CREATURE

BY TRACY SCHLAPP

The figure of the tyrant-monster is known to the mythologies, folk traditions, legends, and even nightmares of the world; and his characteristics are everywhere essentially the same. He is the hoarder of the general benefit. He is the monster avid for the greedy rights of ‘me and mine.’ The havoc wrought by him is described in mythology and fairy tale as being universal throughout his domain. This may be no more than his household, his own tortured psyche, or the lives he blights with the touch of his friendship or assistance; or it may amount to the extent of civilization. The inflated ego of the tyrant is a curse to himself and his world—no matter how his affairs seem to prosper. Self-terrorized, fear-haunted, alert at every hand to meet and battle back the anticipated aggressions of his environment, which are primarily the reflection of the uncontrollable impulses to acquisition within himself, the giant of self-achieved independence is the world’s messenger of disaster, even though, in his mind, he may entertain himself with humane intentions.
Joseph Campbell, The Hero with A Thousand Faces

Joseph Campbell’s tyrant-monster acts out the very worst expression of human power and authority. When we hear the myths that describe the monster’s behavior, we draw wisdom that helps identify the people in our culture who are acting outside of the laws of acceptable behavior. The rabbi created the golem to protect the synagogue but loses control of this soulless being. The golem must be turned back into earth to protect the community. Monsters create mayhem. They destroy villages, threaten the sheep. The dragon hoards gold (sound familiar?) Hero stories remind us that all is not lost, ordinary bravery will lead the charge.

This week, we unleash a series of mythical creatures to explore the outer boundaries of human experience. Our interactions with the symbolic leads us into the realm of the unknown and helps us visualize it. The creatures we find (angels or devils, dragons, monsters, fairies), may be guides and protectors or villainous foes we must overcome. Stories of slaying the monster or tricking the ogre move the mere mortal to heroic status. Once we contain the monster, we feel safe at night. But what if it’s not that simple?

A Man in Black and White by Josh M.
Monster, Creature, Wretch …
“This millennium’s modern Prometheus.”
“Doctor we suspect your patient may have flown over the
Cuckoo’s nest. Seeing it in black and white he really is a mess.
What will he do next now that he causes death?”

Where the Boondoggles Lives by Steven Leech
It grunts and growls.
When the moon is full, it sometimes howls.
They say those are not safe at night.
They say, if you’ve ventured in too far, you might feel it’s bite.

Song of the Dragon by Christopher Lewis
A low swoop
Leashing a shadow
Upon the village
Burning quickly.

Thunderbirds by Jai
They are tasked to learn and to share all they can, about the end of the worlds and the horrors of the air. In an epoch where reality has gone mad and the dominion of man is but an old wives’ tale, one question remains unanswered. Is calamity the result of the Thunderbird or is the Thunderbird a result of calamity?

Disguised Among the White Snow by Fernando Pelayo Brambila
The white wolf has gotten fat on the prey brought to him. Each of his accomplices is waiting for the spoils. The day will come when they get their reward, but not what they expect: fire will come from the liar and to consume one another.

My Phoenix Found by J. Hunter
Alone, I have soared,
through hollow and empty space,
with only the stars to guide my lost ways.

In his song Creature, musician Jelly Roll turns the hero’s shield into a mirror:
I'm not afraid of the boogieman
Instead, I look at him like he's a friend
There's not a monster out there in the world
That's scarier than the one that's within

Like many of our writers, the monster lives in the psyche. The tyranny of addiction with its gaping, unforgiving hunger defies the host. The monster has become the body’s director and actor, and the person is trapped within a story of scarcity, trauma, and abuse. These heroes battle to regain their souls from the tyrant-monster so that they can return home. Joseph Campbell argues the pieces are all there and that ritual contains that map, from a New Dimensions Radio interview:
”A ritual is the enactment of a myth. And, by participating in the ritual, you are participating in the myth. And since myth is a projection of the depth wisdom of the psyche, by participating in a ritual, participating in the myth, you are being, as it were, put in accord with that wisdom, which is the wisdom that is inherent within you anyhow. Your consciousness is being re-minded of the wisdom of your own life.” |TDS