Today I'll be looking into a book written by Robert Bly entitled Iron John: A book about Men (1990).
According to the Wikipedia page; he is part of the Mythopoetic men's
movement. Other authors also part of this movement include: James
Hillman, Michael J. Meade, Sam Keena. All of which I've explored some
long time ago. For some reason have been forgotten by what is now called
the Manosphere. These are lost gems which have simply been left behind.
Returning
to Robert Bly; by many men inside these circles Robert Bly has made the
greatest achievements through his books and workshops with men. A lot
of these initial circles of men attempted to recreate initiation rites
by going into the forest and performing tribal activities together. This
included drumming, dancing around the fire, shouting, walking in the
mud, etc... Remember, these were men only clubs. These clubs still exist
and you can probably find one near where you are located.
These
early authors also were dealing with the idea that modern Western Man
was entrapped in their routine and a materialistic lifestyle. These men
felt lifeless and so a lot of the energy was placed into finding this
“Wild Man” inside each one of us. The civilized man and the wild man. It
was a quest for these parts of ourselves which we have slowly lost over
time by living in the city amongst a vast amount of people. And with an
increasing amount of regulations upon male behaviour, certain men felt
that the male existence needed an outlet...
Iron John is about a
boy transitioning into a adulthood. The short story is rich in
metaphores and vivid imagery. This is a book which also treasures and
values male emotions. One cannot read it without gaining something out
of it.
Bare with me if I make mistakes recalling the story, it's been a long time!
The
boy encounters a wild man in the forest which fascinates him. He then
discovers that the wild man lives under a lake and that to be freed, the
boy would need to bring certain aspects of himself and drop them inside
the lake. By doing so, the boy would eventually be able to gain the
power which the wild man has.
I apologize for not giving enough justice towards the story itself in my review
This
story is based on a culmination of myths, mostly from the Grimms fairy
tales; hence it is very rich content and can be explored from many
angles. It is the story of man rediscovering the parts of himself which
he has left unattended. It is the boy integrating his mature self; and
the adult man reintegrating his childlike self.
A lot of these
books produced in that era were addressing the overtly feminine side
that men were starting to connect with. The men of this era found that
there was something wrong; but they could not exactly point their figure
at it. They were explaining that it was good for men to regain access
to their emotions; though there was much left that needed to be worked
out. They recognized that man should live with his emotions, but not in
the way that they were being instructed at that period. We also have to
understand that in the early 90s, a man overtly expressing any form of
emotions was more quickly bashed on then in comparison with today. These
guys are talking about the Blue Pill men; though they were very much in
part Blue Pill men themselves.
This is groundwork; this is part
of the foundational work which has brought us the understanding which we
now have today. I am certain that all the leading heads of the
“Manosphere” have come to their current prominence by having read these
earlier books.
Tribute needs to be given to these men.
Their place in the "History of the Manosphere" needs be more aptly recognized.
More log is thrown into the fire!
Peace
Iron John @Amazon
Robert Bly @Wikipedia
Written by ForgeHammerAnvil, published by diss identity
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