Drugs in Mythology and Folklore: Style Brainstorm

Topic: My Storybook project will be centered around drug use in mythology and folklore. I want to highlight use of entheogenic (aka hallucinogenic) drugs in many different cultures and how they play a role in their myths and legends. One story that I think I will include is The Hemp-Smoker’s Dream, a Persian myth, and a second is Why the Woodpecker Pecks, a myth from the Tejas culture.

I am also considering using hymns from the Rig Veda Book 9, which is dedicated completely to the divinity Soma, which is also the plant and the drink made from it. The story of the Lotus-eaters in Homer’s Odyssey Book 9, speaks of how some of Odysseus’ men “who ate the honey-sweet lotus fruit no longer wished to bring back word to us, or sail for home.” Though the story is not long, I think it could be a good one to investigate further.

I would really like to find more stories to choose from though, so I’m in the process of discovering those. I have a list of cultures and the entheogenic drugs that they used, and I’m looking through their stories to try to find more references to drug use.

(Odysseus on the island of the lotus-eaters)

Bibliography:

1. The Hemp-Smoker’s Dream, from Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).
2. Why the Woodpecker Pecks, from When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends, retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936).
3. Book 9, from The Rig Veda, translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith
4. The Lotus Eaters, from Homer’s Odyssey, translated by Tony Kline (2004).

Possible Styles:

Travel: One idea I have for this is to tell the story is to go through each of the location (hopefully across the globe) and have the narrator describe his/her experience here in the first person. I think I want to have the narrator experience the story happening to him/herself instead of seeing it happen to someone else. That could afford more creative license with what happens in these stories since they involve drug use, though internet research into the effects of each of the drugs might be necessary to clarify some of them.

Time Travel: In addition to traveling in general, I think I’m going to go with some kind of time travel to get my narrator from place to place since they generally don’t take place during the same time period. This will allow him/her to experience each of the locations in the time period the stories were written, which would prevent me from having to come up with reasons why all of these drugs were accessible at the same time.

1960s: I think I want my narrator to be from the 1960s. The quintessential hippie drug user many of us envision from that time period. I think I will have the story start with drugs to tie the theme together. Maybe he has a crazy LSD trip and travels through time. That sounds like it would be pretty fun to write. But how does he travel around in the first place…?

The Beatles: I’ve got it! He travels in the Yellow Submarine, of course. Anyone who has seen the movie of the same name knows that it’s pretty wild, so I think I’ll have my narrator travel around in the Yellow Submarine as his TARDIS of sorts. Awesome. Maybe I can incorporate the Beatles into the story somehow...

Extra Reading Diary: Homer's Odyssey

This week, I finished reading Homer’s Odyssey, which I found to be full of wonderful stories and vivid descriptions. In The Ghosts of Famous Women, we meet many famous mythological women who have often been involved with the gods. In particular, I loved hearing about the mother of Heracles (whom many of us know as Hercules), and Megara, who married him. This brought back fond, but most likely inaccurate, memories of one of my favorite Disney films, Hercules, but I digress.

The Ghost of Agamemnon was another interesting tale, as he was not just a mythological person, but actually a real one. Reading about his death was rather tragic, and I could feel the friendship between himself and Odysseus. The fact that his wife had a hand in his death was kind of startling. And then Clytemnestra had to go and kill Cassandra, too? Not cool.

And then The Spirit of Achilles. Having a more extensive background knowledge about Achilles than most of the other characters in Homer’s Odyssey. The way that they address each other and speak about their families in this whole unit is incredibly formal and elaborate, sometimes making it difficult to follow what/whom they are talking about. I've had to stop and really consider what each person is saying when they make these elaborate introductions in order to be able to keep up with what they're saying later in the story.

(The Dying Achilles, by Ernst Herter)

Week 3 Storytelling: Circe's Betrayal

Odysseus and his men, now free from Circe’s curse and wrapped in her blessings, were welcomed with open arms to stay in Circe’s palace for as long as they liked. Because Circe had sworn that they would be safe, Odysseus readily accepted her offer, as they were incredibly weary from their arduous journey back to Ithaca. The men that Circe had previously turned into pigs rejoiced at the sight of the rest of their company joining them at Circe’s palace.

(Circe, by John William Waterhouse)

Living in the ultimate comfort and safety, the men stayed with Circe for many months, regaining their strength for the continuation of their journey back to Ithaca. There was an incredible bounty available to them: sweet wine and delicious food. They never went without feeling completely satisfied, and everyone was happy.

After a year in such lavishness had passed, a few of Odysseus’ men took him aside and reminded him of the journey that awaited them, a journey to their home in Ithaca. Odysseus’ heart wrenched at the memory of his beloved home, and so he agreed that they would soon set off to Ithaca.

That night, after a long feast of meat and sweet wine, Odysseus went to Circe’s bed as he always did, but this time, he fell to his knees and begged, “Circe, keep the promise you gave and send me on my way, since my spirit is eager for home, and so too are my friends’, who weary me with their grief whenever you happen to be absent.”

Enraged that, after all of her hospitality, Odysseus and his men did not wish to stay with her forever, Circe tried to come up with a ploy to get revenge. She realized that she had fallen in love with Odysseus, but she knew that he would not let his men go on to Ithaca without her. So, she began plotting to make them stay or to perish for leaving.

“Odysseus!” she cried out, “I know how you long for your home of Ithaca, but have I not given you a new home here in my palace?”

Odysseus could only thank the goddess for her hospitality and beg her to keep her promise and allow him and his men to leave.

Circe, feeling like she was losing this battle, decided to try a new tactic. Being the sorceress that she was, she fell back to her old stand-by: deception. She began to force tears to well up in her eyes and said, “Well, if that is what will make you happiest, return with your men to your ship at once, but if any of you look back, you will be cursed to sail the seas forever, never returning to your home of Ithaca.”

Thinking that he could easily resist any temptation to look behind him, Odysseus returned to his men and told them that they would shortly be leaving. As they rejoiced, he warned them that they, too, must not look behind them until the island was below the horizon. They swore that they would obey, and so they all walked down to the shore to their ship.

As they approached the ship, they heard a commotion coming from the forest behind them, and all had to try very hard to resist the urge to see what was causing it. A loud female scream was heard, and then complete silence. At this scream, Odysseus recognized it as Circe’s and could not stop himself from whipping his head around to look for her.

When he made eye contact with a mischievous looking Circe, she simply waved her wand and said, “Goodbye, Odysseus, scion of Zeus, son of Laertes. Because of your ungratefulness, you will never again see Ithaca. Though you will roam the seas, you will never find your home, and this island will disappear completely from your minds. Remember next time to be more gracious to those who care for you.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s Note:

I decided to rewrite the story of Odysseus seeking to leave Circe's island with a new ending: Circe would curse Odysseus to roam the seas forever and never find his home of Ithaca. In the original story, Circe requires him to go to the house of Hades and Persephone to visit the blind Theban seer, Teiresias, before he goes on his way back to Ithaca. I thought the way he left was a little unceremonious, and the quote of him begging to leave is taken directly from the text. Certainly such hospitality should stir up a little gratefulness, right? So instead of just giving him a mission before he leaves, I made Circe fall in love with Odysseus and become angry at his leaving her. She knows how to get under his skin, so she is able to trick him into being cursed. I contemplated making her do something more drastic, but it seemed too melodramatic. Not that this story is lacking in melodrama...

Homer's Odyssey translated by Tony Kline (2004).

Week 3 Reading Diary A: Homer's Odyssey

Having never read the Odyssey before, I was first really surprised by how gory it was. The descriptions were incredibly vivid and kind of alarming, to be frank. I really enjoyed the stories about Circe, especially the one about Circe’s Magic. I was really surprised when she turned Odysseus’ men into pigs, but was incredibly astonished at his plan to get them back with Hermes’ help.

(Odysseus and Circe, Greek vase painting)

The character of Hermes is really important in this story, as he gives Odysseus the moly that protects him from the drugs that Circe used to entrap his men. Moly is “black at the root with a milk-white flower… difficult for mortals to uproot, though the gods of course can do anything.” Hermes tells Odysseus that the moly will protect him from her drugs and enchantments, and it does, allowing him to rescue his men from her just as Hermes describes to him. I was surprised that they stayed with Circe for over a year, but considering the life of luxury and pleasure that they were leading with her, I’m not sure I would give that up so easily either.

Odysseus is a very intriguing character, and I really enjoyed reading about the challenges he had to overcome in his voyage back home. I’m looking forward to reading more about this!