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Don Quijote: "La
Poesía, señor hidalgo, a mi parecer,
es como una doncella tierna y de poca edad, y en
todo extremo hermosa, a quien tienen cuidado de
enriquecer, pulir y adornar otras muchas doncellas,
que son todas las otras ciencias, y ella se ha de
servir de todas, y todas se han de autorizar con
ella...Ella es hecha de una alquimia de tal virtud,
que quien la sabe tratar la volverá en oro
purísimo de inestimable precio..."
[Miguel de Cervantes,
Don
Quijote de la Mancha, Segunda Parte,
Capítulo XVI]
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Don Quixote: "Poetry, sir,
in my judgement, is like a tender virgin in her
bloom, beautiful and charming to amazement: all the
other sciences are so many virgins, whose care is
to enrich, polish, and adorn her, and as she is to
make use of them all, so are they all to have from
her a grateful acknowledgement . . . She is made of
such a virtuous alchemy, that he who treats her
well will turn her into the purest gold of an
inestimable price." [Miguel de Cervantes,
Don
Quixote, Part II, Chapter XVI]
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Why they are immortal
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The myths are unsurpassed in generosity, and
that is the reason why they are immortal. For
liberality is always needed and cherished, and no
one wishes to see it disappear or fall into
oblivion as everybody benefits from it, and the
world itself would fall into utter misery and
destruction if generosity could not prevail.
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They speak to all
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Every human being, independently of gender, age,
talent or inclination finds in the myths, adapted
to his own understanding and needs, the advanced
version of his life and dreams:
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Love of Power
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He who seeks to admire the power of the gods,
and looks upon their battles with awe, encounters
the thrill of a dramatic universe in the danger and
excitement of cosmic warfare, and wonders at the
might that can be unleashed among exceptional
contenders in regions representing dimensions that
he finds more believable than impossible.
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Love of Beauty
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He who loves to contemplate the beauty of the
gods is filled with satisfaction, for he finds
nothing able to outshine the exquisiteness and ease
of the gods and goddesses. And he who looks for the
wisdom and intelligence of the deities, does not
fail to sense it, no matter what the rumours say.
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Love of exciting elegance
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He who looks for amazement and loves to be
puzzled is both amazed and puzzled, for the
multitude of unpredictable tales and their
diversity bewilder and please him, either for their
clear simplicity or for their complexity. For the
same stories are told in a vast variety of ways,
and when narrated anew, reveal yet more intriguing
details. And because the stories are inside
stories, he feels they unfold like a fractal and
connect to each other with surprising elegance and
subtlety.
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Love of Danger
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He who loves adventures and dangerous quests in
foreign or unknown territories is charmed and
entertained, and he who finds excitement in the
drama of war loses himself in the clashes of
armies, in the description of fleets and sieges,
and in the terrors of persecution and slaughter.
For in the myths may be found the preview of all
crimes.
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Human issues
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He who reflects about human issues thinks he
perceives the many nuances of human nature when he
observes men and women dealing with moral dilemmas
resembling his own, facing fate under the
all-seeing eyes of the divinities, and changing
shape as their souls or the circumstances command.
And so, he who is attracted by the world of
emotion feels fulfilled, for there is no passion he
does not find described, and likewise is satisfied
he who admires intelligence and cunning, for he
discovers that most deeds have their precedent in
the myths.
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Ethical inspiration
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There is no one looking for inspiration and
example who does not find among the heroes and
heroines, his favourite model. For he soon believes
that most physical qualities, as well as
temperaments, are represented, and he discerns,
wittily depicted, all their degrees of strength and
weakness, wisdom and folly, courage and cowardice,
piety and cruelty, loyalty and betrayal.
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Professionals rewarded
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And what is true for the layman is also true for
the scholar and the professional:
For the psychoanalyst thinks he may find in the
myths the clues to the secrets of the mind. The
archaeologist receives the greatest praises when he
discovers their physical evidence. The philosopher
finds his truths outlined. The theologist sees in
them the challenge that cannot be underrated. The
magician supposes that there are in them spells,
hidden implications and meaningful hints. Soldier
like healer find their prototypes in the myths. The
scientist transforms in achievement what was dreamt
by the myths. The philologist catches sight in them
of an unending field of research, ever yielding new
results. And the artist, the musician and the
writer, who during more than two millennia
submitted to their inspiring power, create,
nurtured by the myths, the highest treasures of
civilization, works that never injure or cause
guilt.
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As cradle, behind all thoughts; as ideal, in
front of them
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And what is true for one man has been thought to
be true for society, and so the ethnologist, the
anthropologist, the sociologist and the historian
let the study of the myths of different cultures be
paramount, believing that in them they will detect
the soul and the true image of the communities they
are investigating. And this is so because they deem
that the realm of myth, being the cradle of all
kinds of thought—be it economic, scientific,
philosophic, religious or artistic—, and the
most splendid laboratory of ideal prototypes, is
both behind them and in front of them, and may
therefore provide lasting meaning to their skills.
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Everyone finds exactly what he is looking for
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And he who looks for lies, does not see in the
myths but lies, and thereby he may be pleased,
having found what he was looking for. And he who
looks for truths does not find but truths, being
pleased too for such a delightful discovery.
For the myths have never disappointed anybody
and have always delivered what was asked of them,
and being for that reason, among the most generous
gifts ever given to mankind, they fill with the
crowd of their names both sky and earth in eternal
memorial.
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