Thursday 28 August 2014

Essay for Week 2: May the Gods be Ever in Your Favor

Greek mythology has always had an interesting take on their gods and goddesses. It has always seemed like Greek gods were more human-like than any other gods. They are portrayed as selfish, manipulative, and heavily flawed. They simply use their powers to do whatever they want - not caring about the humans they are higher than. It seems as though the gods just lucked out and somehow had powers and were placed above mankind. The morality of it all is almost nonexistent it seems. However, they are interesting characters, especially in understanding how the Greeks believe certain things were brought to existence and certain events (particularly weather) took place.

In these stories, some of the gods are helpful and listen to human desires, but a lot of them are just doing their selfish thing and not really caring about humanity. Jupiter in particular has a terrible problem with lust, it seems. In this unit alone, he rapes three different women. Now, the subject of rape is a rant for some other time, but this is a clear sign that Jupiter is not going to compromise his own wants for anyone else. He's a god - so I guess people should be thankful that he wants to rape them? I don't know. Plus, is sexual escapades gets him into a whole lot of trouble with Juno, his wife.

Onto Juno, she has every right to be mad at Jupiter regarding his wandering eyes and body parts, but she is a jealous wife to the point of altering the lives of others to ensure she can spy on her husband accurately. What is coming to mind is the causing Echo to only repeat the last things other people say. Echo is forever haunted by her speech issues just so Juno would not have a distraction in catching her husband in the act of sex. Again, it's granted that Juno has a right to want to catch her cheating husband, but the methods to reach her goal completely disregard the lives of humans.

I think this is common with many of the other gods, as well. Vulcan's wife, Aphrodite, had an affair with Ares, which is a very human thing to do. Poseidon was angered by humans to the point where he made them sacrifice Andromeda to his son. I mean, the gods clearly have an agenda all their own - and humans are simply caught in the crossfire. It's a bad place to be, and it seems that even though there are gods in the world, one still has to be lucky to live a decent life.


Ovid's Metamorphoses I

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Storytelling for Week 2: Lion Hearts

Once upon a time, there was a lion who lived in a wooded area behind a decent-sized village. He lived right outside the village because that's where lions lived at this time. Greece was the hotspot - kind of touristy and kitsch, but a good place to live nonetheless. Eventually, he would migrate to Africa - where all lions would eventually live - and bunk with his cousin, Ted, and all his wives, but that would come later.



The lion was resting in a forest, when he noticed a woman sitting by some shapely rocks. Humans and their traditions. They put so much effort into those rocks. Don't they know that, when they die, their bodies become the grass? They never really grasped the circle of life. Anyway, back to the girl. She had taken off some sort of material from her head and placed it right next to her.

She was very interesting to look- Ooh! A cow! He loved the taste of cow. They were always so tender. He couldn't resist. The lion chased after the cow, claws unleashed, teeth bared, and was soon tasting a mix of hair, blood, and delicious steak. He was going all in with this. He was rather hungry the more he thought about it and tore into the bovine.

Now, after he had finished his midnight snack, he decided he wanted to go see what that girl was up to. He emerged from the forest and went to go make a friend, but she screamed and ran into a cave.

That was weird.

The lion went back into the forest, but was caught by surprise when a man ran into the forest and stood by a tree. He began to stab himself, which the lion thought a very odd and slightly sadistic ritual. When he stopped breathing, the lion was much more confused than ever before.

Soon, the woman came from the cave she was hiding in and walked over to where the man was. She seemed to get very upset, to the point of stabbing herself with the same metal stick. The lion was honestly getting a little freaked out, but he would not allow others to think him cowardly, so he began to walk over to them.

Looking over the situation, the lion simply shrugged his shoulders. "Teenagers", he thought.

Author's Note:
I took this from Pyramus and Thisbe, the part of Ovid's Metamorphoses. I chose this story because it was basically Romeo and Juliet, and I wanted there to be a character who didn't understand the tragedy or greatness of the story, because I don't understand it. The lion was the perfect outlet.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Week 2:Ovid's Metamorphoses I

Deucalion and Pyrrha
There's a flood? I thought I chose Classics and not the Bible. Interesting how the logic behind both floods is similar.

The world is drowned, but there are survivors - the titular characters. Adam and Eve reborn?

Note the use of the conch.

Themis is the goddess they appeal to. She tells them to scatter their mother's bones (i.e. throw rocks). Pyrrha is all like, "Ain't gonna happen!"

They hesitate, but agree to do it. The stones that Deucalion throws turn into men, and the stones that Pyrrha throwa turn into women. Yay, procreation!

Io
Io is raped by Zeus/Jupiter, and is turned into a heifer so the god can hide her from Juno. However, she is claimed to the earth. If Zeus argues, he gives his deeds away, otherwise he must forego the love.

She looks at herself in a pool and is horrified by what she is. She runs away crying.

She finds her father, Inachus, and follows him and his family around.

Argus takes her away, but Jupiter seeks to kill Argus so he can have his heifer, and has his son, Mercury, live out the task.

She is eventually turned back into a human.

Phaethon and the Sun
Phaethon has a desire to drive the chariot in the sun and heads to the Palace of the Sun.

He is instructed on how to properly operate it.

It turns out to be much more difficult a task than could be expected.

Phaethon's Ride
Phaethon begs to drive the chariot despite warnings against doing so.

Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, then begins to rise as she does every morning. Phaethon is to drive behind her to bring the sun.

However, the horses prove to be too difficult to control and Phaethon not only struggles to control them but also lets go of the reigns like a moron.

Now, the sun begins to get to close to the earth and the mountains begin to burn. The earth whines and complains.

The Death of Phaethon
Jupiter fixes the issue, but Phaethon literally falls like a dying star.

Cycnus becomes a swan, which had previously never existed.

Phaethon's father refuses to do any more work as he is overcome with grief, so Sol comes in and takes over the sun duty.

Callisto
Once again, Jupiter can't keep it in his pants. He rapes Callisto, a nymph under the care of the goddess, Diana.

Diana realizes what has happened to Callisto, and tells her to go away. Eventually, she is turned into a bear.

Now Callisto, along with Arcas - the grandson of Lycaon - are made into constellations and placed in the sky.

Semele
Jupiter has - yet again - knocked up a woman. This time, her name is Semele. She is pregnant with Jupiter's child. Juno is pretty upset.

Semele asks for the "touch of Jupiter", so to speak. However, her body can't take it.

The baby is still delivered, and it's Dionysus.

Echo
Dionysus' birth causes Jupiter and Juno to argue over the pleasures of love. To settle their debate, they go to Tiresias - who has been both sexes at one time or other - and he says Juno has it right.

Narcissus is born and becomes a handsome devil. He catches the eye of Echo, a nymph who played lookout while Jupiter was off doing the nasty with various other nymphs and was given the curse of only being able to say the last word someone else has said.

She comes on to Narcissus but he is not attracted to her and runs away. Echo cries and is shamed, and she hides away never to be seen again.

Narcissus
Nemesis hears the cries of the nymphs that ill should befall Narcissus, so she makes a pool nearby very clear and Narcissus looks into it, only to discover and fall in love with himself.

He loves himself so much, but can't be with himself. He gets really emotional and dies...sort of. He is transformed into a flower.

Pyramus and Thisbe
see Romeo and Juliet, but with a lion instead of a monk.

Mars and Venus
Not a lot going on here. These two have an affair, the husband (Vulcan) finds out. He decides to ensnare them, and when they are caught in the act, the rest of the gods get a peep show. It's like Porky's. Sort of.

Perseus and Andromeda
see Clash of the Titans.

Perseus and Medusa
see above.

Thursday 21 August 2014

Week 1: Six Posts In and We're Just Now to Introductions

 
 
and welcome to my blog!
 
My name is Chase Clark, and I am a senior at OU. I am pursuing a degree in Film and Media Studies and will hopefully be able to pursue something in the film world soon.
 
A little bit about me - I like movies. I think that's pretty obvious. My favorite filmmakers are The Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino. I'm also big fan of music. I dabble at the guitar and suck quite significantly. I enjoy the smooth sounds of Red Hot Chili Peppers above all else, but am also a major enthusiast of old Motown and 60s classics (The Beatles, Beach Boys, The Four Seasons, etc.). I'm quite the reader, as well. I'm a huge Tolkien nerd and have read Lord of the Rings annually since I was in the 5th grade (I'm a little inconsistent with The Silmarillion). I'll read anything, though. I'm also a lover of C.S. Lewis, Douglas Adams, and Mark Twain.
 
I don't do a lot of extracurricular stuff because of my school and work schedule. I'm in 18 hours this semester, on top of 35 hours of work a week. Not to brag or anything, but I'm dying. Plus, I'm heavily involved in my church's college ministry. We only meet on Mondays at 8pm, but its almost a full-time deal. I don't have a lot of time for much else, regrettably.
 
I love mythologies of all kinds. I'm partial to Greek, Norse and Celtic stuff (and I am one of those people who consider Tolkien's work to be a mythology, so I'm really partial to that), but I enjoy it all and am always willing to learn more.
 
-Chase Clark
 


Week 1: My Storybook Favorites

The first storybook I picked was The Unanswered Questions of Pooh and Friends. Personally, I love Winnie-the-Pooh. Is that something that a 24-year-old college student should admit to? Probably not. It's true, though, and that's what I loved about this storybook. It felt like an actual Pooh tale, but with the mixture of classic Aesop fables, it was just about perfect. The design of the website really helped the Pooh feel, with its red and yellow background and lettering.

The second storybook I chose was Robin of Sherwood: Sherwood's Side of the Story. Robin Hood has always been my favorite folktale. I think his story is really cool and he seems like a nice guy. However, I really enjoy stories where they dive into the other characters instead of just focusing on one. Again, the background and the making up of the website really help sell its storybook feel. Quite a fun little read.

The final storybook I looked at was The Untold Stories of Cleopatra VII. I know very little about Cleopatra. Let me reemphasize this - VERY little about Cleopatra. I really love Egyptian stuff. What little I know of the mythology and The Mummy movie series I have really enjoyed. Prior to reading this storybook, I actually did not know that Cleopatra died of a snake bite. Plus, this is another instance where you get to hear the "other side of the story", which makes for very entertaining reading.

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Week 1: Decisions with the UN-Textbook

This was a tough one for me. I mean, there are so many options and almost all of them seemed fantastic! However, since I am currently to keep it to four or five, I have decided to remove from my list any myth or folklore that I have previously studied thoroughly, such as the Bible, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Alice in Wonderland, Arabian Nights, and Beowulf. However, some of these things I decided just warrented more exploration, so they are included:

Celtic Tales - Good Lord, I'm a sucker for a good Celtic story. Call it a heritage thing, call it weird, whatever. I just love this kind of stuff and I actually know a lot less than I would like to. I shall fix that.

Ancient Egypt - Egypt mythology is a good blend of intelligence and downright creepy. An entire unit on it? Yes, please. Minimal knowledge in this area, as well, especially with the names. Isis? Anubis? Say what?

Voyages of Sinbad - This guy was super cool. I feel like he was the Jason of Eastern myth. I'm not talking about the comedian, either, though that guy has some coolness to him, as well.

Japanese Mythology - I am very excited for this. I love Japanese myth and the heavy sense of honour and duty that the Japanese tend to focus on. Plus, if there are samurais involved, I can watch Kurosawa films just because.

Apache Stories - I'm only 1/16th Native American, but it's not Cherokee and I feel that has merit to it. This will be really cool and exciting stuff, but I guess I can say that about everything on and off my list.

As you can see, I tried to take myths from all over. I didn't want to focus too much on one particular area. I can't wait to learn about all of this stuff this semester.

-Chase Clark

Week 1 Storytelling: Sir Eyes-Egg Newton and His Thoughts on Gravity

Sir Eyes-Egg Newton was quite the mathematician. He was sitting under an apple tree one afternoon, contemplating the concept of "i" as an imaginary number - something that did not go well among his colleagues.

"Imaginary numbers?! Are you saying math is like the Tooth Fairy? No! Math and science are things you can see! They're real!" they would say. "How about you jump off a bridge, Humpty Dumpty!"

Humpty Dumpty...what a cruel name. Granted, he had never had luck with names, anyway. I mean, his mom named him Eyes-Egg. What kind of a name was that? He was pretty sure his mother was a little crazy. She was one of those the-world-is-flat people.

He was getting quite boiled thinking about it all, when something thumped him on top of his head. He was now a little cracked, when he realized that it was an apple that had fallen from the apple tree. He stared at that apple for a minute or two, when he realized something:

"This is it! This apple fell because of gravity! Gravity...I like that name for it. It's something imaginary, but it explains the inexplicable! If I can share this with my colleagues, maybe they will take me seriously."

 


Eyes-Egg got up, and ran as fast as he could to the mathematicians forum where all his buddies would be playing "Predict the Infinite Nature of the Universe" - a highly complicated game that you would not understand. Upon arrival, he heralded his friends outside as he climbed up the nearest wall to make his speech and demonstration.

"My colleagues! You have laughed at me for years over my theories regarding the invisible and imaginary! But I shall have the last laugh now! Please - allow me to introduce to you, gravity."

With that, Eyes-Egg jumped from the ledge that had been his podium, landed on the ground with a crack, and oozed yoke everywhere. His colleagues all stood there, shocked, and about to vomit. One gave into the urge.

About this time, the king's men came by riding on their horses. At seeing the crowd, they came to a halt to see what was going on. Dismounting, they walked over to the mutilated shell of Eyes-Egg.

"Scrambled eggs!" one said. "Good thing I skipped out on breakfast!"

Author's Note:
This story comes from the classic nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
couldn't put Humpty together again.
 
I took this rhyme from The Nursery Rhyme Book (Andrew Lang, 1897). Now, when I made the connection between Humpty Dumpty and Sir Isaac Newton - thanks to gravity - the rest just fell into place. Plus, it helped to know a little bit about Sir Isaac's crazy latter years. It was a fun little idea I decided to run with while at work, and here is the product.
 
-Chase Clark


Tuesday 19 August 2014

Week 1: My Favorite Places

My favorite place on this entire planet is Ireland. I really want to live there, and I am incredibly Irish, so I feel there would be some sort of "home"-feel to it. As you can see below, the view is fantastic.



Doesn't it look beautiful? The correct answer is "yes". Very green, very mountainous, somewhat forest-y, and very beautiful. Plus, look below - that's an old-school pub/inn thing. How cool is that?


-Chase Clark

Monday 18 August 2014

This is Only a Test

Not my first blog. I've been blogging since I could spell the word. Okay - maybe not that long, but I've been blogging for quite some time. I am told this a section for me to write my puns and musings (Greek pun) regarding my online Mythology/Folklore class.

Should be fun.