Greek Myths About Heroes

    Most people think of a hero as a strong, superior, good-looking person that could never make a mistake. However, in a story called The Odyssey, a connection to real life reveals imperfections to be common in heroes. Each person has their low points and highlights, regardless of their “rank”. The author and epic poet, Homer, exemplifies our main character, Odysseus, to take on this idea of a hero throughout his writing. The time period took place in Ancient Greece, allowing Greek culture to relate to the poem. Different aspects of such culture and history may have influenced the works and creativity of Homer as well. A major point includes The Trojan War because it focuses in on Odysseus’ journey to bring Helen back home by devising a plan to destroy warriors in the city. Acknowledge this factor when reading The Odyssey, for not only evidence of heroism, but also other major points of archetypes, in which the device reflects the insights of readers in modern time and what is seen from Ancient Greek culture.

When one thinks of an epic hero, such as Odysseus from Homer’s The Odyssey, flaws tend to be dismissed like dirt being washed off a golden statue. However, in Greek mythology even the divine gods and goddesses display imperfect character traits. Faults like Odysseus’ hubris tarnish his heroic image, but he is redeemable through his favorable traits. Although a hero is given high expectations, there is no expectation for him to be completely void of faults because heroes are human.

Heroes today are courageous, noble, great leaders, and daring. Ulysses holds all these virtues, along with being clever. Heroes in ancient Greece are greatly looked up upon for their bravery, cleverness, and their will for sacrificing themselves for the greater good of their men. However, not all heroes are perfect. Heroes in ancient Greece show hubris, which penalizes them because the gods do not condone vanity. In addition, to the qualities of bravery, courage, nobility, and leadership, in Bernard Evlin’s take on The Odyssey, The Adventures of Ulysses, he indicates that cleverness can be more important than other characteristics.

This paper is to show that Heracles is the prime example of a hero’s journey through his actions and the struggles that he faced during his life until he was about to die but instead of death, his father, Zeus, saved him and he conquered the mortal realm, to become a god.

The Iliad, Odyssey, and Epic of Gilgamesh all demonstrate the transformational process of their respective epic heroes through their strengths and weaknesses. Epic heroes such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Gilgamesh all possessed superior qualities that separated them from other individuals. Although their incredible abilities may support the societal perception of strong leadership, their weaknesses caused these characters to hold vices that went against the cultural expectations of what a strong leader should be. Furthermore, they all shared similar experiences in terms of undergoing a difficult situation and changing their approach in an effort for redemption. This paper will be examining the virtues of these epic heroes and the

As Thomas Paine once said, “The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection”. Through most recent generations, the word “heroic” is thrown around to a certain extent. At one time, heroes were naturally born into key figures, glorified through fame. Beowulf's’ nobility provides his key success towards being born into a hero. As for Oedipus, he had also been born into aristocracy by his father's legacy. Today’s concept of heroism is a concern for people in need—an involvement to defend a moral cause, the possibility of personal risk, done without the expectation of a reward. [In the fictional myths of both Oedipus the King and Beowulf, eccentric heroes prove their personal necessities in characterizing the importance of a culture; However, the current society’s tragic hero is one that often combats through the fear of bravery and the greater good of others.]

One of the central ideas of the Iliad is the honor that soldiers earn in combat. For an ancient Greek man, the ability to perform in battle is the single greatest source of worthiness. The glory earned by soldiers on the battlefield enabled them to live on in legend, becoming heroes who would be remembered long after death. The characters of the Iliad often make reference to the great heroes of past ages, such as Hercules and Theseus. For the ancient Greeks, the term “hero” meant something stricter than it does today: the hero’s military glory could make him nearly as important as a god.

Myths consists of many legendary heroes within, but what makes them different from an ordinary person. Many convey that it is not very challenging to be a hero, but wise ones know the struggles of being a hero, which the texts “Theseus” and “The Adventure of Odysseus”, written in the book “Mythology” by Edith Hamilton proves. Heroes may require help from others, but more often than not, they are fearless fighters who do not need the aid of others to be successful. Heroes might easily gain credits for the work of their fellow allies, but that does not mean it is easy to be a hero. A true hero should not be afraid of pain or death just like the great legend Theseus. At the same time, these heroes must be like the extraordinary hero Odysseus, who is successful in his heroic journey.

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

Humanity has always strived for greatness, and is destined to continue this attempt till the world stops spinning. Through the art of storytelling, and literature, we have weaved images of what the ideal human should be. Countless works of literature depict such humans as “heroes”, due to the inspiration they stir within our imperfect souls. Truly epic heroes shape future stories, and remain influential despite the weathering of time. Two heroes of epic proportions can be found in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, through the grand tales of Achilles and Odysseus. How are these two men heroes? Better yet, what makes each unique in their

The classical hero is a timeless description of human beings all around the world. Not only is it part of some human’s nature; it is used as a source of entertainment for people as well. The classical hero is seen both in the Iliad, as we have discussed, and in today’s world every day and in most cases everywhere. Heroes are seen today in TV shows, novels, movies, sports, in politics, and on the news, etc. As an audience, we love to study the classical hero whether we’re watching something or reading a novel or story about one. It always seems to be exhilarating because it’s part of our nature. The story of the hero motivates individuals to want to be like that person and strive to help

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.

In this paper I will analyze two characters in two separate works, one from a literary text and one from a film. The focus of this paper will be on heroes that have a relationship to an element of mythology. I will use the character Odysseus from Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey” and the character Wonder Woman from the American superhero film “Wonder Woman”. In this essay I will analyze the gender, appearance, actions, and roles that these heroes have. Throughout this essay, I will also discuss the negative characteristics that both these heroes have, such as their violent actions towards others. Heroes possess numerous qualities that make them great, however, there are certain qualities of a hero that are consistent throughout Greek mythology; bravery, intelligence, and strength. These qualities are significant to these two Greek Mythologies because these heroes are known to bravely risk their lives for others, using their wisdom to guide them, all while fighting strongly for what they believe in. This paper will serve to prove that regardless of the gender of each of these personas, the characteristics that define a hero remain consistent.

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.

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