The Hero's Quest and the Cycles of Nature
An Ecological Interpretation of World Mythology
Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Folklore & Mythology, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
| Author: | Rachel S. McCoppin | ISBN: | 9781476625751 |
| Publisher: | McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers | Publication: | October 13, 2016 |
| Imprint: | Language: | English |
| Author: | Rachel S. McCoppin |
| ISBN: | 9781476625751 |
| Publisher: | McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers |
| Publication: | October 13, 2016 |
| Imprint: | |
| Language: | English |
This examination of the heroic journey in world mythology casts the protagonist as a personification of nature—a “botanical hero” one might say—who begins the quest in a metaphorical seed-like state, then sprouts into a period of verdant strength. But the hero must face a mythic underworld where he or she contends with mortality and sacrifice—embracing death as a part of life. For centuries, humans have sought superiority over nature, yet the botanical hero finds nothing is lost by recognizing that one is merely a part of nature. Instead, a cyclical promise of continuous life is realized, in which no element fully disappears, and the hero’s message is not to dwell on death.
This examination of the heroic journey in world mythology casts the protagonist as a personification of nature—a “botanical hero” one might say—who begins the quest in a metaphorical seed-like state, then sprouts into a period of verdant strength. But the hero must face a mythic underworld where he or she contends with mortality and sacrifice—embracing death as a part of life. For centuries, humans have sought superiority over nature, yet the botanical hero finds nothing is lost by recognizing that one is merely a part of nature. Instead, a cyclical promise of continuous life is realized, in which no element fully disappears, and the hero’s message is not to dwell on death.
