2 posts tagged “stories”
I just listened to a radio show from one of my friends on Facebook on the topic of Gnosticism and the Hymn of the Pearl. I get a lot out of myth and the resulting analysis of them, and so this section of his talk was very interesting to me.
Basic story:
"The Hymn of the Pearl tells the story of a prince sent by his father, the grand King of Kings, down to Egypt to fetch “the one pearl which resides there near the ravenous dragon.” His Father promises him that once this is accomplished, he could “put(back) on that jewel-studded garment” which was made out of love” for him and would become a herald for the kingdom along with his “well-remembered brother.” Leaving his kingdom in the East, he arrives in Egypt and hurries “directly to the dragon and camps near his den.” In order “to guard against the Egyptians and against intercourse with their impurities,” he puts on their “style of dress” in order to go undercover as well as to shun any suspicion that he was a stranger in their land. As fate would have it, the Egyptians become aware that he is a stranger, form a plot to snare him and knock him into a slumber with their matter-laden food. With a taste he succumbs into forgetfulness, no longer remembering he was “a child of the king” and so becomes subservient to their king. Then he sinks “into deep sleep under the heaviness of their food.” Meanwhile, his parents recognize that he is suffering and also “suffer” over him. So the King of Kings sends a letter, exhorting him to “arise and become sober out of sleep,” since he had “fallen under the servile yoke.” He is instructed to “call to mind” his garment full of gold and his mission regarding the pearl. Heading back home toward the light, he encounters “a female being” that lifts him up and helps guide him on his return journey. Finally he is reunited with his beloved garment and “perceived in it” his “whole self as well.” From here he enters the royal realm of peace."
The basic explanation was that the Prince represents the soul. It starts in the heavens, then is encased in bodily form in order to blend in while on its search for the pearl. The soul then forgets its purpose, forgets that it even had another home. Once a message from above comes to wake him up he is finally able to complete his mission and return to the fullness.
The interesting part of the talk comes in the discussion of what the pearl means.
"With this, the pearl can be isolated as “part of the divinity lost to darkness” which can only be reached if the prince retrieves it. In this sense both the prince and the pearl are the soul. He goes further in asserting that the “interchangeability of the subject and the object of the mission”(savior and soul/prince and pearl)”is the key to the true meaning of the poem and to Gnostic eschatology.”
Nice. We are both searching and waiting to be found. I love the subject/object ambiguity. :)
And then the meaning of the cloak:
"The pinnacle moment to understanding the cloak’s purpose is when the prince states that while they derived from “one and the same,” they were “partially divided: and then again” they “were one with a single form.” When he saw the garment, he saw in it his “whole self.” From this one may suppose that whatever the prince is so is the cloak and could even haphazardly guess that they are both soul. But they can be one form and yet fulfill different functions and even identities."
Awesome. I just love the multi-faceted explanation. The intricacies you can get through this sort of complicated myth and symbolism are what really excite me.
I *just* finished watching it.
I really, really liked this movie. I'm not sure I fully get it with just one viewing, but the main message reads loud and clear. Do not tell me this is just novelistic. Do not tell me these things only happen in movies.
I'll probably post more on it later. I just wanted to say how much I liked it. :)
PS Spoiler (highlight to reveal): I love the frogs! How awesome is that?
