Sports and Mythology: NHL 11 "Be A Pro"

I think we've focused too much on movies and books (and songs for the last one) here on this blog, so I wanted to open it up to a video game. A video game that all true males (and females) must have, NHL 11. I will say that the first time I played it, the game seemed to be lack-lustre, but the "Be a Pro" game mode caught my attention. And hey! It has mythological archetypes in it too!

All you need to start is to create your own player. I made my own, and his name was Alex Crosby. Funny, yes. I gave him a stark moustache, and real buck arms. In the end, he was very jacked. First, off I had to get this guy signed with a team, likely in the minors. I did some practice rounds (the beginning of the starter stage, of the "road of trials"), and my skills got me signed by the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL. Not ideal, but good enough to start. In the beginning of the season, Alex was lost on the ice, didn't know how to contribute, and was just plain terrible. Then after a while, my player improved, and scored a hat-trick. This is the beginning of the hero's journey, coming up from nowhere and saving all "humanity". Alex Crosby saved the season and Adirondack made the playoffs.

The hero in this case (Alex Crosby) was able to lift the team on his shoulders and gun for the ultimate prize. Adirondack made it all the way to the Calder Cup Finals, where they eventually lost. After an off-season of hard work and gym training (another case of the road of trials, going through the innermost cave to get where he wants), training-camp for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers starts. Nobody gives Alex a chance, but he makes it, overcoming all odds to do so. Mr. Crosby has to wok his way up from the fourth line to the first line, where his hard work and determination gets him more ice time, and more points. Along the way, the hero gets help from older players on the team, ones with more experience and full of advice to give. This is the the hero's mentor, like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars.

That season, Alex scored 32 goals and 78 points, and in the playoffs lead the NHL in scoring with 14 goals and 23 points. Once again, Alex along with his team-mates went all the way, this time winning the elusive Stanley Cup. Playing on white ice (possibly  sign of purity, and god-like for the player), Alex Crosby weighs the Stanley Cup on his shoulders, possibly like the Greek myth of Atlas. Re-signed to a 3-year contract for $6.5 million/year, Alex shows the true grit and determination we know in a hockey player.

Coming from the minors in the AHL, to the big-time in the NHL, scoring bit-time goals and leading his team to the Stanley Cup, Alex Crosby's journey from a dud in the system to a top-line player is something that only I can do...on a video game. Alex was later traded to the Edmonton Oilers (whoo!) for 5 players (including Magnus Paajarvi), and broke many records in the NHL, and won 6 Stanley Cups. Clearly, we can find myth arcs is many weird things, such as video games we play all the time. Do you see any other mythology archetypes in sport video games such as NHL 11?

Franz Ferdinand's Take on Greek Mythology: Ulysses

So for the first time I've decided to explicate a song for this whole mythology blog project. I was listening to the Franz Ferdinand (the band, not the archduke) the other day and the song "Ulysses" comes up. I knew I had heard the name Ulysses before as a god, but didn't know where it came from exactly. Then boom, after some research I realized he is the Roman counter-part to Odysseus, a key figure in Homer's Illiad.

This is where you can go to read the lyrics of the song. At first, it seems like a simple, sweet song. And it is, yet it's got more meaning to it. Take the first line, "While I sit in here, a sentimental footsteps". A lot of the Greek myths were about telling how things are how they are today. Looking back at our ancestors, and such so. Obviously this is a person's "sentimental footsteps". "So what you gotta what you gotta this time" describes the hero in this case, coming back from the bottom of the pit and enduring the road of trials. In Homer's Illiad, when Helen goes to Troy, Odysseus comes out of nowhere to advise the soldiers how to defeat the Trojans. Two instances where the hero isn't supposed to be the hero.

"I’ve found a new way" also realizes this. The hero has found a new way to help the cause, "a new way, baby". Odysseus at first wanted Patroclus to defend Achilles, but after that didn't work Patroclus dressed in Achilles' armour to divert the Trojans' attention. This was in fact "So sinister, so sinister". And after initially believing they would lose, Spartans thought "they were never going home". But in fact, even more sinister acts worked, and they won. And as the song ends, "You're not Ulysses baby", likely the Trojans lost because they didn't have the advice and mentor (the siege, the Yoda, the Obi-Wan Kenobi) that the Spartans had, in Odysseus.

Songs that we listen on the radio or on our iPods today can still be linked to ancient Myth. It's a trend that hasn't stopped with tastes in music or the popular "thing" changing every day.

Sucker Punch Archetype Analysis

I chose to write about the trailer of the movie Sucker Punch, since it enticed me right from the beginning. The trailer centres around the hero, who in this case is a female (proto-feminist hero). In the beginning, this hero is up against the power of the man (the hero meets monstrous men), who have locked up women like her in some sort of prison. When they are taking the blondie to prison, she is dressed up in white (represents eternalness, pureness) to the dark prison (sort of an "angel", wrongfully going to the dark layers of "hell).

The hero is set to do harsh chores (likely a quest for identity) while surrounded by strangers in this prison. Yet these strangers are the ones that eventually help the hero, females too (sidekicks on the journey with the hero). The blonde girl then goes through some sort of initiation, or a ritual. A feather comes down her (once again, the fact that the white symbol and colour lets her control and go into her dreams). The hero then meets some sort of "underworld" (maybe a relation to Athena vs. the underworld of Hades). She and her friends then begin her journey (the hero and her band's journey).

They meet a man who guides them through the journey (the mentor, correlation to Yoda in Star Wars). He tells them to find five things to have success, and must go through a road of trials when wanting to get these materials. The first is a map, a guide through the hero's journey. The second is fire, the ability to transform and spiritual energy from the feminine heroes. The third is the knife, sacred and never to be abused, used by the hero defeat all the stand in her way. The fourth is the key, the thing used to open new doors, and closed ones as well. The fifth material to be found is a mystery, something that reminds me personally of a shadow, symbolising the dark side, evil, and the devil. 

At the end of the trailer, we see the emergence of the dragon and machines, both mythological creatures or things that represent the good nature of the hero versus the evil forces of the machine and the dragon. Note that the dragon is dark red, situating blood, sacrifice, heat, and emotion. The weapon used against these magical forces is the sword, a magical weapon used by the hero to combat evil. 

When I go to watch this movie, I would expect more archetypes to come up, such as the power of colours used and the creatures the hero(s) have to face. Without a doubt, this should be one exhilarating ride of a movie.

Fighting It's Way To The Top

You wonder what a movie like The Fighter is doing in this "supposed mythology blog". But I'm here to tell you that it has every right to do so. Mark Wahlberg's movie is one of the few that both movie critics and boxing fans could enjoy together, with a hint of myth in it too.

Micky Ward, the movie's main character is a professional boxer from a middle-class family (hero coming from a "pure family", works hard to get to where he is today). However, he hasn't had much success. He is trained by his older brother Dicky, who once used to be a great boxer, defeating the greats such as Sugar Ray. Now, he has fallen to the pyramid of cocaine, addicted to it. (the hero's mentor having a troubled past).

Dicky is caught by the police one day and Micky tries to stop this (the hero saving his companion or sidekick from getting in trouble). The day after, Micky is soundly defeated by a much heavier opponent during a match, contemplating whether he should ever box again (the hero seems to be down and out). However, after firing his mother and brother, he gets a new trainer and a fresh start. He is trained hard by the various techniques by his new mentor Sal Lonano and eventually Dicky when he gets out of prison (the hero encountering his road of trials, working to get back on top). Micky fights to the last round (the hero fighting to the final inch, until the last bell) and defeats his opponent for a shot at the welterweight title (the hero finally getting his chance to be on top). The next months as he prepares for the big fight in London are hectic. Micky has to fight away bad influences by his family and turns to god to help him during this (a religious or superficial "being" helping the hero during his journey).

After fighting his way to the top (the inner most cave, the hero finally being able to realize his potential), Micky defeats his latest opponent in an upset victory (the hero being an underdog for most of the story, being down but able to get back up), and wins the welterweight title. After a couple years, we see the two brothers training together, with Micky just getting married to the love of his life.

Micky Ward endures his quest to become welterweight champion, goes through his road of trials by training hard and staying true to himself. His innermost cave leads him to become champion, something nobody would have imagined at the start of the movie. His mentor is his brother, who can also be the "shapeshifter", having a good side and a bad side. It all leads back to the hero, as he overcomes all odds to be the biggest underdog in boxing history.

This is a true story as well, so now I ask you faithful readers, Have you seen a story like this before, and how does it link to mythology of past?

Pan's Labyrinth, Spanish Mythology?

Right from just this movie you can see how Greek mythological archetypes have spread even to Spain, since I saw the all-famous Pan's Labyrinth on the weekend. When I first saw the movie I must have been 10 or 11, because I did not understand it at all. But now, it's only tricky complex movie with many allusions to myth, especially on the main character.

Well all know Pan well from myths such as "Echo" and "The Pan Flute From Arcadia". There's also a strange fact that he was the only god to ever die. I guess them people up there aren't immortal either. The hero in this movie, Ofelia, is under a spell that she must perform a number of activities. As she knocks them off one by one, you wonder if she's immortal. But she isn't, and those brick walls keep coming down. This whole movie is a the hero Ofelia living in a fairytale, and Pan was known to companion the nymphs who told her fairytales no one had heard before. Both Ofelia and Pan also seem to reject their "overlords", as shown when Captain Vidal (who we can compare to Zeus on another day) is caught torturing a rebel.

So now I ask you, the reader what other connections you see between Ofelia and Greek god Pan?

Books and Mythology---The Hunger Games

While finishing up a read of the book, the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I couldn't help but think how many mythological archetypes there were in the book. First off, it's science-fiction, meaning it's fake in some kind of imaginary world. Greek Mythology can be fake at times to me as well, somewhere between Zeus having 50 wives and Hades owning an underworld. And the main character(s) names of the novel are unique ones, as in Myth.

The plot follows Katniss  Everdeen in a world gone mad, where every district (12 of them) have two send two tributes (1 boy, 1 girl) to the annual Hunger Games in the Capitol, to keep Panem's population at bay. During the tribute selection for District 12, Katniss' sister Prim gets selected, but Katniss offers to replace her out of the spur of the moment to save her younger sis. First archetype right there, the fact that the hero comes out of nowhere, somewhat a "goofy" fellow to save someone close to her. The boy selected from District 12, Peeta Mellark becomes a crucial point in the story.

As the two are getting ready for the Hunger Games, Peeta confesses his love for Katniss as a marketing ploy, and to create a "juicy" storyline. During the Games, the Capitol announces that if the last two tributes left are from the same District, the two will be co-winners. Obviously this is sent to Kat and Peeta. When the two beat the odds (yet another archetype, where the underdog hero who seemed done, comes back to win) to remain the last ones standing, the previous rule is revoked. The two have to beat one another, obviously to make viewers stay tuned. However, it seems like love has gone to them, and they threaten to eat poisonous berries if they both don't win. The fact that the hero is bound by love and won't let go of it is another archetype not only seen n this book, but in many other stories today. And the ending is different, left you hanging like many Greek myths did. The Capitol threatens to exile Katniss' and Peeta's family, because of their act of disobedience. I've seen this also many times in our mythology studies, where a governing body or deity is angry at the hero(s) for doing something there not supposed to do.

The author of the book also said that she got the idea for the book from (thank you YouTube) the myth of Theseus, from Ancient Greece when Athens was forced to send boys and girls in their youth to Crete so the Minotaur could devour them. Such cannibalism is also stated here in the book, when a starving Kat wonders if she could eat a dead tribute. Nevertheless, the book speaks volumes about the power of the authoritarian state and personal beliefs. There are 2 books after this one, so obviously more is to be said by Suzanne Collins, and maybe more links to Ancient Mythology.

A Dream Even More Deferred---Inception

I was sitting in class yesterday, likely zoning out while we were doing a commentary for the poem "A Dream Deferred", by Langston Hughes. Then, I started dreaming. Then, I thought "Man, I Need to write something new on my mythology blog". And what do you know, here I am now, writing about the movie, called Inception.

The basic plot of the movie stems from the main character, Dom Cobb working alongside his pals by entering the minds of corporate leaders around the world. The idea of "inception" has never been done before, but a Japanese oil tycoon offers him pretty much life guaranteed money and more to perform inception (plant an idea in someones' head) on his major competitor in oil. While all this, Dom is affected by the death of his wife, who appears in his dreams trying to sabotage his plans.

Already we see a concept of mythology, the fact that the hero is hurt inside the mind by some mythical creature, or of someone in his past. The hero must overcome this obstacle and win his battle against these natural forces. Dom can't go back to the USA and back to his children, because he is accused of his wife's death. One of his "side-kicks" during the story, Ariadne creates dreamscapes. Aridane is a well known Greek myth, where the princess gives the hero, Theseus a ball of string and a sword to navigate through the pyramid. Obviously, the director of this movie Chris Nolan created some of his ideas through Greek Mythology.

During the journey and "innermost cave", Dom and his entourage struggle to perform this act, especially when Saito, the oil tycoon who offered him the job is shot and is dying. Dom's spinning top is frequently shown throughout the movie, a natural help to Dom, something we see in mythology stories. The hero being protected by an unknown/natural force. And of course, the movie somewhat ends on a happy note, with the job being done to perfection, Dom being able to meet his kids after 6 years, and the spinning top finally not spinning anymore.

Modern Film and Mythology, Part 1: Slumdog Millionaire

When I think of mythology from times past, whether Greek, Roman, or Norse, I think ancient history. Thousands of years ago, ancestors told their kids of folklore, legends, and myths relating to how the Earth was formed, and how we became who we are today---homo sapiens.

Yet, there seems to be an un-earthing connection from movies we see in the present and the archetypes of Mythology. A flick that I've watched more than re-runs of Two and a Half Men is Slumdog Millionaire. The plot follows Jamal Malik, a boy older than what his appearance may suggest, and his quest to become India's Newest Millionaire.

As he answers question by question, Jamal gets his answers by remembering his past, when he roamed the slums of Eastern India. When his mother deserts him and his brother, Salim, the two have to go though "A Road of Trials" to get out of where they came from, and actually do something successful. They escape a death-ridden neighbourhood just before a bomb goes off, meaning there has to be some supernatural force with the two boys.

The hero in this case, Jamal meets a young girl from the same slum, Laitka. The two instantly have a connection, and the girl is something Jamal yearns for. Laitka is "his girl", but there's no fairy-tale ending, well no instantly. The three kids are detained by a local mob boss, who blinds kids to work for him as slaves. The hero, in this part is facing an obstacle he might not think he can over-come.

As we flip years later, Jamal works at a call-centre in downtown Mumbai. He lost Salim, his brother now turned human trafficker, and Laitka, who was forced to work for Salim after he threatened his brother. In order to get in touch with Laitka, he goes on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The contestant here faces questions which might not be ordinary for the regular contestant, but Jamal knows the answers through experiences in his childhood. For example, before the "Million Dollar Question", he is asked who is on the figure of the "Anchuw" totem pole. When Jamal's mom left the two boys, she gave them the same totem pole, a mini version of it. He has a picture memory of it, and his run on the game-show becomes a darling for India.

There are many archetypes and characteristics that I can find throughout the movie. Jamal is powered to find his former love, Laitka, and goes through the journey known as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. You can see that as a child, Jamal was naive, inexperienced, and didn't know who he was, a quest for identity in other words. His "Road of Trials" makes him more mature, and sees the world in a different light. Like in many mythology stories, one of his best friends, his brother to be exact turns on him and joins the forces of "evil". Jamal is so overcome by this emotion that years later, the quest for his love sets him off in something he never would have thought of.

The most important things is that Jamal becomes an idol for young kids growing up in the slums, and for India abroad. Nobody can believe a slum dog like him can win a million dollars, but Jamal overcomes everything in his life, and becomes stronger because of it. He is tortured because nobody believes in him, but nothing will stop Jamal from finding Laitka. Salim still holds her as a prisoner, but gives her up so he can make he can apologize to his brother. He dies for the two, as seen in many stories when the companion dies for love.

The 2009 Oscar Winner for Best Picture may be light-years ahead of the mythology we learn in school, but the characteristics between the two are way too obvious to ignore. I'd like to ask, Do you think films today should give credit to mythology of the past for their storylines?