RSUSPN-02-Winks-Myth-of-RV

Aug 28, 2026

Walter Wink examines how societies of domination rely on the Myth of Redemptive Violence, the recurring belief that violence saves and war brings peace. He argues that violence operates like a religion, demanding total obedience and offering no learning for either victims or perpetrators. Using cartoon patterns and the Babylonian Enuma Elish as a comparative foundation, Wink shows how creation through violence becomes a cultural template, contrasting this with Genesis’ different account of origins and the later emergence of violence as a moral problem.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Myth of Redemptive Violence

Violence as Religion

Mythic Cartoon Structure

The Babylonian Creation Story (Enuma Elish)

Marduk and Tiamat

Creation Through Violence

Contrast with Genesis 1 and Later Violence

THE MYTH OF REDEMPTIVE VIOLENCE BY WALTER WINK The story that the rulers of domination societies told each other and their subordinates is what we today might call the Myth of Redemptive Violence. It enshrines the belief that violence saves, that war brings peace, that might makes right. It is one of the oldest continuously repeated stories in the world. Here Walter Wink describes just how pervasive this myth still is in the mores of Western culture. The belief that violence ”saves” is so successful because it doesn’t seem to be mythic in the least. Violence simply appears to be the nature of things. It’s what works. It seems inevitable, the last and, often, the first resort in conflicts. If a god is what you turn to when all else fails, violence certainly functions as a god. What people overlook, then, is the religious character of violence. It demands from its devotees an absolute obedienceunto-death. This Myth of Redemptive Violence is the real myth of the modern world. It, and not Judaism or Christianity or Islam, is the dominant religion in our society today. When my children were small, we let them log an unconscionable amount of television, and I became fascinated with the mythic structure of cartoons. This was in the 1960s, when the ”death of God” theologians were being feted on talk shows, and secular humanity’s tolerance for religious myth and mystery were touted as having been exhausted. I began to examine the structure of cartoons, and found the same pattern repeated endlessly: an indestructible hero is doggedly opposed to an irreformable and equally indestructible villain. Nothing can kill the hero, though for the first three quarters of the comic strip or TV show he (rarely she) suffers grievously and appears hopelessly doomed, until miraculously, the hero breaks free, vanquishes the villain, and restores order until the next episode. Nothing finally destroys the villain or prevents his or her reappearance, whether the villain is soundly trounced, jailed, drowned, or shot into outer space. Thankfully, not all children’s programmes feature explicit violence. But the vast majority perpetuate the mythic pattern of redemptive violence in all its brutality. Few cartoons have run longer or been more influential than Popeye and Bluto. In atypical segment, Bluto abducts a screaming and kicking Olive Oyl, Popeye’s girlfriend. When Popeye attempts to rescue her, the massive Bluto beats his diminutive opponent to a pulp, while Olive Oyl helplessly wrings her hands. At the last moment, as our hero oozes to the floor, and Bluto is trying, in effect, to rape Olive Oyl, a can of spinach pops from Popeye’s pocket and spills into his mouth. Transformed by this gracious infusion of power, he easily demolishes the villain and rescues his beloved. The format never varies. Neither party ever gains any insight or learns from these encounters. They never sit down and discuss their differences. Repeated defeats do not teach Bluto to honour Olive Oyl’s humanity, and repeated pummellings do not teach Popeye to swallow his spinach before the fight. Something about this mythic structure rang familiar. Suddenly I remembered: this cartoon pattern mirrored one of the oldest continually enacted myths in the world, the Babylonian creation story (the Enuma Elish) from around 1250 BCE. The tale bears repeating, because it holds the clue to the appeal of that ancient myth in our modern media. Frolicking Gods In the beginning, according to the Babylonian myth, Apsu, the father god, and Tiamat, the mother god, give birth to the gods. But the frolicking of the younger gods makes so much noise that the elder gods resolve to kill them so they can sleep. The younger gods uncover the plot before the elder gods put it into action, and kill Apsu. His wife Tiamat, the Dragon of Chaos, pledges revenge. Terrified by Tiamat, the rebel gods turn for salvation to their youngest member, Marduk. He negotiates a steep price: if he succeeds, he must b

FAQs

What is the Myth of Redemptive Violence according to Walter Wink?

It is the belief that violence saves, war brings peace, and might makes right—an old story that remains pervasive in Western cultural habits.

Why does Wink say violence functions like a religion?

He argues that violence appears natural and effective, yet it demands absolute obedience and offers devotees a form of religious commitment rather than genuine understanding.

How does Wink connect cartoons to the Babylonian Enuma Elish?

He identifies a repeated narrative structure in cartoons—indestructible hero versus irreformable villain—then links that pattern to the longstanding creation myth where order arises from violent disorder.

Aug 28, 2026

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