Marsheila Rockwell on sword and sorcery and Conan vs. the Pope
Marsheila Rockwell has an interesting post on the difference between sword and sorcery and high fantasy. Basically, the difference comes down to one of scope.
Which is interesting, because John C. Wright recently had a post arguing that high fantasy was essentially Catholic while sword and sorcery was basically Protestant. I don’t know whether or not that’s true. But as is my wont, I processed the argument far too literally, and am now envisioning a pastiche where Conan of Cimmeria fights the sinister sorcery and Pope Sylvester II. In the end, Conan prevails by discovering Sylvester II’s diabolical brazen head, the source of his sorcerous power, and Conan hews the head with a single mighty blow from his broadsword, causing Sylvester II to crumble into dust.
Anyway. Marcy has a new story, and you should check it out.
-JM
I like the title!
So Conan battles the Pope, eh? Oh the possibilities…
In your version, the Pope was a sorcerer?? lol. I see you picked that up from wiki. However in my version, I have the good Pope, after a lengthy battle, convert the melancholic barbarian from the sad, dismal worship of the cruel Crom (who sits on his mountain top, hurling dooms at his people) to high and salvific worship of the one true God. Either that or, if Conan was unwilling to convert, replace Sylvester with Leo the great, and have him send Conan’s heathen butt packing just like he did to Atilla!
As for Wright’s essay. I thought it was interesting. Though, as he corrected me, he did not say one was Catholic or protestant, but rather the essence of High fantasy was Catholic where as Sword and Sorcery was protestant, which I thought was an interesting observation. Granted you may have been saying the same thing, I just misread you. As for his observation, I’m not so sure of the sword and sorcery angle, but his observation on High Fantasy, seems to take, at least to me. Then again, literary fantasy itself has its roots in Christianity, just ask John Granger. So in that sense, you could make a broad claim as Wright did.
This post on fantasy has reminded me of asking you something:
A friend of mine has on several different occasions recommended Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, but I have always been a bit hesitant to pick them up. Have you read them and/or do you know if they are any good?
wheel of time
“Either that or, if Conan was unwilling to convert, replace Sylvester with Leo the great, and have him send Conan’s heathen butt packing just like he did to Atilla!”
Or replace Leo the Great with Gregory the Great, who, according to legend, resurrected the virtuous Roman Emperor Trajan, and baptized him so he could enter heaven. Gregory the Great could do the same with Conan (after all, the Hyperborean Age predated medieval Europe), and then charge him to lead a final defense of Rome from the Lombard hordes of the north.
“A friend of mine has on several different occasions recommended Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, but I have always been a bit hesitant to pick them up. Have you read them and/or do you know if they are any good?”
That would be a very long answer, so I think that will be the topic for Reader Question Day this week.
“Gregory the Great, who, according to legend, resurrected the virtuous Roman Emperor Trajan, and baptized him so he could enter heaven.”
Dang! I had never heard of that legend before! How cool is that?! But also probably only a legend, simply put, I know the medievals thought of Trajan as a virtous pagan, but they were probably unaware that he had a cadre of boys travel with him where ever he went…you know what I mean. The Romans themselves over looked this matter because they liked him so much, if they had not, that would have been an issue for them.
Though I do like the idea of a resurrected baptized Conan!
And I’ll thank you in advance for answering my question in the upcoming post! Thanks 🙂