homework 100
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Myth and Its’ Connection to Ritual
Scholars who study the connection between myth and ritual are called myth-ritualists
They debate, study, and try to determine which comes first: myth or ritual
Some argue that myth comes first, and that we create ritual to re-enact the myths
Others argue that we create ritual and then try to explain it by connecting it to myth
Some people argue that they unfold simultaneously
Pictured top right: the Last Supper with Jesus; bottom right: Holy Communion ritual—the myth of Jesus breaking bread and the ritual reflecting that moment in the Roman Catholic tradition
By Giacomo Raffaelli – scanned from: Leonardo da Vinci, Artysta i dzieło, red.: D. Dzierżanowska, wyd. Arkady, Warszawa 2005, ISBN 83-213-4419-4, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2372260
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Communion
Case Studies: Myths and their connection to Rituals
This slide show presents three case studies of how myths relate to rituals (though we never can be certain which came first, myth or ritual)
The first is a satirical example of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Though it is not taken seriously by most people, the fact that it is growing in number speaks to how we must treat it as a potentially valid religion
The second is the Om Banna (Bullet Banna) Shrine. It is a contemporary shrine in India that appears to model very traditional rituals
The third is Zoroastrian death rituals. I would categorize this as an ancient example of both myth and ritual, as the religion and its death rituals are thousands of years old.
Case Study 1: Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
– founded in 2005 by Bobby Henderson in the United States
– orange on map shows where it is recognized as a religion (though it is still contested in the U.S.); dark yellow indicates a region with at least one church; light yellow indicates at least one mission
By Conquistador, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37021381
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is also referred to as Pastafarianism
Bobby Henderson inadvertently created the tradition when he entered into local debates about teaching intelligent design in Kansas schools
He argued that a creation story involving a flying spaghetti monster was just as legitimate as a creation story based on the Christian god. He was in fact trying to prove that neither should be included in school curriculum (he was an atheist)
Due to the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s (FSM) increasing popularity, Henderson wrote a corresponding creation myth as well as book of rules for people to live by
Ultimately, we do not know how many members exist due to the church’s general lack of organization
By Omidmottaghi – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12776072
Please watch this video of the FSM creation myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7SBii4JKA
If it’s humorous does it cease to be a religion?
Having watched the FSM creation myth, there is no doubt that it is satirical
The same goes for the book of rules, otherwise called, “I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts”. To see the 8 rules, see this link: https://flyingspaghettimonster.wikia.org/wiki/The_Eight_I%27d_Really_Rather_You_Didn%27ts
Though humor is being used here, the critique of traditional religions being offered really speaks to certain needs of particular groups of people
This has led to the creation of rituals and serious adherence to the principles of FSM, though in a light-hearted way
Ritual 1: Wearing a colander
The wearing of a colander or pasta strainer is symbolic of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. In fact, there are many pasta puns used within this group. Instead of saying, “amen,” for example, they say “ramen.” But the wearing of the colander is also rooted in the need and want of religious freedom. If one is truly allowed to practice any religion they want (particularly in the United States) then people should in theory be allowed to wear a colander on their head for government documents (such as a driver’s license). As a fight for religious freedom, wearing the colander as a hat challenges Christian assumptions about what it means to be religious, which is in keeping with the spirit of Henderson’s initial creation of FSM.
Image: https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/b9d56fe8116b72765fd8126ad7d388a5efe840be/c=0-28-1121-661/local/-/media/2017/06/01/Phoenix/Phoenix/636319263441071205-18870134-666496470209327-1386278307-o ?width=660&height=373&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Ritual 2: Celebration of Pirates
Pirates figure prominently in FSM gatherings (though practitioners don’t gather often) as they are considered powerful beings who can stop global warming
People also dress up as pirates to pay homage to these beings from which humans are said to come from
Graph: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pirate_Global_Warming_Graph.gif#/media/File:Pirate_Global_Warming_Graph.gif ;
Ritual 3: Weddings
Please watch this video of a Pastafarian wedding. I find this particularly interesting because followers of FSM seem to reject most traditional religious norms, yet they retain the wedding ritual (albeit with a twist).
Case Study 2: Om Banna (Bullet Banna) Shrine
This is a contemporary shrine (est. between the late 1980’s and early 1990’s near Jodhpur, India) that retains traditional Hindu rituals
The shrine marks the location of a young man killed in a motorcycle accident
The myth: the motorcycle kept returning to the spot of the accident after being impounded by police, drained of gas
This “magical” motorcycle indicated that the young man became a sacred being, watching over the community and protecting them
Notes on Ritual at the Om Banna Shrine related to the video on the next slide:
Most home videos about the Om Banna shrine begin with a motorcycle trek; it not only gives a sense of the dangers driving in India, but it seems to function as a pilgrimage to the site
You will note that hundreds of visitors go there; it is not just for tourists. Greater numbers of people come every year.
The rituals that people participate in are the same as what Hindus do at home or in a temple: the motorbike and image of the young man are adorned in marigolds; food offerings (prasad) are made; a sacred fire burns constantly; the bell is rung once the prayers have been made (we’ll discuss traditional Hindu rituals more during our section dedicated to ritual)
Ritual at the Om Banna Shrine
Please watch this video taken at the shrine. It is not a professional video and so can at times be difficult to view, but it is well worth it. It gives a sense of how large this initially small, roadside shrine has become.
When watching the video, watch for what people are doing, the items they use, and the type of people that are present.
Questions to consider:
Is the myth of the motorcycle accident a way to adapt contemporary concerns with traditional ritual?
Does the focus on the motorcycle mean that the rituals at the shrine are new rather than old?
Why do you think this particular shrine has gained in popularity? Motorcycle accidents occur all the time, yet there aren’t shrines at the site of every accident.
Case Study 3: Zoroastrian Death Rituals
Zoroastrianism is between 3500-4000 years old, originating in present-day Iran
Zoroastrians are currently located all over the world, with the largest population found in India
Pictured top right: image of Ahura Mazda, god of all that is good
Pictured bottom right: a dakhma (also called the Tower of Silence) where the dead are left to decompose
This is a 9 min. video to familiarize yourself with Zoroastrianism. Not all of the information here is relevant to this presentation, but it’s a nice way to provide some context about what Zoroastrian is and how they practice it today
Key ideas to note:
Ahura Mazda and asha = all that is benevolent and good
Asha includes plants, water, earth, fire, metal and animals. These things must be protected from druj
Angra Mainyu and druj = all that is evil and bad
Druj includes death, decay, sickness, suffering, and sorry. The existence of these things indicates that one is not protecting asha to the fullest extent
Zoroastrian Death Rituals
Because death is druj, a body has the potential to contaminate asha. This means that burial cannot happen as it pollutes the earth and cremation cannot happen because it pollutes the fire
Instead, bodies are left in buildings called dakhmas (Towers of Silence), typically cement structures with no ceilings
Carrion birds (which unlike other animals are considered druj rather than asha) consume the bodies and help with the decomposition process
By Unknown author – : Rajputana, Sikkím, the Punjab, and Kashmir by Shoemaker, Michael Myers, 1853-1924, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61474114
Zoroastrian Death Rituals
Special priests oversee the carrying of the bodies into the dakhmas; apart from immediate family at the time of drop off, no one else is allowed inside
These priests are viewed as being contaminated by druj, but they do it to help the rest of society
Everyone wears white during the rituals and mourning period
By Bramstercate – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2556545
Dakhmas in Contemporary Times
The dakhma pictured here is located in Mumbai (Bombay), India. It is still used by the shrinking Zoroastrian population located there but has experienced difficulty in trying to properly dispose their dead. This is because as the city expands around them, the habitat of carrion birds has been destroyed. A lack of carrion birds means that the bodies are not being picked clean and thus cannot be properly disposed. In countries where the use of dakhmas are not allowed (for example, the United States or England), Zoroastrians instead opt for burial sites or crypts encased in cement. The idea that cement creates a barrier between death (druj) and the earth (asha) provides at least some assurances to practitioners that they are doing their best to protect asha.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jan/26/death-city-lack-vultures-threatens-mumbai-towers-of-silence
Myth and the Connection to Ritual: Final Words
Now that you have completed this PowerPoint presentation, go to the discussion forum on D2L entitled, “Forum for the week of Mar. 23-27: myth,” and create a thread or engage with others as part of your course requirements (please see your revised syllabus for details)
If you have any questions about this presentation or any other content for this class, please email me at goulet@iup.edu.
Myth and Its’ Connection to Ritual
Scholars who study the connection between myth and ritual are called myth-ritualists
They debate, study, and try to determine which comes first: myth or ritual
Some argue that myth comes first, and that we create ritual to re-enact the myths
Others argue that we create ritual and then try to explain it by connecting it to myth
Some people argue that they unfold simultaneously
Pictured top right: the Last Supper with Jesus; bottom right: Holy Communion ritual—the myth of Jesus breaking bread and the ritual reflecting that moment in the Roman Catholic tradition
By Giacomo Raffaelli – scanned from: Leonardo da Vinci, Artysta i dzieło, red.: D. Dzierżanowska, wyd. Arkady, Warszawa 2005, ISBN 83-213-4419-4, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2372260
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Communion
Case Studies: Myths and their connection to Rituals
This slide show presents three case studies of how myths relate to rituals (though we never can be certain which came first, myth or ritual)
The first is a satirical example of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Though it is not taken seriously by most people, the fact that it is growing in number speaks to how we must treat it as a potentially valid religion
The second is the Om Banna (Bullet Banna) Shrine. It is a contemporary shrine in India that appears to model very traditional rituals
The third is Zoroastrian death rituals. I would categorize this as an ancient example of both myth and ritual, as the religion and its death rituals are thousands of years old.
Case Study 1: Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
– founded in 2005 by Bobby Henderson in the United States
– orange on map shows where it is recognized as a religion (though it is still contested in the U.S.); dark yellow indicates a region with at least one church; light yellow indicates at least one mission
By Conquistador, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37021381
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is also referred to as Pastafarianism
Bobby Henderson inadvertently created the tradition when he entered into local debates about teaching intelligent design in Kansas schools
He argued that a creation story involving a flying spaghetti monster was just as legitimate as a creation story based on the Christian god. He was in fact trying to prove that neither should be included in school curriculum (he was an atheist)
Due to the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s (FSM) increasing popularity, Henderson wrote a corresponding creation myth as well as book of rules for people to live by
Ultimately, we do not know how many members exist due to the church’s general lack of organization
By Omidmottaghi – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12776072
Please watch this video of the FSM creation myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7SBii4JKA
If it’s humorous does it cease to be a religion?
Having watched the FSM creation myth, there is no doubt that it is satirical
The same goes for the book of rules, otherwise called, “I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts”. To see the 8 rules, see this link: https://flyingspaghettimonster.wikia.org/wiki/The_Eight_I%27d_Really_Rather_You_Didn%27ts
Though humor is being used here, the critique of traditional religions being offered really speaks to certain needs of particular groups of people
This has led to the creation of rituals and serious adherence to the principles of FSM, though in a light-hearted way
Ritual 1: Wearing a colander
The wearing of a colander or pasta strainer is symbolic of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. In fact, there are many pasta puns used within this group. Instead of saying, “amen,” for example, they say “ramen.” But the wearing of the colander is also rooted in the need and want of religious freedom. If one is truly allowed to practice any religion they want (particularly in the United States) then people should in theory be allowed to wear a colander on their head for government documents (such as a driver’s license). As a fight for religious freedom, wearing the colander as a hat challenges Christian assumptions about what it means to be religious, which is in keeping with the spirit of Henderson’s initial creation of FSM.
Image: https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/b9d56fe8116b72765fd8126ad7d388a5efe840be/c=0-28-1121-661/local/-/media/2017/06/01/Phoenix/Phoenix/636319263441071205-18870134-666496470209327-1386278307-o ?width=660&height=373&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Ritual 2: Celebration of Pirates
Pirates figure prominently in FSM gatherings (though practitioners don’t gather often) as they are considered powerful beings who can stop global warming
People also dress up as pirates to pay homage to these beings from which humans are said to come from
Graph: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pirate_Global_Warming_Graph.gif#/media/File:Pirate_Global_Warming_Graph.gif ;
Ritual 3: Weddings
Please watch this video of a Pastafarian wedding. I find this particularly interesting because followers of FSM seem to reject most traditional religious norms, yet they retain the wedding ritual (albeit with a twist).
Case Study 2: Om Banna (Bullet Banna) Shrine
This is a contemporary shrine (est. between the late 1980’s and early 1990’s near Jodhpur, India) that retains traditional Hindu rituals
The shrine marks the location of a young man killed in a motorcycle accident
The myth: the motorcycle kept returning to the spot of the accident after being impounded by police, drained of gas
This “magical” motorcycle indicated that the young man became a sacred being, watching over the community and protecting them
Notes on Ritual at the Om Banna Shrine related to the video on the next slide:
Most home videos about the Om Banna shrine begin with a motorcycle trek; it not only gives a sense of the dangers driving in India, but it seems to function as a pilgrimage to the site
You will note that hundreds of visitors go there; it is not just for tourists. Greater numbers of people come every year.
The rituals that people participate in are the same as what Hindus do at home or in a temple: the motorbike and image of the young man are adorned in marigolds; food offerings (prasad) are made; a sacred fire burns constantly; the bell is rung once the prayers have been made (we’ll discuss traditional Hindu rituals more during our section dedicated to ritual)
Ritual at the Om Banna Shrine
Please watch this video taken at the shrine. It is not a professional video and so can at times be difficult to view, but it is well worth it. It gives a sense of how large this initially small, roadside shrine has become.
When watching the video, watch for what people are doing, the items they use, and the type of people that are present.
Questions to consider:
Is the myth of the motorcycle accident a way to adapt contemporary concerns with traditional ritual?
Does the focus on the motorcycle mean that the rituals at the shrine are new rather than old?
Why do you think this particular shrine has gained in popularity? Motorcycle accidents occur all the time, yet there aren’t shrines at the site of every accident.
Case Study 3: Zoroastrian Death Rituals
Zoroastrianism is between 3500-4000 years old, originating in present-day Iran
Zoroastrians are currently located all over the world, with the largest population found in India
Pictured top right: image of Ahura Mazda, god of all that is good
Pictured bottom right: a dakhma (also called the Tower of Silence) where the dead are left to decompose
This is a 9 min. video to familiarize yourself with Zoroastrianism. Not all of the information here is relevant to this presentation, but it’s a nice way to provide some context about what Zoroastrian is and how they practice it today
Key ideas to note:
Ahura Mazda and asha = all that is benevolent and good
Asha includes plants, water, earth, fire, metal and animals. These things must be protected from druj
Angra Mainyu and druj = all that is evil and bad
Druj includes death, decay, sickness, suffering, and sorry. The existence of these things indicates that one is not protecting asha to the fullest extent
Zoroastrian Death Rituals
Because death is druj, a body has the potential to contaminate asha. This means that burial cannot happen as it pollutes the earth and cremation cannot happen because it pollutes the fire
Instead, bodies are left in buildings called dakhmas (Towers of Silence), typically cement structures with no ceilings
Carrion birds (which unlike other animals are considered druj rather than asha) consume the bodies and help with the decomposition process
By Unknown author – : Rajputana, Sikkím, the Punjab, and Kashmir by Shoemaker, Michael Myers, 1853-1924, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61474114
Zoroastrian Death Rituals
Special priests oversee the carrying of the bodies into the dakhmas; apart from immediate family at the time of drop off, no one else is allowed inside
These priests are viewed as being contaminated by druj, but they do it to help the rest of society
Everyone wears white during the rituals and mourning period
By Bramstercate – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2556545
Dakhmas in Contemporary Times
The dakhma pictured here is located in Mumbai (Bombay), India. It is still used by the shrinking Zoroastrian population located there but has experienced difficulty in trying to properly dispose their dead. This is because as the city expands around them, the habitat of carrion birds has been destroyed. A lack of carrion birds means that the bodies are not being picked clean and thus cannot be properly disposed. In countries where the use of dakhmas are not allowed (for example, the United States or England), Zoroastrians instead opt for burial sites or crypts encased in cement. The idea that cement creates a barrier between death (druj) and the earth (asha) provides at least some assurances to practitioners that they are doing their best to protect asha.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jan/26/death-city-lack-vultures-threatens-mumbai-towers-of-silence
Myth and the Connection to Ritual: Final Words
Now that you have completed this PowerPoint presentation, go to the discussion forum on D2L entitled, “Forum for the week of Mar. 23-27: myth,” and create a thread or engage with others as part of your course requirements (please see your revised syllabus for details)
If you have any questions about this presentation or any other content for this class, please email me at goulet@iup.edu.