hero with a thousand faces. What should we do about the dominance of the chosen few??

Be honest, the chosen ones piss you off? Well, these are the guys who are destined to overcome great evil. Who don’t need to prove anything to anyone, since they are the chosen ones according to their passport.

"Only a true king can pull the sword out of the stone". "Only the worthy can lift Mjolnir". "Only the bravest in time of need will bear the sword of Gryffindor…"

It’s hard to put into words how many copies were broken around Anakin Skywalker and, excuse me, Rey Palpatine (you can’t remember without tears).

But is the trope about chosenness so bad and where did it come from??

Where did the chosen ones come from??

It seems to me that chosenness originates in ancient literature, from where it took root first in fairy tales, and then in fantasy. Who is our typical ancient Greek hero?? This is a character whose life was determined by fate itself – either by birthright, or by virtue of some fateful act. Hercules – the bastard of Zeus who loves to take a walk. Achilles – the son of a sea nymph and, moreover, a charmed one. His Trojan olives don’t take him (well, almost). Theseus – son of Poseidon and a Greek princess. A Odysseus, although he cannot boast of an Olympic pedigree, he went down in history thanks to his fantastic ingenuity and equally fantastic stupidity. First, our hero comes up with the Trojan Horse, thanks to which the Greeks take impregnable Troy, and then finds a good idea to have a fight with the god of the seas before sailing to his native Ithaca.

This also includes all the ancient stories with self-fulfilling prophecies, when someone vangs something bad, and someone else tries to avoid their fate, which triggers a chain of vandalized events.

In short, being chosen in antiquity is almost always about fate. Who will kill the Nemean lion for us, if not Hercules, who was destined to kill the Nemean lions?? Who will kill Hector if not Brad Pitt, who is a level 200 warrior with an immortality cheat? If the heroes of “Terminator” come to the idea that “there is no fate except the one we create ourselves,” which is subsequently recklessly flushed down the toilet by the wretched third part, then in Greek myths fate is an immutable law. As foretold, so it will be. Accordingly, you are a hero involuntarily – not because you are so brave, dexterous, and skillful, but because – well, this is how the Moiras wove the thread of your fate. This, in my opinion, somewhat devalues ​​the hero, since he is a slave to his fate. He’s just performing a play written by someone.

Over time, chosenness turned into fairy tales. Here it is no longer demigods who are waving swords, but ordinary people, but they, too, often turn out to be the chosen ones. And I noticed a funny trend. In Western fairy tales, chosenness is promoted by the character’s oppression (yes, even then), while in ours it is good-natured stupidity or laziness.

Cinderella – a girl hunted down by her evil stepmother and sisters who eventually finds a prince thanks to her fairy godmother and a very specific foot size. Snow White the evil stepmother ordered to be fed to the wolves, but the dwarves nurse her, and then the prince kisses her. In the original fairy tale, the evil stepmother also suffers terrible revenge in the finale – Snow White forces her to dance at her wedding in red-hot iron shoes. From this even J. Martin would hiccup nervously.

AND Rapunzel, who was locked in a tower by an evil witch, finds true love in the end. All these madams end up on the horse in the finals, because… Why? Apparently, because fairy tales appeared in traditionally Christian countries, where suffering is rewarded with posthumous happiness. That is, if you get it in life, it means you are marked by higher powers.

Our chosen ones are either princes or casinoprime.uk fools. It is worth recalling that in Rus’ there has always been a special attitude towards fools, because they are blessed. That is, not that they are stupid, but simply not like everyone else. God’s people. That’s why Ivan the Fool, Emele or Martyn just fabulously lucky. Fedot the Sagittarius although not a fool, he still bears this stamp of simplicity. He has no special ambitions, he doesn’t aim for anything big, he just does his job.

By the way, I read the blog of one dude who translated the fairy tale “At the Command of the Pike” and showed it to his American friends. They didn’t buy the charm of the character at all. Emelya was called a Russian Mary Sue – a lazy person who does nothing, but for whom everything somehow magically works out in life. Your fairy tales, they say, teach children bad things. Of course, there is a certain logic here, but foreign comrades clearly did not consider the main message of the fairy tale. Emelya has everything going for her, not because of incredible luck, but because fate loves kind people. That is, there are practically karmic laws here. Spared a pike/goldfish/dove – you were rewarded a hundredfold for your kindness.

Downey Jr explains the essence of good fools

Chosenness is also somehow determined by the special place occupied in the family. In Western fairy tales, this is the son of the seventh son, but in our country, the darlings of fate are almost always the youngest in a family of three brothers (apparently because nothing shines for them). But I won’t go into these jungles anymore.

Something else is important. Chosenness, as a literary trope, was transferred to fantasy, where it blossomed wildly. Harry Potter in the center of all events, because he, like Achilles, was endowed by his sorceress mother with relative invulnerability. And here you are – the boy who lived. Hermione is carving out a place for herself in the sun thanks to her intelligence, perseverance and the development of innate talents, and our guy is a hero by birthright. He is the heir of an ancient family, descending from the Perevells themselves, and the only person who survived the killing curse, and a true Gryffindor, and a Swiss, and a reader, and a gambler on a broom. However, here I must say thanks to Ro’s mother for not turning Potter into a Mary Sue. The chosen one is the chosen one, and many magical sciences are difficult for our hero. And in general, the wizard Harry is quite mediocre, no matter how you look at it. He is only good at what he is passionate about and has an innate talent for. And these are literally two things – Quidditch and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Being chosen in Rowling’s world is more of a curse than a gift, which makes the character more alive and interesting. Learn, mediocrity screenwriters who worked on Hogwarts Legacy.

Let’s move on. Children Eddard Stark – all are a little chosen, since they are all descendants of the first people and wargs. What if Jon Snow and Martin turns out to be half Targaryan, as was the case in the series, then he is the chosen one squared. And in general, in “A Song of Ice and Fire” there is a prophecy about Azor Ahai, the promised prince who will someday come and restore order.

Geralt of Rivia everyone always cites as an example of a good unelected hero, but at the same time they forget about Ciri, who is a child of the Elder blood and a direct descendant of Lara Dorren. And also that Geralt himself became the adoptive father of Princess Cirilla by right of surprise, read – by the will of fate. It was Mr. Sapkowski who clearly undercut fairy tales. In the same “Rapunzel”, the witch, in exchange for help, asks the man to give her his just born daughter – what a surprise child!?

Even Pratchett, who wears fairy-tale canons in his tail and mane, did not escape this trope. In "The Spell Makers" the main character becomes Esk – a girl who, according to all laws, should become a witch, that is, a bearer of female magic, but becomes a sorceress, which is considered the lot of men. I don’t see any newfangled ideas here; the book was written long before the current transgender boom. The point is that the hero takes a role unusual for him and due to this becomes the chosen one.

Paradoxically, I don’t see chosenness only in Tolkien’s works, although he is considered the father of all fantasy. Well, judge for yourself… On the spot Frodo could be any hobbit. He carried the ring not because Mr. Baggins is such a unique snowflake, but because he felt personal responsibility. This is a rare heirloom, inherited from an uncle, which turned out to be a powerful magical artifact. On the contrary, this is a story about how the most important role in the fight against world evil was played not by high-born elves, descendants of ancient kings and powerful Maiar, but by the most ordinary, unremarkable halflings. It seems that all the professor’s followers simply did not buy this simple idea, or maybe they didn’t like it.

And for that matter, chosenness is the lot of not only fantasy, but also science fiction. Paul Atreides in Dune – the messiah and the hero of prophecy. Anakin Skywalker – the chosen one, whom the Force itself conceived and who was supposed to bring balance. Neo from “The Matrix” – declared from the outset as the chosen one who will save humanity. It seems like his consciousness was written by the machines themselves, but they couldn’t solve some equation. I still don’t really understand this whole Architect’s cart, if you know why Missssster Anderson is the chosen one – write in the comments.

Bahnuv dumplings. Tailung’s face, realizing the tragic and comical nature of the whole situation, is simply priceless.

And just forget about how many cartoons about the chosen ones. Moreover, anyone can already be chosen there. Take "Kung Fu Panda". The most ordinary plump jerk, infinitely far from the fighting Chinese jig, suddenly turns out to be a dragon warrior who, after going through a minute-long montage of training with dumplings, beats a master who has studied kung fu literally from his very birth. I even feel a little bad for Tai Lung.

Game Favorites

Well, we’ve reached the sweetest part. The gaming industry could not ignore this topic. This is not just the influence of literature and cinema. Game makers have always tried to make the hero become close to the character and compare himself with him. It is believed that the fashion for silent protagonists in games is dictated precisely by this desire (which is strange, because no one will compare themselves with a silent blank without character).

And the chosen one is the perfect material for the job. Everyone wants to feel special. Such a hero allows you to twist the pathos and stakes to the limit. You – Aloy, one of a kind man designed by a machine. You – executioner of Doom, only you can hold back the hellish hordes and save humanity.

The favorites are almost everywhere. IN Skyrim we are given control of a dragonborn who has a unique talent for screams.

In the restarted Deus Ex Adam Jensen is not just a skilled corporate spy, but a unique product of genetic engineering. IN Dizonored the main character seemingly simply becomes a victim of someone else’s conspiracy, but at the same time he is personally marked by the Alien, which automatically makes him the chosen one, like everyone else who bears the mark of the local deity. Artyom from the series "Metro" – the only person who can understand Blacks, as he has a special mental connection with them due to events experienced in childhood.

Even assassins are the chosen ones. If you don’t take into account Bayeka And Kassandra/Alexios (I don’t take the latter into account anyway, because in principle they don’t fit into the story of the assassins), then all the protagonists had eagle vision. A special gift that allowed you to highlight enemies and see hidden symbols. Eagle vision in the world of assassins is a unique ability that only people with Isu DNA have. That is, again, this is a narrative element that distinguishes the hero, makes him special, and increases his importance in the eyes of the player.

However, being chosen in games is not at all necessary, as many projects have already proven. Mentioned above witcher – this is just a professional, one of the few surviving monster hunters. Leon Kennedy – a simple police officer who was unlucky enough to find himself in Raccoon City at the height of the zombie epidemic. Isaac Clarke – an ordinary engineer who, again, was unlucky to end up on the Ishimura. William Joe Blaskowitz – one of the many American soldiers who fought against the Nazis during World War II. The fact that he became a hero of the resistance is the merit of his powerful physique, excellent fighting skills and steely will, and not at all a parade of stars. And the main character in "New Vegas" – an ordinary courier who somehow managed to survive a headshot. By the way, this is largely why “Vegas” is so loved in the gaming community – there are no favorites here, but this does not make your character any less important in the context of the story. Yes and Captain Shepard overall an ordinary person. He’s just a born leader who was able to realize himself in Starfleet.

As we can see from these examples, being chosen in games is not at all necessary. It is enough that your character and the story built around him will be interesting.

Is being chosen a bad thing in games?? Yes I wouldn’t say. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with this approach. This is a working literary move that has a right to exist. However, they resort to it so often that today being chosen often only brings a smile. The same "Boys" are entirely based on ridiculing this topic, showing how ordinary people fight arrogant “soups” to the best of their strength and ingenuity. And the “soups” themselves, as it later turns out, are not chosen ones at all, but an ordinary product of the corporation, just very expensive and capricious.

It seems to me that the chosen ones are with us forever. And even when the fashion for postmodern deconstruction of the genre passes, they will still appear in films, books, TV series and games. Simply because we are always interested in following special heroes. Perhaps this is just a deeply buried childhood dream of becoming someone important in the distant and wonderful future. In the cherished “when I grow up”. Why do we all, being small, dream of becoming astronauts and not bus drivers?? Because there are millions of drivers, but only a few astronauts.