Power of the Artifact

            About two weekends ago, I found myself at one of my favorite museums, The Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta. I’ve been there a few times, I love it there, so much history, so many stories, and they are told through the artifacts.  It never gets old . . . pun intended.  Just recently I found myself meditating on why we even have museums.  Why do we preserve our history? What is it about these objects that fascinates generations? 

            It was on that Saturday, I was looking in the Near-East section of the Museum.  It was from Babylon and Ur and Sumeria that Civilization first flourished, where writing was invented and stories, myths, were first told.  It was with this in the back of my mind that a particular object caught my eye. Beside other arrowheads and weapon fragments was this Bronze Age,  Assyrian (or Akadian- I can’t fully recall) dagger, perfectly preserved through the ages.  Near the hilt there was even an inscription in Cuneiform , which is thought  to be the earliest form of writing. While looking at this dagger, I came upon two thoughts. Formed by a smithy with the utmost precision and skill, by hand, sweat, and hammer alone - this dagger  had seen over thousands years, probably countless battles, known several bearers , and has survived the test of time to the point it is now admired by myself and others- that in itself is amazing! And second there is also the deeper element, the human element. We will probably never know who pounded the bronze to form the dagger, let alone who wielded it. But somehow their story, and the story of their time, has been etched into the metal itself. It is interesting that the Samurai of feudal Japan hold their own swords with immense respect and look upon it as a thing of beauty as well as a tool of war.  They believed that the blade itself houses their soul and the souls of their ancestors who wielded it before them. In kind, this can also be said for other various artifacts in a manner of speaking.  

            Whether it be an ancient dagger or a family heirloom, objects do matter. They do have the power to tell great stories, even if it is just stretching one’s mind back to a past time. What is very powerful about artifacts, and really objects in general, is that they are made by us. They contain one of the greatest aspects of our humanity: our desire to create beautiful things. Whether it be the thousands of Greek amphorae and other pottery that decorate various museums or Michelangelo’s The David, we look at them and no matter our age or nationality we all find ourselves just completely taken with these marvels. Like any artwork the artifact is an expression the creator’s inner-self. This is the way I feel with the written word, but the physical object invites a different admiration, after all the beauty is right in front of one’s eyes. Yet even artifacts of no particular beauty, or of a more grim nature, they too are windows to human nature, our history. I believe that museums are so fascinating because they contain all these untold, unwritten stories. Their creators may have no name, no face, but it is through these artifacts that people are touched with another’s vision, even from thousands of years ago. Such is the power of beauty and man’s passion that drives him to create for others, and to express himself in the form of a physical object.  

            Again I invite all comments, stories, thoughts, share of your own artifact. The Shield Hall is open. I also highly suggest that you all check out the excellent response blog on my latest post, What About Heroes. My good friend Nick expresses his own thoughts on heroes and approaches the subject from a particularly Catholic viewpoint. It is an excellent piece and the kind of which I hope to provoke in any of my readers!

           

           

What About Heroes?

       Since man first began telling stories, before they were even written down, there were heroes. Hercules, Sigurd, Arjuna, Yoshitsune, Galahad, King David; all people, all cultures have heroes. We need them. From these mythic heroes have evolved characters that vary in kind, from Bilbo Baggins to Atticus Finch, and yes even comic book superheroes. The ancient stories continue their influence in our on modern age, stories fueling, inspiring, new stories. New heroes. 

       The hero himself (or herself) while varied is unchanged. They are powerful, clever, often displaying godlike abilities. They can be seen doing amazing deeds, and at the same time undergoing immense struggle both internally and externally. They display the greatest aspects of mankind: benevolent protector, brave warrior, just king. And yet they also display the most flawed. They are amazing in their awe inspiring feats, and yet it is not an uncommon thing to see the hero fall in his battle. From ancient myths to our age of Harry Potter, the hero is both loved and hated, misunderstood. Many heroes can also be seen as, among other things, an outcast.

       The legendary founder of Rome, Aeneas, was thrown into exile after his native Troy was burned out of existence. His story tells of a warrior’s struggle to protect and find refuge for the last of his people. Several scholars and friends have mixed feelings about Aeneas. For one thing, the hero is described having pietas (piety or fidelity), hailed as pious Aeneas; but we see throughout Virgil’s text that often times he loses sight of his higher calling. This is primarily demonstrated in his relationship with the Carthaginian Queen Dido. Many people find it distasteful, weak, that he fell into a romantic relationship and was distracted from his duty to the people- but when reminded of his duty, he just left her. With a heavy heart he parted from Dido, and would eventually contribute to the founding of Rome. Broken hearted, Dido committed suicide. It was Aeneas’ fate, he had to do leave, but many still look down upon the hero for that - among other things. Personally I take a more empathetic stance (as do others). I see Aeneas as caught in a moment of being human, making human mistakes. Aeneas had lost everything, his wife, father, home. He not only had his child to look after but also the only survivors of his nation. Dido presented a human connection and for a second after the initial chaos, he acted on it. Although the son of a goddess, he was still only human.

       It is ironic that the greatest of heroes are also the most unlikely. We all read in the bible of King David, how the youngest son of a poor Sheppard was ordained by God to be king of his people. Like Aeneas, David too was an outcast- at one time fleeing for his life against a vengeful King Saul. Yet even when David had access to kill Saul in his sleep, he did not. In fact we even read that he scolds Saul’s general for not guarding his lord more properly. David was the defeater of Goliath, builder of Jerusalem. He was a devout man and just ruler, and a poet.  He was still just a man. Even David fell into lust and corruption. While he is a great hero, certainly favored by God, he still possessed the flaws that effect everyday people, and he knew it. Heroes may be heroes, but they’re not perfect. For every remarkable aspect there can be in kind an equally ugly twist to the story. Because of their greatness, a hero’s flaws can be even greater than the common man’s, just as their deeds are uncommon.

       Why do we admire heroes? Why do we need them?  Those are very simple yet complicated questions. Here’s my take, because everyone reads things differently- though I do believe my answers are shared because let’s face it: everyone loves a hero, needs them too. Heroes are the individuals who take a stand. They may be outcasts, even sinners looking for redemption, they can be anything and anyone. This just proves that while a person may not have superhuman abilities, it is in every human being’s potential to do great things, great good. We need heroes because they give us persons to look up to, and emulate, and dream of the impossible. Such has been our need that the hero has been a part of our stories and literature since the beginning, an endless cycle of characters all bound by prevailing traits and a shared journey. It is this archetypal character I shall further explore later in my English thesis, Why Did God Choose David? The Hero Archetype.

      If this very small reflection on heroes has prompted either curiosity, or desire for discussion, or even if you want to talk about your own heroes, please share your thoughts and we can explore this concept together. The Shield Hall is always open.

Paths

Paths

Eric Campos

I am a wanderer of the paths before me,

A humble traveler.

In the stillness of ponder, of woe, of agitation, it comes:

 The urge to venture out, to meander the paths before me.

                                             

The route is never known. The turns, the crossroads, are all possibilities.

To go left or right, forward or backward, the road simply tells me.

It does not shout, nor command me this way or that. It only offers me the path, many paths,

Towards an unknown destination. To traverse the land before me.

The sensations, so many as I tread.

To walk abroad, to dare venture into the world,

To leave behind the dread, the fear, the sorrow, let them stare as I move in spite of them,

Thus I am free, the world keeps moving. I am at peace.

I do not fear the open road,

Nor the questions of left or right,

I seek the insight in myself,

And the path to cross comes into sight.

Some paths may weave, and others diverge another way,

And I the traveler simply turn and climb and sway with the road before me,

For the true purpose lies not only at the end of the road, but the path itself,

The journey. The story to tell of the day.

I am a humble traveler,

Wandering far and wide.

The road is ever my friend, the path its gift to me,

The path of possibility, of opportunity,  

The path that is free to walk, and think, and dream.