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Trickster - Mythenforschung I

Mythenforschung und orale Tradition (sab 2008)

Teil 1, der Trickster

Einleitung

  „Mythenrauschen“ einmal wörtlich nehmen wird in nächster Zeit eine Reihe von Artikeln, die den unterschiedlichsten Aspekten der Mythenforschung und der oralen Tradition nachgeht. Den Anfang machen wir mit einer schillernden und „schrillen“ Gestalt narrativer Erzählungen, dem:

„Trickster“¹

Der Trickster, ein Schelm, ein Gauner, ein Scharlatan, ein Halunke, ein listiger Betrüger? Sicherlich, und doch auch wieder nicht, zumindest nicht nur. Der Trickster ist ebenso ein Held und wohltätiger "Kulturheros". Oder doch eher ein Besserwisser, ein „Klugscheißer“, ein triebgesteuerter Tölpel? Auf jeden Fall ist er eins: Niemals langweilig. Sehr menschlich und doch nicht ganz von dieser Welt, verkörpert der Trickster eine Gestalt, die ambivalenter nicht sein könnte. So wundert es kaum, dass die Figur des Tricksters im christlich geprägten Kulturraum kaum (noch) eine Rolle spielt. Und mehr noch, wenn er überhaupt in Erscheinung tritt, wird er meist mit einseitig negativen Eigenschaften charakterisiert oder ist auf einen reinen Unterhaltungswert reduziert. Ungleich höher muss der Stellenwert dieser trickreichen, komischen, tragischen aber auch lernfähigen und wohltätigen Figur in anderen Kulturkreisen, in denen er einen festen Platz in der oralen Tradition einnimmt oder einst eingenommen hat, gewichtet werden.

Der „Trickster“ - Begriff und erste Annäherung

Die erste Verwendung des Begriff „Trickster“ ist für das 18. Jahrhundert in englischer Sprache belegt. Mit der Bezeichnung wurde eine betrügerische Person charakterisiert, der Begriff diente noch nicht zur Bestimmung einer mythologischen Gestalt. Noch im 19. Jahrhundert setzte sich die Verwendung des Begriffs für politische Gegner fort, die der Lüge bezichtigt wurden (Hynes/ Doty 1993: 14). 1868 tauchte der Trickster dann in dem Werk Myths of the New World des US-amerikansichen Ethnologen und Archäologen Daniel G. Brinton (1837-1899) auf. Brinton beschreibt den Trickster Manibozho² der Algonkin folgendermaßen:

„From the remotest wilds of the northwest to the coast of the Atlantic, from the southern boundaries of Carolina to the cheerless swamps of Hudson's Bay, the Algonkins were never tired of gathering around the winter fire and repeating the story of Manibozho or Michabo, the Great Hare. [...] In many of the tales which the whites have preserved of Michabo he seems half a wizzard, half a simpleton. He is full of pranks and wiles, but often at a loss for a meal of victuals; ever itching to try his arts magic on great beasts and often meeting ludicrous failures therein; envious of the powers of others, and constantly striving to out do them in what they do best; in short, little more than a malicious buffoon delighting in practical jokes, and abusing his superhuman powers for selfish and ignoble ends. But this is a low, modern, and corrupt version of the character of Michabo, bearing no more resemblance to his real and ancient one than the language and acts of our Saviour and the apostles in the coarse Mystery Plays of the Middle Ages do to those recorded by the Evangelists“ (Brinton 1968, E-Book)

Ohne an dieser Stelle in eine Interpretation der Darstellung von Brinton einzusteigen, wird vor allem eins deutlich: Trickster-Erzählungen haben, oder hatten in anderen Gesellschaften als den westlich/christlich geprägten einen hohen Stellenwert inne. Der Trickster wird dort nicht nur auf Grund zahlreicher Eigenschaften, die später noch genauer beleuchtet werden sollen, sehr geschätzt, sondern gerade auch das Lachen über den Trickster nimmt einen hohen Stellenwert ein. Nach William J. Hynes und William G. Doty wird das Lachen zu etwas Ernstem, es verbirgt sich dahinter ein „playing seriously“ (Hynes/ Doty 1993: 30), dass immer auch einem Zweck dient. Die Trickster-Erzählungen sprechen so eine Metaebene an, ein „metaplay“: „Metaplay is a sort of inversionary logic that probes and disassembles the most serious rules of ‚normal‘ social behavior“ (Ebd.).

Allerdings muss angemerkt werden, dass nicht automatisch von einem hohen Stellenwert bestimmter narrativer Figuren in überlieferten Erzählungen auf den Stellenwert dieser Figuren und Erzählungen innerhalb heutiger Gesellschaften geschlossen werden kann. Wie orale Tradition insgesamt, und nahezu alle kulturellen und sozialen Aspekte, unterliegen auch die Trickster-Erzählungen einem mehr oder weniger starkem Wandel, so dass Rahmenhandlung und auch Darstellung von Trickster-Erzählungen im Vergleich zu früheren Überlieferungen und Berichten heute zum Teil neu bewertet werden müssen. Ein Aspekt, auf den auch Richard L. Dieterle im Zusammenhang mit den Hotcâk hinweist:

„Trickster is at least a negative role model among the Hotcâgara today, and people who behave in a foolish or hypocritical manner are often brought to task by having their actions compared to those of Trickster. Sometimes people who act selfishly also are said to be "playing Wakdjâkaga“ (Dieterle 2005).

Im westlichen Kulturkreis wird der Begriff „Trickster“ zum Teil sehr inflationär verwendet und steht im allgemeinen für komediantische Figuren in Theater, Film oder anderen Medien. Wörtlich übersetzt wird der Begriff im deutschen Sprachraum auch mit „göttlicher Schelm“, so in einer Arbeit von Ingeborg und Wolfgang Weber (1983).

Im nächsten Abschnitt wird es um eine Charakterisierung unterschiedlicher Trickster-Gestalten und unterschiedliche Ansätze der Analyse gehen.

Zur Einstimmung folgen noch drei Episoden aus dem Trickster-Zyklus der Hotcâk (Nordamerika) mit dem Trickster Wak'junk'ag, in wörtlicher Übernahme von Richard L. Dieterle.³ Während Wak'junk'ag am Anfang wenig unter Kontrolle hat, nicht einmal seine einzelnen Körperteile, mausert er sich im Laufe des Zyklus zum Kulturheroen, doch dazu später mehr, hier die zweite, siebte und letzte Episode aus dem Zyklus des Wak'junk'ag:

Wak'junk'aga und der Trickster-Zyklkus der Hotcâk (Nordamerika)

von Richard L. Dieterle

(http://hotcakencyclopedia.com/ho.TricksterCycle.html)

Trickster's Buffalo Hunt (§2 of the Trickster Cycle)
(http://hotcakencyclopedia.com/ho.TrickstersBuffaloHunt.html)

From that time on he went alone there. Thenceforth, he called "brother" everyone and everything on the face of the earth. His "younger brethren" he called them. He would addressed them. He had a mutual understanding with all creatures. His language was the same as theirs. And as he went along, unexpectedly, as he came within sight of a knoll, and there unexpectedly was an large, old buffalo. "Hohó," he said, "if I had not thrown away the arrow, I would by now have killed and eaten this one," he said. And he did thus: with the knife that he had with him he cut hay to make it look like a person and placed them in a circle. He left a place open there. It was a very muddy place there. And he went there, to the buffalo there. "Hohó, my younger brother, here he is, my younger brother eating without worry. Don't let anything bother your heart. I'll keep a watch out for them for you," he said. Therefore, the buffalo did a great deal of grazing. After that he said, "My younger brother, there are many people surrounding you. Only here is there an opening." And as he raised up, there unexpectedly, were a great many people surrounding them. At the place whereof he spoke, there only was there an opening. So it ran that way. When it was mired, there he used his knife and killed it. And there was a grove of trees. There he took it and skinned it.

He did it with his right arm, and as he was doing it, the left arm did it: the other arm grabbed the buffalo. "Give it back to me, it is mine!" he said as it did it. "Stop it! I'll use this knife to cut you to pieces," he said. It did release it. Again it did it. It took hold of the wrist. Again as he started to skin it, it repeatedly did that way. He was making his own arms quarrel between themselves. While he was doing this, he made his arms fight each other. "Hohó," he said, "why did I do this again? I have made myself suffer," he said. The arms bled a great deal.

And then he dressed the buffalo there. When he got through, away he went again. There they would say it. Little birds would say, "Kodé! over there is Trickster," they would say, and they would flee. "Howá! they are naughty. I wonder what these nasty little birds are saying?" he said. Thus it was. Whatever ones he saw, they would call him that. "Kodé! Trickster is going around here," they would say. [1]

2. Trickster's Penis (§7 of the Trickster Cycle)

http://hotcakencyclopedia.com/ho.TrickstersPenis.html

As Trickster was walking along, he came to a particularly scenic land. Since he was getting sleepy, he decided to lay down and take a nap, so he laid under his blanket and went to sleep. After awhile, he woke up and as he looked up he could see something floating above him. He thought to himself, "Ah, yes! It is the chief's banner -- they always do thus when they are about to give a feast." Then he noticed that his blanket was missing and he suddenly realized that it was the blanket that was floating above him. It was high in the air because Trickster had had an erection during his sleep. He said to himself, "Thus it always is with me." Then he addressed his penis, "Younger brother, bring the blanket back before you lose it." Trickster took his penis in hand, and as it got softer, the blanket finally floated down. He took out the box in which he kept his penis and began to coil his member up and pack it away. Only when he had reached the tip did he finally retrieve his blanket. Trickster carried this box on his back.

Kunu, if it is you;
Pull it out,
Pull it out.

Then, unexpectedly, the penis jumped out with such force that the woman was thrown through the air. The woman was in a state of shock, but managed to get to her feet. As she stood there, Trickster laughed from the opposite bank and shouted, "You nasty old woman, why have you spoiled my fun? I was trying to have sex, but now the moment is ruined!" [1]

3. Trickster Concludes His Mission (§22 of the Trickster Cycle)

(http://hotcakencyclopedia.com/ho.TricksterConcludesMiss.html)

Then Trickster began to travel over the whole earth. One day he encountered a large waterfall which fell a great distance. Trickster spoke to the waterfall and said, "You will have to remove yourself from this place, as people will soon be living here and you are going to be an annoyance to them." "I'm not going anywhere," replied the waterfall, "since I chose this place myself." This made Trickster angry, and he said, "You will move one way or the other. This earth was created for the use of mankind, and since you are in the way, I will make you move. If you don't cooperate, then I will have to get tough with you." "I told you," reiterated the waterfall, "that I wasn't going to move, and I meant what I said." So Trickster fashioned a stick, and with it he pushed the waterfall onto the land.

Trickster made himself a kettle out of stone, and said, "I shall now eat my last meal on earth." He cooked his food in the stone kettle, and when it was done, he placed it in a large stone dish. He used a rock as a seat, and there he ate his last meal. Even to this day, the imprint of his buttocks can be seen on the rock, and there too can be seen the kettle and the dish. This place is a short distance form the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Then he left, entering the ocean first, then the heavens. Trickster was made in charge of a world just like Earthmaker's and just below it. Turtle is in charge of the third world, and Hare is in charge of the world in which we now live.

The End of the Trickster Cycle

Links

Dieterle, Richard L.

2005 The Trickster Cycle (http://hotcakencyclopedia.com/ho.TricksterCycle.html, zuletzt besucht am 16.03.2008)

2005 The Encyclopedia of Hotcâk (Winnebago) Mythology (http://www.hotcakencyclopedia.com/ zuletzt besucht am 16.03.2008)

Brinton, Daniel Garrison

1868 The Myths of the New World. A Treatise on the Symbolism and Mythology of the Red Race of America. New York: Leypoldt & Holt (als E-Book zum freien Download vorhanden: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/19347)

Doty, William G.

1993 A lifetime of trouble-making: Hermes as trickster. In: William J. Hynes und William G. Doty (Hg.), Mythical tricks ter figures: Contours, contexts, and criticisms. Tuscaloosa: 46-65

Hynes, William J./ Doty, William G. (Hg.)

1993 Mythical trickster figures: Contours, contexts, and criticisms. Tuscaloosa: Univ. of Alabama Press

Hynes, William J./ Doty, William G.

1993 Historical overview of theoretical issues: The problem of the trickster. In: William J. Hynes und William G. Doty (Hg.), Mythical trickster figures: Contours, contexts, and criticisms. Tuscaloosa: 13-32

Hynes, William J.

1993 Mapping the characterics of mythic tricksters: A heuristic guide. In: William J. Hynes und William G. Doty (Hg.), Mythical trickster figures: Contours, contexts, and criticisms. Tuscaloosa: 33-45

Hynes, William J./ Steele, Thomas J., S.J.

1993 Saint Peter: Apostle transfigured into trickster. In: William J. Hynes und William G. Doty (Hg.), Mythical trickster figures: Contours, contexts, and criticisms. Tuscaloosa: 159-173

Radin, Paul

1956 The Trickster: A Study in American Indian Mythology. New York: Schocken Books

Weber, Ingeborg/ Weber Wolfgang

1983 Auf den Spuren des göttlichen Schelm. Stuttgart