maskormenace | 02

As a professor, whenever a holiday comes, it's always an opportunity for learning, and today happens to not be an exception, despite the personal nature of the holiday.

I suspect there are not many who celebrate such things, but perhaps it is a nice time to speak of them, considering it's father's day. I'm reflecting on fathers of myth, of course, not real ones -- but, ah, if you need someone to listen, I am, of course, here to listen.

There are, unfortunately, not a terribly high amount of good fathers in mythology, at least from my world. Sometimes, if you think of yourself as a poor parent, you can at least remember that you are no Zeus, or Hiranyakashipu. One was merely...devoted to sowing his progeny around Greece, as we all know, but Hiranyakashipu attempted multiple times to murder his son, because he worshipped a god he hated. [ A soft chuckle, and a shake of his head. ] I worried about moving too much, with mine! I suppose things could be worse. Then again, there is also Cronus, the god who ate his sons, [ he starts ticking on his fingers, ] Tantalus, Izanagi, Abraham...

Well, we're not short on those, are we? [ A soft chuckle, and a shake of his head. ]

I suppose there's something to be said, when we consider ourselves bad parents, yes? Not that we should ever excuse ourselves. [ A beat. ] I suppose I'm just...thoughtful, today. Moreso than I thought I would be. [ Another pause. ]

Are there others out there, who are thinking of things like this today?

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Yes, yes, I'm aware.

[ A touch sharply. Defensive about his knowledge, isn't he? It couldn't be anything to do with that name. ]

The point still stands, Loki, after all, was no war hostage, but more an... ill-begotten friend.

[oh. Magnus feels a bit dumb for correcting the literal professor of mythology on mythology; besides, the familial impulse towards the Vanir is... well, embarrassing, vocalised. his father and he don't have much of a relationship, he's just said as much. why is he so invested in defending an ancient heritage Blake probably knows more about than he does? (because he believes in it, maybe, more than the politics of power and might-making-right among the Aesir)]

[well, whatever]

I dunno. [...] They're all part of the same cosmic lineage at the end of the day, aren't they? Odin and Loki and Mimir and Frey. If Loki's an outsider, he was made that way. And Ragnarok's more of a final straw than like, evidence he never belonged.

[leave it to the child of Frey to have empathy even for those that don't want it]

Edited 2018-06-25 05:38 (UTC)

[ A moment. Blake has to look away, almost distracted for a moment, like there's something out there, to hide the tightness in his jaw, or the way his eye twitched. Mimir was...not a name he had to hear, often. It made it easier to pretend that his son's ghost wasn't hovering over his every step, every action. ]

Yes, they are, and you're correct. Honestly the final straw was long before that, and Ragnarok the conclusion, once he broke free. The revenge -- the twilight of the gods, if you will. [ A brief, scoffing laugh. ] To quote Wagner.

[likely somewhat dissonant (or not dissonant enough), a teenage complaint from a teenage boy, somebody else's divine son giving a teenage opinion]

I tried to watch it once, 'cuz, I dunno, but it was so boring. -- The Ring Cycle, I mean. No offense.

Edited 2018-06-25 05:47 (UTC)

Why would I be insulted? I didn't write it.

[ A beat, and a wave of his hand. ] Norse mythology is always favored by...certain personalities, and they love to...pretend parts of the mythology don't exist to fulfill their desires for a certain narrative.

I'm not partial to that thinking. Although I've found the operas good...background music from time to time.

[ You know. When he's doing his woden stride. ]

The music was good. [he's forced to admit it; the singing, he'd been less into] What narrative was Wagner pushing? Mullets? The romance of incest? His daddy issues?

[he got further through the cycle than he thought. ironically, he just didn't get to the end; he remembers turning it off, annoyed and over all the wailing, when Odin punished the brave Valkyrie for her kindness]

I know the real answer is the German patriarchal myth of superiority, but it seems like there's a lot of other stuff going on. That has nothing to do with what I've seen in Valhalla.

Edited 2018-06-25 05:56 (UTC)

Oh, it's mostly that. [ A scoff. ]

Also, the era of German mysticism and obsession with the great magics in the world, and the idea of a one power being too much for any one person to ever truly escape with. Everyone desires it, after all.

[ A beat. ] It's not surprise Tolkien butchered the story for his own use.

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