Who is Behind the Pumpkin’s Smile?

Many a drunken Irish moon ago there once lived one of the most notorious, lazy and all around scoundrels in the Emerald Isles. His name is so unknown it is only synonymous with Samhain, All Hallows Eve or Halloween for today’s generation. Jack was known by many names: Drunk Jack, Jack the Smith, Stingy Jack, and of course Jack of the Lantern. All of these names refer to a being so cunning he tricked Lucifer, Loki, Coyote, Hades or whatever you want to call the master of evil, treachery and cunning in giving him more time at life.
So let us understand the hunger of Stingy Jack. Jack wanted nothing but to live a full life and not be hampered by good, evil or work. Now Jack was a true scoundrel, he would trick locals and steal from the poor. Jack did not think of the consequences and when Lucifer came calling Jack at the local tavern Ol’ Jack was unprepared. The situation was dire but Jack had a rapier sharp mind. He tricked Lucifer into allowing him to get one more pint of ale. When Jack finished his pint he tricked Lucifer into turning into a silver coin to pay the barman. Jack being sharp witted placed the coin into his pocket with a crucifix he carried. Let it not be said that Jack did not at least believe in something. Well, Lucifer did not like his predicament and had to make a deal with Jack. The deal was, Lucifer would be set free from Jack’s pocket if he left Jack and his soul alone for ten years. The agreement was made and Jack walked away happy.
Jack’s hunger to live a longer life is evident. The way he tricks Lucifer into allowing him to live another ten years shows his desire. The situation was dire for our intrepid trickster and he changed it to give him what he wanted. Not only did he get ten years without Lucifer interfering in his life he was able to be the same scoundrel he had always been. This is not the only time Jack tricks Lucifer he does it ten years later and has Lucifer promise Jacks soul will never pass through the gates of Hell. Once again Jack averts tragedy and is left to live his life.
Unfortunately for Jack he did not make a deal with the Angels. Jack ended up dying several years later from his life style. Well Jack was so smart that he had tricked Lucifer so he should be allowed into heaven right, or maybe not? Alas, poor Jack was not able to enter Heaven because he was such a scoundrel. Heaven does not want those who are given not only one chance at a new life but two chances who do not help their fellow man. So Jack swallowed his pride and headed to Hell to face Lucifer. When Jack knocked on the great doors of Hell he was greeted by a smiling Lucifer.
Lucifer the trickster, the cunning one and the one who gets the last laugh is who met Ol’ Jack at the gates. Jack informed Lucifer that heaven would not take his immortal soul and he needs a place to rest his soul. The cunning Lucifer master of trickery reminded Jack of the little traps he made for Lucifer. Jack was also informed of the personal affront Lucifer had faced when Jack had tricked him not once but twice. Jack smiled and agreed he had tricked Lucifer for more time but now he had tricked himself. With a howling laugh Lucifer explained to Jack he must keep his end of the bargain. The bargain being Jack’s soul will never enter Hell. With a weary sense of defeat Jack asked Lucifer what he could do if Heaven and Hell did not want him. Lucifer thought for a moment and gave Jack a spark of hellfire. To this day Jack uses the hellfire spark as a lantern to walk between the worlds of the living and the dead. You see reader, the hellfire lights his way for all eternity.
Now, this tail of deceit is not over. You see, Jack tries to come to this world every Hallows eve and to keep Stingy Jack from entering your home you need to do several things. One, tell your children of Stingy Jack. Two, get a turnip, potato, or gourd and cut out the innards. Three, carve a face of Jack into the root vegetable of choice and finally. Four, place a candle into the cavity to ward off Jack O’ Lantern!

Have a wonderful Halloween!!!

The trickster myths are a good read. The myths are also warnings of the treachery of mankind and the world. William Hynes’ gave six characteristics of the trickster.

1. Ambiguous and Anonymous personality
2. Deceiver or Trick player
3. Shapeshifter
4. Situation-invertor
5. Messenger / imitator of the Gods
6. Sacred / Lewe Bricoleur

Loki’s character is ambiguous. Loki is a good travelling companion to Thor and always tricks him whenever Thor is not looking or aware. Loki seems to always find a way to stir the pot of trouble but he seems to always get caught. When caught Loki takes his lumps and the gods accept him back. Odin sees the mischief Loki causes and allows it because it gives credit to those who do not fall for Loki’s tricks.

The Greek God Hermes is a good example of situation-invertor, as a child is aware of his powers and wants to noticed by the god’s and given tribute by mankind. As a new born Hermes tricks Apollo by stealing his cows and slaughtering them. Apollo trails Hermes to his crib and confronts him. Hermes swears an oath but is lying. Zeus is brought in to mediate and he makes the two of them work together. Hermes plays his lyre for Apollo and Apollo is so mesmerized by the music of the lyre he gives Hermes a golden staff to herd the animals. Hermes is given tribute and Apollo is happy with his lyre.

Many myths have covered shape shifting from Greek to Native American. Zeus has transformed himself into a woman, Thor has also dressed as a woman. In Native American culture coyote and spider have changed their appearances to trick others. The spider Iktome tricks an ignorant girl into sleeping with him. Iktome dresses as an old woman and tricks the girl in believing he has a bad growth that only she can cure.

The trickster I chose to use is Stingy Jack in homage to Halloween. Stingy Jack uses his powers of persuasion to cheat the devil. Stingy Jack changes situations to fit his needs. Stingy Jack scoffs in the face of those who believe they are smarter than he is. Stingy Jack is why we have Halloween pumpkins. Stingy Jack is truly a trickster.

Apocalypse Myths

The end of the world in today’s society is all around us. From the devils face appearing in the smoke and ash cloud surrounding the World Trade Center, to Syrian’s president being compared to the anti-Christ. The mass exodus of the people of Syria to Europe. The mass exodus had placed a strain on the countries allowing the refugees in. The countries that would not allow the refugees in stated it was because the countries are Christian and did not want to lose their faith.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is trying to conquer the lands that his country lost in the past 50-100 years. All of these examples are the beginnings of the end. The immense firepower from the rocket barrages can be seen as the fire from Black Surt during the final battle of Ragnarok
In the Native American Sioux mythology Iktomi (spider) tells the tribes of the east, west, north and south of a cunning liar. This white liar will trick the native tribes and destroy them. A lot of people have voiced their opinion of President Obama and compared him to a liar who is stealing America. On Facebook, I have seen post that explain he forced medical care onto America and now no one can afford proper treatment. Also that the president has made peace with two of America’s cold war enemies (Cuba and Iran) in illegal ways.
People have used modern interpretations of explaining how they see the end of the world. I wonder what those same people will do when they wake up and find it is a new day? The end of the world as we know it…. Apocalypse is upon us.

Creation

After reading the Hebrew creation myth I recognized how the world was made from chaos and found organization. I also read this in Greek mythology “The World Begins”. I also interpreted chaos as creation allowing for organization to take place in the creation myth of Norse mythology. I found that these countries are many miles apart but hold a very distinct and common connection. I read Lemmings interpretation “Creation Myths of the World” and the module four lecture. The idea or theory that chaos brought forth creation which created organization made sense to me.

In all mythologies we have read there was nothingness and it created something or someone to be with. In the Greek myths “…Chaos was emptiness and Gaia the Earth sprang to life without parents.” In the Hebrew creation myth a god comes forward and creates a world from nothing. In the Norse it is a little different but very similar. There is a North region of ice and a South region of fire with Black Surt waiting for Ragnarok. The heat from the south warms the ice from the north and the middle country a frost giant is made. In all of these myths there is nothing (chaos) and a being comes from nowhere and some form of procreation allows for the generation of the world.

What I did notice in all of these creation myths is that plant life seemed to arrive first and then the Titans, nymphs and other beings come. I wonder why that is?

Prometheus the God Who Loved Mankind More Thn The Olympians

In the beginning there were the Gods and the Titans. Among these immortals is one who created and loved mankind more than the other Olympians. Prometheus, the trickster. Prometheus is a cousin of Zeus and considered the most intelligent. Prometheus used the elements earth, wind, water and fire to forge mankind. Zeus and the other Gods accepted Prometheus creations and would fall in love with them from time to time. All was well until Zeus decreed a portion of all animals to be sacrificed was to be made to the Gods. This angered Prometheus and he wanted mankind to have what was due them so he came up with a plan. At a feast for the Gods and mankind Prometheus the trickster, placed to portions in front of Zeus and invited him to take his pick. The two portions were uneven and the first a carcass with all of the fine cooked meats inside (very unappetizing looking) and bones slicked with fat. Zeus chose the bones (that is why mankind burns white bones on the alter to the gods and eats the meat). (Martin 2003)

After being tricked Zeus plotted his revenge and denied mankind fire. Prometheus the thinker came up with a way to steal fire from the Gods. When Zeus saw the smoke from the fires he had Pandora created. Pandora was the bringer of mans turmoil and pain. Prometheus was devising a way to counter Pandora and Zeus would not allow this. Zeus had Prometheus chained to mountain and tortured until Herakles set him free.

Prometheus was not done he continued to invent new machines for mankind. Prometheus loved mankind since they did not ask anything from him. Prometheus married Asia and they had a son. Prometheus’s son Deukalion was nothing like his father and was unremarkable. Deukalion married a mortal woman and thrived in during the Golden Age thanks to is father. During this time the mortals cooked meat and the gods savored the smells from the fires. Zeus became angered when he noticed mortals not paying proper tribute and he tested this by visiting a mortal king. The king tried to feed Zeus the carcass of a prisoner. Zeus became angered and decided to drown the world in a great flood. Prometheus overheard this and told his son to build a casket to save himself and his wife. Because of the quick thinking of Prometheus mankind survived to this day.

Works Cited:

 

NATURE

From the readings I found the description of how the Greek’s explained natural happenings in their environment in almost all chapters. In the first chapter of the readings I looked at the “The Coming of Zeus”, and saw how he placed the rock which Kronos had swallowed and thrown up into the ground at Delphi (per the readings the rock can still be seen today) and he freed his uncles; Thunder, lightning and Flash (who gave Zeus his weapons which were named after each one of them). Releasing his uncles and placing the rock in the earth set Zeus apart and gave him power over the skies and earth. The use of Zeus as the God of the known universe gives credit to storms “The Great Flood”, Zeus used water to purify the world of the misdeeds of the mortals. The skies opened up and a deluge of water flooded the earth leaving it barren for a new start or clean slate for creation.
In book two in “The Muses and Their Offspring”, Orpheus was so renowned that he could sway wild beasts, tree’s and stones to sway with his melodic music. After reading this I thought about minor earthquakes and natural shifting of the islands. The music could be the winds and movement from seismic activity. Orpheus went to the underworld and sang a poem so he could retrieve his wife a nymph named Eurydice. Orpheus swayed Hades and the made the furies cry from his sorrow. He was told to take his wife but never look back. Orpheus looked back and his wife receded into the darkness. After reading this it can be attributed to winter arriving early and crops dying.
In book three the beginning explains why allegorically the god’s were being re-introduced to the world in a more harmonious manner. Per the reading all of Zeus’s sexual conquests were explanations of fertility and irrigation. In other words the seasons and times for farmers or planters to prepare their fields, tend to their crops and finally harvest their crops (life cycle).
I enjoyed these readings and have a new insight into how myths were a way for the Greek people to explain their world. “The Great Flood”, seems to be used in alot of different cultures and makes me wonder about the magnitude of verbal and written word. I wonder how we as modern people would be able to explain nature today without the use of technology and share our observations with others.

HUM 115: World Mythology

I do not really think much about myth or mythology. I have traveled around the world and have experienced many cultures and religions. I found that people have had to explain why the sky is blue in so many ways that they found what worked for them and their culture. Myth is a way for people to explain the what they do not understand. When I hear the word myth I think of Aesops fables and the wrong way to live. I do not see many differences of myth and religion. Religion has more rituals but is still used to explain to people how to act and accept others. Myth is still used today. I was reading the Sunday paper and ran across a “Hagar the Horrible” comic strip. The legend of the brave Norse warrior and his caring family still projects the brave warriors of old. I am not really interested in mythology since it seems to be PG from the original tale. Take Hercules for example. Disney has made it so uninteresting and boring from the original hero archetype. I have enjoyed the old tales from the Eastern European region, only when my friends Grandmother tells the tales in Russian to her grandchildren. The way she tells the tales they are pretty intense and scary.  Myths are used to explain the outside world. People still study it today because the verbal tale was the beginning of historical occurrences.

After reading and listening to the assignment I see how the study of mythology is a window into the minds and psyche of the people in the past. I did not think of mythos as a anything but a way to tell tales but now I can start to see how they are important. Logos is more of the way I think. If you cannot prove it then it did not happen. I am very black and white in my thought process. Ms. Armstrong is quick to point out how myth is used as a way to explain the world and how logos was used to disconnect people from stories. Myth is important and I look forward to seeing how this will happen.