Tavi and Lord Raglan’s scale
by Theresa Bane
Jim Butcher is, as we all know, the bestselling author of “The Dresden Files,” a series of books where urban fantasy meets crime noir. We all know and love the main character, Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only openly practicing wizard slash private eye. But how many of us have read Butcher’s other series, “The Codex Alera,” which I would characterize as military fantasy with a dash of fantasy horror. In the seven book series we first meet Tavi of Calderon, a boy who grows into the man that his nation needs him to be in their most desperate hour.
If you have not read the series and like fantasy books give “Codex Alera” a try, but consider yourself forewarned, Tavi is not Harry and the world of Alera is as far from Chicago as one can get. With the exception of Douglas Adams, Jim Butcher is the only other author who made me laugh out loud when reading a book, so when I read “Calderon’s Fury” I had a bit of a shock. Butcher’s writing style was adapted to fit this new world, new characters, new environment, new everything.
What was most compelling for me was the main character of the series, Tavi. OK, that’s an obvious gimmie; of course the main character is the most interesting in the book, duh! But, all kidding aside, Tavi struck a chord with me. I guess because I am so deeply entrenched in mythology that the hero’s journey that Tavi undertook was archetypical, but that was only half of the reason why the books are so great. Tavi was also a text book example of Lord Raglan’s scale put to good use.
Back in 1936 Lord Raglan wrote a book called “The Hero”. In it he dissected the lives of mankind’s hero/savior to see what they had, if anything, in common. Turns out that Raglan discovered that nearly all of our hero/savior myths have A LOT in common, so much so that except for the name and locations, one is more or less interchangeable for any other. Raglan’s scale has 22 points on it, and for each bullet on the scale a hero/savior brings him that much closer to the perfect archetypical sacred hero-king; that is to say, a character so memorable and connected to the human psyche that we not only embrace it as our own, but keep it for pretty much all time.
Here’s the scale as Lord Raglan wrote it. His words are in boldface, the after copy is mine, explaining Tavi’s part.
1. The hero’s mother is a royal virgin -Isana, was a virgin when she met Octavian, Tavi’s father
2. His father is a king – Octavian was Heir Apparent, all but king
3. Often a near relative of the mother, – Araris was Octavian’s best friend and personal body guard who had fallen in love with Isana and carried a torch for her for some 20 years before it could be realized.
4. The circumstances of his conception are unusual, – Isana and Octavian married in secret
5. He is also reputed to be the son of a god - Rumors leak out that Tavi may be the son of the late Heir Apparent
6. At birth an attempt is made, usually by his father or maternal grandfather, to kill him, – Had Tavi’s birth been made know he and his mother both would have been killed.
7. He is spirited away, – Isana used her water casting to stunt Tavi’s physical development
8. Reared by foster-parents in a far country – Isana, fearful that her husband’s enemies will kill her and her son claim that the child belongs to her brother, Bernard, and his recently widowed wife. Calderon, where he is raised is the furthest point of the empire.
9. We are told nothing of his childhood, – Book one opens with Tavi in his late tweens.
10. On reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future kingdom. – Tavi travels to the capitol of Alera to study in the universities and join the military.
11. After a victory over the king and or giant, dragon, or wild beast – He defeats the Vord Queen
12. He marries a princess, often the daughter of his predecessor – Tavi and Kitai meet and are bonded to one another. Kitai is not a princess, per say, but her father, Doroga, is the leader of the Marat clan.
13. Becomes king – Tavi is recognized for his bloodline, his true name of Gaius Octavian is revealed, and he is made King, his wife queen, their child, the Heir Apparent
14. For a time he reigns uneventfully and
15. Prescribes laws but
16. Later loses favor with the gods and or his people and
17. Is driven from the throne and the city after which
18. He meets with a mysterious death
19. Often at the top of a hill.
20. His children, if any, do not succeed him. – The Vord Queen is ultimately killed
21. His body is not buried, but nevertheless
22. He has one or more holy sepulchers.
So, according to Lord Raglan, Tavi scored a 14 of a possible 22, not bad considering that the series ended after Tavi became king. Butcher has said that he’d like to one day revisit the Alera series, maybe pick it up some years in the future, but doesn’t know if it will ever happen.
That aside, here are the scores of some other hero types you may have heard of:
Oedipus, the mythical king of Greek Thebes who was prophesied to kill his dad and marry his mom, tops the charts at a staggering 21 of 22 points!
Theseus, co-founder of Athens, battler of monsters and archaic religious and social order, he scored a 20; as did Moses.
Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and inspirer of madness and ecstasy got a 19, as did Jesus.
Jason of Argonaut fame got to a 15 on the scale, Robin Hood scored a 13. Tavi would be placed in-between them. Not bad company if you ask me.
When you get a chance, try using the scale against Hercules to see what you get. Then try it with Luke Skywalker. And Superman. Pick your favorite hero from any genera you like and see how he stacks up. There is an awesome “Win a Kindle 2″ contest going on right now at Buzzy, so if your inclined enough to tally up the Man of Steel or the Dark Knight, why not jot in down it the field below, who knows, you may win a little something for your trouble.
QtR – Theresa Bane, Vampirologist and a woeful two according to Lord Raglan
Buzzy Multimedia – Sci-Fi & Fantasy Audio Books…Funny T-Shirts
If you enjoy Jim Butcher, you will like these tees:
I am only a little familiar with Lord Raglan’s work. However, your comparison makes me want to look into it more.
Codex Alera is indeed an amazing story. And I was very satisfied with the conclusion in Book 6.
Jim Butcher may not think of himself as a genius but the facility that he has of swinging between genres without skipping a beat or having his work falter makes him a literary genius to me.
I’m hesitant to admit that I was unfamiliar with Lord Raglan’s scale till now. It’s fascinating that my own rating is not unlike that of Tavi, whom I think of as far more heroic.
My own mother might not have been a ROYAL virgin but she acted the part. The circumstances of my conception were indeed unusual. The rumor of my being the son of a God had to have been started by my mother as my father knew better. At birth I nearly died and my mother was convinced someone in my father’s family was responsible. We left the west coast as suddenly as the Holy Family went to Egypt although it was more because of an offer of work in Texas than to hide a newborn son. Not raised by foster parents but does it count if you thought of your birth parents that way? And doesn’t Texas bill itself as a whole other country? When the books are written about my life I would hope they would begin with my late teens. Back to California where I went to college and the ROTC (does that count for the military?). I defeated the Lord of a “major” corporation and in the 20th and 21st centuries that is comparable to defeating a giant or a wild beast. I married a Princess (what, you were expecting me to say more about that and risk my marital bliss?). Have I become King yet, no, but I am young and I play MMORPG’s so it is not only possible it is probable that I will live to see the day.
Isana never claimed Tavi was Bernard’s, she told every one he was her sister’s. Also, Bernard is the widower. Your wording makes it sound like he’s dead and his wife is the widow.
Other then that factual inaccuracy, this is an interesting write up.
I just finished listening to all of Codex Alera a week or two ago and what I was really struck with is how ‘different’ it is. If I didn’t know it was Jim Butcher’s work, I don’t think I would have drawn the connection at all. The characters were all so different and about the only thing that really linked the two is the sardonic comments that would come out of Droga’s mouth.
IMO, that takes some real talent to be able to so distance yourself from a past success. Look at authors that haven’t managed that like David Eddings for instance.
Tavi’s father was Septimus. Tavi is Octavian, hence the nickname. So, where it says ‘Isana was a virgin when she met Octavian, Tavi’s father.’ It should say, ‘Isana was a virgin when she met Septimus, Tavi’s father.’ and all other references to Tavi’s father should be Septimus.
Tavi is Octavian. His father is Septimus and his grandfather is Sextus.