Thursday, April 1, 2010

#432. White Horses in Film and Myth


Movies and television represent the only culture Americans have left in the 21st century. Re-runs of old TV shows, DVDs and films at theater have become our shared heritage, for better or worse.

Today, a film will be released that Black people find unacceptable and will largely stay away from for they know from their Afrocentric teachings that the Greeks stole everything from the Egyptians, who were axiomatically a Nubian (Black) Black people.

Clash of the Titans
, a remake of the 1980s cult classic, will once again peddle the mythology of the Ancient Greeks to a contemporary audience, without educating theater goers of the African roots of Greek mythology and great influence African scholars had upon the uneducated boy-lovers of Greece.

One line sticks out from the trailers of the film that hits home:
Spyros: One day, somebody's got to make a stand. One day, somebody's got to say enough...
Until that day, Black people will be forced to endure films that continually degrade their contributions to world history and install a misguided and improper view of ancient history that whitewashes over any and all Black contributions.

A paucity of Black faces will be present if you see Clash of the Titans, but one character is getting a face lift that dares to challenge assumptions of white privilege and replace it with an upgrade destined for induction in the SBPDL Black History Month Heroes.

Pegasus, the winged horse that Perseus rides in the film has shed its traditional whiteness for a modified and cool upgrade that fits in with the times, finally embracing the Afrocentric roots of Ancient Greece:

GB: When I was on the set in London, director Louis Leterrier said he was mulling over big changes for the Pegasus -- he was thinking of making it black with leathery bat wings.

MM: The Pegasus is black in the movie. I'm glad the bat wings didn't happen. It made the horse look too evil, I think. But we were big supporters of black Pegasus. It was to make the Pegasus a bit more of a bad ass. When you see it in the film, it looks tough. And the actual horse they got was a bad ass. And huge.

From The Lord of the Rings, the original Clash of the Titans, Crimson Tide and The Lone Rangers trusty stead, the heroic horse has always been white:
White horses (which are rarer than other colours of horse) have a special significance in the mythologies of cultures around the world. They are often associated with the sun chariot,[1] with warrior-heroes, with fertility (in both mare and stallion manifestations), or with an end-of-time saviour, but other interpretations exist as well. Both truly white horses and the more common grey horses, with completely white hair coats, were identified as "white" by various religious and cultural traditions.
Exceedingly rare, the white horse is symbolic of greatness, hope and beauty. Every major mythology (all religions are regarded as mythological) has saintly uses for the white horse, from Christ riding a white horse from the heavens, to the glory that is Pegasus in his true color:
In Greek mythology, the white winged horse Pegasus was the son of Poseidon, in Poseidon's role as horse-god.
These myths are a thousand + years old and all bestow magical powers and great significance to the white horse, the rarest of colors for a horse. The white horse is a constant source of pride, hope, strength and ultimately, a symbol of good.

The exceptional white horse, a rarity among horses the world over, is hated and reviled by many for the perceived sense of privilege associated with its color and a whole field of equestrian whiteness studies has propped up to determine if white horses are favored over others and if so, what efforts can be instigated to make all other colored horses feel the same self-esteem and self-worth of the increasingly rare white horse.

Pegasus is the first in film and myth to be converted for the sake of appeasing Black people and helping uproot implicit racism by removing impediments to their self-esteem through the "coloring" of a historical white horse to fit the narrative of Black Run America (BRA) and give birth to new myths:
Pegasus Constellation - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Crystalinks</span></span></span>

In Greek Mythology Pegasus was a winged white horse sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa.

In Mythology Pegasus is the white Seahorse of Revelation, the white seahorse in the sky, and the white seahorse of memory within you. In the human body the place of memory is called hippocampus which means seahorse.

The myths of our time must reflect the ruling body and thus, Black people have a horse of an entirely different color that few Classicists would recognize, but those who garner history of literature from film will barely notice.

A racial charged scene from the film Crimson Tide discusses the rare Lippizaner horse, which Capt. Frank Ramsey (played by Gene Hackman) attempts to proclaim a superior equine:
Capt. Frank Ramsey: From Portugal, the Lippizaner stallions, the most highly trained horses in the world--they're all white.

Lt. Cmdr. Hunter:Yes, sir.

Capt. Frank Ramsey:"Yes, sir," you're aware they're all white? Or, "yes, sir," you're seen them?

Lt. Cmdr. Hunter:Yes, sir, I've seen them. Yes, sir, I'm aware they're all white. They're not from Portugal, they're from Spain. And, at birth they're not white, they're black . . . sir.
Lippizaner horses, however, are not true white horses:
Aside from the rare solid-colored horse (usually bay or black), most Lipizzans are gray. Like all gray horses, they have black skin, dark eyes, and as adult horses, a white hair coat. Gray horses, including Lipizzans, are born dark—usually bay or black—and become lighter each year as the graying process takes place, with the process being complete at between 6 and 10 years of age. Contrary to popular belief, Lipizzans are not actually true white horses.[5] A white horse is born white, has pink skin and usually has blue eyes.
In fact, a white horse is described by Wikipedia as one that:
White horses are born white and stay white throughout their life. White horses may have brown, blue, or hazel eyes. "True white" horses, especially those that carry one of the dominant white (W) genes, are rare. Most horses that are commonly referred to as "white" are actually "gray" horses whose hair coats are completely white.
Horses have a long and storied history with mankind. We celebrate them in our literature, our stories, poems, myths and novels. We glorify them as sentient beings who helped us in our evolutionary path toward expansion and societal development.

The white horse has long been the source of jealousy and hatred and simultaneously the origin of hope and beauty. Thankfully, Clash of the Titans - though devoid of any Black people - has made the move to ameliorate historical wrongs and jettison the image of whiteness as perfection and all that is good with a Black Pegasus.

Though historically wrong, the producers of the film are to be congratulated for daring to see beyond the limitations of whiteness and bring about the inclusion of Blackness into a film about white Gods and Goddesses.

Stuff Black People Don't Like includes white horses in film and myth, as the historical color of Pegasus was correctly changed to reflect the evolving times in America and the world at large. Movies must be made to placate BRA and the failure to include one Black face in Clash of the Titans meant the scraping of the white Pegasus for a more tenable shade of Black.

The goal is for all white horses to fade from memory, replaced with new myths. One problem: all myths from around the world attribute a certain level of respect and admiration to white horses, whom have the uncanny ability to save nearly every culture, no matter its ethnicity or race.

Clash of the Titans might be right: We are nearing the point where somebody must say enough is enough.










17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Problem with the black horses, is that they tend to smell, constantly want to mate, and never want to do any labor.

CWN

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry...that was a dumb post, SBPDL, as per usual, with generalizations and delusions galore.

Even if I was to entertain the notion that some black people asked for the horse to be black, it still is not representative of a community at large wanting a damn horse to be black! Duh.

As for the horse being 'black', isn't that once again an example of the media's insistence on showcasing so-called black inferiority? Even if Pegasus is *good* in myths, he's still fucking transportation for a white hero.

Think about it; even if there was such a thing as 'black run america' (which there isn't), I don't think they'd be happy...

Anonymous said...

You'd be surprised how many hits this piece will get, based on the usage of the terms "Clash of the Titans" and "Black People".

I think that was the point. Plus, it is odd that the film makers would change the color of the horse Pegasus, especially when the horse has ALWAYS been white.

The Greeks were white. They weren't Black. Of course all of the heroes in Greek mythology would then be white.

How many African myths are there? Any?

Robert said...

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Anonymous said...

Buraq(Barak) was the winged white horse? that took Mohammed to 7th heaven. Irony of Ironies.

Anonymous said...

Seriously they had to make the horse black!?!? Ancient Greeks went to war for less

Anonymous said...

Black history and accompishment is some of the best fiction ever created

Stuff Black People Don't Like said...

Desiree,

Come on now. Pegasus is a white horse and if you read the quotes from the film makers they believing changing the horses color helps the animal become more "bad ass".

I disagree with that belief. When I read that article about "Clash of the Titans" and then thought back to the pivotal scene of "Crimson Tide", an idea manifested in my mind.

Remembering my reading of Jared Diamond's work "Guns, Germs and Steels" I tried to recall if Africans even had (or domesticated) horses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel

I'll let you answer that question.
You question the validity of BRA - Black Run America - never realizing the changing of Pegasus to a Black horse to fit that power narrative was a concession to BRA.

The Greeks were white. The myths they developed were elaborate and complex and bespeak a people of profound intellect, ability and inestimable value.

Anonymous said...

Fail post.

Andromeda was the daughter of Ethiopian royalty, but you don't hear us bitching about her being played by a vapid blond, yet alone the color of Perseus horse.

So if the princess of an Ethiopian king and queen aren't getting us in a"fuhrer" then why should a horse?

Seems like this blog should be titled "Stuff White People Fantasize About Black People".
But then, as a Black woman,what on Earth do I know about being Black versus you?

Anonymous said...

SBPDL:

Like I said above, black people don't give a shit about a horse going from white to black. Period. A white Pegasus--his real color--would not make any black person pissed off, even if they have absolutely no knowledge of Greek mythology. The funny thing about you is that you try and pretend to know how black people view color in the media so you can maintain this site for your white readers. It's your right but it's intellectually dishonest.

And, if the filmmakers thought a black Pegasus was more 'bad ass', what does that have to do with black people? Nothing. That is *their* opinion. Just like most people think it's sexier for a car to be black as opposed to white, since the black car will be shinier and sleeker.

I'm a lover of a good conspiracy but this one is paper thin and reeks of desperation from a group of people afraid of an upset to the status quo. The ancient Greeks or Africans or Egyptians or the origin of horses have nothing to do with this post; you've only said one thing: that a black Pegasus was made for 'BRA', and that's BS.

And to the small-minded person who questioned if Africans had myths: yes they *do*. African culture is rich; it is just that their myths/legends were oral. Please, don't be that stupid...

Anonymous said...

"And to the small-minded person who questioned if Africans had myths: yes they *do*. African culture is rich; it is just that their myths/legends were oral. Please, don't be that stupid..."

Am I the only one lol'ing at this profound statement and for more than one reason?

Porter said...

Of course African culture has myths. How ridiculous.

There's the myth that eating the genitals of an albino will confer mystical powers. Then there's the myth that raping a virgin child will cure AIDS. Then there's the myth of the Tokoloshe, an undead desiccated dwarf which is such a prolific rapist that blacks build their beds on stilts to avoid its encroaching member.

The fact is that African culture is rich indeed in preserving the cherished folkways of black savagery.

Anonymous said...

Desiree,

"African culture is rich; it is just that their myths/legends were oral."

With the out of wedlock rate among blacks, African culture isn't the only thing that is oral.

You also need to stop whining about every post.

Can't a honkey write about a white horse without a sista keeping him down? Always trying to keep a cracker down.

CWN

Anonymous said...

Excellent post. This IS an attempt to destroy Aryan/Christendom symbols, one at a time. I'm surprised that you didn't note that Christian symbolism, notes that Christ, as King rides a White horse.
http://www.bibleprophecyrevealed.us/main/white.html

That Dispensatationalist erorr (Scofield Reference Libel, Hagee, Robertson, Falwell, et al.) attributes the white horse in Revelation to Satan is clue to its talmudic origins- but then, chiliasm in CHristian theology IS a heresy, anyway.

But, as I have noted on my blog, this attempt to 'blacken' our heritage, is not hidden, or covert, but is a CONSCIOUS, Gramscian tool of KULTURKAMPF, that we must uncover at every turn.

http://thewhitechrist.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/no-negroes-in-narnia/

Excellent work here. Blessed Pascha.

(P.S. as far as this latest film is concerned, I saw the trailers, and decided that, cheesy as the 1980's version was, it was more entertaining for children to see the great work of Harryhausen, than this CGI crap.)

- Fr. John

Anonymous said...

@CWN:

That last part actually made me LOL. 'Ritz', indeed... And I'm not whining; I'm just SMH and crying on the inside. Well, 'laughing' on the inside. It is hilarious to watch the 'great race' crumble, one paranoid, delusional post at a time...

@Porter:

So whites haven't done their fair share of 'savagery'? Oh wait. My fault. You're into history revisionism. That's right: US slavery never happened; Christopher Columbus never happened; the Spanish Inquistion never happened; the deliberate and illegal exportation of addictive opium into China because the British were broke never happened; Apartheid never happened; Abu Ghraib never happened; Hiroshima and Nagasaki never happened; systematic, brutal extermination of Native Americans never happened; the greedy, genocidal 'scramble for Africa' never happened; the barbarism of Ancient Rome never happened; pedophilic Catholic priests never happened...

Silly me for believing you knew how to think...

Porter said...

Desiree,

Since I have counseled other commenters here not to take your ramblings seriously, I certainly won't myself. Though I've noticed an odd mental incapacity with your kind, or I should say I'd like to mention one of the many odd mental incapacities I've noticed.

Do you know what a non-sequitur is? Most blacks in nearly every venue of human communication display that they do not. It almost seems to be one of their attractive traits--for those who are attracted to such things.

Briefly...

You stated that African blacks have myths. I agreed that they do and highlighted three quite common African myths. In response, and without the slimmest reed, you say I am revising history. Since I offered no history, revised or otherwise, I think not.

Though I will say that your bill of particulars, in its scattershot incoherence, offers a fascinating glimpse into the kaleidoscope worldview of a young incipient black parasite.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Problem with the black horses, is that they tend to smell, constantly want to mate, and never want to do any labor.

CWN

April 2, 2010 6:38 AM
We all know who you really mean. And you are 100 percent right too. I just pointed this out because I don't think a horse should be insulted in that manner.