Tag: Pandora

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Mighty Myth Month: What’s in the box, Dora?

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Pandora’s “box” is a modern invention going back only as far as Erasmus. According to Hesiod, the evils of all men were shut up in a storage jar (pithos) buried in the ground. This is connected by some with the Athenian festival of pithoigia, – when the great vats (pithoi) of new wine were opened. Perhaps that’s really where all mankind’s troubles spring from! [from wine, not Pandora] She, as the first woman, created after man, is sometimes compared to Eve in Hebrew myth. Pandora was originally a title of the goddess Rhea (the name means all gifts) – but the story of Pandora and her jar (not box) was probably an anti-feminine invention of the poet Hesiod.

 Curiosity killed the cat, you know.

This is all about curiosity, or disobeying orders. It’s about how women cause trouble when they think for themselves, and keeping it all in a box, jar, back-pack, purse, pantry, or Rubbermaid storage container is where it should all stay.

Now, in the words of my mom, wait a red-hot minute. I’m a little tired of the ‘blame-game.’ Life is always a balance between:

  • Following the rules or…
  • Taking a risk
  • Following your heart or…
  • Thinking it through
  • Seeing what’s behind Door #3 or…
  • Taking the prize that’s offered.

The brand-new, first woman on earth is given a box/jar, depending on which snooty professor’s of mythology version you want to believe. (I am always suspicious when anyone has the “definitive” translation of anything that’s over five minutes past–you can’t trust all communication; things get lost in translation.) Cut the girl a break! It was a GIFT! Her name means ALL GIFTS, for goodness sakes! What was she supposed to do? Return to sender? C’mon. So now we can conveniently blame ALL OF MANKIND’S TROUBLES ON GIRL’S DECISION TO OPEN A BOX?!?! Yeah. Well, I’m going to grab my keys, lipstick, and I’m outta here.

There’s always hope.

You go, girl.
You go, girl.

(Don’t get me started on the apple thing. A piece of fruit shouldn’t take down all of humanity. It was a team decision.)

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Mighty Myth Month: Pixie Stix.

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Pixies are described as small fairies, sprites, beautiful, exquisite little magical beings, who usually intend no harm. They can be mischievous, and though they can be tricksters, they are usually helpful and just darn cute.

More elegant than elves, funnier than fairies, and luckier than leprechauns, Pixies are charming: how can anything that has been known to turn into hedgehogs at will be anything less than sweet, like a big stick of flavored sugar in a plastic tube?

Now you may be wondering why I have an image of a Na’vi from the movie Avatar.

Pixies?
Pixies?

It’s a stretch of a connection, but see if you can follow my thinking:

Pixies are very much into nature. So are the Na’vi. Pixies might be blue as are some Na’vi. Pixies are sprightly, agile, and athletic. Again, the comparison continues. What does it matter that the Na’vi are over 7′ tall, and Pixies are reportedly about 7″? They’re also both make-believe.
There is some controversy over the design of the Na’vi. Are they representing another race, the noble savage, is their depiction as a humanoid (part human, part another species) an affront to our earthly creators?
Hardly. Let’s not overthink this one, folks. Remember–we keep telling the same story again and again? Tales of springy little sugar-sprites being driven from their woodland homes, with no other defenses than to curl up in a ball, quills outward, is nothing new.
I think they are just pixies, and proportionally sized to their planet, Pandora. (By the way, the allusionary explanation regarding Pandora is on its way.) Even the name Pixie conjurs images of little things: leaves crunching. Frost on pumpkins. A lavendar petal unfurls. Things found only nature-made, not from a factory. A fireflies’ constellation. 

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Pixies: flavored sugar, no redeeming health benefits, just fun. Pure fun.

The Pixies
The Pixies
Little known fact about me: we have had two hedgehogs. One was named Juju, and the other SugarPop. They were both pooping pin-cushions. Not the best pets we ever had, but maybe we weren’t meant to own pixies.