Emotion associated with Natural Phenomena

While reading the myth about Deter and the abduction of her daughter Persephone (Kore),I realized something.The ancient Greeks associated nearly all natural occurrences with the emotions of their numerous gods.

Demeter ,the earth mother,the goddess of the riches and fertility of the fields had a daughter whom she greatly loved. While picking flowers Persephone was seen by Hades,the god of the underworld,who fell in love with her and make her his wife .She was abducted.When Demeter put a spell of infertility over the land ,Zeus had to persuade Hades to let Demeter's young daughter go.Hades,before letting the girl go offered her pomegranate seeds(The fruit was a symbol of marriage and it permanently confined Persephone to the underworld and to Hades.Zeus knew that would anger the Goddess of crop,and fertile land and she would send a curse over the land once more.Therefore, he lat Demeter be with her daughter for two thirds of the year and the other third of the year he let Hades have her. While with her Persephone was with Demeter,the land was green and fertile (the summer and spring as well as the early fall).And of course while Persephone was in the underworld Demeter grieved and nothing grew (the cold winter months.)

---In this case the season of winter (a natural occurrence )is associated with emotion of loss,grief,sadness,and loneliness.And likewise, the seasons of summer and spring are associated with rebirth of happiness,joy and contentment.

---Poseidon ,the god of the sea,brought about storms and waves when angered by Zeus' power over him.The violence of the seas were usually associated with rage,fury and vexation.

---The marriage of Zeus and Hera (relative of the sky)is very complicated. Although Zeus is often unfaithful to Hera he is married to her.Hera is often depicted as the jealous wife, the orderly wife the perfect wife.Worshipers of Hera often associated the noisy quarrels and arguments between the couple with "the struggle of meteors and atmospheric disturbances in revolt against the sky"(From:New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology;under HERA)The activities of meteors and comets was associated with the mutual disappointments,anger,and arguments both Zeus and Hera experienced.

---Thunder and lightning are often associated with the anger of Zeus.

These associations are fairly accurate.There are definite emotions certain natural occurrences bring about.It is strongly associated with what we see.Colour and atmosphere that is created by seasons or natural phenomena bring out a specific emotion.The season of winter,for example does bring about a sort of depressing haze over everything as opposed to the excitement and the cheerfulness in the later spring time when everyone can't wait for summer time!

The Old Man and the Sea :the Visual Archetypes

The Old Man and the Sea is based on a Ernst Hemingway novel.The old man sets out to go fishing and finds himself in a middle of a situation.He has gotten a hold of the biggest of fish he's seen.His catch is attacked by sharks,and almost lost.The story is a metaphor for the struggles people face in life and their ability and willingness to strive for dreams no matter what tries to take them away.

Even though the story does not have a definite hero's journey plot or definite situational archetypes,the film (by Alexander Petrov) is very visual .And since much of the visual archetypes(colours,objects in nature) are overlooked,that's what I am going to focus on.

The colour and the use of specific images moves the story along and gives it a metaphorical meaning:

--The mountains where the story is set:represent the ambitions the old man has and his goals of fulfilling his duty as a fisherman.

--The old man sets out tin his boat at night time:The black of night is the unknown and the stars above are his guidance through that unknown.

--The morning colours of the water:The green represents the hope the old man has.He is hopeful he is going to be successful in coming back with some fish.

--The white background :Represents the goodness and the spiritual connection to the sea the old man has.

--The green depth of the water:The old man;s sympathy for the marlin,also hope associated with catching that marlin.

--Constant clouds overhead: Suggest that the sea is sacred to the man.At the beginning the clouds suggest that the man does not know the size of what he is dealing with,or the mystery of the giant marlin.

--Orange sunrise,orange sky:Suggest that the old man takes pride in his catch and is given ambition.He feels stronger.

--Red sky and dark clouds :Something is about to happen.the old man's catch is ripped apart by sharks.

--The lone tree against a background of blue water and sky:The tree represents the knowledge the old man could share with the young boy he took in.the blue represents the truth and the outcome or the soothing of the atmosphere.

There are visual hints in nearly every shot of an animated film,for what is about to happen .It plays a great role in setting the mood for the story .The clear use of specific colours adds more to the animated story than text itself.Archetypal visuals are countless in every film .In this case,the story unfolds primarily by the use of colour and its merging from one to the next.In Samurai Jack colour proves to be a vital part in telling the story.Is there any other films where the use of colour manipulates mood,and the next set of events? Are there specific examples regarding colour in Greek mythology? (Ex. Mount Olympus is always surrounded by white clouds suggesting morality ,spirituality ,peace and purity and its mystery).

NOI :hero who failed

NOI is a film by Dagur Kari.

Provided Synopsis (author anonymous) :

"Seventeen-year-old Noi drifts through life on a remote fjord in the north of Iceland .In winter,the fjord is cut off from the outside world,surrounded by ominous mountains and buried under a shroud of snow.Noi dreams of escaping from this white-walled prison with Iris ,a city girl who works in a local gas station.But his clumsy attempt at escape spiral out of control and end in complete failure.Only a natural disaster will shatter Noi's universe and offer him better world..."


Noi is not the typical hero undergoing a typical hero's journey.In fact he is one of the bravest,unusual characters undergoing the most life changing events.He is not against a form of evil ,or for the preservation of peace,he is against his way of living,and against his own boredom making him a rebel in the desolate village.To put the character in context,he is still a hero .He is constantly reminded of his desperation by the everyday chores he does .He is questioned at his small school about his lack of attendance and completed schoolwork.He is engulfed by loneliness,anger and helplessness.He is caged by the scape outside his window.Everyday life could often be the worst of challenges .Noi ,bored out of his mind ,is set on leaving the never changing place and people and escaping his event-less life.Noi gets his future predicted by the fortune teller of the village. When the man reads his coffee cup,he looks at Noi and says "there is nothing ,but death in this cup."The fortune teller is a reminder for Noi that things that are meant to happen will happen.Noi is similar to Oedipus,as both get unfavorable fortunes.The only difference is that Oedipus tries to reverse the fortune while Noi wants nothing more than to escape.

When Noi finds Iris,he sets out to complete his plan of escape,and he wants Iris to come with him.But the closeness of his relationships with the limited village dwellers forbid him to even rob the cashier at the restaurant!not only that,Iris herself to go with him when he randomly runs in and tells her to come with him.He makes a quick decision to leave by himself leads him to speed away in his car and become stuck in the abundant snow.The village security vehicles get to him before he has chance to leave the city limits!He can't run.He failed in to fulfill his only dream,and on top of that a large scale avalanche leaves his trapped in the basement of his house.His rescue is his chance at a life once more,except now he has no home to go to ,and his father,grandmother and Iris have all died.

Having the wisdom and determination of a typical hero,makes Noi a protagonist,but his realistic depiction in the movie and his visions despite the failure really puts the viewer on his side. Failure results in strength,knowledge and appreciation.So, maybe failure is not something that lessens the hero-like qualities of a human being.he was fighting for something much less than what most fight for and he was against no one but his own self and the people and life around him.Is life one hero adventure after the other? Does this make us our own heroes in our daily struggles to fulfill our desires despite their lack of importance and our failure?

Noi is an introverted,self-searching and a rebellious teenager:a failed hero:a broken boy put back together. The film is one worth watching .It brings up an interesting point about boredom and restlessness.Schopenhauer a philosopher wrote(from http://www.philosophos.com/knowledge_base/archives_22/philosophy_questions_2259.html):

"boredom is a direct proof that existence is itself valueless, for boredom
is nothing other than the sensation of the emptiness of existence" ('On The Vanity of Existence').
Elsewhere he argues that boredom is at the foundation of human society, this is because "The
striving after existence is what occupies all living things and keeps them in motion. When existence is
assured to them they do not know what to do with it. Therefore the (second) thing that sets them in
motion is the effort to get rid of the burden of existence, to make it no longer felt, 'to kill time' in other
words to escape from boredom...it causes beings who love one another as little as men do, to seek
one another so much, and this becomes the source of sociality" (The World as Will and
Representation vol 1, sec 57).

So many problems arise due to the lack of ideas about how to waste time. Noi proved this in the the tragically beautiful film.Could we now justify the existence of all mythology? Did the ancient Greeks have anything better to do with their time?:)