Ancient Greek Heroes : The Evolution Of Heros

“Mythos”- a Greek word meaning “tale” and the origin of the word mythology; according to the dictionary mythology means, a traditional story aiming to explain the meaning of things concerning deities and demigods.

“ A huge boar was ravaging cattle on mount Erymanthus, and again Hercules was required to capture it alive. This pised him no problem… he chased the boar… until it collapsed… and then bound the beast in chains.” ( Creighton 99) He got a lot of experience from this labour because he had to chase down this wild boar, and then chain it up. So if any tragedies like this occur in the city, he would be able to take care of it. “ The third labour imposed on Hercules was the capture of a deer with golden antlers… Eurystheus wanted him to bring the animal back alive, Hercules brought it down by shooting an arrow neatly through the forelegs.” ( Creighton 98) To hit a shot like that, there is lots of experience necessary, so even before the 12 labours, Hercules had these amazing skills of running, shooting, hunting and so on. The best hero, most also have the most experience and skills, that is why Hercules is the greatest hero. Without these skills, and without this type of experience, you are not fit to be called the best hero. Hercules is the only one with these skills and experience, that is why is the best

Hero, the word strikes a universal chord making us think of exceptional and spectacular stories or deeds that far surpass any common feat. To the Greeks and many other cultures, the birth of these heroes is important. The birth of a hero sets them, apart often even before birth, from common mortals in Greek mythology. Birth is the first of many major events in our lives, our entrance into the world (Leeming). For heroes, that entrance must be as special as their lives will prove to be. A mundane birth is simply not an option for a hero, whether by the machinations of the gods or prophecies from an oracle, even the events surrounding their conception must be spectacular. From Perseus and Danaë to Theseus and Aethra, the myths

Hercules is not the hero that greek mythology glorifies him to be. His ruthless acts to “purify” himself from killing his family, are nothing but him following commands of robbery, whether it be of a life or possession. He is less of a hero and more of a modern day hired ‘hitman’. Hercules agreed to completing the twelve tedious labours, however bad they might be. If he was ordered to steal something, he would. If he was told to kill something, he would do it. His actions are more alike the ones of an assassin or hitman rather than a selfless hero.

American Heroes were inspired by Greek Tragic Heroes, yet both are very different from each other, but American Heroes have very similar traits to those who are Contemporary Heroes.  An American Hero is a person who seeks justice and always defeats the enemy which results in all people having the justice they deserve.  American Heroes also tends to protect all and has the tendency to fall in love with the “ damsel in distress”.  This type of hero goes about his daily life, just like anyone else would, until it is time to fight, and at that time, their “supernatural” powers shine through in their fighting techniques.  On the other side, all Tragic Heroes possess a flaw that will change their life from a life of happiness to a life of pain and despair.   Ordinarily, Contemporary Heroes have nearly the same traits as American Heroes.  Contemporary Heroes save and protect many individuals from violence and harm and lives a normal life until they have to face another obstacle.  Both American and Contemporary Heroes are able to celebrate their victories, while Tragic Heroes can not do so because they are not victorious.

In the United States alone, 92% of the children (ages 10 - 17) say that their heroes include their parents. As well as 73% saying that their heroes include professional athletes, and 72% saying that their heroes include teachers. (National) What are some of the traits that might be influencing this generation to look up to a certain sect of people? Power, intelligence, drive, empathy, all of the above? What does it mean to be a hero in today's society, and would the ancient Greek heroes Hercules, Theseus, and Perseus still be considered heroes to modern day societal rules. Theseus and Perseus would still be considered heroes in modern day society. However, Hercules has bad qualities that overrule the ones that might be considered heroic.

Heroes in classical mythology are often compared with gods and are seen to be more akin to gods than mortal men. They are famously known for the quests or the deeds carried out by them. These quests usually do not take place near where they originate from. They need to travel long distances and usually transgress geographical, cosmological and physical boundaries. During these quests, they come across and have to interact with a range of divine and supernatural creatures, objects, and people. In doing so, they can be seen helping keep the society more ordered and civilized. Due to their deeds they too like gods have their own cults and/or are worshipped. Many of the heroes also gain apotheosis (immorality). Heroes can have divine parentage which classifies them as hemitheoi (half gods/ demi-gods). All these qualities of heroes truly makes them more akin to gods than mortal men.

Who was given gifts by gods and goddesses? Who was almost killed by his grandfather? Whose father was the biggest man on campus? Well, that was Perseus, son of Zeus, and killer of Medusa. Perseus was a descendant of Zeus and Danae, Acrisius, his grandfather did not like him, so he sent him and his mother away in a chest in the ocean. Perseus should be in the Greek Hero Hall of Fame, for multiple different reasons. When considering why he should be in the Greek Hero Hall of Fame, Perseus must be important because if he wasn’t why would there be so many books and movies, all about him. For example, Percy Jackson book series and movies, and The Clash of the Titans. Perseus is a Greek hero because he was born of a royal birth, had extreme feats, and died a usual death.

Hercules and Craig Dodson both display the heroic quality of bravery. For Hercules, this can be seen when it is known that, “there is one escape from her curse: death.

Tragic Greek dramas featured tragic heroes, mortals who suffered incredible 
losses as a result of an inescapable fate or bad decisions. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a character, usually of high birth, which is pre-eminently great, meaning they are not perfect, and whose downfall is brought about
 by a tragic weakness or error in judgment. The three Greek heroes Oedipus, Medea and Agamemnon, who each killed a member of their family, carry most of the qualities that make up a tragic hero: being of noble birth, being surrounded by an extraordinary circumstance, and gaining self-awareness or some kind of knowledge through their downfall. There is an important need for the audience to identify with the Aristotelian hero through

The role of women in the Greek Heroic Age and late 19th century Europe was one of great obedience and devotion to the men of the house. Nora in A Doll House, a play written by Henrik Ibsen, and Penelope in The Odyssey, an epic poem sung by Homer, both display unwavering loyalty to the men they love. Penelope pretends she is available to the suitors by weaving and unravelling a burial shroud to buy time and by offering her hand in marriage to the winner of her archery contest. Nora pretends she is the doll wife to her husband Torvald by secretly loaning money from Krogstad and by devising a suicide plan to keep Torvald 's honour. Since both the Greek Heroic Age and late 19th century Europe were patriarchal societies, female autonomy was done in secret. Both Penelope and Nora use deception and guile to meet the same goal of saving their families, especially the men they love.

Heroes are prevalent in everyone’s life. Whether someone’s hero is a living person or a fabled character from a movie, everybody has come into contact with some sort of hero. In fact, the concept of heroes has existed for hundreds of years, dating all the way back to Ancient Greece. Over time, heroes have drastically changed. As society has evolved, our heroes have evolved with it. Their goals and motivations have changed to coincide with the views of modern society. Modern day heroes have less selfish motives, better qualities, and are portrayed differently than ancient heroes.

all the commotion was about, she was amazed at the sight of her infant son

"A myth is a collective term denoting a symbolic narrative in religion, as distinguished from symbolic behavior (cult, ritual) and symbolic places or objects (temples, icons)". (The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Vol. 24)Mythology is a collection of myths meant to explain the universe. Mythological stories were told in many different cultures and civilizations. The existence of myths is known in every society. Many different myths were conceived to explain occurrences that happened in nature.

The heroes in Greek and Roman mythology had the characteristics of violent masculinity and bravery, the ideology of a patriarchal society in which all the men were elite than the women. According to Kampmen in Gender Theory in Roman Art, “Roman society evolved in such a way as to enable elite men to establish and maintain power over everyone else, ” such men included heroes like Hercules, Achilles, and Pentheus (1996, p.152). They represented the elite males who had stable physical attributes that emphasized their masculinity and heroism. Heroes like the ones mentioned above had been idolized and worshiped with cults due to their works in helping their societies to fight monsters, the gods also favored them. Gender is emphasized by one 's appearance, dressing being the primary attribute. The mythic narratives of Achilles on Scyros, Hercules and Omphale and lastly Pentheus and Dionysus give a rather strange definition on the characteristics of heroes when they crossdress. In this essay, I shall discuss how male heroes characteristics become subverted than emphasized due to the myths of cross-dressing.