Reading notes: Crash Course Myth: Mythical Places

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Crash Course Myth: Mythical Places

Video 1: Mythical Caves and Gardens

The video presented an interesting perspective on setting. Too often the focus is on characters and the symbolic value of setting is forgotten or completely overlooked. This video explored the meaningful settings of gardens and caves. In terms of the origin of humanity, three stories were discussed: The Garden of Eden, a Zuni myth, and Plato’s Cave. The latter two reflect caves as physically dark and denote ignorance and infancy. Emergence, in these examples, to the surface is equivalent to enlightenment or growth. However, in the Garden of Eden, the story begins with perfection and that perfection is degraded by human actions. From Eden, humanslive in the current world as punishment and seek to re enter paradise. Whereas, the other two stories, humanity is living in paradise.

Video 2: Mythical Mountains

Considered mysterious and dangerous, mountains are the perfect setting for myth. Especially considering that they reach toward the sky making them a perfect home to the gods. Mountains in myth are the homes of monster, gods, and treasure. Two stories are discussed in this video; one from China and one from Japan. In the first video, the mountain is a setting for treasure. The video is about Ko-li and the 10,000 Treasure Mountain. The honest and hard working Ko-li struggles to find food for his mother and himself. Upon seeing an old man with a gray beard, he gives him food and carries him back up the mountain to his home. The grateful man rewards Ko-li with earrings from his beautiful daughter. One gold, to enter the door of the mountain full of 10,000 treasure and one silver, to exit the mountain. Ko-li, not being greedy, takes a white stone grinder from the mountain. It produces corn and he shares it with his village. The king finds out and sends his official to take the magic grinder, but when the official touches it, it crumbles. Next, Ko-li takes a yellow stone mortar which produces white rice. The same thing occurs with the official. Last, Ko-li takes a hoe which makes giant corn stalks appear. This time, the official takes Ko-li. Ko-li tells the king about the gold earring and before he can finish, the king takes the gold earring to the mountain. He gets in, but without the silver earring cannot get out. Ko-li returns to the old man and apologizes for losing the gold earring; he is so impressed with Ko-li’s honesty, that he gives his daughter in marriage to Ko-li. In the second story the mountains take on a kami and fight each other to see which is taller. The story shows that elements of the natural world can represent gods, too.  

Video 3: Tree Myths

I hadn’t really given a lot of thought to tree in myths. This video presented several examples of how trees embody not only the whole of humanity, but since they live longer than humans are excellent examples of longevity and a retreat for humanity. Aside from the well known Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, the Norse, Yggdrasil and the Indian, Aswatha are both tree myth stories. Trees in myth also often symbolize personal transformation. The story of Daphne and Apollo is told as well as a story from Viet Nam telling the story of Lung, Tun, and Tao and how their story is woven into what is now a traditional wedding tradition in that culture.

Video 4: Cities of Myth

Cities in mythology can be real, fictional, and metaphorical. Cities are tricky because they are not of the natural world - manmade. Examples of cities in myth: El Dorado, Troy, Jericho, Jerusalem, Sodom & Gomorrah, and Rome. The video discussed two stories on the founding on Rome including the story of Romulus and Remus and how Rome became populated with women. Many stories involving cities are origin stories and many gloss over terribly violent actions that led to their founding through myth.