Looking taboo
Looking taboo is a
Notable examples
A notable looking taboo is in the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in Greek mythology. Orpheus, the son of Apollo and a renowned musician, fell in love with Eurydice, who was bitten by a snake and died. On the gods' advice, Orpheus traveled to the Underworld wherein his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone, who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to the living world on one condition: he should guide her out and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. As he was about to reach the living world, Orpheus looked back toward Eurydice forgetting about the looking taboo, and Eurydice was trapped in the Underworld forever.
Another looking taboo is in the story of
In Greek mythology Medusa had a hideous appearance so that anyone who looked upon her was turned to stone.[3] Athena loaned Perseus her polished shield for him to view Medusa's reflection without becoming petrified, so he circumvented the looking taboo and successfully beheaded Medusa.
In Japanese mythology, two stories involve a prohibition from looking at a female at certain moments: those of
Classification
In Motif-Index of Folk-Literature this motif is classified under C300-C399 "Looking taboo":[5]
- C310: looking at certain person or thing.
- C311: seeing the supernatural.
- C312: man looking at woman.
- C312.1: man looking at nude woman. (Lady Godiva)
- C313: woman looking at man.
- C315: looking at certain object.
- C316: looking at certain animal.
- C320: looking into certain receptacle.
- C321: looking into box (Pandora's box)
- C330: looking in certain direction.
- C331: looking back. (Lot's wife, Orpheus and Eurydice)
References
- ^ ISBN 9780195358704.
- ^ 19:26
- ^ Brill's New Pauly, s.v. Gorgo.
- ^ Marina Shchepetunina, "The Power of Vision in Mythological Thinking: 'To See the Forbidden' in Japanese Myths and Fairy Tales", In:Vision beyond Visual Perception, 2017 pp.30, 34
- ^ C300—C399 Looking tabu.