[UA] Re: The Hermit

[Nick Wedig]

>>I doono.. what about the infamous Man on the mountain that everyone is
>>always searching for to ask "what is the meaning to life?"
>
>Stereotypical not archetypal.  As the great wise man from whom all knowledge 
>flows said, one must determine if the character is a recurring theme in 
>fiction and legend or a recurring theme throughout history.

I can think of numerous monks who actually existed who more-or-less fit the mold of the master secluded in a hermitage and were sought out by students.  I was thinking the other day that the Buddha (who sat under a tree for, by some accounts, a year in order to reach enlightenment) fits the mold rather well.  I could point out several examples of people I know who tend to remain indoors at home if possible, but are experts in one specific field (IMHO, many geeks could channel this at low levels, having Computer Hacking or some similar skill used if they got that far).

To expand on some things alluded to but not mentioned: One of the basic drives in people are a push forward, to explore and see new things and meet new people.  The Pilgrim is focused on this.  The opposite drive is to return to the place of origin, to what is already known, ie to retreat from the world and become an expert in the minutiae of what you're already familiar with.  Most people balance somewhere between the two, but the Hermit succumbs entirely to the latter drive.  (I am, incidentally, grossly oversimplifying some psychology I read a while ago, but the exact details aren't ttoally important.)

And all the archetypes necessarily take something from mythology and stories.  E.g., the Trickster, whose "Avatars in History" entry spends significantly more time on mythological examples than real ones.  

Ah well.  If you don't like it, don't use it.  If you do good.  I just figured I'd offer up an idea for those people who are or might be actually running this game (as I'm not, nor likely to do so).

Mr. Teapot
quite possibly a low level Hermit himself

____________________________________________________
FREE Disinformation E-book - http://www.disinfo.com

_______________________________________________
UA mailing list
UA at lists.uchicago.edu
http://lists.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua