On our obsession with archetypal heroic stories

Why is the hero heroic?

Why does the hero always win?

Considering the various manners, modes, methods, formats, etc. in which we tell stories one tie generally binds them all.

Modern day myth makes—keeping in mind that myth (“fiction”) is based upon worldview (“truth”)—come in the form of novels and other “fictional” books, comic books, TV shows, movies, plays (and even “news” reports).

Yet, regardless of format one thing that they all appear to have in common is that the stories, tales, biographies, etc. all revolve around a basic theme: happiness, peace, health, love, etc. followed by a loss of these and concluding in an eventual regain of these. The basic theme is good being oppressed by evil and then evil being overcome with good (“good” and “evil” being terms that are defined according to certain standards—see “A Good Person”).

This basic theme appears to be archetypal because it is humanity’s story—our individual personal stories and our story as a whole. Note that as a succinct definition, “An archetype is a universally understood symbol, term, or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated.”

Archetype is why so many cultures—regardless of chronology, geography and theology—have so many foundational “myth” as their premise, as the most ancient of their beliefs (for an example see Creation Myths in Richard Dawkins – Children in the Atheist’s Den, part 5 of 8).

This “general” concept is just that, general. Certainly, some have concocted stories about failed heroes and some real life lives end in tragedy. Yet, the grand story of stories, the story of humanity is a story of the creation of a perfect world which is corrupted and will be redeemed.

This is why the hero who overcomes the villain is our shared archetype. Keep in mind that even in something like a puffy romance movie—a “chick flick”—this is the case as such stories revolve around falling in love, having some sort of conflict threaten or even cause the loss of love and then the eventual regaining of love.

Focusing on the USA—which is the source, particularly via Hollywood, from which many stories (“fact” and “fiction”) are told to the world we ask, “Why?” “Why such stories?”

But first we should ask, “Why does Hollywood make the movies which it makes?” Hollywood movies are generally about glorification and therefore encouragement of immorality. Glorification/encouragement of the occult. Glorification/encouragement of anti-Christian and anti-traditional family values, etc.

The answer, “Because they are a business and sell what people buy” aka “To make money” is not accurate according to the fact that the G and PG rated movies make more money than R rated ones (of course, G and PG rated movies are just as immoral, occult, etc. as R). Or, think of “The Passion of the Christ” which was released independently because Hollywood would not touch it. It became the biggest blockbuster/money maker in the history of independent films.

Hollywood makes the movies which it makes because they are in the business of myth making: they are selling—via glorification and encouragement—their worldviews to the culture.

Now, why would the immoral occult worldviews of the Hollywood movers and shakers (which are variously referred to as “the Jews,” the Illuminati, the Masons, satanists, etc.) promulgate stories in which evil is defeated?

If they serve evil—by any other name (keep in mind that “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” Matthew 6:24) then why tell stories wherein evil is defeated? That is the key question.

The answer ties in to the—harder to believe everyday—claim that the USA is a majority “Christian country.”

Consider the names of our corporations, their logos, names of cars, NASA missions, buildings in the capitals, movies/TV shows/books, etc. and you do not find majority Christian themes but Pagan, Occult, New Age themes (which may be indicative of the power base’s beliefs and not the hoi polloi).

Simply stated, the sub-key question is not simply why is evil defeated but how, by what means is it defeated?

Evil is, what we will now state in quotes, “defeated” by any means necessary: violence, deception, immorality, the occult, human will powder, etc. but not, repeat, not by Jesus.

And that is the key, evil is not really being defeated but hides one of its faces simply in order to expose another one of its faces. It may hide its creepy medieval painting-like scary face and simply rear its happy-face, face.

Note that Alex Jones observes (in a video that you can watch here):

The power of Hollywood, the power of images to program the mind is not debated…remember back in 1975 when for more than two years the beaches where almost empty…because people were so scared that a giant shark was going to eat them. Psychological warfare chiefs certainly paid attention to that.

Even though on average, less than five people die a year from Great White shark attacks worldwide, people would not go in the water and were demanding shark patrols and more lifeguards for a non-existent threat. That’s what these movies do…create the psychological illusion.

Here is the key point:

And you notice at the end of Jaws, the shark has been killed, he’s been defeated. But still the beaches remained empty. You are being subconsciously programmed.

So, even when evil is defeated, the fear of evil remains.

The message of the defeat of evil is the ultimate evil itself because the message is that YHVH, Jesus, the revelation of His Word is irrelevant and you can fight and win the spiritual warfare by violence (meaning physical fighting), deception, immorality, the occult, human will powder, etc. and this is something which is not true—most certainly not in an ultimate sense and most certainly not with regards to spiritual warfare which is the real warfare underlying all warfare (from fighting our “personal demons” to the ultimate defeat of the anti-Christ).

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

—Ephesians 6:12

…for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

—2 Corinthians 10:4

The popularizes of modern day—and ancient non Judeo-Christian—mythology/legend are inspiring us by faking the defeat of evil which, in reality, amounts to the victory of evil.

Lastly, note that all the rage now-a-days is the “anti-hero.” This is a heroic figure who is indistinguishable from the villains who are defeated. Now, the bad guy wins, at least subtly. The hero is utterly unethical but is called a hero simply due to the philosophy of pragmatism, because of the concept that the ends justify the means, that it does not matter how or what he had to do to win as long as he wins: he is a hero because he wins not because of how he won.

Our culture is currently and constantly being barraged with situational ethics, moral relativism, etc. whereby they are presented with heroic figures who break all the rules, legal and ethical, but are heroic never the less. This is because they are seen committing unlawful and unethical acts in the name of what they determine to be the greater good. They are constantly put in situations wherein it is made to seem as if the only choice is to have the “good guy/hero” mimic the very same actions of the “bad guy/villain.”

The age of the hero is dead and gone and we are left with power and fame hungry characters who will stop at nothing to complete their subjective, self fulfilling, self defined destiny.

What a perfect picture of the coming personification of the anti-Christ.