Post by neiru2012 on Sept 13, 2007 1:45:13 GMT -5
Alrightee, well to follow on the string of religious parallels, I got a more obscure one for ya...
I assume most of you know the Greek myth about Icarus. The whole boy trying to fly too close to the sun, wings melting, falling to watery doom. A little ominous to name your ship that, but whatever, lol. It's an obvious reference to the fate of both Icarus I and Icarus II.
But I think there's a better myth to compare Sunshine to. The Aztec myth of the Fifth Sun.
It was believed that stars, just as any other creature, needed nourishment to survive. The four previous suns fed on water, wind, earth, but have all grown unstable and died, leaving the world in darkness. The gods were not sure what to do. Who would become the new sun? And how could they make sure it endures?
This task fell to the proud Tecuciztecatl and the humble Nanahuatzin. For four days they ritually purified themselves with offerings and bloodletting, and on the eve of the last day, they prepared to hurl themselves into the sacrificial bonfire and become the sun.
Tecuciztecatl made four attempts to jump into the fire, but was gripped by fear and failed. When it was finally Nanahuatzin's turn, the least glorious of all the gods, his resolve did not waver. He leapt headlong into the flames and was instantly immolated. Shamed by Nanahuatzin's bravery, Tecuciztecatl followed. After the pyre burned out, and darkness still ruled, the gods worried that the sacrifice did not work. But then the sky brightened and a blinding ball of light rose in the east. This was Nanahuatzin reborn as the new sun, with a new name: Tonatiuh.
The gods rejoiced, but Tonatiuh refused to move. He demanded the blood and hearts of his fellow deities before he would budge. One by one the gods sacrificed themselves to feed the newborn sun until he was strong enough to traverse the sky. Thus the only sustainable nourishment for the sun was found, and to ensure that the sun stays in motion, humans must follow the gods' example. The Fifth Sun survives to this day on the blood of war-torn humanity.
(Also, Tecuciztecatl became the moon, and there was some throwing of rabbits involved, but I won't get into that...)
There are many similarities between this ancient story and the plot of Sunshine, but some are more apparent by reading Alex Garland's script.
For starters, Pinbacker can be thought of as Tecuciztecatl, and Capa as Nanahuatzin. They are the most central for restarting the sun on their respective missions, Icarus I and Icarus II. Though Pinbacker loves to boast about his fellowship with "God," when it came time to take the plunge and meet said "God," he was terrified. When the sun burst through the stellar bomb, Pinbacker was "seeing God and screaming" in the script.
Capa, on the other hand, did not hesitate to throw himself into the sun's transformative flames. He stayed true to his humble intentions of reigniting a being so much greater than himself. If you stick to the myth, you can even say that although Capa's human form died, some part of him was rewarded by being reborn in the new sun, as Nanahuatzin was reborn into Tonatiuh. Adding to the blood of his teammates, Capa was the ultimate sacrifice on the altar of the Payload.
Although Capa did not awaken to demand the blood and hearts of humanity, the sun certainly claimed many lives throughout the missions until it finally decided to shine normal again. I'm sure you can also draw parallels between the death of the gods and the movie's atheist themes. Although I guess it would be less catchy to call the ship Nanahuatzin.
I assume most of you know the Greek myth about Icarus. The whole boy trying to fly too close to the sun, wings melting, falling to watery doom. A little ominous to name your ship that, but whatever, lol. It's an obvious reference to the fate of both Icarus I and Icarus II.
But I think there's a better myth to compare Sunshine to. The Aztec myth of the Fifth Sun.
It was believed that stars, just as any other creature, needed nourishment to survive. The four previous suns fed on water, wind, earth, but have all grown unstable and died, leaving the world in darkness. The gods were not sure what to do. Who would become the new sun? And how could they make sure it endures?
This task fell to the proud Tecuciztecatl and the humble Nanahuatzin. For four days they ritually purified themselves with offerings and bloodletting, and on the eve of the last day, they prepared to hurl themselves into the sacrificial bonfire and become the sun.
Tecuciztecatl made four attempts to jump into the fire, but was gripped by fear and failed. When it was finally Nanahuatzin's turn, the least glorious of all the gods, his resolve did not waver. He leapt headlong into the flames and was instantly immolated. Shamed by Nanahuatzin's bravery, Tecuciztecatl followed. After the pyre burned out, and darkness still ruled, the gods worried that the sacrifice did not work. But then the sky brightened and a blinding ball of light rose in the east. This was Nanahuatzin reborn as the new sun, with a new name: Tonatiuh.
The gods rejoiced, but Tonatiuh refused to move. He demanded the blood and hearts of his fellow deities before he would budge. One by one the gods sacrificed themselves to feed the newborn sun until he was strong enough to traverse the sky. Thus the only sustainable nourishment for the sun was found, and to ensure that the sun stays in motion, humans must follow the gods' example. The Fifth Sun survives to this day on the blood of war-torn humanity.
(Also, Tecuciztecatl became the moon, and there was some throwing of rabbits involved, but I won't get into that...)
There are many similarities between this ancient story and the plot of Sunshine, but some are more apparent by reading Alex Garland's script.
For starters, Pinbacker can be thought of as Tecuciztecatl, and Capa as Nanahuatzin. They are the most central for restarting the sun on their respective missions, Icarus I and Icarus II. Though Pinbacker loves to boast about his fellowship with "God," when it came time to take the plunge and meet said "God," he was terrified. When the sun burst through the stellar bomb, Pinbacker was "seeing God and screaming" in the script.
Capa, on the other hand, did not hesitate to throw himself into the sun's transformative flames. He stayed true to his humble intentions of reigniting a being so much greater than himself. If you stick to the myth, you can even say that although Capa's human form died, some part of him was rewarded by being reborn in the new sun, as Nanahuatzin was reborn into Tonatiuh. Adding to the blood of his teammates, Capa was the ultimate sacrifice on the altar of the Payload.
Although Capa did not awaken to demand the blood and hearts of humanity, the sun certainly claimed many lives throughout the missions until it finally decided to shine normal again. I'm sure you can also draw parallels between the death of the gods and the movie's atheist themes. Although I guess it would be less catchy to call the ship Nanahuatzin.