Feeling a Bit Sleep Deprived

I have been pulling some long nights lately getting ready for a portfolio review. The lack of sleep has provoked some thoughts out of me regarding a certain myth or fictional character, if you will. The Sandman is a mythical character often associated with sleep. I decided to do a little research behind it and find out more about how this person came to be.

The Sandman was originally created as a nursery story to scare children into going to sleep. He would creep up to naughty children who wouldn't go to bed and sprinkle very fine sand into their eyes. The child's eye would start itching and he or she would begin to rub them until they fell out. The Sandman would then take the eyes and feed them to his children on the moon. Talk about gory! I was a bit shocked to find out that this was the reality of the Sandman. But as time has gone on, this character has turned into more of a friendly being that helps children sleep and bestows upon them the most beautiful dreams. I am much more fond of this Sandman. I would rather quite like to keep my eyes.

I use to think this story must have come about as an explanation for the sand-like crusties you  sometimes have in your eyes in the morning. I guess that could still very well be. I often think about the Sandman and how he doesn't come visit me that often anymore. We have had a bit of a strained relationship. But as summer rolls around, hopefully we will grow close once again.

Myth in Design

I was reading in my graphic design book, This Means This This Means That by Sean Hall, about "Framing Meaning" and one of the sections was about myth. It discusses how myths are not just ancient stories that are mostly false. They are a devise that helps us understand the world that can be true, partly true, or straight out wrong. There are many different types of myths and they each have their own function. For example, there are urban myths, product myths, and image myths. More specific myths include the myth of childhood, the self, the countryside, science, politics, religion, design, art and the lives of the highly esteemed. Since this is a graphic design book, the section went into more depth on the myth of the artist. It hit on how many artists in the past are depicted with the dramatic lives. Take Vincent Van Gogh, for instance. His life was very interesting, which reflects in his work. When we look at his painting, we make correlations with his life and thus can make sense of why he worked they way he did. But if all of the sudden we were told that we lived a fantastic life and died of old age, the way we look at his paintings would completely change. A myth can completely change the way we look at something, especially if we believe it to be true.

NO PEAKING!!

I was watching a TV show and it mentioned Medusa and how looking at her would result in a most certain peril. I am familiar with who and what she is but I'm not completely positive as to how she got to be in that state. From what I have found, Medusa actually use to be a lovely young lady. In some versions, Athena was jealous of her beauty. Medusa made the mistake of sleeping with Poseidon in one of Athena's temples. This act very much angered Athena and she turns Medusa's gorgeous hair into serpents and made her face so ugly that if any man looked at it, he would be turned to stone.** She was killed by Perseus, who beheaded her. He used a mirror shield so that he could look at Medusa but not directly. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to fight something you couldn't look at? Also, how tempting is it to look at something that you were told not to? I mean, look at Pandora. She was told not to open the box and look what she went and did. She opened the box. Perseus manages to not look directly at Medusa but I know that I personally would be driven crazy by the fact that I couldn't look at her. All things forbidden usually seem more tempting.

** Interesting side note, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has a similar incidence where if anyone looks into the eyes of the basilisk (large snake) they will be petrified, like stone. Hmm... Something to think about there...

Freyr and Freyja

I find the twin Norse gods quite interesting. They are similar in their duties, such as being both gods of fertility. I almost wonder as to why they need both gods... But I guess they do each have some of their own specialties. Freyr is the god of rain, light and prosperity where Freyja is the goddess of love, beauty, magic, war and death.  An interesting parallel can be drawn between Freyja and Artemis, a greek goddess that is also a Twin. When Artemis was born from Leto on an island. After birth, Artemis became a midwife to Leto to help Apollo into the world. This act made her the new goddess of childbirth. Fertility... Childbirth.... kinda similar if I do say so myself.

My Apocalypse

In my printmaking class, we did a print exchange with another school. The theme of this exchange was "The Apocalypse." When doing this assignment I definitely thought about mythology. Most cultures have a way in which they believe the world will end. I thought about the culture that I live in and what surrounds me. What would cause the destruction of our world? Why would the world be ending? What would that experience be like? The image I came up with somewhat follows the idea of a nuclear blow out. The title of this piece is "Stille Nacht,"which mean "Silent Night" in German. I feel that a viewer can interpret this image however they like. It can be applicable to many different types of destruction. I mean, who can honestly know exactly how the world is going to end? It is something to think about. 

"Stille Nacht"

Norse Gods to Remeber for the Quiz

Odin: Ruler of Aesir, god of war, knoledge, wisdom, married to Frigg

Thor: God of thunder, might, war. Carries a hammer and belt of strength

Baldr: God of light, very beautiful and gracious

Njord: ruler of the sea, fire and the north wind, married to Skadi

Frey: fertility, sun and rain

Freyja: fertility, love, marriage, entitled to half of the warriors killed in battle

Tyr: God of war

Bragi: God of poetry

Heindall: God of dawn and light, watchman/guardian

Loki: Trickster

Cupid and Psyche

In our last class, we discussed the myth of Cupid in Psyche. I remember learning this myth back in high but only up to the point where Cupid leaves Psyche. It has been very interesting to learn the rest of the story. All I know is, Venus in not a Goddess that you want to piss off. The trial she puts Psyche through are insane! But alas, true love prevails. Cupid and Psyche truly love each other. Without that bond of true love, this story could not have carried out in the way that it did. Psyche would never have gone looking for Cupid and he would not have come back to her in the end. Psyche becomes a female hero in the even of carrying out the tasks the Venus demands at her, even if she does not do them entirely on her own. We do not see as many heroines in mythology, it is rather refreshing. The characters in this story are just so easy to relate to. The jealously of Venus, the passion of Psyche, the love of Cupid, all attributes we see in actual human personalities. I enjoyed reading this story and getting the full idea of what all happened between Cupid and Psyche.