Once again I delurk to offer a few words..
There has been much written here recently about heroes, far too much to comment on each of the individual posts. It set me to thinking.....
Can a hero truly be a hero if they claim to be one? (Please excuse me while I remove myself from Gloranthan heroes and use some RL examples here, it is a lot easier to refer to folks we all agree on, rather than ones that seem to be ephemeral in motive and style from post to post.)
I had always assumed that heroes were hailed as such by the people they were heroes to. The concept of waking up one morning and declaring one's self to _be_ a hero seems to be rather like declaring yourself to be the greatest author, cyclist, artist (etc.) in the world. On stepping outside and announcing this to the world you would be met with blinks of amazement, gales of laughter, and (unless you had a darned good publicity agent) thousands of people determined to shoot you down in flames. In Australia, this is called the "tall poppy syndrome", and it is a national pastime to cut braggers down to size. In America, it seems that self claimed heroes end up very much like OJ, half of their adoring public believe anything they say, while the other half get their noses out of joint at the "fall' of their once-perfect hero and spend all their time telling everyone that will listen how he was never _that_ good anyway.
How does all this apply to Glorantha? Simple. A Gloranthan hero is an ordinary, everyday adventurer, or farmer, or fisherman, or healer... For most of their lives they go around doing what they are good at. There may be many in their part of the world who are better at what they do than they are, and they are well aware of it. But one day, one unforgettable day, they are the only person in a position to do something remarkable, to push what they can do to the limit and beyond, to achieve their utmost. Maybe no-one but them will ever know this, and they continue on their way. But just maybe what they have done affects other people, and this formerly ordinary person is hailed as a hero! They may be feted for a while, given the best housing, food, pick of the local bed-partners.
What happens next? Can they live out the rest of their lives on their one heroic example? Will the townsfolk continue giving up 15% of their annual income to support this hero in their midst? Or will they, the next time that trouble is on the horizon, all rush to the hero's door and demand that the hero steps forward to save the day again? What happens when the months of good food and wine prevent the hero's armour from fitting? What happens when the hero's sword arm is weak from lack of use?... Thus heroes fall and are forgotten.
Such a hero, obviously, is not in the same category as Argrath, or Pavis.. Or are they? Why _did_ Argrath spend so much time wandering around? Why did he assume so many different guises? Was Pavis a hero during his life or only afterwards? How would the locals react if Argrath strode into their town and declaimed "I am a hero, follow me!" with no other proof?
Heroes are made so by those they affect, by their deeds, or words, or way of life. Many are not heroes until after their death. Fortunately in Glorantha, death is not final, and godhood is a possibility for those hailed as heroes who come to the notice of the other gods. But how would those gods react to the adventurer who claims to be a hero to all they meet during their lifetime, as opposed to the adventurer who dies while unthinkingly trying to do something truly heroic in status?
Just my two clacks worth....
Marion Anderson
avimort_at_aurora.cc.monash.edu.au
(who should be down in a lab throwing rocks at classes of teenage
children... definitely _not_ a heroic thing to do - unless you're the
one having to put up with them in class.....)
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