Prometheus by Fen de Villiers (@FendeVilliers on TwitterX)
This premiere substack article is a comprehensive explanation of my thoughts on Nathan Hood’s livestream A New Heroic Archetype: Beyond Tolkien & Moorcock and his later article on Praxarchy which goes by a similar title.
I described Nathan’s livestream on Twitter as one of the best I had enjoyed in 2023 and I am going to explain why it is brilliant and, in so doing, draw attention to a great video by Nordhugr Why Superheroes FAIL┃Philosophy of Nietzsche vs. Batman ft. Dr. Nathan CJ Hood which precedes the livestream by eleven months but is related to what Nathan discusses in his presentation and written essay
I recommend listening to Nathan Hood’s livestream presentation, reading his follow-on essay and watching Nordhugr’s video after reading this substack. The hyperlinks to these resources will be included in the references of this essay.
Nathan Hood’s Observations
Nathan Hood spends the first half of his livestream presentation setting up the groundwork to deliver these important observations:
1. We live in a society which is in terminal decline. To use a Spenglerian framework, we are in a period of civilizational winter.
2. The heroes of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings were also living in a world in decline, however, it wasn’t terminal. To use Spenglerian terminology again, Middle Earth was in a period of civilizational autumn.
The reason why these observations need to be borne in mind is because different seasons require correspondingly different heroes. The heroes of The Lord of the Rings are jointly concerned with destroying Sauron as well as restoring the kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor and the Shire later on. Rohan, Gondor and the Shire are not perfect and are touched by evil at different points in the books but they are still worth saving and restoring; the rot has not ruined them beyond all hope of repair.
To quote Samwise Gamgee from Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaption of The Two Towers:
“There is some good in the world and it is worth fighting for.”
All the heroes in The Lord of the Rings (and there is a great number of them) fit into a Heroic Guardian Archetype and they make sense in a world where the structures and institutions they seek to protect and restore are not irredeemably corrupt.
However all Guardian Heroes cease to be heroic or virtuous when the society they seek to defend and/or restore is corrupt to the core and irreparably ruined.
Obvious examples from real life may jump to mind but we will not concern ourselves with any here. Instead, we shall remain focused on art and stories.
What does it look like in a story when someone tries to be a hero by fulfilling the Guardian archetype if the civilization and institutions he defends are beyond salvation?
It looks like Batman.
Nordhugr’s Analysis of Batman
At first glance, Batman is a noble vigilante without reproach. He brings criminals to justice and protects the average man from the mobs and maniacs who seem to spawn endlessly from the dark city of Gotham.
But a closer examination reveals that Batman is a flawed figure.
While Batman is noble, his self-imposed role as a Guardian does not best serve his city because he is simply addressing the symptoms of the underlying issues which afflict Gotham.
Gotham is a city of corrupt and incompetent officials who are responsible for creating a post-industrial, anti-human, modern hellhole where there is no real community, only atomized individuals and their families packed like rats in apartment blocks. This cesspit is so anti-ethical to living a decent human life that mobsters like the Penguin and maniacs like the Joker and enemies such as the League of Shadows are the only natural consequences. The efforts of an ill social body trying to regulate and treat the harm caused by the disease of modernity.
Nordhugr points out all of the above and says that Ra's al Ghul is right in Batman Begins; Gotham is like a dying forest which needs fire to cleanse the deadwood in order for new life to grow. All Batman does is put out the fires which would destroy the already dead forest.
By adopting the role as Gotham’s Guardian - its dark knight - Batman is simply a defender of stagnation; he offers no new vision for the city or its people. He doesn’t try to reform or redeem Gotham– he merely maintains its corrupt status quo. As soon as Batman dies or otherwise leaves the scene, Gotham will fall to its predestined ruin.
What Gotham needs from both Bruce Wayne and Batman is change. Substantive, true and real change on economic, physical, social, psychological and spiritual levels needs to take place. But Batman does not represent a transformative force, only a preservative countermeasure against entropy. Only Gotham’s villains offer change but the overwhelming majority of them are evil and insane so while they promise destruction to the old order, they do not have the capability to create a new order which would be conducive to living a good life for either the individual or the community.
Gotham needs a saviour and Bruce Wayne could take on that mantle but, because he chooses not to, the city is doomed to eventual disintegration.
My Observations on the Popularity of Certain Villains
Nathan Hood’s observation that our civilization is in winter and Nordhugr’s analysis of Batman media are relevant to our current situation. No sane person anywhere on the political spectrum would argue that our civilization is enjoying its spring or summer and it should be apparent to a lot of people that Gotham has many parallels with our modern, western post-industrial society.
In his video on Batman, Nordhugr observes that in superhero media, the superheroes are all protectors and challenge anyone who would threaten the status quo. He notes the only characters who try to change the current order in these media are the villains.
This is a simple yet accurate observation.
I’ve noticed something about the villains in these media or, at least, audience reactions to some of the villains. Sometimes, the villains are respected by audience members.
For example, Thanos. Now Thanos’ plan to prevent overpopulation in the universe is not only stupid and ill-informed but also completely unnecessary (since he has an infinity gauntlet which could presumably be used to create endless resources as the infinity stones do not seem to have any strict power limits) but the character himself was compelling for many audiences.
I think the reason is because Thanos was offering change – albeit terrible and ignorant change. On some level, everyone can sense that the current order is in decay and that its elites are corrupt and that change is needed so someone like Thanos who has the vision and the will to reshape the world is compelling.
A better but less recent example is Chancellor Palpatine. Although he is an evil Sith lord in the prequel trilogy, he takes over a corrupt and decadent republic and reshapes the galaxy according to his will. Padame says that democracy is dead when Palpatine announces that the republic will be reformed into an empire but it wasn’t really alive beforehand in the story.
Both Thanos and Palpatine resonate with audiences because they offer transformative change to status quos which aren’t optimized for leading virtuous and purposeful lives. The fact Thanos and Palpatine don’t offer much better social orders is almost irrelevant because the simple fact they are willing to try changing the world excites the imagination and admiration of the average viewer.
And this ties in neatly with Nathan Hood’s excellent recommendation to artists.
Nathan Hood’s Recommendation to Creators
Nathan Hood makes the argument that the heroes we love from storytellers such as Tolkien fulfil a Guardian archetype which makes sense for the times and worlds which they inhabit. However, these heroes are ill-suited for our time and these stories, while brilliant and reassuring, are perhaps not the most appropriate for this season of dark winter. Indeed, he suggests that these stories are not great motivators for people in this age.
So is there a new heroic archetype which creators can use in their stories and art?
Nathan Hood recommends the Odinic Heroic Archetype.
He explores both Norse/Anglo and Greek myths to explain his idea. In their respective mythologies, both Woden and Prometheus challenge the current status quo and through their actions create new orders and worlds.
In the Norse and Saxon mythology, Odin/Woden fights and kills Ymir the great giant and uses his body to create the earth (called Midgard by the Norse and Middle Earth by the Anglo Saxons). Odin/Woden also creates various other realms including Asgard, Jotunheim, Alfheim etc.
In Greek mythology, Prometheus helps Zeus and the other Olympians defeat the Titans and so helps Zeus become king of the gods. However, upon seeing Zeus unwilling to share fire with mankind, Prometheus steals it and gives it to man. Appropriately, Prometheus was a patron deity for the arts and sciences by the Ancient Greeks.
Nathan Hood explains that both Woden and Prometheus take actions which either create a new order or changes the already established order. Woden and Prometheus are heroes but they are not Guardian heroes, instead, they are world-changing heroes; they are vitalist, creative heroes who fight against an already established order. He terms these types of heroes Odinic Heroes and suggests that Carlylian Great Men fall into this archetype. I would suggest that King Arthur in many of the myths and that El Cid in The Poem of the Cid fall into this archetype as well.
I think the Odinic Hero must be contrasted against not only the Guardian Hero, who has been discussed extensively by this juncture, but also the modern Rebellious Hero. A good example of a Rebellious Hero is V in V for Vendetta, V opposes the oppressive regime ruling Great Britain but he doesn’t establish a new order. He simply overthrows the current evil rulers and dies. What makes a hero Odinic rather than Rebellious is that he doesn’t just destroy, he also creates.
Hood suggests that creators should consider using Odinic Heroes in their stories because this is the type of hero we need in these dark times. Because an Odinic Hero is exactly the kind of hero who creates something new, brings the people out of winter and into a new spring and a new dawn. In short, the Odinic Hero is a Winter Hero.
Art needs to pave the way for real Odinic Heroes so that the idea of heroic and noble social change is not a foreign concept for individuals and to provide courage for those languishing in the cold of winter.
My Thoughts and Self-reflection
Nathan Hood’s livestream presentation on heroic archetypes and Nordhugr’s analysis of Batman have both jointly convinced me that there is need for writers and artists to explore the archetype of the Odinic Hero in their stories; the order-changing, status quo defying and daring hero who shapes the world according to his will.
I always thought that the reason why I didn’t really like the superheroes in the Marvel films was because they were cartoony but, in light of these arguments, I have realized it is because heroes like Iron Man, Captain America etc. are defending the status quo of our decaying and corrupt modern world. I would surely do the same thing if I had such power and was faced with such threats but I would hope that I wouldn’t just sit back and let our planet continue to be ruled by the current batch of immoral and degenerate elites if I had such amazing abilities and connections. To do so would be an act of cowardice disguised as humility.
This creative suggestion from Nathan Hood is an unintentional challenge to my own work currently. My High Realm Trilogy is a family-friendly trilogy of books set in a fantasy world which is enjoying its late spring and thus the heroes are all archetypical Guardians or Spring Heroes.
The High Realm Trilogy (by yours truly)
In the context of these three books (the third book is going to be released at the end of February this year), the heroes make sense and are appropriate, yet I cannot help now but wonder if my readers might not feel that the stories are practices in fantasy wish fulfilment. After all, the three stories are set in a world where its societies, civilizations and peoples are not irredeemably corrupt. Where institutions taken over by evil men and women can be and are saved by the heroes and there is a general sense that the current world order and its elites are worth preserving and protecting.
To be honest, I wish that today’s western world was like this but it has become rotten to the core and the current order needs to be overturned more than anything else. Stories about Guardian Heroes, while fun and wholesome, don’t provide much guidance or moral support to men, women and children who live in our current age.
I believe it does fall on all us writers and creators to explore the possibilities of the Odinic Hero in our narratives. Not only for our own creative expression and growth but also to provide the art which will be of the greatest service to our compatriots.
Notes on Terminology
Neither Nathan Hood nor Nordhugr uses the term “Heroic Guardian Archetype” in their mentioned works. I am using the term here as a shorthand for the archetypical hero who is characterized by his defence of something against destructive forces. Whether the Guardian is actually its own separate archetype or is simply a subtype of the Hero Archetype, need not concern us for the purposes of this essay. The same applies to my term the Rebellious Hero Archetype.
Some may wonder why I have used two references for one referent, namely, Odin and Woden for the same pagan god. This is simply because I prefer the English names for the pantheon of gods which both the pagan Norse and English worshipped but am aware that the Norse versions are more familiar with general audiences. Nathan Hood, himself, only uses the Norse names and uses the name Odin in his presentation.
Books
(Available from Amazon Stores in ebook and paperback form)
The Return to High Realm (coming soon)
References
Fen de Villiers’ Website
https://www.fendevilliers.com/
A New Heroic Archetype: Beyond Tolkien & Moorcock (livestream) https://www.youtube.com/live/Spb6sY_M0YM?si=U4znRiiCN2ZfysOh
A New Heroic Archetype: Moving Beyond Tolkien (written essay) https://praxarchy.com/a-new-heroic-archetype/
Why Superheroes FAIL┃Philosophy of Nietzsche vs. Batman ft. Dr. Nathan CJ Hood