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Midterm (The Reel Deal, as they say)

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Giselle Lee Hosler

March 3rd, 2024

ECL 305

Prof Pressman

Many different cultures have different mermaid mythology, representing their relationships with themselves and nature. Oannes the fish man in particular represents the developing relationship between humanity and nature, through his contributions of developing the civilized society of Babylonia. Throughout the text, Oannes continuously shows society concepts such as science, architecture, the arts, etc., manmade concepts that aren’t found in nature. Therefore, there is a positive connection between humanity and nature, given how much Oannes seems to want it to succeed, because humans are a part of nature, even if some of their concepts are not. 

To begin, Oannes is presented as a being that isn’t quite human. “(According to the account of Apollodorus) the whole body of the animal was like that of a fish; and had under a fish’s head another head, and also feet below, similar to those of a man, subjoined to the fish’s tail. His voice, too, and language was articulate and human; and a representation of him is preserved even to this day.” (Penguin Book, 4) While he has human characteristics, he isn’t quite human. Yet, he isn’t quite all a monster in the sense of being completely divorced from humanity. His physical appearance blends in the natural world, and humanity, by allowing both of them to coexist within him. Not to mention, both the human parts of him and the fish parts of him meld together in harmony, a subtle nod to humanity’s place alongside nature.

Perhaps it is this sort of ethereal and uncanny balance that allows for the people of Babylonia to trust him with the information he gives them regarding humans. The text says that “This Being, in the day-time, used to converse with men, but took no food at that season…” (4) The time of day being mentioned is important, because it shows that there is a pattern. Day-time, being that when the sun is out. The sun has the archetype of knowledge, and enlightenment, which is very relevant to Oannes’s character and his actions. It frames this creature as intelligent, easy to trust (as he presents himself in broad daylight for everyone to see), and above all, not hostile. 

His actions are then described as benevolent in nature- his teaching of civilization to the humans. “…and he gave them an insight into letters, and sciences, and every kind of art. He taught them to construct houses, to found temples, to compile laws, and explained to them the principles of geometrical knowledge…” (4) Oannes has all of this knowledge at his disposal, which he seems to readily give to the human population of Babylonia. Knowledge that is relevant to many developed civilizations, societies that have to coexist with each other. This knowledge would elevate these people out of nature, and yet he gives it to them. Houses, laws, temples, geometry, these are not natural concepts- they are manmade. 

It doesn’t just stop at human concepts- Oannes also teaches them lessons from nature itself. “He made them distinguish the seeds of the earth, and showed them how to collect fruits.” (4) These lessons are the humans learning directly from nature, to be able to survive within it. Oannes having this knowledge despite being a creature of water shows his connection towards nature. He is all-encompassing, representing not just the realm of water, but also the realm of land. And through his knowledge and human characteristics, Oannes represents humanity, as well. Therefore, his connection to humanity seems more positive and well meaning. 

Oannes’s role for humanity is to act as a sort of guide, leading them into higher development and evolution. “In short, he instructed them in everything which could tend to soften manners and humanize mankind.” (4) What does a fish monster man need to humanize mankind before, if it would go against nature? Oannes seems very aware of the balance needed to maintain nature, as well as the information necessary to elevate humans into society. He must believe that these things are not mutually exclusive, therefore it justifies why he teaches humanity about the things necessary for more societal living. 

This is the final part of the text, which reestablishes Oannes’s connection to nature, and affirms his other-ness. “When the sun set it was the custom of this Being to plunge again into the sea, and abide all night in the deep; for he was amphibious.” (4) This is a reminder of what sets Oannes apart, as well as provides the mysterious vibe of nature. Oannes leaves humanity to go and reunite with nature, which is also where he presumably lives, eats, sleeps, and gathers his own information. Not to mention, it is the opposite of day-time, which has elements of knowledge. When the sun goes down, the knowledge ends, and plunges the world into darkness. Things become unknown to people. This can be interpreted as Oannes plunging into the unknown to discover more, or returning to whence he came. 

Throughout the whole text, Oannes is seen as nothing but benevolent, never seeming to punish, lie, or betray mankind as he leads them from simple life into the complex. While one could argue that Oannes is leading humanity away from nature through the introduction of manmade concepts of law, government and religion, it would be as simple as ignoring the thought placed in his actions. Why would he teach the humans all of these concepts which would have to borrow from nature if he intended for them to be detached from it?

Oannes taught humanity how to balance both themselves and nature while also elevating humanity above nature. It feels like a positive relationship, given how he interacts with humans. He could have taught them that nature was something to be feared, left alone, something terrifying and dangerous and not to be mingled with. Yet he has taught them that they can exist alongside it. They’re already doing so with him- Oannes is a representation of nature, and especially of nature and humanity being a part of one another. He wanted the people to succeed in becoming more in sync with nature. 

It’s definitely important to show that the people of the past had a positive relationship with nature, given how we as a collective take from it to survive. Without it, we would be nowhere, which is what Oannes proves. Without him, the people of Babylonia wouldn’t have developed beyond whatever they had without him (which was without science, art, culture, houses, temples and laws). Part of the text implies that Oannes had tamed the people of Babylonia, yes, but it can also be seen as them evolving away from their old roles. Being able to work with nature allowed for more development amongst humanity. Working alongside nature, being guided from it, is the only way humanity can continue to flourish. 

These things matter, because humanity NOW only has this one planet, with all its natural beauty and wonder, and it’s being squandered and ruined. In the past, we could live within nature, take only what we needed to survive and be happy with the result. We learned from nature, learned what to eat, how to eat it, how to grow things from it. It may have been Oannes who taught the people of Babylonia specifically, but his presence can only mean that it was Nature guiding humanity. Without it, mankind, humanity, what have you, would be lost and underdeveloped. Not to mention, we can still learn from nature itself. What Oannes taught was merely just the building block.

Close-Reading Midterm: Oannes

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Hiba Aljawad

“Oannes” And Human Development

To progress as a human civilization, we must look beyond ourselves for progress and future development. Earth and its non-human attributes existed before humans did, and there is a lot to be learned from non-human creations that would significantly impact human existence. “Oannes” teaches us to view and respect nonhuman creatures to gain knowledge and wisdom that is necessary for human existence, progress, and development. 

As a society, it has been instilled in us to be fearing of non-human creatures. Looking at human civilizations, order and progress have been necessary to further the expansion of human development. The role that nature plays in this expansion is vital to the progress of our societies. This is significant because nature is what pushes order and progress in our universe. Furthermore, we define nonhuman creatures as part of the natural ecosystem that keeps the “order” in our universe. By learning from nonhuman creatures instead of fearing them, we can gain further knowledge and wisdom that will broaden our understanding and advance our learning in the world. 

“Oannes” expands on the idea that humans are in need of help from nature to advance and improve the world. In the introduction to “Oannes”, The Book of Mermaids reports that Oannes, as well as other hybrid creatures, are characterized as “holders of knowledge” (pg. 3). This emphasizes the point that nonhuman creatures are a source for a deeper understanding of the world. This concept is significant because by respecting nonhuman creatures as “holders of knowledge”, we gain a deeper understanding of how our world is connected which fosters the acceptance of wisdom that is present in nonhuman creatures. Moreover, “Oannes” makes it apparent that people need guidance by pointing out that in Bayblon there was” a great resort of people… who inhabited Chaldea, and lived without rule and order, like the beasts of the field” (pg. 3). This idea highlights that human nature is to act beastly. To be specific, we commonly fear nonhuman creatures for their animalistic behaviors and sporadic tendencies; however, through natural kingdoms, we learn a lot about the rule and order in our ecosystems which helps foster a better understanding of our environment. Through this understanding, these ecosystems are replicated to a certain extent to create a balance between humans and other nonhuman entities. We can derive wisdom from nonhuman creatures and “Oannes” illustrates this by noting that the appearance of “an animal endowed with reason” surfaced the land (pg. 3). This hybrid creature– Oannes, encompassed the body of a fish with a second head underneath the fish head and legs like that of man (pg. 4). This illustration draws the differences between the hybrid creature and humans which foreshadows the idea that despite the differences, this creature holds an abundance of knowledge. To expand on this, Oannes would “converse with men, but took no food at that season; and he gave them an insight into letters, sciences, and every kind of art” (pg. 4). This example highlights the selflessness of Oannes as a teacher of valuable knowledge that does not ask for anything in return. This is significant because it teaches humans that through empathy, collaboration is fostered which enables growth and societal progress. Furthermore, Oannes taught many things that would help push a society forward such as to “construct houses, to found temples, to compile laws…” and “everything which could tend to soften manners and humanise mankind” (pg. 4). This example suggests that without nature being our teacher and source of knowledge, humans would not have been able to shape human civility. This notion is significant because it molds the idea that through valuing and respecting nonhuman creatures, we progress as a society through compassion and esteemed civility. To highlight the respect that is deserved to Oannes, the writer notes that “when the sun set it was the custom of this Being to plunge into the sea… for he was amphibious” (pg. 4). This emphasizes his nonhuman nature to demonstrate that nature is a human ally, working with us and shares the common goal of progression and advancement in this world. This encourages the suppression of fear in nonhuman creatures and fosters trust to be built to expand the goal of seeking knowledge. 

To conclude, the myth of “Oannes” teaches us that human progression and the craving for knowledge and wisdom can be accomplished by learning from nonhuman creatures, which is possible through respect and value. Our fear of anything nonhuman sets us back as a civilization and prevents our growth. In other words, the wisdom gained from nature could outweigh the fears we have. 

Works Cited 

Bacchilega and Brown, The Penguin Book of Mermaids, Penguin books, 2019

Oannes

Week 5: The Faery

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This week, “The Faery at the Fountain” reading really caught my interest. I say this because I was fascinated by the way that mermaids are the center of the story, but the terms “mermaid” nor “merpeople” are never ever used, simply alluded to. I am not quite sure what it was, but I felt myself on the edge of my seat waiting for the “Merpeople” word to be dropped, but the author just kept indirectly hinting away bit by bit. Two questions from this story remained unanswered for me with the first being who the other ladies were. Were they other mermaids? Were they spirits, or were any of the ladies even real? Are they, as a group of three celestial beings in a christian story, supposed to resemble the holy trinity? Being a Christian story, it doesn’t seem to possess the typical ‘forgiveness’ or ‘repent your sins’ type of theme (especially considering the main character murdered his family members), but instead takes the theme of deception and not owning up to one’s wrongdoings. The second question I had after reading this story is why Raymondin? He is quite-literally fleeing home after killing his family members… has he done something of more importance in the past? Why does he get away with murder and still receive the riches of the world? In my opinion it seems like a strange character to be involved with merpeople and I wonder if there is another layer/reasoning behind it that I am missing. 

In comparing this story to other readings we have had so far, something that immediately clicked for me was the way that Melusine will disappear every Saturday without explanation. This reminds me of Oannes, who also disappeared into the horizon/water every evening. You know they are going somewhere but neither story directly addresses where. Are they off to a place of higher existence? A place where all of this ‘hidden’ and ‘undisclosed’ knowledge unbeknownst to mankind is? I’m not sure what is happening, but I sure am curious to know more about this mystical place that merpeople seem to be running towards when they disappear. 

Reading Response Week 4

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When reading more of the Penguin Book of Mermaids, I found it quite intriguing once I got past the introduction. The first story I read was Oannes, which was an interesting perspective from Babylonia where they discussed a Merman. I thought the relationship between the Merman and the people of Babylon was intriguing given it seemed to be such a peaceful relationship between the humans and Merman. He brought them insight into the letters/sciences, and other types of artwork that were unknown to them. It was a dual benefitting relationship. The story describes the merman as conversing with humans in a normal and beneficial way, which is not usually the narrative set in place when talking about the relationships between Mermen/Mermaids and humans. When moving on further into the book The Tuna of Lake Vaihiria, was one of my favorite stories for this weeks reading. When the princess Hina had found out that she was the be engaged to the Eel King, she immediately went to look for help from the Sun God. As the sun god was able to kill the Eel King he told her “He chopped off his great head, which he wrapped in tapa, and presented it to Hina,saying: Hold this and put it not down an instant until you arrive home; then take and plant it in the center of your mare ground. This eels head contains great treasures…” (16) As this continues we realize the significance of the eels head, and when Hina accidentally puts it down to swim, it sprouts the tree and its treasures. As the story goes on an Hina settles in this area, she meets the two sons, one which she marries. It seems is tragedy is connected with Hina, since she lost her first husband, married the other, and then lost a daughter. It was interesting to hear the story with the significance of the eel head, and how it affected the rest of Hina’s life. It also intrigued me because of the difference in stories, and how this one didn’t include a mermaid, but a different kind of “Monster.” Overall, I really enjoyed getting more into this reading and learning about the different cultures and the myths/stories that they share with us.

Week 4: Oannes, Yorgos Lathimos’s “Poor Things,” and My Need for More Not-Mermaid Mermaid Movies

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Last Friday, I decided to head over to the Fashion Valley Mall right after class to catch a movie as a sort of treat to myself. The movie I ended up watching was Yorgos Lathimos’s “Poor Things,” starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Marc Ruffalo, and Ramy Youssef. The movie was based on a book by the same name, written by Alasdair Gray, which depicts the adventures of a woman named Bella Baxter, who has the brain of an infant but the body of a woman in her 20s-30s, and her coming-of-age journey of self-discovery.

Initially, I was drawn to the Frankenstein-like premise of the movie because, besides all things mermaid, I also love all things Frankenstein. Of course, the movie delivered on that end–Willem Dafoe playing a doctor named Godwin Baxter, altering and reviving the corpse that would become Bella Baxter and the inevitable parental issues that immediately followed.

What I did not expect was how mermaid-y the movie was, despite not being explicitly about mermaids. Bella, played by the brilliant Emma Stone, is your quintessential mermaid-turned-human–a fish out of water, with long hair and a thirst for knowledge, curiosity in spades, and possessing no desire and making no attempt to blend in with polite society and its arbitrary rules and regulations. Marc Ruffalo’s character, Duncan Wedderburn, is your typical human man in a mermaid story. His presence in the movie irked me to no end because of how presumptuous he was to think that he could handle Bella’s quirks and curiosity, but gladdened me to see his attempts to control Bella and quash her thirst for knowledge did not come to no fruition but instead frustrated him to the hilarious level of absolute loser.

It was Bella’s desire to seek more knowledge and her ability to retain that knowledge that clued me in on the mermaid-y qualities of the movie, as it reminded me of the Babylonian water spirit Oannes. According to The Penguin Book of Mermaids, in Babylonian mythology, “hybrid creatures are associated with the sea are holders of knowledge,” especially in the case of Oannes. (Bacchilega, et. al., 3) Oannes gifted humans “insight into letters, and sciences, and every other art” essentially teaching humans “everything which could tend to soften manners and humanize mankind.” (Bacchilega, et. al., 3) Throughout the movie, Bella’s curiosity is seen as a boon to both the viewers and the characters around her, questioning societal norms and actively seeking ways to improve herself through the acquisition of more knowledge and improving others by sharing said knowledge. The best part is that the movie rewards Bella’s curiosity by allowing characters to exist that accept and encourage her desire for more knowledge and even open themselves up to acquiring more knowledge for themselves.

All in all, it was an incredible movie and I hope it comes out on-demand or on streaming platforms soon so I can watch it over and over again and relish in my newfound love and desire for more not-mermaid mermaid movies.

Week 4: Oannes and Sedna

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I found both the stories of Oannes and Sedna fascinating this week. They both alter what we normally believe mermaids to be and their abilities. Oannes completely changes the modern concept of a mermaid from the start because he is a man rather than a woman and he is not a typical half-human half-fish hybrid. He is more fish than man and is more of what we would consider a “monster” to physically be. However, instead of fearing him and dreading the sight of him, the people in the myth are appreciative of him. Oannes gave the people order and a way to structure their society when they were lost. The myth clearly states that Oannes “instructed them in everything which could … humanise mankind” (p.4). This is so interesting to me because the myth hints that an animal being helped humans to become “civilized”. These actions are not what is normally portrayed of mermaids. They are normally seen as hybrid beings who lack humanity and can be animal-like, they are not seen as representations of civilization and the development of the world as we know it. Oannes completely challenges the perception of modern mermaids because he is an intelligent and giving creature.

Sedna, on the other hand, is close to what we think of as a modern mermaid. She is half-human on the upper part of her body with a tail like a fish on the lower half. Sedna differs from the expectation of a mermaid by taking on a more active role in the ocean. She is called the “mother of all sea creatures” (Lindeman) and is the one who allows sea creatures to be used by humans. She controls how fruitful hunts can be and what animals are available to humans which has historically not been an ability mermaids have. The role she takes in the sea is a much more protective and maternal role than I have seen of mermaids before. In nature, it is known that you do not mess with an animal cub because the mother could attack and to me, this is almost the role I understand Sedna is playing. She protects the sea creatures from being hunted like a mother would protect her cub from predators. 

Week 4: Gender Roles in Penguin Classics

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This week I am focusing on gender roles with context from the stories in the Penguin Book of Mermaids, particularly in comparison to the mermaid stories we have already read. I would like to add on to what we discussed in class previously, about the gender roles that were exemplified in various texts. We understand that mermaids are sought after my men because of temptation, fertility, etc., but in the story of Oannes we learn that this part fish man is knowledgeable in “many fields and “he taught them to construct houses, to found temples, to compile laws, and explained to the principles of geometric knowledge”( P. 4). This just goes to show that the man was historically seen as higher, more powerful even in the from of a hybrid beast.

Similar ideas are demonstrated in “Odysseus and the Sirens”, while all these creatures are similar in physical abilities they male versions always seem to be the ones in charge. I can connect this idea to the maritime community, as sailing is a very male dominated world, and even to this day the boats are referred to as “she”, as in “I cleaned er up she looks real nice”. This to me is a tell tail of the culture behind ocean myths, at least in the the culture I have been involved in. This is all brought up not to repeat same conversation, but to ask when will these perspectives change. Of course we understand the recent phenomenons of mermaids, but is there a turning point?

Week 4 – Oannes (The Penguin Book of Mermaids)

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Now beginning all the stories that have to do with mermaids, I felt the one of Oannes left me with the most questions. I thought it was interesting how Oannes was a figure of both human and non-human who came to give guidance to the people of Babylon since they were “like beast” (page 3). The specific part that stood out and left me with so many questions was “he instructed them in everything which could tend to soften manners and humanise mankind” (page 3). It was intriguing to read about how through one “thing” who was considered both human and non-human that many humans were able to believe in what he said, guided them through impactful things from life, and essentially gave them the basics to everyday living without any sort of questioning, so why overtime did this stop? Oannes was both fish and human, and yet humans were able to confide and trust every word he said without hesitation. The story of Oannes shows that at some point in the history of humanity, us humans were able to trust the unknown and fully believe in hybrid and mythical creatures as a guide to our living, what during our history did we stop believing in this? It’s a bit surreal to see the change in how at some point in life humans were very open to new things, and now the history of hybrid and mythical creatures are all being taught as a myth to generations now and making life a bit more sheltered to life outside of human kind.

After searching up Oannes and seeing how he was depicted, I thought it was interesting to see how they made it known he was both fish and man. In some pictures he was presented more as a merman but in others they make a clear distinction between a man almost looking like he was wearing a fish coat. The picture below shows Oannes as a mixtures of the two most common pictures, he is shown as a mermaid with a fish head like coat, walking up from the ocean and almost showing himself as a friend to men so they wouldn’t be alarmed with his physical being.

Week 4 (Penguin Book)

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The first few myths of the book are so far, pretty interesting. It was really neat to see how some elements of the mermaid have stayed the same (the fish features and the connection to water, for example). But I think the one that really spoke to me this time was the sharing of information, particularly with Oannes, the first myth we had to read. He seemed very fun, but his description boggled and intrigued me. (here is my mspaint interpretation of Oannes, bless his heart. I drew this with my fingers) “…the whole body of the animal was like that of a fish;and had under a fish’s head another head, and also feet below, similar to those of a man, subjoined to the fish’s tail.” (pages 3-4)

You’re telling me THIS CREATURE MAN was giving people advice and sage wisdom?

Real talk, I think this connection of water and knowledge is interesting. “…and he gave them an insight into letters, and sciences, and every kind of art”. (page 4) So were all of their cultural advancements solely centered around the ocean? Around Oannes? Or did Oannes know of things beyond the ocean? From his section in the book, he doesn’t come off as malevolent. Perhaps the people of Babylon had a very beneficial relationship with their ocean. Or maybe Oannes had Good Vibes ™.

Week 4: Oannes

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Even though in this weeks’ reading we have learned about different water beings or other half-human half-animal monsters from different cultures, I liked the first reading about Oannes the most. Through the text I gained a better understanding of the relationship between humans, nature and half-human beings. Oannes was described as an amphibious being which had the form of a fish with the head of a man under his fish’s head and the feet of a man under its fish tail that allows him to exist on land and interact with humans (p.3). Apart from that Oannes was able to articulate and communicate in a human language.

When I first read about that I was thinking about what we discussed in class. We came up with the conclusion that every monster figure has human characteristics. It was striking to me to see how this time with Oannes it is not a water being which is split into half but that it rather has the whole body of a fish and then a whole body of a human conjoint into one figure. Through that we can see that the fish body represents Oannes’ deep connection to the aquatic life through a special focus on the fish’s body

I have tried to look up further information on the value of water in Mesopotamia and found it highly interesting that the name itself is a Greek word meaning “between rivers” which according to my research means that the region itself is in between the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates (Soden 2023). Undoubtedly that already shows that Mesopotamians valued water. But what I found even more interesting is how it is emphasized that water was used not only for drinking but also for irrigation, construction, and trade, which emphasizes that water and especially the environment Mesopotamians found themselves in are a source of life. Oannes is in my opinion like an intermediator between spirit and earth and can bridge between the human world and everything which goes beyond that.

What I thought even more interesting is that Oannes is the keeper of knowledge who gave men “an insight into letters, and sciences, and every kind of art” (p.4). But not only that.  Oannes also “taught them to construct houses, to found temples, to compile laws […] and showed them how to collect fruits” (p.4). Oannes was thus humanizing mankind and helped the humans. When I thought about that statement a little bit longer, I was pleased to finally say that we found a water being which is not only shown as something dangerous or sinful. The Mesopotamians have looked up to Oannes as someone who is God-like and as someone who has a lot of wisdom. Reading the story made me realize that the people have a deep appreciation for the nature and especially for the ocean, as they actually recognize and value what it has to offer. Through the help of Oannes, you can learn to work with the nature and to even stay alive through the nature in difficult times. That makes Oannes’ work wholesome to me!

Works cited:

Bacchilega, C., & Brown, M. A. (Eds.). (2019). The Penguin book of mermaids. Penguin.

Soden et. Al (2023). history of Mesopotamia. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Mesopotamia-historical-region-Asia