Star Wars: The Great Myth

         The Star Wars Saga is everywhere, and it's become integrated into our culture. It is, quiet simply, a modern myth; just like the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths of old.
George Lucas has based many of his concepts off of ancient and well rooted ideas that have become a part of our being.

 Luke's hero's journey is the most well know of these. And his father's spiritual decay and submission to the dark side carries undertones of ancient myths.

You reap what you sow; Lucas sowed his inspiration from myths and legends, thus creating one himself.

So without further ado let me show you some examples of how Lucas based his legendary Saga off of ancient myths.








The Chosen One: 


As I mentioned briefly in a previous post Anakin is similar to David from the Bible. And really the similarities run very deep. David was the king of Israel chosen by God, while Anakin was the Chosen One said to bring balance to the Force.

David and Goliath  

Anakin might also be compared to Jesus Christ. And Shmi, his mother, to his mother Marry. Both were virgins.

I might also add that Anakin in Sanskrit (Asian) means warrior, a fitting title considering his role in the Clone Wars. It may have also been derived from Anakim a race of giants found in the Old Testament of the Bible. For a more in depth look at the origin of this classic character's name read Wookieepedia.  

One very notable difference between Anakin and his biblical counterpart is this: David ruled his kingdom in peace and ended all the wars, leaving virtually no fighting for his future heir. As opposed to Anakin who seemed to live off the energies of war.

A friend of mine interpreted the ancient prophecy of the Chosen One in a very interesting way; he said that Anakin did in fact bring balance to the Force when he massacred the Jedi in ROTS. Because once the Jedi were extinct there were no longer any opposing ideas, or ideals, about how the Force worked, so there was a kind of balance you might say.





Lightsabers and Lightning:

 "An elegant weapon for a more civilized age." Is how the aged Jedi Master Obi-Wan described the lightsaber to young Luke in A New Hope. This classic weapon ,unique to Star Wars, could be based off god the Greek god Zeus's favorite weapon; the lightning bolt.

Zeus supposedly fought his children in many epic duels with this weapon.

I also find the lightsaber comparable to the Japanese katana used by the ancient Samurai. Both weapons can cut through almost everything with exceptional ease, both were handcrafted, and both were used by skilled swordsmen of legendary Orders.








Roger, roger:  

The Separatist Droid Army may have its bases in the Immortals; the infantry force for the Persian Empire. These men used shields and spears and wore armor no thicker then a playing card.
The concept was to continually throw these men at the enemy, every time one fell two more took his place. This was kept up until the enemy was tired out and could no longer fight.

We see this same strategy used during the Clone Wars, but with

droids rather then men.













Slime and Scales: 


Jabba the Hutt; the very image of lustful greed. This slug, whose most notable appearance was in ROTJ, in role, is vey much like the dragons from ancient legends. Granted they didn't smell like old socks or speak Huttese. And like a dragon this slime ball hoards mountains of wealth for himself in his "keep" along with slaves and other treasures.
So when Luke freed his sister Leia from Jabba he was, in effect, freeing her from the dragon.










Ahsoka: 


Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's young lighthearted Togruta Padawan in the Clone Wars, she's strong, and independent. These traits are also seen in Joan of Arc, a 14th Century heroine from France. Like Ahsoka Joan went to war at when she was around fourteen and sixteen. She grew up a humble farm girl in 1429 during the Hundred Years' War. A war which France was badly loosing.
She became a general and lead her country to many victories. I might also add that she was much more driven then her male counterparts in commanding their forces.
Unfortunately for Joan of Arc she was captured by the enemy and accused of being a witch, which she was not, and burning at the stake.
Now; I'm not suggesting everyones' favorite Padawan will met such a demise, but some fans do seem to criticize her and generally question her existence. I'm not going to point fingers at anyone, I'm just presenting my observations.
What I'm trying to say is; I think we should give her a little more credit and start honoring her more, she is, in fact, a great addition to the Clone Wars.


Behind the Name:  


Ahsoka is based off of the Sanskrit (Asian) name Ashoka (masculine); it means "To be with out sorrow." and was given to Ashoka the Great.
The name is really fitting for her.











Naboo and Nabu: 


Naboo, Padm`e's home-world. Its name is derived from Nabu, the Assyrian and Babylonian god of wisdom and writing.




Conclusion: 


I could go on and on. I'm sure I've only scratched the tip of the iceberg with these few that I've mentioned. I hope you've enjoyed reading what I've assembled. Until next time; may the Force be with you!!