Are trickster myths a type of underdog narrative? They typically show cleverness, courage, and ingenuity winning out over brute strength and established authority. Could they be viewed as a form of cognitive training? My impression is that they are widespread in non-Christian cultures.
True though to be fair they’re a different type of story. The trickster has skills, they’re not conventional skills but they have them in spades; they are also clever and ambitious enough to use those skills to upend the existing order. Trickster narratives reward cunning, initiative and ambition, whereas traditional warrior narratives reward strength, bravery and honour. Meanwhile the classic Christian narrative is something like “the saint fasted for fifty days and lashed himself for no good reason other than to prove how much he thought he was sinful; then the Romans came to martyr him and he let them, the end. But joke’s on them ’cos now he’s in Heaven”. Humility, passiveness and guilt.
That said, Christianity hasn’t exactly erased either warrior narratives nor trickster narratives. The knights of the Round Table or the paladins of Charlemagne are classic Christian warrior templates. Robin Hood is a classic Christian trickster (and medieval folklore also abounds with stories in which the Devil is foolish and easily tricked by a clever human whom he was trying to ensnare).
Are trickster myths a type of underdog narrative? They typically show cleverness, courage, and ingenuity winning out over brute strength and established authority. Could they be viewed as a form of cognitive training? My impression is that they are widespread in non-Christian cultures.
True though to be fair they’re a different type of story. The trickster has skills, they’re not conventional skills but they have them in spades; they are also clever and ambitious enough to use those skills to upend the existing order. Trickster narratives reward cunning, initiative and ambition, whereas traditional warrior narratives reward strength, bravery and honour. Meanwhile the classic Christian narrative is something like “the saint fasted for fifty days and lashed himself for no good reason other than to prove how much he thought he was sinful; then the Romans came to martyr him and he let them, the end. But joke’s on them ’cos now he’s in Heaven”. Humility, passiveness and guilt.
That said, Christianity hasn’t exactly erased either warrior narratives nor trickster narratives. The knights of the Round Table or the paladins of Charlemagne are classic Christian warrior templates. Robin Hood is a classic Christian trickster (and medieval folklore also abounds with stories in which the Devil is foolish and easily tricked by a clever human whom he was trying to ensnare).