the poem and as an oraltic culture could not record small extended definitions, and therefore would be lost upon the first few generations of memorisers, effervescent being the nature of oral cultures.
In simpler terms all I am saying is that it would be hard pressed to assume that a purely oralitic culture would remember fine details such as the word "fair" as an adjective to "dwelling". This is evidenced further when we look near to the end of the poem where the mighty god of Earth, Thor falls and is only given six lines:
“Far-famed Thor, the son of Earth,
the son of Odin, goes forth to fight the Snake.
Midgard’s defender dies triumphant,
but the human race no longer has a home:
nine steps beyond the Serpent’s body,
Thor, wounded, walks in pride.” (Voluspa, 1990)
It could be assumed that in the telling of these lines that the deeply solemn voice and mannerisms of the narrator would vouch for the lack of description within the scene as we as a literate culture are accustomed to.
References:
Ong, W. J. (1982). Introduction. In Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word (pp. 1-15). London: Methuen.
Völuspá, from Terry, P. (Trans). (1990, 1966). Poems of the Elder Edda. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
-> When I say Volsunga it is an accident I really mean Voluspa I just got mixed up on the names since I am looking at both.
DeleteI agree with your points, I would like to go a little further in add in the beginning of this myth, its introduction states "Hear my words, you holy gods, great men and humble sons of Heimdall; by Odin’s will, I’ll speak the ancient lore, the oldest of all that I remember." (Voluspa,1990). It obviously feels like the narrator is speaking to us, just alike how they would do many, many years ago. For example when the author states "I'll speak the ancient lore" Which means the author will talk about a story passed from an ancient group that has been passed by generations. Luckily in this text it still has elements of its originally orality roots and through its many translation that has been deciphered by scholars.
DeleteReference
Terry,P, (Trans) .(1990) Völuspá Poems of the Elder Edda. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press pp2-4
We can see residual orality in this text. Dian Goettel (2013)describes orality as a certain way of thinking and speaking in communities that have "widespread access to a written form in their language". She then explains that residual orality is when the population have been exposed to written text, but are not completely used to it and haven't yet started using it in their day to day lives. This means that "residue" of orality is still present in the language even though the population has been exposed to writing, because they still practice a certain way of thinking and speaking that is common to primarily oral cultures.
DeleteLooking at the voluspa, we can see this residue of orality throughout the text. For example in the first stanza it begins with: "Hear my words". This is evidence that this story was probably spoken aloud, before it was written as text. In the same paragraph the words, "I'll speak" are used by the narrator. This shows us that the story was likely first designed to be heard, instead of read.
As Kevin has stated, when this story was told aloud, we can presume that it would contain a lot more character and interest, due to the narrator who was telling it. There are still some powerful scenes in this work, for example the lines:
"A river bears westward through a baneful valley
spears and swords; its name is Fear.
Far from sunlight stands a hall
on the Shores of the Dead; its doors face north.
deadly poisons drip through its roof,
snakes were woven to form its walls"
But if we imagine this being told aloud, it becomes clear that the storyteller would have been able to make scenes likes this more dramatic by using their voice as a tool. When reading the text, pauses in the story are bought about by grammar, such as the semicolon in the line- "spears and swords; its name is Fear." Although this may halt us slightly when reading this line, we can imagine how dramatic it could have been when spoken aloud, because the narrator controls the story. They have the ability to pause dramatically and then whisper, "its name is fear."
source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-orality.htm
I enjoy how you have clarified further the definitions of Orality as I found trouble in understanding the differences as well, and now I realise that on majority a lot of what I talk about in my original post such as the "I and We" and the "Fair Dwelling" actually fall more or less under Residual Orality rather than Secondary.
DeleteQuestion 8: Discuss what you think any of these texts desire:
ReplyDeleteBennett and Royle (1999), describe texts as "machines of desire", that not only attempt to generate desire from the reader, but are also generated by desire.
We can see both types of desire when looking at the texts in the critical reader. Take Voluspa for example- which is a creation myth, described as a myth that “gives a summary of the entire mythology, from the origins of the cosmos to its destruction to its rebirth” (Lindow, 2001). This quote backs up the idea that voluspa attempts to cover a large amount of time very quickly. This text not only desires to tell a story, but also to convince the reader to somewhat believe it as it strives to tell of the beginning of the world. It attempts to draw many different emotions from the reader, including fear, which is enforced through excellent use of metaphor (snakes were woven to form its walls).
Question 6: What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
Again looking at Voluspa, we can conclude that the old myths do have a significant place in our modern world. Personally, I could instantly recognise some of the characters when I first read this text. This is because some of the characters have become well-known in our modern society, like Thor who appears in Marvel comics and recently has had a movie based on his character. It is amazing when you realise how the echoes of voluspa still remain in our world today.
References:
Bennett, A. & Royle. N. (1999). Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory. London: Prentice hall, p. 170-171.
Lindow, w. (2001). Handbook of Norse Mythology. California: ABC-CLIO Inc., p. 12-13.
In regards to your question 6 answer, I totally agree with you. The revival of these old stories seem to be the growing trend at the moment.
DeleteI whole-heartedly agree with both of you regarding question 6.It seems that the further into the future we venture, the more we look to the past for entertainment. Like you said Hitesh, stories originating from myths certainly seem to be a growing trend. I think mythological and fantasy stories continue to be popular in the modern world because not only do they have characters that we all recognise and relate to, they offer us an escape from the realities of real life.
DeleteI really hated this blog entry, no I'm just kidding your description on text "machines of desire" really provided me with an enhanced understanding the attempt to generate desire from the reader but also generated by desire.
DeleteYour continued description of the text attempts to draw many different emotions from the reader which is re-enforced through use of the metaphor really engages the answers in a depth I would never had discovered on my own research.
following your second answer to Question 6: What place do the old myths have in the modern world?, I could really identify and agree with the point you were making about the returning "come back" of old myths and tales currently expanding in today modern world through the uses of new media such as comic books and films today.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteFor question 8:
DeleteI like that you said it convinces the reader to somewhat believe it strives to tell the beginning of the world because it is said that myths "...derive from human kinds quest to answer the big questions concerning the nature of the devine, the nature of reality, the human condition, higher powers and our relationship to those higher powers, they deal with the meaning of life." So yes it is not only the desire to tell a story, but maybe the history of human kind, etc.
Source:
http://www.iawwai.com/Mythology.htm
With regards to Laura's post of "It seems that the further into the future we venture, the more we look to the past for entertainment." it does have a growing trend into all sort of different entertainment.
DeleteGoing beyond the myths and going into the culture that arose from these poems and mighty tales of dragon slaying as Sigurd did to Fanfir has produced a very popular game (on all platforms) called Skyrim from Bethesda. This is in where you are the hero who slays dragons in a Nordic land where there are snow capped mountains and vast expanses of terrain and at any given moment a town could be attacked by a dragon and your duty as the chosen one is to slay these beasts permanently.
Dial back the hype and linking back to Mythology there are several key links such as you the player being the "chosen one". Prophecy playing a big part in Norse culture as evidenced by Voluspa's foretelling of the end to come there is a link to the idea that the Nordic were very religious in their beliefs about Fate and that higher powers controlling the fates.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 6:
ReplyDeleteThe place myths have in the modern world is really a retelling or reimagining of these old texts. Originally these were all oral texts and throughout the time have been passed down through generation. In the modern world the retelling of myths is happening almost every day with the release of new movies and books.
With that each now has to take a different approach to it for example the hit New Zealand series, The Almighty Johnsons is about a family who are reincarnated Norse Gods and also dabbles in to Maori mythology. The story follows a family who are reincarnated Norse Gods but has not have full access to them of such. However Axl (Odin) must find his wife Frigg in order for the family to regain their powers back. This story is loosely based off the Norse mythology and takes an interesting Kiwi spin with that. There is also a notable reference to Norse mythology in various films today such as Thor, The avengers and with the animated kid’s movie How to train your dragon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology_in_popular_culture#Film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology#Modern_retellings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Almighty_Johnsons_episodes#Home_video_releases
I like how you compared old mythology with the NZ television series "The Almighty Johnson's" and totally agree with you. I think also that old mythology influences peoples art and culture like as you said making films inspired by old mythology to create their own worlds, and then, culture as in their background for example if you are from Greece that holds a lot of history in regards to Gods and Goddesses such as the Trojan war, etc.
DeleteQuestion 4:
ReplyDeleteTolkiens draws from the old norse and old english is clearly shown in his texts of 'The Hobbit' and 'Lord of the rings' fantasy novels.
For example The dwarfs names as well as Gandalfs are "taken from the old norse mythologies of Dvergatal, the voluspa saga in the Elda Edda and Gylfaginning of the prose Edda."
The character Gandalf is clearly influenced from the Nordic god, Odin who is respectively deemed the "Allfather" in the mythological world of the norse. For example Odin and Gandalf are both "always in favour of Justice as well as gaining knowledge, truth and insight."
Tolkien who was the Anglo-Saxon professor at the University of Oxford therefore as an expert clearly uses alot of names drawn from the old english roots and old english mythologies in his novel of 'The Lord of the Rings.'He has also based alot of the novel (Lord of the rings) on the anglo-saxon peom of "Beowulf: The monsters and the critics" It is said that Tolkien is often said to have "rescued the peom for posterity."
Reference:
Hogo Joly-Morin.(2012). The Influence of Old English on J.R.R.Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/1567195/Beowulf_and_the_Influence_of_Old_English_on_J.R.R._Tolkiens_The_Lord_of_the_Rings
Another example to compare old norse and how it influenced Tolkiens writing is that in Beowulf someone steals a "gem studded goblet" from the lair of the dragon, this makes the dragon angry and it destroys all the humans in the village. In the Hobbit is a very similar situation where Bilbo steals a Jewel from the smaugs lair which awakes the dragon who kills the ponies.
DeleteQuestion 3:
ReplyDeleteA central incident that occurs in these texts is the presence of a villain in the form of a dragon. In Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf and The Hobbit, the climactic event is ultimately the slaying of the dragon.
Voluspa's hero Thor "goes forth to fight the snake" and "dies truimphant".
In Volsunga Saga, the dragon Fafnir is stabbed on the underside of his belly as he slithers from his lair. "That mighty worm was ware that he had his death wound".
Beowulf saves the villagers from the wrath of the nameless dragon, he "outgrappled the monster and his evil kin".
The dragon Smaug in the Hobbit is also slain, by the mighty warrior Bard, as the dragon soars overhead.
The ancient texts are similar in that the dragon-slayer saves the day, only to face his own death shortly after. Death is considered an important motif in mythology, described as "an act of positive benefit to mankind". (Leeming,D 1998). Relating to the universal religious concept of dying for the greater good. Bard however, lives on. This could be because The Hobbit is more contemporary, and in modern society it is considered tragic if the hero's ending isn't a happy one.
Another thing that is different about the Hobbit is that the protagonist doesn't slay the dragon. As readers we follow Bilbo on a long and arduous journey, he charms his fellow characters, and outsmarts the dragon, yet it is a minor character who delivers the final blow.It could simply be the Bilbo doesn't fit the typical description of the fantastical hero, meaning that it breaks the mould of mythology and stumbles into the epic/fantasy genre.
Sources:
Heaney, S. (1999) (trans). Beowulf: a new translation. London:
Penguin,
Leeming, D 1998. Mythology: The Voyage of the Hero. Morris, W. and Magnussun, E. (Trans.) (1888). The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga). London: Walter Scott Press
Question 4
ReplyDeleteThe desire of the Volsunga Saga is to tell a story. Plain and simple they were tales designed to be told to their people about the events that occurred within the Volsunga tribe. Like all storytelling there are truths (pg.32) and messages within them that serve as cautionary tales and parts of real history albeit a bit dressed up.
Among the theories put forth in Culture and Psychology by Darrin R. Lehman Chi-yue Chiu and Mark Schaller (2004) about how culture came about one in particular piqued my interest pertaining to this saga and that is: culture being the way in which we satisfy our need to understand the world around us. If one looks at the Volsunga Saga it can be a way of explaining the way in which the will of gods becomes interwoven in the lives of mortals and how their subtle actions can cause major effects. An example of this would be Loki and Andvaranaut where the ring gets cursed because he tricked the owner out of it and from spite had it cursed which causes disaster to fall upon whoever holds it. The human form of Fanfir and his brothers eventually come around to claim it which leads into a disaster as Fanfir kills his brother and father for the treasure stash and thus becomes a dragon, and this is most likely due to the curse of the ring. This leads to Sigurd killing Fanfir who then claims the ring and leads onto his own disasters which include many of his lovers such as Brynhild. If taken into the context of storytelling and as a means of explaining the world around them then to them any disasters or misfortunes would have originated from the actions of a god.
References:
Joe, J. (2010, April 4). Völsunga Saga. Timeless Myths. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from http://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/volsunga.html
Lehman, D. R., Chiu, C., & Schaller, M. (2004). Psychology and culture. Annual reviews, 2004(1), 689-704. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141927
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to site from the original texts).
ReplyDeleteHere I am going to explain only the differences (someone else can cover the similarities).
In Voluspa the Dragon Jormungandr is a child of Loki and Angrbooa the giantess. What makes this dragon different is that it is a sea serpent which means it isn’t directly a beast of the skies that breathes fire but rather has venom that will one day infect the sky. Also in Voluspa the dragon slayer and his nemesis meet on two other occasions, one as Jormungandr posing as a cat and the other as Thor goes fishing. Jormungandr is fate driven like all other Norse gods and beasts, which means it is predestined to act and die in a certain manner at a given point in time.
In Beowulf the origins of the dragon is different. The Dragon whose identity is only revealed at the point at which the thief steals his treasure (as far as the scriptures go) and thus we don’t know of the origins of the dragon, only that it is a beast who slept within a hidden cave for eons (or more we don’t know).
This dragon that can breathe fire and destroys villages and terrorizes the people, as far as it is known it is a territorial beast and fights to protect his treasure horde and will retaliate if provoked.
This differs to Volsunga whose dragon can talk and communicate and has sentience. This is because the origins of this dragon are in fact a human Fanfir who became a dragon due to his enormous greed that led him to kill his Father and Brother for their share in the spoils. This dragon has poisonous blood and spits poison, most likely reflecting the original persona of the dragon.
In the Hobbit the dragon has sentience and is like a human playing with ants, he knows full well he is causing havoc and destruction but makes no effort to communicate:
“That was the dragon's hope. They could all get into boats for all he cared. There he could have fine sport hunting them, or they could stop till they starved.”
This dragon breathes fire, however his blood is clean.
References:
Critical Reader
Question 6: What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
ReplyDeleteWhen we consider modern popular culture, many of the characters we are now familiar with existed in ancient Norse mythology. Voluspa for example, was the root of the supernatural character Thor, who is now recognised and adored worldwide, thanks to Marvel comics and Paramount Pictures. The film, released in 2011, included a high profile cast and music from popular US band the Foo Fighters. The release of the film saw it earn close to $500 million on an international scale. Thor’s character also appeared again for the 2012 box-office epic The Avengers. A sequel to the original Thor movie is scheduled for release later this year, and is thought to become an even greater success than the first. It is thought that the appeal of comic book heroes stems from the male desire to be strong, brave and respected, a universal truth. A character that people can relate to, is undoubtedly a character that will demand a significant fan base in any modern world. Fanfiction.net houses almost 5000 works relating to Thor. The name “Thor” even made a list of top baby names for 2013 in the USA. Considering an entire fan base revolves around comic book superheroes, it is not surprising that Thor is a widely recognised figure.
Beowulf is another ancient character that is familiar in modern society. The ancient poem was the inspiration for the 2007 film. The storyline slightly differs from the original work, but the same themes and villains exist in the fantasy film adaptation. Beowulf didn’t receive the same public admiration as Thor, but is still a widely-known character in today’s cultural realm.
References:
Peppers, M (2013) Daily Mail UK. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2304749/Baby-names-2013-Unlikely-popular-baby-monikers-inspired-superheroes-HBOs-girls.html
Wright, B (2001). Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America. The Johns Hopkins University Press.
http://www.fanfiction.net/search.php?keywords=thor&ready=1&type=story
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981115/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_(film)
What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
ReplyDeleteI think Myth has and will continue to be such an influential force in our modern world weather it be in our writing, our art, our movies and in our music. Ancient mythological epics such as the Iliad and Odyssey, Gilgamesh, and the Chanson de Roland have plots themes and story lines made up of modular elements that have been taken and reinvented allot in our films today. Among these themes were The Hero's Life, The Journey, The Marriage of the Fertility Goddess, The Epiphany of a God, and Invention of Technology. These same themes have survived through many civilizations and can be found in our own movies. Such survivals appear not just in self-conscious imitations of Greek and other myth such as: O Brother Where Art Thou (which purposely adapted plot elements from the Odyssey) but in movies like The Godfather, Jaws and classic film like The Phantom of the Opera. A large portion of the modern myths can clearly seen in allot of comic books. such as superman, batman and the Amazonian princes herself already adapted from Greek mythology: Wonder Women. All these characters encompass the same character trait seen in such classic myths like king Arthur, Robin Hood and Beowulf which is the "Lone wolf factor" it's us against the world. We already know about the messiah complex between Superman and his connection with such biblical characters like Moses, Samson and even Christ himself Jesus. I think Myths will continue intertwine and influence its ways in to modern works today and tomorrow.
References:
Must We Have Myths To Be Happy?
By Mack Tanner. http://www.buildfreedom.com/tanner/myths.shtml