ljones
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Post by ljones on Dec 30, 2015 11:41:57 GMT -5
I just finished watching Season One's "From Fear to Eternity" and it occurred to me that the series' take on some mythologies are very questionable. I don't know if I can completely blame Constance Burge, Brad Kern and the show's writers. It's possible that the writers - along with society in general - are simply victims of bad knowledge.
While watching "From Fear to Eternity", I noticed that the show's description of Friday 13th was waaaaay off. Which is probably why it was a mistake to connect Barbas with that particular date. Also, there is the Season Five episode, "House Calls", in which the topic of "witch doctor" is brought up. One, "witch doctor" is an offensive term to describe men who are involved in African folk magic aka "Hoodoo" (a term used in the New World). Also, the show has them portrayed as "good guys", but still in a negative light, thanks to Leo's description of them. Perhaps the writers should have used the term "conjurer". And of course, there was the show's portrayal of the Marcy Steadwell character in "Ms. Hellfire".
Can anyone think of other examples in which mythology or anything regarding the supernatural was inaccurately portrayed?
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Dec 30, 2015 17:51:52 GMT -5
The Greek Goddesses from 'Oh My Goddess' comes to mind and the Valkyries from 'Valhalley Of The Dolls' also.
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Post by yinsoul on Dec 30, 2015 20:34:36 GMT -5
While watching "From Fear to Eternity", I noticed that the show's description of Friday 13th was waaaaay off. Which is probably why it was a mistake to connect Barbas with that particular date. Also, there is the Season Five episode, "House Calls", in which the topic of "witch doctor" is brought up. One, "witch doctor" is an offensive term to describe men who are involved in African folk magic aka "Hoodoo" (a term used in the New World). Also, the show has them portrayed as "good guys", but still in a negative light, thanks to Leo's description of them. Perhaps the writers should have used the term "conjurer". And of course, there was the show's portrayal of the Marcy Steadwell character in "Ms. Hellfire". The fact that Hecate, usually hailed as a patron deity of witches, was some demonic bridezilla. As someone who is interested in Hoodoo, bleh to the witch doctors, you're right on there. As for Marcy, double bleh. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2015 23:30:30 GMT -5
The Greek goddesses annoyed me the most because the sisters ended up in stupid costumes. Those were just the clothes the mortals who became Gods wore at the time, so why would taking in their powers put modern women into ancient clothing?
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Post by Chrisaholic on Dec 31, 2015 9:25:49 GMT -5
Agreed completely. The Greek Goddesses for one: Phoebe as Goddess of Love (Venus) was right, Paige not as Goddess of War (Ares as God) but Piper as the Goddess of Earth (meaning Gaia). She would have been a higher God, as a parents of the other two. Not with the same rank, anyway. So, one mistake here! Unless you count Paige as the Goddess of Hunting (or Artemis).
What I'm also not happy with is their location of Valhalla. Yes, the Valkyries do exist in the Northern Mythology and bring dead warriors yet to Odin into a Great Hall what Valhalla is in reality. And not some tropical island as shown on Tv. In my stories, I always try to explain with several locations but it's really confusing. Freyja does exist as well but I don't think they were seen in these clothes. And in reality she's the Northern Goddess of Marriage and Love.
Writers, please do your research!
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Dec 31, 2015 10:37:27 GMT -5
Agreed completely. The Greek Goddesses for one: Phoebe as Goddess of Love (Venus) was right, Paige not as Goddess of War (Ares as God) but Piper as the Goddess of Earth (meaning Gaia). She would have been a higher God, as a parents of the other two. Not with the same rank, anyway. So, one mistake here! Unless you count Paige as the Goddess of Hunting (or Artemis). What I'm also not happy with is their location of Valhalla. Yes, the Valkyries do exist in the Northern Mythology and bring dead warriors yet to Odin into a Great Hall what Valhalla is in reality. And not some tropical island as shown on Tv. In my stories, I always try to explain with several locations but it's really confusing. Freyja does exist as well but I don't think they were seen in these clothes. And in reality she's the Northern Goddess of Marriage and Love. Writers, please do your research! Yeah exactly. It would've been nice to have seen Thor maybe or Loki and Odin plus the mysticism behind Valhalla same as Olympus with the gods and had Piper, Phoebe and Paige possessed by the spirits of whatever goddesses they were who weren't mortals corrupted by power but actual deities who had better personality traits also. And I so would've loved hearing 'Black Sabbath's' Valhalla at the start of 'Valhalley Of The Dolls'. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2015 13:59:12 GMT -5
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Post by Darkhorse Christian on Dec 31, 2015 14:49:02 GMT -5
I don't know if I agree with this particular complaint as much as one would think I probably should. I mean, on the one hand I get it. They could've done more to channel the original roots of some of these things they used on the show. I've even said as much about the Valkyries, a concept I actually like. On the other hand the whole "you suck at myths, either git gud or stop using them" thing starts sounding like any amount of creative liberties or adaptation to these things is a no-no and mythological concepts have to be kept exactly the same as they are in the source material or else it's bad, bad, bad, bad.
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Post by lilchi7212 on Dec 31, 2015 17:44:47 GMT -5
Agreed completely. The Greek Goddesses for one: Phoebe as Goddess of Love (Venus) was right, Paige not as Goddess of War (Ares as God) but Piper as the Goddess of Earth (meaning Gaia). She would have been a higher God, as a parents of the other two. Not with the same rank, anyway. So, one mistake here! Unless you count Paige as the Goddess of Hunting (or Artemis). Actually there is a Greek Goddess of War and her name is Enyo. In Greek Mytho she is Ares lover and also sister since she was the daughter of Zeus and Hera |
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Post by lilchi7212 on Dec 31, 2015 18:10:35 GMT -5
Charmeds idea of a Vision Quest is all wrong. In Native American Culture it's an attempt to achieve a vision of a future guardian spirit often through the process of fasting, isolation and meditation. A vision quest is a rite of passage traditionally undertaken at puberty by young boys of the Great Plains Indian tribes.
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Post by Chrisaholic on Dec 31, 2015 19:00:29 GMT -5
Agreed completely. The Greek Goddesses for one: Phoebe as Goddess of Love (Venus) was right, Paige not as Goddess of War (Ares as God) but Piper as the Goddess of Earth (meaning Gaia). She would have been a higher God, as a parents of the other two. Not with the same rank, anyway. So, one mistake here! Unless you count Paige as the Goddess of Hunting (or Artemis). Actually there is a Greek Goddess of War and her name is Enyo. In Greek Mytho she is Ares lover and also sister since she was the daughter of Zeus and Hera You're right, though Enyo is more the Goddess of the close and bloody combat, emphasis on close!! Looked after in Wikipedia but in the show, I guess, there it was more in the meaning of Ares. Who else as the God of War knows all battle strategies? This is the main point. |
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Post by Darkhorse Christian on Jan 1, 2016 13:10:14 GMT -5
Charmeds idea of a Vision Quest is all wrong. In Native American Culture it's an attempt to achieve a vision of a future guardian spirit often through the process of fasting, isolation and meditation. A vision quest is a rite of passage traditionally undertaken at puberty by young boys of the Great Plains Indian tribes. True, but at the same time we know that with what they needed the idea of vision quests for, it simply wouldn't work to do it exactly like it is in the actual culture. So maybe it might've helped if Enola had said a line indicating that she calls it so because it reminds her of an old cultural practice by that name? |
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ljones
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Post by ljones on Jan 1, 2016 23:14:34 GMT -5
From "Is There a Woogy in the House?":
According to Prue, the Halliwell manor is located on a spiritual nexus and in the center of five elements, which makes the Nexus "Wiccan" as well - namely earth, fire, water, wood, and metal. The problem with this explanation is that the five elements that Prue had listed are associated with CHINESE PHILOSOPHY, not Wiccan.
The elements associated with Wicca are - earth, fire, water, spirit (aether) and air.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2016 1:06:51 GMT -5
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Post by West on Jan 2, 2016 3:36:05 GMT -5
In regards to the Wendigo. They wanted a werewolf episode, but WB didn't allow them because Buffy had a werewolf on its show with Oz at the time. So they changed the name from werewolf to Wendigo.
As for Barbas. He never should of returned after his first episode, Kern changed it so much that he kept coming back all because he was popular.
The show didn't get the Friday the 13th date right either. One of my pet peeves, is when shows get dates wrong. The only Friday the 13th in 1999 was August. Plus the second season Friday the 13th is again wrong as the only date in 2000 was in October, which would be season 3 at the time.
I seem to always hate when dates are wrong for things like Christmas, Valentines Day or full moons etc. I guess I like things to been a little accurate, but when you have something like Friday the 13th being so off. Just dont bother adding it to the show, and come up with another way for Barbas to be linked to a certain date.
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Post by Darkhorse Christian on Jan 2, 2016 10:49:11 GMT -5
From "Is There a Woogy in the House?": According to Prue, the Halliwell manor is located on a spiritual nexus and in the center of five elements, which makes the Nexus "Wiccan" as well - namely earth, fire, water, wood, and metal. The problem with this explanation is that the five elements that Prue had listed are associated with CHINESE PHILOSOPHY, not Wiccan. The elements associated with Wicca are - earth, fire, water, spirit (aether) and air. Wood and metal are types of earth anyway, so that I'll agree is 100% bad research. |
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Post by lilchi7212 on Jan 2, 2016 12:34:47 GMT -5
Amazing they got the Hindu god and goddess Shakti and Shiva story right.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2016 12:38:42 GMT -5
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...
What kind of dolts were running the WB? It's no wonder their network ultimately failed.
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Post by lilchi7212 on Jan 12, 2016 16:58:13 GMT -5
In Charmed they said that Pandora's box was a gift the gods gave to Prometheus. But in Greek Mythology the Box was given to Epimetheus, not Prometheus. Epimetheus ignored the warnings of Prometheus, his brother, and accepted Pandora herself, who bore a box, as a gift from the gods.
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thepowerofnicki
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My favourite character Paige! Yet I am a firm fan of the Original Power of Three
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Post by thepowerofnicki on Jan 12, 2016 17:55:15 GMT -5
I don't know if I agree with this particular complaint as much as one would think I probably should. I mean, on the one hand I get it. They could've done more to channel the original roots of some of these things they used on the show. I've even said as much about the Valkyries, a concept I actually like. On the other hand the whole "you suck at myths, either git gud or stop using them" thing starts sounding like any amount of creative liberties or adaptation to these things is a no-no and mythological concepts have to be kept exactly the same as they are in the source material or else it's bad, bad, bad, bad. I agree with you! The criticisms of myths on Charmed always left me scratching my head. I mean it is a television show, it should have some creative liberties to change myths to fit it's universe. There is nothing wrong with that, television, books, films all do that. I mean you can disagree with how about the quality of the concepts. I mean myths are myths they are not true they have various versions of themselves. I mean which version should they follow? They |
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