DeConick A.D

81
SUPERPOWERS AND MONSTERS
Figure 3.2 Thoth (central figure) performing his duties before the enthroned Osiris during
the judgment of the deceased, from a version of the Book of the Dead displayed in the Museo
Egizio, Turin, Italy. Photo courtesy of April D. DeConick.
superman descended to earth to help humanity. In fact, the Hermetic
literature makes it clear that he was once human. So Hermes is also a superpower
of another type. He is a human who has been transformed into
an extraordinary being, a human become a god.
In the stories we weave, transformations into entities of amazing superhuman
strength and wisdom usually are not spontaneous; it typically
requires a mechanism of transfiguration that creates the new being. Our
stories tend to focus on special substances that the person ingests, absorbs,
or is exposed to. Also we like augmentation—when the person wields a
special physical object that amplifies and boosts agility, strength, and wisdom.
Education and training, especially in secret lore, is another popular
motif. This training often involves braving arduous journeys that develop
extraordinary skills along the way.
Consider Spiderman, the transformed Peter Parker. Peter’s body and
mind morph when he is bitten by a radioactive spider. He gains a sixth
sense, a spider sense that alerts him to danger, along with amazing agility,
balance, and speed. There is also Captain America, whose frail body
is transformed into a body of total perfection by vita-ray treatment and
Super-Soldier Serum. He is able to conquer Hitler’s monsters as well as