Frank Hebert, 50 years ago, wrote about politics and political families when he produced his Dune series. He based his saga on current politics and gave it a mythological over tone. The centerpiece is the House of Atreides, based on the House of Atreus. The Atreus story is a bloody tale of jealousies, infidelities, incest, murder and other abominations, resulting in the fall of a civilization, Ilium, or Troy.
The name, Atreus, means fearless. The name Atreides means son of fearless. It is a great name, but the context to which the name is attached, is a monstrosity. Being a myth, it’s there to teach us something. I interpret it as a lesson on the corruption that control over others brings. All power is corruptible. Therefore, it is prudent to be suspicious of any, and all, power.
The analogy is this: the power of a 1994 5.0 V8 GT Mustang engine, can lure one into the thrill of breaking speed limits, and not give a fig about the other folks on the road.
Atreus is a blood thirsty character. In the context of when this story was first told, he is fearless in his actions. In our context, he’s a psychopath. Indeed, there are many psychopaths that fill the mythological world. Which is to say, our ancestors warned us about such individuals before we had a word, and a diagnoses, for such evil behavior.
Here is a short version of the story. Atreus did not come from a functional family. His brother, Thyestes, committed adultery with Atreus’ wife, Aerope. But hold on there, let’s go back before that happened. Atreus, his mother, Hippodamia, along with his brother, Thyestes, murdered a half-brother. A product of, perhaps, a concubine, the three wanted to insure that this half-brother would never see the throne. Perhaps they got that insecure feeling because their father, Pelops, treated the boy as a favorite?
In such a world, of men that can freely take as many concubines as they can afford-Solomon did it-they have many children. Present day Muslim kings have this issue as well, and I address the issue of a favorite son. Throughout the history of these situations, many a mother has murdered another woman’s son by her husband because that son was favoured by the king or sultan. (Sultan harems were notorious for their political intrigues.) In such a world as this, it is dangerous to be a favored son. Therefore, what went on in the house of Atreus was the usual stuff. And, therefore, the West practices monogamy so as not to have this issue. It is also the reason the feudal world adopted primogeniture, the first born son inherits everything.
Back to our plot. For this sin, Hippodamia and sons, are exiled to Mycenae. Hippodamia, perhaps suffering from a heavy conscience, hangs herself. The boys, her sons, then have a fight over the throne of Mycenae. Atreus wins. (That too is an unsavory story.) After securing himself as king, Atreus learns of that betrayal of his wife and brother that I mentioned above. That’s when one of the ugliest, most horrific events, in all of mythology, takes place. Atreus grabs Thyestes’ sons, murders them, and then cooks them. He saves the feet and heads, however, so that he can taunt Thyestes. Atreus serves the food to Thyestes, and when the man is nearly finished, the torture begins. First, Atreus suggests to Thyestes that he has devoured something awful. He sets the feet on the table. Atreus then tells him the truth. Thyestes does not believe him. Atreus then brings in the heads of the boys.
The sin of the fathers in the House of Atreus is psychopathy. However, the dance of politics is never pretty. The feint of heart best stay out.
But wait, we are not finished with this lovely family. Thyestes then sleeps with his own daughter to produce a son that will figure hugely in Atreus’ sons lives. That is the after story of Agamemnon, once he comes home from Ilium.
Indeed, the entire story of of this family is ugly, beginning to end. The sins of the fathers do come home to roost in their sons. The reverse is true, that good fathers will produce good sons.
Fast forward to today’s world. We have a father as a leader, and his son is known as a n’er-do well. Going back a few years, to another president, we have a father who had four sons, who were ambitious just to please their father. That did not turn out well. Two of those sons were murdered, one was killed in a war, and the last son, well, he was a n’er-do well.
Fathers and sons involved in political action can be a bit concerning, because it suggests a dynasty. Americans do not like dynasties because it reminds us of old Europe.
The current presidential family is rather like an open book. Any man who has had political power for over 50 years is what I refer to as a lifer. A professional. That is Biden in the proverbial nutshell. He knows nothing else. Whether or not he is as clean as he seems to be, in this era of impeach me, impeach you, we find a different story developing regarding his son, Hunter.
How do I mix the House of Biden, with the House of Atreus? By watching the news on those ever present, ever running TV news channels in the gym. Hunter was stage center as he testified, “behind closed doors.” Hmm. Is that because he is a “private citizen” and not a part of the government? Certainly, the senators want to know if he is a part of the government, that is, enriching himself, and his father, by using his father’s influence.
The story of Atreus, runs around in my head, because I am writing a novel based on the Greek families who brought down Ilium, aka, Troy.
My question is how do you not enrich yourself when your dad has been in politics for 52 years? It is what ruling families do. It is the crux of the game they play. History tell us that individuals who become kings, or barons, their families, by extension, become privileged. The same holds true of politicians in our own era. Educated individuals know this, and for that reason, throughout history, sides are drawn, loyalties given. But fully trusting the leaders is not the best of policy, unless one goes along with the leader at all times, no matter the cost.
A part of the reason one follows a leader, wholeheartedly, is for some sort of reward. Followers of Jesus looked for a heavenly reward. Followers of Agamemnon, the son of Atreus, looked for a monetary reward. There were no “countries” to fight for. It is about personalities. Because no matter who follows who, the law of attraction comes into play before the power relationships develop. Because it is the followers that give the king, or president, his powers. Therefore, the leader must attract followers first.
The majority of people, even in the United States, look to be led. However, our democracy, as set up with our universal suffrage, means each voter has to think and act on behalf of all the people of the United States. That is a tall order. In reality, that does not happen. Thus, my own observations is that universal suffrage is not the best way to operate a democracy.
As a habit, democracies do seem to end up in some sort of tyranny. The famous Athens, even with its limited suffrage, had some 72 violent changes of government during its approximate 150 years of existence. Surely this is not the best example to follow? Nor is the other tragic outcome of their “enlightenment,” ordering Socrates to die, because he told the truth, about the democracy, and the good life destroying the youth of Athens.
Sounds familiar, eh?
Agamemnon, son of Atreus, would fit right into American politics. He is not an absolute monarch. He has to do a little politicking. Thus, he’s a good communicator, and knows how to sweet talk his countrymen into a war. Think of all the arms dealers that made a fortune when Agamemnon declared war on Ilium. Ditto the shipbuilders. Some of you might argue that we would not go to war over a queen that ran off with some handsome dude, who happened to be a prince of Ilium. Menelaus tells Agamemnon, who is his brother, that his wife was kidnapped. And that is an act of war. Because Helen is a part of Sparta’s government. It’s rather like someone running off with the First Lady. Of course CNN or Fox News would tell us it is a kidnapping, and after some failed diplomacy, war would be declared. Never mind that the First Lady is in love with the guy she is with, and she went willingly. You cannot go to war over an infidelity. Right?
George Bush would find a way. He was re-elected in spite of his having no good, moral reason for invading Iraq. Well, you know that history. It is yesterday’s news. And possibly, tomorrow’s. Saber rattlers are rattling their weapons. Which means more jobs for weapons manufacturers. They are always for more war.
Both George Bushes are a part of a ruling class family. Both were befuddled old men before they became old. Jeb Bush, in 2016, ran for president because, well, it was his turn. Jeb was well on his way to becoming a lifer, and establishing the Bush clan as the dynastic rulers of the USA. Enough people in the Republican party thought differently. They handed the princely crown to the guy who was anything but a prince. Trump is more reminiscent of Zeus: a philanderer par excellence. But he gets the job done.
The questions to be asked are this: how much different are we from our forefathers, and how much have we learned from our myths, including the Bible? My theory is that we have changed the vocabulary that we place on things, but in essence, a ruling family is a ruling family, whatever you name it. Royalty or presidential or a life in politics, to rule is to rule.
The Shepherd Girl is the name of the story I am writing. Like all my work in mythology and history, my goal is to bring the situations up to date, so that we can relate to it. All the world’s stories, and their message, are no good to us, unless we see ourselves in them. I suggest that is why Frank Herbert’s Dune series was so successful. Sci-fi is, after all, morality tales set in another time and place.
Morality never changes. What is wrong today, has been wrong for thousands of years. That too, has a myth to explain things. The goddess Chaos sneezed on our nebula, and planets, our universe, began to organize itself. It is what life systems do. No matter how we may rant and rave about freedom, and our rights, systems work best under basic rules of order. I mean, imagine if your heart decides it would like a day off?
Oh yes, it does do that, eventually….