Ancient Heroes Research Paper

In order to be a hero people will need to do some challenging tasks. An article from CNN heroes of today, “working to break the cycle of poverty,” by Meghan Dunn, a man named Craig Dodson, helps at-risk youth by starting a cycling club. In Greek Mythology, a hero named Hercules, went on an adventure to become mortal. These two heroes are not just examples that do not have any connection, but they have three qualities that make them similar. Both Hercules and Craig Dodson are archetypal heroes because they display the heroic qualities of bravery, role model, and tenaciousness.

Heros today don't need physical strength just a willingness to help someone. In beowulf they call beowulf a hero for killing a monster with his bare hands. This is not relevant today. Some modern heroes can't even walk but can do something as simple as talk to put an impact on someone. I don't think that doing a heroic act does not take effort but just not physical strength.

First and foremost, a hero needs to be courageous enough to take action, even against impossible odds; although, the form that that courageousness takes are often different between heroes. Take Beowulf and Shahrazad for example. Beowulf is a famous and powerful Geat leader, a “man whose name was known for courage” (Beowulf 120), especially in the field of battle, where he best demonstrates his courageousness. When Beowulf hears of the attacks on Hereot, he quickly comes to offer Hrothgar his services, and in his first battle with Grendel, Beowulf displayed immense bravery and courage fighting the demon, knowing that he may well perish, and even more so in deciding to do battle bare-handed and naked

“…The noble man should either live with honor or die with honor…” These are the words of Sophocles. Words like these are applied to many different stories and even people. Many different traits define the character hero; nobility, perseverance, and strength are a few. Yes, traits such as those a needed, but it makes one think, “what other traits could there be?” A question like this can be answered just by looking a few different tales.

A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. There are heroes all around us each and everyday, and more than we know. They are around us not only physically, but in media as well. In just about every movie that has been produced, there is some sort of hero, or person who risks it all to right a wrong. This “wrong” could be someone stealing, breaking the law, taking something that is rightfully someone else’s, and so on and so forth. With this in mind, the question begging to be asked is what makes these people stand out from the crowd in their heroicness? Is it their rippling muscles and ability to knock out whoever they come into contact with? Is it their honesty and the impenetrable goodness inside of them? Different heros have different qualities about them, but when it’s all said and done, a hero is a hero. Greek Mythology is one time period where heroes played an irreplaceable role. So, what traits made them so awesome? In Homer’s two epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, Achilles and Odysseus demonstrate similar, as well as very different characteristics.

When you think of someone who is a hero, what traits come to mind? A hero can often be described as someone who portrays heroic qualities such as strength, endurance, unselfishness and obedience. Both Odysseus in the Homers “Odyssey” and Gilgamesh in the “Epic of Gilgamesh” have the characteristics of strength and endurance, but Gilgamesh does not seem to act like a hero and I will tell you why. Odysseus, who is the son of Laertes, is described as a great warrior or a “cunning hero.” (Homer p. 227) He has strength and physical courage, but he also has brains. (Homer p. 227) Odysseus fought in the Trojan War and is eager to return home to his family in Ithaca but he is trapped on a luxurious island of the nymph Calyspso. (Homer p. 227) He has a wife Penelope and a son Telemachus who was just an infant when his father left. The story takes place ten years after the Trojan War. Gilgamesh, who is the son of the goddess Ninsun, is the shape of a wild cow, and of a human father named Lugalbanda. Gilgamesh means “the offspring is a hero” (The Epic of Gilgamesh p. 95) and he is the ruler and King of Uruk who is described as “a powerful King and an awe-inspiring warrior.” (The Epic of Gilgamesh p.95) and “There is no one more mighty than he.” (The epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet one, p.102) The story is said to have taken place around 2700 B.C. in Mesopotamia. Gilgamesh is a man who is on a

“The nation needs heroes because in a time of war, leadership itself is so critical” (Cannon). Heroes were once ones who were considered big and strong. Now heroes are not always the ones who meet that standard made. They are ones who are behind computer screens making things happen and saving lives. In the story “Beowulf”, the character Beowulf was a legendary hero who later became the king after his father had passed away. He comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the King of Danes when the mead hall was under attack by Grendal. In the second story “The Iliad”, Achilles the son of Peleus and Thetis. He was very independent person fighting for the good in life. He left the control of Agamemnon to create his own army to fight. He was one of the main

Values that once made a hero heroic have morphed and changed over time. In the past, many would’ve thought strength was all that was needed to be an ideal hero, but in modern day, these heroes are immensely more complex to define. In ancient Greece, poets and the like often illustrated people that they thought were heroes, and these people were considered as such by both commoners and gods. These select few possesed traits that helped them get through many quests and tribulations. Compare some of these heroes to modern day standards, however, and our opinions often differ. Today, Perseus and Theseus would still be considered heroes, but Hercules wouldn’t quite qualify.

In many modern-day stories we always hear about the good guy, commonly known as the hero of the story. In many of the stories we have just read there have been many different types of hero’s. Some heroes are men some women, some old and some young. I have found Hector, Perseus, and Antigone to be all heroes, in my opinion. Each of their stories are very different from each other, but the one thing that they all have in common are the traits of a hero they all share. When we think of the traits traditional heroes face many obstacles they must overcome, have they been considered to be courageous, honorable, and selflessness. These three of these characters have these traits, thus making them heroic.

In the beginning there was nothing but the gods in the sky. They all lived well but all wanted the same thing .On the fifth full moon of the year all the gods came together and all stated they wanted to have their own children. There leader Ababinili agreed to their request and snapped his fingers and under them was now a new place to explore. With this act he said “ Go create your tribes, but there will be challenges for your tribes” after Ataensic asked “ how would we create them” Ababinili then replied “ take the dirt of the ground and make them how you want, BUT nobody can go to the same region.” All the other gods went below and started working.

Ares is the god of battle and war from Thrace, son of Zeus and Hera, and brother to Hebe, Eileithyia, and half-sister Athena, he has a daughter named Harmonia and son named Eros. He is one of the twelve Olympians but wasn’t liked much by anyone; except for when it came to battle. Ares had an affair with his brother’s (Hephaestus) wife Aphrodite, this may have gone on for so long because Hephaestus was deformed and maybe couldn’t perform up to Aphrodite’s expectations, therefore she sought out Ares. However, they were caught by the sun-god Helius, who decided to tell Hephaestus. Instead of turning to anger and hurting Ares, Hephaestus decided to get

In the modern age science and technology have in fact weakened the power of the human spirit that myths exemplify. Through the ages man has searched for the meaning of life and his place in the universe. Due to scientific advancements and discoveries man has been able to answer many of the questions he has pondered. As a result of these discoveries man has lost a great deal of “faith” or mythological beliefs throughout his existence.

When surveying the nature and work of Gilgamesh, Rama and Odysseus, all of them have the main characteristics that qualify them as heroes. These heroes’ were determined to do what was right for their town and their families and were set on following their dreams that they had set for themselves. These heroes were looked up to and respected by the people that surrounded them. They were needed because they gave people something to seek for and provide as a positive figure. A true hero is someone who shows and presents faithful qualities and is a respectful person.

The traditional hero stresses courage and nobility as essential traits of heroism. He lived by a code of honor and valued certain things as more important than others, so that he is willing to take risks and endure hardships for their sake. He is often a leader and protector of a community. The fact that the hero not only performs great deeds but performs them out of worthy principles renders his deed even more admirable. On the other hand, the Greek tragic hero is best defined by Aristotle with his theory of tragedy in Poetics. He claims,

The heroes of today are quite different than those seen as heroes in the past. The heroes of ancient England, Beowulf for example, were war heroes. They achieved glory in battle, through strength. Queen Wealhtheow told Beowulf, “Be acclaimed for strength, for kindly guidance” (1219). While Beowulf was known for his battle prowess, wisdom was important as well. Strength, loyalty, wisdom, and skill in battle were some of the most important values of the time, and these values were represented in their heroes. Our values have changed since ancient times, and because we no longer consider the strongest man a hero, it can seem as if heroes