Cultural References
In fiction, due to the influence of Merlin, a wise old man is often presented in the form of a wizard or other magician in medieval chivalric romance and modern fantasy literature and films; notable examples include Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars, Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, and Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter. See List of magicians in fantasy for more examples.
"Senex" is a name of a wise old character in the novel A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle.
The Seventh Doctor in the long-running British Science-Fiction series Doctor Who acted as a Wise Old Man, acting as a mentor to his companion Ace (Doctor Who). An unused story would have explored his plans for her further.
Dr. King Schultz in the film Django Unchained, played by Christoph Waltz, could be described as fitting the literary stock character of the Wise Old Man.
Sir Alan Lascelles used the pen-name "Senex" when writing to The Times in 1950 setting out the so-called Lascelles Principles concerning the monarch's right to refuse a prime minister's request for a general election.
Read more about this topic: Sagacious
Famous quotes containing the word cultural:
“The primary function of myth is to validate an existing social order. Myth enshrines conservative social values, raising tradition on a pedestal. It expresses and confirms, rather than explains or questions, the sources of cultural attitudes and values.... Because myth anchors the present in the past it is a sociological charter for a future society which is an exact replica of the present one.”
—Ann Oakley (b. 1944)