Pan speaks – Mythologising Non-human Voices in Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth

Abstract

Narrative myth tellings have the magical capacity to give voice to the non-human and to initiate dialogue between forces and figures previously assumed to be binary opposites. These well-established binaries draw on the multi-dimensional experience of the “collective unconscious” (Jung 1964: 153), and so mythological readings of human/non-human relationships are informed by an awareness of this. Such readings require an interdisciplinary approach. It is through this interdisciplinary engagement that the complexities of narrative myth tellings are unravelled, and the tenuous human mastery over an Othered natural world – whether real or fantastical – is revealed. The relegation of Nature to silent setting is being challenged by a growing ecocritical need to establish and acknowledge Nature’s counter-voice – to resurrect Pan who, according to writers such as D.H. Lawrence, had been killed by ideology and human ambition. Hearing him speak once more in fantasy narratives such as Neil Gaiman’s Stardust (1999) and Guilermo del Toro’s Pan's Labyrinth (2006), represents a significant resurrection of the mythological influence of Nature over Culture. Drawing on various mythological and ecocritical theorists, this article attempts to determine the agency with which the non-human voice, as represented by Pan, speaks in these fantasy narratives, and how this, in turn, informs anthropocentric views regarding natural and cultural appropriation.

Opsomming

Mitelogiese en fantastiese vertellings het die bekwaamheid om die “nie-menslike” stem te gee en om 'n dialoog tussen kragte en figure te skep wat voorheen as teenoorgesteldes beskou was. Hierdie gevestigde teenoor-gesteldes maak gebruik van die multidimensionele ervaringe van die “kollektiewe onderwussein” (Jung 1964: 153), en sodoende word mitologiese lesings van menslike/”nie-menslike” verhoudings deur middel van ’n bewustheid hiervan in kennis gestel. Sulke lesings vereis ’n interdissiplinêre benadering. Dit is deur hierdie interdissiplinêre betrokkenheid dat die kompleksiteite van hierdie mitelogiese and fantastiese vertellings ontrafel word, en die vasberade menslike bemeestering oor ’n gerelegeerde natuurlike wêreld geopenbaar word. Die verwoesting van die natuur tot stilstand word uitgedaag deur ’n groeiende ekokritiese behoefte om Natuur se teenstem te bevestig en te erken, om Pan te wek, wat volgens skrywers soos D.H. Lawrence deur ideologie en menslike ambisie opsy gesit is. Om sy stem weer te hoor praat in fantasieverhale soos Neil Gaiman se Stardust (1999) en Guilermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), verteenwoordig ’n beduidende opstanding van die mitologiese invloed van Natuur oor Kultuur. Op grond van verskeie mitologiese en ekokritiese teoretici sal hierdie artikel die invloed van die “nie-menslike” stem, soos verteenwoordig deur Pan in hierdie fantasie-verhale, probeer bepaal. Dit sal ook vasstel hoe Pan se stem die antropo-sentriese perspektief oor natuurlike en kulturele toewysings inlig.