The underlying story of Mumbo Jumbo (how Jes Grew came into existence and why it continued to spread) is rooted in Ancient Egyptian mythology. Like, the origin story of the whole thing is an almost direct retelling of an Ancient Egyptian myth. I thought this was a very interesting plot point, and could recognize the story/characters that Reed had changed to fit Mumbo Jumbo's narrative. Osiris, Isis, Set, Thoth, and Horus are all Ancient Egyptian gods and are given a role (or at least mentioned) by Reed in Mumbo Jumbo. This made sense to me, as they are all probably the most recognizable gods, but there was one name that wasn't mentioned that really confused me. Ra, the god of the Sun (arguably one of the most important gods??) wasn't mentioned at all in Mumbo Jumbo, even though all of those other gods were, and while reading I was wondering why. Maybe Reed had enough characters and didn't need more? Maybe Ra just wasn't relevant and therefore Reed didn't have a role for Ra in the story? Or maybe he was characterized/represented in some other way? This last question is what got me thinking. Where else could Ra be in the story?
Then I remembered an interesting detail. What is the ultimate thing the Wallflower Order worships? What does Set originally devote a religion to? The Sun. It was a strange detail that didn't really make sense to me while reading. Why would Set and the Wallflower Order worship the Sun? Technically, the 'Sun' is actually Aton, the Sun's flaming disc, meant to be "the reverse of Osiris who was associated with fertilization and Spring" (Reed 174). Set's goal was to become like the flaming sun, 'burning all growing things' (Osiris's dances, Jes Grew, etc.) Which is exactly what the Knight's Templar and then the Wallflower Order are so hellbent on doing. Stop anything from growing and make sure it burns (for the sake of 'Civilization' as we know it!!!). There's a line after that which goes: "he (Set) was in such a state that he believed the Sun was dependent on him and thus he would walk around in circles all day thinking that when he walked (the Sun followed him)" (Reed 174). I think this is a direct reference to Ra's role in Egyptian mythology, as being the actual Sun and making his way across the sky every day. Set is 'replacing' Ra in this scene, highlighting his absence and how different Mumbo Jumbo's telling of the story really is.
I don't think Ra as a character is actually present in the story, rather Reed repurposed his likeness/themes to fit the narrative more. The Sun represents the Wallflower Order and all that it stands for, as the underlying antagonist of Jes Grew and Mumbo Jumbo. I think this is a fascinating connection, though I'm not sure of the real meaning/nuance behind it. Also my knowledge of Ancient Egyptian mythology is pretty rusty so I may have gotten a few things confused. I thought it was something worth pointing out though (and definitely somewhat purposeful on Reed's part).
I like the idea of Set "replacing" Ra, and we do see something like this in the alt-mythology Reed presents: Set generates this "cult of the sun" in opposition to Osiris's fertility dances (don't ask me how to separate the sun from fertility), and this enables Reed to make a bunch of funny parallels between these sun-worshipers and contemporary residents of Los Angeles. But ultimately the sun stands for monotheism in _Mumbo Jumbo_--the worship of the "one" over the diverse many, represented by Osiris. (And I'm sure you noticed that the 1920s-era newspaper, the "Atonist journalism," in the novel is the fictional _New York Sun_--the cult of Ra is still in effect in modern America.)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You make a great point about the importance of "the sun" as Reed's stand-in for monotheism, which I think was both convenient and intentional on Reed's part. Repurposing these ideas from Ra is definitely in character for Reed, as he takes so many bits and pieces from other sources and shapes them to fit his narrative. There are a lot of great metaphors that align with "the sun" - bright things are usually the "good", and shadowy ones are usually not. Specifically, a lot of Christian art tends to show the "good guys" showered in beams of light, charging towards the darkened "bad guys".
ReplyDeleteFear no more the heat of the sun!
Set as a replacement for Ra is an interesting idea that I think is plausible. Reed uses the the sun itself as a metaphor for monotheism and atonism, which makes sense. After all, there is only one sun in the sky during the day, while on the other hand, you could see stars as representative of polytheism, as there are many stars in the night sky. Ra is the god of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology, and it makes sense that Reed would repurpose his character to fit the whole sun-atonism paralell. It certainly seems like a very Reed thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI too also found it interesting that Reed seemed quite into Egyptian mythology but did not in any way reference Ra. I think the explanation you offer is quite insightful, and definitely one of the best ways we as readers could interpret this decision by Reed. This is certainly one of the many ways Reed chose to write over what many consider to be a history that was previously defined. I could also see it possible that Ra did not fit into the narrative Reed wanted to push, and so he chose to write his story around Ra's absence. This 'replacement' is definitely much more interesting though.
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