TOPICS FOR PROJECT I
| TESTS AND PROJECTS | GUIDELINES |
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SCHEDULE |
Choose one of the following topics: 1 2
Class on myth theories (warning!)
UNION AND CONFLICT OF MALE AND FEMALE IN EARLY COSMOGONIES
example:
THE MARRIAGE OR THE SEPARATION OF SKY AND EARTH IN HESIOD'S THEOGONY, IN A WEST AFRICAN MYTH, AND IN MESOPOTAMIAN MYTHS*
Sources:
Myths on the marriage or separation of Sky and Earth
HESIOD, THEOGONY (104 - 205)
WEST AFRICAN MYTHOLOGY:
In a myth of the Ewe people of Togo-land, in West Africa, the Earth is the wife of the Sky, and their marriage takes place in the rainy season, when the rain causes the seeds to sprout and bear fruit. These fruits are regarded as the children of Mother Earth, who is thought to be the mother also of men and of gods. In the regions of the Senegal and the Nigerit was believed that the Sky-god and the Earth-goddess are the parents of the principal spirits who dispense life and death, weal and woe, among mankind. Similarly in a myth of the Manggerai, a people of West Flores, in the Indian Archipelago, Sky and Earth are personified as husband and wife; the consummation of their marriage is manifested in the rain, which fertilizes Mother Earth, so that she gives birth to her children, the produce of the fields and the fruits of the trees. The sky is the male power: the earth is the female power. Together they form a divine couple.
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Suggestions on issues to consider:
On Sky/Earth deities: Is the union of sky and earth viewed as a marriage between two divine powers with equal or unequal powers of generation? Are they both beneficent to human beings? Is the female goddess in the different accounts capable of creating destructive as well as benevolent offspring? What do you think of the myths that represent, not the marriage of sky and earth only, but more general issues on male/female powers: What kind of society is justified by the examples you are considering? Do you think that realistic father/ mother images in human experience have been projected onto the divine powers, or rather that the mythic constructions and ritual patterns are intended to satisfy deep psychological (or societary) needs, or as the case may be, to ward off unconscious aggressive figures?
OTHER COMPARATIVE MATERIALS
Images and texts from: Moon, B.(ed.) An Encyclopedia of Archetypal
Symbolism, Boston/London 1991. Use restricted to students in CLAS 3308.
PLEASE NOTE that I am posting these materials because they
include succint information and great illustrations, not because I am
promoting or expecting that in your project you will address the issue
of archetypes. The search for a limited number of "archetypes"
was in vogue decades ago, and it still retains interest, yet it constrains
us and prevents us from perceiving other patterns.
* You need to compare/contrast at least three myths from different cultures, and one needs to be Greek or Roman.
THE BATTLE OF ZEUS AND TYPHON IN HESIOD'S THEOGONY AND PARALLELS IN A ZOROASTRIAN MYTH AND IN HINDU MYTHOLOGY OR OTHER COMPARATIVE MATERIALS
Sources for Topic II
ON THE BATTLE OF ZEUS AND TYPHON:
The great battles in Zoroastrianism
Zoroaster taught the existence of a supreme being, who created two other mighty beings and imparted to them as much of his own nature as seemed good to him. Of these, Ormuzd (called by the Greeks Oromasdes) remained faithful to his creator, and was regarded as the source of all good, while Ahriman (Arimanes) rebelled, and became the author of all evil upon the earth. Ormuzd created man and supplied him with all the materials of happiness; but Ahriman marred this happiness by introducing evil into the world, and creating savage beasts and poisonous reptiles and plants. In consequence of this, evil and good are now mingled together in every part of the world, and the followers of good and evil- the adherents of Ormuzd and Ahriman- carry on incessant war. But this state of things will not last for ever. The time will come when the adherents of Ormuzd shall everywhere be victorious, and Ahriman and his followers be consigned to darkness for ever.
From the Avesta: Battle of the Sky and his enemies
1. On the conflict of the creations of the world with the antagonism
of the evil spirit it is said in
revelation, that the evil spirit,
even as he rushed in and looked upon the pure bravery of the
angels and his own violence, wished
to rush back. 2. The spirit of the sky is himself like one of
the warriors who has put on armor;
he arrayed the sky against the evil spirit, and led on in the
contest, until Ohrmazd had completed
a rampart around, stronger than the sky and in front of the
sky. 3. And his guardian spirits
(farohar) of warriors and the righteous, on war horses and spear
in hand, were around the sky;
such-like as the hair on the head is the similitude (anguni-aitak) of
those who hold the watch of the
rampart. 4. And no passage was found by the evil spirit, who
rushed back; and he beheld the
annihilation of the demons and his own impotence, as Ohrmazd
did his own final triumph, producing
the renovation of universe for ever and everlasting.
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From Hindu mythology: portions of an essay by Stephen T. Naylor
Indra
In Vedic times, Indra was the supreme ruler of the gods. He was the
leader of the Devas, the
god of war, the god of thunder and storms, the greatest of all warriors,
the strongest of all
beings. He was the defender of gods and mankind against the forces
of evil. He had early
aspects of a sun-god, riding in a golden chariot across the heavens,
but he is more often
known as the god of thunder, wielding the celestial weapon Vajra, the
lightening bolt. He
also employs the bow, a net, and a hook in battle. He shows aspects
of being a creater god,
having set order to the cosmos, and since he was the one who brought
water to earth, he was
a fertility god as well. He also had the power to revive slain warriors
who had fallen in
battle.
Indra is described as being very powerful, with a reddish complexion,
and with either two or
four very long arms. His parents were the sky god Dyaus Pita and the
earth goddess Prthivi;
he was born fully grown and fully armed from his mother's side. His
wife was Indrani, and
his attendants were called the Maruts. More hymns in the Rig Veda
(about 250) are dedicated to him than any other god by a sizable amount.
He was known as a
great drinker of Soma; sometimes he did this to draw strength, and
when he did he grew to
gigantic proportions to battle his enemies, but more often he merely
wanted to get drunk.
When not in his chariot, Indra rode on the great white elephant Airavata,
who was always
victorious, and who had four tusks which resembled a sacred mountain.
He was given
numerous titles including Sakra ("Powerful"), Vajri ("the Thunderer"),
Purandara
("Destroyer of Cities"), Meghavahana ("Rider of the Clouds"), and Svargapati
("the Lord of
Heaven").
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Indra's most notable exploit was his battle with the asura Vritra. Vritra
took the form of a
mighty dragon, and had stolen all the water in the world for himself.
No one could do
anything about this until Indra was born. Upon hearing what had happened,
Indra vowed to
take back the life-giving liquid. He rode forth to meet him the terrible
Vritra. He consumed
great amounts of Soma to give him the strength needed to fight such
a foe. Indra smashed
through Vritra ninety-nine fortresses, and then came upon the dragon.
The two clashed, and
after a long battle Indra was able to destroy his powerful enemy. Vritra
had been keeping the
earth in a drought, but when Indra split open the demon, the waters
again fell from the skies.
So Indra became a hero to all people, and the gods elected him their
king for his victory.
OTHER COMPARATIVE MATERIALS
Images and texts from: Moon, B.(ed.) An Encyclopedia of Archetypal
Symbolism, Boston/London 1991. Use restricted to students in CLAS 3308.
(See note on archetypes above)
