heroes and hero worship-第1节

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ON　HEROES；　HERO…WORSHIP；　AND　THE　HEROIC　IN　HISTORY
By　Thomas　Carlyle


CONTENTS。

I。　　　THE　HERO　AS　DIVINITY。　　ODIN。　　PAGANISM：　　SCANDINAVIAN　MYTHOLOGY。
II。　　THE　HERO　AS　PROPHET。　　MAHOMET：　　ISLAM。
III。　THE　HERO　AS　POET。　　DANTE：　　SHAKSPEARE。
IV。　　THE　HERO　AS　PRIEST。　　LUTHER；　REFORMATION：　　KNOX；　PURITANISM。
V。　　　THE　HERO　AS　MAN　OF　LETTERS。　　JOHNSON；　ROUSSEAU；　BURNS。
VI。　　THE　HERO　AS　KING。　　CROMWELL；　NAPOLEON：　　MODERN　REVOLUTIONISM。




LECTURES　ON　HEROES。

＇May　5；　1840。＇
LECTURE　I。　THE　HERO　AS　DIVINITY。　　ODIN。　　PAGANISM：　　SCANDINAVIAN　MYTHOLOGY。

We　have　undertaken　to　discourse　here　for　a　little　on　Great　Men；　their　manner　of　appearance　in　our　world's　business；　how　they　have　shaped　themselves　in　the　world's　history；　what　ideas　men　formed　of　them；　what　work　they　did；on　Heroes；　namely；　and　on　their　reception　and　performance；　what　I　call　Hero…worship　and　the　Heroic　in　human　affairs。　　Too　evidently　this　is　a　large　topic；　deserving　quite　other　treatment　than　we　can　expect　to　give　it　at　present。　　A　large　topic；　indeed；　an　illimitable　one；　wide　as　Universal　History　itself。　　For；　as　I　take　it；　Universal　History；　the　history　of　what　man　has　accomplished　in　this　world；　is　at　bottom　the　History　of　the　Great　Men　who　have　worked　here。　　They　were　the　leaders　of　men；　these　great　ones；　the　modellers；　patterns；　and　in　a　wide　sense　creators；　of　whatsoever　the　general　mass　of　men　contrived　to　do　or　to　attain；　all　things　that　we　see　standing　accomplished　in　the　world　are　properly　the　outer　material　result；　the　practical　realization　and　embodiment；　of　Thoughts　that　dwelt　in　the　Great　Men　sent　into　the　world：　the　soul　of　the　whole　world's　history；　it　may　justly　be　considered；　were　the　history　of　these。　　Too　clearly　it　is　a　topic　we　shall　do　no　justice　to　in　this　place！

One　comfort　is；　that　Great　Men；　taken　up　in　any　way；　are　profitable　company。　　We　cannot　look；　however　imperfectly；　upon　a　great　man；　without　gaining　something　by　him。　　He　is　the　living　light…fountain；　which　it　is　good　and　pleasant　to　be　near。　　The　light　which　enlightens；　which　has　enlightened　the　darkness　of　the　world；　and　this　not　as　a　kindled　lamp　only；　but　rather　as　a　natural　luminary　shining　by　the　gift　of　Heaven；　a　flowing　light…fountain；　as　I　say；　of　native　original　insight；　of　manhood　and　heroic　nobleness；in　whose　radiance　all　souls　feel　that　it　is　well　with　them。　　On　any　terms　whatsoever；　you　will　not　grudge　to　wander　in　such　neighborhood　for　a　while。　　These　Six　classes　of　Heroes；　chosen　out　of　widely　distant　countries　and　epochs；　and　in　mere　external　figure　differing　altogether；　ought；　if　we　look　faithfully　at　them；　to　illustrate　several　things　for　us。　Could　we　see　them　well；　we　should　get　some　glimpses　into　the　very　marrow　of　the　world's　history。　　How　happy；　could　I　but；　in　any　measure；　in　such　times　as　these；　make　manifest　to　you　the　meanings　of　Heroism；　the　divine　relation　（for　I　may　well　call　it　such）　which　in　all　times　unites　a　Great　Man　to　other　men；　and　thus；　as　it　were；　not　exhaust　my　subject；　but　so　much　as　break　ground　on　it！　　At　all　events；　I　must　make　the　attempt。


It　is　well　said；　in　every　sense；　that　a　man's　religion　is　the　chief　fact　with　regard　to　him。　　A　man's；　or　a　nation　of　men's。　　By　religion　I　do　not　mean　here　the　church…creed　which　he　professes；　the　articles　of　faith　which　he　will　sign　and；　in　words　or　otherwise；　assert；　not　this　wholly；　in　many　cases　not　this　at　all。　　We　see　men　of　all　kinds　of　professed　creeds　attain　to　almost　all　degrees　of　worth　or　worthlessness　under　each　or　any　of　them。　This　is　not　what　I　call　religion；　this　profession　and　assertion；　which　is　often　only　a　profession　and　assertion　from　the　outworks　of　the　man；　from　the　mere　argumentative　region　of　him；　if　even　so　deep　as　that。　　But　the　thing　a　man　does　practically　believe　（and　this　is　often　enough　_without_　asserting　it　even　to　himself；　much　less　to　others）；　the　thing　a　man　does　practically　lay　to　heart；　and　know　for　certain；　concerning　his　vital　relations　to　this　mysterious　Universe；　and　his　duty　and　destiny　there；　that　is　in　all　cases　the　primary　thing　for　him；　and　creatively　determines　all　the　rest。　　That　is　his　_religion_；　or；　it　may　be；　his　mere　scepticism　and　_no…religion_：　　the　manner　it　is　in　which　he　feels　himself　to　be　spiritually　related　to　the　Unseen　World　or　No…World；　and　I　say；　if　you　tell　me　what　that　is；　you　tell　me　to　a　very　great　extent　what　the　man　is；　what　the　kind　of　things　he　will　do　is。　　Of　a　man　or　of　a　nation　we　inquire；　therefore；　first　of　all；　What　religion　they　had？　　Was　it　Heathenism；plurality　of　gods；　mere　sensuous　representation　of　this　Mystery　of　Life；　and　for　chief　recognized　element　therein　Physical　Force？　Was　it　Christianism；　faith　in　an　Invisible；　not　as　real　only；　but　as　the　only　reality；　Time；　through　every　meanest　moment　of　it；　resting　on　Eternity；　Pagan　empire　of　Force　displaced　by　a　nobler　supremacy；　that　of　Holiness？　　Was　it　Scepticism；　uncertainty　and　inquiry　whether　there　was　an　Unseen　World；　any　Mystery　of　Life　except　a　mad　one；doubt　as　to　all　this；　or　perhaps　unbelief　and　flat　denial？　　Answering　of　this　question　is　giving　us　the　soul　of　the　history　of　the　man　or　nation。　　The　thoughts　they　had　were　the　parents　of　the　actions　they　did；　their　feelings　were　parents　of　their　thoughts：　　it　was　the　unseen　and　spiritual　in　them　that　determined　the　outward　and　actual；their　religion；　as　I　say；　was　the　great　fact　about　them。　　In　these　Discourses；　limited　as　we　are；　it　will　be　good　to　direct　our　survey　chiefly　to　that　religious　phasis　of　the　matter。　　That　once　known　well；　all　is　known。　　We　have　chosen　as　the　first　Hero　in　our　series　Odin　the　central　figure　of　Scandinavian　Paganism；　an　emblem　to　us　of　a　most　extensive　province　of　things。　　Let　us　look　for　a　little　at　the　Hero　as　Divinity；　the　oldest　primary　form　of　Heroism。

Surely　it　seems　a　very　strange…looking　thing　this　Paganism；　almost　inconceivable　to　us　in　these　days。　　A　bewildering；　inextricable　jungle　of　delusions；　confusions；　falsehoods；　and　absurdities；　covering　the　whole　field　of　Life！　　A　thing　that　fills　us　with　astonishment；　almost；　if　it　were　possible；　with　incredulity；for　truly　it　is　not　easy　to　understand　that　sane　men　could　ever　calmly；　with　their　eyes　open；　believe　and　live　by　such　a　set　of　doctrines。　　That　men　should　have　worshipped　their　poor　fellow…man　as　a　God；　and　not　him　only；　but　stocks　and　stones；　and　all　manner　of　animate　and　inanimate　objects；　and　fashioned　for　themselves　such　a　distracted　chaos　of　hallucinations　by　way　of　Theory　of　the　Universe：　　all　this　looks　like　an　incredible　fable。　　Nevertheless　it　is　a　clear　fact　that　they　did　it。　　Such　hideous　inextricable　jungle　of　misworships；　misbeliefs；　men；　made　as　we　are；　did　actually　hold　by；　and　live　at　home　in。　　This　is　strange。　　Yes；　we　may　pause　in　sorrow　and　silence　over　the　depths　of　darkness　that　are　in　man；　if　we　rejoice　in　the　heights　of　purer　vision　he　has　attained　to。　　Such　things　were　and　are　in　man；　in　all　men；　in　us　too。

Some　speculators　have　a　short　way　of　accounting　for　the　Pagan　religion：　mere　quackery；　priestcraft；　and　dupery；　say　they；　no　sane　man　ever　did　believe　it；merely　contrived　to　persuade　other　men；　not　worthy　of　the　name　of　sane；　to　believe　it！　　It　will　be　often　our　duty　to　protest　against　this　sort　of　hypothesis　about　men's　doings　and　history；　and　I　here；　on　the　very　threshold；　protest　against　it　in　reference　to　Paganism；　and　to　all　other　_isms_　by　which　man　has　ever　for　a　length　of　time　striven　to　walk　in　this　world。　　They　have　all　had　a　truth　in　them；　or　men　would　not　have　taken　them　up。　　Quackery　and　dupery　do　abound；　in　religions；　above　all　in　the　more　advanced　decaying　stages　of　religions；　they　have　fearfully　abounded：　　but　quackery　was　never　the　originating　influence　in　such　things；　it　was　not　the　health　and　life　of　such　things；　but　their　disease；　the　sure　precursor　of　their　being　about　to　die！　　Let　us　never　forget　this。　　It　seems　to　me　a　most　mournful　hypothesis；　that　of　quackery　giving　birth　to　any　faith　even　in　savage　men。　　Quackery　gives　birth　to　nothing；　gives　death　to　all　things。　We　shall　not　see　into　the　true　heart　of　anything；　if　we　look　merely　at　the　quackeries　of　it；　if　we　do　not　reject　the　quackeries　altogether；　as　mere　diseases；　corruptions；　with　which　our　and　all　men's　sole　duty　is　to　have　done　with　them；　to　sweep　them　out　of　our　thoughts　as　out　of　our　practice。　Man　everywhere　is　the　born　enemy　of　lies。　　I　find　Grand　Lamaism　itself　to　have　a　kind　of　truth　in　it。　　Read　the　candid；　clear…sighted；　rather　sceptical　Mr。　Turner's　_Account　of　his　Embassy_　to　that　country；　and　see。　They　have　their　belief；　these　poor　Thibet　people；　that　Providence　sends　down　always　an　Incarnation　of　Himself　into　every　generation。　　At　bottom　some　belief　in　a　kind　of　Pope！　　At　bottom　still　better；　belief　that　there　is　a　_Greatest_　Man；　that　_he_　is　discoverable；　that；　once　discovered；　we　ought　to　treat　him　with　an　obedience　which　knows　no　bounds！　　This　is　the　truth　of　Grand　Lamaism；　the　〃discoverability〃　is　the　only　error　here。　　The　Thibet　priests　have　methods　of　their　own　of　discovering　what　Man　is　Greatest；　fit　to　be　supreme　over　them。　　Bad　methods：　　but　are　they　so　much　worse　than　our　methods；of　understanding　him　to　be　always　the　eldest…born　of　a　certain　genealogy？　　Alas；　it　is　a