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Archetypes From Greek Mythology
Greek mythology and modern times: Archetypes
An archetype is a type of general character who seems to exist as a 'type' in a universal fashion, in different times and cultures. One such an example is that of a 'transgressor,' one who transgresses the boundaries of conventional behavior, such as Dionysius, the god of wine and misrule in Greek mythology. Dionysius was followed by hordes of drunken female worshippers who engaged in suggestive dances, and whose own half-feminine, half-male appearance was considered transgressive. Other transgressive individuals in modern times might similarly 'bend' accepted rules of gender and sexual behavior -- including drag queens or even the comedian Eddie Izzard, a heterosexual male who wears women's clothing, lipstick, and makeup while he critiques society in his comedy shows.
Tricksters like Hermes are some of the most beloved characters in all of Greek mythology, despite their amorality. Hermes playfully steals Apollo's cattle when the young god is barely old enough to walk. Other tricksters today might be comedians like John Stewart, who playfully and democratically 'mock' what is supposed to be taken seriously in politics. Temptresses like Circe use their sexual wiles to ensnare men. After Circe attracts all of Odysseus' crew, she turns them into swine, to show her greater power over the male sex, much like a haughty fashion model might flirt with men, even though she feels far too superior to really treat them with respect.
Destroyers like Eris, who threw the apple at the feet of Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite marked 'to the fairest' to sow discord between the goddesses also exist today in the form of 'home-wreckers' who destroy marriages -- perhaps like Monica Lewinsky almost destroyed President Clinton's presidency! Heroes who overcome tremendous odds, like the proud Hector who nearly defeats the Greek army in Homer's "Iliad," are also still evident today -- although the current hero lionized in the press, Barak Obama, seems far more moral than any of the more self-serving heroes of Homeric epic, who seem more bent upon personal glory.
With respect to the mythology of the male gods, Zeus, Apollo, and Hephaestus seem to be a combination that matches the dynamism of their female goddess counterparts. These gods represent the good and the bad of males; they also represent the spectrum of power and balance of male energy. There is no one god or goddess myth that I feel fully represents the tension between male and female gods because
Discussing myth can help bring these things to light. Myth can also broaden our view from introspection to an examination of the workings of our society and culture. As already mentioned, our civilization can be seen as a continuum from the Ancient Greeks to the modern day. This is one way in which myth can help o explain our world -- understanding the Greeks from whom many of our ideas
The director's camera seems anchored rather than fluid, and does not make use of the full vocabulary of cinematography. There are a few exceptions to this sense of stasis, such as when Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, bathes in water while the other Trojan women, captives of war, are dying of thirst outside in the heat. The contrast between Helen's moist, soft skin and
The Everlasting Influence of Greek Mythology Greek mythology has permeated various facets of our modern world despite being rooted in stories that are millennia old. This ancient framework of gods, heroes, and epic adventures not only served a religious and mythological purpose for the ancient Greeks but also now impacts today�s society through language, entertainment, psychology, and various other spheres of contemporary life. One of the most prominent legacies of Greek
Greek Mythology When the clay tablets that comprise the Akkadian / Old Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh were first pieced together and translated by scholars in the nineteenth century, some aspects of the ancient text seemed remarkably familiar. There was, for example, the account of a great flood, with only a pair of survivors, Utnapishtim and his wife: "How is it that one man has saved himself? / No breath of life
An even older mythological source for the reverence of compassionate maternal figures, however, comes out of the culture in which Mother Theresa practiced, rather than from the Christian tradition she lived by. This is the figure of Durga, one of the many incarnations of Kali, the Mother Goddess of the Hindu religion. Alternatively, Kali and the many other forms of the goddess are seen as emanating from Durga (Rajhans, par.