Legba And Hermes Research Paper
The trickster deity breaks the rules of the gods or nature, sometimes maliciously like Loki, but usually, albeit unintentionally with ultimately positive effects. Tricksters are characterized as selfish, mischievous, impatient liars who show no remorse. Some tricksters have hidden meanings behind their rudeness that carry good intentions. All cultures have archetypal, male tricksters.
In the Greek and African myths, Hermes and Legba are both messengers of god. Hermes, through is intelligence, makes a convincing appeal to Zeus who gives him the duties of “making of treaties, the promotion of commerce, and the maintenance of free rights of way for travelers on any road in the world” (165). Even though the myth started out with Apollo fiending …show more content…
The Indian myth, Krishna, tells of the girls of the Nanda village who are so obsessed with their Prince Krsna that they are blind to his trickery. One day the girls were worshipping their goddess Katyayani in the Kalindi (body of water) and their beloved prince robs them of their clothes. Krsna, after the girls devote themselves to him, tells them that “Since you swam in the water without clothes while you were under a vow, this was an insult to the divinity. Therefore you must fold your hands and place them on your heads and bow low in expiation of your sin, and then you may take your clothes” (168). The girls in their stupor did as he said and the pleased prince gave them their clothes before inviting them to spend their nights with him. Despite the prince’s selfish trickery, the girls obtained their “gorgeous prince” and the prince marveled in it every night. Similar to Krishna, Old Man Coyote gets to marvel at his young self every night. In the Native American myth, Old Man Coyote finds himself rotting away with age and wishing for a re-do. He comes across a young, strong, buffalo bull, who tells him he can make him young again, but there’s a catch, “You will look like a young strong buffalo, but you will still be Old Man Coyote inside. Don’t ever forget that” (170). The buffalo then proceeds to change the Old Man and before he knows it, he is a young, spring, buffalo calf all full
In the Greek and African myths, Hermes and Legba are both messengers of god. Hermes, through is intelligence, makes a convincing appeal to Zeus who gives him the duties of “making of treaties, the promotion of commerce, and the maintenance of free rights of way for travelers on any road in the world” (165). Even though the myth started out with Apollo fiending …show more content…
The Indian myth, Krishna, tells of the girls of the Nanda village who are so obsessed with their Prince Krsna that they are blind to his trickery. One day the girls were worshipping their goddess Katyayani in the Kalindi (body of water) and their beloved prince robs them of their clothes. Krsna, after the girls devote themselves to him, tells them that “Since you swam in the water without clothes while you were under a vow, this was an insult to the divinity. Therefore you must fold your hands and place them on your heads and bow low in expiation of your sin, and then you may take your clothes” (168). The girls in their stupor did as he said and the pleased prince gave them their clothes before inviting them to spend their nights with him. Despite the prince’s selfish trickery, the girls obtained their “gorgeous prince” and the prince marveled in it every night. Similar to Krishna, Old Man Coyote gets to marvel at his young self every night. In the Native American myth, Old Man Coyote finds himself rotting away with age and wishing for a re-do. He comes across a young, strong, buffalo bull, who tells him he can make him young again, but there’s a catch, “You will look like a young strong buffalo, but you will still be Old Man Coyote inside. Don’t ever forget that” (170). The buffalo then proceeds to change the Old Man and before he knows it, he is a young, spring, buffalo calf all full