Hero Bride

Reflection on the nature of the hero myth structure:

It could be that the Ur-structure underlying myth structure is act of sacrifice during worship. I believe that the basic form of ritual sacrifice is constant throughout human history, varying in its details. I believe that the meaning, the cultural and spiritual significance of the ritual, varies even more widely. I believe that ONLY the basic form is constant. I believe the form is also universal, such that it has accumulated power through the tens of thousands of years. I believe that the hero myth is a remnant of this structure, and that stories are powerful to the extent that they invoke this form. We can't help but respond to it, any more than we can control the effect of pressure, temperature, and humidity changes on our souls.

Here's how I think it breaks down.

At the center of any sacrifice is the hero victim.

(I also believe weddings derive their form from ritual sacrifice, and the identity of the hero victim is caught up with the identity of the bride/groom. In a sense, all weddings are ritual sacrifices and all ritual sacrifices are weddings. In this hugely broad sense, the type of death story that involves a sacrificial death is more of a comic story than a tragedy. Even Uncle Tom's Cabin is a comedy, understood this way. That's why it ends in reunions, revelations, and nuptial bliss. If they all joined hands and danced in a circle it would be appropriate.)

First, the victim is named or called out. Identified. The Herald does this and performs other communicative functions during the ritual. He's like the MC or the stage manager. I'm not familiar with Catholic ritual, but in our chapel it would be the ushers who bring in the bread.

Then the victim undergoes a period of preparation. Mentor.

There are stations to pass, tests and trials. Threshold guardians. In a Chinese wedding, the groom has to give money to the bride's dad FOR REAL! The dad makes a show of refusing to relinquish his daughter. The game is to make the groom sweat. He really does! There's no question the wedding will take place (it's paid for), but the ordeal is real and it has to be gotten through. It demonstrates the value of the bride.

There are Allies. Sidekicks, bridesmaids, disciples who aren't quite Christ and can only do so much. They all get winnowed out.

Some of these turn out to be Shapeshifters. The shapeshifter exists to alter all of our states of consciousness. There has to be confusion on the part of the victim. There has to be a breaking down of ego and identity. The Witnesses share the confusion to some extent. We are in on some of the joke, but deep down, we want to be fooled. If we don't identify with the death of ego and the body, we won't identify with the resurrection either. We need the shapeshifter to break us all down.

Meanwhile the Herald is conducting us to the heart of the holy of holies. The Herald brings us right to the altar stone.

The Enemy is actually the priest performing the sacrifice. Even the Devil is God's devil. Call him the shadow if you want to, call him the shadow of the hero if you want to. Someone has to hold the knife. In a good story, in a real good ritual, the victim gets blocked and blocked and blocked on his way up those cold stone steps. In a good story, in a good ritual, the sacrifice goes up those steps of his own volition, in spite of fears, betrayals, wounds, loss of faith, etc. In a good story or a good ritual, it's a WILLING sacrifice. The higher the cost on the way up, the more willing the sacrifice has to be, the better.

The Antagonist/Enemy/Officiating priest, like father Abraham, raises the blade.

Someone dies, and we all live.

Because that's the POINT of every death scene, it's a fake death. Jesus' death, Gandalf's death, Kinsey's long minutes in the trash can...

We blow them away.