The Three Faces of Adam

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    A male counterpart to The Hecate Sisters with influence from The Three Faces of Eve. Basically, a Power Trio for the phases of man's life and the things that drive that man boiled down to their simplest parts, and represented by three often closely related characters.

    The three faces are:

    • The Hunter: The man who thirsts to find himself by striking out into the world; is usually the youngest of the three. May be afraid of what the future has in store for him and be Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life. Or, he might be ambitious with dreams that he lacks the skills and resources to fulfill. Because he has so few things he values, he will tend to take risks to get what he wants.
    • The Lord: The man who struggles to maintain stability against the ebb and flow of the world. In the place of naivete there is now knowledge of the world, both of its dangers and of its wonders. He has an established place in the world and a reputation to maintain, and possesses the skills and resources to keep them. He must strive to achieve a balance between fulfilling further goals without risking his losing what he already has or becoming too obsessed with what he possesses to progress forward.
    • The Prophet: The man who looks back on his life; usually the oldest of the three. His knowledge and experience has grown into wisdom and he seeks to impress that wisdom on younger generations. Has either fulfilled or given up on his aspirations; if he does have any goals, they will either be fulfilled through a proxy or be a gift to the younger generation. His fears center on what will happen after he is gone, both to his legacy and to the world itself.

    In the terms of a Freudian Trio, The Hunter is the Id, The Prophet is the Superego, and The Lord is the ego. Usually, The Hunter is The Hero with The Prophet as his Mentor, while The Lord is the Big Bad, although there are variations.

    Examples of The Three Faces of Adam include:

    Anime & Manga

    • Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann plays with this. Simon and Kamina start out as The Hunter, while Lord Genome is (obviously) The Lord. Simon at the end of the series has elements of The Prophet.
    • It could also be said that Naruto's growth is this trope as the seasons pass.
    • Axis Powers Hetalia: There are several possible combinations, and some of the most popular ones are:
      • The Asians: South Korea (young, excitable, child-like Hunter), Japan (skilled fighter, mysterious Lord... with possible touches of Prophet in more mordern times), and China (Prophet - he's the eldest of the group, tries to "mother/"father" the group but fails). Thailand, Hong Kong and Macau's roles are undefined due to their personailities somewhat don't match, though Hong Kong can be seen as a Hunter and Macau as a mix of Lord and Prophet.
      • The Axis: Italy (clumsy and Keetish Hunter), Germany (Perpetual Frowner Lord), and Japan ("Yamato Nadeshiko" Lord/Prophet)
      • The Germanics: Prussia (Blood Knight Hunter), Germany (again, Perpetual Frowner Lord), and Austria (Team Dad Prophet).
      • The Allies: America (energetic Hunter), England (grumpy Lord who in the end is Not So Above It All), France (Lovable Sex Maniac Prophet with possible Hidden Depths). Or alternatively: America (still energetic Hunter), France (lecherous but not fully shallow Lord who's go after Anything That Moves), England (still grumpy Prophet)
      • The Mediterranean countries: Greece (sleepy and philosophical Hunter), Turkey (masked and Hot-Blooded Lord), Egypt (serious, quiet Prophet)
      • The Spanish Empire: South Italy (Tsundere Hunter as both Chibimano and Romano), Netherlands (Hunter -> Lord who was already seeking independence by the "Boss Spain" days), Spain (Lord -> Prophet as "Boss Spain").
      • The Nordics: Iceland (Deadpan Snarker Hunter), Denmark (Boisterous Bruiser Lord), and Norway (Tsundere Prophet who keeps Denmark in line). Sweden and Finland have traits of the three and thus aren't as easy to "box".
    • Rurouni Kenshin also has several of these trios:
      • Yahiko and Sanosuke (Hunters), Kenshin and/or Aoshi (Lord), Hiko and Okina (Prophet)
      • Sanosuke (Hunter: young, Hot-Blooded, Boisterous Bruiser), Kenshin and Saitou (Lords who have Seen It All and try to deal), Shishio (Prophet, via being a Badass Big Bad who seeks to make Japan a Warrior Heaven)
      • Juppongatana version: Cho, Kamatari and Usui (Hunters), Soujiro and Anji (Lord), Shishio ("Prophet")
    • The Prince of Tennis: Each team is a mix and match of the three archetypes. Captains and subcaptains tend to be Prophets, the youngest members (first and second years) are Hunters, and the other second-years and third years are Lords.
      • As an example, we have the Rikkaidai team. The three "Three Demons" (captain Yukimura, subcaptain Sanada and data specialist Yanagi) are all Prophets in their own ways, guiding and ruling their teammates and Nakama with iron fists (in silk/velvet glove, in Yukimura's case). Kirihara is definitely a Hunter, as the youngest and more child-like of the regulars, and openly seeking to prove his worth via defeating the "three demons". The others (Marui, Jackal, Niou and Yagyuu) are all Lords, with Niou also having strong Hunter traits (specially when he Sanada orders him to take his Power Limiter armbands and he actually refuses). The only first year, Urayama, is a wide-eyed and pint-sized Hunter.
    • This particular trope is played with in Neon Genesis Evangelion with Shinji (Hunter), Gendo (Lord) and Fuyutsuki (Prophet).
    • Mawaru Penguindrum: Shouma Takakura (Hunter), Kanba Takakura and Keiju Tabuki (Lord), Sanetoshi Watase and maybe Kenzan Takakura (Prophet)
    • Fate/Zero: Kotomine Kirei (Hunter), Tohsaka Tokiomi (Lord), and Kotomine Risei (Prophet)
      • Other Masters - Waver Velvet, Uryu Ryuunosuke, Matou Kariya (Hunter); Kayneth Archibald (Lord); Emiya Kiritsugu (Prophet)
      • Other Servants - Saber, Lancer, Berserker (Hunter); Rider (Lord); Archer, Caster (Prophet)
    • From Fullmetal Alchemist: Ed is the Hunter, Mustang is the Lord, and Hohenheim is the Prophet.


    Card Games

    • In The Tarot Chariot corresponds to Hunter, Justice corresponds to Lord, and Hermit corresponds to Prophet. It even still fits when you interpret the Major Arcana as a version of Hero's Journey: Chariot, Justice, and Hermit are the three final cards of the masculine half of the Journey.


    Comic Books


    Film

    • Star Wars has The Hunter, The Lord, and The Prophet of the force being Luke, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan.
      • The prequel trilogy has Anakin as the hunter, Obi-Wan as the lord and Qui-Gon as the prophet.
    • In Star Trek, Kirk is the Hunter, determined to prove himself. Spock's the Lord, being buffet between his human and Vulcan nature. And McCoy is the Prophet, as the oldest of the three.
    • Toy Story 2: Buzz or tomboy Jessie is the Hunter (Buzz is a confused hunter who doesn't think he needs to prove anything; Jessie's self-worth was pretty much shattered by being abandoned; ironically she's a Friend to All Living Things), Woody is the Lord (in all three films he's worried about his status as Andy's favorite and leader of Andy's toys), and Stinky Pete is the Prophet (physically the oldest and very, very concerned about his legacy, or lack thereof, which gave him value).
      • Toy Story 3: Ken is the Hunter (constantly needing to prove himself in spite of his lot in life as a male toy designed for girls), and Lotso is The Lord/Prophet (eldest toy in the place, maintains stability through fear and intimidation of newer toys).
    • Tron: Legacy: Sam (Hunter), Clu (Lord), Flynn (Prophet). It's a bit tricky since Clu is Flynn, frozen in time when he was still full of himself and obsessed with perfection.
      • In the original, Flynn (Hunter), Dillinger (Lord), and Walter (Prophet).


    Literature

    • The Dresden Files: Thomas (Hunter), Harry (Lord), Ebenezar (Prophet).
    • Paul Atreides of Dune goes through all three phases as his character develops throughout the series.
      • Apparently he goes at the rate of at least one face per novel, in terms of books 1-3, of course.
    • The Faith of the Seven in A Song of Ice and Fire has both The Three Faces of Adam and The Hecate Sisters along with the The Stranger as the seven faces of God. Specifically The Warrior is the Hunter, the Father is The Lord, and the Smith is the Prophet.
      • Additionally, the series initially gives us Jon Snow as the Hunter, Eddard Stark as the Lord and Jeor Mormont as the Prophet. However, by the end of Book III, Eddard and Mormont are dead, and Jon has graduated to The Lord. It remains to be seen whether anyone will take the others' places.
    • In Harry Potter, Harry is the Hunter, Dumbledore is the Prophet, and Snape is the Lord. The Ministers of Magic seen in the series are Hunter Fudge, Lord Scrimgour and Prophet Thicknesse.
    • In The Lord of the Rings, Boromir is The Hunter, Aragorn is The Lord and Gandalf is The Prophet.
      • Among the hobbits, Merry and Pippin are both hunters, with a love for adventure, being knights of Rohan and Gondor and taking major part in the battles and always too adventurous for hobbits. Sam is the lord, fighting when the battles come but in the end going back to his family and his garden. Frodo is the prophet, a noncombatant, thinking deeply about things, not wanting to kill his enemies when at all possible, and eventually sailing over the sea with the elves.
      • Additionally, among the secondary characters Glornfindel and Elrond are described in these terms with Gandalf in the house of Elrond: Glornfindel the Prince on errantry, Elrond as the Lord N and Gandalf as the prophet. (Though ironically, Glorfindel is older than Elrond: he saved Elrond's father Earendil in the sack of Gondolin when Earendil was still a child.)
    • In The Iliad and The Odyssey there are three sets: Achilles (Hunter), Agamemnon (Lord), and Nestor (Prophet) for the Greeks; Paris (Hunter), Hector (Lord), and Priam (Prophet) for the Trojans; Telemachos (Hunter), Odysseus (Lord), and Laertes (Prophet) in Ithaca.
    • Prydain Chronicles: Among those who live at Caer Dallben, there is Taran (Hunter), Coll (Lord), Dallben (Prophet). There are doubtless other examples throughout the series.
    • The Doctor Who Eighth Doctor Adventures novels somehow manage to rack up three versions of Fitz. One seems to be about 18, and... well, his defining character trait is basically being confused and in a sulk all the time. Sure sounds like a typical teenager to me. The normal version of Fitz, who the other versions are copies of, is 27 when he's first introduced, and about 34 by the end of the novels, but never does seem to actually mature and settle down to the point he's actually like the Lord archetype. Kind of hard to get established in the world living in the TARDIS. He does become noticeably more mature as the series progresses, though, to the point he functions as a bit of a Team Mom. And then there's a version of him which is very old and bitter and sad and a villain by way of Love Makes You Evil—Fitz cares about the Doctor an awful lot, the Doctor ditches him someplace, and this version of him couldn't find the Doctor for over a thousand years... so they don't fit the archetypes very well, but they're a teenage, thirtyish, and extremely old version of the same guy, all existing independently.
    • The Brotherhood of the King in Chronicles of Magravandias: the warrior (hunter), the magus (lord), and the bard (prophet).


    Live-Action TV

    • Heroes: Petraer (The Hunter), Nathan (The Lord) and Daniel Linderman (The Prophet).
    • Supernatural: Sam (The Hunter), Dean (The Lord), Bobby (the Prophet)
    • One could argue that in Glee this shows up with Puck (The Hunter), Finn (The Lord), and Will (The Prophet).
    • Seinfeld: Kramer is the Hunter, Jerry is the Lord, George is the Prophet.
    • Firefly: Jayne is the Hunter, Mal is the Lord, Book is the Prophet. Wash and Simon are somewhat muddier, with Simon switching between Hunter and Lord and Wash switching between Lord and Prophet, depending on the situation.


    Music

    • "We Will Rock You" by Queen.

    Buddy you're a boy, make a big noise
    Playin' in the street, gonna be a big man some day
    You got mud on your face, you big disgrace
    Kickin' your can all over the place

    Buddy you're a young man, hard man
    Shoutin' in the street, gonna take on the world some day
    You got blood on your face, you big disgrace
    Wavin' your banner all over the place

    Buddy you're an old man, poor man
    Pleadin' with your eyes, gonna make you some peace some day
    You got mud on your face, you big disgrace
    Somebody better put you back in your place


    Mythology & Religion

    • Greek Pantheon: Poseidon (The Hunter), Zeus (The Lord), and Hades (The Prophet).
    • The Bible:
      • 1 Samuel: David (Hunter), Saul (Lord), and Samuel (Prophet)
      • 2 Samuel: Absolom (Hunter), David (Lord), Ahithophel (Prophet)
      • The Gospels: the Apostles, especially Peter (Hunter), Jesus (Lord), John the Baptist (Prophet); actually, Jesus has shades of all three.
      • Revelation: Satan (Hunter), Archangel Michael / Jesus (Lord), God (Prophet)


    Tabletop Games

    • Vampire: The Requiem has the Circle of the Crone, a covenant of pagan vampires who believe that the Kindred stem from a mother figure who has reflections in all mythologies. As a result, the Covenant has certain "roles", broken down by gender boundaries. Men have the Hero (Hunter), who quests to further the goals of the Circle, the Father (Lord), who passes judgment and sets laws, and the Hermit (Prophet), who bestows knowledge on those willing to pay the price. In addition, there's the Fool, who is given permission to sow chaos when the Circle cannot act directly.


    Video Games

    • Tales of Vesperia: Karol (Hunter), Yuri (Lord), and Raven (Prophet).
    • Eternal Sonata: Allegretto (Hunter), Jazz (Lord), and Frederick Chopin (Prophet).
    • Fate/stay night shows the progression of protagonist Emiya Shirou through each of these roles over the course of its three routes.
      • Fate route: Hunter
      • Unlimited Blade Works route: Lord
      • Heaven's Feel route: Prophet
        • Also, Archer also represents Shirou who followed the Fate route (or something very close to it) until he reached the face of Prophet. He's... Somewhat bitter about it.
    • Final Fantasy IV: Cecil and Pallom (Lord), Kain and Edge (Hunter), Yang and Tellah (Prophet)
    • Dragon Age II: Carver (Hunter), Varric (Lord), and Anders (Prophet)
    • Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword: Hector is the Hunter, Eliwood is the Lord (literally), and both Athos and Lord Uther are the Prophets.
    • FE: Genealogy of the Holy War, both generations:
      • Hunters: Lex, Azel, Holyn, Beowulf, Midayle, Levin, Fin (first generation); Celice, Leaf, Aless, Corple/Sharlow, Lester/Dimna, Skasaha/Roddlevan, Delmud/Tristan, Faval/Asaello, Arthur/Amid, Johan, Johalva (second generation).
      • Lords: Sigurd, Jamuka, Alvis, Andorey, Shagall, Cuan, Trabant (first generation); Shanan, Yurius, Burian, Fin, Scorpio, Sety/Hawk, Areone (second generation).
      • Prophets: Vylon, Manfroy, Reptor, Ring, Langobalt (first generation); Emperor Alvis, Danan, Levin, Hannibal, Trabant (second generation).
    • Ezio Auditore takes on a different one of these with of his games. Assassin's Creed II has him as the Hunter (racing across Italy for revenge), Assassin's Creed Brotherhood has him as the Lord (raising a group of Assassins and bringing the Renaissance to Rome) and Assassin's Creed: Revelations definitely has him showing heavy shades of the Prophet (embarking on a spiritual pilgrimage to Masyaf).


    Webcomics


    Western Animation

    • Avatar: The Last Airbender: Zuko (Hunter), Ozai (Lord) and Iroh (Prophet).
      • Alternatively, there is Ozai (Hunter), Zuko (Lord), and Iroh (Prophet) especially after Zuko leaves his father and joins the Gaang.
    • In Gargoyles There's Brooklyn (hunter) Goliath (Lord) and Hudson (Prophet)


    Real Life

    • The Chicago Bulls: Dennis Rodman (the Hunter, ironic as he was the elder of the three), Scottie Pippen (The Lord) and Michael Jordan (The Prophet).
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