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Bronze Age Hellenism: Not Quite Pagan
I was planning on doing a follow-up to my last blog on Right Wing Neopaganism, this time on the Hellenic side of this seeming phenomenon. On second thought, there’s really not much to this beyond some online noise that may or may not matter much. In other words, I’m going to keep this short.
What has happened is that a few right-wing internet personalities have taken to calling what they do “Hellenism.” Now, what is it that they do exactly? I can say one thing – it’s not anything that really has much to do with pagan religion in any practical sense. Rather it’s just an aesthetic that employs some degree of Ancient Greek branding. In this case, it’s a mix of “gym bro” culture, some "Manosphere" (i.e. anywhere on the internet men gather to talk about men's issues without the presence of female nagging) themes, the usual assortment of objections and counterarguments to leftism and feminism, and a pseudo-Nietzschean philosophical orientation.
There is one particular internet personality I have in mind – the pseudonymous Bronze Age Pervert (BAP). He is an author and internet provocateur best known for his book, Bronze Age Mindset. I haven’t actually read it myself, but I have seen enough quoted excerpts from it to get the general idea of what it’s all about. In essence, it’s a Nietzsche-flavored attempt at formulating an alternative morality for men who have rejected progressivism and the constellation of institutional and establishmentarian organizations and causes which now mindlessly parrot the woke progressivist party line. Since his book became a big hit back around 2017-2018, BAP has gathered a fair number of followers on Twitter and other social medias. Like any band of good little sycophants, many of these followers attempt to ape his general demeanor and aesthetic. In addition to that, there is no shortage of copycat social media profiles with names like “Stone Age Herbalist” and “Raw Egg Nationalist,” to name a couple of examples.
Anyway, what’s this “new” morality all about? Well, I think the Nietzschean part gives it away. Or should I say, a shallow interpretation of Nietzsche. In other words, nothing new under the sun. We’ve already seen the likes of Aleister Crowley, Gerald Gardner, Ayn Rand, Anton LaVey, and other edgy pop culture personages attempt to make contrarian cultural waves during each of their respective times. BAP takes a similar approach and glorifies the the “overman” concept, plus engaging in a not-so-subtle inversion of Christian morality and the general Piscean religious paradigm that has been the default thinking of Western culture for the past 1000+ years. What this means in practical terms is the promotion of a martial and vitalist ethos and a rejection of values like compassion, self-sacrifice for some cause other than self-glorification, and really anything containing a hint of feminine or communal sentimentalism. BAP (ironically, it seems) praises the unsung heroes of history like brigands, pirates, kings with massive harems, conquistadors, the Sea Peoples, shameless tyrants who ruled their city states with an iron fist, and “Trad Olympic” athletes, just to name a few.
Yes, so Greek.
So the obvious question arises: what has any of this to do with Hellenism in the religious sense? I would say, not a whole lot, beyond a smattering of superficial elements. It seems like BAP’s “Hellenism” is yet another postmodernistic collage. There’s quite a lot of homoeroticism (ironic or not) strewn about BAP’s works and internet sh*tpostings, which plays on established stereotypes we have today about the sexual proclivities of Ancient Greek men. Then there’s his literal readings of Homeric literature. Again, this is probably more irony than anything serious. I would have to say that for me the most audacious thing BAP does is praise the reckless and hubristic Athenian politician Alcibiades as the “real hero” in the Socratic dialogue that goes by his name. This should maybe clue any serious spiritual seeker to the fact that BAP is all fun and games and not anything approaching a serious commentator on spiritual or philosophical matters. Rather, we could say that his shtick is a way the original spirit of “punk rock” might manifest in the current year. On a more positive note, it seems like we might have the stirrings of a (rather weird) resurgence of classicism, i.e. a take on what exactly it means to be "Western" sans the usual Judeo-Christian baggage.
Since I don’t want this blog turning into an exhaustive exposition on BAPism, I will conclude here with my general observation that for the most part it seems that Neopagan Hellenism conforms to the same left-leaning, progressivist cultural motif that defines most of the other Neopaganisms. Yes, I have encountered a stray person or group here and there asserting an explicitly anti-progressivist Hellenic practice, but for the most part, the former pattern tends to hold true.
Addendum: for anyone who is interested in reading a full-on critique of BAP and his ideas from the perspective of an established spiritual system, here is a very good (IMHO) essay by a Buddhist ex-monk:
https://politicallyincorrectdharma.blogspot.com/2021/06/bronze-age-mindset-more-or-less.html
What has happened is that a few right-wing internet personalities have taken to calling what they do “Hellenism.” Now, what is it that they do exactly? I can say one thing – it’s not anything that really has much to do with pagan religion in any practical sense. Rather it’s just an aesthetic that employs some degree of Ancient Greek branding. In this case, it’s a mix of “gym bro” culture, some "Manosphere" (i.e. anywhere on the internet men gather to talk about men's issues without the presence of female nagging) themes, the usual assortment of objections and counterarguments to leftism and feminism, and a pseudo-Nietzschean philosophical orientation.
There is one particular internet personality I have in mind – the pseudonymous Bronze Age Pervert (BAP). He is an author and internet provocateur best known for his book, Bronze Age Mindset. I haven’t actually read it myself, but I have seen enough quoted excerpts from it to get the general idea of what it’s all about. In essence, it’s a Nietzsche-flavored attempt at formulating an alternative morality for men who have rejected progressivism and the constellation of institutional and establishmentarian organizations and causes which now mindlessly parrot the woke progressivist party line. Since his book became a big hit back around 2017-2018, BAP has gathered a fair number of followers on Twitter and other social medias. Like any band of good little sycophants, many of these followers attempt to ape his general demeanor and aesthetic. In addition to that, there is no shortage of copycat social media profiles with names like “Stone Age Herbalist” and “Raw Egg Nationalist,” to name a couple of examples.
Anyway, what’s this “new” morality all about? Well, I think the Nietzschean part gives it away. Or should I say, a shallow interpretation of Nietzsche. In other words, nothing new under the sun. We’ve already seen the likes of Aleister Crowley, Gerald Gardner, Ayn Rand, Anton LaVey, and other edgy pop culture personages attempt to make contrarian cultural waves during each of their respective times. BAP takes a similar approach and glorifies the the “overman” concept, plus engaging in a not-so-subtle inversion of Christian morality and the general Piscean religious paradigm that has been the default thinking of Western culture for the past 1000+ years. What this means in practical terms is the promotion of a martial and vitalist ethos and a rejection of values like compassion, self-sacrifice for some cause other than self-glorification, and really anything containing a hint of feminine or communal sentimentalism. BAP (ironically, it seems) praises the unsung heroes of history like brigands, pirates, kings with massive harems, conquistadors, the Sea Peoples, shameless tyrants who ruled their city states with an iron fist, and “Trad Olympic” athletes, just to name a few.
Yes, so Greek.
So the obvious question arises: what has any of this to do with Hellenism in the religious sense? I would say, not a whole lot, beyond a smattering of superficial elements. It seems like BAP’s “Hellenism” is yet another postmodernistic collage. There’s quite a lot of homoeroticism (ironic or not) strewn about BAP’s works and internet sh*tpostings, which plays on established stereotypes we have today about the sexual proclivities of Ancient Greek men. Then there’s his literal readings of Homeric literature. Again, this is probably more irony than anything serious. I would have to say that for me the most audacious thing BAP does is praise the reckless and hubristic Athenian politician Alcibiades as the “real hero” in the Socratic dialogue that goes by his name. This should maybe clue any serious spiritual seeker to the fact that BAP is all fun and games and not anything approaching a serious commentator on spiritual or philosophical matters. Rather, we could say that his shtick is a way the original spirit of “punk rock” might manifest in the current year. On a more positive note, it seems like we might have the stirrings of a (rather weird) resurgence of classicism, i.e. a take on what exactly it means to be "Western" sans the usual Judeo-Christian baggage.
Since I don’t want this blog turning into an exhaustive exposition on BAPism, I will conclude here with my general observation that for the most part it seems that Neopagan Hellenism conforms to the same left-leaning, progressivist cultural motif that defines most of the other Neopaganisms. Yes, I have encountered a stray person or group here and there asserting an explicitly anti-progressivist Hellenic practice, but for the most part, the former pattern tends to hold true.
Addendum: for anyone who is interested in reading a full-on critique of BAP and his ideas from the perspective of an established spiritual system, here is a very good (IMHO) essay by a Buddhist ex-monk:
https://politicallyincorrectdharma.blogspot.com/2021/06/bronze-age-mindset-more-or-less.html
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In the spirit of trying to find something of value there, to give the Devil his due, as Peterson would say, I'd say that the kind of stuff BAP and his ilk are picking up on in Greek culture is not wholly fabricated, but also kind of missing the point. I think maybe one of the crucial contributions the Greeks made to at least Western culture, if not even more broadly than that, was precisely highlighting the conflict between a pursuit of Arete through hard-nosed, glory-seeking striving with the cultivation of reason and wisdom. The Alcibiades dialogue is great exactly because Alcibiades makes what seem like pretty compelling points unless you've got Socrates on hand to dig a little deeper. Even the Iliad, which was literally performed for warlords to glorify their prowess in war, is chock full of references to how someone's kid is never coming home, how that guy with a spear through his lung used to like to sit and watch the sun come up over the sheepfold. The Greeks may have loved striving for worldly glory as much as any other great culture, but they also examined it rather carefully.
One last small thing: I listened to an interview with Stone Age Herbalist on Survive the Jive, and he seemed like a reasonable fellow: he's a professional archaeologist who sees his field as caught in the grip of wokeness, but seems to have an actually nuanced view on how to do things better. I haven't looked into him anymore because of my afore-mentioned allergy to Twitter.
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1. BAPs social media "scene" very much reminds me of a high school cafeteria lunch table, impenetrable inside humor and all. They think they're the cool kids table but all of the other tables see them as the weird kid's table. Anyone not hip too all the cryptic lingo has absolutely no idea what BAP's twitter bubble is actually on about much of the time.
2. You are right about Stone Age Herbalist. He puts out quality contest and seems quite smart. Not much BAPist about him besides his internet nickname. That StJ interview you mention is on my to-listen list.
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BAP is such a baffling phenomenon - he refers to himself as primarily a "humourist", and I think this is the only way I can really relate to his output. His aphorisms and anecdotes can be hilarious, but I've never bothered to read BAM, and I tend to treat his corner of the internet with some caution. His homoeroticism is often passed off as an ironic joke by his followers; he flips from using anti-gay slurs one minute to admitting to homosexual and even pederastic inclinations the next, all the while maintaining a weird, detached, 4chan sense of humour.
Something tells me he's probably quite a troubled man in real life.
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Yeah, I also find some of aphorisms and anecdotes to be quite hilarious. And overall I find the way he trolls and unsettles "normies" to be quite entertaining.
My best guess as to who he really is, is a maybe gay man who has spent a lot of time in American Academia (likely has a PhD by now), has genuine disdain for the liberal establishment, and thus devotes his moonlight hours to trolling them. Oh and he probably likes to hit the gym a lot too. He also may be of a foreign background (perhaps somewhere from Eastern Europe), but grew up in the US.
One useful thing I think he's done is present a stark, realistic look at the social reality of antiquity; as opposed to the highly-romanticized or wokewashed version we get via the pop-culture and academic lamestream today.
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