Fantastic observations! I’m also more interested in Ishmael than Ahab… in so many ways the Minos/Theseus contrast is mirrored in the Ahab/Ishmael pairing.
The old authorities (Minos/Ahab) encounter the white creature from the deep, and are consumed with a desire to dominate it.
Theseus/Ishmael, on the other hand, enter the dark domain of the “half-known life” (the ocean or the labyrinth, as described in Chapter 58: Brit) which we can read as the liminal space between awareness and the unconscious, and confront the monster.
Both Ishmael and Theseus are images of the internal alchemy that takes place as a result of that voluntary confrontation. Your work on this topic is really insightful and thought provoking! Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for the comment, this is really great analysis. I am learning more about the psychoanalytic by the day! I am mostly unaware of the Theseus myth besides broad strokes: where can I read more about this?
The idea that Ishmael is the one who confronts the half-known life is certainly key; and also that Ahab is the old authority. I wonder if on one level, and my review does posit this, Ishmael’s confrontation and alchemy also come from a desire to kill the thing: or at least make it manageable, another kind of death
It’s tricky to answer your question without getting excited about the scripts I’m working on for the next (first real) episode of my podcast.
As far as I can tell, there isn’t a clear exposition of this parallel anywhere… yet. But there will be, soon (although it is not yet as clear as I’d like).
For sources, I would recommend anything by James Hillman or Marie-Louise Von Franz touching on alchemy, and, of course, the Collected Works of C. G. Jung.
The myth itself is accessible in a variety of forms online. The best version is the one you tell yourself after having read and internalized the pattern of the story.
If I think of any other sources that are particularly illuminating, I’ll definitely send them your way!
Awesome, I appreciate the list. I haven’t read Jung yet but it sounds like I need to. I’m excited about the podcast, sounds (ha) like it will be a great first real episode.
Brilliant
Thanks for the kind words, Richard!
The Apple Tree Out of the Palm
We climbed out with you, remember how?
Small hands finding purchase on rough bark, somehow.
That old apple tree, a giant then it seemed,
Our tiny selves within its branches, dreams
Of ruby-red jewels, each one a prize,
Plucked from the bough, beneath the summer skies.
Oh, the first bite! A burst of sweet delight,
Juice dripping down, a childhood's pure sunlight.
How could that tree, so vast and tall,
Now in my mind, seem not so big at all?
From window panes, or the back door's swing,
My eyes would search for the joy you'd bring.
Those big red apples, a vibrant, happy sight,
Filled a young heart with innocent delight.
Even now, a shiver, soft and deep,
Recalls the wonders that old tree could keep.
It stands so old, yet beautiful and grand,
Still blooming, a marvel in this land.
Apple Tree
By Eldridge Brown
Very touching poem, thank you for sharing, Eldridge.
Fantastic observations! I’m also more interested in Ishmael than Ahab… in so many ways the Minos/Theseus contrast is mirrored in the Ahab/Ishmael pairing.
The old authorities (Minos/Ahab) encounter the white creature from the deep, and are consumed with a desire to dominate it.
Theseus/Ishmael, on the other hand, enter the dark domain of the “half-known life” (the ocean or the labyrinth, as described in Chapter 58: Brit) which we can read as the liminal space between awareness and the unconscious, and confront the monster.
Both Ishmael and Theseus are images of the internal alchemy that takes place as a result of that voluntary confrontation. Your work on this topic is really insightful and thought provoking! Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for the comment, this is really great analysis. I am learning more about the psychoanalytic by the day! I am mostly unaware of the Theseus myth besides broad strokes: where can I read more about this?
The idea that Ishmael is the one who confronts the half-known life is certainly key; and also that Ahab is the old authority. I wonder if on one level, and my review does posit this, Ishmael’s confrontation and alchemy also come from a desire to kill the thing: or at least make it manageable, another kind of death
It’s tricky to answer your question without getting excited about the scripts I’m working on for the next (first real) episode of my podcast.
As far as I can tell, there isn’t a clear exposition of this parallel anywhere… yet. But there will be, soon (although it is not yet as clear as I’d like).
For sources, I would recommend anything by James Hillman or Marie-Louise Von Franz touching on alchemy, and, of course, the Collected Works of C. G. Jung.
The myth itself is accessible in a variety of forms online. The best version is the one you tell yourself after having read and internalized the pattern of the story.
If I think of any other sources that are particularly illuminating, I’ll definitely send them your way!
Awesome, I appreciate the list. I haven’t read Jung yet but it sounds like I need to. I’m excited about the podcast, sounds (ha) like it will be a great first real episode.