How Do Different Cultures Interpret Charon'S Mythology?

Three wise men from different parts of the world, often portrayed as three Christian kings from different parts of the world in art and cultural tradition, such as from Europe and the Western Christianity. On the other hand, Eastern Christianity many see the Magi in a very different light and not necessarily as three kings. Often they are portrayed as great seekers of knowledge and thus are celebrated for their wisdom. Modern interpretations of the Magi are plentiful and diverse, including many versions which portray them in a much more lighthearted manner than their predecessors, in comics, and in animated films, for example. Their story is in constant flux as it is reinterpreted for the audience at hand.

The Basilisk is a monster which instills fear when one only hears of it. In mythology the Basilisk is known as the king of serpents. It does not kill its victims, it destroys them completely in the worst way possible. The majority of myths describe the Basilisk as being killed by its own deadly gaze. The victim is instantly killed when the Basilisk looks at them. This is similar to Medusa and her ability to turn people to stone, but instead of turning them to stone the Basilisk kills them instantly. There are also many myths that describe the reflection of the Basilisk to be fatal as well. Its breath is apparently made of pure venom, and its presence is deadly. Legend has it that when the basilisk was in the wilderness, plants would wither and die, birds in flight would fall from the sky, and water would turn to poison where the creature traversed. I imagine a dark, cavernous space. You smell something foul. And then, before you hit the ground, you’re foaming at the mouth. The myths surrounding it are over-the-top as if the ancients were competing to write the most unstoppable creature in all of mythology. No weaknesses, no mercy. It’s a creature you could read about in a dark fantasy novel and think the author had reached new depths of creativity and terror. The myths are that old and that terrifying.

I notice that many multi-headed creatures are found in threshold situations. Cerberus is found at the entrance to the underworld, while the Hydra is found in a swamp. In both cases, the extra heads of the creature may symbolize the chaos of the threshold between two states of existence: life and death, or order and chaos. That this kind of duality is present in these myths is what makes them stay with me.

I’ve got a soft spot for mermaid’s tears – one of the bits of folklore about water that I enjoy the most. The conventional image of mermaids crying is far from being mournful, however. In some stories their tears turn to sea foam; in others they can be used to make a wish if retrieved by midnight. In a Welsh legend the mermaid’s tears crystallize into precious blue stones which are said to protect sailors from storms at sea. All these stories are spread far and wide and it’s hard to know who has said what. I prefer the version where the tears are not sad but rather transformative in some way. In an indie game called ‘Tides of Sorrow’ for example you collect the mermaid’s tears in order to hear her sing – a nice way to keep this legend alive.

In mythology double eclipses are treated as a rather anomalous circumstance and are described in magnificent terms. It is the Inca’s conviction that solar eclipses are the manifestation of the sun god’s anger and that, consequently, a double eclipse would require double sacrifices. The Hindu mythology describes the circumstances of Rahu’s beheading and his subsequenttrackings down of the Sun and the Moon. A double eclipse must be his revenge. A double eclipse has always been a great way for stories to describe beginnings and ends. Whether or not real double eclipses actually occur, they make a fine nature made Cliffhanger.

This is a great supplementary textbook, it is highly recommended for generating interest and giving students a narrative account of ancient myths. However, as with any primary source, it should not be substituted for students’ reading of said source, as well as other neutral summaries and accounts of the myths. A student could easily come away with the Fry version of a particular myth, and as a result it would be best to use this textbook outside of the classroom as supplementary reading for self-study or purely for pleasure. The writer successfully portrays the glorious human flaws of the ancient gods and heroes and helps readers feel that they have encountered each of the main characters in the book, thereby coming away with a far better understanding than they would have received from a list of all of the ‘facts’ about the myths of ancient peoples. In the long run such a ‘taking on board’ of these stories in this way will no doubt prove to be far more valuable than the correction of simple facts for the continuation of the stories of these long-dead cultures.

The secret place at the end of a story can be viewed in a number of ways by the reader and writer alike. Some readers want to literally plot out the story to the end and identify the secret place with a safe village or hidden island. Others view the end of a story in more metaphorical terms such as finding freedom, forgiveness or even death. Others will read the secret place in terms of the social commentary in a story and try to work out what the author’s comment on politics, class and identity is. All that ambiguity is fabulous fodder for fan art, timelines, and theories, of course, and fans do create them all, with sometimes conflicting, sometimes corresponding views of what they perceive. The most compelling interpretations of a secret place are those that shed light on what drew readers to the story in the first place and thereby suggest what the author’s valuing of that place says about what our community values right now. I’m left feeling wistful but also strangely hopeful.

Every culture embeds morals in stories that are part of their folktales. Morals are conveyed in African folktales through animal characters that embody human characteristics. We get to laugh at their actions but they also teach us lessons just like in ‘The Lion and the Mouse’ where a tiny creature can make a huge difference. Stories are used in Africa to teach community values. Most often these folktales exhibit wonderful stories that reinforce the wisdom of our ancestors and the way their stories help to form strong social ties that can last for centuries and be passed from generation to generation.

This idea is kind of fascinating to me. I think it’s because so many cultures have created tragic, powerful female characters who rebel against divine authority. Lilith, of course, but also Morrigan from the Dragon Age games and Raven from the Teen Titans, for example. We don’t have a long enough historical list of these kind of figures, so we keep making new ones in games, books and anime. This new set of meanings is being written in video games right now. In Bayonetta, the main character is a witch who contracts with a group of infernal demons. Within the lore of Bayonetta, there is much play with angelic and feminine/demonic power. The games of the Shin Megami Tensei series are another great example of this. This series contains a massive cast of demons and deities from every culture and mythology, most of whom are gender-bending or else some re-imagining of a mythological figure.

Occasionally I will shift to a more contemplative study of the myth of Sisyphus. We form a circle of chairs and dim the lights. There are books leaning against the walls, including a well-worn copy of The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. Students of all ages arrive for tea and for thoughtful discussion. We first study the mythology of Sisyphus in order to gain insight into the myths that were used in order to caution or inspire individuals to ponder the ethics of their actions and the nature of their existence. After that, we read the section of The Myth of Sisyphus in which Camus reinterprets the myth. Sisyphus is pushed to exert himself to roll the rock up to the top of a mountain only to have it roll back down. He represents the absurdly driven individual in search of meaningful purpose in a seemingly indifferent universe. After that first foray into the literary terrain of the myth of Sisyphus, we move into thematic stations. We look at how we can use the myth of Sisyphus to understand existential concepts by looking at examples of people who engage in repetitive tasks and have jobs with low rewards and high pressure. We look at the historical representation of the figure of Sisyphus in various cultures through different artistic media, poetry, film and visual art. We can also use the myth of Sisyphus to think about pedagogy and civic engagement and to explore ways in which the myth can be used to discuss issues of resilience without glorifying burnout. This could involve students writing short position pieces or public facing posts to communicate their take on the issue to a younger audience or to the broader local community. Ideas could be developed into a podcast episode, a zine or an illustrated thread of tweets, all of which would help students to translate complex abstract philosophical ideas into language and formats that are more suited to everyday life. Much of this work gets evaluated on a reflection dikke to application basis. So I look for students to demonstrate clear thought, creativity and empathy in whatever form they choose to express themselves. Does the student’s work reveal an understanding of the myth and its connection to real life situations? Can one see that the student has also taken into consideration several points of view? Does their piece of work evoke a response or an invitation to others to enter into the work and explore it for themselves? Occasionally I wrap up our time together with a small ritual: I ask each student to write down one thing they will ‘keep pushing’ this week. These notes get collected up anonymously and sometime later in the week we read a few of them out loud in class. It’s a small but powerful move of solidarity that leaves us all in silence and hope for a little while after.