A few days ago I made a blog post about my musing over a Cowboy Valkyrie, deciding that Nancy Callahan from Sin City fit the bill. Minutes after making the post I mentioned the topic to my wife, who said “Oh, you picked Salma Hayek, right?” Despite my cogent arguments that Jessica Alba’s turn as Nancy Callahan has certain operatic majesty that fits the bill, my lovely wife was certain that I had made the wrong choice. What do you think?
Just found your site--good stuff, I will be back.
ReplyDeleteDon't put too much into the Germanic Mythology western thing. Look instead into Celtic Mythology as that is the roots of the American Cowboy.Ever read "The Tain Bo Cullagh?" It's the Irish national epic. It means "The Cattle Raid of Cooley." Its about a border war between ulster and connaught and the individual combat between the warriors. It would make a heck of a western! Remember, much of the west was settled by Irish and Scottish Immigrants familiar with the Tain- as well as the Scottish legends around Rob Roy.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you say that. The United States was both heavily Irish and German in the late 19th century. There were for a time more German speakers than English speakers in the United States. While both left their imprint on the myth of the West, the tropes of Western literature clearly come from The Virginian by Owen Wister. Before visiting and writing about the West, Wister studied German opera under Wagner.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love The Cattle Raid of Cooley. I always thought it would be fun to adapt into a Western. Maybe in another life.