Mythology of True Blood

True Blood is a seductively popular show featuring vampires and a variety of other supernatural creatures existing in our ordinary world. If you haven’t seen it before, or even if you have, you might be wondering why we describe it as cosmic. Vampires, blood, and all sorts of dark themes and creatures abound, yet this show also features some incredible social commentary and weaves in some wonderful mythology. In this article, we’ll explore True Blood in depth and discover the secrets that lie underneath the surface.

The below trailer for season 2 will give you a feel for the show. Then we’ll introduce you to the characters, take a deeper look at the mythological undertones throughout the series, and relate them to the overall theme of darkness versus light, or rather, the shades of grey within us all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcYJAS5YBcg

SPOILER ALERT: We apologize, but in order to really discuss the show, we’ll have to give a lot away, particularly from the second season. We will try to spoil as little as possible, while still making this a decent review.

Sookie Stackhouse is our main character, played by Anna Paquin. She’s a waitress at the local restaurant Merlotte’s. Sookie probably won’t tell you this, but she’s also a telepath: she can hear your thoughts. Sookie is relieved by the silence when she meets Bill, a vampire who has moved into the area. For whatever reason, she can’t hear his thoughts, and she loves it. Vampires have recently “come out of the coffin”, due to the availability of synthetic blood called “Tru Blood”. They now co-exist alongside humans all over the world. Before long, Sookie’s town of Bon Temps, Louisiana has become a hotbed of all sorts of creatures and strange occurrences. The show was adapted by Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, from the Southern Vampire Mysteries novels written by Charlaine Harris. Each season of the show, now on it’s third season, is loosely based on one of the books. The first season essentially sets the backdrop, introducing essential characters, and preparing Sookie for her destiny as the show’s heroine.

Bon Temps is hit by a series of grisly murders, and the waitresses at Merlotte’s seem to be the prime targets. Each of them had been with a vampire in the past, so many suspect Bill or another vampire is responsible. Sookie’s grandmother is killed next, though she was not the intended victim. Over time it becomes clear that the culprit is someone in the town, and Sookie is hot on his trail, determined to catch the killer. Each of the victims had associated with vampires, so naturally Sookie fears she may be next. She eventually finds out it was Rene, the husband of fellow Merlotte’s waitress Arlene. Rene’s hatred of vampires made him kill his sister and several other innocents. The whole town was so quick to judge a vampire, yet it was one of their own kind who was to blame.

The show centers around the theme of darkness versus light. Can one change his nature? Are “creatures of darkness” pure evil, or can anyone be purely good? One might jump to the conclusion that the vampires or other creatures are all on the dark side, however in Bon Temps, it’s hard to tell for sure. Bill, for example, is trying to “mainstream” living a more human life. He appears a gentleman, embracing his human nature and seeking harmony with humans. He and Sookie develop a relationship, despite their differences. Other vampires such as Eric Northman played by Alexander Skarsgård, are a bit more ruthless, long detached from their humanity. However- does this make them evil, and can they change their nature? Should they be judged and looked down upon by humans? Do not humans, such as Rene, also have some violence inside? As the show enters its second season, the trailer for which is shown above, these themes are taken to an entirely new level.

Season 2 introduces the radical church called the Fellowship of the Sun, and the political side of the vampires entrance into the mainstream. The church recruits Jason, Sookie’s brother, into what is eventually revealed as an anti-vampire terrorist army. Jason, after having some terrible experiences with vampires and vampire blood (which is used as a drug in the show) is quickly brainwashed by this cult, and by its extremist leader and his seductive wife. As the season ramps up the pace, the sinister plan of Steve Newlin and his growing army becomes apparent: he intends to start an all-out war against the vampires. Churches are generally seen as the Light, a force of truth and good in the world. Yet when religion is used to launch an assault on a relatively innocent group of people, something must be amiss. The church has taken a 2,000 year old vampire named Godric, played by Danish actor Allan Hyde. They’re holding him hostage, planning for him to “Meet the Sun” in a twisted religious ceremony. Godric will essentially burn alive as the sun comes up while the congregation cheers. Is this appropriate treatment of a vampire who has harmed no one? Sookie, Bill, and Eric travel to Dallas to find Godric and rescue him.

Meanwhile, back in Bon Temps, trouble is brewing as a new character, Maryann Forrester, shakes up the town. She is played by the fabulous actress Michelle Forbes. We know very little about her at first, except that she’s incredibly generous to Sookie’s friend Tara, bailing her out of jail and offering her a place to stay at her luxurious mansion. Tara is slow to trust Maryann, but over time she gives in, surrounded by delicious food, all the marijuana she can smoke, and the affections of Maryann and her strange friends. Sam Merlotte, owner of the restaurant, has a history with Maryann that he won’t reveal. He once attempted to steal from her when he was on the run as a young boy. She taunts and teases him throughout the season, content in the fact that she can reveal him as a shape-shifter if he crosses her. Maryann has powers too, but for a while she doesn’t reveal them. She appears to be nothing more than a fun-loving woman, bringing drinks to the table and life to the party. Everyone wants to dance when Maryann’s around…but no one knows exactly why.

As the season builds, Maryann becomes known as quite the partier. At first she gets everyone to dance at Merlotte’s, which is unusual for the restaurant. Then she throws a wild party at her house where the town starts to get a bit out of control. When Sookie takes off for Dallas, she leaves Tara alone at her house. Maryann moves in, holding an even bigger bash for Tara’s birthday. The above clip shows this party, featuring the fantastic tribal dance tune “The Forgotten People” by the Thievery Corporation. It is the first time Maryann begins to reveal her true gifts- her ability to inspire madness and intoxication in humans. As the season ramps up, so do Maryann’s parties, until the whole town is in a shambles, entranced by her spell. She is revealed as a maenad, a handmaiden of Dionysus and very much a supernatural creature. Dionysus, along with being the God of wine, also represents an energy of intoxication- of taking things just a bit too far. Maryann revels in this, feeding off of human energy, especially madness, drunkenness, and wild ecstasy. This has kept her alive for many hundreds or thousands of years now that worship of her God is no longer formally practiced. At this point, she’s essentially become immortal.

After Tara and her boyfriend beat each other up in a drunken ecstasy, they awake the next morning and confront Maryann about what’s been happening. Tara and others in the town have started to notice that they’ve been having black-outs, more and more often. They don’t realize they’ve been under Maryann’s spell until its too late. For now, Maryann explains her slightly twisted belief that this madness is essentially a connection to the divine- losing oneself in music, wine and dance can actually be rather enlightening. See the above scene for some of Maryann’s best and most cosmic lines in the show.

“Control is just a cage this stupid culture uses to block out who we are. We need to be out of control- we crave it.” Tara says she doesn’t want to be blacking out, to which Maryann responds “Is that what you think it is? Because I have a little theory about blacking out. Maybe you rose to a higher state of consciousness.” She continues “What about the saints of India? What about the mystics of every religion? …All that fake civilization bullshit just fell away so they could dissolve into the infinite. So they could lose themselves and unite with their God.”

Maryann brings up a wonderful point. Higher states of consciousness are incredibly diverse, and there are many ways to reach these heights. Again, the line between good and evil is very blurred here. Meditation, ecstatic dance, drunkenness, whirling dervishes, asceticism and other practices can alter the consciousness in many ways. It is up to the individual whether we choose to attune to practices and paths of positive or negative polarity. In essence, we do crave these experiences- to lose our physical limitations and expand ourselves to experience divinity. Yet is Maryann’s path to ecstasy worth dying for? The maenads of ancient Greece were certainly experiencing something extraordinary. They were famous for partying, drinking, and dancing heavily until reaching these states of seeming madness. Some would even tear animals or each other apart limb from limb! It is this wild energy that Maryann craves, and induces in the town. As the frenzy builds, more murders take place in town, but hardly anyone notices. Everyone is so entranced by Maryann that all they can do is party and destroy the town. Maryann makes her true intentions known- she intends to make a final sacrifice to call forth Dionysus, and she has her heart set on Sam Merlotte as the victim.

In Dallas, Sookie attempts to infiltrate the church and find Godric, but they kidnap her first. As the church prepares for Godric to meet the sun, they’re overtaken by the vampires of Dallas. They declare to Steve Newlin and his blind followers that they know of his plan, and intend to fight back. As the vampires prepare to drain the entire congregation, Godric appears and declares “Enough”. It seems two thousand years of Life has taught him a great deal, and any violent tendencies have left him. Godric appears almost angelic, calling out to Newlin “I do not wish to cause bloodshed where none is called for. Help me set an example. If we leave you in peace, will you do the same?” The vampires reluctantly retreat. What an interesting turn of events that a creature of darkness appears in a church to prevent a massacre, essentially caused by the church. How can a vampire be more enlightened than a religious leader? How have the teachings of Jesus become so distorted over the ages to promote hatred and violence? Vampire is the new Gay, according to True Blood. “God Hates Fangs”, proclaims a church sign in the show’s intro sequence. Does he really?

Back at Godric’s house, vampires and humans are socializing, as many of the characters reconcile after the days events. A Fellowship of the Sun recruit steps in, having rigged himself with explosives and silver. He destroys himself, in the process killing several vampires and humans. It is clear that human hatred still runs strong, despite Godric’s good intentions. He assumes responsibility for this disaster, stepping down from all roles of authority.

One of the most moving scenes in this season is where Godric finally meets the sun. It is his ascension, after two millenia of Life. He has learned to respect all life and treat humans as equals, a quality few vampires share. He has essentially become enlightened, and feels that he no longer belongs on this Earth, no longer wishing to cause any harm. Eric, Godric’s progeny, begs him not to leave, sharing his love for his Maker (Godric is the one who made Eric vampire). It is a side of Eric we’ve never seen before- that even vampires such as he can love. Godric stands on the rooftop of the hotel in Dallas, preparing for his fate, while Sookie cries for him. He remarks in the scene: “A human with me at the end, and human tears. Two thousand years…and I can still be surprised. In this I see God.” Godric has left behind a legacy for his fellow vampires, a lesson to be learned. Even a creature of darkness can find the path to the light. Godric is unsure of his fate as he prepares for his death, asking Sookie how God will punish him. Sookie says “God doesn’t punish, God forgives.” Godric ascends into blue flames and white light.

Sookie and Bill return to Bon Temps, which has been absolutely ravaged by Maryann and her new followers. They’re chasing after Sam Merlotte for the upcoming sacrifice. “God is coming!” the townspeople proclaim, chanting the names of Dionysus in fits of ecstasy. “Lolo Bromios, Lolo Dendrites, Lolo Eleutherios, Lolo Enorches, Lolo Bacchus…” Each of these names represents a different aspect of Dionysus that the town is embodying. “Lo” is often found in ancient Greek songs of praise, and means “Lord” or “Master”. Bromios means “the thunderer” or “to roar”. Dentrites comes from the word Dendron, which means tree, representing the nature/fertility side of Dionysus. Eleutherios means “the liberator”, that which frees the spirit from the confines of this world, through wine or ecstatic dance. Enorches means “the dancer”, and Bacchus is of course the Roman name for Dionysus. The frenzy he induces is known as bakkheia, and the wild parties of the maenads and Dionysian initiates are called Bacchanalia.

In the last episode, Maryann and the town are preparing for her wedding- to Dionysus. We learn from the Vampire Queen of Louisiana that maenads seek union with their God, to be ravaged by Dionysus. This is essentially the true death, after which they can be lost in oblivion forever. Maryann believes that with the proper sacrifice- a supernatural creature such as Sam for example, Dionysus will appear to do just that. The Queen also shares a rather enlightened remark with Bill when he asks her advice about Maryann. “You can’t kill her. She’s convinced herself she’s immortal and so she is.” She continues “William, surely you know that everything that exists imagined itself into existence?” Words of wisdom indeed from the Vampire Queen!

Now, let’s ruin the ending for you, shall we? Don’t say we didn’t warn you! The ending of the season is incredibly thought-provoking, leaving the viewer to decide what really happened. In a remarkably beautiful scene, Sam appears as a beautiful white bull (another symbol of Dionysus, the horned God), which Maryann believes is her God. She walks toward him as Sam pierces her through the heart with one of his horns. Maryann exclaims “Yes, I am the vessel, I’m happy to die” believing that her time has come to unite with her God. Sam changes back into his human form, holding her black heart in his hand. Maryann asks “Was there no God?” before collapsing. It would appear that Sam tricked her- but from another perspective, perhaps Maryann got exactly what she wanted. The end goal of the maenad again is essentially to be ravaged by Dionysus before stepping into oblivion. The true death, union with her God, after centuries of worship, brought to her by none other than a bull. The mythological undertones of this storyline are wonderful, and a pleasure to watch as they unfold.

Are the polarities of darkness and light fixed, or can they be bent and broken? Can a creature of darkness love, can it ascend? How have the religions of the world grown so hateful, so close-minded? Are higher states of consciousness totally pure experiences, or can they be twisted? Is the light the only true way, or can one follow the path of darkness and still reach enlightenment? True Blood asks many of these questions, leaving the audience to discern their own answers. Only a cosmic TV show would boldly step into such territory. Alan Ball and the show’s writers could have easily made this just another show about vampires- but they did not. They chose not only to stay true to Charlaine Harris’ intentions, but to expand on them, embedding these fascinating themes and mythological undertones into the heart of the show.

Season 3 of True Blood got off to an exciting start this year, introducing werewolves and a slew of new characters. The darkness versus light themes are becoming even more prevalent in the show as Sookie’s true nature as a Fairy is revealed. What’s more, Russell Edgington is a 3,000 year old vampire poised to assume power of the free world, so it would seem. He is fed up with humans ravaging their habitat, and refuses to stand by and watch the Earth be destroyed. This environmentalism is incredibly relevant to our time, but it’s most interesting to hear it from such a ruthless and violent character. If humans don’t start making changes, who will? We’ll likely be exploring the third season of this fantastic show later on this year, after the season finale in September. For now, we hope you enjoyed this review of True Blood!

We look forward to writing future reviews of Cosmic TV shows. Care to recommend a few?