The Conception of Mythology - Essay Example

? Mythology Mythology, Folk Tales and Fairy tales are not only the building blocks of one’s childhood but they are also defining feature of a culture (Thomas 1982). According to the Jungian philosophy, the origin of these stories provide insight into the psychological shaping or modeling that the individuals are exposed to and also discuss the initiative aspects of these stories. The substance of this prose will look at three famous myths, one from Greek mythology that describes the conception of Helen. The second myth is about the legend of Osiris and Isis, whereas the final story is the main plot surrounding the “One thousand and one Arabian nights”. The essay will juxtapose these stories and discuss their differences and similarities between these three stories according to cultural standards and human psychology. The Greek myth that relates the conception of Helen is perhaps the most intriguing as it involves not only an obscene case bestiality, but also the conception of a demigod after that encounter. The legend of Helen of Troy is most popular because of its Hollywood depiction and the many mystical events surrounding the event. Helen was the most beautiful women that made men go to war for her but she was also the product of an odd love affair between her mother Leda and the Greek god of Thunder and the father of gods, Zeus. There are many myths and legends in which Zeus was known for ravishing young women and producing many offspring that grow up to become godly or heroic figures in their mythology. However, in this particular tradition, Zeus transforms himself in to a swan to have intercourse with Leda, who in turn lays two eggs and gives birth to a daughter named Helen and a son named, Polydeuces. There are many alternating versions of the story and this is why, it is not known whether Leda was actually seduced or raped by Zeus. Moreover, at the same time Leda was known to have given birth to two of her other children after sleeping with her husband, Tyndareus. (Cavendish 2005, 811) The second myth narrate the story of Osiris and Isis, the former was deceived and killed by his jealous whereas the latter, who was the sister and wife of Osiris and also the patroness of nature and magic. After her husband was tricked and murdered by Seth, his body was dismembered in to 14 pieces and scattered throughout the land of Egypt. Isis with the help of her sister and Seth’s wife, Nephthys located all 13 parts of his body; which also represent one of the 14 full moons in one year. The last part was devoured by a fish that is Isis had to create a phallus made of gold and then brought Osiris back to life by singing to him. As a result, Osiris became the lord of the underworld and together they created Horus, who went on to defeat Seth and reclaim the kingdom of Egypt. As Osiris was murdered out of jealous, the night signified the darkness that is associated with such a heinous trait and crime. However, the moon that becomes the only source of light became associated with the resurrected Osiris and the righteous ones who died were exalted to the status of a star that brightened up an otherwise dark sky. (Pugliano-Martin 2011, 22) On the other hand, the primary plot revolving around the one thousand and one Arabian nights is the story of a Persian King, who is betrayed by his wife and upon seeing his brother’s wife’s infidelity; he convinces himself that all women are evil. He not only has his wife and his brother’s wife executed but each day he marries a maiden and then the very next day he has them executed. The king’s grand Vizier became increasingly worried at the King’s madness but stayed mum until her daughter Scheherazade volunteers to become the next bride. Although he is reluctant at first but quickly places his faith in his daughter, who assures him that she would put an end to the massacre. On their wedding night she begins to tell her husband, the king a story but does not tell him the end as it dawn, her scheduled time to be executed. The king is fascinated by her stories and keeps on postponing her execution for a 1001 nights that then formed the main plot for the short stories. The final story tells the importance of the art of storytelling and the great cathartic experience that is associated with it. (Lang 2013) The three stories have a lot in common when it comes to the original premise of the story, which all three of these stories consist of the theme of marriage and fidelity. In Greek mythology, although Zeus was married to Hera and he enjoys the Status of the father of gods, even then he had no moral qualms in ravishing a married woman and that too the queen of Sparta. As a matter, this is not the only myth that represents Zeus in such a light, but there are many of myths of sexual escapades that became a point conflict for his wife Hera. On the other hand, the Egyptian myth of Osiris and Isis shows their marital and her faithfulness to her husband that she goes out of her way to bring him back to life to produce an heir that would avenge his death and also bring back the kingdom under his name. Similarly, while the Persian king was betrayed by his wife, Scheherazade actually plays the role of a healer who becomes an unlikely to companion to the king and gives him strange stories that helps him forget his pain to the point that he stops his murderous rampage and actually accepts Scheherazade. This in turn provides explanation for the discrepancy in the perception of marriage between the east and west that is also embedded in their mythology and storytelling as well. Greek mythology projects marital fidelity and sexual relations in a more frivolous manner, whereas the remaining two stories reinforce the sanctity of the marriage and how one spouse is supposed to protect the other; Isis brings her husband back to life, whereas Scheherazade becomes a companion and in so doing saves the lives of many girls and her husband from turning into a monster. Another one of the most discrepancies between the three stories was the characterization. In the Greek myth, there are no set archetypes represented in the entire myth. For instance, no matter how lecherous Zeus is portrayed as he still enjoys the status as the King of gods despite the fact that he is seducing or raping another man’s wife. In the Egyptian there is an archetypical villain in the form of Seth, while Osiris is the righteous and trusting brother who is then tricked and killed. However, the myth reinforces the notions regarding karma that every bad deed is followed by misfortune and this comes in the form of Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris. According to Jungian philosophy, storytelling has these set characters because it is meant to be cathartic or a sort of an initiation process for children or even adults because consciously or unconsciously these stories are actually preparing them for events that may or may not happen in their life. However, even then the listeners still know that there is a rough guideline or a character that they can model themselves after. The stories simplify the main concept of good and bad for children and further reinforce the lesson that one must always be good in order to get something good in life. These traits are unconsciously internalized by the listeners as hypothesized by Jung and this is how the process of individuation takes place as the listener begins to model their personality after the character they have idolized and in so doing they are able to shape their own personality (Jung 1962, 433). This particular aspect is shows in a 1001 Arabian nights, whereby Scheherazade’s stories have a sort of a healing effect on the king. He realizes the clear demarcation between good and bad as the stories of mystical realms fascinate him. All the stories she tells him are about people who are wronged in their life but remain steadfast and are eventually given something better as a reward for their patience. Therefore, the king changes from a tyrant to a humble person as the nights go by showing how the stories and their archetypes were affecting and shaping him. Therefore, in the end the king is able to see the light and lets Scheherazade live. Zeus and Leda’s story does not have any real pedagogical value for there is not much of a moral side to the story that can teach young listeners any good trait. The story is excellent as a cultural motif that describes the whimsical nature of the perception of gods by the Greek, which was active sexual life, virility and fertility that were only associated with them. On the other hand, Osiris and Isis contain main strong moral principles and even a universal message that Jealousy is indeed a bad trait. The story juxtaposes darkness with light, and also carries the profound that darkness can be overcome by righteousness, which is evident from the lunar representation of Osiris and the Ancient Egyptian belief that all good men are turned in to stars. Similarly, the 1001 Arabian Nights have both pedagogical and cultural value, for it also contains archetypical references to heroes and villains that carry strong messages, and since it is heavily focused on Islamic side, the stories have great cultural value. Each of these is not complete universal in their plot, but their message can be deemed applicable on a bigger scale. In conclusion, all three of these stories contain mystical and culture-specific themes, but out of these all it actually explains how the western side differ the most out of all them. Egyptian and Arabian nights are similar due to the proximity of the areas they originate from; therefore the value system has remained more or less the same. While the Greek story lacks on moral side, there is a greater level of eroticism in western storytelling than the Eastern one; the disparity is actually ostensible through their mythology which also explains some of their cultural differences. The stories are in turn a representation of the values created by the people and then they are used to instill the same value system in their listeners. Works Cited Canvendish, Marshall. Gods, Goddesses and Mythology. C Scott Littleton Publishers. 2005. Jung, Carl G. Symbols of Transformation: An analysis of the prelude to a case of schizophrenia (Vol. 2, R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). New York: Harper & Brothers. 1962. Lang, Andrew. The Arabian Nights. Web. . 2013. Pugliano-Martin, Carol. Ra creates the World, Isis and Osiris, the death and rebirth of Osiris. Benchmark Education Company. 2011. Thomas, Joyce A. Initiatory Scenarios: Von Franz Archetypal approach to fairy tales. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly. Web. 1982. Read More