Goth is one of the few artistic styles that can be accurately traced. the original Goths were Germanic tribes who helped bring about the downfall of the Western Roman Empire during the A.D. 200s. They originated in southern Sweden, and through various migratory patterns became two sects: the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths. Others viewed them as an extremely barbaric people, most likely because they resorted to violence to solve problems more often than not. the two sects were at war almost continuously, and not necessarily with each other. It came to pass that the Ostrogoths were defeated by the Byzantine Empire, while the Visigoths continued on in Italy, becoming the first independent barbarian nation. At that point, the term "Goth" loses its foothold and vanishes. Eventually it reappears in the Middle Ages As a style of architecture, created at the Abbey of St.Denis. It was an immediate success. the public has always been awed by Gothic notions, if not just because they are so shockingly gloomy in a time when complacency seems key. This gothic architecture has a very sharp and impersonal aura. It is cold and distant, generally giving the impression of being taller than it is wide. Dull colors add to the effect, giving little room for solace in the color theory. There are long, gaping structures that seem to be too complex and too simple at the same time. But that is the purpose of the style - to instill a sense of mystique and ill contentment in the viewer. Because of the gloomy air it provides, it is speculated that the style was likened to the miserable Goths of so long ao, and the label stuck. From architecture, "Goth" seemed to permeate into all types of culture - literature, art, and eventually mass media and clothing.
Today's Gothic philosophy is a difficult one to thoroughly define. Modern-day Goths begin as inquisitive minds who are discontented with some aspect of their lives, or the way others run their lives. They are filled with a desire to rebel, because they do not wish to be connected to such an incompetent system. (The term "system" has established a general meaning as 'the way things are run'. one would rebel against this system to avoid an alleged conformity, although this rebellion has ironically created it's own image that malcontents conform to.) They make blatant attempts to stand out, in hopes that it will encourage others to do the same. while many Goths stop their psychological journey with the fashion, others delve deeper into the mindset. Goths embrace the fact that part of life is the misery that they are experiencing, and that that part should be enjoyed just as much as any other. Jhonen Vasquez, Gothic author, states in one of his works, that "[the sensation is] reassurance that you are not dead yet." But while that may seem dismal to some, Goths find it as inspiration to enjoy their pain. Extremes of such attempts involve self-mutilation and other methods of intentionally inflicting pain upon themselves, but usually this pain is drawn inwardly. Goths dwell on the psychological pain that all humans suffer, and they analyze it - reliving traumatic experiences in their minds to figure out where they made mistakes. Their efforts support a claim that their miserable outlooks are only for the sake of making things better. If one is completely content with something, then there's no point in changing it, and if something does not change, chances are it gets wiped out, or becomes obsolete as time rolls by. Because of this, it could be argued that these ridiculed malcontents drive society forward.
Another crucual point of the Gothic mindset is the fascination with the uncanny. The word 'uncanny' is difficult to define, but the imprecision of the word's reference is what gives the word its definition. Goths are fascinated by such peculiarities as vampires and werewolves because of the fine line between reality and the unreality they with to explore. Sigmund Freud claims that the uncanny "derives its terror not from something externally alien or unknown but...from something strangely familiar which defeats our efforts to separate ourselves from it." Gothic media is frightening because of the way it collapses the boundaries between the establishments one thinks they know, like light and dark, self and other, and life and death. It creates another world that is not immensely different from the one that we perceieve, but just so different as to heighten the awareness that there is only so much one can interpret with only five senses. While every Christian dreams (consciously or subconsciously) of someday being recognized as the Messiah, most Goths wish to be vampires of angels just because it gives them the freedom to break into this unreality that they've grown to cherish over the reality that they've become discontented with.
Ho this typical teenage mindset became associated with a tribe of savages from over two thousand years ago is only speculation. It is assumed that the Goths were a very superstitious people - which would justify the term being applied to today's superstitious ones, but the previous Goths did not participate in even half of the insightful contemplation that today's Goths do. Where discontent turns to progress now, it turned to crude and barbaric violence then. Vague and incomplete understanding from the public evolved the term throughout history, giving the word itself the uncanny feeling that so many Goths adore. it is this uncanny feeling that drives mankind's fears, and it is what gives the modern Goths their unique - if not morbid - perception of life.