Mythology in Rock

Mythology has endured through many centuries and many different cultures. This endurance has been brought about by perpetual references to the myths in diverse media such as architecture, cinematography, literature and, of course, music. Through the classical Greek and Roman myths have come tales of heroism, power, human frailty, and an ominous sense of fate. These myths have been perpetuated through music in particular by classical symphonies, operas, ballads, mainstream music, and Rock.

In the 1950s, a new breed of music came to the forefront of music lovers' attentions. A young man from Mississippi named Elvis Presley made a blues-rockabilly mix that resulted in what we know today as rock'n'roll. Even in this context, the classical myth was able to survive and bring its tale to new generations.

Many artists found a link to the past through literature. They incorporated this link into songs that would test the listeners knowledge of classical literature and send listeners scurrying to treasures of books to grab an underlying meaning to the text of a favorite song. These meanings were usually found in great sagas such as The Iliad,  in fate stories such as Oedipus the King,  or in well-known myths featuring gods and goddesses and their adventures.

The saga has always been a favorite form of myth from which artists chose to record their songs. The most famous sagas in classical mythology would most likely be Homer's The Iliad  and The Odyssey  as well as Virgil's The Aeneid.  Each saga contains a historical look at the Greco-Trojan war, which started with the abduction of Helen. These sagas introduced such heroes as Achilles and Odysseus, who have become the objects of ballads in modern Rock music.

Achilles; vase painting
The Iliad is the basic battle account of the Greco-Trojan war and the wrath of Achilles. The book is standard reading for high school students, and thus it is easy to have at least a cursory knowledge of the book and its main hero, Achilles. Led Zeppelin's song "Achilles' Last Stand" off their Presence  album played on both the knowledge of Homer's The Iliad  and Virgil's The Aeneid.  "Robert (Plant) evokes the din of battle, ... and sleeping Albion, who would someday rise again"(Davis, 263).

The song starts with Achilles' viewpoint of the battle as a glorious adventure to begin.
"It was an April morning when they told us we should go,
And as I turned to you, you smiled, how could we say no?
And oh the fun to have to live the dreams we've always had
And oh the songs to sing when we at last to journ' again."
(Led Zeppelin, Presence,  "Achilles' Last Stand")
The song goes on to account Achilles' joy as Jimmy Page plays guitar breaks that pull the listener into the din of battle. The song does not include Achilles' demise.

In the verse "Oh Albion remains sleeping now to rise again," there is a direct reference to Virgil's The Aeneid.  Aeneas, the hero of Virgil's masterpiece, was "held to be the real founder of Rome because Romulus and Remus, the actual founders, were born in Alba Longa, the city his son built"(Hamilton,221). Albion thus comes as a reference to Alba Longa, and its sleeping would be the sleeping of the Roman empire.

Other heroes of the Trojan war have been immortalized in music as well. Homer's The Odyssey  tells of Odysseus' (a.k.a. Ulysses in Roman literature) trials and tribulations as he tried to return from Troy to his homeland of Greece. "Odysseus and The Odyssey have, in particular, inspired more lengthy and ambitious works"(Morford, 657-8). One of these works was Cream's "Tales of Brave Ulysses" on their Disraeli Gears  album. The song does not include the entire myth, but takes the viewpoint of Odysseus and thoughts of his travel.
Ulysses and the Sirens; painting by Herbert Draper, 1909
"And you touch the distant beaches
With tales of brave Ulysses
How his naked ears were tortured
By the Sirens sweetly singing
For the sparkling waves are calling you
To kiss the white laced nymphs."
(Cream, Disreali Gears,  "Tales of Brave Ulysses")
This passage in particular describes Odysseus passage through the Sirens. The Sirens were to give the knowledge of the world in their songs, yet men would drown by trying to get close enough to hear their song. "He himself, however, was determined to hear them, and he proposed the crew should tie him to the mast so strongly that he could not get away however much he tried. This they did and drew near to the island, all except Odysseus deaf to the enchanting song ... So rang their song in lovely cadences, and Odysseus' heart ached with longing. But the ropes held him and that danger was safely passed" (Hamilton, 214).

Scylla; coin
Another danger that Odysseus had to endure was the double threat of the Scylla and Charybdis. The Scylla was the most terrifying of the two with a body "from the loins down (being) a terrible monster, encircled with a ring of dogs' heads, who ... became a terror to all mariners, seizing and devouring them as they sailed past her cave"(Rose, 64). These monsters have been included in the Police's song "Wrapped Around Your Finger" off their Synchronicity  album.
"You consider me the young apprentice
Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis"
(The Police, Synchronicity,  "Wrapped Around Your Finger")
In the context of the song, the student must choose between the lesser of two evils. If he is lucky, he may escape with his life, just as Odysseus did. If he is wise, he can twist his fate, but that will be discussed later.

Many classical myths dealt with the idea of the fate of man as pronounced by the gods. This same fatalistic attitude is shown in many modern Rock songs. The most obvious example is the story of Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King  as translated by R.C. Jebb in Moses Hadas' "Greek Drama." The story tells of the fate of a man who is destined to kill his father and sleep with his mother. This one story has been the focal point of many modern rock songs.

Oedipus and the Sphinx; painting
The Doors, with Jim Morrison singing lead vocals, used this Oedipal complex in their song "The End" off their first album The Doors.  Morrison was overcome by the Oedipus message and wrote one of his finest ballads using the Oedipus figure as a central point of the song. "The inspiration came from Nietzsche's "The Birth of Tradgedy": 'Oedipus, murderer of his father, husband of his mother, solver of the riddle of the Sphinx.' Jim said, 'You can really get into your head just repeating the slogan over and over.' Sophocles had a romantic notion about Oedipus, one that Nietzsche wrote about. He called Oedipus the 'most sorrowful figure of the Greek stage ... the type of noble man who despite his wisdom is fatal to error and misery, but who nevertheless, through his extraordinary sufferings, ultimately exerts a magical healing effect on all around him, which continues even after his death.' Jim liked that"(Hopkins, 98).

Morrison's lyrics take on a modern meaning with his depiction of a killer's actions before he murders his father. During the time that Morrison wrote the song, maniac murderers were grabbing headlines across the country. So the lyrics fit perfectly into the 1960's scene, yet remain true to the Oedipus story.
"The killer awoke before dawn
He put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall.
And he went into the room where his sister lived
And then, paid a visit to his brother, and then he,
HE WALKED ON DOWN THE HALL
And he came to a door...
And he looked inside...
Father, yes son, I want to kill you
MOTHER... I want TO...
UHHAAHGGHHFUUCKYOUMAMAALLNIGHTLONGYEA"
(Densmore, 110)
Many people were offended by the lyrics of the song, yet the story was told. In order to understand the song, a person would have to know about the Oedipus story or take the time to read it to learn what was happening in the song.

Oedipus has not always been alluded to in such a sick way. On The Police's Synchronicity  album, reference is made to the Oedipus story in "King of Pain". The title is a definite allusion to the story as are a few verses:
"There's a king on a throne with his eyes torn out
There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt."
(The Police, Synchronicity,  "King of Pain")
Teiresias; vase
This is referring to Oedipus gouging out his eyes when he learns of the fulfillment of his tragic destiny. The second verse alludes to Teiresias, the blind prophet whom Oedipus mocked before being horrified the seer's prophetic truth.

Teiresias is also the subject of a mythological song by the rock group Styx, whose name is a reference to the river Styx, described in the Homeric Hymns as "the biggest, the most terrible oath that exists for the blessed gods"(154). On their album The Grand Illusion,  Styx sings the song of "The Castle Walls".
"Far beyond these castle walls
There I thought I heard Teiresias say
Life is never what it seems
And every man must meet his destiny."
(Styx, The Grand Illusion,  "The Castle Walls")
This is true to the idea of Teiresias who foretold the destiny of all, whether it hurt or not.

The Police have another song on their Synchronicity  album which demonstrates the Greek concept of fate. It is called "Wrapped Around Your Finger". The song describes fate as something that can be twisted to an extent, though. They use Goethe's concept of the devil as incarnated in the character Mephistopholes in the novel "Faust/ Part one":
"Mephistopholes is not your name
I know what your up to just the same.
I will listen hard to your tuition
You will see it come to its fruition.
...I will turn your face to alabaster
then you'll find your servant is your master.
And then you'll be wrapped around my finger."
(The Police, Synchronicity,  "Wrapped Around Your Finger")
Other songs also bade of human's fate when dealing with the gods. "It is refreshing (but perhaps not surprising) to find that in Rock, too, there exists a repertoire inspired by classical themes. The legend of Icarus appears to be a favorite"(Morford, 657).

Icarus falling; fresco
The story of Icarus was first told by Ovid in book VIII of "The Metamorpheses" and later by Apollodorus. By Ovid's account, Daedalus told Icarus to fly midway "for if you dip too low the waves will weight your wings with thick saltwater, and if you fly too high the flames of heaven will burn them from your sides" (Ovid, Book VIII, 220). Of course, the insolent youth got happy and flew the sky where his wings were melted by the sun and he dropped into the sea.

Iron Maiden, a heavy metal rock group, reminded listeners of this tale in their song "Flight of Icarus" off their album Piece of Mind.  The song describes the youth's late realization that he has not followed his father's advice.
"His eyes seemed so glazed
As he flies on the wings of a dream
Now he knows his father betrayed
Now his wings turn to ashes, to ashes his grave.
Fly on your way, like an eagle
Fly as high as the sun."
(Iron Maiden, Piece of Mind  "Flight of Icarus")
Pandora; painting by John William Waterhouse, c.1896
One last story of fate that is often made reference to is that of Pandora, who Hesiod describes in his book "The Works and Days" as the woman whom the gods "had given her each a gift, to be a sorrow to men" (Hesiod, v.82). The rock group Aerosmith brings the idea of sorrow to men to a modern significance in the song "Pandora's Box" on the album Get Your Wings.
"The ladies there they look so proud
Because they know they're so well endowed.
But every time Pandora comes my way
I get high can't explain the situation.
To get it on I got to watch what I say
Or I'll catch hell from the women's liberation."
(Aerosmith, Get Your Wings  "Pandora's Box")
Venus (Aphrodite); full statue, Louvre
Many Rock artists call upon the names of the gods and goddesses as inspirations for their songs. For the most part, emphasis has been placed on the gods, yet the goddesses have a song worth mentioning. Many are used throughout Rock and one, Bananarama's remake of "Venus" on the True Confessions  album, was in the Top 40 in the late 1980s.
"Goddess on a mountain top
Burning like a silver flame
The summit of beauty and love
And Venus was her name
She's goddess, yeah baby, she's goddess
I'm your Venus, I'm your fire
Your Desire."
(Bananarama, True Confessions,  "Venus")
Sometimes, artists take poetic license in order that listeners might grasp the imagery better. A prime example is Cream's "Tales of Brave Ulysses". In the song, a mention is made to Aphrodite as Odysseus' captor. But in the myth, Aphrodite was not involved with Odysseus. That honor belonged to Calypso, who had saved Odysseus' life and fell in love with him (Hamilton, 204). All the same, the song gives an idea, though not 100 percent accurate, of the myth.
"Her name is Aphrodite
And she rides a crimson shell
And you know you cannot leave her..."
(Cream, Disreali Gears,  "Tales of Brave Ulysses")
He couldn't leave because she wouldn't let him leave, but also because he had no boat. The gods eventually helped him return home after 10 long years.

Full statue of Apollo
Mostly, though, the gods are mentioned through their own deeds in Rock. A prime example is Rush's "Apollo-Dionysus" portion of a medley off the Hemispheres  album. The following segments show first Apollo's speech to humanity and then Dionysus' speech:
"I bring truth and understanding
I bring wit and wisdom fair
Precious gifts beyond command
We can build the world of wonder
I will make you over it" — Apollo
Coin of Dionysus
"I bring love to give you solace
In the darkness of the night
In the hearts eternal life ...
I bring laughter i bring music
I bring joy and I bring gifts
I will soothe your primal fears
Throw off those chains of reason" — Dionysus
(Rush, Hemispheres,  "Apollo-Dionysus")
Both speeches of the gods are true to their forms told throughout Greek literature. Apollo told the goddesses in the Homeric Hymns "I will reveal to mankind the exact will of Zeus" (157), and Dionysus is spoken of by Homer in two hymns as "you girl-crazy goat/We the poets begin and end our singing through you/and it's impossible without you, without remembering you, we can't remember our sacred song" (21). This best describes Neil Peart's vision when he wrote the gods' speeches.

Full statue of Atlas
Even the Titans get in on the Rock scene, as in Led Zeppelin's "Achilles' Last Stand". The listener is reminded that "The mighty arms of Atlas hold the heavens from the earth." Pindar tells those willing to follow up on this myth that "the famous Atlas is still bearing up against heavenŐs weight, banished from his ancestral land and his possessions" (Pindar, IV, 289). Thus the lyric fits the classical interpretation handed down.

Once again, mythology has not died in the decades and centuries since the myths were first written. If nothing else, it has prospered, especially in Rock. The songs referred to are by no means the extent of mythology in Rock. Many more examples abound, yet it could take years to combine all the allusions or direct references to the myths. By a continual refreshing through the medium of Rock, listeners today can still learn about heroes, gods, and goddesses of yesteryear.




BIBLIOGRAPHY
Davis, Stephen. Hammers of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga.  New York: Ballantine, 1985.
Densmore, John. Riders On The Storm.  New York: Dell, 1990.
Goethe. Faust/Part One.  Phillip Wayne, trans. Baltimore: Penguin, 1949.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology.  New York: Penguin, 1940.
Hesiodus. The Works and Days.  Richard Lattimore, trans. Ann Arbor: Univ. Michigan, 1959.
Homer. The Homeric Hymns.  Charles Boer, trans. Chicago: Swallow, 1970.
Homer. The Iliad.  Robert Fitzgerald, trans. New York: Anchor, 1989.
Hopkins, Jerry and Danny Sugarman. No One Here Gets Out Alive.  New York: Warner, 1980.
Morford, Mark P.O. and Robert J. Lenardon. Classical Mythology.  Fourth Edition, White Plains: Longman, 1991.
Ovid. The Metamorphoses.  Horace Gregory, trans. New York: Mentor, 1958.
Pindarus. The Odes of Pindar.  Sir John Sandys, trans. Cambridge: Harvard, 1937.
Rose, H.J. A Handbook of Greek Mythology.  New York: E.P. Dutton, 1959.
Sophocles. Oedipus the King.  R.C. Jebb, trans. Greek Drama. ed. Moses Hadas. Toronto: Bantam, 1965.
Virgil. The Aeneid.  Robert Fitzgerald, trans. New York: Vintage, 1983. 		DISCOGRAPHY
"Achilles' Last Stand." Presence.  Led Zeppelin. Swan Song, 1976.
"Apollo-Dionysus." Hemispheres.  Rush. Mercury, 1978.
"The Castle Walls." The Grand Illusion.  Styx. A&M, 1977.
"The End." The Doors.  The Doors. Elektra, 1967.
"Flight of Icarus." Piece of Mind.  Iron Maiden. Capitol/EMI, 1983.
"King of Pain." Synchronicity.  The Police. A&M, 1983.
"The Tale of Brave Ulysses." Disraeli Gears.  Cream. RSO, 1967.
"Venus." True Confessions.  Bananarama. London, 1986.
"Wrapped Around Your Finger." Synchronicity.  The Police. A&M, 1983.

Essay written by Ronald Sitton for a UALR "Mythology in Literature" course circa 1992. Pictures provided by Forum Romanum.
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