It is harsh in the world,
whoredom rife
An axe-age, a sword-age
- shields are riven
A wind-age, a wolf-age
- before the earth crumbles -
no man will have
mercy on another.
An extended family of Gypsies, from an indeterminate time and place, set up camp and begin to share
the myths of their heritage. The stories encompass the end days of the gods, relying on the mythologies
of the ancient Nordic epic of Ragnarok.
As the tales are shared, the storytellers themselves begin to be revealed as archetypical representatives
of the gods themselves. And their interpersonal relations echo the very same end of days.
Ragnarok, or “The Twilight of the Gods”, as all early epics from Gilgamesh on, originated as oral transmission.
Dzieci will honor this essential practice, while exploring through song, movement, puppetry, and mask,
the resonance of ancient themes to our modern times; to our own gods,
the destruction to come, and the promise of a new age.
The Ragnarok Cycle: a Dzieci Work in Progress
Ragnarok began for Dzieci as an investigation of the Trickster archetype. The Trickster, common to all mythological systems, is a character who lives between worlds: heaven and earth, life and death, nature and civilization. He (the character is almost always male, for some reason) serves not so much to create a balance between worlds, but to create chaos, in order to facilitate passage and interaction between one world and another. He is a blurrer of boundaries, is able to change his form to suit his needs and whims, and serves as both creator and destroyer. He acts on instinct rather than reason, and spends much of his time either getting into trouble, or solving the problems that he himself has created. He is one of the most human of archetypes, given his enormous creativity and his improvisational approach to life, and also one of the most inhuman, given his strange powers and his detachment from both the destruction and the creation that he leaves in his wake.
Dzieci’s theatrical training involves the opposition of extremes, both physical and emotional. Our performances consciously break down barriers and blur boundaries: between actor and audience, between theater and ritual, between emotional and intellectual, between inside and outside — with the aim of creating something that draws on a higher energy, and leaving that energy with the public even after the actors have departed. The nature of our work draws us naturally to the Trickster archetype.
An exploratory survey of Trickster characters in myth, drew us to the character of Loki, and the cycle of Nordic myths of which he plays an integral part. Of particular interest was the story of the Death of Baldur, and the themes of nature and technology, pride and revenge, death and renewal, that it evokes.
Approaching the source of the Nordic myths, the Elder and Younger Eddas, opened up even more possibilities to the group. The Eddas are examples of poetry and storytelling of the highest order. The world of the Nordic gods is rich, and many layered. It seemed to us that the Nordic myths themselves share some characteristics with Trickster. They stand between more highly developed, systematized, priest-based mythical systems (like those from Greece and India) and the more elemental, orally transmitted shamanic systems (like those from Africa and the Americas). In addition, the Eddas themselves are products of a Christianized culture, and are a tangible manifestation of the intersection of Christianity with Europe’s pagan roots. This also serves well, Dzieci’s continuing investigation into religious and spiritual practices.
Filled with compelling characters and engaging stories, some dark and violent, others wildly comical, it seemed necessary to expand the exploration of the Loki story to a more comprehensive telling of the full cycle of Nordic myths, from creation to the end of the world, and the promise of a new age. At the center is still Loki and the Death of Baldur, which precipitates Ragnarok (the downfall of the powers), and deepens in meaning as its thread is tied to all the events in the cycle.
One of the most important questions that has become apparent after even a cursory survey of Trickster stories: the actions of the Trickster result as often in negative consequences as in positive; how do we ensure that our disruptive interactions lead to a positive end? A provisional answer: to enter the interaction with a conscious aim toward a higher energy, and to trust our instincts and intuition. We hope that a deeper acquaintance with this archetype will lead us to a deeper understanding of the Trickster’s power, of which we are privileged agents.
As with every journey Dzieci has embarked upon, we have no idea how the final piece will turn out, but we are developing the work along three paths: learning the stories of the Nordic myths through a combination of research and oral transmission; training in a variety of theatrical techniques that will facilitate our storytelling (mask, puppetry, mime, improvisation); and studying traditional styles and forms of music and ritual from Scandinavia and related areas.
Dzieci had been developing Gypsy characters independent of the Ragnarok project, as a vehicle for our interactive work, and as a way to directly experience Trickster energy. Our current production of Makbet is, in fact, an outgrowth of this exploration. Working on these characters, it became clear that they would be perfect carriers of the tradition that we were bringing to light. A family of wandering nomads, for whom song and story is essential to their lives, need a body of myth and ritual to call their own. It made sense to us that a group of wandering outsiders would feel a strong connection to the Nordic myths, to the Trickster content of many of the stories, and also to the Trickster-nature of the Nordic cycle itself.
In performance, these Gypsies will, through a wide range of ritual and performance styles, tell the stories of the Edda, and in the process take part in family dramas that parallel what is being portrayed. The full piece will be rather epic in scope, hopefully offering a hint at the fullness of the human experience, and going beyond an investigation of the Trickster archetype to an exploration of what it means to have a god. Or gods .
A work-in-progress presentation of Ragnarok was given at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on September 25, 2003. The first modules are already beginning to take shape, but in true Dzieci fashion, the process of bringing the cycle to completion is likely to take several years. And never cease its evolutionary progress.
Bob Strock
Music Director & Nordic Specialist, Dzieci
In Development: Ragnarok
It is harsh in the world,
whoredom rife
An axe-age, a sword-age
- shields are riven
A wind-age, a wolf-age
- before the earth crumbles -
no man will have
mercy on another.
An extended family of Gypsies, from an indeterminate time and place, set up camp and begin to share
the myths of their heritage. The stories encompass the end days of the gods, relying on the mythologies
of the ancient Nordic epic of Ragnarok.
As the tales are shared, the storytellers themselves begin to be revealed as archetypical representatives
of the gods themselves. And their interpersonal relations echo the very same end of days.
Ragnarok, or “The Twilight of the Gods”, as all early epics from Gilgamesh on, originated as oral transmission.
Dzieci will honor this essential practice, while exploring through song, movement, puppetry, and mask,
the resonance of ancient themes to our modern times; to our own gods,
the destruction to come, and the promise of a new age.
The Ragnarok Cycle: a Dzieci Work in Progress
Ragnarok began for Dzieci as an investigation of the Trickster archetype. The Trickster, common to all mythological systems, is a character who lives between worlds: heaven and earth, life and death, nature and civilization. He (the character is almost always male, for some reason) serves not so much to create a balance between worlds, but to create chaos, in order to facilitate passage and interaction between one world and another. He is a blurrer of boundaries, is able to change his form to suit his needs and whims, and serves as both creator and destroyer. He acts on instinct rather than reason, and spends much of his time either getting into trouble, or solving the problems that he himself has created. He is one of the most human of archetypes, given his enormous creativity and his improvisational approach to life, and also one of the most inhuman, given his strange powers and his detachment from both the destruction and the creation that he leaves in his wake.
Dzieci’s theatrical training involves the opposition of extremes, both physical and emotional. Our performances consciously break down barriers and blur boundaries: between actor and audience, between theater and ritual, between emotional and intellectual, between inside and outside — with the aim of creating something that draws on a higher energy, and leaving that energy with the public even after the actors have departed. The nature of our work draws us naturally to the Trickster archetype.
An exploratory survey of Trickster characters in myth, drew us to the character of Loki, and the cycle of Nordic myths of which he plays an integral part. Of particular interest was the story of the Death of Baldur, and the themes of nature and technology, pride and revenge, death and renewal, that it evokes.
Approaching the source of the Nordic myths, the Elder and Younger Eddas, opened up even more possibilities to the group. The Eddas are examples of poetry and storytelling of the highest order. The world of the Nordic gods is rich, and many layered. It seemed to us that the Nordic myths themselves share some characteristics with Trickster. They stand between more highly developed, systematized, priest-based mythical systems (like those from Greece and India) and the more elemental, orally transmitted shamanic systems (like those from Africa and the Americas). In addition, the Eddas themselves are products of a Christianized culture, and are a tangible manifestation of the intersection of Christianity with Europe’s pagan roots. This also serves well, Dzieci’s continuing investigation into religious and spiritual practices.
Filled with compelling characters and engaging stories, some dark and violent, others wildly comical, it seemed necessary to expand the exploration of the Loki story to a more comprehensive telling of the full cycle of Nordic myths, from creation to the end of the world, and the promise of a new age. At the center is still Loki and the Death of Baldur, which precipitates Ragnarok (the downfall of the powers), and deepens in meaning as its thread is tied to all the events in the cycle.
One of the most important questions that has become apparent after even a cursory survey of Trickster stories: the actions of the Trickster result as often in negative consequences as in positive; how do we ensure that our disruptive interactions lead to a positive end? A provisional answer: to enter the interaction with a conscious aim toward a higher energy, and to trust our instincts and intuition. We hope that a deeper acquaintance with this archetype will lead us to a deeper understanding of the Trickster’s power, of which we are privileged agents.
As with every journey Dzieci has embarked upon, we have no idea how the final piece will turn out, but we are developing the work along three paths: learning the stories of the Nordic myths through a combination of research and oral transmission; training in a variety of theatrical techniques that will facilitate our storytelling (mask, puppetry, mime, improvisation); and studying traditional styles and forms of music and ritual from Scandinavia and related areas.
Dzieci had been developing Gypsy characters independent of the Ragnarok project, as a vehicle for our interactive work, and as a way to directly experience Trickster energy. Our current production of Makbet is, in fact, an outgrowth of this exploration. Working on these characters, it became clear that they would be perfect carriers of the tradition that we were bringing to light. A family of wandering nomads, for whom song and story is essential to their lives, need a body of myth and ritual to call their own. It made sense to us that a group of wandering outsiders would feel a strong connection to the Nordic myths, to the Trickster content of many of the stories, and also to the Trickster-nature of the Nordic cycle itself.
In performance, these Gypsies will, through a wide range of ritual and performance styles, tell the stories of the Edda, and in the process take part in family dramas that parallel what is being portrayed. The full piece will be rather epic in scope, hopefully offering a hint at the fullness of the human experience, and going beyond an investigation of the Trickster archetype to an exploration of what it means to have a god. Or gods .
A work-in-progress presentation of Ragnarok was given at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on September 25, 2003. The first modules are already beginning to take shape, but in true Dzieci fashion, the process of bringing the cycle to completion is likely to take several years. And never cease its evolutionary progress.
Bob Strock
Music Director & Nordic Specialist, Dzieci