Hello everyone, welcome back to part II of The Mara and other Demons in Doctor Who. If you missed Part I just scroll down the page and you should be able to catch up, if you so desire. As for now, we are just going to move right into part II starting with a monster that appears in the Third Doctor's story The Time Monster.
3) Kronos
The Doctor describes Kronos as a Chronovore, a beast that feeds on time energy and alternate dimensions. Also, at the end of the serial Kronos appears as a woman and tells the Doctor that she can change shape whenever she pleases and that she lives in a totally different reality than humans. Unfortunately, no one really knows what this means, and this is the first time a character of this sort has appeared on the Doctor Who screen, apart from the possible exception of the Celestial Toy-maker. What is Kronos, what are its origins, and what is its place in the the world of Doctor Who?
In Greek mythology Cronus was the leader of the Titans, deities who ruled the world before the Olympian gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades came to power; aka in the Greek mind, the gods who oversaw the world during the time of Atlantis. Perhaps the serial is alluding to the possibility that the Kronos in Doctor Who was misinterpreted by the primitive and superstitious people of the ancient world as the mystical Titan god Cronus.
On the other hand, the serial could be trying it induce parallels between their monster with Chronus, another Greek entity. Chronus is the Greek personification of time, referred to more commonly as Father Time during the Renaissance. This makes a certain amount of sense, seeing as how Kronos feeds on time energy, and lives in a different dimension. Also it has the
3) Kronos
The Doctor describes Kronos as a Chronovore, a beast that feeds on time energy and alternate dimensions. Also, at the end of the serial Kronos appears as a woman and tells the Doctor that she can change shape whenever she pleases and that she lives in a totally different reality than humans. Unfortunately, no one really knows what this means, and this is the first time a character of this sort has appeared on the Doctor Who screen, apart from the possible exception of the Celestial Toy-maker. What is Kronos, what are its origins, and what is its place in the the world of Doctor Who?
In Greek mythology Cronus was the leader of the Titans, deities who ruled the world before the Olympian gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades came to power; aka in the Greek mind, the gods who oversaw the world during the time of Atlantis. Perhaps the serial is alluding to the possibility that the Kronos in Doctor Who was misinterpreted by the primitive and superstitious people of the ancient world as the mystical Titan god Cronus.
On the other hand, the serial could be trying it induce parallels between their monster with Chronus, another Greek entity. Chronus is the Greek personification of time, referred to more commonly as Father Time during the Renaissance. This makes a certain amount of sense, seeing as how Kronos feeds on time energy, and lives in a different dimension. Also it has the
power to make men young or old, like it does to Sergeant Benton, showing mastery over time. Perhaps The Time Monster is suggesting that the personification of time through Chronus is accurate, and such a beast does exist, although perhaps not in the same way depicted as the ancient Greeks. Also, things get more confusing when one realizes that the figures Chronus and Cronus in mythology tend to blend together and are often seen as one character, and even when they are expressed as separate entities, they have several notable similarities. They are both identified as "old gods" and part of the old order when the world was young. They are both often seen carrying a scythe, and then, of course, they have the same etymological origin .
It is obvious that Doctor Who was trying to form a connection between their time beast and these characters from Greek mythology. However, either way, it never clearly explains where Kronos comes from or how it exists. It is completely alien. Kronos says about itself, "I can be lots of things; destroyer, healer, a creator. I am beyond good and evil as you know it.... (you are) on the border of your reality and mine." What does this mean? Should Kronos be seen as a supernatural character?
It is obvious that Doctor Who was trying to form a connection between their time beast and these characters from Greek mythology. However, either way, it never clearly explains where Kronos comes from or how it exists. It is completely alien. Kronos says about itself, "I can be lots of things; destroyer, healer, a creator. I am beyond good and evil as you know it.... (you are) on the border of your reality and mine." What does this mean? Should Kronos be seen as a supernatural character?
4) The Guardians
The Guardians are introduced to us during the beginning of The Ribos Operation. On the flatlands of some sort of African safari-like background we meet an old man in a white suit and red carnation sitting and drinking. This man identifies himself as the White Guardian. After a brief conversation with the Doctor, the Guardian essentially forces him to embark on a quest to find the Key to Time; a powerful artifact that can restore the balance of good and evil and order and chaos in the universe to its equilibrium. They are several Guardians that we know of, each one tending to have power over some faction or element of universe. The White Guardian, for example, clearly seems to be an anthropomorphic embodiment of order, just in the same way his opposite,
The Guardians are introduced to us during the beginning of The Ribos Operation. On the flatlands of some sort of African safari-like background we meet an old man in a white suit and red carnation sitting and drinking. This man identifies himself as the White Guardian. After a brief conversation with the Doctor, the Guardian essentially forces him to embark on a quest to find the Key to Time; a powerful artifact that can restore the balance of good and evil and order and chaos in the universe to its equilibrium. They are several Guardians that we know of, each one tending to have power over some faction or element of universe. The White Guardian, for example, clearly seems to be an anthropomorphic embodiment of order, just in the same way his opposite,
the Black Guardian, represents evil and chaos. Up to this point so far, we have only seen the Guardians in The Key to Time season arc, and their time screen has been brief. They have not made a re-appearance so far, although there is always the looming threat that the Black Guardian is searching out the Doctor in order to punish him for his refusal to give him the Key.
Other than this, not much is known about them. We don't know where they come from, or why they have their powers. They seem to be immortal and certainly tend to act like god-like beings. The Doctor does make a reference to Guardian technology once, so they must have some limitations, and need to rely on machines. Unfortunately, the show has not given us much to go on..
Other than this, not much is known about them. We don't know where they come from, or why they have their powers. They seem to be immortal and certainly tend to act like god-like beings. The Doctor does make a reference to Guardian technology once, so they must have some limitations, and need to rely on machines. Unfortunately, the show has not given us much to go on..
5) The Mara
Ah yes, and finally back to the Mara. We discussed the Mara in great detail during the last blog post, and I will try to repeat none of those details. The question that does remain, however, is does the Mara fit into the same category as these other monsters? Doctor Who is known for being a Science-Fiction show, but it does have this strange habit of not explaining certain monsters with science, or the realms in which these monsters dwell. If you don't describe your antagonists through science, what is the audience to assume, apart from the possibility that the creature is supernatural in origin? When you take into account that many of these monsters have god-like characteristics, or are often described as being immortal and having elemental powers, there is only one explanation. Though the Doctor may not like to say it, the Mara and all of the other creatures described should be put in the same category, and should be labeled as supernatural monsters.
Thanks for dropping by and taking a look at the site. Next week, I plan to talk about the Fifth Doctor's story The Visitation, starring Michael Robbins as the delightfully charming, gun-totting thespian Richard Mace. Until next time!!
Ah yes, and finally back to the Mara. We discussed the Mara in great detail during the last blog post, and I will try to repeat none of those details. The question that does remain, however, is does the Mara fit into the same category as these other monsters? Doctor Who is known for being a Science-Fiction show, but it does have this strange habit of not explaining certain monsters with science, or the realms in which these monsters dwell. If you don't describe your antagonists through science, what is the audience to assume, apart from the possibility that the creature is supernatural in origin? When you take into account that many of these monsters have god-like characteristics, or are often described as being immortal and having elemental powers, there is only one explanation. Though the Doctor may not like to say it, the Mara and all of the other creatures described should be put in the same category, and should be labeled as supernatural monsters.
Thanks for dropping by and taking a look at the site. Next week, I plan to talk about the Fifth Doctor's story The Visitation, starring Michael Robbins as the delightfully charming, gun-totting thespian Richard Mace. Until next time!!