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A High And Lonely Destiny, Gracia Fay Ellwood

Mythcon Proceedings

Examines the recurring motif of people, both real and fictional, who believe they possess magical powers and a destiny that places them above normal human moral concerns and connections. Beginning with the biblical Simon Magus and continuing through the many tales of Merlin, Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus, and Adolf Hitler, and ending with Tolkien’s Saruman, Ellwood traces this complex to inner hunger and self-deception, and notes how some characters, such as Gandalf, escape this destiny through their sense of connection with others.