The Battle for the Mythosphere Integration of Monster-Hero and Saint
Do we Admire Killers or Martyrs? Is True Strength seen in Sacrifice?
Today's video is a treatment of heroes and saints.
I first started thinking about how "sainthood" had replaced classic "heroism" after listening to @TheRestHistory CLUB special podcast on Heroism by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook which I highly recommend. To hear the episode you have to be in the club. https://therestishistory.supportingcast.fm/
Tom Holland spoke about the ways mythical Greek heroism included elements of the deadly, terrifying and uncanny. You may be impressed by Hercules or Achilles but they are not necessarily moral exemplars.
I noticed some of this in the Amazon series Reacher. https://www.amazon.com/Reacher-Season-1/dp/B09MKZTJF4
Treated recommended here by The Critical Drinker who's been very critical of the state of contemporary Hollywood story telling.
I used a previous analysis of hero's story by Dr. Jim from the channel to talk about the community transformational aspect of heroism vs self-actualization. High Noon vs James Bond. Reacher is more Bond.
While Reacher is more classical another recent Marvel adaptation of She-Hulk is being proffered by the Disney machine.
At least from the trailer this "Hero" is narcissistic, self-actualizing but not leading to a generative future. Reacher does not stay but perhaps leaves a town where there is the possibility of a generative future.
This is in contrast with sacrificial sainthood within the pattern of sacrifice that Christianity brought into the world. Jonathan Pageau lays this out well in his video on Human Sacrifice.
At play is a drama of attention, aspiration and admiration where these heroic figures now challenged by the cruciform demands of Christlike sainthood are bidding to mold us and shape our world. See Jordan Peterson
What we're continuing to try to wrestle with in the mythosphere is the integration of monster hero and saint. The battle is all around us.
The Critical Drinker is critical of the replacements of the male action stars we all have known since the 80’s, however he doesn’t look back and highlight the flaws in those characters e.g. “The Message” of Sean Connery and Roger Moore’s bond was from the swingin 60s with Hugh Hefner being one of the prophets. I haven’t watched all his videos so could be wrong.
Circling back to Pagan thought from the old days. The Apostle Paul tells us the story of Christ is lunacy to the powers that be. His point is simply that somebody dying on a cross could not possibly seem like victory to anybody in the physical world. We see the same thing now in our movies and it has seeped into feminism as well. Only the strong and powerful and violent are to be worshiped. This has zero difference with Pagan worship of the powerful gods of old. Just more irony to pile on to the heads of modern materialists.