Myths in antiquity or in folk cultures
Sacred narratives about gods, heroes, fantastic beings or exceptional humans
Oral tradition, many variation
Ancient myths tell us why the world was organized as it was (cosmology)
Ancient or traditional myths weren’t obvious but complicate: many philosophers, including Plato, discussed on their inner meaning
Ancient myths were deep, ambiguous, suitable for speculation
The meaning of myth was more relevant than action
Common people believed in myths: they were part of religion
Myths were reenacted in rituals
Myth today
In common sense, today myths are considered purely fantastic narratives, generally separated from official religions
Official religions have books, dogmas, prescriptions
In common language: a myth could be also a false story that many people consider real
“The myth of the honest Finnish politicians”
Famous person with an successful story: “The myth of Garbo”
In ancient times or traditional societies the things were more complicate
In scientific literature and in semiotics, there are several definitions of myth
Claude Lévi-Strauss
”The myths are living in us”
Relevance of myths for all the societies, including the modern ones
Unconscious force Many of us does not know that we are (still) believing in several
unconscious myths
Lévi-Strauss was interested in myths of the Native American
Mitheme = myth reduced to an elementary formula, used for comparition with other version
Eero Tarasti
Has reelaborated Lévi-Strauss theories for his Myths and Music
Analysis of Sibelius’ Kullervo, Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Wagner’s Siegfried
Myth or cult of Sibelius in Finland
Umberto Eco
Middle age myth in Joyce (translation of symbols)
Modern myths: popular superheroes (Les Misérables, The Three Musketeers, Monte Cristo, feuilleitons, James Bond, comic books)
The (popular) literature of XIX century is still influencing our popular literature, cinema, comics
Simplified epic elements
Ronald Barthes: Mythologies in 1954 - 1956
The essays were written every month for two years, from 1954 to 1956
Topics suggested by current events and media (articles, films, shows, exhibitions)
Barthes tried to reflects on myths of French daily life
He was upset for the naturalness and simplicity with newspapers and common sense dress up a reality determined by history
Confusion between Nature and History Ideological abuse of this confusion
A modern myths is the language of the falsely obvious: the mythologist should unmask the mystification that transform myths of middle class in universal and natural facts
Soap-powders and detergents
In the first Word Detergent Congress There was Omo euphoria The detergents haven’t harmful effect on skin and they could save
miners from silicosis
Chlorinated fluids are presented as aggressive: they beats, pushes
They are like liquid saviors but blind, liquid fire in war: they burn, kill the dirt
Powders are selective: are separating agents of liberation The dirt isn’t killed, is forced out, as in an exorcism They aren’t soldiers, are police
The dirt, in any case, is the enemy
Ronald BarthesOmo myths: dept and foamy
Commercial and social vanity: comparison between two objects and one is whither than the other
In Omo myths, the consumer is helping the police, he is the accomplice of a liberation
Omo is cleaning in dept all what is obscure But are the clothes so deep as seas or oceans?
Mythology of foam the foam is absolutely useless It’s only luxury, a symbol of abundant proliferation, a vigorous germ,
an airy substance Bubbles connected with air and spirituality
The mythology cover the real abrasive function of the detergent under the cover of a mystical substance that govern the molecular order of materials … transforming all in bubbles
Myths in Commercial
70s Mr. Bubble Commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjymtNGUhFA&feature=related
OMO Retro African Commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCVJg7QpvRk
Nirma Washing Powder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkcbGGPQKB0&feature=related
Indian commercial lady selling washing powder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFRGh2bXqa8&feature=related
Fairy liquid old finnish commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewPJHu8xJnU&feature=related
Coral steppi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-qoKf87UHQ&feature=related
Attention
In this course we will listen to Finnish music’s masterpieces … but also tracks of evident bad taste will be included.
National myths today
Today there are several “national” myths
Civil religion
Myths about “national characters” and “national culture” as monolithic truths, something that is not necessary to analyze
Stereotypes and racist attitude towards foreigners or own national characters
Lack of humor on national myths
Often the national myths are very distorted version of historical facts
Old concepts of the XIX century
Arctic Paradise or Frozen Hell?
Finnish national myths “swing” between exaltation (nature, Kalevala, Sibelius, sisu, sauna, Winter War, hockey and sports, absence of corruption, technology, welfare, Nokia, nice blond women, Finland on the “top” of something, school system)
and lack of self-esteem (supposed cultural marginality, Civil War, cold and depressive weather, “the Finns are too serious”: introversive national character, alcoholism and suicides, ugly fat men passing all the time in the pub)
both attitudes present an radical and unreal vision of the country
Finland seems an Arctic Paradise or a Frozen Hell
The foreigners living in Finland sometimes repeat the same stereotypes, depending on their experience
Competition with the Swedish and Finnish-Swedish
The Finns tends to forget regional differences: Finnish culture seems only one, monolithic
Helsinki University’s national stereotipes
“A Finn speaks only if has something intelligent to say” (Ridiculous) comment in a small guide for foreign students!
It seems that: Finns say only intelligent things Or even worse that…
Finns are mostly silent because they’re stressed about saying something stupid.
Racist indirect discourse. It seems also that: all the other peoples speak to much all the other peoples are saying (mostly) idiotic things
Obviously Finns say (a lot of) imbecile or inconvenient things like all the other people in the World: this statement is a clear demonstration of this fact.
It exist even a verb, höpöttää … for never-ending “bla-bla” chatting puhua perättömiä = to talk senselessly puhua taukoamatta = to talk continuously
Helsinki University and Lordi
For Finns it’s extremely relevant the success abroad …
Some years ago in a guide for foreigner students there was a short list of relevant historical facts in Finland:
1917 Independence … 2006 Lordi won the Eurovision
competition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh3hj9-J76Y
It is really an historical fact or the most relevant Finnish composition?
Before the “great international win” Lordi was considered by popular media a clown or a satanist.
Artistic Myths
In politics, propaganda commercials the attitude towards myths is often conservative: the statements or slogans are consciously based on common sense and stereotypes. The mythical discourse is simplified.
Artists sometimes have free attitude toward myths
Often they offers innovative and fresh interpretation of archaic myths
Some artistic interpretation could include also social critic or the reversal of the myth itself
Myths of the course
Finnish Mythology, Kalevala, shamanism
Myths of places relevant for Finnish imaginary: Karelia, Lapland, Ostrobotnia (Pohjanmaa)
Literary myths (Aleksis Kivi, Punainen viiva)
Composers’ myths: Sibelius, Uno Klami
Spirituality in music: Rautavaara’s Angels
National-romantic myths, “Finnishness” (Suomalaisuus)
Myths and social critic
Relations folk music – Romantic, modernist and contemporary myths
Popular and rock music’s myths