(I am having problems copying images. This happens sometimes.)
We inherit narratives about three supernatural conflicts:
gods versus giants in Norse mythology;
gods versus demons in Hindu mythology;
angels versus demons in later Biblical texts, particularly the Apocalypse.
Gods and giants exist in works of fantasy by Poul Anderson. Angels and demons exist in works of fantasy by James Blish but in works of sf by CS Lewis. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy counts as sf because his angels, although inorganic and immortal, have subtle but empirically detectable bodies and inhabit space and other planets, not some invisible realm.
This shows the range of possibilities open to modern adaptors of mythological/theological narratives. Often, Anderson covers all the options but not always. A lot could be done with Hindu myths.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I think I read somewhere comments by Catholic theologians that we see surprisingly little about the angels and demons in the older, earlier parts of the Bible because God did not want the Jews to worship the angels, good or bad, as gods. Not that angels can't be found in the OT, simply recall the seraphim seen in the first part of Isaiah 6, where the prophet saw a vision of God enthroned in the Temple.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment