Elizabeth Reuter's Blog - Posts Tagged "alexander-the-great"
Hwarang
A South Korean co-worker introduced me to the Hwarang, an ancient, elite bodyguard troupe. Over a thousand years ago, boys of 14 to 19 from "good families" were selected to undergo the most rigorous training imaginable in all areas: physical, mental, spiritual.
Today, if you read reports from military lovers, you'll hear what mighty warriors the Hwarang were, how they pushed themselves to the limit. This is true.
However, nobody male who admires the Hwarang ever mentions that hwa means "flower" and rang means "boys", and the Hwarang got their name from being being the prettiest group of boys in Korea! They were, in fact, selected for their beauty first and foremost.
I don't see where the beauty aspect of the Hwarang detracts from their unmatched abilities as warriors, but apparently manly types do, because there's practically a desperation to avoid the topic. It's like bringing up Alexander the Great's love of men to teenage boys who admire him as a warrior--somehow, the first detracts from the second in their eyes, and denial and rage are the only ways to deal.
Too strange.
Today, if you read reports from military lovers, you'll hear what mighty warriors the Hwarang were, how they pushed themselves to the limit. This is true.
However, nobody male who admires the Hwarang ever mentions that hwa means "flower" and rang means "boys", and the Hwarang got their name from being being the prettiest group of boys in Korea! They were, in fact, selected for their beauty first and foremost.
I don't see where the beauty aspect of the Hwarang detracts from their unmatched abilities as warriors, but apparently manly types do, because there's practically a desperation to avoid the topic. It's like bringing up Alexander the Great's love of men to teenage boys who admire him as a warrior--somehow, the first detracts from the second in their eyes, and denial and rage are the only ways to deal.
Too strange.
Elizabeth Reuter's Blog
As a huge fan of dark fantasy, horror, and the like, that's most of what I'll write about here. Most horror/fantasy/sci-fi is badly made, and there's this silly idea that that means the genres themsel
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