partheogenesis [par-thuh-noh-jen-uh-sis]
noun
1. Development of an egg without fertilization.
2.
Mythology. Human birth without sex; virgin birth.
3.
Mythology. Creation of new life from a single individual or being without sex.
EX. Much like the
parthenogenesis of Athena from the head of Zeus, the greatest stories ever told through anime have been born from the head of the Japanese Disney, Hayao Miyazaki. Yet, much like Athena's birth being partly from the result of a prophecy foretold by Zeus's first concubine/wire Metis, so too are the idea of Miyazaki born from a mix of his own personal experiences, philosophies, and mythology from all over the world.
Many of the young strong female characters in Miyazaki's works are based on real people and fictional archetypes, like his friend's daughter on whom he based Sen and like Russian mythology's Baba Yaga on whom he based Yubaba & Zeniba from
Spirited Away (2001). In
Porco Rosso (1992)
, the protagonist is an exaggerated satire of Miyazaki himself and the story briefly touches on themes of facism, which were once part of Miyazaki's political life.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and
Princess Mononoke (1997) drew upon his strong belief in natural conservation.
These examples are just a few and it becomes clear through studying any artists works that nothing is original, but that doesn't mean that it can't be unique, inspiring, and enchanting; three adjectives that fit the works of this titan of story-telling through animation.
