The Shark God: Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in the South Pacific was written by Charles Montgonery and tells of his journey to Melanesia to learn more about the work of his kupuna Henry Montgomery who was appointed the bishop of Tasmania in 1889. The book intertwines historical accounts with Montgomery's experiences in Melanesia...meeting the tribal leaders, the shamans, and the people of the traditional faith.
In chapter 7: The Word and Its Meaning, Montgomery defines mythology. Here are some cogent comments.
"...the power of a myth always has more to do with its function than its historic origin." p. 97
His definition: "Myth: a story, often involving the expression of supernatural power, that explains its believers' relationship with the world. The definition will not alienate anthropologists, mythologists, or mystics because it omits the question about which men have argued since they first gathered to tell stories around campfires: Which myths are historically true?" p. 98
Sigmund Freud's Take- "Freud gave myths hell. He insisted they were 'public dreams'--collective expressions of obsessional neuroses. Psychic baggage." p. 98
Carl Jung's Take - "He argued that myths represented the wisdom the human species had gathered over the millenia. They contained essential truths that the 'collective unconscious' had carried for generations and that science should never be allowed to displace. ...Some of these truths were straightforward...(some were) a description of the geography of the human heart. It is a place of innocence that lies within all of us, a place we cannot return to because we have tasted the knowledge of good and evil." p. 99
Montgomery continues..."...regardless of their histories, they (myths) have been kept alive in stories in order to perform certain mythic functions. They represent ideals. They inspire. They offer their believers clues about the nature of the universe." p. 99
"but these theories mortally wound myths because even as they value them, they defang them with deconstruction. A myth without believers is a fairy tale. It is a fantasy, fiction, stripped of sacredness. It is mere entertainment. It is a loss, perhaps, of something unfathomable." p. 100
In conclusion to this discussion, Montgomery states
"...As soon as you stand apart from myths, divorce them from faith, pick apart their function and their origins, you become like an anthropologist.... You may be fascinated and amused but you will never see a ghost, or magic, or the hand of God, because you have stepped outside the realm of faith. p. 100
"You must make room for mystery beore you can reach for it." p. 100
I think this is the best part of the entire book. Generally this book was a soothing balm for my insomniac nights.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment