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THE BIRTH OF CIVILIZATION AND THE BODY AS ITS METAPHOR -- MYTHOLOGY (Herakles, Isis, etc.)


iamnicholas1 10 / 17 1  
Nov 14, 2013   #1
PROMPT:
Bodies figure significantly in the texts we have covered in the past few weeks. Bodies are fed, starved, dismembered, killed off, resurrected, and transformed. Most of the texts we have examined are deeply concerned with the vulnerability, fragility and transience of the material body. Bodies, both masculine and feminine, are often set against "other" kinds of bodies- animal bodies, twinned bodies, replicated bodies. Among many other roles, texts use bodies to mark gender, signify civilization, and define the connection/separation between the physical and spiritual. In these ways bodies can be read as texts, analyzed for what they can tell us about the cultural and social worlds that produce them. Just as bodies are texts, texts also work as bodies: they are built with certain anatomies, function as cultural and social markers, and can be enriched, resurrected, transformed, etc. through the use of specific rhetorical structures and strategies, and reanimated through the process of translation.

With the relationship between bodies and texts in mind, conduct a close reading of two of the stories we've covered analyzing the how stories work as bodies and with bodies to construct and convey meaning. In your essay, you may consider the metaphorical implications of dismemberment and reconstitution (both of the text through analysis and of the body itself), or the ways in which bodies (social bodies, material bodies) are controlled and disciplined. For instance the body of a text might be controlled through its adherence to a certain pattern, but can be transformed through a retelling. Here you might consider the truncated version of the Akkadian Descent of Ishtar, or the expanded version of the Horus/Seth myth. Your analysis should be cross-cultural, meaning you should compare stories from two different cultures (i.e. Greek, Akkadian, Egyptian). In your analysis also keep in the mind the historical context from which each text emerges.


My Essay:

A Body Divided
Whether immaculate or unkempt, mortal or deathless, the bodies - both textual and physical - present in Greek, Akkadian, and Egyptian mythology conjoin under the belief that they exist to spread culture and civilization across vast distances, embodied narratively by the voyages of Herakles, Osiris, and Isis. Furthermore, the stories of Herakles and Ishtar argue that by either joining one's body with another or separating what was once whole, one may ascend into a higher state of power, effectively becoming immortalized in legend.

The struggle to separate...is represented best by the Greek demi-god, Herakles. Born when "Zeus came by night...and bedded...Alkmene" (Exploits 260), Herakles' body already veers toward two extremes: his potential to either ascend into godliness or remain mortal. It is only by separating himself into a pure being that Herakles may reach his full potential. However, the internal oppositions do not end there. Despite being born during the peak of Ancient Greek civilization, his body is further divided between the warring forces of nature and culture. During his first exploit as an adult, he "vanquished [a] lion...dressed himself in the skin and wore the gaping mouth as a helmet" (Exploits 261). In a sense, his body - born of civilization - already symbolizes the difficulty of spreading culture across vast distances, as it remains in a power struggle to assert dominance of one extreme over the other. By dressing savagely, he represents the internal struggle humanity faces fighting against its roots in nature and expectation to remain an active role in society. His duality is our duality; the very forces which place humanity on Earth are, ironically, the ones we strive so fervently to escape - and are so adept at avoiding. These triumphs over nature are again represented in Herakles' Twelve Labors, his punishment for acting on animalistic instinct and "[flinging] his own children...into the fire" (Exploits 262). By defeating creatures such as the "Nemean Lion" (Exploits 262), the "Erymanthian boar" (263), and the "Cretan bull" (264), Herakles slowly ascertains his dominance over nature, not only representing civilization's conquest over the wilderness, but also shedding his own savagery as well. NEED TRANSITION

As a symbol of culture, Herakles' travels parallel those of technology, storytelling, and knowledge, all three of which transcend vast distances to be shared among various peoples. His final three labors force him to travel through "Europe to fetch...cattle" (Exploits 267) - a highly-regarded symbol of agriculture - as well as traverse "Libya...[and] Egypt" (268), where they continued to "sacrifice to Herakles...[albeit] with curses" (268). By traversing miles between each destination, Herakles effectively dispersed Greek culture among the various countries of the world, either civilizing what was once primitive or introducing new rituals and ideas to an already-established society. This theme is not solely present in Greek mythology, however; it is also closely mirrored by Egyptian culture, specifically in the story of Isis and her search for Osiris. Osiris, the "overseer of the cattle" (Hymn to Osiris 442) and for whom "plants grow...and the horizon conceive...provisions" (443), was synonymous with civilization. As established earlier, agriculture and cattle formed the basis of an advanced society during ancient times, and thus, to the Egyptians, Osiris' presence ensured a culture would flourish. Upon his murder at the hands of his brother, Set, his body was cast across Egypt in pieces, unintentionally creating thriving societies wherever he landed, as we discussed in class. For the Egyptians, this meant the opportunity to share their cultures with neighboring societies - to intermingle stories, ideas, and knowledge with a world beyond the desert. Isis' attempts to locate her husband assisted in this diffusion of civilization as she "looked for him without being weary" (Hymn 444), her travels eventually taking her to foreign kingdoms belonging to deities such as Ishtar. Symbols for Egyptian society, Osiris and Isis fulfill the purpose of bodies in mythology - to spread civilization across vast distances and unite a world of many into a body of one.

Despite these attempts of mythic heroes to unify an array of peoples under a single idea, many face the difficulty of conquering their own duality, and often choose to either unite with or divide from another to manage this schism. In Ishtar's case, after departing from the Underworld and being reborn into the world of the living, she stumbled upon her husband, Dumuzi, in a state not befitted to her absence. In a fit of rage, she sends him to the void "in exchange" (Descent 442) for her as "her ransom" (442), thus escaping Death. This departure from her marriage occurred shortly after her rise to power, rending her sacred union with her husband in two and reestablishing her nature as an immortal and vengeful goddess. The events following Herakles' resurrection from the dead closely resemble those of Ishtar, however instead of splitting one into two, he wished to join himself with another. His death - a transformation marking his internal victory over his bestial half - allows him to finally attain the wholeness he strove for since the beginning of his journey. Herakles is described as "wishing himself to be wed" (Exploits 270), and later, upon shedding his mortality and achieving eternal life, ascends to Mount Olympus and "married [Hera's] daughter Hebe" (Exploits 275). Here, two bodies are united to become one through marriage, increasing their power and securing fame, similar to the bleeding together of cultures that occur as folktale crosses geographic and ethnic boundaries.

In many ways, the travels and exploits of mythological heroes translate into the movement of and alterations to storytelling throughout history. As characters venture out into the world, it calls to mind the mobility of stories - easily able to span continents using trade and barter as its vehicle. A tale essentially becomes a body itself, traversing cultures and dividing into numerous versions of itself, just as Osiris was split across Egypt. It can unite with aspects of another civilization, forming hybrids just as Herakles was born a demi-god. Parts are lost to history, or die off to conform to societal standards or rituals, just as Dumuzi died in place of Ishtar. Folktales are the mark of civilization - like the bodies in Egyptian and Greek mythology - and reach global and historical acclaim, much like the immortal heroes of Greece and of Sumer. NEED TRANSITION

The great heroes of mythology embodied the greatest hopes of their time periods. Like the stories themselves, their exploits flung them across the world, sowing the seeds of civilization that would continue for thousands of years. As bodies, they were born, grown, and strengthened, transforming the world around them by blurring the lines between cultures and uniting many into a constitution of one. By uniting a globe defined by its differences, these heroes and myths have secured their legendry and prominence for eternity.

What i'm looking for is whether or not my thesis is too broad, if I need to focus on one part or the other AND if my body supports my thesis well enough (by representing Herakles, Osiris/Isis, and Ishtar well enough)

Thank you so much!!!
khodekhodam 3 / 7  
Nov 28, 2013   #2
I think it would be better to summarize it more...


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