In Myth, the Extra-Binary Thing Explains Everything
‘Fabulous monsters’ are boundary-crossers that reconcile opposites
Today, I’m struck by this passage from Chapter 2 of Robert D. Lane’s Reading the Bible: Intention, Text, Interpretation (first published 1994, republished 2018 free online).
“Another characteristic of myth is its binary aspect: seeming opposites as heaven and earth, male and female, living and dead, good and evil, first and last, gods and people. In an attempt to bridge these binaries, a new element, ‘mediation,’ is introduced into the story. ‘Mediation’ is achieved by introducing a third category which is ‘abnormal’ or ‘anomalous.’ Thus myths are full of fabulous monsters, incarnate gods, virgin mothers, and the like. This middle ground of half-gods and super-humans is abnormal, non-natural, holy. It is typically the focus of all taboo and ritual observance.”
I enjoy Prof. Lane’s thinking and was pleased to let this passage lead me in my own direction.
I’ve been thinking recently about mythic narratives in which trans people are recognized in contradictory ways: impossible beings who nevertheless actually exist and therefore must be stopped (so that dominant society may demonstrate that they were impossible all along) but who also need to be carefully preserved because…
