Monsters lions tigers and basilisks Oh my Monster

Monsters… “lions, tigers, and basilisks… Oh my!”

Monster Means From the Latin- Monster= ► Monstrare= “to show” ► Monere= “to warn” ► Monstrum= “that from which we learn”

And… ► From the Gk. Drakon- “Dragon or Large Serpent” ► But also means “sharp-sighted” ► Associated with wisdom and foresight

Monsters in mythology ► Monsters exist in every mythology throughout the world. ► They represent the fears of a particular culture at a given time. § Our own human failing and inner demons

Monsters Serve a Purpose ► Most often related to ►Teach ►Warn ►Show Something about our weaknesses

And… ►Scapegoat- (tied to purpose) § Hebrew- actual goat § Philippines § Mayan § Athens/Greece

Monsters in modern pop-culture ► In ancient society, while the background of the monster may be explained via myth (Medusa, Minotaur, etc. ) this information is solely provided as a what not to do. ► Sympathetic response to monster plight occurs in modern society as we read new stories like Shrek and John Gardner’s Grendel which present a sympathetic view where we feel sorry for their plight.

FORM ► Form= both § Appearance § Behavior ► Not Human… Unnatural ► Hybrid § Often of “recognizable” animal parts § May be seen as part human

Monsters as individuals ► Most children go through stages where they have immense fear of the unknown. ► This leads to all manner of early monsters in our individual lives: § Bogeyman § Monster under bed, in closet, etc…

Monsters physical appearance ► Physically mythological monsters are representations of the often localized fears of the society they stem from: § Snakes § Bulls § Shadows § Spiders § Women… lol (it is true!)

Monsters symbolically ► Represent the fear of man’s self. ► This fear is normally represented in terms of the monsters actions: § Extreme rage, anger, evil, immorality is often represented here. § An important side-note here. Even ‘simpleminded’ creatures (yeti, bigfoot, etc. ) can still represent complex symbols.

Examples of human flaws in monsters. ► Vampires ► Werewolves ► Wizards ► Giants

Examples of human flaws in monsters. ► Vampires ► Werewolves ► Wizards ► Giants ► Humanity’s weakness for sensuality. ► Humanity’s fear of our own animalistic nature ► Fear of mental power’s corruption. ► Fear of corruption via physical power.

Destroying/Defeating the Monster: ►Intelligence ►Divine Intervention/Blessing ►Good luck/ Fortune

Monsters and heroes ► Typically within a hero’s story he is forced to face a number of monsters, each representing the physical, emotional or psychological weaknesses of the hero. § Nemean Lion – Invulnerable to weapons so Heracles must face his fear of his own physicality. § Ringwraiths force Frodo to deal with his problems rather than hide.

Nemesis § From nemein- to "distribute, allot, apportion one's due (Greek goddess of vengence) ► The hero’s nemesis (not in every myth) ► When it is not present, the role of the nemesis is typically the hero him/herself. ► When present, the nemesis represents all of the hero’s flaws and weaknesses and will require that things learned throughout the journey be used to defeat it.