Mythological allusions are brief references to mythology in art, literature, or music. Mythology explains phenomena, teaches morals, and explains the origin of people. Allusions are used to augment a story and pay homage to something. Examples include Shakespeare’s plays, Harry Potter, and Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment.”
A mythological allusion is when a work of art, literature or music alludes to a piece of mythology. This mythological allusion could be to the indigenous culture of the country or a reference to the mythology of another culture. Such allusions are not extensive; they are not representations, metaphors or personifications. They are brief references to something mythological commonly understood by the viewer, reader or listener.
Mythology is a body of folklore of a common culture. Many mythologies have crossed cultural boundaries to form a pan-regional, pan-religious, or pan-continental mythology. Greek and Roman mythologies, for example, have become important to European folklore and identity as a whole. A larger example is the effect of Jewish mythology on the entire world as determined by interpretations of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Any mythology tries not only to collect folk tales, but also to explain phenomena in the world, teach morals and explain the origin of a people.
An allusion is a figure of speech. Such figures are short and short-lived. This means that the story or artwork is not overtly or subversively dominated by the allusion, but uses it to augment the story being told. Allusions, including mythological allusions, are often called references and are used in literature, art, and television shows to indicate knowledge of or pay homage to something. A good example of the use of references can be found in director Edgar Wright and writer-actor Simon Pegg’s TV shows and movies such as “Spaced,” “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz.”
William Shakespeare made much use of mythological allusion in his dramatic comedies. “Romeo and Juliet” uses a wide variety of puns, often sexual in nature, but also alludes to mythology. Romeo hopes the sun will win the moon, which means Juliet will win, but he alludes to ideas from ancient mythologies such as Egypt of the moon and the sun fighting every night. In “The Tempest,” Shakespeare refers to unicorns, and in “As You Like It” and “Much Ado About Nothing,” he refers to Leander twice.
The “Harry Potter” series is another example of many mythological allusions in action, as well as the direct use of mythological creatures, Remus Lupine being the most obvious werewolf from “An American Werewolf in London”. Remo’s name alludes to the Roman myth of Romulus and Remus, twins cared for by a she-wolf. Harry Potter’s scar may be a mythological allusion to Cain and the manner of his adoption of Cyrus or Krishna. The books also allude to Snow White’s mirror and Hell’s fearsome guard dog, Cerberus, via Fluffy, Hagrid’s dog.
There are numerous examples also in the art. This includes works such as Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” which is located in the Sistine Chapel. Underlying an otherwise seemingly Christian work is Charon, the boatman who ferries the soul across the River Styx.
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