Fairytales featuring bloody battles between fearless heroes and diabolical foes have gained renewed momentum in popular culture since 11/XNUMX.
Fairy tale stories in which bloody battles between heroes take place
fearlessly made for diabolical enemies gained renewed momentum in the culture
Popular since September 11. The huge success of the "Harry Potter" series
And the film version of "The Lord of the Rings" by Tolkien points to their power
The consolation of stories where good prevails over evil.
Heroes fighting against powerful monsters are a staple of my stories
Adventures. In the 19th century, when these stories were first published for
The young people, they were called Bloods, a nickname dripping with blood by all accounts. in practicality
Modernity was made of the physical dimensions of the dragon slayers and their clothing style
more modest. They shed wings and armor over them, put on glasses
and took the form of hobbits and brave-hearted youths.
And yet, also Tolkien, who published his trilogy after the World War
The second, and also JK Rowling, author of the "Harry Potter" books, write
In an epic tradition whose roots lie in ancient Greece. The name of the hero
The bad guy in "The Lord of the Rings", Sauron, is the ancient Greek word for dragon.
The meaning of the name of Voldemort, the cruel and irreconcilable wizard in "Harry Potter",
It is "desire to die" in imitation of medieval French.
Children's authors are not the only ones drawn to such fantasies. The Irish poet
Seamus Heaney recently created an eloquent translation of "Beowulf", the epic
The Anglo-Saxon who was at the center of Tolkien's professional life as a professor
in Oxford. Now, in the face of the tides of fantasies about evil and dreams about
Achieving victory in the fight against his agents, it seems strangely, that Osama Ben
Laden he continues in the ways of Voldemort and Sauron (perhaps as they were in the past
James Bond's Deadly Rivals).
These ideas have roots in the history of religions from ancient times. his teachings
of the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra) saw the gods that the inhabitants of Persia worshiped
demons. In the third century, the prophet Meni extended this moral interpretation to struggle
The constant between good and evil is a strong pattern of religious dualism. The Manichaeans saw
In the clash of forces, an eternal battle between heavenly forces of good and evil.
The teachings of Zoroaster and the Manichean concept had a profound effect on a point
The extreme militant view of Islamic and Judeo-Christian thinking.
Saint Augustine, for example, was a Manichean in his youth, and this perception
contributed to his commitment to the idea of original sin.
The Christian Satan was a shining angel at the beginning of his journey, but he became a missing servant
Rule of evil. The great Egyptian theologian Origen (254-185) is not
A Christian saint because he claimed that it is possible to turn the devil back from his evil ways. position
This was considered heresy. Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelungs", a direct ancestor of
The myth created by Tolkien was forged in the same melting pot. in many respects,
The century that ended and the one that has just begun did not experience the rise of fundamentalism
Christian or Islamic to the same degree that they envisioned the revival of the teachings of
Zoroaster.
But this Torah assumes that the world can only be seen in the form of a battle of giants
Between good and bad, whose goals are destruction, ruin and annihilation. The mythology
and history both offer alternatives. Fantasies of reconciliation and redemption, for example.
One tradition left by the wayside in Rowling's work and Tolkien's epic
involves stories of shape-shifting. "Beauty and the Beast" was built according to a model
Characterizing thousands of ancient and new legends. This type of story, which focuses
In the ability to change, allows the redemption of a monster by conversion. but
Even bringing up the memory of these stories seems inappropriate now. and in all
That is, the hallucination of destruction in itself produces change by another means. these changes
may be more dangerous than before.
Transfiguration stories are associated with women. Courage of the beautiful,
It is her persistence and loyalty that bring about the change in the animal. One of the characteristics
What stands out about contemporary fantasies about evil is their absolute masculinity.
In Tolkien's books the characters of female monsters appear
(combination, an enormous and deadly spider), but not of a female protagonist
(Alf, a symbolic woman, who is played by Cate Blanchett, appears in the film). The Harry books
Potter show little resemblance when it comes to female characters, young or
older women
Another problematic dimension of the enthusiasm for Harry Potter and the renewed interest
In Tolkien, in both series of books, a lot of effort is invested in existing objects
control them or, as necessary, destroy them. Tolkien's Ring, sticks
Rowling's quidditch broom and other magical weapons
Act as instruments with an immediate and direct effect.
The connection between magical powers and weapons and devices, rather than reason, for discussion
and for negotiation, takes these stories out of the human arena. Nose
These are imaginary practicalities, they have difficulty accepting mysteries, uncertainties
and wonder The students of Hogwarts School of Wizardry are only required to memorize
Sorcerers, similar to normal students, or purchase weapons from the production
the right one, so that they can become certified magicians themselves.
The separation between myth and ideology is always difficult. Are blockbusters
They reflect anxieties and dreams, or they shape them, encourage them
And even wake them up? These kinds of stories rely on repeated struggle
And we will change with the forces of evil that cannot be restrained. In the "Harry Potter" books, Lord
Voldemort resurrected again and again. In the end, these stories
Giving villains more power than they could ever take away from them.
By Marina Werner, New York Times
