Myths, Images, and the Making of a Story

 

 

 

 

     I will start this post by stating a fact about myself: I love myths and legends. I find them fascinating not only in the essence that each offers a look into the beliefs and history of a given people, but also in that they tend to be some of the most imaginative stories that humankind has ever produced. This will be the theme of the rest of this post

 

     A few classes ago it was pointed out by Professor Leeper that the Greek god Bacchus is to found within the Chronicles of Narnia books. It is also worth noting that fauns and centaurs, among other mythical creatures, are to found throughout the books as well. I find it interesting that so many people want to tell stories, and yet they have no fundamental knowledge of probably the greatest treasure trove of inspiration that there is, namely myths and legends. Has no one stopped to notice that the other extremely popular book series of our time, Harry Potter, also borrows heavily from myths. For those of you that have not studied them very in-depth, The Lord of the Rings series borrows very heavily from Norse mythology, and the if you take all of his books and notes concerning Middle Earth as a whole, Tolkien's intention was to tell the birth of England, based upon the Creation myth of the Bible (a myth he and I consider true). The popularity of these stories and there use of myths is not accidental. Myths (and creatures and characters based upon myths) speak to people in a way that other stories and characters cannot. They bring magic and wonder to a story. They let the reader or cinemagoer use their imagination to bring something fantastic to life. They not only bring a sense of a fairy-tale, but also make the story more believable because the characters from myths are so ingrained in us that they have become as much a part of us as any historical figure.

     In short, I think it is wise for those who would tell a any story, whether it be fantasy, science fiction, or boigraphy, to study the stories that allowed us to create and undertsand story today. Who knows what inspiration you may find there.