How they come up with the back story of clay in the first place?

[gwhh]

Does anyone know how they come up with the idea of making wonder woman out of clay as her backstory in the first place?

[Vanguard-01]

Does anyone know how they come up with the idea of making wonder woman out of clay as her backstory in the first place?

I'm guessing Marston drew inspiration from the Greek myth about Galatea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galatea_(mythology)

[Pinsir]

I think Marston may have been interested in the 'nature vs nurture' debate. Wonder Woman being made from clay is basically the tableau rosa and since Wonder Woman has no 'genetic' component she is basically the best possible imprint of the superior Amazonian culture.

[Javier Velasco]

The Pygmalion entry at Wikipedia actually shines more light than the actual Galatea one...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(mythology)

It also notes that Pandora shared the same "molded from the Earth" origin.

The idea of human life being molded from Earth is more the norm than not in ancient myths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_of_man_from_clay

That is why it is so odd to me when people speak about how Diana's origin somehow makes her difficult to relate to.

[UltraWoman]

It definitely has a lot of elements of the Pandora myth. In fact, I've often wondered if it wasn't an intentional reversal of the myth. In it's original reasoning, wasn't there an edict that she came to save man? Pandora was specifically designed to be man's downfall.

[Silvanus]

The idea of human life being molded from Earth is more the norm than not in ancient myths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_of_man_from_clay

That is why it is so odd to me when people speak about how Diana's origin somehow makes her difficult to relate to.

It is interesting. On the other hand, modern people don't necessarily find it easy or desirable to relate to everything that was common in the ancient myths--consider, for example, intergenerational warfare and incest. And I even wonder if the ancients truly found it easy to relate to their primordial "clay" ancestors; after all, part of the significance of imagining their ancestors as being made of clay might have been that they felt at some level that those ancestors were far removed from themselves and closer to the inanimate earth. Today we think our earliest ancestors were apes, but we find apes relateable only the point of being "almost" human. I'm not saying it's the same thing--just that being like our earliest ancestors is no guarantee of being relateable. (Come to think of it, even being like our most recent ancestors is no guarantee of being relaetable; and if there are generation gaps between us and our parents and grandparents, think of what the "generation gap" between us and Adam would be! )

And how "relateable," really, were Pandora and Galatea supposed to be? In those stories, I think the people readers were really meant to relate to were Prometheus (the bringer of fire and inspiration to humanity, and the primary victim of the vengeance plot which was the reason for Pandora's creation) and Pygmalion (the archetypal example of the creator who falls in love with his own work). Pandora and Galatea were, I guess we could say, "second-order" clay people; they weren't our first ancestors but were created later for special purposes, and so they might seem more like aberrations. And, for argument's sake, I guess the same could be said about clay Wonder Woman.

(eta--OK, I guess it's not not quite true that Pandora wasn't among "our first ancestors" in that myth, since she was called the first woman; but I think the point of that was to portray women as "other" and as trouble, so she still wasn't portrayed as our ancestor in a "warm-an-fuzzy" or truly "relateable" way, as far as I know.)

(Also, I have to give credit to CaptMagellan, who once posted here about an anthropologist friend of his who gave a paper arguing, if I remember right, that because being made from clay was archetypally associated with our earliest ancestors, heroes who are made from clay but are not supposed to our primordial ancestors may seem aberrant or just a little "off" somehow. Captain, if you're still lurking here at all, please let us know if I'm remembering that right.)

I still think the creation of Wonder Woman from clay is a lovely story, whether or not it needs to always be in continuity as her actual origin. I'm not trying trying to trash that story; I just think you raise an interesting question, and I'm taking a stab at answering it.

[Herowatcher]

I think Marston may have been interested in the 'nature vs nurture' debate. Wonder Woman being made from clay is basically the tableau rosa and since Wonder Woman has no 'genetic' component she is basically the best possible imprint of the superior Amazonian culture.

I think Wonder Woman could easily have a "genetic" component as part of her clay origin.
Her animated movie really demonstrates this best and contributes why she looks so much like her mother Hippolyta.

If others want Diana to be more human this is the way to go IMHO.

[William300]

You know, I've heard quite a few fans complain about the new origin, with her being the daughter of Zeus, and there by a demigod. But I actually prefer it to the whole "born from a clay statue." I'm happy there going with the demigod route for the films.

[Agent Z]

You know, I've heard quite a few fans complain about the new origin, with her being the daughter of Zeus, and there by a demigod. But I actually prefer it to the whole "born from a clay statue." I'm happy there going with the demigod route for the films.

Why exactly do you prefer the demigod origin?

[William300]

Why exactly do you prefer the demigod origin?

It opens her up to much more interesting stories. I mean she's an heir to Olympus! It makes having stories with those gods much more interesting. For example, in the New 52 she's become the God of War (for now). I mean really, what does the "clay origin" open her up to?

[Agent Z]

It opens her up to much more interesting stories. I mean she's an heir to Olympus! It makes having stories with those gods much more interesting. For example, in the New 52 she's become the God of War (for now). I mean really, what does the "clay origin" open her up to?

Basically the same thing. I mean, she became a goddess in the old continuity as well. Plus the clay story is a part of a bigger story; Hippolyta and the Amazons. After all the trauma and brutalization from men, they were granted something that was truly a gift and source of happiness for them.

[Hawk80]

It opens her up to much more interesting stories. I mean she's an heir to Olympus! It makes having stories with those gods much more interesting. For example, in the New 52 she's become the God of War (for now). I mean really, what does the "clay origin" open her up to?

More interesting stories? what kind of stories? gods are the gods, titles are titles. what's the differece? What kind of stories required this deterioration?
This doesn't make sense...

[AmiMizuno]

The only thing I dislike is the fact she can be turned back. She is not a golem. She is a real human. She should not be able to turn back in clay. She has blood and a soul there should be no reason to have her turn back into clay

[Hawk80]

The only thing I dislike is the fact she can be turned back. She is not a golem. She is a real human. She should not be able to turn back in clay. She has blood and a soul there should be no reason to have her turn back into clay

That's just bad writing. And they are gods... they could turn into clay even Superman...

[Mad Love]

The first people in Greek mythology were all made of clay. Being made of clay in Greek myth is not a unique thing.

The "creation of man from clay" is a theme that recurs throughout world religions and mythologies. Examples include:

According to Sumerian mythology the god Enki or Enlil create a servant of the gods, humankind, out of clay and blood. See Enki and the Making of Man
According to Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
According to the Qur'an[23:12–15], God created man from clay.
According to Greek mythology, Prometheus created man from clay, while Athena breathed life into them.[1]
According to Chinese mythology (see Chu Ci and Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era), Nüwa molded figures from the yellow earth, giving them life and the ability to bear children.
According to Egyptian mythology the god Khnum creates human children from clay before placing them into their mother's womb.[2]
According to some American Indian beliefs, the Earth Shaker formed the figure of many men and women, which he dried in the sun and into which he breathed life.
According to Inca mythology the creator god Viracocha formed humans from clay on his second attempt at creating living creatures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_of_man_from_clay