Joseph Campbell, a famous scholar of Mythology, wrote a book called "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." He says that the most common of all ancient myths is the "hero myth" in which a heroic figure faces death and danger on behalf of his people, and even dies or descends into a places of darkness in order to conquer evil. What are examples in religions of the hero myth?
Here is a modern form of the hero myth taken from Lord of the Rings ...
Everything Gandalf did was to ensure the well being of his people. He put himself in danger in order to make sure they got out alive and in turn he and his enemy died. Some how he managed to be alive again with a bit of memory lost. In my eyes he's a hero for the people, always there when they need him the most.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Gandalf also reminds me of the story of Jesus Christ. Gandalf is like Jesus Christ in some ways, as he is selfless, loyal, and forgiving. Saruman reminds me of Satan, a man who was once good but fell into darkness.
ReplyDeleteTBH, I saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was young... far too young to have had understood all the underlying principles and meanings in relation to religion. Will need to rewatch them all.
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