“I had hated these ponies for the part they played in my father’s death but now I realized the notion was fanciful, that it was wrong to charge blame to these pretty beasts who knew neither good nor evil but only innocence. I say that of these ponies. I have known some horses and a good many more pigs who I believe harbored evil intent in their hearts. I will go further and say all cats are wicked, though often useful. Who has not seen Satan in their sly faces? Some preachers will say, well, that is superstitious “claptrap.” My answer is this: “Preacher, go to your Bible and read Luke 8: 26-33””
―Charles Portis, “True Grit”
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So, of course I did just that:
“26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, [a] which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
–Luke 8:26-33, Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV)
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Of course, what’s REALLY cool about this is that “Legion” is also the codename of the mutant son of Professor Charles Xavier (from The Uncanny X-Men) and Gabrielle Haller. Legion has a severe mental illness including a form of dissociative identity disorder. David’s psyche is splintered into multiple personalities, some evil, and each personality manifests different mutant abilities. So, cool.
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I first read True Grit ten years ago. It is on my re-read list this year. The voices of Mattie Ross and Marshal Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn are a stylistic joy, one that I should revisit more often. In case anyone is interested, I prefer the Coen brothers version of the film to the 1969 version with John Wayne and Kim Darby.
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