Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Elizabeth Saam is interested in studying cultures, especially cross-cultural communication, understanding and conflict—which is why she chose Father Murphy’s Ignatius Seminar. (Photo: courtesy Elizabeth Saam)

Elizabeth Saam is a freshman from Melbourne, FL. She is interested in studying cultures, especially cross-cultural communication, understanding and conflict—which is why she chose Father Murphy’s seminar. She also plays bassoon in the orchestra and volunteers with GUMelody, which travels to a YMCA in southeast DC every week to teach music to children. She would recommend Father Murphy’s class to anyone, whether or not they think they are interested in Germanic myth.

Q. What did you find most interesting about Father Murphy’s Ignatius Seminar “Myth and Realization” in the fall of 2008?

A. I didn't really know what I was getting into--it was a pretty broad topic. I didn't know what myths we would be focusing on, and I didn't know that we wouldn't be just reading myths. As it turned out, we focused on Germanic myth. Admittedly, before this class I knew a very limited amount about Germanic mythology and lore, and I didn't really care that I knew so little. When we started with “The Heliand,” a Saxon interpretation of the New Testament, I was hooked. Not only was the Heliand translated by Father Murphy, but the unknown original author had translated the New Testament across cultures, not just across languages. For example, Christ's apostles became his warrior-companions, and the beatitudes were tweaked so that a culture based on such different foundations could truly understand and realize the message of the New Testament. Next we moved on to the Middle Ages, reading Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival. Once again, a theme of this work was cross-cultural understanding, with Wolfram advocating a much more peaceful route to obtaining the Grail in opposition to the Crusades. Finally, we read a few of the Grimm's Fairy Tales, which were much richer with a background in the development of Christian-Germanic myth! It was also interesting to trace the concept of heroism through “The Heliand”--it seems that many of our ideas of a hero stem from the combination of Christian and Germanic ideals, such as the idea that a man should "have a kind heart in a warrior's chest."
 
Q. What is your most memorable moment from Father Murphy's class?

A. The most memorable moments of the class where when Father Murphy would bring something in to do a demonstration for us. Maybe it was a spear modeled after the ones the Saxons would have used, or a sword, or chain mail or fossils or a humongous "ruby." Out of all of these, though, my favorite would have to be the day he brought in a replica he had made of Wolfram von Eschenbach's Holy Grail. But not only did he bring it in, he re-created the scene of its first appearance in Wolfram's “Parzival,”complete with candles and incense.  Another highlight was the day we went to Baltimore to explore the collections of medieval artifacts mentioned throughout Parzival. I can see how these demonstrations could sound kind of gimmicky on paper, but in reality, they did just what Father Murphy intended them to do: they brought us realization.
 
Q. What stands out about Father Murphy, his teaching style, and his course?

A. Father Murphy, more than any other teacher or professor I've ever had, focuses on truly ringing home the messages of whatever we are studying. I never felt like I had to study too much for his tests not because I thought they would be easy or because I spent all my free time studying anyway, but because I truly knew the material. Somehow Father Murphy managed to ingrain in us the broader concepts of what we studied, and the finer points as well. The very first class we had with him, we discussed what realization was since we seemed to have a decent grasp on what myth was. According to Father Murphy, realization is the highest form of learning--beyond memorization or "understanding." To realize is to deeply and almost inexplicably comprehend a thing, to have that feeling of something finally "coming home" to you. In order to realize, you must experience and dwell on that thing in a variety of ways. And I think Father Murphy not only understands what realization is, but uses this to help his students truly appreciate the meanings and contexts of what they study.
 

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