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AMERICAN LEGENDS JOURNALSHALL OF FAME 2021-22Trikalioti Foteini (1563201900290)Wowoka, “The Messiah Letter”/ Ghost DanceReading Wowoka’s letter was deeply moving. In his simple words I found comfort and peace and sadness at the same time. His instructions revealed a kind individual and his optimism showed that he believed there was good in the settlers’ hearts, too. Knowing what we know now, it appears that, sadly, the Natives were too innocent for their own good. I cannot believe that anyone could go through these lines and remain unaffected by them.The tribes of the Native Americans were as diverse as the rest of the world and had such beautiful worldview that without them I believe our world is much poorer. It saddens me to see how the white settlers decided to exterminate them for no valid reason whatsoever, as if there could ever have been a valid reason behind a genocide. Their fear of the unknown led them to commit atrocities against people who were obviously peaceful and kind and instead of trying to understand them, they chose to butcher them like animals. Imagine being persecuted, tortured and killed, exploited in the worst way imaginable and the advice of the wise elder is to dance in order to overcome your troubles. Imagine being told that you should not resist the white people’s unreasonable, unfair and brutal treatment despite all the suffering your people are going through. Having been raised in an orthodox family I was told about the teachings of Jesus Christ, how right He was and how I should believe in Him and lead my life according to what He taught us. I can assure anyone that no Christian family that I know of are practicing the orthodox teachings as we should, yet these people, who were not aware of our religious beliefs practiced them even better than we could ever dream of. The irony should not escape us. Many of the people who went to America were people who thought their faith was threatened back in Europe, people who regarded themselves as pure in that respect, Christian people who were told about the same Jesus that I was told about. It should really make us think twice when we feel good about ourselves for whatever reason. Who is affected by our actions or our words? How are they affected? How do they assess the situation from their point of view? It is not always a matter of life and death, as in the case of the Native Americans, however, we should not disregard the impact of our actions and words in our daily lives, especially since we spend most of it feeling entitled to everything and right about everything.Niarchos Athanasios (1563201900126)From The Winnebago Trickster CycleOne of the elements that genuinely intrigued me in this collection of Trickster tales provided by Paul Radin was the Trickster’s gender identity and more specifically its apparent fluidity. Having been introduced to the male version of the archetypal character of “The Trickster” in Christine Quintasket’s (Mourning Dove) tale of Chipmunk and Owl Woman, where male pronouns are being employed to describe him, I immediately thought of the Trickster as a masculine coyote (Quintasket. 56). Upon further research, I encountered that in most cases Tricksters are indeed male and that the entity that usually hosts their notion can vary from coyotes to ravens and even spiders (Ballinger. 15). In this case, though, Trickster’s biological sex is rather clear via the indication that he carries around his phallus in a box as the story progresses.In the twentieth chapter of this collection, however, I was more than surprised to witness Trickster transforming into a woman not only via transvestism but via a “mythological” or “magical” kind of sex reassignment surgery as well, in order to fool the chief’s son into marrying him so as to survive. I honestly did not expect to come across with transgender representation in such an ancient tale or experience a mere-medical procedure that, to a certain level, even alludes to the modern type of these types of surgeries. Instantly, I was curious to learn a bit more about the motives behind this transformation and switching of gender roles and if that complexity and fluidity of gender identity are common traits found in the Trickster mythology. As far as it concerns the first part, one could argue that as long as Trickster can switch genders that easily, then gender is treated indifferently in this mythological field. Nonetheless, Franchot Ballinger suggests in his journal article that “ in an number of Native American trickster stories, gender matters” as “gender roles are sometimes part of their underlying didacticism and satire” (Ballinger.16). Additionally, Trickster’s transgendering incidents which are, in fact, occasional, “comically demonstrate the inadequacy of what seem to be ‘natural’ gender expectations but which are […] artificial boundaries” (Ballinger. 34).In the story under examination, Trickster practically turns into a woman to save himself and his companions from starving to death and later proceeds to get impregnated by his companions as a means to ensure his stay in the tribe. From an external perspective, one could debate that he satirically diminishes the female gender by prostituting his newly-found female body. This speculation would be in accordance with Ballinger’s study where it is clearly stated that in the majority of the available female trickster stories she constitutes the object of the satire most of the times (Ballinger. 24). Nevertheless, I believe that this is not the case and that Trickster actually satirizes the male gender in this fragment. It is a typical characteristic of male adult tricksters to fail to fulfill traditional gender expectations (Ballinger. 22) and, on top of that, as Ballinger states “the laughter stimulated by most sexually-oriented male trickster stories is […] because of what he reveals about himself (and males?) as he victimizes others ” (Ballinger. 21). In this story, Trickster avoids or does not even attempt to do what a traditional man would do back then to secure himself and his close ones when times are hard. He does not use his wit to go hunting or fishing and is basically powerless and on the brink of starvation up until his catalyst metamorphosis into a female when suddenly he/she has more power than ever before and ensures more food than what was needed until the moment the original plan fails and trickster’s identity is discovered. In others words, Trickster seems to be more effective and skillful in his/her female form.From all the aforementioned, I would dare to characterize this piece of a story as a feministic one that praises female power, which is usually overlooked or underestimated by the wider society, and wryly satirizes the failure when it comes to the fulfillment and the efficiency of traditional male gender roles. Works CitedsBallinger, Franchot. “Coyote, He/She Was Going There: Sex and Gender in Native American Trickster Stories.” Studies in American Indian Literatures, vol. 12, no. 4, University of Nebraska Press, 2000, pp. 15–43, . Mourning Dove (Humishuma) [Christine Quintasket], “Chipmunk and Owl Woman”. Coyote Stories Caldwell, Id.: Caxton Printers, 1933, pp. 51-59. Dimitrova Dimitra (1563201900133)The Iroquois Creation StoryThe first thing that made a great impression on me upon reading the ‘Iroquois Creation Story’ was how much respect and love towards nature is reflected in this myth. For instance, even though the Iroquois presented the ‘lower world’ as a dark, ocean-like place filled with ‘monsters’ or unknown creatures, – something which I believe that is due to their limited knowledge and understanding of the vast ocean and the animals living in it – in the myth the first instinct of those ‘monsters’ was to save the Sky Woman and to create a comfortable place for her, despite the fact that she was an intruder (‘to secure the woman from the terrors of the great water’). This shows that, according to the Native Americans, even the most scary and mysterious creatures of the universe are predominantly benevolent. What is more, they believed that the world we live in was in fact a gigantic turtle, which expanded gradually to become a great island. As I see it, the mere fact that the Iroquois symbolized important things, like the earth itself, with animals (in this case the turtle), shows how close they felt to nature and how much they valued and respected it. Of course, given that their lifestyle, behaviour and culture were generally nature-oriented, it is only natural that their creation story largely reflects that.Another interesting thing to me was that the ‘good’ God-like entity and the ‘bad’ Devil-like entity in the story are presented as twin-brothers - as equals - instead of master and servant, as is the case in the Christian religion. The twins represent two different sides of the same entity, so here the ‘good mind’ and the ‘bad mind’ respectively have the same root, they are intertwined and complementary to each other. Furthermore, the two brothers, despite being God-like figures and having great superhuman powers, also have mortal weaknesses (‘deer horns, beating his body he would expire’). I believe that these two figures reflect the Iroquois’ perception of the human nature itself, since in every human being there is good as well as evil, there are strengths as well as weaknesses and, as we observe through this myth, not even the very creator of the humankind is impeccable, therefore no human can be flawless. Thus, I reach the conclusion that the Native Americans had a great understanding of the human nature and recognised that both good and evil exist within humans and in the world in general, similarly to the Chinese ‘yin-yang’ philosophy. In addition to that, they were evidently aware of the fact that life (represented by the ‘good mind’) and death (represented by the ‘bad mind’) complement each other and one cannot exist without the other - that is why the ‘bad mind’ never ceased to exist, despite his mortal defeat (‘he would have equal power of the souls of humankind after death’). However, the ‘bad mind’ also seems to represent life after death – the Iroquois believed in the immortality of the soul, which is very interesting, since this is a common characteristic of many religions. I believe that this is great evidence of how all the people of the world, despite of their culture, their beliefs, their way of life and the time or the place they live in, share the same absolute desire and need to believe that there is some kind of immortality, after all. Moreover, as in most mythologies and religions, in this creation story as well it is clear that the deities are based on humans – people generally tend to believe that if there are Gods, then they must resemble the humankind. This fact, as well as the theme of immortality, are so common because humans would feel powerless, and life would feel meaningless, if it was otherwise. To conclude, through this creation story one can learn many things about the way of thinking of the Iroquois and the things they believed in? but the most important thing to observe is how, amazingly, humans diachronically and all over the world share similar ideas and feelings when it comes to metaphysical matters. Drosou Evangelia- Nefeli (1563201900050)The Iroquοis Creation Story“The Iroquis Creation story” is the story of the creation of North America, which is also referred to as “the Great Island”. It became very clear to me from the first few lines that this was a story where North America was a metaphor for the creation of the Earth or even the universe; something that is very American. One of the most important themes throughout the story is the polarity which exists in many of the most well-known creation myths. Here, there was the island of heaven (“upper world”) where the human kind lived- or at least some version of it, and then there was the “lower world” which was plunged into darkness and it was a very large ocean, full of “monsters”. This version of the world before Creation reminded me of the Judeo-Christian ‘Genesis’, where before the world was built it was a formless dark mass and God was hovering over the waters (the lower world is also full of dark waters in this story). This pattern is also seen in Ancient Greek mythology, where the state before the creation of the universe was described as ‘Chaos’, where everything was plunged in darkness. In this case though, it wasn’t an omnipotent God that consciously decided to create the world, but a “sky-woman” who fell from the upper-world as she was about to give birth and the monsters found some earth in the great deep to secure the woman from the “terrors of the great water”, whose weight was supported by a giant turtle. What I really liked was the fact this wasn’t all about a man doing the work and creating North America, but the fact that the woman would give birth to the creator- and not be made afterwards from a man’s rib to be a servant to him. Like the Ancient Greek primordial goddess Gaea, whose name literally means Earth, this sky woman was the one who birthed the creator of the universe. Gaea was a primordial goddess, meaning that she was around in the time before the universe was created, and much like the sky-woman, she gave birth to very powerful beings. Gaea gave birth to the titans and the parents of the later Olympian Gods, and the sky-woman give birth to the two twins and in a very gruesome ending to her life, died shortly after the birth of the twins and her head was later made the sun and body the moon of this world. Another very intriguing part of this story for me was the twins. They tie in perfectly with the polarity that’s at the core of the story; Enigorio is described as ‘the good mind’ and Enigonhahetgea as ‘the bad mind’. These two represent the light and the darkness, the yin and yang etc and the evil twin even bursts through their mother’s side as he’s born, despite his brother trying to stop him. A very obvious connection that I made was the fact this is another interpretation of God and the Devil, only here the Devil is God’s twin and not a part of his angel armies that rebelled and fell. In a way, they both fell from Heaven, but only the good twin wanted to bring the light into darkness and as he tried to create the world and humankind, the evil twin tried to unsuccessfully destroy it. In the end, as the good twin killed the evil twin and banished him as “The Evil Spirit”, who could only have true power over humans’ souls in the afterlife and we see that the good twin has a plan after all and wasn’t completely innocent. Twins and in particular, their duality, has been a very prevalent subject in many areas; from mythology (Apollo-Artemis), to zodiac signs (Gemini), to popular media. They are thought of representing the two sides of one person; one being the good and the other being the bad, especially when it comes to identical twins, we have had many versions of two men or women who looked exactly alike, yet one was evil and the other one good; like in ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’ or even Phoebe and Ursula from ‘Friends’. One thing is for sure, this text was a great reminder of how it doesn’t matter is someone writes a story about the creation of the universe in 2021 or in 1400 B.C, some parts and themes of the story will remain the same in essence. Paraskeva Magdalini (1563201900153)The Ojibwa Corn GodThe legend of the Ojibwa Corn God is an intricate tale that not only describes in a symbolic manner the origin of corn, but also illustrates the power of faith and the continuous turn of humanity towards nature. The legend presents the story of the eldest son of a poor Indian family, as he takes his first steps into adulthood through a rite of passage that tests his physical and mental strength, but also the extent of his faith towards the Great Spirit, who will reward him with an entity to counsel and protect him. In a way, this is an emotional, yet powerful tale, that proves capable of inspiring people to lead a fulfilling life based on their faith and courage. The beginning of the legend establishes empathetic sentiments towards the son and his family, who are described as honest and benevolent. One could argue that the son falls under the category of the hero who leads an exemplary life; therefore the receival of divine gifts is justified since he proves the integrity of his character on numerous occasions. Not only he experiences a short solitary period, during which he starves and wrestles with an embodiment of a deity in order to fulfill the prerequisites of the ceremonial fast, but he selflessly dedicates himself to his cause in order to help his village survive. One can not help but notice and admire his commitment to transcend his physical bonds and manifest a deeper spiritual connection with the divine, in this case, nature itself, as his guide turns out to be the Corn God, who commands the son to sacrifice his body in order to provide the people with nourishment from the crops and spare them the many difficulties of basing their survival solely on hunting. The establishment of a relatable and admirable persona, the suspense that prevails during his metaphorical journey and the eventual satisfying ending hide underneath a deep, moving tale about the power of faith and sacrifice, and the innate need of humanity to place their belief on something, or someone, in order to gain first and foremost spiritual fullfilment, but also to express a wish for guidance and assistance in trying times. It is worth mentioning that similar instances have appeared in other forms of religion, such as Christianity. For instance, the Jews, after fleeing the tyrannical regime of Egypt, under the leadership of Moses, who often served as a conduit between God and humankind -like the Corn God and the Great Spirit- also received a divine gift, after endless days of facing starvation and exhaustion, in the form of manna, as well as the Ten Commandments that played an indisputable role in the evolution of Christianity. Faith, therefore, when it comes from people with pure intentions, open minds and kind hearts, can be rewarded and used to further establish the importance of giving and receiving, as well as having and sharing. The importance of sacrifice is also highlighted; if someone was to be given blessings, wisdom, or be granted favors, they ought to prove themselves, often through physical sacrifices that may have weakened their bodies, but strengthened their minds and souls (e.g. the young man of the story who chose to starve in order to receive spiritual enlightenment, the Corn God who sacrificed himself in order to aid others, Odin from Norse Mythology, who sacrificed his eye and hanged himself for nine days from Yggdrasil in order to receive wisdom etc.). Another remarkable element that runs through this particular legend is the deep appreciation harbored by the natives towards nature. Nature, or for a better word Mother Nature, has played a key role in the history of America, as a source of inspiration (let us not forget the strong influence it exercised over the Transcendentalists like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emmerson, and even contemporary notable figures like Gary Snyder and Mary Oliver, whose works are a hymn to the American Nature), as well as a source of hope, idealistic values and belief. Nature is humanity’s temple; its continuous familiarity and unfamiliarity draw us in and set the foundations for a journey that transcends everyday life, broadens one’s mind and viewpoints and creates a balanced, harmonious relationship between humans and itself.Despite the fact that Native Americans did not follow a particular religion or pray to specific gods, unlike the Western civilizations, they turned to the natural world, the rivers, the trees and certain animals (one of the most notable ones being the turtle, which appears in other myths such as the Iroquois Creation Story) and placed their beliefs on deities that were incarnated, in a way, through nature, such as the Corn God who turned from a spirit to crops. Corn, in particular, is of great importance to the American people, a fact which is demonstrated by the abundance of legends that surround it and aid to its establishment as a symbol of life and vitality. However, it is not the first instance of a deity in a country’s mythology providing a form of nourishment that would take an emblematic meaning. Apart from the aforementioned offer of manna bread from God to the Jews, Jesus Christ himself offered to his Apostles bread and wine that would later on constitute the Holy Communion, one of the greatest institutions of Christianity, while the Goddess Athena in Ancient Greek Mythology offered to the people of Athens the olive, that still holds an indisputable symbolic meaning of life, peace and prosperity. In general, it seems that tales regarding acts that prove one’s worth, and the acts of sacrifice, kindness or generosity performed by deities and spirits surpass the boundaries of time and space, and regardless of whether these two concepts overlap or vary depending on the civilization, they are capable of giving hope, uniting people, and strengthen their faith and cultures.Fotinaki Petroula (1563201900220)“Custer’s Last Stand”The first thought that comes to mind after reading “Custer’s Last Stand” is, naturally, how different the story is depending on which side is telling it. The European American version, as showcased in the 1930 song, is very patriotic and Custer is portrayed as a hero who died courageously in battle against the “savage Sioux”. This is not surprising in the least, as it fits the narrative the colonizers had created. On the other hand, the version of the Cheyenne tribe is much more detailed and therefore seems more faithful to what actually happened. Despite having lost most of their land to the settlers, the Native American tribes still attempted to negotiate a peace and while they had no na?ve notions that Custer would keep his word, they still appear hopeful, albeit because that was their only choice. From the way general Custer is described, he comes across as an honorless man, not only in account of his betrayal, but also because he had “married” a woman from the Cheyenne tribe –a marriage I assume was not entirely consensual- with whom he had a son he would not acknowledge, while also being married to a white woman at home. What really struck me in this story is the description of Captain Keogh’s bond with his horse, Comanche and how it is viewed by the tribe. After the battle, the horse is the only thing left alive, with Keogh still clutching his reins because no Native American would disrespect their relationship by separating them. This detail not only reflects the connection Native Americans had with nature- but, when contrasted with the soldiers stealing everything of value in the Cheyenne camp after they won, also shows the difference in philosophy between the two sides, when it comes to respecting the dead. While I’m not shocked by the atrocities of the European Americans, the story still left me feeling a mix of anger and sadness, knowing that despite the Native Americans winning this battle against all odds, it ultimately made no difference. Tsigeridou Kyriaki (1563201900208)The WindigoThe windigo, deriving from the Algonquian tradition, is shown to be a hideous man-eating creature, an abomination and a great threat. Oftentimes it appears in stories that aim to admonish people so as to not succumb to greed or self-centered behavior.Religion and the christian God seem to play a huge role in the slaying of windigo, which is a demonic creature. Many core aspects of christianity are mentioned (the cross, the bible, the psalms, number 3). According to the legend, people can turn into Windigos. That is, if they are greedy, too self centered, too weak-minded or just outcast of their community. This reminds me of vampires and werewolves, although, when it comes to those two creatures you need to be bitten by one. But if one attempts to see behind all these bite marks and bloodthirsty-ness and seek the symbolism that lies beneath, it all comes to the same conclusion; living a life away from God will cause you to fall. Just like Samael fell and from being the jeune premier of Heaven became the ugly, scary Devil, Lucifer, ruler of hell we all know and fear (or not), any human can fall too. Of course, this is about a spiritual kind of fall- and so is the whole transformation idea. Although it appears to be a physical transformation, it is really about spiritual transformation, the wrinkling and decay of the human soul. The physical alliteration to being turned into a terrifying monster is for the sake of bringing an abstract notion into a form that is more easy to comprehend. Let us not forget that legends were mostly addressed towards the people, whose educational level was quite low. Going back to the extermination process of the windigo, the use of the symbol of the cross, of a silver bullet, the reading of prayers 3 times a day, the reciting of a specific psalm forwards and backwards on Easter and the notion of waiting for the beast to appear on a crossroad at 00:00 sharp brings to mind a number of stories and legends related to such superstitions. Vampires are slayed by getting staked with a wooden cross. Silver is a deadly metal for many creatures, such as werewolves, lamias, witches (on some accounts) and everything demonic in nature. Psalms and prayers recited by a true believer are often seen as weapons by themselves. But, when read backwards they can have an entire different meaning and imply different things. From hybris to possession to the conjuring of dark forces, reading psalms backwards is rarely ever seen as a good thing in legend. It is mentioned that the windigo can be slayed using a specific rifle. The person making it must read prayers over it 3 times a day throughout the crafting process. The number “3” holds great importance in human folklore and it has plenty of occurrences in various myths and traditions. Some examples are the three gifts that Jesus received when He was born, three days passed for His resurrection to take place, the Holy Trinity. We cross ourselves three times. The three fates or “three moirai”.The three stages of life: birth, life, death. Three parts of human existence: body, soul, intellect. Three worlds: Heaven, Earth, Underworld/Hell. Past, Present, Future. Begging, Middle, End. The pagan Triple Goddess. The three weird sisters from “Macbeth”. When a person finds a djinn they have three wishes to make. 3 is a mysterious number that appears in many aspects of life and holds great symbolism. Crossroads are also a symbol of great mystery and are greatly linked to the number 4. Four is also very important, just like three. Crossroads are the exact spot that the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) are met. Crossroads are also similar to the symbol of the cross. Many traditions say that if you cross a crossroad at night (especially at 00:00 or 3:00am) you will come across strange creatures, malevolent spirits or dark apparitions and is in general considered to be a very unlucky thing to do. In the story, the hunter will come face to face with the windigo at midnight on a crossroad when the moon is up. Midnight is the exact point when one day comes in full circle and the next one is just about to begin. It is the point when the margin between our world and the spirit realm come together, when living and dead all mix together in our world. Werewolves and ghosts and all kinds of spooks come out at midnight. Cinderella had to return home from the ball at midnight. It is also linked with four 0s and the number 12. Zero is like the end and the beginning, a symbol for abyss coming to existence, for nothing becoming something. It is the only number able to eliminate any other number and is linked to the philosophy of nihilism. 12 also holds great symbolism. Some of them are: the 12 months making up a year, the Apostles of Christ, the signs of the zodiac, the Gods of the Greek Pantheon, King Athur’s Knights on the Round Table, Carl Jung’s 12 Archetypes and much more. I like how many common symbols appear in the windigo’s legend, because it shows human connection on a different level; how people from all around the world used to believe (and many still do!) in certain symbols and signs, how feelings of fear and dread connect us all, and how we all turn to the metaphysical in order to explain things we do not understand or -on the contrary- to protect ourselves from them. I also find intriguing the depths in which christian religion has affected people, from day-to-day life, to habits, to stories, to demonizing certain behaviors, to creating imaginary monsters and imaginary extermination plans.I love the feeling I got, and that still lingers with me, from the resurfacing in my mind of all the things I know about those common symbols I mentioned, like everything is connected, like our ancestors might have been onto something. It’s very interesting and thought provoking. I don’t know if these creatures are true, or if these numbers are keys to doors that lead to something bigger. But, as a gal who lives between two crossroads and near a small spooky church, I do know that I never ever want to meet a windigo up close. Ever. Works Cited“Windigo.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. , Christina. “American Legends Reader—Part 2.” The Website of Dr. Christina Dokou. Dimitra (1563201900133)BigfootThe human belief in the existence or in the possibility of the existence of strange, mysterious and (mostly) scary creatures is very old and it certainly is one that, in spite of the great scientific development of our modern world, is still relevant today and probably will be for many years to come. Creatures such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and even mermaids have interested people all over the world for many years and many have tried to find evidence or to even create evidence of their existence, however without much success. The question is why? Why are people so fascinated in the unveiling of supposed mysterious creatures? Why do people want so badly to believe in them? In the case of Bigfoot there have been many adventurous and curious people who have attempted to find its tracks in the North American forests and many have returned with ‘proof’ of its existence. However, no proof strong enough to establish Bigfoot as a real species has ever been presented – thus, Bigfoot remains a myth, despite of the fact that some people still like to believe it exists. As I see it, there are various reasons why this is happening. Firstly, I believe that the primary reason many people rose to the challenge of actually tracking Bigfoot in the wilderness during the previous years was that, in case someone did find it, they would instantly gain worldwide fame, which is not a small or an easy thing to accomplish. That is also why many have attempted to create false evidence. As for the rest of the ‘believers’ who were not actively involved in the tracking of Bigfoot, I think that their main reason for believing was – and is – the fascinating and escapist aspect of it. More particularly, everyone likes a good story containing mythical creatures and of course, the more ‘real’ or closer to our reality the story appears to be, the more intriguing and believable it is. Therefore, if a story is powerful enough to captivate people’s attention in such a strictly scientific reality as is the one we live in today, then it is a very important story indeed, because everyone, at times, needs to ‘escape’ from their everyday lives in some way.Furthermore, there may be even deeper psychological reasons, such as a subconscious need to believe that the ugly ecological truth of our time is not as bad as we know it is. For instance, if it was true that other species, which we have not yet encountered, still exist on earth, then that would also mean that our catastrophic behaviour towards the environment has not reached its full scale yet, therefore there is still hope. A thought like that would also be very convenient, because it would help us to unburden our conscience. History itself has taught us that we, as humans, have always invented stories to tell ourselves in order to justify our atrocious behaviour, a characteristic example being the belief that the Native Americans or the Black Africans or any other non-European people were savages until Europeans ‘civilized’ them. What is more, another, more practical reason, may be that these myths are reinforced by the media because they attract many tourists to the regions in which the ‘monsters’ are supposed to live, thus they have a great economic value. The lake of Loch Ness in Scotland, which has gained worldwide fame and thousands of tourists visit it every year in order to see where ‘Nessie’ is supposed to live, is a typical example. It is obvious, then, that the stories of the existence of monsters such as Bigfoot have multiple advantages for our cultures and for us, humans, as individuals. Except from the reasons already mentioned, these stories have also shaped to a great extent the popular culture, since they have a pervasive influence over fiction, the film industry and even other forms of entertainment, such as video games. So, one could say that, if the mysteries of Bigfoot’s or of other mythical monsters’ existence were actually solved many years ago, then our everyday lives today could be different and definitely more boring…Sampani Konstantina (1563201900176)The WendigoWhat I found particularly intriguing while reading the legend of the Windigo, was the extent to which the narrator stretched the necessity of Christianity as a means of survival and the intensity with which they established fear from the very first sentence. The text gives you no other option but to read it holding your breath in one sitting, and while the narration is never in a mellow tone, it reaches a very definite peak in the end, where the reader is warned against disobedience or they will be the Windigo’s next meal. The first connection that instinctively came to mind was the Windigo’s equally notorious European cousin, the Big Bad Wolf. Both creatures appear in cautionary tales as the evil force that will devour you, dare you disregard the instructions provided by the omniscient narrator of the tale. As Bruno Bettelheim has argued, the texts function as a “survival guide”, and in their case, it is against the deadly threat the monsters pose. In fact, the appearance of these creatures in European and American folklore is so widespread, that it could be argued that they have acquired an archetypal dimension and can function as a metaphor for a plethora of things. Researching on the Windigo’s case however, the answer of what it symbolizes presented itself in the psychiatric term ‘Wendigo Psychosis’, which essentially describes a culturally-specific, insatiable desire for human flesh (APA 2020), and drawing a connection with the legend’s spatial origin and blatant Christian influence, everything made perfect sense. Re-reading the story after encountering this term and being aware of Alfred Packer’s legend, the Windigo started appearing to me more and more clearly as the metaphorical conceptualisation of selfishness or perhaps one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Taking into consideration the systematic Christianisation of the Natives by the Puritans, the legend of the Windigo suggests the one and only form of atonement for the Natives to save themselves; By letting the Puritans show the way. The emphatic repetition of prohibiting words and phrases, such as “only one way”, “must”, “should”, “has to”, “But if [the hunter] does not do everything exactly as described”, leaves no room for debate, not when being the Windigo’s steak is at stake.What I also found interesting, the spine-tingling figure of the Windigo, a creature that resembles a wolf, is not a stranger to the Natives, it already is a part of their landscape, just like the mystical elements of the story (“Then the hunter must go to a crossroad and be there at the stroke of twelve on a moonlight night”) are already in a sense part of their culture. Through these discreet, yet evident cultural interjections, the moral of the story is even more intensely imprinted on the people’s minds. Another intensifying element, is the association of Christianity with rifles and bullets, which I find creates a very violent reading of religion as a whole. Naturally, the effect of this association is one that reaffirms one’s faith in the only weapon at their disposal in their fight against the deadly threat opposing them in the Christian narrative, but in my judgement, this contradicts the fundamental commandment of “Love One Another” that Christianity supposedly preaches, in the sense that the aim of the story is not to communicate this peaceful message, but to frighten the Natives into submission. The lasting impression of the tale is that of an autocratic shepherd doing everything in his power in order to establish control over his flock. Works Cited “Windigo Psychosis”. American Psychology Association: Dictionary of Psychology, 2020. Athanasios (1563201900126)The WindigoUpon reading about the mighty windigo, I could not help but notice the plethora of similarities that this myth bears with numerous others myths about equally terrifying creatures across all fields of folklore as well as how some horror tropes are apparently repeated throughout the ages both in written and visual media.First of all, according to the myth, the process of exterminating the windigo, as well as surviving to tell the tale, is so difficult and rigorous that even “holy” tools are indispensable for its successful outcome. This strongly religious layer which operates as a vital weapon against all sorts of evil also constitutes a key trope in the vast field of werewolf mythology.Already from a primary reading of the myth, it is rather clear that windigos and werewolves share certain common traits. The most fundamental of them seems to be the fact that they have the same “Achilles’s heel” which is being vulnerable to silver bullets. “The magical destruction of the ‘werewolves’ with silver bullets” (Myers.552) is a well-known belief and is occasionally portrayed as the one and only vulnerability of werewolves in literature and cinema. However, any silver bullet can’t get the job done as only a meticulously prepared bullet that has underwent a process of benediction can prove efficient enough to murder the windigo. From this piece of information, one can infer that God is an agent of major importance in the hunt for the windigo and that it is His presence only that can truly make the difference between life and death. This crucial divine intervention also applies to werewolf hunt. As Davidson states in her journal article, “lycanthropy is not usually thought of today as a component of witchcraft, but in the Middle Ages and Renaissance it was quite commonly associated with witches as supernatural behavior” (Davidson.47). Additionally, as Miller suggests, “in scriptural contexts they [werewolves] warn of Satan’s ability to prey upon spiritual weakness” (Miller.282). In other words, if werewolves, and, by analogy, windigos represent the dark half (the Evil Twin) then God and Christianity in general represent the Good Twin that will always prevail over the Evil Twin, even though one cannot exist without the other.I would therefore dare to suggest that werewolves can be seen as the European counterpart of windigos, as both of them are linked to occult and demonic cosmic powers that, from the point of view of strict religious audiences, can only be conquered via a specific sacred ritual that is seemingly dictated by the omnipotence of God Himself. This further demonstrates the amount of trust people from religious backgrounds had on heavenly powers to save them from seemingly unbeatable diabolic opponents and how superstitions where taken seriously to the point of attributing every kind of victory and achievement, however great or minor, to God’s will and interference. Apart from the case of werewolves, several widely beloved horror tropes also consist part of the windigo myth. The “midnight hour” as the most definitive part of the day is a trope found in plenty genres, from the classic fairy tale of Cinderella (where the spell imposed by her fairy godmother is broken in the stroke of midnight) to the majority of modern-day supernatural horror films. Just like in the windigo myth, midnight is when the last stand occurs or when darkness and supernatural malevolent entities emerge during this short anarchic period between night and day to participate in the ultimate battle of good and evil. Last but not least, the “seven-days-to-live” trope took me by surprise, as it constitutes a chief plot device of the Japanese horror franchise Ringu, where a vengeful ghost/urban legend, kills people one week after their initial encounter with it, just like a windigo.From all the aforementioned, my conclusion is that there is no such thing as parthenogenesis in folklore as a variety of elements are, after all, intertwined and repeated both in the past and in the modern versions or re-imaginations of myths and legends.Works CitedDavidson, Jane P., and Bob Canino. “Wolves, Witches, and Werewolves: Lycanthropy and Witchcraft from 1423 to 1700.” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, vol. 2, no. 4 (8), [Brian Attebery, as Editor, for the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts], 1990, pp. 47–73, , April. “‘The Hair That Wasn’t There Before’: Demystifying Monstrosity and Menstruation in ‘Ginger Snaps’ and ‘Ginger Snaps Unleashed.’” Western Folklore, vol. 64, no. 3/4, Western States Folklore Society, 2005, pp. 281–303, . Myers, Jeanette. “‘Werewolves’ in Literature for Children.” Language Arts, vol. 53, no. 5, National Council of Teachers of English, 1976, pp. 552–56, . Antonakaki Antonia (1563202000273)A Loup-Garou, or a Windigo, or Maybe a CarcajouThis is and isn’t a werewolf story. That is to say, there is a werewolf, and the main character almost transforms into one, but the monster in the story could be a werewolf, or a windigo, or maybe a carcajou, as the three friends of Baptiste recognize three different monsters upon looking at the actual monster. The point is that, as Baptiste cries: ‘’what does it mattair?’’. I think that the story makes clear that we are to focus on the common element and not on the differences. The focus, I think, is that in the Christian worldview monsters have one single source, they are products of the devil. It is established that the main figure here, Baptiste, part French voyageur and part Chippewa, is not ‘’civilized’’, and early on in the story and throughout it he is associated with wilderness and animals (most specifically wolves): ‘’he was a wolfish-looking cuss, his luxuriant beard covering almost all of his broad chest’’, ‘’he lived like a hermit’’, ‘’he devoured everything’’, ‘’his rutting season’’, ‘’emerging from his lair like a hibernating beast’’, and so on and so forth. His name is of course ironic. Although ‘’baptized’’, he lives the life of an ‘’unbaptized’’ person. That is, he lives like an animal, outside of society, averse to society. He is associated with wolves long before (almost) turning into one. Although a half-white man, speaking a mix of English and French throughout the story, he lives like a wild beast, like a Chippewa (‘’he had no need of possesions’’). He is a white man that behaves not like a white man, a Christian who is a bad Christian: ‘’For months at a time he did not see another white man’’. When meeting with his friends, they spend 3 plus 3 days in an ‘’orgy of drinking, fighting, gambling and wenching’’. Baptiste is thus engaged in deeds that are once more averse to society, but this time he is on the other extreme of the scale. He is again ‘’uncivilized’’. His whole lifestyle then is a provocation to the Christian worldview. ‘’Here is ze man raisin’ ze diable!’’, says his friend Antoine, describing the man and also foreshadowing Baptiste’s punishment. Baptiste after the ‘’orgy’’ goes crazy with hunger for meat and runs away. When his friends find him, we see the group of sinners performing an exorcism with a silver cross and a Bible in order to save Baptiste from the monster, and then again praying to God to undo his transformation. Antoine and Gouge-Eye Luke both express what I think is central to the moral of the story: they both admit to have been Christians, but that a long time has passed, during which they lived like sinners. But now they return to God in order to help Baptiste. So, what this story does is teach about the dangers of straying from the path of Christianity, to the path of sin and wildness. There is also the idea of the evils of excessiveness, of ‘’too much’’, since Baptiste, as I already mentioned, lives a life of two extremes. In the end the characters win of course, since they are in the path of God now, but Baptiste toes and toenails are not changed back, maybe as a reminder of the sinful life and its consequences. Although I mentioned in the first paragraph that the story wants us to focus on the basic sameness of the different monsters, on their basically being the devil, at the same time the way the characters perceive the identity of the monster as different is a comment on their different heritage· we have a half French half native American character, a Frenchman, a half native American and half Irishman, and a man from Kaintuck. Two characters also speak a mixture of English and French. Mix of cultures can be seen as chaos and disorder. If we consider both racism and multiethnicity as characteristic of 19th century (and not only) America, maybe this mix is, for the story, an evil in itself, and another reason for the punishment at the end? A few other things worth mentioning: first, there is the recurring appearance of the numbers three and seven through the story, which are numbers very often found in myths and folklore. Second, Baptiste crosses himself upon encountering a bad omen (a snake and an owl) before going to his friends, so we see again that, just like with his name, the irony. All in all, this story is to me again a testament of the view the white man has of nature and wildness as something hostile (the monsters reside in the forests and on the mountains, away from society). At the same time, human-like monsters and exorcisms are a big part of our culture, and often the themes in pop culture. It’s interesting how the story forces us to recognize the common nature of the monsters. Stories about werewolves, windigos, etc prove to me the fear of the outdoors, but also the fear of what a person can encounter or even become if Christianity, rules, culture are renounced, if the human gets lost in the woods. ................
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