Hail, Beowulf! King of the Danes!
So I'm sitting on the couch watching Star Trek: Voyager with my fiance, and an episode comes on called "Heroes and Demons." It's about a crew member who vanishes while experiencing a "holo-novel," a holographic recreation that's interactive, of the Epic of Beowulf. In the episode, two senior crew members vanish seeking the third, and it takes a fourth crew member, a holographic medical officer, to figure out how to 'defeat' Grendel, an monster from the Beowulf legend.
I find it amazing how much popular culture is inspired by that ancient tale. A legend ancient even when it was written down by monks almost a millennium ago, the tale has inspired books, movies, and television either with direct adaptations, or using the material to tell other stories. You've read how Tolkien looked to how the character of Beowulf acted and proved himself when writing his character Aragorn. Michael Crichton's* The Eaters of the Dead and the movie adaptation The 13th Warrior take the tale of Beowulf and tell it through the eyes of a historical figure, a Persian historian who is said to have visited Scandinavia, where he meets Danish warriors as he left his homeland.
I find it amazing how much popular culture is inspired by that ancient tale. A legend ancient even when it was written down by monks almost a millennium ago, the tale has inspired books, movies, and television either with direct adaptations, or using the material to tell other stories. You've read how Tolkien looked to how the character of Beowulf acted and proved himself when writing his character Aragorn. Michael Crichton's* The Eaters of the Dead and the movie adaptation The 13th Warrior take the tale of Beowulf and tell it through the eyes of a historical figure, a Persian historian who is said to have visited Scandinavia, where he meets Danish warriors as he left his homeland.
I find it amazing. It might not even be a terribly complex feeling but I just couldn't help myself. I had to talk about it. So much of what we think is modern is influenced by the ancient. I see it all the time on TV (when I watch it). Marvel Comics love to take from the Norse Mythology for their Thor titles. The show Stargate SG-1 used all manner of Egyptian and Norse mythology as inspiration for the Aliens that humanity once thought were gods. In fact a Neil Gaiman novel that recently received major rewards for writing is called "American Gods," and it features versions of ancient Gods competing against the 'new' gods of wealth, fashion, and money. It's just fascinating to me, and I love discovering these influences, especially in things that I love.
Did you know that the original Halo games (1-3) have a heavy Biblical influence? I may have to write about that some time!
NaNoWriMo update! 536 words over the past 3 days. Not the best but at least I've been writing. Chapter 7 has been coming quicker than I expected but some of the details I'm anxious about putting on too strongly. A certain character is quite negative toward the protagonist, but I don't want to make the character into a caricature. However, at the same time, I want to just write it, and iron out the hiccups later. Thanks for reading!
*Corrected a mistake I made.
*Corrected a mistake I made.
Sorry to be "that guy" but Eaters of the Dead was written by Michael Crichton, not Stephen King. Great post though, I lol-ed when I read the part about Halo being biblically inspired because I pictured Master Chief taking off his helmet to reveal "friendly goatee wearing white Jesus." Brings new meaning to the use of "Halo" as the title. Also I don't remember that episode of Voyager and will be going back to watch it again. I probably wasn't paying attention as I have a tendency to binge watch star trek while playing MMOs.
ReplyDeleteAh! You're right! I just assumed it was King. My bad! But the episode is season 1, Episode 11 I think, called Heroes and Demons. Very good one.
Delete