Hero Myth: Bantu: Lituolone
Hero myths usually start the same as a young boy who is left or abandoned by a family and is found by ether animals or another family that takes care of him. This is a similarity in most Hero myths due to the amount of pain they had to undergo to be such humans that get rid of danger and fear. One of the Hero myths comes from the Bantu. This Bantu myth, talks about a hero named Lituolone who has been a hero since the moment he's been born. The Sesuto tale talks about a monster on earth that had ate all humans on earth except for one pregnant women. In an act to hide from the monster, the lady went on to give birth. the child, which was named after a God, Lituolone took the stature of a grown man and went on to kill the monster. This is one of the only myths that we see someone go on to be a hero since the day they were born. All myth's about hero's go from facing a struggle to later overcoming it. When it comes to Lituolone, the only fear he had to undergo was that of his mother while being chased by a monster, while he was still not yet born and still in her stomach. Along with Lituolone being my favorite hero myth. I also enjoyed reading about Water Jar Boy. The Water Jar Boy myth starts from his mother going around trying to make water pots out of lay. One day the mother accidentally steps into some clay and eventually turns pregnant. The mom then gives birth to not a human but a clay pot. The clay pot had no arms or legs but was loved by everyone in his family. The pot although not being a human, was important everyone due to the importance of pottery and the skill that it uses. The Water Jar Boy then turns into a human and is on the search for his father. This is great myth because it goes from a pot being born from a pregnant women, and then transitions to a story of a boy on the search for his father. The story ends with the realization tat the Water Jar Boy's father was actually the Red snake. Although Water Jar Boy was not necessarily a old school type of hero where he defeats all the bad guys and leads the city or community to victory, Water Jar boy has to go through hell and back as being born as a pot not being able to move at all. Unlike many heros where they get abandoned or found in a lake or something, Water Jar Boy has a unique story that is unlike any other.
I agree, usually the hero has to endure some kind of pain or mishap which is obviously harsh, but eventually the heroes overcome these obstacles and become stronger. It is also interesting that most of these hero myths begin with a mother giving birth to them and the heroes having adult like qualities, this story the boy slays the monster soon after he is born. The myth I read was about The Buddha and when he was born, he immediately began meditating to reach supreme enlightenment. A demon would throw many obstacles his way but he never gave in, eventually achieving his goal. Very interesting to see how common this theme of overcoming obstacles is in these myths.
ReplyDeleteUsually, I always see hero myth stories with the same plot: being abandoned or started off with an awful story. However, I liked how you mention that not all hero myth stories start off like that based on your reading, Bantu. It truly amazes me that Bantu starts off as a hero since he was born because his mother dodged a bullet from getting eaten by a monster and eventually the monster is killed off. Even though it is odd to hear someone become a hero since birth, there is also a story between why that certain person is considered heroic myth.
ReplyDelete- Jorge Melo
Really interesting to learn about this reading and to hear the story of the hero. Yes, all myths have at least one hero who saves the world by killing the monster. This is kind of the path I'm taking with my essay on this progression. I chose to do the 3rd option and I am creating my own myth. The plot is kind of along the lines of this story. There is a newborn boy who works at a castle under his parents. However there is no monster and a storm comes in and wipes out everyone and everything, except the boy. The result is that the boy must start over again and restart life in an abandoned desert.
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