I've taken a lot of heat over my promotion the idea of "the lone wolf" in Taboo You, with my advice for alienated men to embrace their taboo status. Admittedly, this is advice for the extreme minority who are not joiners. Basically, among men, you have leaders [Alphas] joiners [betas] and Loners, [Omegas or taboo men]. It is a fact that Alpha male leaders relate better to Omega male loners and that the two types are more likely to cross over then the Betas. One might liken the Beta male to sheep, the Alpha male to the sheep dog and the Omega male to the wolf—as Howard habitually did in his totemic character depictions. The sheep-dog-wolf construct begs for completion, with the Society as the sheepfold and The State as the shepherd.
Using the lists for most violent Arуan heroes the code will be A, for Alpha, B for Beta [what you are supposed to be, according to most masculinity advocates and feminist] and L for loner, or Omega male. Some men in leadership position will have a second letter next to A for leader, to describe their status before or after their rise to power. For instance, Alexander became a loner as king, seeing no connection with himself and his men, while the Great Khan and Shaka began his life as an exile and outsider. Hence, Alexander would be marked with a A-L wile Shaka would be an L-A and Achilles, a raging see-saw of social-antisocial volatility, with a L-A-L
Mythic Heroes, from Most to Least Aggressive
This list is a mere sampling of the most well known, neglecting Irish, Germanic, Greek and Latin heroes.
*Indicates a compulsively violent monster.
1. Achilles,* L-A-L
2. Herakles,* L
3. Samson, L
4. Roland, A
5. Beowulf, A
6. Gilgamesh, A
7. Enkidu, A
8. Odysseus, A-L-A
9. Arthur, L
Howard Heroes, from Most to Least Aggressive
I only included heroes with more than one story or a novel length treatment. I have not read Howard’s boxing stories at this point, nor most of his westerns, so the following list is incomplete.
*Indicates a compulsively violent monster.
1. Turlogh O’Brian [by far],* A-L
2. Dark Agnes,* L
3. Esau Cairn, L-A
4. Solomon Kane, L
5. Black Vulmea, A
6. Conn, B
7. Conan, L-A
8. Bran Mak Morn, A
9. Cormac MacArt, L
10. Xavier Gordon, L
11. The Sonora Kid, L
12. Kirby Buckner, A
Historic Heroes, from Most to Least Aggressive
*Indicates a compulsively violent monster.
1. Alexander,* A-L
2. Hannibal Barca,* A-L
3. Harald Hardrada,* A
4. Shaka Zulu,* L-A
5. Genghis Khan, L-A
6. Spartacus, A
7. Nathan Bedford Forest, L-A [Charged an infantry division by himself and threatened his commanders, calling them cowards often.]
8. Cortez, A
9. De Soto,* A
10. Pizarro, A
11. Leonidas, A
12. Horatio Nelson [what a nut—and a little twerp too], L-A [Insanely nsubordinate.]
13. Lewis Wetzel,* L+
14. Liver-Eating Johnson,* L
15. This #15 spot could be filled 1,000 times over by combat infantrymen of WWII from the various combatant nations. [Most all of these were taboo loners, men who acted as snipers, or man hunters and had difficulty with civilian life.] Fighter pilots fit this role as do executioners, who are taboo in all cultures. It should give Betas pause that those they look to for leadership tend to have more in common, psychologically, with those who reject Society than they do with those who accept Society.
Above, on the three lists, we only have one Beta male, and he is fictitious. Also note, that over the top as Howard's fiction was, that his heroes are less likely to be insane then were actual, historic heroes!
one of Aesop's many Fables came to mind:
The Dog and the Wolf
A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to meet a House-dog who was passing by. "Ah, Cousin," said the Dog.
"I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin
of you. Why do you not work steadily as I do, and get your food
regularly given to you?"
"I would have no objection," said the Wolf, "if I could only
get a place."
"I will easily arrange that for you," said the Dog; "come with
me to my master and you shall share my work."
So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town together. On
the way there the Wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of
the Dog's neck was very much worn away, so he asked him how that had come about.
"Oh, it is nothing," said the Dog. "That is only the place
where the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; it
chafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it."
"Is that all?" said the Wolf. "Then good-bye to you, Master
Dog."
Better starve free than be a fat slave.