Ep. 17. Thomas Paine: The Forgotten Father of Western Democracy

06/19/22 • 86 min

Heroes and Legends Documentary Channel Podcast

Thomas Paine was a plain talking, big thinking common man - self educated in matters of science, philosophy, activism and political theory. His pamphlets and books inspired ordinary people throughout the colonies of America to stand up for their rights and throw off the yoke of British domination. Soon after, these books were smuggled into France, where they inspired the Third Estate to agitate for the guarantee of their natural rights. Eventually, this grass roots activism would lead to the overthrow of the French Monarchy in the French Revolution, where Paine would be granted honorary citizenship, a seat in its parliament and a voice in the drafting of the French Republic's constitution. He would eventually go on to write on many issues of social justice, including abolition, universal suffrage, aged care, education, welfare, healthcare and anti-corruption in government. This occasionally made him a target of powerful people, and despite his heroic status, he was eventually marginalised and forgotten. Overshadowed by the major players who used his tireless campaigning to their advantage, Paine died in obscurity and poverty, having transformed the landscape of democracy across three continents, and was the source of many of our greatest achievements in civil discourse and progress over the last 250 years.
#thomaspaine, #americanhero, #democracy, #frenchrevolution, #documentary

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Ep. 16. Iron John (Der Eisenhans): A Brothers Grimm Fairytale Interpreted as an Initiation Manual for Men

The Grimm brothers fairy tale Iron John (or Der Eisenhans in German) was the subject of study by prize winning American poet and author Robert Bly, who was a prominent figure in the mythopoetic men's movement that began in the 1980's. In it he saw the remnants of pre-industrial male initiation, told through the story of a young prince, who goes off to live with a wild, hairy man in the forest, encounters a magical golden spring, and then later works anonymously as a servant in the castle of a great king. He eventually goes on to perform great feats of bravery and skill, to eventually win the hand of a princess. The many peculiar adventures of the boy were interpreted by Bly as metaphors for the necessary steps in becoming a man. In this video, I've split the story into four parts, and following each one, I've offered interpretations of the symbology and meaning as well as some contemporary context according to my own understanding, as well as that of Bly's book. If you want to skip the interpretations and go straight into the story, the relevant parts on the time line are shown below:
Part1 2:09 - 14:12
Part2 22:41 - 27:06
Part3 35:39 - 39:53
Part4 41:50 - 48:52
#eisenhans, #robertbly, #ironjohn, #maleinitiation, #masculinity, #manhood, #mythopoetic
For the video montage of this episode please visit the Triarius Project Youtube Channel, or follow this link:
https://youtu.be/HcF_dd3agMw

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Ep. 18. Joan of Arc: The Girl Who Crowned a King and Saved a Nation

Joan of Arc; the Maid of Orleans; Jeanne D'Arc, Jehanne la Pucelle: she goes by many names. A provincial French peasant girl, barely in her teens, living in relative poverty, illiteracy and complete subordination during a time of total war and medieval brutality. Imagine this traumatised though deeply pious child having visions of angels and saints, and being commanded by them to seek out the dauphin (the French word for Crown Prince) and convince him to let her lead his demoralised army and liberate their kingdom from a powerful enemy. Most people then, as now, would have thought her at best, mentally ill. But so determined was she to carry out her mission, that no amount of opposition, discrimination or humiliation was going to stand in her way. Never taking NO for an answer, she eventually got her audience with the dauphin, she also got her army, and with it, proceeded to blaze her way across France, inspiring troops and civilians alike to fight on against overwhelming odds and turn the tide of war against England finally in their favour; always leading from the front and being herself seriously wounded on multiple occasions. This naïve teenager would soon wipe out the celebrated army of English longbowmen that had so humiliated her country at Crecy and Agincourt, such that it would take a generation for them to appear in force again on any battlefield. She would live to see her king, Charles VII crowned, only to suffer capture, a show trial and a horrible demise at the hands of the English; based entirely on her being a woman daring to participate in a man’s world.
#joanofarc, #jeannedarc, jehannedarc, #hundredyearswar, #orléans, #orleans, #history, #documentary, #heroesandlegends, #girlpower

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