Tavi & The Lord Raglan scale (The Codex Alera)
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.
Theresa Bane
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