Tag Archives: #readingresponse

Week 6: from Undine

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A close study of this chapter reveals that Fouqué employs a variety of literary approaches to illustrate the psychological complexities of his characters and to examine the tension that develops between them. The characterization of Undine, the water sprite who marries the knight Huldbrand, is a key aspect in Fouqué’s portrayal of jealousy. Undine’s jealousy is obvious as she deals with the presence of Bertalda, a human lady who causes problems in her marriage. Undine’s actions and language reveal her envy, as she strives to reconcile her otherworldly origins with the human feelings she feels. For example, when Bertalda expresses admiration for Huldbrand, Undine reacts with a mix of uneasiness and possessiveness, indicating the depth of her mental anguish. Furthermore, Fouqué uses subtle narrative tactics to create a sense of uncertainty around Undine’s motivations, confusing the reader’s understanding of her character. Fouqué uses unreliable narration and subtle foreshadowing to suggest Undine’s capacity for both compassion and malevolence, blurring the distinctions between protagonist and adversary. This ambiguity gives dimension to Undine’s character, prompting readers to consider the nature of her jealousy and its ramifications for the story.

Week 6: Undine

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Right off the bat I can see the similarities between Undine and Melusina: two water spirits/mermaidesque creatures who get married to mortal, human men and then eventually reveal their true selves. But it deviates because Undine willingly revealed it to her husband, whatever his name was (Huldbrand?) after they had gotten married. There’s still that strong element of The Other infiltrating (through the dreams): “Wonderful and horrible dreams had disturbed Huldbrand’s rest; he had been haunted by spectres, who, grinning at him by stealth, had tried to disguise themselves as beautiful women, and from beautiful women they all at once assumed the faces of dragons….” (102)

This could be some sort of premonition, but also to me it reflects the fear the patriarchy has with women who are also pretty. Thats a very surface level interpretation, I know. At the same time, I think it’s also a reflection of how people are afraid of their true selves, or the true selves of other people. That there is a nasty side, a dangerous side. There’s a huge contrast between these really scary nightmares Huldbrand is having, and then how pretty and dainty and lovely Undine is. It could be a testament to how the true nature of things is something people fear? Coming back to comparing Undine and Melusina, the thing they have in common is this fear of the Other, even when a couple are married. Discovering your wife (because we have only seen stories where the wife is a Creature and not the husband) is not what she seems is a reoccurring thing.

Also side note: very interesting seeing this story and having played Undertale becuase there is an NPC called Undyne who is a fish monster (could you call her a merperson?) who is the literal opposite of how Undine is described in her folklore. Interesting to see how meanings deviate or how people take inspiration from old things and make them into new things.

week 5 Melusine

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I read over the story of Melusine, as per our reading today, and I noticed some things that felt very similar to the Sirens we were talking about last week.

For one, we see the sort of not-quite fish but close to fish hybridity (Melusina is a snake lady but only one day a week?). But then we see more similarities. There’s sky elements in this folklore too: “He hid himself; and then saw how the lovely form of Melusina ended below in a snake, gray and sky-blue, mixed with white.” (Page 88, penguin) So this supposedly demonic and unnatural woman creature with ties to water has ties to the skies? Not only that, but then further down when she’s giving her epic speech, she says “…shall know that whenever I am seen to hover over the fair castle of Lusignan, then it will be certain in that very year the castle will get a new lord; and though people may not perceive me in the aid, yet they will see me by the Fountain of Thirst…” (88)

So she’s able to hover/fly as a snake woman creature. She also has a connection to nature but why exactly do we keep seeing the creature that’s tied to water being also tied to the air? This is giving binary oppositions but in a much more confusing way. I hope we can figure this out more later because my head is starting to turn into scrambled eggs. My guess is that she represents a sort of human tie to nature, because she didn’t quite start out as the creature, but rather she went from civilization into nature. And since nature doesn’t stop at the ocean, or water, or the skies above, she embodies them all?

Week 4: The Tuna (Eel) of Lake Vaihira

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From the readings I want to focus on “The Tuna (Eel) of Lake Vaihiria”, the Tuna emerges as a powerful symbol with great cultural importance, adding layers to the story. The Tuna, a creature submerged in the waters of Lake Vaihiria, transcends its aquatic origins to become a powerful symbol within the narrative. Tuna can be interpreted as a metaphor for perseverance and adaptability. The story’s characters face hurdles and endure transformation, similar to the eel’s ability to navigate varied habitats. The Tuna’s elusive and mysterious nature reflects the complexity of life, providing a symbolic lens through which the audience can participate with the story. The Tuna plays a critical role in the story’s complex cultural significance. It serves as a cultural icon, representing the characters’ interconnectedness with their surroundings. The devotion and ceremonies surrounding the Tuna highlight the importance of harmony with nature in the community described in the story. The narrative of the Tuna, reinforces the cultural values of respects for the environment, sustainable living, and the preservation of traditions passed down through generations. The Tuna, as a symbol, enables readers to explore the layers of meaning inside the story. Analyzing its symbolism can reveal insights into the author’s intended themes and messages, providing a more named perspective on the story’s central ideas. The Tuna’s cultural significance provides insight on the community’s values and customs. Understanding its position in rituals and traditions gives readers a glimpse into the cultural tapestry represented in the story, allowing them to understand the richness and authenticity of the setting.

Week 4: Oannes and Sedna

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How were both readings relevant to the course? Well we are learning about Mermaids and what it entails about the environment. In the Readings about Oannes and Sedna we see how their stories play a role in their environments. For Sedna, it’s said she has control over the animals of the sea and the hunters depend on those animals as a source of food. So in this story, Sedna affects the environment because the people believe the sea animals appear when Sedna is happy and disappear when she is upset. This belief leads people to try and make Sedna happy and even feed the animals fresh water before eating them. In comparison, Oannes comes from the water onto earth to help the human environment progress. He helped around with food, infrastructure, and other helpful knowledge for further advancements. So both Sedna and Oannes are sea creatures (merpeople) with human and fish features who affect their environment. 

Week 4: Ancient Origin Myths – Rigo De Leon

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In this weeks readings, I couldn’t help but notice how respectful and optimistic myths were towards nature. In the story about Oannes, Oannes is a fish and human hybrid that is well respected by the people of Chaldea. He shares his knowledge with people in order to “soften manners and humanize mankind” (Bacchilega 34), which is interesting because his actions imply that humans are not civil beings, but are animalistic and hostile. People respect Oannes and he respects them back, despite potentially being a fish god. This type of respect is again seen in Kaliya, the Snakes story, which takes place in a completely different part of the world. Despite being an evil snake, Kaliya is given another chance after being defeated. He genuinely reforms, pleading that it is his proper nature as a snake, which he was born into (Bacchilega 39). Meanwhile, Krishna receives love and praise from the cowherders and their wives. I found it really interesting how Krishna was able to unite everybody while giving Kaliya the opportunity to seek redemption.

The story of “The Tuna of Lake Vaihiria” differs from the previous two stories by showing a different side of nature and beasts. The Eel that wants to marry Hina is evil, unlike the two dieties in the other stories. I found it incredibly interesting that the only story with a female protagonist showed the protagonist going through a lot of trauma, such as being forced to marry the evil eel, and accidentally setting down the Eels head. I am not sure if this is intentional to add to mermaids symbolism towards feminism, or if it is just a coincidence. Although she experiences a lot of trauma, she still has a happy ending and grows old with her coconut tree. Overall, these stories were extremely insightful as to how nature and the ocean were tied to Gods and other powerful beings. It is fascinating to see how different cultures respected nature so similarly despite being so different.

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 ™.

Knowledge as a Source of Creation and Destruction

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The first few chapters of the Penguin Book of Mermaids introduced the reader to a variety of myths and stories about the deities and creatures that dwell in the ocean. These myths used these deities and creatures to highlight important values and beliefs of the culture it was being told from. One of the focal points within these stories was the power that knowledge held. This focus is seen in both the story of Oannes and the sirens in the Odyssey. However, these two myths take a different approach to how knowledge can be wielded; knowledge can be a source of creation and destruction. 

The tale of Oannes centers on knowledge as a source of creation. Before Oannes imparted knowledge to the people who lived in Chaldea, the author states that they lived like beasts in the field (p.3). By being likened to ‘beasts of the field’ the inhabitants of Chaldea are seen as unknowing and disorganized, living without a set way of life. Oannes taught them farming techniques, political organization, and introduced them to intellectual pursuits such as geometric knowledge. With Oanne’s teachings, this lack of rule and order changed into something more structured and created a society where the people were allowed to truly flourish. 

On the other hand, the Sirens and the Odyssey center around knowledge leading to destruction. In our previous class discussion, the professor mentioned that the Greeks believed that listening to celestial music would lead to a person’s undoing. When Odysseus hears the Siren’s music, he asks his crewmates to free him from the mast where he’s been bound. Instead of listening to his demands, his crew rows swiftly away from the area until the siren’s calls no longer affect him (p.11-12). If Odysseus hadn’t been strapped to the mast and if the crew didn’t have wax stuffed in their ears, Odysseus’ journey would have been cut short. Unlike the helpfulness from Oannes, the Sirens wanted to use their knowledge of the future to lead them men to their doom. These myths show that knowledge is a powerful tool that can be used to both uplift humanity and also demolish it.

Works Cited:

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

Week 2/3 Reading Anaylsis

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When I walked out of the first day of class I was left wondering how I got myself signed up for a college course centered on mermaids and thought to myself I was either going to love it or hate it. After our initial discussion on Thursday and reading through the first few chapters of Vaughn Scribner’s “Merpeople” I have already begun to take an increased interest in the variety of lenses with which we can approach the subject of mermaids to explore what they symbolize and the importance of their persistence throughout generations of many different human societies and cultures. The in-class analysis of the etymology of certain words such as environment, nature, and monster sparked some ideas in my head about the way humans have defined themselves in relation to the “natural world.” I found it incredibly interesting that nature was first defined in terms of human nature as a description of people and later amended the definition to what is commonly known today. This sequencing of these definitions leads me to believe that people initially considered themselves to be separate from the natural world and later realized that the relationship is much more complex.

The word that has stuck in my head the most throughout our first classes and readings, as it pertains to mermaids, is hybrid. The mermaid, being a hybrid mix of human and animal is the perfect symbol to represent how human beings are a part of nature while also separate. The fact the upper half of the mermaid is human is also symbolic in a sense that the familiar human characteristics that supposedly set humans apart from animals such as the potential for conscience thoughts and the ability to use our hands in contrast with the lower half which binds the mermaid to the ocean and natural world. The way humans defined nature creates a hybrid situation similar to that of the mermaid, as much as our human qualities separate us and make us different there is no way to separate ourselves from nature, we are a part of it regardless of our greater potential to alter the natural world.

My parting question for the week pertaining to etymology that I am interested to explore more throughout the semester is: “How we define what it means to be human?” People have mimicked animals in their creations, and we have witnessed certain animals mimicking human behaviors. For example, we designed airplanes with birds flight as a model and we have taught chimpanzees and gorillas to communicate in human sign language, which in my mind leaves a lot of grey areas for defining how we could possibly be 100% separate from nature. A final note in regard to my “man-made” comment in class on Thursday, I thought a lot about this since that class and one thing that initially I thought of as a defining difference was the way we build structures and homes, however this is evident for animals as well in bird nests, beaver dams, burrowing communities, etc.

Week 2 – Reading Post

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In this weeks reading of “Merpeople: A Human History” by Vaughn Scribner, I was completely fascinated by the Catholic Church’s involvement in the use of mermaids to manipulate the general public. When I began reading, I mostly expected the reading material to mainly feature the evolution of mermaids throughout different cultures. I had no idea that mermaids were instruments of manipulation for the Catholic Church, which intended to use mermaid imagery to “dethrone femininity” (Scribner 12). Painting mermaids in an overly sexual light, the church used mermaids to symbolize seductive beings that made men fall into their lustful desires. Ultimately, the Church was using these creatures to spread their propaganda about sinning.

The Catholic Church benefited from the globalization of mermaids in Western, Eastern, and African folklore, because it further pushed their agendas. Sailors across the world would make claims about interacting with mermaids, and their “encounters resonated with the Christian Church’s imagery” and further pushed the Church’s “efforts to denigrate the feminine” (Scribner 56). My focus on the Catholic Church with these chapters comes from the idea that mermaids could not possibly be the only things that the Catholic Church used to manipulate people. By studying how effective the use of mermaids was, it gives me the ambition to look into what else the Church has used to maintain relevancy. Science has only been a generally accepted concept for a couple centuries, yet society has existed for thousands of years. Even in modern media that I can recall, mermaids are still commonly sexualized, which could still subconsciously push the old agendas of the Church.

I grew up going to Catholic Church, and I cannot recall ever seeing any mermaids, or any mythical creatures besides angels and demons in paintings inside of the church. It is extremely fascinating to me to see how the same Church I grew up attending used manipulation tactics to push their agenda. It is also interesting to me to see what the church’s agendas were as the church was developing. It makes me wonder if this type of behavior is still happening in the Church, but with more modern methods.