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Comments Upon
Primer on Myth And Religious Parables
- From: Ana
Residence: N/A
Subject: The prodigal son
Date: 2-17-2010
Do you know which greek myths, or myths from other parts of the world, follow the same essence of the parable of the prodigal son? Also I would like to ask you: What’s the parable that you’re closest to, in terms of mythical stories?
- From: JJR
Subject: Reply to Ana
Date: 2-19-2010
I think the answer to the first question turns on how one defines the essence of the myth of the prodigal son. I prefer to look at the Hymn of the Pearl as the complete myth Jesus referred to with his telling of the myth of the prodigal son. It can be viewed on different levels. The story of a boy or young man leaving home and going to a foreign land in search of something can be found in the modern fable The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho or the Arthurian legends, especially the character Perceval.
If one views the story as involving a person of royal birth who travels into foreign lands and who is initially mistaken to be a commoner, then there are many parallels in classical Greek myth. The story of Jason when he first appears in the court of Pelias having lost one of his sandals and, also, that of Odysseus upon his return to his own kingdom of Ithaca after the long Trojan war and the events of his odyssey while returning home. The Norse myth of Sigurd also follows this pattern. Sigurd was a royal child orphaned at a young age then raised by a smith in the woods as a commoner. He was only later discovered to be a royal and returned to claim his kingdom as a young man. FWIW, I rather enjoyed a little-known cable movie based on this myth, Dark Kingdom - The Dragon King (2006). Also we have the mythic founding twins of Rome (Romulus and Remus) born to a princess, exposed as babies at the River Tiber, suckled by a she-wolf, adopted by a shepherd, and later discovered by their grandfather the king to be his royal descendants.
As I see it, my perception of the true essence of these myths is really neither here nor there. I think the challenge for us all is to read these myths and divine a meaning. I enjoy all of these myths but the Hymn of the Pearl probably carries the most personal significance for me.
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