Mythological Story Research Articles

A Study on Mythological Approach of the Wizarding Saga antagonist Ensemble

The present paper attempts to establish the reason behind the enormous popularity of the Harry Potter series - a topic which has been abundantly commented on in recent years by both experts in the fields of literature and culture, as well as professionals from the publishing industry, although with no clear consensus. Employing the concept of myth as an essentially psychological phenomenon, as presented by the Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson is his Maps of Meaning (1999), the article argues both that Harry Potter is a fundamentally mythological story which strongly resonates with basic human experience of the world and that it is J. K. Rowling's adherence to archetypal story-patterns, rather than her originality, that makes her series for readers so easy to relate to.

Exploring the Female Consciousness in the Ancient Greek Period–Based on the image of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis and her mythological story

Female consciousness in the ancient Greek period presents equal and independent as well as diversified characteristics in the image of the goddess Artemis and the mythological stories. Firstly, Artemis shows the female consciousness of pursuing equal human dignity in the mythological stories. Secondly, Artemis emphasizes women’s individual value and pursues female’s consciousness of sexual independence of their own choice. Thirdly, Artemis demonstrates the female consciousness of pursuing unique social functions in the mythological stories. The value and significance of the image of the goddess Artemis and her mythological stories lie not only in the diversified development of women’s character and identity in the ancient Greek period, but also in the promotion of women’s political and social status in the ancient Greek period. The image of the goddess Artemis and her mythological stories played an important role in ancient Greek culture, and her existence not only enriched the connotation of ancient Greek culture, but also promoted the germination and diversified development of women’s consciousness in the ancient Greek period.

“All things coexist and all things love” – research on the creation of the original dance drama “Gangong Bird”

The dance drama “Gangong Bird” is based on an ancient traditional folk narrative ballad widely circulated in the Li ethnic area of Hainan. The origins of the 2017 and 2021 versions of the dance drama “Gangong Bird” tell the story of Gan Gongniao from different angles. The whole story has the appearance of a Chinese mythological story. It mainly uses typical Li nationality Sandaowan and modern dance movement elements and breathing force methods . Revealing the ugly image of bullies and expressing love that pursues freedom without being restrained .

Girish Karnad’s Yayati and Hayavadana: A Mythical Experiment

Yayati and Hayavadana are the most eminent plays written by Girish Karnad. Myths are recognized as perfect ethical perspective from an alternate perspective. Myth holds significant importance in history as well as in literature, philosophy, and various aspects of human life. Myths have been a crucial element in oral, written, and visual storytelling for many millennia. That is the reason they have been present throughout all of humanity’s history. Every child in India has been raised hearing mythological stories of gods and goddesses. Mythological tales are also essential in the study of culture. Yayati is a mythological tale that is part of our Indian heritage. Yayati retells a mythological story from the Mahabharata, focusing on ancient king Yayati and his desires. Karnad sourced the plot of the play Hayavadana from Kathasaritsagara, an ancient Sanskrit collection of stories.

Sang Hyang Semara Ratih as The Creation of Painting

This independent project thesis raises the title Sang Hyang Semara Ratih as the creation of a painting. In the Hindu mythological story Sang Hyang Semara Ratih, which is the lamp of the gods and goddesses as a symbol of love full of desire and loyalty and sacrifice. The story is told in Lontar Cundamani II. In this quote, it is told that heaven is being attacked by the giant Nilarudraka, a powerful giant who wants to rule over heaven. The gods were all defeated, none of them could fight him. Finally the gods came to Bhagawan Wraspati to ask and predict who would be able to beat the giant. Finally the results of the prediction showed that the giant Nilarudraka would only be defeated by the elephant-headed children of Lord Shiva. From the contents of this thesis, the author also reveals the creation of works of art, which the author creates and shows, namely the visuals of the Hindu Mythological object Sang Hyang Semara Ratih which contain many philosophical meanings in it. The conclusion of Sang Hyang Semara Ratih's thesis as the creation of this painting aims to provide an understanding for readers to recognize the meaning of the symbols contained in Sang Hyang Semara Ratih.

Symbolic Mythology: The Portrayal of Gender Fluidity in Kae Tempest Selected Poems

Myth in literary works tends to be used as a traditional story which typically aims to represent and explain certain natural phenomenon. One of those phenomenon are the existence of multi-binary or even non-binary gender which at first known as mythological story of Tiresias that become a real social issue recently. Related to myth, this article is aimed to identify and elaborate the term neutral and gender fluidity correlates to the mythology of Tiresias from Oedipus in the account of hybrid sign by Pierce. Tiresias representing the fluidity term of gender which in the written poems by Tempest’s selected works has symbolical meaning. The data was taken from selected poems in Kae Tempest anthological poetry and collected using proposed sampling technique. The criterion of the sampling is the use of mythological symbol. As a result, the research found there are several symbols, icons, and indexes used to represent neutral gender into Tiresias such as snakes, name of Tiresias, sex, body, and prophet. More than that, some figurative language also used to strengthen the implication of Tiresias implicitly in poem such as like a lady. Besides, typography also found to represent fluid identity such as ones and yous. Thus, this article is contributed to the embodiment of hybrid sign concept applied in literary analysis poetry. Moreover, it is also contributed to the development of gender theory which enlarge the knowledge about fluidity and neutral term of gender.

Visualisation Features of Mythological Image of Nezha in Chinese Animation

Mythological heritage is an integral part of Chinese culture, but in order to continue its existence, it has to transform and adjust to society and its demands, thus acquiring new content and reflecting new values. The article studies the visualization peculiarities of the Chinese mythological story of Nezha in the national animation. This article examines the transformation process of the mythological image of Nezha (哪吒), its sinification process, its features in the classic 16th century novel “Investiture of the Gods” by Xu Zhonglin, as well as features of film adaptation of mythological story of Nezha in the animated films “Nezha Conquers the Dragon King” (哪吒闹海), 1979, and “Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child” (哪吒之魔童降世), 2019. The plot of both movies and the image of Nezha in them inevitably differ from the original novel “Investiture of the Gods” and through these differences it is possible to identify the main social issues, existing in a certain period of time. The 1979 animated film is a milestone in Chinese animation development, and it is saturated with the mood of the times of change. Film directors attempt to reflect on the “Cultural Revolution”. The image of Nezha symbolizes a cruel but righteous hero who fights the enemies of the people and sacrifices himself for the common good. In the 2019 film the plot of the primary source is radically deconstructed, and the problems of growing up and self-determination of the individual, as well as the cruelty of modern society come into focus. Thanks to the successful adaptation of the classic mythology plot both films managed to gain success not only among Chinese audience and critics, but also among foreign ones.

“Zdes'” is not “Tut”: Some Remarks on the Deixis of Oral Mythological Stories

The article examines the functioning of two spatial deictics “zdes'” and “tut” in the system of mythological story based on the material of the Northern Russian tradition. The analysis made it possible to reveal the composition of the meanings they represent, the quantitative ratio of these units, and the modes of use. The presence of specialization of these deictic units in the oral narrative has been established: “zdes'”, in all spatial meanings, it is used exclusively as a deictic of the speech mode and it is indicating of the speaker's location in the actual situation of speech. The lexeme “tut” is used both in the speech mode and in the narrative mode – as a means images of the situation of the text relative to the character or the observer (this feature is observed only if a specific limited area of space is designated by this word), which allows us to conclude that this lexeme performs the function of a means of narrating and modeling the chronotope of the text, separated from the actual situation of speech.

О принципе составления канона Ямвлиха

Iamblichus of Chalcis, one of the most prominent Neoplatonists of the third – fourth cen­turies AD, introduced a list of twelve principal Plato’s dialogues that should have been com­pulsory studied by his disciples. This list was called the Canon of Iamblichus. However, the survived Iamblichus’ writings contain no information on the Canon; and later Neopla­tonists provide very scant mentions on the subject. It is the sole anonymous manuscript of the sixth century that counts twelve dialogues in the Canon and lists each of them match­ing with the hierarchy of virtues. Nonetheless, Iamblichus seems to be less interested in the doctrine of virtues. Moreover, given the hierarchic order of virtues, one cannot ex­plain why ‘political’ virtues correspond to the Gorgias and not to the Statesman or the Re­public. To discover the reason for selection of particular Plato’s dialogues for the Canon, I analyzed the general assessments of the dialogues by later Neoplatonists. The analysis re­veals that every of the first ten dialogues contains a particular mythological story with a featured character, who plays the role of a Demiurge. The collected evidence argues that the principal selection criterion for Iamblichus was the mythologic kernel of each dialogue. Moreover, Iamblichus’ Canon presupposes that the first ten dialogues form a common mythological narrative, a kind of an integral meta-myth of Plato’s philosophy.

Intertekstualnost u drami Dva plemenita rođaka

The central plot of Fletcher and Shakespeare's play The Two Noble Kinsmen derives from Chaucer's The Knight's Tale, so it could be interpreted through the theory of intertextuality and transtextuality. The prototext of these literary works is identical, but it has been modified over the centuries. It has changed from a mythological story into a universal symbol of love, friendship, authority, honor, and death. Apart from the permutation of texts by different authors, The Two Noble Kinsmen is also a curious collection of Shakespeare's earlier works, despite the frequent contestation of his contribution to this play. Such self-citation is an interesting phenomenon, especially if we consider the fact that this play is Shakespeare's last work and not The Tempest, as traditionally stated in literary histories. Therefore, this paper aims to determine the similarities and differences between Chaucer's famous story and Fletcher and Shakespeare's play, to point out the degree of intertextuality in it, and to highlight the original dramatic episodes and characters, their function, meaning, and significance. With the assumption that Fletcher and Shakespeare intentionally and purposefully chose the mode of adaptation and transformation of the famous Chaucer's text, the obtained results indicate that certain elements were modified due to the requirements of the dramatic form and its theatrical function, but also for commercial and socio-political reasons. The transposition of the well-known ancient story into Renaissance England, with new episodes and characters in the subplot, offers a different and somewhat subversive picture of conventional social norms and relations.

Possibility for existence of astrological planetary positions as per Sage Valmiki-research analysis

Sage Valmiki in Ramayana mentioned that Lord Rama (avatar of Lord Vishnu) was born when five planets were exalted as per Sidereal Ephemeris and Moon is in its own house. In this article, using the Swiss Data Ephemeris, I analyzed the data between 12,000 BC and 12,000 AD in Gregorian Calendar to find the possibilities of such planetary positions. Based on my calculations, similar astrological planetary combination was found on 19th July, 7875 AD. Thus, if the mythological story is true, then it can be assumed that Lord Rama will be re-born on this day.

Dark feet and dark wings: penetrating the depths of the Earth.

The author, although an analyst, is an initiate into the topic of environmental destruction. Following Wendell Berry, she enters the dark and begins a journey of dream-like reflection, weaving images from her own dream and drawing on the work of Vaughan, Bernstein, Soloveitchik and Sacks. She asks, 'not if but where does climate change enter the room?'. The second half of the paper focuses on the manifestations of environmental destruction in dreams and sandplay from three patients and one dream group participant. The paper argues that the analyst must see and intuit before our patients can access the objective layer of environmental destruction in dreams and symbolic material. In this way, the climate becomes the wounded patient, and the analyst as wounded healer must first access his/her own relationship to the wounds inside. Finally, using an ancient Jewish mythological story of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the author argues that Jungian analysts must work to find balance between the inner world of depth psychology and the outer world with its challenges and problems that include environmental destruction.

OEDIPUS AND BEOWULF: THEIR SHARES IN CURSES

King Oedipus by Sophocles and Beowulf by an anonymous author are two great legendary tales that tell of two tragic heroes of pre - Christian era. The former one is derived from the Greek mythological story where gods and goddesses play an active role in the phenomena of human life where the worthy and noble king Oedipus suffers the unhappiest events a man can have in life. The latter one is derived from the oral formulaic tales of ancient Scandinavia where the mighty, warrior king Beowulf meets the tragic end after a life full of heroic events. Both of them reign in pagan period when man is bound to surrender to the whims of fate. Yet man is a free will agent by nature and it determines him against allowing fate to settle everything of his life. This paper shows that though both of the heroes finally succumb to their nemesis, knowingly or unknowingly they have shares in the curses they are under.

Vyačeslav Ivanov Between Dante and Dionysus. The Poet’s Visionary Experience of 1908 and the Problem of Triple Unions

The article examines the symbolist poet Vyačeslav Ivanov’s visionary experience in the context of his poetic creativity and life-creating practices. Ivanov's visionary experience, inspired by the death of his wife Lidija Zinov’eva-Annibal, was not only reflected in his artistic work, but also influenced by his poetic imagery. In the vision, Ivanov, together with his winged deceased wife Lidija, communicates with a fiery heart, and then communicates with Lidija's daughter Vera, who is then placed in the heart of her mother. We assert that the vision of Ivanov makes use of not only Dante's symbolics (represented in his “New Life”), but also mystical-Dionysian symbolics, connected to a mythological story about the tearing of Dionysus-Zagreus by the Titans. This becomes obvious when comparing the poet's visionary experience with the poem “The Dream of Melampus”, in which for the first time the mystery-Dionysian plot is most fully expressed. Some of the motifs of Ivanov’s vision are associated with the symbolism of the macrocosm and microcosm, expressed in the spiritual verse “The Dream of the Desert Mother”. The visionary experience of Ivanov is included in the context of the so-called triple unions – Ivanov's mystical-utopian project aimed at forming a new spiritual and social order based on the mystical unity of human souls. The marriage with Vera Schwarzalon, the desirability of which is expressed in a visionary form, is perceived as a union of not two, but three. At the same time, Vera acts as the earthly embodiment of Lidija, who had gone into the transcendent spheres. Marriage with Vera becomes a way of establishing a death-conquering love affair with Lidija and performs a theurgic function: the reunion of the transcendent-spiritual with the empirically real. The difference from the triple unions with Sergej Gorodeckij and Margarita Sabašnikova is only that the union with Vera becomes a means of overcoming not mystical disunity, but death.

IMPURE REVENGE, PURE SACRIFICE: A STUDY OF GIRISH KARNAD’S PLAY THE FIRE AND THE RAIN

This paper is an attempt to discuss the notions of revenge and sacrifice as depicted in Girish Karnad’s famous play The Fire and the Rain. The sacrifice is a major ceremony to appease gods in most of the religions all over the world. From ancient times this idea of sacrifice is prevalent. Even in pagan societies when religions were not developed in the sense we perceive today, then also humans practice offerings of animals and sometimes humans too to the supernatural power to please and to have blessings. Revenge is more of a psychological and emotional state that gets activated automatically and provides a strong drive in people who feel they have been wronged by another. Yavakri, Raibhaya, Parvasu, husband and brother of Nittilai are the characters in the play who are burning in the fire of revenge for various reasons. They think that they have been wronged and killing of their opponent is only the way to solve the problem. The death of Jesus on the cross has been considered as the greatest sacrifice. Jesus gave his life to clean the sins of society. Girish Karnad uses the mythological story from Mahabharata, in his play the Fire and the Rain to discuss the concepts of revenge and sacrifice in which the purity of Arvasu life and his sacrifice delivered the state from drought and there is Rain. The title is symbolic when rain stands for hope, life, flora and fauna, blessings, creation, radiation and rejuvenation and fire stands for purification something that is crude in us is to be burned out. Even fire also represents passion, hatred, jealousy, revenge and prejudice. Yavakri wants to take revenge, so he goes for the penance to get power to take revenge on his uncle Raibhaya. Parvasu left the fire sacrifice to remove his own father which is a threat to the fire ceremony he is performing. The brother and husband of Nittilai take revenge on her for running away by killing her.

Jamato Takeru - japanski junak između mita i istorije

Yamato Takeru is one of the most famous Japanese heroes. He has a carefully chosen name, which connects him with the state of Yamato, the predecessor of today's Japan. He is characterized by all the features of a mythical hero: courage, strength and ingenuity, but mythological story includes also fairy-tale motifs such as a miraculous sword, helpers, disguise, falling in love, and finally, supernatural death due to encounter with a numinous force. The oldest variants of the myth about this fearless warrior we can find in the first Japanese historical chronicles (8th century). Adding certain elements to the common ground and combining them in accordance with their own narrative aspirations, these texts gave their own recognizable variants of the myth of Yamato Takeru, which were a clear reflection of the ideology of the time. Regardless of the differences, these variants describe the achievements of Yamato Takeru as a key turning point, because in that semi-historical time that is also the beginning of national consolidation. By "calming and subduing" western and Eastern countries, he contributed to increasing the territory under imperial rule and strengthening the authority of the Yamato court. In the following centuries, new variants of the myth about this hero were created on these bases. Some are focused on territorial conquests and spreading of the influence of the imperial government, while the miraculous events related to the Kusanagi sword were more important to the others. Recently, Yamato Takeru has been used, in the same way as the other national icons, to create and highlight Japanese national identity, especially when it came to inspiring the people to selflessly lay down their lives for the country and the emperor.

Thoughts on the Symbolism and Origin of Apollo’s Fight Against the Pythian Snake

The following paper deals with the mythological story about Apollo’s fight against a she-snake at Pytho, where he eventually builds a sanctuary – the Delphic Oracle. First, it is attempted to decipher the terms Pytho, Delphi and Omphalos. A symbolism revolving around an underlying theme of birth is considered. Then, the stories about Apollo and about Kadmos, as well as a motif in Pherecydes’ theogony, and the Anatolian Illuyanka Myth are being presented as subjects of a comparative analysis. This leads to the proposal that all four narratives have a common origin in Western Anatolia or Pre-Greek Hellas.

It Cuts Both Ways: An Annelid Model System for the Study of Regeneration in the Laboratory and in the Classroom.

The mechanisms supporting regeneration and successful recovery of function have fascinated scientists and the general public for quite some time, with the earliest description of regeneration occurring in the 8th century BC through the Greek mythological story of Prometheus. While most animals demonstrate the capacity for wound-healing, the ability to initiate a developmental process that leads to a partial or complete replacement of a lost structure varies widely among animal taxa. Variation also occurs within single species based on the nature and location of the wound and the developmental stage or age of the individual. Comparative studies of cellular and molecular changes that occur both during, and following, wound healing may point to conserved genomic pathways among animals of different regenerative capacity. Such insights could revolutionize studies within the field of regenerative medicine. In this review, we focus on several closely related species of Lumbriculus (Clitellata: Lumbriculidae), as we present a case for revisiting the use of an annelid model system for the study of regeneration. We hope that this review will provide a primer to Lumbriculus biology not only for regeneration researchers but also for STEM teachers and their students.

Writing patriarchy out of tragedy? Marina Carr’s translocation of the atrides myth in Ariel

ABSTRACT This paper examines Marina Carr’s Ariel as a feminist retelling of the Greek myth of the Atrides. It compares that contemporaneous play with the classical tragedies displaying that mythological story that Carr has used to craft the plot of Ariel, namely Aeschylus’s The Oresteia, Sophocles’s Electra and Euripides’s Iphigenia at Aulis. This comparison underlines the subversion of Greek tragedy’s political purpose in Ariel. Indeed, Carr shows the destructive power of patriarchy instead of endorsing it as a socio-political structure like Greek tragedy used to do during the 5th century B.C.E. The portrayal of women on stage is crucial regarding that matter. In Ariel, Carr approaches female characters as subjects oppressed by the patriarchal ideology fuelling the Republic of Ireland, diverting thus from the tradition of the “male gaze” displayed in Greek tragedy.

Greek, Tamil and Sanskrit: Comparison between the Myths of Prometheus, Sembian and Sibi

The Prometheus myth in Greek literature deals primarily with the theft of fire. The mythological story unwinds such events as the sacrificial thigh bone, God’s corporal punishment, and the eating of flesh by an eagle. A link with the Oceanus race and with the continent of Asia is also seen. Interestingly resemblances with this myth can be seen in some ancient literary sources from Tamil and Sanskrit languages. The Tamil myth of ‘Sembian’ and the Sanskrit myth of ‘Sibi’ also have resemblances with the Greek myth of Prometheus. The parallels seen between these myths are examined here. Keywords: comparative study, Indian, myth, Prometheus, Sanskrit, Sembian, Sibi, Tamil