Saturday evening I had the pleasure of watching a collection of newer animated short films by Disney studios. There were plenty of heartwarming themes, and some witty humor as well. Some seemed like they were meant to contribute to the general Fantasia collections.
One in particular stood out to me, a tribute to John Henry done in an art style meant to evoke handmade quilts.**
I watched, as you might expect if you’ve read my previous musings on John Henry as an African-American representation of Thor, with a certain Thunderer in mind. So you can imagine my delight when, at the very end, thunder was attributed to John Henry swinging his hammer! Hee!
It has also come up several times that, just aside from the modern social need for an Everyman God like Thor to actually reflect, y’know, every man, that it makes perfect sense for Thor to have darker skin according to the actual, well-accepted lore. We already know He’s of mixed race – half As via Odin, and half Jotun.
Specifically, Thor’s mother was an Earth Jotun. She could just as easily have skin like rich planting soil, or deep umber clay. I intend to explore this further in art, and I will be sure to share it here when I do.
Cheers!
–Ember–
** Now, of course, it’s Disney, so I did worry at first that they’d do something deeply stupid, like not have him die at the end. (I’m looking at you, Little Mermaid!), but no, they stay true to that aspect, at least. I suspect this was partially offered as an apology for the ways The Princess and the Frog went wrong, but I can only guess whether this comes across as better – it does to me, but I’m pretty fuckin’ white, eh?
Honestly, Disney always messes some things up in the processes of Disney-fying folk tales no matter what the story is, but there’s a whole other level of difficulty involved in trying to bring other ethnicities into the mix, even if they have utterly sincere reasons for wanting the Princesses to be diverse. There are a lot of catch-22’s involved in portraying cultural memes vs. stereotypes, positive portrayals of negative historical events, and so forth. I don’t envy them the job, but Disney’s skill or lack thereof in portraying non-white characters isn’t really the point of this essay, which is why all of this musing is a footnote!
Ember Cooke has been a member of Hrafnar and Seidhjallr for more than a decade, where she trained to be a Seidhkona, Galdrakona, and Gythia. She founded the Vanic Conspiracy and made ordination vows to the Vanir and her congregation in the summer of 2013. She has contributed to several publications on Heathen and Northern Pagan subjects and regularly presents rituals and workshops at festivals.
Her personal practice is more diverse, as the Vanir have lead her into cross-training and service for the wider Pagan community. This has including medium and servitor training in American Umbanda, clergy training with the Fellowship of the Spiral Path, and jail ministry for local counties. She holds a BA with honors in Religious Studies from Santa Clara University.
Ember has lived all her life in the south San Francisco Bay Area, and is intimately bound to the valley of her birth.
Okay, John Henry — especially this cartoon — just keeps popping up in my life this last week. This was always my favorite of that collection of folktale cartoons for the story and style. It’s interesting how it keeps popping up…
I think regardless of any connections to Thor (or Ogun for that matter), John Henry is a folk figure that is asking for recognition on a spiritual level, yes. I think He is needed again, because we’re facing similar problems today. -E-
My name is Ember Cooke. I serve the Vanir - Freyja, Freyr, and Their kin - as a priestess, minister, teacher, bard, artist, medium, and witch. Or to put it the Heathen way, as a gythia, galdrakona, and seidhkona.
My personal practice is more diverse, as the Vanir have lead me into cross-training, interfaith work, and counseling for the wider Pagan community as needed. My friends and allies may span the world, but it is the Vanir I love as family. -E-
Okay, John Henry — especially this cartoon — just keeps popping up in my life this last week. This was always my favorite of that collection of folktale cartoons for the story and style. It’s interesting how it keeps popping up…
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I think regardless of any connections to Thor (or Ogun for that matter), John Henry is a folk figure that is asking for recognition on a spiritual level, yes. I think He is needed again, because we’re facing similar problems today. -E-
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Exactly:)
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