2.1.2.3: Ritual

Ritual theory asserts that myths that focus on the foundation of rituals do so to prescribe traditional ceremonies, even quasi-religious festivals meant to honor the gods and their acts. The ritual of carrying a bride across the threshold is based upon a more brutal legendary act: the rape of the Sabine women. Shortly after its violent foundation, the city of warrior-filled Rome lacked sufficient marriageable women. To remedy this problem, they invited their neighbors, the Sabines, to a festival. When they arrived, the Romans, lead by Romulus, abducted and raped all the daughters of their visitors. Though the initial act of violence ultimately led to formal marriages, the empire was founded on several layers of violence, abduction, and subjugation of women. Years of wars followed until the “wives'' pleaded for a cessation, telling their families that they were content to be Roman wives. Their act led to the forging of political alliances and the prosperity that allowed Rome to grow in power. The story led to the ritual of carrying the bride over the threshold to symbolize the bride’s willingness to participate in her own abduction.

While this is one example of violence, other quasi-religious festivals were even more gruesome, such as that of Xipe Totec, a Mayan deity whose ceremony required an offerant (a captured slave) to offer up his skin for the Xipe Totec priest/impersonator to wear for the duration of the Tlacaxipehualiztli festival (about two weeks) until the rotten skin molted off, after which time the young man emerged again. Xipe statues frequently reflect the molting state, with tufted skin carved into the torso, arms and legs. The ceremony was thought to inspire agricultural fertility, as it took place in early spring (Miller and Taube 188).

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Xipe Toltec, the Flayed Lord, was a particularly gruesome deity by Western standards, but he reflected the Mayan regard for blood sacrifice in a world where human existence was so fraught that ritual sacrifice of a few was believed to secure the safety and survival of the many. To be chosen as the offerant was considered a great honor. (Mina Marciano, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia)

This school of thought is largely attributed to Sir James G. Frazer, author of The Golden Bough, a multi-volume collection of world myths that seeks and often finds complimentary links between myths of early tribal cultures and Ancient Greek myths (Moreford and Lenardon 11). It should be noted that some find complications with Frazer’s conclusions and other researchers who align with his views, including Jane Harrison and Robert Graves, noting that the analogies are often flawed or forced-fit. Again, it’s wise to remember that there are a number of literary theories that work for mythology (and other genres) and shifting our literary theory lens is not only good for our brains, but also necessary for an honest and original interpretation of literature.