When did we stop believing in mythology?
Was there a point when humanity decided it could live without the stories of wondrous beings and deities? Our current gods seem to be the celebrities we’re likely to see on our phone or computer screens. We know all their lives, yet there is nothing terrifying or fear-inducing about them. Unlike the celestial creatures of the ancient world, movie stars and It Girls will not create a hurricane only to remind us of their existence. We admire them as beautiful sparkly beings that don’t belong in our mundane life, but that’s all they are.
When we think of the stories of Zeus ravaging mortals and fellow goddesses while in the shape of several animals, we travel to a time when the line between human and beast was not drawn as clearly. Perhaps that’s why we now act as if the non-human dwellers of Earth are beneath us. Because we have forgotten that we were once not that different.
Joao Ruas is a Brazilian illustrator who takes inspiration from the myths and legends of old to create beautiful dark scenarios where the line between the divine and the mortal, the rational and the irrational, is never defined. One of his favorite characters is Athena and the story of how she came into existence. As the most common version of the legend goes, Zeus swallowed Metis, the goddess of wisdom, out of fear that she would give birth to a deity even more powerful than him. A headache literally ripped his forehead apart and from there arose the goddess wearing a suit of armor.
In an interview, Ruas explained that, “…Mythology is not only a theme but also a medium. You can adapt, transform and sculpt this medium, and it will become relevant because it is that rich.”
When it comes to mythology, not just that of ancient Greece, we often seem to overestimate it. We see it as a kitschy worldview and nothing else. They’re stories and traditions our ancestors believed in, but nothing more. Ruas’s idea of them being a medium rather than a theme is innovative in the way that he presents the stories as the keepers of civilization. It’s not that the tales have survived because of humanity, but perhaps that the reason humanity endures is due to these very stories and characters.
Old folktales tend to scare us because of their primal nature. They show a side of ourselves we choose to forget we have, the part that reveals that, as much as we believe in our evolution, we continue to share plenty with the early humans. Stories are part of our DNA, as is the supernatural. Whether we believe in the mystical or not, we can’t help but be drawn to what logic believes to be impossible. These mythical creatures call us, luring readers to uncover their secrets.
Joao Ruas has created a world that can be as terrifying as illustrious. If we face our fears, we might be able to take from them an understanding of humanity. It’s when we stop resisting our primal nature that we begin to truly grasp our complete selves.
You can check out more of the artist’s work on his website or Instagram.
Sources:
Hi Fructose
Interview
