The myths and legends of days of old were well-known to the people who originated them; retold and expanded upon throughout the ages, teaching wisdom and attempting to explain the big questions, growing and developing with each civilisation, and mirroring a core element of humanity each successive generation could see in themselves and relate to.
Some of these tales have now receded into the obscure textbooks or been forgotten, while others thrive in further modern retellings like the heroics of Thor, the betrayal of Seth, the cheekiness of Sun Wukong the Monkey King, and the fierceness of the monstrous dragons (as pictured).
Building on from these epics, a modern-day global mythos is emerging, which like the stories that came before, strike a chord in generation after generation, while being retold to reflect the popular tastes and environmental factors of the time.
Because of the constant retelling across multiple mediums, you can cross the globe and talk to people of all generations, and they can tell you Sherlock Holmes is a detective who lives on Baker Street…
Or Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are Darth Vader’s children…
Or Batman’s parents were murdered, leading him to dedicate his life to fighting crime (pictured here in Crime Alley, inside the silhouette of my head).
These are the new myths that in this “global community” have become a shared history. Stories that connect us all together, and are a lens for us to see and contemplate ourselves through.
... Well, either that, or I just wanted to like paint dragons and Batman because they're cool and stuff!
- Daniel Grant Newton :-)
