Into the Myths: A Realistic Approach Towards Mythology and Epic

By Debalina

“Into the Myths” presents an analytical perspective of ancient and Indian Mythology. It goes beyond the traditional realm of beliefs and understanding to delve deep into Rationalism. The rationale behind writing this book is to demystify the mystic and interpret fantasy in Epics and Mythologies with a realistic approach. With an aim to decode that which is fantastical and delineate meaningful interpretation relating with reality, this book covers a wide range of mythologies and provides scientific interpretation of the subject. Readers may expect discussions related to Symbols, popular ancient mythologies like Indian, Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, and Roman etc and primary epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Iliad. This book is a collection of her published and unpublished research papers and articles on the unexplored and unrecognized aspects of mythology, epic and archetypes with a rational, realistic and scientific approach.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Dec 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543705768

Debalina

Authored by Debalina Roychowdhury Banerjee, "Into the Myths" presents an analytical perspective of ancient and Indian Mythology. It goes beyond the traditional realm of Mythologies and its approach and delves deep into Rationalism. The rationale behind writing this book is to demystify the mystic and rationally interpret fantasy in Epics and Mythologies. With an aim to decode that which is fantastical and delineate a meaningful and relevant perspective for archetypes, myths and symbols , this book covers wide range of mythologies and provides scientific and judicious interpretation to them. Readers may expect discussions related to popular ancient mythologies like Indian, Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, and Roman and primary epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Iliad. The primary focus of this book is to make the audience understand the mysterious more logically and scientifically.

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Copyright © 2019 by Debalina Roychowdhury (Banerjee).

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/india

Dedicated to the three mentors whom

I consider to be my living Trinity. My

incontestable love and regards to Dr.

Samira Sinha, Dr. Sarmistha Chatterjee

Sriwastava and Mr. Debasish Sen.

Illustrator-

Ms. Pallabi Chakraborty

Hearty Thanks to-

Mr. Tamaghna Banerjee

Ms. Somdutta Chatterjee

Ms. Shrawani Ghosh

Extended Thanks to –

Ms. Shukti Chattopadhyaya

Mr. Preetam Mukherjee

Ms. Lilack Biswas

Mr. Jules Hernandez

Ms. Jenny Tucker

& Partridge Publication Team

My Regards to-

Ms. Sucharita Roychowdhury (Mother)

Ms. Jayasri Banerjee (Mother-in-law))

Dr. Nirupama Sinha (Retd. Professor, R.U.)

Prof. Indrajit Bandopadhyay (H.O.D. English, Kalyani Mahavidyalaya)

Dr. Mani Kant, (Asso. Professor, Madhav Science, P.G.College)

Dr. Paromita Mukherjee (H.O.I. English, Amity University, Kolkata)

Mr. Ashish Das (Headmaster, Mahisila Govt. Colony High School)

Regards to the Institutions-

University of Ranchi

National Library, Kolkata

University of Kalyani

Kalyani Mahavidyalaya

Manmathanath Girls’ High School

Modern English Academy (Barrackpore)

Institute for Cross Cultural Studies and Academic Exchange, USA

Proem

The more we study, the more we discover our ignorance. – Percy Bysshe Shelley

This is what exactly echoes in my mind when I delve deep amidst the sylvan world of Mythology and tread the chartered by-lanes of Symbology. Myths attracted me since I gained my senses and understanding. I feel that this field of study is dipped in golden green forever as it attracts people of all ages and sorts. Reading myths under the light of symbolism add meaning and significance to those which seem to be untrue, fantastic and unfathomed.

Into the Myths is not only a book on mythology but also a silhouette of my love and care for this field of study. Together with this, undeniably it is a result of cumulative expectations and best wishes from some of my dear ones placed far and near. It is a plant of my thoughts and researches, the seed of which was sowed in me in my pristine infancy by my grandfather who is now in his heavenly abode.

I have dealt with ancient Mythologies and Primary Epics in this book. Thus for better reference and understanding, I have separated the two sections under two headings. The first section Olympus comprises of the articles and papers dealing with the ancient mythologies. However the second section Indraprastha consists of the ones that deal with the epics only.

At the onset, I would like to seek for your blessings and compliments for Into the Myths. I would also like to ask for all your consideration for the unintentional errors if any. Readers are also heartily requested to enlighten me about their experience, suggestions and ideas reading Into the Myths on my email id- [e-mail].

Compliments

Author

CONTENTS

I. OLYMPUS

1. Mythology: 21st Century Context and Praxis

2. Symbolic Overtones in Creation Myths

3. Extravagant Influence of Nature in Polytheistic Mythology of Egypt

4. Babylonian Mythology: A Reflection of Masculine Culture

5. Hapless Woman: Dreadful Demon

6. Parricide, Prolicide and Power Politics: Vengeful Garish Grecian Myths

7. Symbolic Understanding of Durga and Her Nine Forms

8. Rational Interpretation in the Theological Manifestation of Kali

9. Tracing Women Heroes in Indian and Greco-Roman Myths

10. Decoding Mythical Codes: Exploration of Numbers and Shapes

II. INDRAPRASTHA

1. Travel Emerges as a Mode Penance in Epic Literature

2. Mahabharata records a Gradual Degeneration in the Social Environment

3. Less Explored Epic Women: Victim of Desire or Identity Crisis

4. The Tragic Trio: Interpreting Amba, Madri and Uttara from a Feminist Point of View

5. Transfer of Culture from Myths to Medical Science

OLYMPUS

Mythology: 21st Century Context and Praxis

This chapter initiates and discusses the introduction on the definition of mythology, its extent and the concept. It tells about the realism and symbolic importance of the apparently fantastical and imaginative stories of myths. The purpose of reading mythology in this chapter clarifies the basis of reading the classical texts and relates it with the reality.

WHAT are Myths :

Mythology is the subject that deals with tales of our beginning, being, and belonging. It is the collection of tales that may seem to be untrue and imaginative apparently, but it reflects the belief, the history, and the culture of the specific human race. Myths are the subjective truth of a group of people that is communicated through stories and rituals. These tales were not accumulated in a text during their inception. These stories pass in oral tradition and live for generations through telling stories. Mythologies may seem to be imaginative tales and lore that sprout from different cultures, but actually, they bear deep significance within. Every culture has myths and legends of their own. These myths reflect the nature of the specific culture or civilization. It can be said that mythologies are neither real nor false; they are the belief or subjective truth of an individual as well as a group of people.

The word mythology came from the Greek word ‘mythos’ which means a set of beliefs and assumptions of a particular aspect or thing. According to Collins’ dictionary, the word mythos means a set of complex beliefs, attitudes, etc that characterize a specific group or society. The meaning of ‘myth’ or ‘mythology’ was distorted during the medieval period describing it as false stories, imaginative tell-tales. With the advancement of time rather, the word has regained its lost grandeur and sobriety. Myths are a set of beliefs that were orally transmitted advocating the features of a specific culture.

Mythology is a vibrant field in Anthropology. It records the creation, socialization, political and economic aspects, the concepts of love, revenge, war, and death; in short, every single aspect of specific human life and culture. It is the human experience of life that reflects in the stories of mythology. Thus the source of myths is the expression of the human mind- the conscious, subconscious, and the unconscious. Whatever action and feeling get imprinted in the sub-conscious, are reflected in the tales that are much abstract – like the creation of life, death, guilt, transition in all sense. The conscious mind gets reflected in the tales that tell of life-incidents, success, and failures, stories of hope, and despair. The concept of extreme good and evil is present in the human mind since time immemorial. The idea of God and Evil that is embedded in the human unconscious creates the symphony of both the ‘extreme’ and the ‘endless’ which designs the framework of Mythology.

WHY read Myths:

It is universally accepted that the need for myth is undisputed to the human race. Myths are employed to make sense of the world or the very existence of mankind. Myths may seem to be fictitious to the people at large, but they carry deep significance in itself. Undoubtedly, mythology is evinced as the subjective truth and thus it endorses human culture so much so that it has become a vital feature of the same. There are ample reasons why myths are constructed in almost all the society or better to say civilization. Here goes the twelve golden importance of mythology:

Mythology records the basic idea of creation and destruction. Different mythologies yarn different legends regarding the creation of life, earth, heaven, and hell – the reality, the ideal, and the negative.

There were no specific writers of ancient mythologies neither were there any such shreds of evidence. It came down orally. The oral transmissions through ages enrich the tales and make it comprehendible more and more. As they were not written by any single or specific writer, we find them to be unbiased and all-encompassing.

Human life is always in flux; thus it is both transitional and transient. Mythology is something that records every stage of human life subtly. If we observe the mythical stories intently, we can, in them, find the idea of all the stages of changes and transience of human life which extends unto generations ahead.

The idea of both the binaries that make the path for an individual is there in mythology. It is the ground where both the concept of what is ‘ideal’ and that which is quintessentially ‘blighted’ are flawlessly neighbored. For instance, characters that are good and virtuous are presented with a contrast to the ones who are unjust, negative, and fallen. The notion of heaven comes together with the concept of hell.

Coming to the laws of life, mythology records the rationale of human life. The mythological stories are nothing but lessons of life that teach the behavioral code or the code of proper human conduct.

Few aspects and legends of mythology imbibe the concept of scientific and technological innovations. The ideation comes even before the necessity that gives birth to any invention. We can never deny that many things that have now become reality were introduced in ancient myths and epics as mere unreal and incredible stories. That, which was mysterious, astounding, and far-fetched to the people of the prior ages, seems completely real and credible to us. The ancient beliefs and imaginations drafted the faint sketch of scientific and technological advancement that appeared to be true with time.

The best of men is shown in the worst of circumstances so that the importance of good, a realization of inner strength, self-confidence is felt by not only the characters in the story but also by the readers.

Mythology environs all aspects of the way of the world. The divine behaves in a humanly way which is definitely because man is the mythmaker. It plays a vital role to connect people of different ages as it deals with the basics, and the basics remain the same irrespective of ages.

All the ancient mythologies are Nature-centric. Thus there are some specific similarities of all the myths across the world. Despite geographical and socio-political distances, the generic facts of different civilizations make the foreign culture somewhat familiar. In this way, the study of comparative culture becomes interesting and easy; the distant and the unknown seem to be familiar.

As man is the mythmaker himself the myths thus find their sources in the human mind. There are certain common legends or basic representation that is alike in more or less all the ancient mythologies that vents out the similar pattern of perception among a wide range of people with logical familiarity.

Mythology undeniably paves the way to symbolism. The facts that seem to be unreal and illusory are meant to be read under the lights of symbolic interpretation. There is always a deeper and hidden meaning of myths that frame the narratives. For instance, Osiris is the god of vegetation and fertility who stands in opposition to his cunning brother Set who is the god of storm and desert. The symbolic significance of the two characters is logically detrimental to each other. The symbolic manifestation is also clear in the concept of Durga the warrior goddess with ten hands which is suggestive of equal control over the ten sides of the world.

Last but not the least; mythologies are the forerunner of history. I strongly think that bright shades of mythology slowly fade into epic literature and epics end at the beginning of recorded history. Mythology, epic, and history are inseparably connected. Thus the trio together builds the root of pan humankind.

Mythology – Epic Duo

The relation between mythology and epic is very interesting. An epic transmits myth but is not myth itself. It can be said that mythology, that talks about the human culture, belief, concepts broadly and fades to converge into epics. Epics are the connectors with mythology