Vril: An Intriguing Source of Power

In Bulwer-Lytton’s The Coming Race, Vril is a powerful substance that is the foundation of the entire subterranean society. It is their source of electricity and magnetism, the cause of all changes in weather and is described as “the unity in natural energetic agencies” (chapter VII). The subterranean people can use what are called “Vril conductors” to control the bodies and minds of those around them, to control the natural world, and as a completely powerful weapon. This notion of an ever present substance or energy that can generate power, affect all living things and be used as a weapon is a common theme in many fantasy and science fiction tales: it reminds me of “the Force” in Star Wars, or the Ring in the Lord of the Rings. Obviously there is no equivalence to this source of power in real life, so why is it so prevalent in science fiction?

Vril in the novel is used as a weapon that is so powerful, the underground societies were forced to come to peaceful terms because of the complete destruction inevitable in the case of a Vril war. This sounds similar to nuclear weapons today, but Vril in the novel is also the source of all kinds of power in their life and therefore cannot be avoided. The ability of this species to have so much power without using it to start their own destruction is, in my opinion, one of the ways that Bulwer-Lytton makes them a “superior race” in the sense that human beings would not find a way to safely harness that kind of power.