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DISCLAIMER
Joanne Kathleen Rowling and her authorized publishers and Warner Bros. own the rights to the Harry Potter books, films, and trademarks. This website is made by a fan for the fans, and is a non-profit personal project. All non-original material are properly credited.
This website: Copyright November 2003 by prof_skywalker and Pinoy Harry Potter (Hogwarts Philippines)
Lesson 4: Darna!
One key to understanding the culture of a certain civilization is to study its mythology. Specific myths will reflect the people's core values and traditions, however fantastical the myths may be. Filipino Muggle culture, in particular, boasts of a rich mythology, stemming from different influences rooted in its equally rich history. One particular uniquely Pinoy character managed to transcend different media and has captured the imagination of all sectors of the society. Although Darna has become a pop culture icon, the essential aspects of her character and story echo other Filipino myths and local fantasy elements.
The Superheroine from the Planet Marte
The story of Darna starts in as fantastical a way as any. Narda and Ding, two orphans under the care of their Grandmother, were playing hide-and-seek with other children one night. Suddenly, Narda saw what looked like a comet crash to the ground near her. Upon close inspection, she saw that what fell to the ground was a pretty white stone with the word "Darna" written on it. She was examining the stone when she heard her playmates approaching. Fearing that they might take the pretty stone away from her, she swallowed the stone. The stone, as if with a life of its own, made its way into her stomach, and Narda suddenly saw visions of stars and galaxies, and fell to the ground, unconscious. Her Grandmother found her later on. Upon waking, Narda relates her story. Her Grandmother, thinking the stone was some sort of agimat, asked Narda what the inscription on the stone was. Narda struggled to recall the word and remembered that it was "Darna". As soon as she said the word, she turned into the superheroine, Darna. She introduced herself as a being from the Planet Marte, and reassured the Grandmother and Ding that she meant no harm to Narda. Darna uttered Narda's name and turned back into Narda.
The superheroine Darna would later fight battles with menacing characters such as Valentina, a parallel to Greek mythology's Medusa. Valentina commanded snakes to wipe out whole towns. Darna also fought Armida the Hawk Woman, giants, vampires, witches, and other classic villains.
Darna's Widespread Influence in Pinoy Pop Culture
Darna was born at a time when the Philippines was still struggling to recover from the effects of the second World War. She captured the imagination of a people in need of a hero.
A year after Darna was first published in 1950, a film version was immediately made starring Rosa del Rosario as Darna, Cristina Aragon as Valentina, and Mila Nimpa as Narda. After that box office hit, "Darna at ang Babaing Lawin" was released just months after.
There would later be 14 Darna movies made since 1951, with the lead role of Darna played by more than five different actresses including Vilma Santos, Lorna Tolentino and Gina Pareno. The character of Darna would also make cameo appearances in countless local films, and would even be incarnated as a male hero played by comedy king Dolphy, and Chiquito.
Darna was also serialized in countless comic books. After her last flight in 1999 in Super Action Comics, she was again resurrected last year by Mango Comics.
The Genius Behind The Superheroine
Darna was the brainchild of one of the great fathers of Pinoy Comics, Marsial "Mars" Ravelo, and artist Nestor Redondo.
Mars Ravelo was born in 1916, and was a writer and cartoonist who contributed many other memorable characters to the Pinoy fantasy genre such as Dyesebel, Kaptain Barbel, and Lastik Man.
HOMEWORK 4: Going Deeper Into The Myth
DATE DUE - On or before Sunday, 4 April 2004, 12:00 Noon
Instructions: Visit the Official Darna Website and look through the other information available there. Try looking at the sample artworks, and reading up on information about the different serials and movies that were made.
1) In 3-8 sentences, tell me why you think "Darna" has managed to penetrate so deeply into Pinoy culture. What is it in the character that appeals to the Filipinos? What values can we learn from the story of Darna? (70 points)
2) I will be conducting an e-mail interview with artist Ryan Orosco, who worked on the 2003 edition of Darna from Mango Comics. Submit at least one question that you would like to ask Ryan regarding his work with Darna or the character in general. You will earn an instant 30 points for your first question (which will guarantee you a perfect score if you also get a perfect score for the first part of the homework). Take note, though, that if you don't submit any questions, you will not be able to get a passing grade of 75 for the whole homework even if you perfect item number 1. An additional 5 points will be given for each succeeding question submitted. The extra points will be added to your total score until you reach 100 points, after which, any other additional points earned will be converted into house points.
The results of the e-mail interview will be published together with the release of Lesson Number 5 sometime in April.
FURTHER HOMEWORK INSTRUCTIONS
1) Owl your homework to this address and this address only: padmeannskywalker @ yahoo.com. If your owls drop your homework in a different address, they will not be graded.
2) In your e-owl's subject tag, please write "Muggle Studies 100 Homework Number 4".
3) Make sure to send in your homework as an e-mail. Just copy the text into your e-mail program's "Compose" window. Do not send me your homework as .doc or .txt or .rtf attachments.
4) Remember to put in the following information: Your real name, your forum nickname, your year level, your house.
Any questions about this lesson and the homework should be tackled in the appropriate threads in our classroom located at www.pinoyharrypotter.org. I will also be starting a discussion thread on this topic at our classroom, and I hope you will all participate. :)
Good Luck!