Rapunzel

Myth & Story

21 Sept

Written By Quinn

I managed to find a few images which offer various takes on the myth of Rapunzel. Extremely long hair, a central theme of Rapunzel, doesn’t always come with a tower, and there are a couple of examples further down the page. I have no idea if the modifications provide additional insight into the artists who created them, or maybe it’s a subconscious observation they’ve made on people around them. Or, perhaps they were well aware of what they were saying without using words?

I love Nina Y’s interpretation, and I would have identified strongly with this picture in my youth. It gives the impression a man is using the woman to climb to the top: a sense of being put upon, not rescued. It appears to be a case of ‘fuck off. I don’t want to be saved and would rather stay here on my own than be rescued by you’. Those instances where someone professes to be saving you when you don’t need nor want to be saved are familiar to many of us. Maybe you were just letting your hair down, and someone saw it as a cry for help? Or perhaps it’s a passer-by chancing their luck, and they assumed you had sent out an invite? Cutting off the hair could be akin to cutting off one’s nose to spite the face, but maybe something just isn’t right? Like the timing?

I’m not so sure about this one. It looks like someone died because they were too concerned about looking the part rather than taking action. The giveaway is the direction the skeleton is facing; there’s no way he was going to get up that wall unless he thought the hair was attached to some type of winch and all he had to do was hold on. If you’re feeling a connection, it could be a suggestion that you know someone who desires your attention but needs to put in considerably more effort. Taking it one step further, it could serve as a warning that they may indeed die trying to reach you. And I mean that in the symbolic sense, not literal. If you know who this picture represents, maybe reach down and offer your hand, or tell them they need to turn and look at you, they’re facing the wrong way and will never reach you like that.

A beautiful take on hopelessness from Alperen Kahraman. That afro guarantees there’s no chance of rescue by traditional methods, although there’s no knowing if there are stairs in this tower, and it’s probably best to check before resorting to more creative ways of escape. There’s youthfulness and vibrancy to this picture which tells me there is plenty of time for contemplation. She looks fed up, but then she might have climbed into that tower to get a better view of the landscape. If you look closely, her eyes are focusing on something above, so maybe she wants to be up even higher than she is. Is her prince up there in the heavens? Is she looking for divine inspiration? Did she initially climb the tower to get some much-needed time-out?

This woman isn’t hidden away in a tower, but the hair is still the big sign screaming to be read. She holds onto her throat and has the hair as a noose in her other hand. Is her own vanity going to be the death of her? Or is it something more profound than that? Hair is seen to represent strength by some (think Samson and Delilah), and it could be her willpower and fighting spirit (the hair is red) that is causing her problems. The dress is exceptionally feminine and quite prudish, which is often seen as the opposite of a fighting spirit; is a subconscious idea of chastity the underlying problem? Who knows, but the image suggests a one-way ticket to suicide if she doesn’t loosen up.

Margo Selski - Defined by Hair (click to enlarge)

The image to the left represents a social truth that we are, at least partly, ‘defined by hair’. You can pick up almost any magazine to see that. From clip-in extensions to weaves, the choices are many, frequently expensive, and damaging to one’s natural locks. If you go to any supermarket, you can see that the hair-dye section has as much shelf space as the tea or coffee. Again, it comes at the price of damage to what is natural. Does this image suggest that it is more challenging, although not impossible, to see what’s underneath? If the hair is the main attraction, is the dress one wears less important? The red dress speaks of a passionate nature, and the birds talk of freedom, but can she move freely within her hair skirt? Could a significant other get close enough to hold her, or does he have to keep his distance? Are social demands limiting her ability to show herself off?

I found this final image accidentally when I went for a five-minute breather on Facebook, and it’s probably my favourite out of the bunch. This Rapunzel is visibly old, and yet she sits waiting at the window, looking fed up. Unlike the afro-rapunzel, there is less hopelessness here. The fact that she still sits despite her hair becoming grey speaks of the divine spark within, that thing that keeps us going when we should have given up long ago. Is this a case of self-sabotage at its finest? It may be worth pointing out that none of the characters in the original story claim to be immortal, this creation will die someday, and no one will ever get the benefit if it stays locked up in that tower.