Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Myth Cycle of Scooby Doo

The Myth Cycle of Scooby Doo

While most would laugh at the notion that Scooby Doo might be a relevant piece of art to its time, it is even more laughable to most that Scooby Doo would be the source of relevant spiritual truths to the age it was born in. Still, here in I try to unravel the great mystery.

The Real Culprit Is


Atheism. When viewed at its simplest, this is the tale of a group of youths on an eternal quest to debunk the supernatural, to show ghosts, monsters, and magic to be mere shams and parlor tricks. In many ways, this is the atheistic attitude towards religion at large; that these religious organizations try to trick people into believing them, motivate them with fear, then profit from it, pulling the wool over their eyes long enough to claim things that rightfully belong to others. When these illusions are shattered, the crook is revealed for what he truly is, and they all have a good laugh.

While this is simple enough on its face, there are further nuances in their midst that should be accounted for before we settle at this enticing, yet perhaps hasty conclusion.

The Journey, the Travelers, and the Mystery Machine


The Journey itself is an unending one, from mystery to mystery, challenge to challenge, and with each stop, a familiar quest plays out. Much like the long quests of knights for the grail, this hero’s journey is one that seems without rest, but unlike the grail, each challenge follows the same format. The individual quests are not as important as the whole of this journey, to see where our travelers are trying to head and what prize they are trying to claim.

Our four travelers are quite balanced in a mystical way; two male, two female, each in some way corresponding to an element and in some way there are also inversions. Fred, the masculine man, is fire, almost always the first to say that a mystery was a foot, a leader. Daphne, a feminine female of water, her feelings were often made clear. Both of these two were quite typical. Velma, of air and logic, usually the one to solve the mystery, was a masculine woman, not as attractive as Daphne nor as shallow. Shaggy, an effeminate male of the earth, was often primal in his way, fearful in a way most would find emasculating, his skinny tall body a contrast to Velma’s short rounder form.

The Mystery Machine itself is a properly named vehicle, one that conveyed them on their quest in the mystery, towards their great purpose they may never fulfill. A vessel, it bore them from world to world, often only driven in the beginning of the journey.

The Mystery Itself

During the mystery, it has been stated that generally, Fred and Velma find clues, Daphne gets into trouble, and Scooby and Shaggy find food and the monster. It is interesting to note the more masculine characters are the ones to do the work, while the feminine are endangered, very much in the classic lines of knights and damsels. At some point, a trap will be set for the false monster, which in most cases fail, usually do to Scooby or Shaggy. Somehow, they end up catching him anyway, also usually related to Scooby and Shaggy. In a strange way, despite bumbling through, it is often Shaggy and Scooby that steal the show, managing to accidentally make things right. The villain then curses those meddling kids (and sometimes their dog) before being taken away.

So, this still seems in line with the atheistic heroes journey, destroying myth and legend with science and reason… but there is something I have been leaving out, because it is in its way the key to the greater puzzle.

Scooby Doo, the fifth member, the fifth element, the spirit of the group, is a dog. A dog that talks.

I Walk with Dog


So, despite the miracle in their midst, the Dog that talks as man, the group doubts all beings of the supernatural it comes upon, save Scooby and Shaggy. When reversed, Dog becomes God.

Now, the mystery changes slightly as we see that Dog walks with these four as they slay the monsters in their midst. But this is not the Dog many think of, an omnipotent smiter, but a hungry, cowardly, but lovable creature that makes the world better with his presence.

We can see Shaggy as being the devout follower, he who walks with Dog and emulates him in all things. They eat the same, smell, the same, act the same, though there are differences. In many cases, Shaggy is the one who most communicates with Dog and lets others know what Dog wants. And it is at this point that we see a change in their actions.

Despite being beyond the supernatural, beings of logic and reason, they need the help of dog and make offerings to him and his follower, in hopes of gaining Dog’s favor.

Its worth going over Scooby a little more at this point. While a Dog, he is intelligent like a man, with a voice like a man though distorted, but occasionally calls upon his Doglike traits, to sniff out clues or chase cats. In some ways, Scooby need not even be a dog, but the voice that follows him.

Note that the theme song to Scooby Doo could be interpreted as a prayer to Dog to intervene.

So, what is Dog doing for these young people on their quest, and can we solve this mystery?

Monsters or Men?

While the monsters seem to be fake, let us take a moment to look at the clues. Often, insufficient science and trickery are used to make startlingly realistic monsters. Not only that, but they often display traits outside their ken. Elderly janitors smash walls and run at break neck speeds, speeds that men of such age should not be able to achieve. Man or monster? So, is it possible they are real, up to the point of their reveal?

In a modern occult context, this may be the truth, a sort of dark shamanic right. While wearing the mask, the shaman truly becomes that spirit, while once the trance is over, the return to the normal world.

Wrapping it all Up

Seeking in the garden of teen delights, often to music, or carnivals, or other sources of fun, the gang breaks down or is waylaid, into another mystery. Here we see a moment wherein the wandering heroes are presented with a challenge and fall into the other world, where they will learn something of import. They do battle with a monster, calling upon the power of Dog to overcome it. As the enchantment is ended, the monster becomes a man, and our heroes share a laugh with Dog, as he reminds them of his presence through his antics.

To further push this idea, fear is overcome with reason, but only when we turn to Dog for help. Dog is not like an ordinary deity, but is cowardly, motivated primarily by his earthly need for hunger, but he is affectionate and loving and stalwart, forever at the side of his follower.

In a way, it is this following of the need for life, friends, food, and fun that ultimately motivates Dog, and like motivates his followers. When life becomes hectic, we can turn to Dog and he will help, though often not in the ways we expect. The other false creatures are eventually driven and shattered by his presence, the one true miracle in Scooby Doo. And what is it that they Quest for? They strive for life, for food, fun, and friends, to do away with the fear that prevents it.

Anyhow, that’s my own take on Scooby Doo. Perhaps not the best, perhaps utterly false, but I hope you had fun reading it.

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