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UNIT 1: Anatomy
Joshua Etienne
UNIT 1: Anatomy
In the stories of Horus and Set, documented by Richard Patrick, the way that the gods conduct themselves is in a shameful display of a power struggle rife with deceit.
Set when, under the pretence of peace-making, he attempted to rape Horus, knowing that this would discredit him in the eyes of the other gods. Isis knew that Set had a great liking for lettuce, so she prepared a dish of crisp green leaves. Set ate the dish with pleasure and conceived, to the great mirth of the company when it became known. Isis had added the seed of Horus to the lettuce leaves - Patrick, Richard (1972)
This further associates the Gods in a way to Humans; this reduces the sense of impossibility when a Pharaoh would take the throne. A Pharaoh would take on the name Horus as one of their own later in their reign, as if a metamorphosis from human to god was taking place as they sat; ruler of Egypt. One would hope that it involved less rape and salty salads. Moving onto Greek Mythology, we have the Minotaur. The Minotaur is a half-man, half-bull aberration from Queen Pasiphae of Krete after she had coupled with a bull, thrown away into the Labyrinth for its monstrous appearance and less than desirable history. This is a clear example of the distinct similarities and differences between the two cultures, while the ancient Greeks perceived the Minotaur as a horrific chimera; they still recognise the power of the beast.
Joshua Etienne
UNIT 1: Anatomy
There are many iterations of the story, some of which provide a more insightful view into the dynamics and complications of the Minotaurs Psyche, in which he was not born a monster but was subject to (arguably) the cruellest of punishments for a crime he did not commit, permanent solitary confinement. The Minotaur was subject to eat the only company he would ever know to survive and continue the tribute. The Greeks saw Humanitys form as perfection, fit for even the Gods themselves. To hybridise one with an animal was considered a curse, something that condemned them to a life of less worth than everyone else. Straying from the story the beast of Minos and over to a similar story that involved deceit, we have Ixion. Ixion had pity taken on him by Zeus and resided with him atop mount Olympus as a reward. However, Ixion had a secret he kept from Zeus.
Ixion beheld Hera and coveted her. Hera reported this to Zeus. To discover the truth, Zeus fashioned an image of his wife from cloud. Ixion embraced the cloud and begat on it a child that was half man, half horse. - Kernyi, C. (1951)
This story tries to emphasise the significance of the curse of a para-human, by showing that it is a special punishment reserved only for the most heinous of acts. This relates to the story of the Minotaur in terms of hybridisation and punishment, it is a ubiquitous theme in Greek myth and often arguably unintentionally portrays the Gods and man as the monsters, rather than the monsters themselves. Going back to Egypt, we have Anubis; the god of mummification in the form of a Jackal headed human who assisted in the last rites of a man in death and was considered the inventor of embalming. This particular god deserves a mention in the way that the Egyptians believed that they could avoid eternal death through Anubis.
Anubis, though being associated with death gave Pharaohs of the time a less definitive end to those who have passed, or at least did in the Myths. Anubis, in essence, seems to embody the desires of immortality; a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth. 3
Joshua Etienne
UNIT 1: Anatomy
One might wonder the significance of a Jackal in relation to death; apparently it was quite an issue at the time.
The god of embalming is probably associated with the jackal due to the habits of jackals to lurk about tombs and graves. One of the reasons the early Egyptians sought to make their tombs more elaborate was to keep the bodies safe from the jackals lingering about the graves. It is only natural therefore that a god of mummification would be connected with them Egyptian Myths (Unknown)
By embodying their fears, it would seem that they conquered their fears about their bodies being consumed by the Jackals. The hybridisation has less significance without the context of the time and uses a more restricted code in terms of understanding. And finally were back in Greece with the Gorgon, more specifically; Medusa. There are a few variations on the myth of how Medusa came to be. This particular version of events has Medusa born unto a family of Gorgons but was not a monster like them, she was more beautiful than most regular people in fact.
Fig. 4 a sketch of Medusa before she was turned into a true Gorgon
Medusa eventually attracted the attention of a god; Poseidon, the god of the sea and they conceived in Athenes temple.
Athene was angry that Poseidon and Medusa had met in her temple. Athene could not harm Poseidon. He was too strong. Instead, she punished Medusa. Athena changed Medusa into a monster. Medusa grew big tusks like a Boar. Scales covered her skin. Medusa's hair changed into snakes. Medusa became so ugly that anyone who looked at her turned to stone. - Niz, Xavier. (2005)
Here we seem to have an example of misplaced aggression from the God, Athene. The curse however is appropriate for such an affront, by Greek standards. In the transformation of Medusa, we see a woman who is now denied love from any man and shall only ever view their superficial qualities as they stand there; petrified.
Joshua Etienne
UNIT 1: Anatomy
The snake is a universally feared and respected creature, for both its venom and agility. This hybrid however, drains the potency and agility straight out from a person. This perhaps personifies the intimidating nature of a beautiful woman, leaving a man unable to function properly; in this case its not at all. In conclusion, beasts are clearly a symbol for power in both cultures, but the Human form was regarded as the most powerful in each of them, where Egyptian Gods are mostly human and Greek Gods are completely human in their appearance. It seems that the way that the Greeks and Egyptians used hybridisation was simply a tool to help understand the world they lived in and a controlling method to keep people in power and others under control.
List of Illustrations: Figure 1. The Egyptian God and protector of Egypts Ruler, Horus (net) [Online image]. At: http://www.egyptianmyths.net/images/hakarte2.jpg (Accessed on 20/10/2011) Figure 2. Theseus & the Minotaur (com) [Online image], At: http://www.theoi.com/image/img_minotauros.jpg (Accessed on 20/10/2011) Figure 3. The Egyptian God of Mummification, Anubis (net) [Online image], At: http://www.egyptianmyths.net/images/anubis2.jpg (Accessed on 20/10/2011) Figure 4. A Sketch of Medusa before she was turned into a true Gorgon http://images.wikia.com/monster/images/b/bc/Medusa_before_snakes.jpg (Accessed on 20/10/2011) Figure 5. Medusa after her transformation (edu) [Online image], At: http://eaps.mit.edu/medusa/bernini_medusa.jpg (Accessed on 20/10/2011)
Joshua Etienne
UNIT 1: Anatomy
Bibliography: Kernyi, C. (1951) The Gods of the Greeks. UK. Thames and Hudson. Stassinopoulos, Arianna & Berry, Roloff. (1983) The Gods of Greece. UK. George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited. Patrick, Richard. (1972) All Colour Book of Egyptian Mythology. UK. Octopus Books Limited. Perowne, Stewart. (1969) Roman Mythology. UK. The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited. Croft, Peter. (1974). All Colour Book of Roman Mythology. UK. Octopus Books Limited. Niz, Xavier. (2005) Medusa. US. Capstone Press. [Online Resource] At: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=c1n8fMk_04IC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=fal se (Accessed on 20/10/2011) Theoi. (1974) The Minotauros Myth [Online www Resource] At: http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Minotauros.html (Accessed on 20/10/2011) Egyptian Myths. (Unknown) Ancient Egypt: The Mythology Anubis [Online www Resource] At: http://www.egyptianmyths.net/anubis.htm (Accessed on 20/10/2011) Egyptian Myths. (Unknown) Ancient Egypt: The Mythology Horus [Online www Resource] At: http://www.egyptianmyths.net/horus.htm (Accessed on 20/10/2011)