The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) [Paperback]

Lord Raglan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Books on Literature & Drama | Publication Date: February 17, 2011

Heroic figures, invested with a common pattern that satisfies the human desire for idealization, are the focus of this intriguing study of legendary characters — from Oedipus and King Arthur to heroes of the Trojan War and Robin Hood. A fascinating study that will appeal to students of folklore, mythology, and history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (February 17, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486427080
• ISBN-13: 978-0486427089
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Campbell, February 2, 2005

By 

Jimbo (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) (Paperback)

Sacrilege, I know, but I found this book to be the most inciteful explanation of the hero mono-myth, at least in regards to western civilization, that I have ever read.

The basic premise is that the hero journey, which forms the basis for all western stories, myths and legends, is a remnant of an ancient ritual drama enacted at the coronation of a priest-king (probably in ancient Mesopotamia).

A definition: A ritual, according to Raglan, is an specific act performed for a magical purpose. A dramatic ritual is a ritual performed for an audience, and a ritual drama is a dramatic ritual where the participants play specific roles. In order to play roles a story/plot was needed and this story forms the myth. The myth of the priest-king outlived the ritual and became the many myths and folktales we are familiar with, from Hercules to Robin Hood to Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter (my additions).

Raglan argues that at one time kings were more than kings, they were priests, even gods, and replaced on a regular basis. The ritual surrounding this replacement involved sacrificing the old king (in reality or ritually) and raising up a suitable substitute. Raglan says there are at least twenty-two aspects to this mono-myth and the closer the legend fits these aspects the less likely the hero was a historical personage at all.

His argument is that all historical persons that we know of from actual evidence have differed greatly from these twenty-two points. However all purely legendary heros curiously share most of them.

(1)Born of a royal virgin.
(2)His father a King and
(3)Often a near relative of mother, but
(4)The circumsatnces of his conception are unusual and
(5)He is reputed to be the son of a god.
(6)An attempt is made to kill him at birth(often by father or father-figure) but
(7)He is spirited away and
(8)Raised by foster parents in a far country.
(9)We are told nothing of his childhood.
(10)On reaching manhood he journeys to his future kingdom.
(11)Faces trials and tests.
(12)Marries a princess and
(13)Becomes king.
(14)Rules uneventfully
(15)Prescribes laws
(16)Loses favor with the Gods or his subjects and
(17)Is driven away where
(18)He meets with a mysterious death
(19)Often at the top of a hill.
(20)His children, if any, do not succeed him.
(21)His body is not buried, however
(22)He has one or more holy resting places.

Curiously Raglan neglected, while covering several legendary figures who fit this prototype, to mention Jesus Christ. Perhaps it was the time he wrote in (the 1930s).

Lord Raglan makes an excellent argument for his thesis.

I can't believe I am the first to review this amazing book.

Highly reccomended.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not so curious after all, December 16, 2005

By 

Liebestod (Rockville, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) (Paperback)

For Jimbo and others who may have wondered why Lord Raglan did not cover Jesus, a natural "top scorer," the answer is simple. The original publisher, Methuen, was a publisher mainly of religious books. Fortunately, generations of readers who have read this book have readily reached their own conclusions.

Lord Raglan's style is blunt and some of his conventions pedantic (such as the use of quotes at the beginning of each line to indicate continuous quotations). More recent scholarship has challenged some of his conclusions, such as the historical veracity (or lack thereof) of the Icelandic sagas. However, his simple and straightforward presentation of this revolutionary idea remains powerful, and a welcome antidote to Campbell's self-dramatizing quasi-psychobabble about "The Hero's Journey." This small volume will be eye-opening for anyone interested in mythology and its evolution from ritual drama. It will also serve as an antidote to the common perception that "all legends are based on truth." They are, but it is not the truth of historical facts, but of human development and our love of a good story.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Literary Evolution of Heroic Figures from Ritual Dramas, May 4, 2008

By 

Magickal Merlin "Wizard" (Death Valley-SoCal) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) (Paperback)

If you are a fellow admirer of mythical legends and heroic dramas,then you will be captivated by this book.One of the literary questions,i ask from time to time,is whether Merlin or Jesus Christ,was the first true magician.Both performed miracles and feats that amazed watchers.Their accounts rippled outward through bardic narratives and recorded in countless legendary tales.But,this study glosses over the Jesus topic.Whether because of moral sensitivity or whether expurgated due to the mores of the day.This myth theory deals with the major classical epics from the European perspective.However,there are no tales from Afrika,India,the Americas or Asia.All heroic myths may have started from the first campfire rituals of Eastern Afrika.And as human migration spread,so did the retelling of the proto-myths.The myths evolved and the characters evolved.Yet,the root basis of our modern fictional legends derive from a wandering sole folk-teller's tongue on ancient ritual dramas.I think one of the greatest achievements of this complex exposition,is to convey, that all of mythical tales are patterned upon a single basic human desire to idealize the deeds of our heroic figures. I'm surprised that this book is not well-known today.I'm glad to have discovered this work on myth traditions.And would recommend it to anyone else interested in literary pursuits and drama studies.