The Heroes Of Ancient Greek Myths

More clearly than the Bible, Greek/Roman mythology helps outline the life cycle that almost always applies to the traditional archetypal hero. With basic knowledge of the Bible we can determine right from wrong and its influence in real life when reading mythology. As the reader we experience this when seeing the actions the hero takes, as explained by Frye when he states, "... the central myth of the hero whose mysterious birth, triumph and marriage, death and betrayal and eventual rebirth..." (Frye, 67), explaining the archetypical story outline of the tragic hero. As an example of the archetype, the story of Hercules starts with the mysterious birth of a being that is half god and half man, with his father famously being Zeus. Following Hercules' diverse birth we also know he triumphed over the leader of the underworld named Hades, while also

Hercules was a character portrayed in classic Roman Mythology. He was known to be the son of Zeus, and went on many great adventures throughout the lands; saving lives, defeating villains, and slaying treacherous monsters. Throughout his many trials, he gained fame, fortune, and a place amongst the Gods of Olympia. By looking at the mythological stories of Hercules, we can see that many of Joseph Campbell’s “Stages of the Hero’s Journey” can be applied to the stories about him.

Then, he is suddenly forced into an unknown environment; a huge difference between his regular circumstances and his new one is established (Vogler). Hercules, who is the hero of the film Hercules, is presented as the baby of loving parents and Greek gods Zeus and Hera, who reside on Mount Olympus. Zeus creates a winged horse named Pegasus, since he wants Hercules to have a friend. Everything in their life is perfect. However, baby Hercules is unexpectedly stolen in the middle of the night by Pain and Panic, the devious minions of the wicked Hades (Hercules). They almost take Hercules’ powers after they give him a mystical potion. A loving couple, Amphytryon and Alcmene, discover Hercules all alone and decides to adopt him. Hercules grows to be a young man, but the citizens of his town despise him and call him a freak because of his strange power. Hercules’ ordinary world is composed of all these events.

Heroes in the modern day are everywhere, but with much less recognition than those in the Odyssey and Iliad. In addition to that, they don’t have to take a 10 year journey facing sea monsters and cyclops just to get home to be considered a hero.

The Greek hero, a national symbol at the time, encompasses many of the qualities and principles ancient Greece valued in its culture. Homeric epics use plots of tribulation and eventual victory to explore these qualities and the motives behind them, but they also explore the aftermath of a life dedicated to accumulating kleos. Through both The Iliad and part of The Odyssey, Homer depicts, through the infamous warrior Achilles, the astounding effect the Greek hero desire has on his actions while simultaneously critiquing its shortcomings.

Heroes, in the time of the ancient Greeks they believed a hero was someone with a divine parentage, but only on one side of the parentage. Their divine parentage gave them different ‘powers’, such as superhuman strength, and the right to act outrageously. One would think that with a godly parent one would be better off, but sadly these heroes or demi-gods had impossible hardships to face in their daily lives. Some of these heroes were Odysseus, Achilles, Herakles, Perseus, Theseus and the heroine, Atalanta.

The concept of a hero is something pondered upon by generations of people, so what really constitutes someone as a hero? The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, centers on Odysseus’ journey home from the Trojan War. After the Greeks defeated Troy, it was time for everyone to pack up and head home; unfortunately, for Odysseus, it would take him 20 years to do so. Along Odysseus’ 20 year journey, he faced numerous challenges, and his ability to overcome those obstacles with his cleverness, skill, and persistence. Heroes who embody these traits are needed across time and culture because they provide hope and inspiration for people when they need it most. Three other people who demonstrate these traits are Superman, Einstein, and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Moses from, the Bible, and Odysseus from, The Odyssey, are examples of heroes that were called upon by the gods. They both did not choose to or were born to become heroes. Moses and Odysseus were not perfect human beings before becoming heroes. Everything in their past was

Hercules was viewed as “ a muscle bound Buffon” , brutal and a violent man.He had trouble ruling himself. Hercules had a lack of intelligence and wisdom. This often time would leave him feeling vulnerable and unstable. Hercules was often easily offended. He would never forget grudges. This led to his outbursts of emotions hitch got him in trouble. Growing up on earth, no body understood how to punish Hercules correctly. Yet, when they did find punishments he would take them without question. When Hercules came to age, he had found out who is real father was. He would speak up to the sky for signs but Zeus never answered. Hercules was responded to, but not by the person he wanted. Hera had ended up driving him mad. He ended up killing his own children. Since killing his children, Hercules was sentenced to do the 12 labors for his

Greek mythology has been passed on and retold over generations. Literature and movies have been created to entertain as well as provide specific themes based off of myths. There are many heroes that mythology talks about and each one has lived an epic life, but there is one famous hero that has been immortalized throughout history. Hercules is the son of Zeus and a mortal named Alcmene. Zeus impregnated her while her husband was away and this is where his story began. Zeus' wife, Hera, found out about the affair and was outrageous about his careless actions. She tried to prevent Hercules' birth; however, when that didn't work she sent snakes to kill the baby. Hercules was too mighty for the snakes and strangled them before they could even hurt him. As stated in this source, "Hera remained angry. How could she get even? Hera knew that she would lose in a fight, and that she wasn't powerful enough to prevent Zeus from having his way. Hera decided to pay Zeus back for his infidelity by making the rest of Hercules' life as miserable as she could" (Crane WEB). Hercules grew up to be a great young warrior and was all around. With this god-like strength, also came an uncontrollable temper that made him react at times without thinking, but later made him realize the wrongdoings of his violence. He later then married a woman named Megara and had two beautiful children. But one day, Hera instilled a fit of rage into Hercules and made him slaughter his family with his very own hands. He was shocked by his actions and asked Apollo for assistance since he was drowning in guilt. Apollo later then gave him specific tasks to help Hercules redeem himself for the bloodshed he caused. The hero was sent to Eurystheus, and under his strict hand, he was to accomplish twelve labors over the next twelve years.

Hercules, born of Alcmena and Zeus, was conceived when Zeus took the form of Alcmena’s husband and lay with her. Her true husband lay with her again later that night and she conceived twins. One would be born to her human husband, and the other fathered by Zeus himself (Hamilton). Zeus bragged about his soon to be born son alerting and infuriating Hera to Hercules existence. Hera was notorious for tormenting her husbands’ illegitimate offspring since she couldn’t harm Zeus outright for his infidelity (Hamilton). Hera persuaded Eileithyia to slow Alcmena’s labor in a fit of piqué, almost killing her (Hamilton). Alcmena in fear of Hera’s wrath gave her son to nature. Zeus (in some accounts Hermes) stole him away to Olympus, where he suckled at Hera’s breast while she lay sleeping, granting him immortality (McLeish). When Hera awoke during the suckling she pushed Hercules away and the milk that sprayed out formed the Milky Way (Leeming). Zeus took the infant and placed him back in his crib before departing to Olympus again. Enraged Hera sent two massive serpents to kill Hercules and his brother as they lay sleeping

The heroes are like other human beings but have either done something which makes them excel over others or have a gift that others do not possess.

Heroes are viewed differently today as the average person who is admired for courage or outstanding achievements such as firemen and police officers. The ancient Greeks viewed heroes as those that acquire more than just courage, they must be strong and inspiring as well. Although Achilles proved to be several of these entities, the Iliad begins with

The study of myth has evolved alongside theories of Greco-Roman society, and it is hard for the modern reader to read myths without imposing their own ideas on them. Most likely this has happened for as long as we have been studying mythology, and this has an impact on how we look at myths today. For example, our book talks about homosexuality and feminism as they relate to classical mythology. These ideas and topics were undoubtedly thought of in a totally different way than they are today.

Heroes are one of the most important subjects of Greek mythology, hero was considered someone that is more that an ordinary man but less than a god, so in effect it has it’s own place between humans and gods. Heroes like Achilleus and Hector in Homers Iliad fought on opposite sides of Trojan War. Hector as well as Achilleus possesses the essential qualities of a hero according to a heroic code, they both had a support from gods, honoured by other men and were leaders of their people just to name a few.