Bridge: A structure spanning and providing passage over an obstacle.
Many bridges are marvelous feats of engineering. They join land masses and seem to defy the odds of the material world by holding their place even under great weight and stress and repeated environmental pressures. In storytelling however, the bridge can function much differently. The bridge can exist as both a testament to the building ambitions of humans, while also showing vulnerability when a bridge collapses. In certain stories, the bridge can act as a causeway, while also functions as a shifting and complex architectural feat.
Celtic Mythology: In the work by T.W. Rolleston, Celtic Myths and Legends, a story of the great hero Cuchulain was written about, where he ventured to cross over a structure known as the Bridge of Leaps to meet Skatha, who was renowned for her teaching of arms to other warriors. He endeavoured to cross over the bridge and undertake this great labour after the woman he attempted to court, Emer, informed him she could not marry before her elder sister. When Cuchulain travelled to the lands where Emer lived, to woo and collect Emer, she told the young man of the laws of her father, stating to him that "None comes to this plain, who has not slain his hundreds, and thy deeds are still to do." And so Cuchulain went in search of other great acts of heroism to complete;
Cuchulain in the Land of Skatha
The next day Cuchulain bethought himself how he could prepare himself for war and for the deeds of heroism which Emer had demanded of him. Now he had heard of a mighty woman-warrior named Skatha, who dwelt in the Land of Shadows, and who could teach young heroes who came to her wonderful feats of arms. So Cuchulain went overseas to find her, and many dangers he had to meet, black forests and desert plains to traverse, before he could get tidings of Skatha and her land. At last, he came to the Plain of Ill-luck, where he could not cross without being mired in its bottomless bogs or sticky clay, and while he was debating what he should do he saw coming towards him a young man with a face that shone like the sun, and whose very look put cheerfulness and hope into his heart. The young man gave him a wheel and told him to roll it before him on the plain, and to follow it whithersoever it went. So Cuchulain set the wheel rolling, and as it went it blazed with light that shot like rays from its rim, and the heat of it made a firm path across the quagmire, where Cuchulain followed safely.
When he had passed the Plain of Ill-luck, and escaped the beasts of the Perilous Glen, he came to the Bridge of Leaps, beyond which was the country of Skatha. Here he found on the hither side many sons of the princes of Ireland who were come to learn feats of war from Skatha, and they were playing at hurley on the green. And among them was his friend Ferdia, son of the Firblog, Daman; and they all asked him of the news of Ireland. When he had told them all he asked Ferdia how he should pass to the dun of Skatha. Now the Bridge of Leaps was very narrow and very high, and it crossed a gorge where far below swung the tides of a boiling sea, in which ravenous monsters could be seen swimming.
"Not one of us has crossed that bridge," said Ferdia, "for there are two feats that Skatha teaches last, and one is the leap across the bridge, and the other the thrust of the Gae Bolg. For if a man step upon one end of that bridge, the middle straightway, rises up and flings back, and if he leaps upon it he may chance to miss his footing and fall into the gulf, where the sea monsters are waiting for him." But Cuchulain waited till evening, when he had recovered his strength from his long journey, and then essayed the crossing of the bridge. Three times he ran towards it from a distance, gathering all his powers together, and strove to leap upon the middle, but three times it rose against him and flung him back, while his companions jeered at him because he would not wait for the help of Skatha. But at the fourth leap he lit, fairly on the centre of the bridge, and with one leap more he was across it, and stood before the strong fortress of Skatha; and she wondered at his courage and vigour, and admitted him to be her pupil.
For a year and a day Cuchulain abode with Skatha, and all the feats she had to teach he learned easily, and last of all she taught him use of the Gae Bolg, and gave him a dreadful weapon, which she had deemed no champion before him good enough to have. And the manner of using the Gae Bolg was that it was thrown with the foot, and if it entered an enemy's body it filled every limb and crevice of him with its barbs. While Cuchulain dwelt with Skatha his friend above all friends and his rival in skill and valour was Ferdia, and ere they parted they vowed to love and help one another as long as they should live.
In another part of the text, Rolleston tells the tale of another hero known as Maeldun, a warrior and his cohort who travel abroad to several different isles where they encounter many fantastical beings and creatures. From the Voyage of Maeldun;
The Island of the Glass Bridge
Here we come to the most elaborately wrought and picturesque of all the incidents of the voyage. The island they now reached had on it a fortress with a brazen door, and a bridge of glass leading to it. When they sought to cross the bridge it threw them backward. A woman came out of the fortress with a pail in her hand, and lifting from the bridge a slab of glass she let down her pail into the water beneath, and returned to the fortress. They struck on the brazen portcullis before them to gain admittance, but the melody given forth by the smitten metal plunged them in slumber till the morrow morn. Thrice over, this happened, and the woman each time making an ironical speech about Maeldun. On the fourth day, however, she came out over the bridge, wearing a white mantle with a circlet of gold on her hair, two silver sandals on her rosy feet, and a filmy silken smock next to her skin.
"My welcome to thee, O Maeldun," she said, and she welcomed each man of the crew by his own name. Then she took them into the great house and allotted a couch to the chief, and one for each three of his men. She gave them abundance of food and drink, all out of her one pail, each man finding in it what he most desired. When she had departed they asked Maeldun if they should woo the maiden for him. "How would it hurt you to speak with her?" says Maeldun. They do so, and she replies; "I know not, nor have ever known, what sin is." Twice over this is repeated. "Tomorrow," she says at last, "you shall have your answer." When the morning breaks, however, they find themselves once more at sea, with no sign of the island or fortress or lady.
Norse Mythology: In the written work by H.A. Guerber, Myths of the Norsemen From the Eddas and Sagas, several notable bridges are mentioned in the text;
The Bridge Bifrost
"It was of course, essential that the tree Yggdrasil should be maintained in a perfectly healthy condition, and this duty was performed by the Norns, or Fates, who daily sprinkled it with holy waters from the Urdar fountain. This water, as it trickled down to earth through branches and leaves, supplied with bees with honey."
"From either edge of Nifl-heim, arching high above Midgard, rose the sacred bridge, Bifrost (Asabru, the rainbow), built of fire, water, and air, whose quivering and changing hues it retained, and over which the gods travelled to and fro to the earth or to the Urdar well, at the foot of the ash Yggdrasil, where they daily assembled in council."
"Of all the gods Thor only, the god of thunder, never passed over the bridge, for fear lest his heavy tread or the heat of his lightning would destroy it. The god Heimdall kept watch and ward there night and day. He was armed with a trenchant sword, and carried a trumpet called Giallar-horn, upon which he generally blew a soft note to announce the coming or going of the gods, but upon which a terrible blast would be sounded when Ragnarok should come, and the frost-giants and Surtr combined to destroy the world."
Geurber writes of the Valkyrs who travelled over the Bifrost;
"The ancient Northern nations, who deemed warfare the most honourable of occupations, and considered courage the greatest virtue, worshipped Odin principally as god of battle and victory. They believed that whenever a fight was impending he sent out his special attendants, the shielf-, battle-, or wish-maidens, called Valkyrs (choosers of the slain), who selected from the dead warriors one-half of their number, whom they bore on their fleet steeds over the quivering rainbow bridge, Bifrost, into Valhalla."
Guerber writes further of Thor's inability to cross the bifrost;
"As he was god of thunder, Thor alone was never allowed to pass over the wonderful bridge Bifrost, lest he should set it aflame by the heat of his presence, and when he wished to join his fellow gods by the Urdar fountain, under the shade of the sacred tree Yggdrasil, he was forced to make his way thither on foot, wading through the rivers Kormt and Ormt, and the two streams Kerlaug, to the trysting place."
A more descriptive passage of the bridge;
"He found the gods proudly contemplating the rainbow bridge Bifrost, which they just constructed out of fire, air, and water, the three materials which can still plainly be seen in its long arch, where glow the three primary colours: the red representing the fire, the blue the air, and the green the cool depths of the sea."
Guerber writes in several sections of the bridge's overseer;
The Guardian of the Rainbow
"This bridge connected heaven and earth, and ended under the shade of the mighty world-tree Yggdrasil, close beside the fountain where Mimir kept guard, and the only drawback to prevent the complete enjoyment of the glorious spectacle, was the fear lest the frost giants should make their way over it and so gain entrance into Asgard."
"The gods had been debating the advisability of appointing a trust-worthy guardian, and they hailed the new recruits as one well-fitted to fulfil the onerous duties of the office."
"Heimdall gladly undertook the responsibility and henceforth, night and day, he kept vigilant watch over the rainbow highway into Asgard.To enable their watchman to detect the approach of any enemy from afar, the assembled gods bestowed upon him senses so keen that he is said to have been able to hear the grass grow on the hillside, and the wool on the sheep's back; to see one hundred miles off as plainly by night as by day; and with all this, he required less sleep than a bird."
"Heimdall's palace, called Himinbiorg, was situated on the highest point of the bridge, and here the gods often visited him to quaff the delicious mead which he set before them."
"Heimdall was further distinguished by his golden teeth, which flashed when he smiled, and won for him the surname of Gullintani (golden-toothed). He was also the proud possessor of a swift, golden-maned steed called Gull-top, which bore him to and fro over the quivering rainbow bridge. This he crossed many times a day, but particularly in the early morn, at which time, as herald of the day, he bore the name of Heimdellinger."
In another section of the book, Guerber writes of the progeny of the god Loki, one of which was a daughter he bore known as Hel who was banished to reign over the nine worlds of Niflheim. Guerber writes of her dominion;
Hel's Kingdom in Nifl-heim
"This realm, which was supposed to be situated under the earth, could only be entered after a painful journey over the roughest roads in the cold, dark regions of the extreme North. The gate was so far from all human abode that even Hermod the swift, mounted upon Sleipnir, had to journey nine long nights ere he reached the river Gioll. This formed the boundary of Nifl-heim, over which was thrown a bridge of crystal arched with gold, hung on a single hair, and constantly guarded by the grim skeleton Modgud, who made every spirit pay a toll of blood ere she would allow it to pass."
"The spirits generally rode or drove across this bridge on the horses or in the waggons which had been burned upon the funeral pyre with the dead to serve that purpose, and the Northern races were very careful to bind upon the feet of the departed a specially strong pair of shoes, called Hel-shoes, that they might not suffer, during the long journey over rough roads. Soon after the Giallar bridge was passed, the spirit reached the Ironwood, where stood none but bare and iron-leafed trees, and, passing through it, reached Hel-gate, beside which the fierce, blood-stained dog Garm kept watch, cowering in a dark hole known as the Gnipa cave. This monster's rage could only be appeased by the offering of a Hel-cake, which never failed those who had ever given bread to the needy."
Guerber comments further on the bridge of Giallar and makes comparisons to the Greek tales of the underworld;
"In the Northern conception of Nifl-heim, we have an almost exact counterpart of the Greek Hades. Modgud the guardian of the Giallar-bridge (the bridge of death), over which all the spirits of the dead must pass, exacts a tribute of blood as rigorously as Charon demands an obulous from every soul he ferries over Acheron, the river of death. The fierce dog Garm, cowering in the Gnipa hole, and keeping guard at Hel's gate, is like the three-headed monster Cerberus; and the nine worlds of Nifl-heim are not unlike the divisions of Hades, Nastrond being an adequate substitute for Tartarus, where the wicked were punished with equal severity."
Buddhist & Hindu Myth: In the written work by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Sister Nivedita, Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists, a tale is told of a bridge conjured up by a monkey which is used to cross over the ocean;
Adam's Bridge
Then Hanuman and Sugriva and Rama took counsel with Vibhishana how to cross the ocean, and he deemed that Rama should seek the aid and the friendship of Ocean for the building of a bridge. This was agreed upon, and Rama, spreading a couch of sacrificial grass, lay down upon it, facing the east, with praying hands towards the sea, resolving, "Either the ocean shall yield, or I will die." Thus Rama lay three days, silent, concentred, following the rule, intent upon the ocean; but Ocean answered not. Then Rama was angered, and rose and took his bow, and would dry up the sea and lay Varuna's home bare; and he loosed dreadful shafts at him that flamed and pierced the waters, awakening mighty storms, distressing the nagas and makaras of the sea, so that the god-hermits haunting the sky cried out "Alas!" and "Enough!" But Ocean did not show himself, and Rama threatening him, set to his bow a Brahma arrow blest with a Brahma charm, and drew. Then heaven and earth were darkened and the mountains trembled, lightning flashed, and every creature was afraid, and the mighty deep was wrought with violent movement. Then Ocean himself rose from mid-sea like the sun from Meru, Jewelled and wreathed was he and decked with many gems, and followed by noble rivers, such as Ganga, Sindhu, and others. He came to Rama with joined palms and spoke him fair;
"O Rama, said he, "thou knowest that every element has its own inherent qualities. Mine is this, to be fathomless and hard to cross. Neither for love nor fear can I stay the waters from their endless movement. But thou shalt pass over me, by means of a bridge, and I will suffer it and hold it firm." Then Rama was appeased, but the Brahma now waited to find its mark and might not be restrained. Rama inquired from Ocean: "Where shall I let it strike?" and Ocean answered: "There is a part of my domain toward the north haunted by evil wights, there let it fall." Then Rama let fly the flaming shaft and the water of the sea toward the north dried and burnt, and where the sea had been became a desert. But Rama blessed the desert and made it fruitful.
Then Ocean said to Rama: "O kind one, there is a monkey here named Nala, and he is Vishvakarma's son and has his sire's skill. Full of energy is he, and he shall build the bridge across me, and I shall bear it up." Then Ocean sank again beneath the waters. But Nala said to Rama: "Ocean has spoken truth: only because thou didst not ask me I hid my power till now."
Now all the monkeys, following Nala's orders, gathered trees and rocks and brought them from the forests to the shore, and set them in the sea. Some carried timber, some used the measuring rods, some bore stones; huge was the tumult and noise of crags and rocks thrown into the sea. The first day fourteen leagues were made, and on the fifth day the bridge was finished, broad and elegant and firm- like the line of parting of the hair on Ocean's head. Then the monkey host passed over, Rama and Lakshman riding upon Sugriva and Angada. Some monkeys went along the causeway, others plunged into the sea, and others coursed through the air, and the noise of them drowned the sound of the ocean waves.
Film: Many people can think of specific films where a famous bridge is seen to collapse. Whether it is destroyed through an attack when a city comes under siege or attack, or it is destroyed by environmental factors and the unpredictable hand of mother nature, the scene is no less daunting, especially for those who traverse across certain brides regularly.
In the 2015 film San Andreas, the Golden Gate bridge is shown to collapse under an enormous Tsunami.
In the 2019 film Hellboy, the Tower Bridge in London is seen demolished by a giant pinnacle-headed demon that has been summoned, one who walks right through the bridge.
In the 2008 film Cloverfield, the Brooklyn Bridge collapses after being attacked by an enormous tentacled monster, the citizens try to escape via the bridge and the creature destroys it to prevent them from leaving.
The scene of a collapsing bridge is not always terror-stricken, sometimes it is used to heighten tension. And the structure is not always one that is a great architectural feat, sometimes it is a rickety old bridge on its last legs, where it is barely held intact or suspended.
In the 2011 film, Season of the Witch, a group of knights are tasked with the job of escorting a prisoner to a monastery of monks where she is to hold trial on the suspicion of being a witch. On their journey through the forests, in the middle of winter, they come to a decrepit old bridge with missing planks tethered by brittle-looking ropes. They cross over the bridge, but they must bring the prisoner with them. The witch is trapped inside a barred carriage, and they will not let her out of her cell. And so they begrudgingly push the carriage across the perilous bridge, while she is still locked inside, all while the bridge appears as if it will snap at any moment under the weight of everything.
In the 2019 film Jumanji: The Next Level, the players are seen fleeing from an army of blood-thirsty baboons across a maze of dangling bridges. The wooden-planked bridges are suspended over the gulf of a wide and deep valley, and when they venture across the first bridge, they discover that the structures move by will, and each bridge shifts and reconnects by its own will, or they have been designed to operate that way within the game. Even when they appear to be getting closer to the mainland, the bridges change direction and swivel them back around. Many people can recall artworks by M.C. Escher of bridges that appear to defy gravity and are rendered as optical illusions.
What other bridges come to mind?