Recently I had a request from a reader to consider Hindu mythology in relation to Greek. I demurred, saying that I'd had a brief encounter with it in graduate school and found it difficult and elusive.
I think mythologists should stick with what they know, especially if they are concerned they'll put a foot in their mouth about what they don't. But it's true that learning new stuff is a fun activity.
Photo: Maybe Greece isn't the "omphalos" (navel) of the universe after all.
Over Christmas I acquired Jesse Byock's Penguin translation of The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson (nice long review here). I figured I would probably give it to son to read, as I've never been much interested in Norse mythology, despite its use by a favorite author of mine, J.R.R. Tolkien, as a source for his Lord of the Rings.
But the other day I read the introduction and was intrigued by this sentence:
Even though the Edda relies heavily on native traditions, a good argument can be made that it also shows awareness of two Latin literary genres of the Middle Ages: writings about mythology and about language and poetics.
Byock doesn't spell out what "mythology" constitutes nor does he go beyond saying that the author of the Edda "knew at least something of the ideas current in the general Latin learning of the Middle Ages", but he does seem to leave open the question whether the Prose Edda borrowed something from classical Greek mythology. Always a contentious issue to figure out where stories have come from, sometimes a very large political issue.
Me? I'm just interested to know how and where there is an "awareness" of "mythology" in the Prose Edda.
So I'll be reading the work in the next week or so and blogging about it as the spirit moves. What is your experience with Norse mythology? Do you remember that Marvel comics superhero from the Norse pantheon? A Mighty Marvel No-Prize for the first commenter with the answer.
And if a copy of a book about Hindu myth comes into my hands, I guess I'll take a look at that, too.
The Norse gods show up in my genealogy- my understanding is that they filter down into the kings and there is a middle group between clearly myth and clearly history that is sort of part/part or maybe/maybe. But aside from that all I know of them is what I was taught in grade school.
Is there any of that in Greece? I have Romans in my genealogy too via Charlemagne, and I don't have any of that kind of thing there.
Posted by: loafingcactus | February 05, 2009 at 12:55 PM
You've got more than I have, loafing. I never learned one iota of Norse myth in grade school.
The Olympians were constantly having children with mortals, but they didn't become mortal themselves, if that's what you mean.
The Edda says that the original inhabitants of Asgard, including Thor, come from Troy, like Aeneas, the hero of Rome. Fun times.
Posted by: DF | February 06, 2009 at 08:02 AM
Being Scandinavian, I have read some Norse mythology, but it was a long time ago so I'll be curious to see what you write.
Wasn't there a Saturday morning TV series with the Marvel characters back in the 70's? Including Thor?
Posted by: M Light | February 06, 2009 at 07:37 PM
You win! Thor is the answer. The No-Prize is yours.
Posted by: DF | February 07, 2009 at 09:40 AM
Can I second your motion for mythologists to stick to what they know? Or possibly for universities not to assign comparative mythology classes to classics professors or (worse! eek!) grad students with no background in it? (Can you tell this is possibly, dauntingly lurking in my future?)
Also, my heart sank when I saw the omphalos as pictured in your post. "This is it?" I thought (but I didn't want to think that). Then I had the pleasure of ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the real deal in the museum. Shouldn't they post a sign?!
Posted by: Iulia | February 09, 2009 at 05:06 PM