The Importance of Allegory
As an Icelander story telling, and the art of allegory is very much part of my life. As a family we talk of our ancestors triupths, they are heroic, and allegoric: my fore mother's bearing a child in Canada during the 11th century, my forefather killing his first man at 7 over a lost game of soccer. All these stories are captivating but what is most compelling is that they have all been proven to be fundamentally true. The Icelandic Sagas, have all been proven true with archeology and science(DNA).
I went to the Frick Collection today, and saw this painting. It was incredibly moving, and allegorical.
Gerard David
(active c. 1460 - 1523)
The Deposition, c. 1510-1515
oil on linen (mounted on mahogany panel)
56 1/8 in. x 44 1/4 in. (142.56 cm x 112.4 cm)
Henry Clay Frick Bequest.
Accession number: 1915.1.33
You see mary magedaline bereft, and all the disipaples, you also see the dark clouds that were supposed to represent the darkness that fell over the earth when Jesus passed. This story, of Jesus and his death, and the people around him most have happened, I am a firm believer in the truth of 'stories' why then do we as humans attach such importance to stories and allegory. Why? And why do they hold so much truth?
Every creation myth, has been proven with DNA science, to have a profound if not direct truth. For instance some of the plains Indians, believed in a great migration from a mystical land, it has been later proved that America's native did in fact migrate from central Asia.
It is really fascinating, humans and our stories.
I went to the Frick Collection today, and saw this painting. It was incredibly moving, and allegorical.
Gerard David
(active c. 1460 - 1523)
The Deposition, c. 1510-1515
oil on linen (mounted on mahogany panel)
56 1/8 in. x 44 1/4 in. (142.56 cm x 112.4 cm)
Henry Clay Frick Bequest.
Accession number: 1915.1.33
You see mary magedaline bereft, and all the disipaples, you also see the dark clouds that were supposed to represent the darkness that fell over the earth when Jesus passed. This story, of Jesus and his death, and the people around him most have happened, I am a firm believer in the truth of 'stories' why then do we as humans attach such importance to stories and allegory. Why? And why do they hold so much truth?
Every creation myth, has been proven with DNA science, to have a profound if not direct truth. For instance some of the plains Indians, believed in a great migration from a mystical land, it has been later proved that America's native did in fact migrate from central Asia.
It is really fascinating, humans and our stories.
posted by Ulla at 9:22 AM
3 Comments:
Hi - found your blog through the dreadful spammer alex. I have enjoyed reading it - so at least something positive has come via his awful posts :D
Hey blondie.
Actually, this game was 'Knattleikur' which is more akin to Hockey than ever Football. (Soccer is a made up bullshit word for people that think football is what is globally known as 'kevlar armoured pansy rugby'.
J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis were having a dicussion about Christianity. Lewis asked 'So, how then can you believe the Christ story to be anything but an ancient legend?' Myths, Tolkien replied, are most certainly not lies. Myths derive from a kernel of truth and portray very specific cultural meaning. Tolkien went on to add that Christianity was constructed upon real events and it was inspired by a deep truth. The same is true of many of your Icelandic myths and legends.
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