The 2026 semester is coming to an end, and we're almost at the end of our magical journey through fairy tale archetypes. So far, we've met the tyrant, the advisor, and the beggar. There is only one more...the "Champion."
Champion: "one that does battle for another's rights or honor."
The champion is usually the hero of the story, or the protagonist. He or she is the one who must face the tyrant, who receives the gift of the advisor, and who encounters the beggar along the way. The champion must choose to set out on a journey, overcoming insurmountable odds to achieve victory.
Think of Achilles in The Iliad, who helped lead the Greeks to victory over the city of Troy. Or Aragorn from The Return of the King, the prophesied ruler chosen to defeat Mordor and restore the honor of men. What about Luke Skywalker, a farm boy from a desert planet destined to become the galaxy's greatest Jedi knight. They are great examples of "the chosen one" trope, the epic hero of mythology.
Of course, classic fairy tale heroes like Jack the Giant Killer and Little Red Riding Hood also count. So do characters from modern films and literature, like Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games or Peter Parker in the Spider-Man comics. A champion can be anybody, an ordinary man or a superhero.
We want to see what you see when you think of a champion. Do you see a noble warrior, riding into battle with a sword? A brooding anti-hero, who crosses moral boundaries for the greater good? Also, what are the stakes they must overcome? Do they want to prevent the annihilation of the world? Or are they trying to stop the big, bad wolf from blowing down houses?
Submissions close on April 10th.
Soli deo gloria!
Z Edmondson
Editor-in-chief