The Male Divine By Lizzy Ng, Ashley Lucio, and Payton Gabaldon
Introduction Male Divine defined by Archetypes ❖ ❖ their role/the office they (representation of the hold Male Divine): to serve the Female Fathers and Sons ❖ ➢ Divine and to be used for Kings and Judges ➢ procreation then Saviors and Sages ➢ replaced after Tricksters and ➢ Supernatural powers Shamans ❖ Hero Lords of Destruction ❖ ➢ Mediator and the Underworld ❖
Norse Mythology Norse Pantheon Sidenote: Sleipnir ❖ ➔ Odin- Ruler of the gods ➢ Frey- God of agriculture,trade, ➢ and peace Freya/Freja- goddess of beauty ➢ and love, sister of Frey Frigga- wife of Odin ➢ Tyr/Tiw- god of war ➢ Loki- trickster ➢ Hel- oversees the Underworld ➢ (Bierlein 29-30)
Odin Sometimes fits into the male divine archetypes, but sometimes he does the opposite of what those archetypes present. Fathers and Sons ● Father-Gods traditionally don’t bother with ○ earthly affairs. Odin does bother with earthly affairs. ○ When things go wrong, he asks his son, Thor, ○ for help. This does fit in with the male divine ○ father-god: They traditionally call upon their sons for backup.
More Odin Lords of Destruction and the ● Underworld Framed as “ruthless, arrogant, ○ and capricious” (205) Quickly break trust with their ○ servants for no reason. Odin exhibits both of these ○ traits when he invites Hrungnir to Valhalla where his people are supposed to be safe. Does not fit this archetype ○ because he backed down from a challenge. Traditionally Lords of Destruction take matters into their own hands.
Characteristics of Thor: ‘Divine Son’ 1.) “Filial Duty and Submission” Immediately stops what he’s doing (fighting trolls in Iron Wood) ● & comes to Asgard at once to fulfill Odin’s request Kills Hrungnir (the giant, whom his father is unwilling/unable to ● destroy) with honor 2.) “Self-sacrificial obedience to the All-Father’s will” Accepts Hrungnir’s challenge to a duel without thinking twice (to ● please Odin) Self-sacrificial consequences ○ Piece of whetstone lodged in Thor’s head after duel = ■ badly wounded Whetstone remains in Thor’s head thereafter ■
Characteristics of Thor: ‘Divine Son’ (Contd.) 3.) “Depicted as distillations of one or more of their father’s attributes” Odin (Norse God of War/Father of Gods) = ‘Divine Father’ ● Passionate for battle, bloodshed, and action ○ Feels restless when he is not picking a fight ■ Thor (Norse God of Thunder) = ‘Divine Son’ ● Represents congenial versions of Odin’s military, ○ reproductive and poetical powers Spends his days fighting trolls and giants ■ Incredibly strong/powerful presence ■ Huge, muscular, red-bearded, wields mighty ● hammer (Mjölnir), controls thunder/lightning, rides goat-pulled chariot *
Modern Interpretation This mythology is thousands of ● years old, but inspiration from these myths still weave throughout modern works and into our everyday ideology Examples: Did you know that ● Gandalf was inspired by Odin? Traditionally has a wide brimmed hat, a long white beard, a cloak, and a spear/staff of some sort.
Works Cited Leonard, Scott A., and Michael McClure. “The Male Divine.” Myth and Knowing: An Introduction to World Mythology , McGraw-Hill, 2007, pp. 185–239. Bierlein, J.F. “The Cast of Characters.” Parallel Myths , Ballantine Books, 2007, pp. 29-30.
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