The Birth of A Monster

By: Zin Lee

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In almost every culture, the first impression people get from monsters is that they are “scary creatures.” However, through the various lenses of comparative mythology and some distinctions, we may instead be able to see a more fleshed-out definition of the term “monster.”

By convention, monsters usually have physiologies that are abnormal in appearance or size relative to the human scale; this is valid in that these features provoke instinctive reactions of fear and caution in others. For instance, when his creation started to show signs of life, Frankenstein describes it as having “yellow skin,” “a shriveled complexion and straight black lips,” and in horror and disgust, compares it to a “demoniacal corpse” (Mary Shelly, Volume 1, Chapter 5, Penguin Classics). In the Iroquois’ creation myth, a giant tortoise volunteered to endure the lasting weight of protecting a “beautiful woman” from the dangers of the deep waters, as it becomes a large island itself. This myth details that the tortoise occasionally stretches its muscles, causing “occasional quakes” that would scare people, as earthquakes are natural disasters.

Along with looking fearful, monsters usually serve as antagonists to the hero or creator as they appear in the story. According to Joseph Campbell, we are all our own heroes struggling in our own adventures (Thury & Devinney, p. 217), thus suggesting that audiences relate, and thus root for, heroes in hero myths time and time again. In myths like that of the Enuma Elish, we see that Tiamat comes up with an army of more creatures, to which Marduk responds by offering himself to fight against all of them to stop the noise they caused that disturbed the other gods. After emerging victorious, Marduk is crowned by the gods as a champion. Through such an account, monsters are obstacles that one must get past to reach a desirable outcome; monsters provide a stark contrast that further emphasizes the hero’s legendary feats and the values they represent.

From the metaphysical point of view, monsters do not necessarily obey the sets of characteristics, principles, and limitations that are largely present within human society. Perhaps, monsters in mythological stories help discuss cultural taboos that may not otherwise be depicted from the actions of other main characters. Certain topics may be uncomfortable to talk about, but they may still manifest from the human physique, such as in the Freudian concept of ids, superegos, egos, and ultimately in human interaction. In incorporating the myth of werewolves in a retelling of ‘The Little Red Riding Hood,’ Angela Carter presents such themes in ‘The Company of Wolves.’ These themes include jealousy, whereby the werewolf kills the woman’s second husband; loss of innocence – in a femme fatale fashion – through the woman losing her virginity to the werewolf; and even virility (“His genitals, huge. Ah! huge.”) In African creation myth, the concept of Death is anthropomorphized in the form of Warumbe, who killed the children of Mugulu and Kintu one by one, from whom we can understand the aetiological suggestion that death exists because of Kintu’s prior disobedience to the gods.

Moreover, a monster does more harm than good. This is obvious, but in myths where creators also possess destructive power, it is important to weigh out the overall effects and motives an entity has towards its surroundings. Through such an assessment, we would explain why we do not call the biblical God a monster – while God brought about a flood that wiped off the ‘wickedness’ of the Earth, God is still the Earth’s creator, governing its cosmology; and God too establishes a covenant with the inhabitants of Noah’s Ark, promising to never again destroy every living creature. In doing so, God shows mercy to Noah, the representative of all human beings, by proclaiming a restoration towards goodness. Monsters, however, do not explicitly follow this line of mindful reasoning.

Finally, monsters maintain a mystical presence, literally lurking in the shadows. Taking all the previous points into account, a monster in its true form would have a hard time acclimating into, or interacting within, human society. Any frequent encounters on part of the monster would bring much attention upon itself and may inadvertently challenge the sociological laws and understandings within the cluster of civilization where it is present, stirring up controversies and civil disorder. Time and time again, we see stories of characters struggling with acceptance, such as in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Maleficent,’ highlighting that their very existence serves to be the tipping point of pushing human uncertainty into a state of instinctual terror.

What constitutes a monster is still not definite. Our perception of realities continues to shape-shift as we continue to evolve from the first instances of storytelling. One thing goes bump into the night, then another. Horror stories teach children to not wander off into the unknown, for fear of what might lurk beneath. But what actually lurks beneath? Are monsters real? Do they wield sharp claws and teeth? Or are they exactly depicted as they are in modern creepypastas? What if monsters do not exist? Do we merely create them out of imagination? Do we become monsters ourselves? For all our occasional hypotheticals and paranoias, ‘monsters,’ for all of their idiosyncrasies, will continue to fascinate us; as they come out to play, so will we.