Tag Archives: nature

Week 13: Nature is Violent

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Good afternoon, everyone. For today’s blog post, I want to discuss a crucial theme I noticed reading Aganju and Yemaja, nature is violent.

Aganju and Yemaja is a perfect example of a creation myth. Aganju and Yemaja are the children of Odudua and Obatala. The story says, “The name Aganju means uninhabited tract of country, wilderness, plain, or forest, and Yemaja, “Mother of fish” (yeye, mother; eja, fish). The offspring of the union of Heaven and Earth, that is, of Obatala and Odudua, may thus be said to represent Land and Water.” (Penguin pg. 168). The siblings marry and have a child named Orungan (Air), who falls in love with Yemaja and assaults her, which causes the creation of 15 new Gods.

This is where I believe the theme that Nature is violent really shines through. After Orungan sexually assaults his mother, she attempts to flee from him. “Orungan, however, rapidly gained upon her and was just stretching out his hand to seize her when she fell backward to the ground. Then her body immediately began to swell in a fearful manner, two streams of water gushed from her breasts, and her abdomen burst open…” (Penguin pg. 168). These two sentences depict truly jarring body-horror. Yemaja explodes after her being savagely taken advantage of – and her annihilation birthed deities representing natural occurrences like vegatables and different African rivers – but also human ideas like wealth and war.

This made me ask myself why, like so many other creation myths I’ve read in the past, the myth of Aganju and Yemaja depicts the creation of the world as we know it as such a disturbing event. I’ve mentioned in blogs of the past that the natural world exists under an equal parts chaotic and serene state. The natural world lacks the order we crave in human civilization; the “wild” isn’t governed. I mean, there’s a reason why we call it “the wild” or “wildlife.”

I apologize because I don’t have a clear enough idea of the relationship between violence and nature to end the post on a clear and concise note, but I do believe that we should ask ourselves to make a distinction between human violence and the violence of the natural world. For centuries, Americans alone have been using terms like “beasts” and “animals” to describe their enemies or people “below” them. The violence that humans commit on other humans is different than the violence that occurs in the natural world – but the comparison has done nothing to help us understand the world better. If anything, this type of language only works to solidify the absurd ego imbalance we are all accustom to.

Week 11: Sirenomelia

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Watching this video reminded me of one of the terms we discussed last week, distortion. This ocean centric language proposal in Deterritorializing: Preface mentioned switching from clarity to distortion, as many things underwater are distorted and how this distortion should be a baseline condition. I saw this distortion in the video we watched this week, as there were both visual and auditory distortions when the camera was underwater. Looking up at the land, one could not see as clearly as one should be able to, and there were light distortions through the water. When an audio clip of someone talking played, it was muffled and incomprehensible. It was interesting to see the world from what a mermaid’s perspective might be, and how separated from the human world this perspective is. When the camera was underwater and pointed up at the surface, the land beyond seemed so far away. If we did switch our language from clarity to distortion, it would allow us to consider other perspectives, and perhaps understand that our personal perspective is not truly clear; rather that it is distorted, as is everyone else’s. 

I also thought the locations chosen by the director were interesting. There was a sharp contrast between the snowy land, that was just nature for miles and miles, untouched by man. Then, where the mermaid was swimming, there was concrete and industrialization. As it states in the description, the mermaid is exploring an old, decommissioned NATO base, which also goes to show that even when humans think they need land, they are willing to just abandon it after it has served its purpose. Perhaps this contrast is making commentary on mankind’s effects on the environment. While some parts are unscathed, others are dominated by the effects of industrialization and humans’ need for land. And by changing the raw environment, it makes it more difficult for the natural world to navigate. Instead of this mermaid having the ability to roam in an open space (as shown in the video at 4:53), the mermaid is confined to tunnels and canals. As humans, we are able to manipulate the world in a way that affects many more species than just our own. 

Week 6: Undine

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The story Undine from the Penguin Book of Mermaids was the most interesting of the readings this week. While the other readings focused more on accounts of mermaids in the past few centuries, this story was of romance between a human and a mermaid. What I found most important in this story was the connection between mermaids and nature. As we have discussed in class, there are many connections between mermaids and nature throughout many stories. Mermaids often embody or represent nature, and how humans interact with them can represent their attitudes toward nature and the environment. This story has some of the most explicit connections between nature and mermaids that we have seen so far. During Undine’s speech, she states: “We and our like in the other elements, vanish into dust, and pass away, body and spirit, so not that a vestige of us remains behind; and when you mortals hereafter awake to a purer life, we remain with the sand and the sparks and the wind and the waves. Hence we also have no souls” (p. 105). This quote shows the difference between mermaids and humans, and the connection that mermaids hold with nature–they are one and the same, and mermaids will eventually return to the earth. Another important part of this quote to note is the choice of words ‘purer life’. This reveals the Christian nature of the text, as purer life is implied to be heaven. Toward the end of this chapter, Undine also makes a comment about her uncle that furthers strengthens this melding of mermaid and nature: “I will dive into this brook, which is my uncle; and here in the forest, far removed from other friends, he passes his strange and solitary life. He is however powerful, and is esteemed and beloved by many great streams” (p. 106). This quote also reveals the deep connection between nature and merpeople. Not only is Undine’s uncle a brook, but she is also able to recognize him in his nature form (unless this knowledge was acquired previously). It seems to imply that when a mermaid dies and goes back to the earth, they become some sort of water, as Undine will do on her husband’s grave when he dies. Perhaps the overarching storyline described in italics at the beginning of this chapter is supposed to represent man’s troubled relationship with nature–at one moment, in love and full of respect, the next having betrayed her.

Another interesting part of this story was the elements of Christianity–the gaining of a soul, the inability to go to Heaven/any sort of afterlife without one. I also found it interesting that similar to Melusine, Undine is not upfront about who she is to her romantic partner. Although she does willingly tell her husband of her mermaid side (unlike Melusine), she still decides to hide her true self before they marry. Is this to add a lack of trust to mermaids? Or to make commentary that one does not need to fully divulge every bit of one’s self to be in love? That some things can be kept secret without hindering a relationship?

Week 5: What does the story of Melusine say about humanity’s relationship with the natural world?

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As I learned about Melusina through The Legend of Melusina and The Romance of the Faery Melusine, I became intrigued by what these stories say about man’s relationship with the natural world. Chapter one of The Romance of the Faery Melusine discusses man’s innate desire to conquer “the unknown” as doing so is “the extension of their physical and spiritual power” (23). At the beginning of the chapter, the nature surrounding the village is described as “menacing,” “dangerous,” and “somehow diabolic” (11). The natural enviornment is seen as unpredictable and threatening— and confronting nature’s force is explained to be a true test of character. 

This merciless description of nature differs greatly from the words used to describe Melusine. Legend of Melusina describes the maiden as beautiful and well-mannered (Bacchilega, Brown 87). The Romance of Faery Melusine emphasizes Melusine’s beauty by illustrating her as a “force of light” (25) that is “smiling upon” Raymondin (25). Despite Melusine’s connection to the natural world, she is far from the savage description of nature given earlier in the story. In fact, she is not “diabolic” (11) but rather “a faithful Christian” (25) meant to “put a seal of truth upon the words of the old lord” (26). This portrayal suggests that Melusine is the embodiment of harmony and goodness within the natural world. 

Perhaps Raymond’s broken vow of not seeing Melusine on Saturdays is a cautionary tale explaining the consequences of violating nature’s laws. Melusine’s transformation into a serpent or dragon may be symbolic of man’s arrogance and pride. Do humans need to conquer the unknown to truly show their “mettle” (12)? Maybe embracing and respecting our natural world is a better testament to our spirit and morals. 

Overall, the story of Melusina highlights the complex relationship humans have with nature and warns humanity of the consequences that come with disrupting nature’s balance.