That Which Goes Bump in the Night: The Archaeology of Ancient Monsters

October is the month that discussions of monsters ramp up.  All types of monsters are talked about, but very rarely does the topic of where these monsters originated enter into the conversation.  While it may appear that the topic of monsters is a fairly recent phenomenon it is actually not and one with a long history.  Monsters have fascinated human groups for centuries, and today’s blog post is devoted to discussing three ancient monsters: Medusa of the Mediterranean, the Sphinx of the Middle East, and Namahage of Asia.

Frieze of Medusa's head. 2nd century A.D. Hellenistic Temple of Apollo. (Image Source: Perseus Digital Library)

Medusa: Beauty Turned Into the Beast

The myth of Medusa is one of the oldest in the world and comes from the ancient Greeks.  There are several variations on this myth.  The common thread is that Medusa originally was a beautiful woman who spurned the goddess Athena, who punished Medusa harshly by transforming her beauty into equal measure of ugliness.  Variations exist in regards to what act specifically offended Athena.  Some myths claim that Medusa offended the goddess by allowing herself to be seduced by the god Poseidon within her sacred temple and the unholy act enraged Athena.  Other versions claim that Medusa stated she was more beautiful than the goddess within Athena’s temple, which raised her ire.   Regardless of the reason Medusa changed the beautiful Medusa into a terrifying creature described as a scaly monster with clawed hands, ragged wings, and snakes for locks of hair.  Medusa’s new image was so frightful that it was believed that to even glimpse her visage would turn the gazer into stone.  Medusa was banished to a far off island, where she was eventually vanquished by Perseus, who sought her head as payment for a debt he owed Polydectes.

The Sphinx statue in the Egyptian Desert (Image Source: http://www.guardians.net/egypt/sphinx/)

 

Sphinx: The Deal Maker

The Sphinx is best known as a colossal statue that exists in Egypt, nearby the other great pyramids that Egyptian is well known for.  The Sphinx was created by the Pharoh Khafra, who purportedly created the statue in honor of the god of the rising sun, Harmachis.  The Sphinx is an anthropomorphic creature that is made up of the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon.  It is believed to represent not just the god of the rising sun but also symbolizes power and might.  Centuries later the Sphinx had been buried under the desert sands and was rediscovered by King Thutmose IV.  It is fabled that Thutmose IV discovered the Sphinx while he was a young prince.  He got lost in the Egyptian deserts and fell asleep under a sand dune.  While he slept the Sphinx came to him in a dream and made a deal with him that he could not refuse: uncover the statue and Thutmose IV would become a great king.  Thutmose IV ordered the excavation of the Sphinx statue, and he indeed was known as a grand ruler.  The Sphinx was covered and uncovered many times over the years, and while it stands today it is currently eroding away due to natural and manmade processes.

The Sphinx was viewed favorably by the ancient Egyptians who viewed it as a symbol of the Pharaoh’s power, but to the ancient Greeks the Sphinx represented a terrible monster that reigned terror on the ancient city of Thebes.  The Sphinx sat outside the city and would not allow travelers in or out until they could correctly answer a riddle: "What goes on four legs at dawn, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"  Those who failed to answer the riddle were cursed to death.  The Sphinx eventually met its end by the Greek hero Oedipus who successfully answered the riddle, which is man and the stages of life from baby to adult to elderly, and drove the Sphinx to commit suicide.
 

Man dressed as a Namahage as part of the annual ritual in Japan (Image Source: Google Images)

Namahage: The Good Ogres

Namahage are Japanese versions of ogres who have a long history of existence in Japanese culture and still hold special importance in rituals today.  The word Namahage means “red skin” or “fire burned skin” and “peeled away”, which refers to their horrifying appearance.  The Namahage are believed to reside in the mountains and come down to the coastal villages once a year around New Years to scare lazy children.  They go door to door and frightening young children who have misbehaved throughout the year.  Their parents can appease them by supplying them with food and drink.  In return the Namahage leave the children in the home and bless the households with good fortune and protect them from other demons.  The Japanese recreate this ritual annually by blessing themselves, donning a costume resembling the Namahage, and acting out their patterns of behavior as a means of blessing villagers.

Bibliography

Bayuk, A.  N.D.  Guardian’s Sphinx: Guardian of the Horizon.  Website.

Bogan, L.  N.D. Modern American Poetry: Medusa in Myth and Literary History.  Website.

Japanese National Tourism Organism.  N.D. Oga Namahage Festival.  Website.

No author.  2006.  Myth & Legends.   Website.

No author.  N.D. The Sphinx was a frightful monster who was spreading death to mankind with a cunning riddle.  Greek-Gods Info.  Website.   

No author.  N.D.  The Prince and the Sphinx.  Ancient Egypt, The Mythology.  Website.

No author.  N.D. Namahage.  Spooky Japan.  Website.

 

 

 

Something Wicked This Way Comes: A Cross Cultural Review of Mana & Taboo in Superstitions

Growing up in American culture I vividly remember being instructed by my peers not to step on cracks in sidewalks or I would fate my mother to break her back.  I, like many American children, believed this superstition because we had no reason not to, but as we grew older and gained more life experience we realized that it was not true and we walked normally, no longer avoiding cracks in the sidewalks as we went.  But why do our superfluous fears drawn from our superstitions exist?  Today’s blog post will discuss these false fears & comforts derived from superstitions through the analysis of mana & taboo in various culturally specific superstitions.

Mana is the ”belief in an imminent supernatural domain or life-force, potentially subject to human manipulation” (Gezon & Kottak, 2013).  Put simply, mana is the idea that mystical forces are imbued into specific people, animals, plants, or objects, and these mystical forces provide others who come in contact with the mana imbued person, animal, plant, or object with either good or bad luck.  Mana is also often tied to the concept of taboo, which is the prevention of completing specific acts by supernatural penalties (Gezon & Kottak, 2013).  Taboos exist to prohibit people from performing acts that will cause them bad luck, which is why it is associated with mana.

Figure 1: In the West Indies there is a superstition that dictates that individuals who have experienced terrible things burn the clothing they wore during the act so as to not continue to have bad luck.

Superstitions are a great source of cultural understandings and applications of mana and taboo.   Elements of both exist in the story mentioned above.  Mana exists in the notion that by an individual stepping on a crack they can affect the health and well-being of another individual, in this case the individual’s mother.  Taboo exists, as well, as the act of stepping on the crack is prohibited by the superstition.    

Some cultural superstitions only provide insight into mana.  For example, in Argentina it is believed that making a wish under a bridge that a train is crossing will lead to good fortune, whereas in Paraguay it is believed to enter a cemetery at night will lead to evil spirits taking over one’s body.  In the West Indies individuals who have undergone a very terrible event, such as an arrest, are instructed to burn the clothing they wore after the end of the event to avoid further bad luck (Figure 1), and in India individuals, after leaving a funeral, must bathe their bodies and clothing prior to entering the home.  All of these are examples of mana because of the acts that must be completed by the individual for the supernatural force to take effect.   

Figure 2: German superstition prohibits people from sending well wishes early.

Other cultures also have superstitions that match their cultural values and beliefs, which tie back to mana and taboo.  For example, in German culture it is considered bad luck to wish someone good luck or a happy birthday prior to the day of the event (Figure 2).  In this way mana is associated with the well wishes as an individual can say something that may affect the outcome of the event.  To ensure the outcome is not affected negatively the act of providing well wishes early is prohibited.  In Polish culture women are discouraged from leaving their purses on the floor for it is believed that by doing so they will lose money.  This superstition is similar to the one in Russia that instructs individuals not to leave empty bottles on tables or monetary losses will occur (Figure 3).  Mana is tied to the decision on where purses and bottles are placed, and the taboo encourages them not to place them on specific surfaces. 

If we delved more deeply into these cultural superstitions we would learn more about the cultural values and beliefs that exist in each culture.  The concepts of mana and taboo are easily derived from this quick analysis.  So next time you hear someone say that he or she can or cannot do something due to a specific superstition you can explain to them whether it is due mana or taboo.    

Figure 3: Empty glasses are bad omens in Russian culture.

References Cited

Gezon, L., & Kottak, C. (2013). Culture. In Culture (2nd ed., p. 30,31). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

A special thanks goes to contributors who shared stories of their culture's superstitions.  Many thanks to Mauricio Alvarez, Gabriela Brochu, Marynia Giren-Navarro, Precious Hall, Blesin Hestiyas, and Olga Katkova.  An extra special thanks goes to my mother who inspired this post and will never let me forget to never wish her an early birthday-ever (again).  :)