This week’s discussion encapsulated mythologies surrounding death and diseases centralized from Africa. The notion of death and diseases as a motif in mythology was explored within my group through various narratives from diverse traditions and cultures. In addition to this, the method of utilizing symbolism to further communicate and highlight the key messages embedded within these mythologies were analyzed. Specifically confined to the belief systems in Africa, we also discussed “Body practices as an extension of mythic narratives.”
I will discuss two myths shared within our group and the symbolisms within them
Pandora’s box
Link to video: https://youtu.be/pMdJxVjZMRI
Originating from Greek mythology, Pandora’s box highlights the faults of humanity and weakness of human behaviour. Pandora was said to be created by the gods and thus was the first woman on earth. Each creator presented her with a gift, giving her the name “the one who bears all gifts.” Pandora was given a sealed box by Zeus and was told to only give it to the man in which she weds. However, temptation and curiosity overwhelmed Pandora as she opened the sealed box, releasing all of the illness and hardship that the Gods hid inside. By doing so, it is said that she also trapped Hope inside. Zeus intended to keep Hope trapped in order to demonstrate that people suffer when not obedient to the gods.
There is symbolism of good and evil which is illustrated through Hope and illness. The releasing of hardships and disease displays the repercussions of temptation and disobedience while Hope represents goodness and light.
The Tale of the Two Messengers
There are various stories of this pattern but the one discussed within our group was Zulu, the chameleon and the lizard. In the story, Unkulunkulu, that is the Old Old One, sent a chameleon to men with a message saying to him “Go chameleon go and say Let not men die.” However, the chameleon crawled very slowly, stopping to pick at food on the ground. On the other hand, a lizard was released with a very different message saying to him “Lizard when you have arrived say Let men die.” It is because of the chameleons loitering that the lizard arrived first and delivered his message to let men die. Some Zulus hated the lizard for arriving first and letting men die while others condemned the chameleon for not getting there quickly enough to deliver his message.
The symbolism found within this myth is the metaphor of life and death as well as perspective of the source of blame. While the chameleon symbolizes life and the lizard symbolized death, we discussed how people perceived these two messengers and depending on who they chose to blame, reflected their outlook on life.
Background in body practices
Body practices are seen as piercings, painting the body and clothing such as wearing specific animal skins. It is believed that the body is simply a medium and the human spirit lives on long after one meets their demise, thus body practices often act as a method of story-telling and are seen as a blessing that pertains specifically to the human species. Many cultures such as the Kapsiki and the Kikuyu, perform myths as a way of story-telling and communication through body practices and divination as it is an integral part of their world view. Story-telling is a vital method in carrying on tradition, beliefs, values as well as conveying a sense of community between its people. There are many forms of body practices but in the case of African culture and tradition, they are an extension of mythic narratives. For example in the Kikuyu tradition, the monotheistic god Ngai is honoured through the mythologic episodes illustrated by body practices of individuals in the community.
Pandemics
In many ancient cultures and religions, pandemics are seen as the wrath of gods. This has made me think about our current world’s situation with covid-19. In Alberta alone, there are 117 k confirmed cases and these numbers are gradually increasing. This current situation relates to these myths of death and diseases as there are numerous reasonings for what is happening in the world and why. Although everyone’s beliefs on this are different, it makes one ponder these important questions.
References
Cases in Alberta. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-alberta-data.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sem&utm_campaign=Covid19&utm_term=data&utm_content=v1&gclid=CjwKCAjwjqT5BRAPEiwAJlBuBcX_dSBsQlnT6pjNEAqE3P1NRRtcvjxFX59oGKw-8R68GQ_uJ8W3iBoC3osQAvD_BwE
Ihatespam, Lizzybz, Sara, Reddy, S., Marius, Robinson, R., . . . H.g. (2009, July 23). Pandora’s box, the Greek myth of Pandora and her box. Retrieved from https://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/pandoras-box-myth/
12 incredible African tribal traditions [Digital image]. (2016, December 5). Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/05/africa/incredible-tribal-traditions-africa/index.html
Lecture 3 Myths of the Origin of Death. (2014, November 05). Retrieved from https://www.giffordlectures.org/books/belief-immortality-and-worship-dead/lecture-3-myths-origin-deat
M. (2016, August 8). Chameleon: Slow and Steady Results in Death [Digital image]. Retrieved from http://mythdancer.blogspot.com/2016/08/chameleon-slow-and-steady-results-in.html
T. (2019, January 15). The myth of Pandora’s box – Iseult Gillespie. Retrieved from The myth of Pandora’s box – Iseult Gillespie
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