The Need for a Hero

   Every society needs heroes. In fact, every society has them. The reason we do not often see them is because we don't bother to look. There are two kinds of heroes. There are heroes who shine in the face of great adversity and/or who perform an amazing feat in a difficult situation. There are also heroes who live among us, who do their work unceremoniously, unnoticed by many of us, but who make a difference in the lives of others. Heroes are selfless people who perform extraordinary acts. The mark of heroes is not necessarily the result of their action, but what they are willing to do for others and for their chosen cause. Even if they fail, their determination lives on for others to follow. The glory lies not in the achievement, but in the sacrifice. Heroes serve to remind us of the higher purpose of self and society.¹

   One such hero was Taras Bulba, a legendary figure immortalized in the novella Taras Bulba by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809-1852).  This novella tells the story of Taras and his two sons, Ostap and Andrei.  Taras is a Ukrainian Cossack living in the seventeenth century and his two sons are students at the Orthodox seminary in Kiev.  Andrei and Ostap return home from seminary and go off with their father to the Cossack camp at the Zaporozhian Sich.  Taras attempts to inspire the Cossacks to go to war against various groups.  The Cossacks finally agree to go to war against the Polish after hearing that the Polish people have been trying to convert the people of west Ukraine to Roman Catholicism and that they were attacking beliefs of the Orthodox Church.  

   Taras’ son, Andrei, is in love with the daughter of the Polish governor of Kovno.  At one point the Cossacks trap this young woman and the rest of the people inside their castle and prevent supplies from reaching the people.  One of the servants of this young woman appeals to Andrei for help and Andrei brings bread to the young woman and her family inside the castle. When Andrei sees what is happening inside the castle he abandons his fight against the Polish people and actually joins them in their fight against the Cossacks. 

   Taras makes a decision which most people would find extremely difficult to make and decides that he must kill his son, Andrei, as a result of Andrei’s disloyalty to the cause of the Cossacks.  He confronts Andrei in person and kills him with a single shot from his pistol. 

   Taras Bulba is a legendary inspirational figure who has little difficulty inspiring others to follow his lead.  He is faithful to Cossack traditions, well known among the Cossack leaders, and will engage in combat as quickly as he would send others to do so.  There are few other qualities that someone would look for in a leader. 

    At one point he is fighting along with his son, Ostap, when Taras is knocked unconscious and Ostap is taken prisoner by the Poles.  Turning to Yankel, a Jewish merchant, for help Taras explains that he must go to Warsaw in order to offer moral support for Ostap. 

    Taras is smuggled into Warsaw in a pile of bricks and with the help of other Jewish merchants and providing bribes to some guards, he is able to be present as Ostap is tortured.  Following his father’s example, Ostap does not say a word as all of his limbs are broken one at a time, but simply cries out at the end and asked, “Father, do you see this?”  Unable to control himself, Taras shouts out, “I do see this” and then quickly disappears. 

    Upon his return to Ukraine, Taras finds that all of the men he knew were now dead and a new Hetman (leader) has taken over.  This new leader wants to make peace with the Poles, but Taras protests and explains that the Poles cannot be trusted and they will not abide by any peace agreement.

   He fails to convince the new Hetman and forms his own band of soldiers who continue in their fight against the Poles.  At one point, Taras is taken prisoner, nailed to a stake, and burned alive.  Like Ostap, he does not cry out in pain, but simply declares that the glory of Russia will remain forever and a new czar will arise to continue this glory. The story ends with the Cossacks recalling the great deeds of Taras Bulba and his devotion to the spirit and cause of the Ukrainian Cossacks. 

    This same period of history was also written about in With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916).  This novel discusses these same events, but tells the story from the standpoint of the Poles instead of the Cossacks.  It is not surprising that Taras Bulba is not seen as a hero in this novel.  In fact, it has often been said that one man’s hero is another man’s terrorist. 

     The novel, Taras Bulba, originally written in 1835 was considered to be “too Ukrainian” by the Russian government and Gogol was forced to revise the novel.  A second addition was published in 1842.  Even with the revision, there is no denying that this novel is about Ukrainian life and culture.  The Ukrainian people can look to someone like Taras Bulba as a hero even in this period of history. 

     If history had been different, there would be no mention of men such as a George Washington as patriotic American heroes.  Instead, he would have been considered another in a line of anti-British terrorists.  Everyone needs a hero and the Ukrainian people certainly have one in Taras Bulba.

                                                     End Notes

 

1)    “The Making of a Hero” by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono  http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054335,00.html#ixzz2HkfrCHsE

 

The Hero’s Quest

   The hero’s journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization.¹

   This pattern was certainly present in Ruslan and Lyudmila, a poem written in 1820 by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799-1837).  After winning a major battle for his people, Ruslan marries Lyudmila, the daughter of Prince Vladimir of Kiev, and on their wedding night Lyudmila is abducted by an evil wizard.   Ruslan attempts to explain to Prince Vladimir what had happened and the prince immediately dissolved the marriage because Ruslan was unable to protect his wife.

    Ruslan then begins his journey to return Lyudmila to their home and encounters numerous obstacles along the way, but is successful in every test that he faces.  He receives assistance from an old man with magical powers who offers Ruslan guidance in his quest to find Lyudmila.  Years earlier this old man had tried to win the love of a beautiful young woman named Naina.  He cast a spell in order to win Naina’s love, but quickly found out that Naina was not a beautiful young woman, but an old witch in disguise.  After being rejected by this man, Naina vowed revenge against him.  Naina was now working with the evil wizard, Chernomor, in an effort to destroy Ruslan.

    One aspect of the hero’s journey involves leaving the ordinary world and entering a special world.  In the case of this poem, that special world was the forest.  The forest is a place where one comes face-to-face with the forces of nature and must begin to turn inward as a way of making use of the hero’s internal fortitude which will sustain him on this journey and allow him to be successful.  This journey is as much about self-discovery as it is about accomplishing some external goal.   

    Ruslan is a great warrior who shows no fear when confronting external enemies who threaten to attack Kiev, but now he must face his own internal fears and “demands” as he attempts to find his wife and bring her home safely. It is much easier to confront an enemy which you can see, but confronting internal enemies is part of the hero’s journey and part of everyone’s life experience at one time or another. 

    Not only is Ruslan searching for Lyudmila, but three other knights are also searching for her in the hope that they will become her husband once she is brought home.   One by one Ruslan’s rivals disappear and he is the only person capable of being Lyudmila’s husband. 

     After facing many adventures, Ruslan finally finds Lyudmila.  However, he is left for dead by one of the other knights, Farlaf, who rides off to Kiev to return Lyudmila to her father.  There is one major problem.  Lyudmila has been placed under a spell and is asleep.  Prince Vladimir tries everything to wake Lyudmila from this spell, but to no avail. 

    Initially Farlaf told Prince Vladimir that he had fought for three days to save Lyudmila, but his finally admits that he killed Ruslan in order return Lyudmila to Kiev and he is banished from the kingdom forever. 

    Prince Vladimir has little time to think about his daughter’s condition because Kiev is under attack from their enemies.  The old man finds Ruslan dead and restores him to life using magic waters.  He then gives Ruslan a ring and tells him that the ring has the power to wake up Lyudmila, but first Ruslan must defeat the enemies of Kiev. 

    Always the great warrior, Ruslan returns to Kiev, singlehandedly defeats his enemies, and quickly goes to Lyudmila.  In the presence of Prince Vladimir and all those in the court, Ruslan uses the power of the ring to awaken Lyudmila and Prince Vladimir makes an official announcement that Ruslan and Lyudmila are once again married. 

    Each of us will have to undergo a hero’s journey at some point.  We may not encounter wizards or knights, but we will have to come face to face with what we truly believe and who we truly are.  Daily life often forces us to wear many masks throughout the day; however, there comes a time when all the masks must be put aside and we must confront ourselves.

    Stories such as Ruslan and Lyudmila may be only stories, but they tell us something about the journey of self-discovery and follow a pattern which is prevalent in countless stories throughout the world.   The fact that these stories follow such a similar pattern and are known throughout the world should be an indication that there is some degree of truth in these stories and that they can assist us in our own journey as well. 

                                                     End Notes

 

1)    Hero’s Journey http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm