Myth Stories: mythological musings #2

Remember when you were young? How your history teacher would tell you with radiant eyes- about the Greek mythology? Mythology seems far away. How are mythological stories relevant in your life today? Mindfunda explores mythological themes in 4 blogs

Your mythic life
Myth Stories
Culture
Crises

In the family I grew up in, we used to sit around the table while my father, a high school principle, would talk about the Greek myths. The story that really charmed me was the one about how Athena was born out of the head of Zeus.

Athena, goddess of the sky, bright of mind, the favorite of her father: she represented all that I longed to be. Getting older (and hopefully wiser) now, I must admit that I am not always smart. That is painful. But true. But i always strived to be at the top of my class when I was a kid. And untill this day I am crazy about reading and books. My heart cab still jump up with joy whenever I receive a new book that will have that piece of knowledge that I felt lacking in my life.

Myth stories in films

Mythology is a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition of a group of people –their collection of stories they tell to explain nature, history, and traditions of a certain tribe (this definition is based on Wikipedia).
Mythology is not gone. It is all around you. In films, for example. Almost all of us are aware that Joseph Campbell’s concept of the hero’s journey has become a standard model for script writing. Nancy Duarte talks about it in her book Resonance.

 

“Great stories introduce you to a hero to whom you can relate. The hero is usually a likeable sort who has an acute desire or goal that is threatened in some way. As the story unfolds and trails are met with triumph, you cheer for the hero until the story is resolved and the hero is transformed. As author Robert McKee explains: Something must be at stake that convinces the audience that a great deal will be lost if the hero does not obtain his goal. The most simplistic way to describe the structure of a story is situation, complication and resolution. From mythic adventures to recollections shared around the dinner table, all stories follow this pattern.”

 

Mindfunda explored mythological themes in films in an earlier blog post. The themes of love over gold (and mind over matter), the initiation of childhood into maturity, the issue of trust in a higher being or power, it are all familiar themes in films and series. This Mindfunda will talk about the most popular film and series launched in 2015 and discuss their mythological themes.
Looking at films and series along the journey of the hero alows you to appreciate a story on a whole new level. The picture above divides the hero’s journey in four stages and twelve steps. Take a look at your favorite story (or maybe your own story as I invited you to write it in mythological musings #1.

Myth story in Jurassic World

The best-selling movie in 2015 is Jurassic World directed by Colin Trevorrow. On it’s opening day, this film generated 82,8 million dollar in the United States.
The plot of the movie revolves around the genetic modification of dinosaurs. The Indominus rex was created in the laboratory of Jurrasic World, situated on Isla Nublar. The main reason for this genetic experiment is that people have grown tired from dinosaurs and something new had to be created to draw people in. But the Indominus rex dinosaur combines aggression with intelligence.  It escapes and starts killing. Being on an Island, there are not many places one can flee so the thread is imminent. The two main characters, Owen and Claire have the dinosaurs battle against each other. Finally the vicious Indominus Rex disappears into the lagoon in a fight with other dinosaurs.

Do you remember the myth story of Genesis? Eve reached for the fruit hanging on the tree of knowledge. Consequently she and Adam were thrown out of the Graden of Eden. Jurassic World also refers to this thirst for knowledge humans have. Scientific manipulation with natures laws is the greatest sin, a sin that leads to murder. Like Adam and Eve, Claire and Owen are thrown out of paradise. The water that has brought us life as we know it, takes back the mistakes of the humans.  The water in the lagoon swallows this vengeance and closes its surface again.

Another reference to the lost soul of current society is the fact that the film refers to the genealogical connection between birds an dinosaurs. Indominus Rex is bird-based dinosaur created in a lab. All birds are carrying much bigger chunks of dinosaur DNA than we are ever likely to find in the fossil record.
Birds are carriers of the soul. In a dream of Carl Jung, he saw a blond girl turn into a dove and fly up high. For him this was a symbol of the soul.
Jurassic World reminds us not to sell out our soul for technology. Because if we do, it will turn against us.

Myth story in series

Fear of the walking death is number 1 on IMDb’s list of most popular tv series released in 2015. The series is about a dysfunctional family: teacher Travis Manawa, Madison Clark a highschool, advisor and their children. Daughter Alicia and drug addict son Nick. They try to survive in the midst of an apocalypse. They face the beginning of the end of civilization. This is a well-known theme in mythology.
In Norse mythology, the end of the world is known as Ragnarok. The gods battle among each other, there is chaos and the universe burns. If you look at my interview with Ralph Metzner, author of the Well of Remembrance, you can hear him tell about the apocalypse.

Not only in Norse Mythology written down in the Edna also in the bible this theme is found. In the book of revelation, John receives a revelation of the battles preceding the ultimate victory of good over evil and the end of the present age.
The idea of a upcoming apocalypse has shaped our ideas and believes from the eight century B.C untill now. Human beings are deeply anxious about the future. The Book of Revelations can help people to give meaning.

To have a philosophical confrontation about human nature, that emerges in the end of all times can induce a stream of thought about human nature. Looking at the confrontations faced in the series fear of the walking death, you are transported in a live threatening situation that confirms your basic fears about human nature and makes you hope that you will do better.

< Jumped in from elsewhere? Start at  part 1

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