If the eye could see the demons that people the universe,
existence would be impossible.
-Talmud. Berakhoth, folio 6
Can we say that pop culture in some way reflects esoteric
thought? There are certainly subtle indications that the Mysteries are alive
and well in Hollywood. One film that not so subtly explores occult mythos is
2006’s Silent Hill. Although based originally on a video-game, Silent Hill is a
clear re-presentation of the ancient Grecian Eleusinian Mysteries.
Anybody with even a rudimentary knowledge of mystery
religions will recall that the initiatory rituals at Eleusis focused on the
Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone. According to the narrative, Persephone
was abducted by the god Hades and taken to the underworld. Her mother, Demeter,
traveled to Hades and negotiated her release but because Persephone had eaten
while there, she is confined to return to the underworld half the year. This
myth was meant to explain the seasons and harvest and was extremely important
to the ritual of discernment that occurred as part of the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Those familiar with Silent Hill will recognize these themes
and motifs as the plot of the film. The Persephone character, Sharon, becomes
trapped in Silent Hill and it’s left to her mother, Rose, to find and retrieve
her. Silent Hill may be the clearest and most powerful representation of Hades
in film history. There is a plethora of horrifying creatures and entities that
fill the town as soon as ‘darkness’ comes. It’s made clear that Silent Hill is
a liminal space and anybody trapped there exists in a betwixt and between
state. It’s as much an exploration of demarcated boundaries as it is a story of
separation and reintegration. We journey with Rose as she traverses the liminal
and dares the demons of Silent Hill to find her daughter. And although the end
of the film strays a bit from the original Eleusinian myth, Silent Hill is an
allusion to this powerful narrative of gods and goddesses.
No comments:
Post a Comment