Top Tweets for #MythicalMusing
So is this mythical glorification of the heroic traits dogmatic or inspiring?
Are myths an insufficient model for understanding reality or a holistic guide for living a meaningful life?
What do you think? Share your ideas, inquiries and issues on this.
(4/4) #MythicalMusing
But this dependency on a lone figure leads to disempowerment for the collective while heroic valorisation turns into a practice of vanity.
Like in Puranic stories...
...where Devtās often beg Vishnu to save them from Asurs & praise him after he does so.
(3/4) #MythicalMusing
The hero's attributes then become the ideals for society, while his legacy paves a pathway for the rest to follow.
Like the story of Ram…
…who, despite facing personal hardships, exemplifies all virtues of a model king with a utopian realm (Ram-Rajya).
(2/4) #MythicalMusing
Myths - Dogmatic or Inspiring? A Thread:
The heart of mythic narratives is often a (divine) hero who embodies righteousness & defeats villains as punishment for wrongdoings.
Meanwhile, culture & cosmos helplessly await his victory to return to normalcy.
(1/4) #MythicalMusing
So, we have to ask ourselves...
Are myths breeding grounds for the marginalisation of non-dominant communities, or are they inclusive melting pots for cross-cultural conversations?
What do you think? Share your concerns, counters & considerations on this.
(4/4) #MythicalMusing
However, it can be argued that...
...the myths are preserved at the expense of other communities often presented, at worse, antagonistically, or, at best, subservient in the mainstream narrative...,
...thus erasing traces of their self-defined identity.
(3/4) #MythicalMusing
Looking at it one way...
By often showing interactions (in some form) with other communities...
...myths can become narrative time capsules that acknowledge them & thus immortalise their significance in helping form a contemporary collective identity.
(2/4) #MythicalMusing
Myths - Marginalising or Inclusive? A Thread:
The mythical narratives of a community contain specific values & traditions that are meant to be passed on, thus empowering those who tell the stories.
But how is "the other" portrayed in these narratives?
(1/4) #MythicalMusing
So, is it reasonable or reductive to trace the gender imbalance to mythic traditions?
Are myths the original propagators of misogyny or timeless critiques of gender discrimination?
What do you think? Share your rationale, reservations & rebuttals on this.
(4/4) #MythicalMusing
Conversely, there are mythical instances of retribution for such transgressions. Like the stories of...
- How Durapadi's disrobing ends with the slaughtering of Kauravs.
- How Artemis turns hunter Actaeon into a stag (then killed) for watching her bathe.
(3/4) #MythicalMusing
There are countless examples of exploitation & objectification normalising toxic behaviour. Like the story of...
- How Medusa is assaulted by Poseidon & punished by Athena.
- How Ahalyā is tricked by Indrdev & turned to stone by her husband, Rishi Gautam.
(2/4) #MythicalMusing
Myths - Sexist or Empowering? A Thread:
The relationship between culture & its mythology is always a two-way street, with one defining & inspiring the other.
One area where this is most noticeable is the way women are treated & represented across stories.
(1/4) #MythicalMusing
This may seem to justify "myth bashing".
But the irony is that this aversion is as much part of most mythologies' history as their stories.
No culture likes to call its narrative traditions myths. Even when it's categorically helpful to label it as so.
(9/9) #MythicalMusing
And so, many cannot help but be defensive when 'mythology' is used with Purānic & Itihāsic stories.
This anxiety has only been heightened with the increasing politicisation of the tradition...
...where this association is seen as an intentional attack.
(8/9) #MythicalMusing
Due to the similarity in their sound, "mithya" & "myth" are often confused & used interchangeably by many thought leaders.
They claims that one has its roots in the other.
It doesn't help that common usage of myth is synonymous with "misconception".
(7/9) #MythicalMusing
Itihāsic traditions had their attributed authors also witness the story - as a character themselves.
While the epics have genealogies & accounts (or versions) of the world creation...
...Calling it "history" (in a modern sense) is a common mistranslation.
(6/9) #MythicalMusing
Note that there is no correlation between the Indian narrative traditions & 'Mithya' - at least not in calling them that.
In the post-Vedic period, there were two prevalent types of Indic stories:
- Purāns (meaning 'old')
- itihās (meaning 'as it were')
(5/9) #MythicalMusing
Over the millennia, Indians, via the Upanishads & Nyāya (logic) philosophical school, debated the concept of "Mithya"...
...which meant "flawed cognition or perceived knowledge" relative to the truth.
It was derived, yet distinct, from "Maya" (illusion).
(4/9) #MythicalMusing
The problem is that both perspectives miss the point & poignance of the stories themselves.
To understand how we got here, let's look at the history of 'myth' & 'mithya'.
While the Greek word "mythos" (narrative) was on its way to becoming 'myth'...
(3/9) #MythicalMusing
This reaction stems from insecurity.
It assumes that these traditions must be seen as "historically accurate" to avoid losing their importance or meaning.
Still, it's also reductive to focus only on the fantastical aspects & dismiss them as mere fiction.
(2/9) #MythicalMusing
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