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Date Posted: 03:52:43 03/24/04 Wed
Author: Thormagni
Subject: Re: Heroic Fantasy
In reply to: Adilbrand 's message, "Heroic Fantasy" on 08:26:46 03/23/04 Tue

It's an interesting question, and brings up the corollary, “After you beat the all-powerful evil and restore freedom to the people of the world, what do you do for an encore?” Tolkien tried to address this problem with the Scouring of the Shire and the King Arthur legends show that evil is defeated only for a brief, shining moment, before it rears its head again.

But you are right. In sci-fi/fantasy, there is frequently the climax and the ride into the sunset. Which really isn't all that interesting when you think about it. Look at the Star Wars trilogy for example. Luke and Leia defeat the Great Evil of the emperor in their mid-20s. After that, everything is anti-climax by definition. Unless you continually ratchet up the level of the next cycle, creating an even bigger, more insidious Great Evil for the heroes to defeat. Which I understand the books have done (although I have never read them.)

I mean, even in real-life, people got back from World War II (the second war to end all wars, by the way) after defeating the Great Evil and were left to live the next 50-60-70 years working in small jobs in small towns, leading small lives. I interviewed a Medal of Honor winner from WWII a couple of years back, a bonafide, guts and glory hero, and he was somebody's grandpa or great-grandpa. Completely unassuming, of course. But reading through his certificate, it was like he was the Terminator, Commando and the Total Recall hero all rolled into one.

For a hero, I think "happily ever after" is returning to hearth, home and family, living out a quiet life where no one really knows who you are or what you did. Which is the best most heroes can hope for. Wealth and fame are fleeting, the hot chick turns into a plump housewife, the medals get dusty, the certificates faded and it is up to somebody else to fight the next Great Evil that comes along. Maybe there is something to be said for dying in one, last glorious battle.

Which raises the question for me, which is better -- the fantasy/sci fi series that has a Great Evil to be defeated or one that has a series of small evils that are defeated in succession. Most mythology has taken the small evil step, with a series of heroic great deeds that don't really add up to anything -- the heroes don't remake the world.

But Norse mythology, now that is a different story. Their gods' tales were leading up to the great, climactic war with the giants and other evil forces. Their Ragnarok might be the prototypical Great Evil that has to be defeated. And after it is defeated, the survivors just pick up the pieces and rebuild the world.

My. I do tend to ramble on.

>
>I like the concept of taking value in the fleeting
>victories, because that seems to be how life really is
>- how many of us have actually really achieved
>"happily ever after"?

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