Essay: Embracing Life's Terminus in Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 8-10)

Image by John Flaxman (1879)

Image link

There's a definite theme to this section of Ovid's tale: the presentation of the end of life, or the end of existence. Regardless in what form it takes, the characters in this portion of the tale all find themselves in the presence of death at some level: spiritual, physical, mental, or emotional.

Starting with the story of Daedalus and Icarus, the plot unfolds to give hope that duo of father and son can somehow make an escape from their captivity on the island of Crete. However, due to the emergence of Icarus' euphoria of his new wings, he becomes overzealous and flies too close to the sun. He then falls to his death in the sea.
In the context of the time and culture that this story is told in, I would think that the significance of the death of Icarus would be to be thankful for freedom but avoid "drowning" yourself in the sensation.
(Here's a link to the story)

The poem then moves on to visit the instance of Philemon and Baucis: they're an old couple that have lived in poverty most of their lives, yet have remained very in love with each other and faithful to the gods. Jupiter and Mercury, in disguise as mortal passerbys, visit the marsh town that Philemon and Baucis reside in to test the strength of the spiritual belief of the town. The two gods are disappointed when all the doors to all houses in the village remain shut for them. However, Philemon and Baucis let the two disguised gods in, and trouble themselves with serving them dinner, despite their old age and lack of resources. Jupiter and Mercury reveal themselves and make the elderly couple the keepers of their temple for the end of their days, so that they need not suffer the pains of poverty ever again. They do this until their deaths: they pass at the same time, so that one doesn't live without the other, and they have two fruitful trees growing over their graves in their honor.
This tale points to a very traditional way to use the instance of death: even in old age, you should be content and true with yourself during the spiritual journey that you have taken in your life.
(Here's a link to the story)

The next story is that of Erysichthion, a man scornful of the gods, who most notably struck down the most sacred tree in Ceres' woods. The reason he does so is not clear, but perhaps it is purely his sense of irreverence for the gods. In any case, Erysichthion takes an axe and a squad of servants to Ceres' woods and begins to cut down this great oak. This tree is a symbol of worship to the Nymphs, an Earthly manifestation of Ceres herself. The Dryads live by it, using it as a way to channel the divine commune they have with the Goddess. Upon receiving the sound chops from the axe head, the tree begins to fall and a Nymph cries out to Erysichthion, begging him to stop. But the proud man does not cease; he continues until the tree is felled. As a result, in the next story in the unit, a chain of events is set off that turns out to be Erysichthion's undoing.
This story uses the death of the oak for a specific lessen: revere all that the gods have created, including manifestation, if only to see past your own selfish whims.
(Here's a link to the story)

The death of Hercules is an oddly gruesome one: the shirt of Nessus the centaur possesses a poison that slowly boils the blood and peels the skin off its host's musculature. Despite his great strength and courage, Hercules cannot bring himself to overcome the poison that has been inflicted on him. As death begins to take him, he laments his glory and life's journeys. After a long time of mad wandering, Hercules finds his end in a funeral pyre. The people whom Hercules was known to come from far and wide to grieve for the hero, and their cries do not go unnoticed. Zeus, upon judgement of Hercules' efforts in life to establish justice and good in the world, grants the hero the gift of immortality. This allows Hercules to shed his mortal body, and join his Olympian family in the celestial regions of their home.
I think the conditions of Hercules' death are very unusual: he is given the shirt of Nessus by his wife, who suspected him of having an affair with another woman. His wife, not knowing that the shirt was lined with poison, give it to Hercules as a sign of faithfulness to him. This background leads me to think that the lesson in the death of Hercules is that: no good deed will go unpunished, but when all is said and done, the gods are the ones who pass final judgement.
(Here's a link to the story)


(Here's a link to the unit)

Storytelling Week 3: Philemon and Baucis

A couple in the fog...

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Waking in their normal routine, the couple of Philemon and Baucis prepared each other's meager meal of oats. Neither of them expected more or less: they were a impoverished young couple in their early thirties, but had been together for a long time. Yet throughout their financial and practical hardships, their love for each other had kept the other alive. From through the window of their small hut, Philemon noticed that there was a soup-thick fog out that day, and the marsh town that they made their stead seemed eerily quiet. There was not even the sound of the daily fighting and discontent of the townsfolk. Philemon exclaimed, "Nelephon's not even on his feet yet, and he's usually right at work at the forge before anyone has even woken." It was true: not a single soul seemed to be out and about, even though it had been some hours after sunrise.

Philemon and Baucis tried to maintain their normal routine, and not let the mystery of the ghostly emptiness lead them astray. As every morning, and before every night, they both traveled to the temples of Jupiter and Mercury on the hill that overlooked the village to make their respects. After lighting the incense at the altars, the couple synchronized prayed "Most high ruler Jupiter and his best scout messenger Mercury, please hold us our lives together so that we may persevere another day to do our best in your names and for the best of our village, the members of whom have become so unjust to one another in their faults. Praise to the Gods, for peace and good will!"

They exited the temple, noticing that the fog had now moved to cover the entire hill as well as the town. They could see nothing beyond thirty paces, and they started to realize that no mortal soul in the village was left except them. And they were fearful. "Did we anger the gods? What is this new devilry?" Baucis whispered, her voice carrying through the empty, lifeless streets that they both knew so well.

Soon they could not ignore their predicament. "We must leave this town, before we are swallowed up by whatever has taken our neighbors." Baucis declared. Being in full agreement, they both started packing their belongings immediately, but only what they could carry without a mule or a carriage. As they began the last stages of their preparations, the couple heard a pair of deathly screeches out in the fog, which had now become darker from the turn of late afternoon. As Philemon went to the front entrance to investigate, he pleaded with Baucis to stay safe in their bedroom and away from the windows.

Philemon looked through the crack of the doorway out into the foggy village. Then the pair of screeches came again, and Philemon's panicked gaze darted to the sky in the direction of the calls. There in the fog, against the dying light of the sun, were the forms of two birds: an eagle and a robin. However, both of these forms were monstrous in size, and in no way normal to their natural forms. Philemon's grip on the door slipped, causing the wood to crackle. Another screech cut through the haze, and the heads of both the eagle and the robin jarred in Philemon's direction.

Philemon sprinted back to the where Baucis had hidden, whispering to her,"We must find out if any of our neighbors are still among us." Baucis had gathered her dagger and her husband's sword and they stealthily left their home through the back window, just as they both heard the crackling of talons on falling ornaments and dishes from their kitchen.

The couple searched traveled through the residences of all their neighbors like shadows, hoping not to be seen, yet still hearing the blood-curdling screeches through the fog. In all the homes of their fellow townsfolk, the couple found all possessions unattended, and the alters of the gods Jupiter and Hermes removed. "Is this why this spell has befallen us? Because all this time our neighbors were not appreciative of the gods?" Philemon queried. "Come my husband, we must leave before we are taken as well. We must retreat to the safety of the temple."

So the couple sprinted up the hill yet again, seeking the protection of their deities. Once they set down the few belongings they brought, the heavy beating of wings sounded outside, and wind from the entrance of the temple blew fiercely against the pillars and against the faces of the couple. Then silence. After several moments, the clacking of talons against the cold, marble floors echoed all the way up to the altars that the two huddled against. Baucis, whispering desperately to Philemon "Should the dark forms take me first, I wish you to take my things and save yourself.", clinging to her husband more tightly. "No!" replied Philemon,"I would rather neither of us have to live through the agony of facing the world alone." There then stood the two massive raptors, blood on their beaks and talons, the smell of human flesh blowing from their nostrils. Baucis in a fit of frightened madness, offered her and her husbands rations of food as an offering to the altar receptacle, and they both pleaded "Just and powerful Jupiter please deliver us from this fate; we offer you our last rations. If we must be taken, all that we ask is that we are taken together under your guiding wing." Just as the shadows of the massive birds were about to overtake them both, the specters faded, and so did the fog. Then, a singular, powerful, yet soothing voice rang from the top of the altar "Faithful servants of Jupiter and Mercury, you have done well in this time. We thought your town had been devoid of appreciation for the bounty we bring to sustain it year after year, and also devoid of the love for one another as your neighbors have ignored each other's happiness and grievances. But you have proven us wrong. Please, as new persons find stead here, take yourself as new heads of this town. And live in prosperity, without desperation, for the remainder of your existences. Let it be known that, to your gods, your fellow neighbors, and to each other, you both have the indomitable virtue of a good heart."

Author's note:
   The original story of Philemon and Baucis is about an old couple that lived in a marsh town that had no reverence for the Greek Gods. The couple had been together since they were very young, and despite their impoverished state of living, they were still very happy and very much in love with each other. One day, the gods Zeus and Hermes decided to go down to the village disguised as mortals to test the generosity of the village people. At every door that they come to, they are rejected by the residents. The two gods are contemplating destroying the village after seeing that their temples there have been relatively unkempt. But they decide to give one more chance to the village and visit the meager home of Philemon and Baucis. The couple welcome the two disguised gods warmly and go through the tremendous effort of preparing them an elaborate meal and places to rest. The gods, seeing the old couple's generosity, make Philemon and Baucis keepers of their temples, and ensure that they never again live in poverty for the rest of their days.
   For my story, I wanted to try my hand at a horror story. I used the symbols of the eagle and the robin as manifestations of Jupiter and Mercury taking their rage on the marsh village. I changed the reason that the gods were so angry in comparison to the original tale: in my version the Gods are solely angry at the town for their lack of reverence for their divinity. I thought this would add to the horror aspect because I find that there's a lot to be scared of when the gods of fairy tales are angry.

Bibliography:
Story original title: Philemon and Baucis, Author: Ovid, Published: near the beginning of AD
Story link

Reading Diary B: Ovid's Metamorphoses Books 8-10

Philemon and Baucis Prepare a Meal for Jupiter and Mercury

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In this unit Ovid's books 8 through 10 are reviewed, and they give an overall sense of lingering fate. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that this is an entirely sorrowful part of the poem; there are in fact a number of parts to this unit that offer a sense of hope for a good ending to life of the characters that are featured here.

Starting with the story of Daedalus and his son Icarus, it starts out as an escape story where Daedalus finally conceives of a way to escape the island of Crete and the authoritarian rule of the King Minos. Daedalus is quite successful in his endeavor make an a pair of mechanized wings (made of feathers and wax) to help them escape. However, his son, reveling too much in the newly realized freedom that the winds bring him, flies to high and too far, allowing the sun to melt the wax and relieve the affixed feathers. This is a message that freedom does not mean that life should be taken without restraint, because if that becomes the case, one can be assured that they will feel the full gravity of their faults. (link to the story)

The poem then transitions to a story with a more pleasant end to the protagonists: the tale of Philemon and Baucis. This couple of man and wife have lived long together in Phrygia from their young days to old age, happily and wholesomely despite their impoverishment. When the gods Jupiter and Mercury decide to visit upon the town in disguise as mortals, they are disappointed by the lack of generosity and welcoming spirit of most of the community. However, Philemon and Baucis welcome them in, tirelessly prepare them food and drink despite their old age and lack of resources. As a result, they are given the honor of serving at the temple of Zeus and Mercury for the rest of their days, and the two gods plant the most fertile trees over their graves. Again, this story carries a message: even if you have very little to offer, offer it anyway, because you may be surprised the bounty that your basic generosity might inspire. (link to the story)

And then comes the story of Hercules and his fall due to the shirt of Nessus. The half-Olympian's wife is the one who gifts the shirt to him, unknowing that it carries a poison that boils the blood and tears the flesh of any who contact it. It's by this token that Hercules dies agonizingly, but for his trouble, he is allowed to return to Olympus as a true god. There's not really a message in this tale unless you adopt the ideology that the culture of the poem features: though the fate of even the mightiest beings may come to pass at the hands of the gods or mortal man, there will be compensation for those who have lived their life honorably and in service to their celestial progenitors. (link to the story)

(Here's a link to the unit page)

Reading Diary A: Homer's Odyssey Books 9-12

Odysseus sailing back home

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I like this epic because of the theme that I keep returning to: unique, mortal beings summoning all their abilities and wits to combat the supernatural or mythical challenges that they face. These mortals do this only to fulfill their own mortal wishes and desires, but then again that's all they have.

However, starting with the story of the Cyclops is an example of how even superhuman efforts by mortal men often come at the cost of time and the lives of others (sometimes those they care about). Odysseus has to play coy, yet honest, with the Cyclops by making offerings of gifts and services to catch his enemy of guard. Meanwhile, the Cyclops eats his fellow man, Odysseus being able to smell raw human meat on the monster's breath. Despite this caveat, he knows that he is saving more of his crew's lives this way.

Odysseus also uses his power of will to resist the magically augmented allure of Circe. By "resist", I do not mean remain faithful to his wife necessarily, but he does it for the survival of his crew. Nonetheless, he does put his mind first before succumbing to Circe's baits, and that alone does show that he is actions are not the superficial/instinctual drive for gratification after a long campaign away from his wife and home. Odysseus even goes one step further and demands that Circe show his men in their original form before he even dares partake in food or drink.

And even after we see Odysseus and his men escape Circe's land, we are reminded of how human Odysseus actually is when he visits the domain of Hades. Here he is haunted by the ghosts of his men, Elpenor and Teiresias, and many other souls. This is also where we see another side to Odysseus' resilience to the powers of the supernatural; he does not allow the grief of this experience to drown him in the river Styx.

Here is a link to the table of contents page for the unit

Brainstorm Topics

Topic: Resolving Fantasy and Reality
Comments: My appreciation for Alice in Wonderland manifests in a couple of ways:  Lewis Carroll uses Alice as an eager, but not necessarily fully willing, participant in her own journey into psychological fantasy. We can see that Alice herself tries to rationalize things she sees in Wonderland if she thinks they have become too far-fetched. This way the story manages to always address of more intense, reality-based topics, yet maintain its fantasy setting.
Possible Stories: from Alice in Wonderland
Sample Story: Down the Rabbit Hole
Bibliography:  Book title- Alice in Wonderland; Author- Lewis Carroll; Year- 1865; Link- Alice in Wonderland


Topic:  Superhuman Efforts Manifested in Flawed, Mortal Form
Comments: I love reading stories with mortal, flawed characters who strive for a goal, and find their capacity for superhuman feats by virtue of that internal drive. Now, due to the flawed quality of the character committing the action, the culminations of these superhuman efforts usually don't wind up becoming perfectly ideal.
Possible Stories: from Homer's Odyssey
Sample Story: The Cyclops Defeated
Bibliography: Book title- Odyssey; Author- Homer; Year- 750-650 B.C.E.; Link- Homer's Odyssey

Topic: Complex Morals and Perspectives
Comments: Character-driven stories thrive when they rely on using the characters thoughts, words, and actions to drive home a moral lesson that could have multiple interpretations. If the author begins the story with a character's vice and their journey to rid themselves of it, this allows the audience to step into the characters' shoes and into their mind.
Possible Stories: This theme plays out very well from the Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales.
Sample Story: The Wicked Prince
Bibliography: Book title- Fairy Tales and Stories; Author- Hans Christian Anderson; Year- 1835; Link- Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales

Topic: Deep Cultural Understanding
Comments: I really like stories that have the cultures in the world of the story very well researched, OR at least well realized/imagined. The most successful of these stories seem to be those that exhibit their cultural habits and rituals, not as a blatant form of propaganda, but as a necessity to understand what's going to happen next in the plot (no matter how unusual). This tells the reader that there's a lot more to this world to understand and to be explored beyond the author's words.
Possible Stories: One of my favorite series of stories to have this quality are the tales of Robin Hood
Sample Story: Allen a Dale
Bibliography: Book title- The English and Scottish Popular Ballads; Author- Francis James; Year-1882-1898; Link- Robin Hood

Essay: Crime and Justice in Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4)

Perseus vs Atlas

This image was found here, and it was made by Edward Burne-Jones

I enjoy reading literature, or at least tales, that are far removed from my era in order to get a sense of what “right” and “wrong” meant at the time of the story. In this way, I can get a view on the historical timeline of human morality. This is no different in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which happens in a time close to the AD/BC changeover: while I know that these myths are made not to be entirely realistic, it still reflects the values and mindset at the time they were written.

The most obvious and overarching pillar of good and evil is the judgment of the Gods, despite how flawed they might appear to someone of a more modern background. The impulsive and brutal activities the Zeus visits on mortals is, on many occasions, nothing short of monstrous. From what I have read, he really is a proverbial force of nature that does anything he wants whenever he wants. This is the primary point of the first tale, which details the flood Zeus used to wipe out most of humanity because HE was not pleased with their behavior. Events like these do surprise me momentarily on each occasion, but at the same time Zeus is as random and whimsical as nature is in addressing the existence of life, and nature is all-powerful as Jupiter is. Ultimately, his will is law (until it involves the titans, but I won’t address that).

But as we leave the top rung on the chain of justice, we start to see another theme: patriarchy. We don’t even need to leave the circle of the Olympians to see this, because Hera does not outright blame her husband (at least in the featured books) for attacking/romancing mortal women or female magical beings (dryads and others). These encounters usually result in the woman bearing child, and by this time Hera has become aware. And she punishes these women, not only because she is a God and has the means to, but she blindly assumes they had some power over the matter. Or maybe she finds it easier to blame these women than to try and change her husband’s ways (?). There’s no mistake that Zeus rapes some of these women in some form. However, readers can take-heart in that amongst mortals, rape is indeed a very serious crime. Despite the prevalence of patriarchy, there are occasional exceptions like in the invocation of the amazon warriors (but they are not mentioned in these books).

So, at the level of the Gods at least, most anything they say or do is set in stone as “right.” However, even when there are quarrels among the Gods themselves, like in the tale of Mars and Venus, there is no point in the story that Ovid even hints at the Gods reconsidering their actions or their intentions on their own. The way the disputes among each other are solved is by action alone: only a God can stop a God, but only by force of action. And this theme does follow what I said before about Zeus, even pertaining to the lesser Olympians: they are elements of nature itself, sometimes they clash, and one must win over the other. But they do not have second thoughts about their intent.

As we go further down the formalities of right and wrong in Ovid’s work, we approach the gray-ish realm of mortal man and magical beings. This level of morality, crime and punishment, is much more civilized, which is not surprising. Human disputes are often settled by human action, and the same goes for the creatures and monsters. However, there are clashes between humans and creatures, which is where things can become a little messy. Examples of these kinds of interactions can be seen in the tales of Narcissus, and Perseus and Medusa.

A trend that I have noticed is that Ovid never really allows a pure-blooded human to hold will and precedence over a God or Titan, but he will permit this on rare occasion when it comes to half-mortals born from divine lineage. The most prominent example in these books is that of Perseus. He was born to a mortal mother, Danaë, but she was got with child by Zeus who appeared to her as a ray of light. Half-mortals like Perseus allow Ovid to create well-balanced man vs God disputes, while still maintaining the real limitations that each character has. As a testament to this, using Medusa’s head, Perseus transforms Atlas the titan into stone in the form of a mountain. This comes after the fact that Atlas wanted Perseus to leave his land, but the half-mortal refused. In fairness, Perseus didn’t exactly react the most even-handedly by responding to a moderate retaliation due to trespassing with out-right murder.

The literature unit can be found here

Storytelling Week 2: My Version of Perseus and Andromeda

Perseus saving Andromeda, link

As Perseus rode the winds of the world, he pondered his most recent exchange with the Gorgan, Medusa. He had indeed relieved her dreaded head with serpents for locks from her shoulders, and made sure that her dead gaze only affected those whom he wished such an ill fate on. He anguished about his role in the ways of the world, mainly: “How is it that a mortal like me can challenge monsters and Gods, where so many mortals before me have failed?” He didn’t know of his lineage, how his father just so happened to be Jupiter who bestowed his seed upon the virgin Danaë. Though he was mortal, he did have the willful power of the divines to overcome those whom even the gods avoided challenging (Medusa’s gaze could indeed turn even the residents of Olympus into stone, despite them being more powerful than her on the whole). Being the survivor of so many battles and calamities so that even the fates were suspected to have played a part, Perseus’ guilt from surviving started to consume him as he looked over the horizons of the world and its people down below.


Perseus could no longer continue this cycle of languishing. He knew that he must be the one to stop himself from despair. “I must rest, and collect my mind.” he thought. He stopped at the first pleasant piece of land that he found: an area with rolling hills of lush grass, with bountiful, untamed livestock, next to a large sea-side mountain. As Perseus laid down to rest in the soft fields, the mountain began to bend over him, and emitted a booming voice, “WHO TRESPASSES HERE?” Perseus awoke with a start. “I, Perseus, son of Danaë! Who speaks?” The mountain’s form then became clearer as it lowered below the clouds: it was Atlas, the titan that held up the heavens. “So, wind rider, why have you come onto my claim on the world?” Atlas asked. “I only come to clear my mind, and if it is not beyond reason, perhaps some rest and food.” Replied Perseus. “OH? And what is it that ails your little mind, wind rider?” boomed Atlas, “Well, I have seen many lives fall before my own, yet I have survived even though I have braved the same perils. Such as my most recent quarry, Medesa the Gorgan!” The chiseled face of Atlas turned pale: he knew of the prophesy he was once told that his land would be overtaken by the beheader of Medusa. He began to raise himself up to his full height preparing to squash Perseus with his great limbs. Perseus, overwhelmed by the impulse of survival, lifted the Gorgan’s head to Atlas’, and in a flash, turned the titan into the mountain that he had mistaken him for in the first place.


Perseus fled. He could not continue this path; he began to consider the option of settling down and living the quiet life for the rest of his days. While riding the winds, several days after his exchange with Atlas, he saw a girl strapped to an obelisk on an island in the western sea. He dove down to investigate, “Lady, why are you in this predicament?” She looked at him, stunned, "My parents, they are powerful leaders of Aetheopia: the civilization of the 'sea breakers', who were gifted by Poseidon the control over all the forces of the sea. They wish me to express my own power, but I cannot. I do not think I am their child. They have put me here: either I must express my power over the sea, or I will be broken by it." Rising out of the waves, headed toward the duo at an increasing pace, was a serpent: larger along its length than even Atlas himself, and twice as fierce-some. "I cannot do anything to save us. I do not have the gift that my parents wish I had, though I would resent it even if I did. I do not want to rule: I just want to be mortal. Happy and mortal." Andromeda said woefully. "M'Lady," Perseus, replied solemnly, drawing his blade,"we may be very different in what we are, but we both share the same dream." The serpent raised itself to its full height, up above the mist of the sea shore, but just so that the glowing reds of its eyes shown through the fog. "I think you possess more potential than you realize. 'Happy and mortal' will come to both of us. But for now," Perseus gazed directly up into the serpent's maw, "we must show the Fates that 'happy and mortal' is worth fighting for."



Author's note:

I wanted to take on a different perspective to the Greek hero epic, especially those that featured heroes which had supernatural births. I would expect, that in real life circumstances, some great heroes (like Hercules, Achilles, and Perseus) would start encountering a great degree of "survivor's guilt" at some point in their lives. It just seemed like such a natural turn for a story to take: what if some of these heroes who possessed the lineage of the Gods were undesiring of their power? What if they were tired of seeing loved ones or friends dying while they stayed alive? Like I said before, the direction of the story seemed so natural if these heroes were put into a real life setting: post-traumatic stress would eventually get into the minds of half-mortals who, because of their supernatural parents, saw the lives of others passing them by.





Bibliography:
I used the story of Perseus and Andromeda found here

Ovid's Metamorphoses - Reading Diary B - Week 2

Perseus holding Medusa's Head

The image above can be found here, it is by Simone Viteri

The story can be found here

I'm not really sure if I should approach the tale of the debate between Zeus and Hera about who enjoys sex more, man or woman. It just seems like a one-off episode that was inserted by Ovid to present some humor in contrast with the darker topics covered in the previous chapters. Although, this story does ring a point that I made in my previous post: the deities of legend seem far more human in their whims and fancies than one might assume.

For similar reasons, I'm not sure if I want to address the stories of Narcissus or the Mars and Venus affair. There's just too much attention paid to lovers by this point, at least for me as part of a modern audience. In Ovid's defense, these stories were probably not experienced in bingeing portions. They were probably told over numerous episodes, where the audience experienced points of rest. But to me at least, some of the nuances of the stories concerning the adventures of lovers are just lost, at least until I can read them at a pace that permits me to be more appreciable.

I do start to like the story arc more as Ovid moves on from the affairs of the Gods to the triumphs that mortals or divine heroes (born from Gods and mortals) take over the classical obstacles and threats that we know and love, starting with the exchange between Perseus and Atlas. I found it refreshing to read the tale of Perseus changing Altas into a mountain after the titan refused to give food or shelter. And worst of all, for Atlas anyway, the titan fell prey to his own superstitious mind. This is sort of unexpected, since I have always read passages about Atlas to describe him as a very discerning character. No matter. Like I said, it was very satisfying to see Perseus give at least one of the immortals a retaliation for their petty whims.
     Further on, Perseus goes onto slay a sea serpent to save Andromeda, the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus, for her hand in marriage. Obviously, this is the sort of tale that would inspire the "Prince Charming" sort of stereotype, which isn't bad in this case. Like I said before, the first part of Ovid's story was almost solely centered round the affairs of the Gods and how they wreaked havoc on mortals who may have not necessarily deserved the torment they received from the heavens. So, the way this section ends in a tale about Perseus slaying Medusa is quite a nice change of pace.

Ovid's Metamorphosis - Reading Diary A - Week 2

This picture is from here, by Francois Boucher

The unit of readings is found here

I find it interesting that the whole unit starts out with a flood story, with Deucalian and Pyrrha surviving. The obvious comparison to this story would be that of Noah, but it's morbidly funny how Zeus/Jupiter is angry at mankind for their misdeeds, when it becomes apparent later in the unit how monstrous Jove can be to both other Gods and the mortals.

When it gets to Jupiter's activities: wow, what a tale.... Whenever I read of him, I'm always somewhat astonished by Jupiter's/Zeus' messy combination of crassness, pettiness, and brutality. He almost reminds me of the God of the old testament, plus the whole business of bestowing virgins with children and all (which is new testament, I know). Not only that, but Juno/Hera does a lot of victim blaming as well whenever she learns of her husband's debauchery. This kind of brings up a point about the Greek mythos that I haven't been able to answer: did all of the gods pretty much go with whatever Jupiter did because of his power? As if they were all just incapable of doing anything about it?

Anyway, it's also funny how any number of Gods seem to have extremely human-like characteristics in stories. They all seem to have vices one way or another, and I guess this stems from these stories about deities being written by mortals. But the main difference between the deities and mortal characters is: the plot always seems to agree with what the deity winds up doing, and discounts mortal/non-Godly characters as just a peripheral result of the deity's actions.

Specifically on the tale of Callisto, I question about stories featuring virgins conceiving children from Gods: if the stories are based on alleged real-life accounts, would it be more likely that a virgin conceived deity's child, or that she's just being untruthful about her encounters with men? This point is also brought up in this tale, when Diana sees Callisto's rounded belly. The Goddess of the Hunt doesn't even allow Callisto to defend herself morally, instead immediately banishing her.

Several Fascinating Finds in the UnTextbook

The four stories I've stumbled upon that pique my interest are:

Alice's Looking-Glass:
This is a classic reference for imagination for many, and no less so for me. I am extremely interested in the story of the Jabberwocky, primarily because this creature must be a manifestation of something terrible for Alice. I would be interested in seeing that idea explored further.

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(I decided to use the above image because it portrays much of Wonderland as a chessboard, which could be thought of as a metaphor of how Alice attempts to navigate the illogical Wonderland, and perhaps her own mind?)

Arabian Nights: The Story of the Fisherman:
I also like the idea of mortals being able to beat gods (or god-like monsters) at their own games, and that's exactly what this story shows when a lowly fisherman faces-down a genie. I think the genie could very well be considered a monster, and it takes a special kind of human to beat one. Stories in which mortals overcome immortals has been done many times over (Bram Stoker's Dracula, for example), but it is

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Grimm: Briar Rose:
The lesson that fate is always absolute, but not necessarily all that it seems is a fantastic theme that plays out in the tale of Briar Rose (also known as Sleeping Beauty). It's the classic case of "the twist ending", but without the reliance on cheesy spectacle. Instead, this tale implores readers to think more of what role prophesy actually plays in a fantasy: how far does its influence reach? And how true will it remain?

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Ovid's Metamorphosis: Semele:
I think I will enjoy recounting the various unfortunate ways that powerful beings interfere in the lives of mortals, especially in the matter of affairs and love as the story of princess Semele is. I often wonder: what do the gods get out of all this? A good laugh? Maybe this is their form of entertainment? It's moments like these when we're reminded how "human" the deities of legend really behave.

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I definitely count on expanding and deepening my search for good stories. But I will stick with these until then!

Storybook Favorites from the Myth-Folklore Storybook List

     It was interesting looking through this list: I wanted to search for stories that modeled the way I ultimately wanted to write my final project. Even though some of the stories I looked through were funny, well-paced, among other catchy qualities, I only found myself really interested in the stories that were "well-grounded". What I mean by that is that these stories and the myths surrounding them were well researched by the authors, OR at least thoroughly imagined: the writing in the tales I list below made it evident that there was plenty of background and subtle information about the plot and characters without being bogged down. It seemed the authors to each of these stories made sure to conceive the entire world of the story, and they were therefore able to draw on the multiple layers of events, characters, and places forged from that. These stories all seem to be "well-cultured" too: the audience is thrown into the flow of the world in the story, so you have to do your best to understand the social and personal influences driving the story. This makes for compelling reading that I would like to emulate.

1) Story: Heroes Revealed, link

    This is the first story that really kind of hooked me, primarily because it opened with how various heroes of legend met their ends. The reader visits the heroes in their society's version of the afterlife, and the heroes give personal backgrounds about themselves. Reading the subtle details about differing perspectives of the tales the heroes were famous for really added to the universe that the story was taking place in.

2) Story: Lost in Wonderland, link

Wonderland's world has been visited many times, various spin-off tales in popular culture. However, most of these popular interpretations of Alice's world commonly become more dark in their content, whereas Lewis Carroll's source material toed more of a gray area between dream and nightmare. This story in particular is a more light continuation of the story in Alice in Wonderland, and yet it doesn't deny its more disturbing past.


3) Story: The Dark Side of Fairy Tales, link

I like to see fresh, deeper interpretations of fairy tales that may have been made more superficial in the wake of popular culture, even if the motif is "dark" (as it's commonly been known as). This compilation adds many anguishing aspects to the most famous of the Grimm stories, making the characters more raw and their problems that guide the story even murkier.


4) Story: Tales of Beauty and the Beast, link

Again, this is a rendition of a classic story, and the author has chosen to elaborate on the circumstances surrounding  it. In particular, the author has chosen to enrich the back-stories of the characters, Beauty and Beast, leading up to their fateful meeting. This makes the interactions further on in the story resonate with more meaning than the traditional telling, which doesn't lend much to either character's history other than what is necessary to set up the main plot. In the end, there's so much evident, hard-thought concepts interwoven into the story that it makes a totally new tale all together.

My Introduction

Bonjour mes amis!

Well I hardly know you yet, and you hardly know me, so I guess I'll just have to meet you somewhere in between! My name is Andres Gomez, and I'm only remotely French, but I still like the language and the culture fondly. I am a Film and Media Studies major, Biology minor, pre-medical student attending OU for my last year whooo! I'm currently involved in a neuroscience lab and the OU Student Government Association. I'm currently aiming to go to medical school and specialize in neuropsychiatry.
      I plan on taking the MCAT soon, and I'm talking about the 2015 MCAT. So, I'm also taking a prep course to make sure I'm not surprised by what the test can throw at me. I have heard some of my pre-med fellows are planning on "winging" the new MCAT. Well, that'll be fantastic for me if it's true: scores that stand out get noticed. The MCAT questions aren't actually all that difficult, but the new MCAT requires so much integration across different subjects to do well, and thankfully the prep course is helping me get used to that.
      I've actually enjoyed my last semesters at OU, granted them being my most difficult: some of my the upper div sciences (especially Neurobiology and Psychopharmacology) have given me a real run for my money, yet I've done exceptionally well in all those classes. Unlike the basic science classes (gen chem, orgo, physics, etc.) required by all premed students, I've felt so much more like a future doctor in my neurobiology and psychopharmacology courses. And as a result, I found it so much easier to do very well in those courses despite them being upper division.
      Even though I do like doing films, I've had to shy away from them in my last few semesters and focus on my biology minor/pre-med coursework. I have had films submitted to film festivals local and abroad, and I've been able to remain active in my states' respective film communities  (got my first paid position when I was in high school). I plan on taking a year off between graduation and medical school, and devote that time to making films locally and in LA.
      I also regularly do hand-drawn sketches so I might post some of those here as well. However, until then, enjoy this (this is NOT my work in any way, all credit to the original creator)-

Picture: "Down for the Count" (2014)

by poopbear

from their deviant art page

Storytelling Week 1: The Wolf and His Shadow Redone

The Wolf and His Shadow

Starvation was temporarily out of view as the wolf gulped down his most recent quarry. But as he looked over the snowy barrens of the mountain he solely ruled, he knew this would happen again. His eyes fell over his own shadow against the snow. He liked looking at himself as a shadow, always had. It always made him look so great and strong. Yet now, he lamented and grieved: at first, he just wanted to be the leader of a pack. Even when he did right by dethroning a previous alpha, he realized that he didn't know where enough food could be found for an entire pack, where the best caves were for them to stay during the winter. They didn't make it, none of them. They didn't make it because of him, and now his was alone. Except with his shadow. He picked up the stripped skull of his prey in his maw and turned towards the east of the darkening day.

He started toward his favorite resting spot on the mountain, the blue pond under the mountain’s overhang. But as he navigated that direction, he became more and more mesmerized by his shadow. Out of instinct, he started stalking it, like he used to with his own pups. But he wasn’t stalking for play: he was hungry again.  His shadow was long now, stretching from the hill he was atop of to the blue pond. He charged into the snow, barking and snarling, and dropping the skull. He soon grew tired, and found that he was bleeding. “Did I do that?” he thought, licking the blood from his own leg and lips. Retrieving the skull, he came to rest near the blue pond, now frozen, and put the skull in a hole he had dug under the great oak tree that stood nearby. Peering into the hole and settling for sleep, he thought to himself, glancing back at his shadow, “This is not so bad,” now looking at his raw limb madly, “I’ve gotten used to that taste anyway.” He stares into the hole, which reveals a collection of canine skulls like the one he just deposited.

Bibliography:
"The Wolf and His Shadow" by  ÆSOP from THE ÆSOP FOR CHILDREN (2006). Websource: The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Æsop for Children

Image by: abysswolf666 (2014)
From: their Deviant Art page

Author's note:
The original fable "The Wolf and His Shadow" is about how a wolf perceives his physical superiority based on the enlarged form his shadow, saying that not even a lion could be called king compared to him. Consequently, he is almost immediately waylaid by a lion and killed. The moral of this story is not to let fantasies about yourself fog your perception about reality.
       While I thought that was a good lesson to follow on, the message seemed a little too simply portrayed and ended too abruptly. I thought it would be more fascinating to explore the consequences of disillusionment, particularly that of people who want to be superior to others for the mere satisfaction of accomplishment. My wolf wanted to be the leader of a pack, so he started by driving out or killing the previous alpha member. But he was totally unprepared for leading the pack through winter. As a result of his frustration of not being able to lead properly, he turned his aggression towards the members of the pack he adopted. Ultimately, he becomes a cannibal wolf, and alone except for his shadow: his one and only friend.

Favorite Place

Photo of Ann Arbor, Michigan used by Cityworks

Source: Cityworks

I've always found Michigan very therapeutic to visit: there's definitely an ebb and flow to the whole place. You can find an ambiance for every kind of mood, my preference being that of overcast-cloudy-day calmness.

I've begun.... I mean, it's begun.... I mean... I've created a blog! Wah-wah-wee-wah!

I have created a blog for this class.

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