The African Culture portrays the idea of mermaids in different perspectives across the continent. Mermaids in Africa are observed to have specific similar features across the regions. Typical research in African Mythology describe mermaid as an attractive, mystic and dangerous woman who shrouds herself with a vengeance. In western regions of Africa, she is commonly referred to as Mami Wata while the Eastern Regions she is known as Mamba Muntu. She is designated as an attractive and lovely woman with an angelic stare and flowing lovely black hair which she uses to bewilder human beings. Her is purpose is to intrigue, seduce and beguile her spectator. Nevertheless, she transcends how humanity perceives the reality of metaphysical, especially …show more content…
In essence, the account of Mami Wata arose to be one of the most feared aquatic deities began from the beliefs in “oceanic spirits.” In Africa, spirits are commonly referred to as minions, mostly females, for a higher deity like Mamba Muntu, she would kill or deceive seafarers to offer them as sacrifice or tithe (Campo). In West Africa, the origin of Mami Wata is not pinpointed, but she is said to have originated from the coast of Guinea. Over the centuries, African folklores have regarded her as a prominent water spirit because is most reference her as a concept not single being. She is perceived to be very power because she grants wealth and health. Not only does she grant success but also misfortunes since to receive these fortunes one has to offer a family member as a sacrifice. Moreover, her origins were also spawned in coastal regions where diamond miners believed she could grant them powers to find diamonds.
Conversely, in East and Central Africa regions, Mamba Muntu is said to have similar features to those of Mami Wata. According to legend, she was likely found in the ocean rocks combing her long black hair, and if one could manage to comb her, then he would expect to dream with her (Campo). In such a dream, he would use various precious objects to barter her only to receive desires in exchange, and he would never speak or remember the encounter
Lindemans, Micha F. "Diana." Encyclopedia Mythica: Mythology, Folklore, and Religion. 3 Mar. 1997. Web. 8 Oct. 2011. .
Although the !Kung San of southern Africa differ greatly from the people in the west African nation of Mali, both areas share similar problems. Both suffer from diseases, illnesses, malnutrition, and having to adapt to the ever changing and advancing cultures around them. What I found to be the most significant problem that is shared between both areas is that the people suffered from a lack of education. In the book Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine A. Dettwyler, there is a lack of education in proper nutritional practices, taking care of children and newborns, and basic medical knowledge and practices. The Dobe Ju/’hoansi have recently started putting in schools to help children receive an education to help them have better success with the surrounding peoples and culture, but there is a lack of attendance in these schools. There are also many education issues in proper sexual practices that would help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS, in a place in the world were theses illnesses are at surprisingly high levels.
In considering the relationship between the meanings of myths and their representation of women, we learned that the major role in shaping the narratives was played by men. Myths reveal to us the experiences of women living in the patriarchal society and we gain the symbol value accorded to women and we come to realize what the term "Woman" meant to the ancient Greek man. Reading through the various stories on Goddesses and queens, monsters and more. Princesses, we learn that there are three major levels of women in Greek mythology. The first level is composed of the divine beings known as the goddesses.
Of Water and the Spirit is more than simply an account of Malidoma's life and initiation, it is a detailed description of the worldview of a Dagara man, who is forcibly subjected to traditional Western thought for fifteen years and then returns to his home physically, at first, but spiritually only once he goes through initiation, or what the Dagara call the Baar. Malidoma's recount of his story, being very similar to the storytelling of an African Griot, uses amazing imagery that allows the listener to sincerely experience his thoughts and actions and the things he sees, hears, and feels throughout his early life up to now.
It is quite ironic that Malidoma’s name so accurately depicts the life mission to which he so persistently tries to accomplish. Indeed, the magnificence behind Of Water and the Spirit lies in Malidoma’s approach in trying to "befriend a stranger" and educate rather than defame the Western world. The vividness and conviction to which he explains his grandfather’s life and the events in his initiation, which seem whimsical to any Westerner, definitely remind one that Malidoma’s tribe belongs to a world so remarkably different to the West. He also makes it apparent that the Westerner can only learn from his tribe, whose customs are equal in validity to that of the West.
Experiencing new worlds and encountering new dilemmas, magic, wisdom, truth: all of these elements characterizes the context of the book Of Water and Spirit by Malidona Patrice Some. Here, magic and everyday life come to an affinity, and respect and rituals are necessary tools to survive. The author portrays the Dagara culture in a very specific way. This culture makes no differentiation between what is natural, or "normal", and what is supernatural, or magical. Ancestors compound the core of communities and individuals. These higher beings are present in ordinary life activities and actions. They constitute the connection between this world and another.
Under the sea, in an idyllic and beautiful garden, stands a statue of a young man cut out of cold stone – for the Little Mermaid who knows nothing but the sea, the statue stands as an emblem of the mysterious over-world, a stimulus for imagination and sexual desire, an incentive for expansion of experience, and most predominately, an indication that something great and all-encompassing is missing from her existence. Traces of curiosity and a vague indication of the complexities of adult desires mark the child mermaid; in such a stage of development, the statue will suffice. However, as the Little Mermaid reaches puberty, the statue must allegorically come alive in order to parallel the manifestation of her new-found adult desires – the statue must become a prince in his world of adulthood above the sea. Thus, powered by an insistent and ambiguous longing for self-completion, the Little Mermaid embarks on a journey of self-discovery, and, to her ultimate misfortune, prematurely abandons her child-like self as sexual lust and the lust for an adult life takes hold of her.
Although Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” published in 1837, contains many patronizing nineteenth-century attitudes towards women, a value system that at least acknowledges the legitimacy of femininity shapes the fairytale. Unfortunately, Walt Disney’s 1989 film version of “The Little Mermaid” eliminates the values that affirm femininity in the original story (Trites 145)
Mermaids, Fairies, and Witches are some of the most prominent mythical characters in today’s entertainment. These creatures are common characters in Folklore from various countries around the world. Folklore from other countries and cultures often affects how authors portray these creatures in the movies, books, and TV shows that are familiar to the citizens of America. One such country is Scotland, which is filled with multitudes of different folk stories. Scottish Folklore in particular has many tales about these three well known creatures. The most commonly known folklore from Scotland has had a huge impact on some of the most well known entertainment in the United States today.
Once upon a time, in a world where Mermaids and magic isn’t just a fairy tale, the story of the Mermaid who has been rescued from the sea, and her aquarium carer is held.
She soon stopped hanging out with her friends and changed her entire personality, losing her voice, in order for Eric to fall in love with her. A thorough research has been carried out by linguists Carmen Fought and Karen Eisenhauer in which they researched how often each gender role spoke in each film. Their objective for doing this was to shine light on the way in which male roles used to dominate speech time, in comparison to recent Disney films that show women giving more vocal characters to play. Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950) and Sleepy Beauty (1959) all show that women characters get over 50% of dialogue, whereas all of the Disney princess films released in the late 80s and 90s show that females only had around 20% of the overall dialogue time. Considering these films all have a female lead, these statistics show that male characters withhold supremacy even when they aren’t the main character, overpowering the female lead in her own film.Throughout the majority of Disney’s films, there’s an underlying statement that normalises male dominance and in which holds a negative impact over the youth of today, if children’s films continue to portray this outdated message over and over again, then children will grow up with a huge misconception of how they should be, which leaves a worryingly foundation set for the upcoming generation of this time. Many children idolise the characters in Disney films that’s why it’s very important to analyse the representations these characters are portraying for the children of our society to see. When a child has been engraved with these stereotypes since they can remember, it will be difficult for a child to separate these
Once upon a time, there was a 16 year old mermaid princess named Ariel who gave up her voice, an important part of her identity, in order to be with a man who she became infatuated with at just one glance. Ariel has a very traditional gender-stereotypical role in the film, as the helpless, clueless, naive, physically weak, submissive, and attractive female protagonist that Disney films, especially the classics, portray so often (England). There is a lot of controversy surrounding this film in regards to its patriarchal ideals. The Little Mermaid, like most media, is build for the ‘male gaze’, a term coined by Laura Mulvey that suggests that visual entertainment, such as movies, are structured to be viewed by a masculine consumer. I will argue that the male gaze perpetuates harmful gender-stereotypes in The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid is a classic Disney animated film that hit theatres 1989. The movie is a fictional story about a teenage girl that happens to be mermaid princess. The main character, Ariel, has an internal conflict between herself and her father. Her father, King Triton, is especially protective of Ariel because of her being the youngest. However, due to Ariel’s inquisitive and courageous nature she defies him. Many adolescent American girls enjoy the film leading them to idolize her as well. The Little Mermaid continues to entertain children, 28 years after release, due to its enchanting musical drama and unique story line. However, many parents are unaware that the movie can actually do more bad than good for their little girls.
Magic and witchcraft is nothing new for societies. It can be dated back to earlier centuries as early as to the 340 caves in France and Spain during the Upper Paleolithic times. Early beliefs in magic and witchcraft were believed to alleviate the unknown fears caused by unexplainable natural catastrophes. People that did not understand why misfortune struck their town would become anxious and afraid. In order to calm down the nerves, town leaders began to explain these misfortunes through tales of magical powers from the worlds beyond. Tales of explanation ranged from sea monsters to property guarding ghosts. The most common tale would be the one about the sea protector Sedna. Sedna’s father forced her to the bottom of the ocean by chopping
African mythology play a big part in passing down values and beliefs of the African culture. African myths “include supernatural beings who influence human life” (Mythencyclopedia) and usually drive the everyday lives of the people. Myths were a direct way of teaching younger generations about the higher beliefs and religion; in most cases they will include supreme god who the tribes won’t worship directly but through other gods lesser in status. The supreme gods and goddess are also referred to as deities, which are accompanied by spirits who are “are less grand, less powerful, and less like humans than the gods, who often have weaknesses and emotions”(Mythencyclopedia). Another characteristic found in a myth would be the asking of basic questions like who created the world. Who created man? Why does man have to die? This type of myth speaks of a world before the current one, it helps teach generations how the world took its form and acquired its customs. African myths were an essential part of African literary history and a big part in preserving the culture.