What destroyed itself, only to emerge better? And don't say Paris Hilton.

June 28, 2007 5:53 PM

Mythology (?) question: I'm looking for a story or creature that must destroy or consume itself in order to either become stronger or to reveal its true form/essence.

I'm interested in transformations in general, but I'm really hoping to find something that plays up the self-destruction. Can be from any culture's mythology. A few of the things I've considered, but aren't quite right are: koi dragon, butterfly, phoenix, ouroboros.

Bonus points if it's visually cool, as I started thinking about this when I was contemplating my next tattoo.

posted by ferociouskitty to religion & philosophy (25 answers total)

The obvious one would be the phoenix.
posted by quin at 5:58 PM on June 28, 2007

crap, just saw your more inside. Never mind.
posted by quin at 5:59 PM on June 28, 2007

Jesus?
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 6:02 PM on June 28, 2007

Paris Hil-- Oh, sorry.

How about Jesus? That would make a rockin' tattoo.

More seriously, you might find this a useful place to continue your research into life-death-rebirth myths.
posted by dersins at 6:02 PM on June 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

Most demi-gods and culture heros go through ritual death and rebirth. Quetzalcoatl, Herakles, Dionysus, Jesus, Prometheus, Gilgamesh... Not quite "creatures*," but you should be able to mine those fertile grounds for design ideas. Joseph Campbell posits the death/rebirth as a major part of The Hero's Journey.

*excepting perhaps Quetzalcoatl
posted by lekvar at 6:04 PM on June 28, 2007

Would Odin work? He sacrificed himself to get a special weapon.
posted by Many bubbles at 6:04 PM on June 28, 2007

Also Amaterasu. The deification-though-mortification is sometimes called Apotheosis.
posted by lekvar at 6:06 PM on June 28, 2007

The Pequeninos from the Ender's Game series do this. They have to be vivisected to turn into big sentient trees.

It's not even close to mythology (hell, it's barely literature) but I think it fits.
posted by invitapriore at 6:27 PM on June 28, 2007

Crap, I forget it's name but someone here will know: the creature in the Hellboy movie!
posted by misha at 6:34 PM on June 28, 2007

Jean Grey (Marvel or 20th Century Fox versions)
posted by rob511 at 6:52 PM on June 28, 2007

Gandalf? Obi Wan? They don't destroy themselves, but they do allow themselves to be destroyed.
posted by booth at 7:54 PM on June 28, 2007

Neo?
posted by kisch mokusch at 8:07 PM on June 28, 2007

Would Odin work? He sacrificed himself to get a special weapon.

I was going to say Odin, too. Since you beat me to it, I will merely add that not only did he sacrifice himself, but he sacrificed himself to himself:

I know that I hung on the windy tree
for nine full nights,
wounded with a spear, and given to Odin,
myself to myself,
on that tree of which no one knows
where the roots run.

This was for various magic powers encapsulated in the knowledge of runes, though, not "a special weapon", so maybe you're thinking of a different episode than I am.

Also, along the same lines, Odin also gave up one of his eyes in exchange for a drink from the Well of Wisdom.
posted by Flunkie at 8:39 PM on June 28, 2007

neutron stars
posted by kisch mokusch at 8:47 PM on June 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

neutron stars

Nice.

But technically wouldn't any star work? The 'ash' it's creating will be it's fuel the next time around, which is kind of like a rebirth.

And you don't get much more mythic than Sun worship.
posted by quin at 8:58 PM on June 28, 2007

Kangaxx the Lich.
Must be destroyed to be reborn as Kangaxx the Demi-Lich.
You could just tattoo the Ring of Gaxx on your finger if you wanted to be subtle about it. Then, you wouldn't be just having a picture of a lich on your body like a punk, no, you'd be effectively saying "I kick lich ass."
OMFG. Best. Tattoo. Evar.
posted by Methylviolet at 10:13 PM on June 28, 2007

I like the fact that Psyche was made to go through hell before she was allowed to be with her true love. She's often depicted with butterfly wings to represent the metamorphosis. Bonus: psyche is a word for soul or self, but its original meaning was the last breath before death.
posted by emyd at 10:28 PM on June 28, 2007 [2 favorites]

But technically wouldn't any star work? The 'ash' it's creating will be it's fuel the next time around, which is kind of like a rebirth.

True, but neutron stars emerge after supernovas, which are visually cool.
posted by kisch mokusch at 11:58 PM on June 28, 2007

The Pelican is a pretty classic example. (Although the wikipedia page kinda sucks.)

I've seen some pretty cool images of a Pelican Vulning, too. (Although, again, that link leaves something to be desired. sorry.)
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 12:27 AM on June 29, 2007

misha: "Crap, I forget it's name but someone here will know: the creature in the Hellboy movie!"

That was Sammael, but it didn't destroy itself.
posted by team lowkey at 1:16 AM on June 29, 2007

Peter Petrelli
posted by seanyboy at 2:38 AM on June 29, 2007

For the actual tattoo, may I suggest Odin's Yggdrasil? It's the tree he hung on. I don't know if that's my favorite myth, but it'd probably make the coolest tattoo.
posted by RobotHeart at 8:04 AM on June 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Just as a note, that Odin site that Many Bubbles linked to is a White Supremacist site. There's probably other info out there on Odin that's from more reputable/[NOT RACIST] sites.
posted by klangklangston at 9:59 AM on June 29, 2007

Holy shit--I just linked the first site about it I found that wasn't Wikipedia.

Ewww, now I have Hitler cooties. I need to go shower now.
posted by Many bubbles at 3:12 PM on June 29, 2007

Osiris
posted by euphorb at 10:40 PM on June 30, 2007