Examples. Why We Tell Stories about Spider Ajapa (tortoise), Aja (dog), and the Yams

Transcription

1 Trickster Myths

2 Examples Africa Why We Tell Stories about Spider Ajapa (tortoise), Aja (dog), and the Yams African American Br er Rabbit Earns a Dollar a Day Br er Rabbit and the Tar Baby

3 Characteristics Often motivated by carnal urges Food and sex being the most common Disrupt the status quo Identify weaknesses in authority Also weaknesses in ourselves Crossing boundaries Ethical: Mischievous, greedy, selfish Literal: Act as messengers Culture hero Provide tools for culture Creator gods Introduce a little anarchy, you upset the established order and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Joker, Dark Knight ( wf20t9j1k)

4 Daddy Moron Clown like character Prometheus Bringer of culture Fire Exposes weaknesses of gods Punished A common treatment of tricksters Hermes Bringer of culture Music Messenger of Gods Loki Pivotal role The Treasures of the Gods Creates disorder Pranks, Ragnarock Also punished More Examples

5 Pa Pandir (Daddy Moron) Silly anecdotes Cow story Bag of salt Chaff Inadvertent hero Giant guests King of Jinn Silly death Thus ends the tale of Pa Pandir who always acted without thinking.

6 Prometheus Angered Zeus Tricked Zeus into picking out bones wrapped in skin and meat for sacrifice Left good meat for humans Zeus and gods recede from humans, and withhold fire as punishment (end of Golden Age) Prometheus steals fire and returns it to humans Zeus creates woman to punish man Epimetheus accepts Pandora as gift from the gods.

7 Prometheus Prometheus punished Zeus bound Prometheus and his many intentions with painful chains no one could break, strapping him hard with these to a pole. And Zeus sent an eagle with beautiful wings to attack him and eat his immortal liver. Yet everything this bird would eat during the day would grow back at night.

8 Prometheus Other Versions Epimetheus screws up again Steals fire so man can create It is not pride or obstinacy that has prompted by silence, but the bitter consciousness of what I have done to merit such maltreatment But now listen to the sufferings of mankind, In whom, once speechless, senseless, like an infant, I have implanted the faculty of reason. Prometheus founded all the arts of man.

9 Theme sound familiar? Man lives in a paradise Trickster gives man forbidden knowledge Man loses paradise Trickster punished

10 Genesis Man lives in paradise Garden of Eden Trickster gives man forbidden knowledge Serpent gives Eden knowledge Man loses paradise Adam and Even expelled from the Garden Trickster punished The Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

11 Satan Book of Job Bet between Satan and God Satan can inflict terrible things upon Job, but Job will not reproach God Animals and children killed Covered in malignant ulcers Finally he curses the day he was born Perish the day I was born and on that night that told of a boy conceived What are human beings that you should take them so seriously, subjecting them to your scrutiny, that morning after morning you should examine them and at every instant test them. (Job 3:3, 17-18) God responds angrily Who is this, obscuring my intentions with his ignorant words? (Job 38:2) Job acknowledges mistake I retract what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:6) God rewards Job So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning... After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons sons, even four generations.42:17 So Job died, being old and full of days. (Job 42:12, 16)

12 Hermes Culture hero Invents lyre and shepherd's pipe Discovers way to create fire Messenger God Crosses between Heavens, Earth, and Underworld God of thieves and travelers Cattle story

13 Hermes Zeus is running Mt. Olympus with a heavy hand Apollo is also micromanaging Hermes born 1 day old, invents lyre, escapes house, steals Apollo s cattle, invents a way to make fire Apollo catches wind Brings him before Zeus Zeus so impressed that he grants Hermes messenger status Apollo and Hermes make up

14 Loki has a different modus operandi Tricks are motivated out of hatred for Norse gods Plays roles as a culture god, but also brings about destruction (Ragnarock) Loki

15 Loki The Good Creativity helps gods Thor retrieves hammer Lures away Svaoilfari and creates Odin s horse Sleipnir (eight-legged horse) Plays roles as a culture god Provides man with fire Creates the fishnet Treasures for the Gods

16 Treasure for the Gods Cut s off Sif s (Thor s wife) hair Thor threatens him Loki promises to replace it Seeks help of dwarfs (sons of Ivaldi) Makes Sif s hair from gold, as well as Freryr s ship Skidbladnir, and Odin s spear Gungnir Makes bet with dwarfs Brokk and Eitri Bets his head that they can t make better gifts Tries to sabotage dwarfs as they make Gullinbursti (boar) for Freyr, Draupnir (Ring with asexual reproductive abilities) for Odin, and Thor s hammer (Mjollnir)

17 Treasure for the Gods cont Seeks help of dwarfs (sons of Ivaldi) Makes Sif s hair from gold Freryr s ship Skidbladnir Odin s spear Gungnir Brokk and Eitri win because of Thor s hammer Loki talks his way out of losing his head He began to dream of revenge, and slowly his lips curled into a twisted smile. Bet s his head with dwarfs Brokk and Eitri that they can t make better gifts Gullinbursti (boar) for Freyr Draupnir (Ring with asexual reproductive abilities) for Odin Thor s hammer (Mjollnir)

18 Loki The Bad Tricks get gods into trouble Leads an unarmed Thor into a frost giant s lair Ends up being punished for his actions Tied to a rock with his son Narvi s intestines, then a venomous snake placed over him Escapes and leads frost giants in Ragnarock

19 Ragnarock Final battle between Norse gods and frost giants In the red corner: Odin and all the worthy dead in Valhalla In the blue corner: Loki, frost giants, and the unworthy dead from Hel Predestined battle that was unavoidable Only a few Gods and a couple humans survive to repopulate the earth. Loki dies at hands of Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost Bridge

20 Trickster Poem Since tricksters are the most complicated characters in myth, let s explore them a bit further. Pick an existing trickster or create your own (perhaps based off yourself). Create a poem using the following format. Don t worry about rhyming or other traditional poetic devices. This is a general guideline. If you want to play with the structure a bit to suite your style, be my guest. Just make sure the content is there. Line 1: Name Line 2: Four traits that describe character Line 3: Relative of (brother, sister, so on) Line 4: Lover of (list three things or people) Line 5: Who feels (three items/emotions) Line 6: Who needs (three items) Line 7: Who fears (three items) Line 8: Who gives (three items) Line 9: Who would like to (three items) Line 10: Resident of (location) Line 11: Last Name (if applicable)