Hero 13706 225971642 2008-07-16T07:27:09Z Electron 6809554 /* See also */ +commonscat {{Otheruses}} {{Redirect|Heroine|another spelling|Heroin (disambiguation)}} [[Image:Watts-galahad.JPG|thumb|right|[[Sir Galahad]], a hero of [[Arthurian legend]], detail of a painting by [[George Frederic Watts]]]] A '''hero''' (from [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] {{lang|grc|ἥρως}} ''hērōs''<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2347602 Heros, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', at Perseus]</ref>), in [[Greek mythology]] and [[folklore]], was originally a [[demigod]], the offspring of a mortal and a deity,<ref>[[Plato]], ''[[Cratylus]]''</ref> their [[Greek hero cult|cult]] being one of the most distinctive features of [[ancient Greek religion]]. Later, hero (male) and '''heroine''' (female) came to refer to characters (fictional or historical) that, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display [[courage]] and the will for [[self-sacrifice]] &ndash; that is, '''heroism''' &ndash; for some [[Value theory|greater good]], originally of [[warrior|martial]] courage or excellence but extended to more general [[morality|moral]] excellence. Stories of heroism may serve as [[moral example]]s. In [[classical antiquity]], '''hero cults''' &ndash; veneration of [[Apotheosis|deified heroes]] such as [[Heracles]], [[Perseus]], and [[Achilles]] &ndash; played an important role in [[Ancient Greek religion]]. Politicians, ancient and modern, have employed hero worship for their own [[apotheosis]] (i.e., [[cult of personality]]). ==Etymology== The literal meaning of the word is "protector", "defender" or "guardian"{{Fact|date=March 2008}} and etymologically it is thought to be cognate with the name of the goddess [[Hera]], the guardian of marriage; the postulated original forms of these words being *{{lang|grc|ἥρFως}}, ''hērwōs'', and *{{lang|grc|ἭρFα}}, ''Hērwā'', respectively. It is also thought to be a cognate of the [[Latin language|Latin]] verb ''servo'' (original meaning: to preserve whole) and of the [[Avestan language|Avestan]] verb ''haurvaiti'' (to keep vigil over), although the original [[Proto-Indo-European root|Proto-Indoeuropean root]] is unclear. ==Classical hero cults== {{main|Hero cult}} {{Refimprove|section|date=July 2007}} Hero cults could be of the utmost political importance.{{Or|date=June 2008}} When [[Cleisthenes]] divided the [[History of Athens|ancient Athenians]] into new ''[[deme]]s'' for voting, he consulted the [[Oracle of Delphi]] about what heroes he should name each division after. According to [[Herodotus]], the [[Sparta]]ns attributed their conquest of [[Arcadia]] to their theft of the bones of [[Orestes (mythology)|Orestes]] from the Arcadian town of [[Tegea]]. Heroes in myth often had close but conflicted relationships with the gods. Thus [[Heracles]]'s name means "the glory of [[Hera]]", even though he was tormented all his life by Hera, the Queen of the Gods. Perhaps the most striking example is the Athenian king [[Erechtheus]], whom [[Poseidon]] killed for choosing [[Athena]] over him as the city's patron god. When the Athenians worshiped Erechtheus on the [[Acropolis, Athens|Acropolis]], they invoked him as ''Poseidon Erechtheus''. In the [[Hellenistic]] Greek East, dynastic leaders such as the [[Ptolemies]] or [[Seleucids]] were also proclaimed heroes. This was an influence on the later, Roman [[apotheosis]] of their emperors. ===Analysis=== {{Refimprove|section|date=July 2007}} The classic hero often came with what [[Lord Raglan (author)|Lord Raglan]] (a descendant of the [[FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan|FitzRoy Somerset, Lord Raglan]]) termed a "potted biography" made up of some two dozen common traditions that ignored the line between historical fact and mythology. For example, the circumstances of the hero's conception are unusual; an attempt is made by a powerful male at his birth to kill him; he is spirited away; reared by foster-parents in a far country. Routinely the hero meets a mysterious death, often at the top of a hill; his body is not buried; he leaves no successors; he has one or more holy [[sepulchre]]s. Most European indigenous religions feature heroes in some form.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} == The validity of the hero in historical studies ==<!-- This section is linked from [[Philosophy of history]] --> {{Refimprove|section|date=July 2007}} {{See|Philosophy of history|Great man theory}} The philosopher [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel|Hegel]] gave a central role to the "hero", personalized by [[Napoleon]], as the incarnation of a particular culture's ''[[Volksgeist]]'', and thus of the general ''[[Zeitgeist]]''. [[Thomas Carlyle]]'s 1841 ''On Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History'' also accorded a key function to heroes and great men in history. Carlyle centered history on the [[biography]] of a few central individuals such as [[Oliver Cromwell]] or [[Frederick the Great]]. His heroes were political and military figures, the founders or topplers of states. His history of great men, of geniuses good and evil, sought to organize change in the advent of greatness. Explicit defenses of Carlyle's position were rare in the second part of the 20th century. Most philosophers of history contend that the motive forces in history can best be described only with a wider lens than the one he used for his portraits. For example, [[Karl Marx]] argued that history was determined by the massive social forces at play in "[[class struggle]]s", not by the individuals by whom these forces are played out. After Marx, [[Herbert Spencer]] wrote at the end of the 19th century: "You must admit that the genesis of the great man depends on the long series of complex influences which has produced the race in which he appears, and the social state into which that race has slowly grown....Before he can remake his society, his society must make him."<ref name=Spencer>Spencer, Herbert. ''[http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=96277756| The Study of Sociology]'', Appleton, 1896, p. 34.</ref> Thus, as [[Foucault]] pointed out in [[Philosophy of history#Michel Foucault's analysis of historical and political discourse|his analysis of societal communication and debate]], history was mainly the "science of the [[Sovereignty|sovereign]]", until its inversion by the "historical and political popular discourse". The [[Annales School]], led by [[Lucien Febvre]], [[Marc Bloch]] and [[Fernand Braudel]], would contest the exaggeration of the role of [[subject (philosophy)|individual subjects]] in history. Indeed, Braudel distinguished various time scales, one accorded to the life of an individual, another accorded to the life of a few human generations, and the last one to [[civilizations]], in which [[geography]], [[economics]] and [[demography]] play a role considerably more decisive than that of individual subjects. Foucault's conception of an "archeology" ''(not to be confused with the [[Anthropology|anthropological discipline of [[archaeology]])'' or [[Althusser]]'s work were attempts at linking together these various heterogeneous layers composing history.{{Clarifyme|date=June 2008}}<!--How on earth is any of this philosopher namedropping relevant to this article?!?--> ==Heroic myth== [[Image:JourneytotheWest.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The four heroes from the Chinese classic ''[[Journey to the West]]'']] The concept of a story archetype of the standard "hero's [[quest]]" or [[monomyth]] pervasive across all cultures is somewhat controversial. Expounded mainly by [[Joseph Campbell]], it illustrates several uniting themes of hero stories that despite vastly different peoples and beliefs hold similar ideas of what a hero represents. Some argue that while there may be many stories that fit the monomyth, the belief in such a truly ubiquitous form may be due in part simply to neglecting those that do not. ==Folk and fairy tales== [[Vladimir Propp]], in his analysis of the Russian [[fairy tale]], concluded that a fairy tale had only eight ''[[dramatis personae]]'', of which one was the hero,<ref name="Propp">Vladimir Propp, ''Morphology of the Folk Tale'', ISBN 0-292-78376-0</ref>{{Rp|p. 80}} and his analysis has been widely applied to non-Russian [[folklore]]. The actions that fall into a such hero's sphere include: # Departure on a quest # Reacting to the test of a [[Donor (fairy tale)|donor]] # Marrying a princess (or similar figure) He distinguished between ''seekers'' and ''victim-heroes''. A [[villain]] could initiate the issue by kidnapping the hero or driving him out; these were victim-heroes. On the other hand, a villain could rob the hero, or kidnap someone close to him, or, without the villain's intervention, the hero could realize that he lacked something and set out to find it; these heroes are seekers. Victims may appear in tales with seeker heroes, but the tale does not follow them both.<ref name="Propp" />{{Rp|36}} <!--COPYEDITING STOPPED HERE. Only 1/3 of article checked; surely needs a LOT more work just on plain readability, much less sourcing, which is minimal at best. -SMcCandlish, League of Copyeditors. --> ==Operatic hero== In [[opera]] and [[musical theatre]], the hero/ heroine is often played by a [[tenor]]/[[soprano]] (more vulnerable characters are played by [[voice type|lyric]] voices while stronger characters are portrayed by [[voice type|spinto]] or [[voice type|dramatic]] voices.) == The modern fictional hero == "Hero" or "heroine" is sometimes used to simply describe the [[protagonist]] of a story, or the [[love interest]], a usage which can conflict with the more-than-human expectations of heroism. [[William Makepeace Thackeray]] gave ''[[Vanity Fair]]'' the subtitle ''A Novel without a Hero''.<ref>[[Northrop Frye]], ''[[Anatomy of Criticism]]'', p 34, ISBN 0-691-01298-9</ref> The larger-than-life hero is a more common feature of [[fantasy]] (particularly [[sword and sorcery]] and [[epic fantasy]]) than more realist works.<ref>[[L. Sprague de Camp]], ''[[Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers]]: The Makers of Heroic Fantasy'', p 5 ISBN 0-87054-076-9</ref> In modern [[film|movies]], the hero is often simply an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances, who, despite the odds being stacked against him or her, typically prevails in the end. In some movies (especially [[action movie]]s), a hero may exhibit characteristics such as superhuman [[Physical strength|strength]] and [[endurance]] that sometimes makes him nearly invincible. Often a hero in these situations has a [[foil (literature)|foil]], the [[villain]], typically a charismatic evildoer who represents, leads, or himself embodies the struggle the hero is up against. Post-modern fictional works have fomented the increased popularity of the [[anti-hero]], who does not follow common conceptions of heroism. <ref>[http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Hero/id/1895387 Hero: Encyclopedia - Hero<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> == Hero-as-self == {{Refimprove|section|date=February 2007}} It has been suggested in an article by Roma Chatterji that the hero or more generally [[protagonist]] is first and foremost a symbolic representation of the person who is experiencing the story while reading, listening or watching; thus the relevance of the hero to the individual relies a great deal on how much similarity there is between the two. The idea of "identifying" with the hero takes on a very real meaning, in that the hero/protagonist becomes our only key to becoming part of the story rather than remaining merely an observer. If the hero is one with which the observer can't identify very well, the story can seem inaccessible, distant or even insincere. Conversely, insomuch as the reader or viewer relates to and is therefore capable of becoming the hero, they can feel pangs of remorse at the hero's defeats, and relish in his or her triumphs. The most compelling reason for the hero-as-self interpretation of stories and myths is the human inability to view the world from any perspective but a personal one. The almost universal notion of the hero or protagonist and its resulting hero identification allows us to experience stories in the only way we know how: as ourselves. One potential drawback of the necessity of hero identification means that a hero is often more a combination of symbols than a representation of an actual person. In order to appeal to a wide range of individuals, the author often relegates the hero to a "type" of person which everyone already is or wishes themselves to be: a "good" person; a "brave" person; a "self-sacrificing" person. The most problematic result of this sort of design is the creation of a character so universal that we can all identify with somewhat, but none can identify with completely. In regard to the observer's personal interaction with the story, it can give the feeling of being "mostly involved," but never entirely. ==See also== {{commonscat|Heros|Heros}} {{wiktionarypar|hero}} {{Wikiquote}} *[[Anti-hero]] *[[Bildungsroman]] *[[Byronic hero]] *[[Comparative mythology]] *[[Culture hero]] *[[Epic hero]] *[[Folk hero]] *[[Leadership]] *[[List of action heroes]] *[[List of women warriors in folklore, literature, and popular culture]] *[[Monarchical hero]] *[[Reluctant hero]] *[[Romantic hero]] *[[Superhero]] *[[The Hero with a Thousand Faces]] *[[Tragic hero]] *[[Villain]] *[[Xia (philosophy)]] == References == {{reflist}} ==Further reading== <div class="references-small"> * {{cite book | last = Khan | first = Sharif | authorlink = Sharif Khan | year = 2004 | title = Psychology of the Hero Soul. http://www.herosoul.com }} * {{cite book | last = Rohde | first = Erwin | authorlink = Erwin Rohde | year = 1924 | title = Psyche }} * {{cite book | last = Carlyle | first = Thomas | year = 1985 | title = On Heroes, Hero Worship and the Heroic in History | location = Oxford | publisher = Oxford University Press | id = ISBN 0-19-250062-7 }} * {{cite book | last = Burkert | first = Walter | authorlink = Walter Burkert | chapter = The dead, heroes and chthonic gods | title = Greek Religion | location = [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] | publisher = [[Harvard University Press]] | year = [[1985]] }} * {{cite book | last = Campbell | first = Joseph | authorlink = Joseph Campbell | title = [[The Hero with a Thousand Faces]] | location = [[Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton]] | publisher = [[Princeton University Press]] | year = [[1949]] }} * {{cite book | last = Dundes | first = Alan | coauthors = Otto Rank, and Lord Raglan | year = [[1990]] | title = In Quest of the Hero | location = [[Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton]] | publisher = [[Princeton University Press]] }} * {{cite book | last = Hadas | first = Moses | coauthors = Morton Smith | authorlink = | year = [[1965]] | title = Heroes and Gods | publisher = [[HarperCollins|Harper & Row]] }} * Hein, David. "The Death of Heroes, the Recovery of the Heroic." ''Christian Century'' 110 (1993): 1298-1303. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_n37_v110/ai_14739320 '''''or''''' http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000242002 * {{cite book | last = Kerenyi | first = Karl | authorlink = Karl Kerenyi | year = [[1959]] | title = The Heroes of the Greeks | location = [[London]] | publisher = [[Thames & Hudson]] }} * {{cite book | author = Lord Raglan | authorlink = Lord Raglan (author) | year = 1936/2003 | title = The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama | location = Mineola, NY | publisher = Dover Publications }} * [[Henry Liddell]] and [[Robert Scott]]. ''[[A Greek-English Lexicon]]'' http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057 * {{cite journal | last = Chatterji | first = Roma | title = The Voyage of the Hero: The Self and the Other in One Narrative Tradition of Purulia | journal = Contributions to Indian Sociology | volume = 19 | year = 1986 | pages = 95–114 | doi = 10.1177/006996685019001007 }} * Craig, David, ''Back Home'', Life Magazine-Special Issue, Volume 8, Number 6, 85-94. </div> ==External links== *[http://www.ericdigests.org/2004-1/heroes.htm Exploring the Function of Heroes and Heroines in Children's Literature from around the World] *[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tours/heroes/tour1.html ''The British Hero''] - online exhibition from [[screenonline]], a website of the [[British Film Institute]], looking at British heroes of film and television. *[http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00800/journey.htm Example of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey] *[http://www.theness.com/articles.asp?id=73 The Hero Myth, Transcendence, and Joseph Campbell] - by [[New England Skeptical Society|Robert Novella]], discusses Joseph Campbell's work as well as the appeal of the hero myth. *[http://www.politicalheroes.org Political heroes] *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime_20040506.shtml Listen to BBC Radio 4's In Our Time programme on Heroism] [[Category:Mythological archetypes]] [[Category:Mythological characters]] [[Category:Hero|*]] [[Category:Heroes by characteristics| ]] [[Category:Literary archetypes]] [[Category:Greek loanwords]] [[Category:Heroic stock characters]] [[br:Haroz]] [[bg:Герой]] [[ca:Heroi]] [[cs:Hrdina]] [[cy:Arwr]] [[da:Helt]] [[de:Held]] [[el:Ήρωας]] [[es:Héroe]] [[eo:Heroo]] [[fr:Héros]] [[gd:Gaisgeach]] [[gl:Heroe]] [[id:Pahlawan]] [[it:Eroe]] [[he:גיבור]] [[li:Haeld]] [[hu:Hős]] [[mt:Eroj]] [[nl:Held]] [[ja:ヒーロー]] [[no:Helt]] [[nn:Helt]] [[pl:Bohater]] [[pt:Herói]] [[ru:Герой]] [[simple:Hero]] [[sk:Hrdina]] [[fi:Sankari]] [[sv:Hjälte]] [[vi:Anh hùng dân tộc]] [[zh:英雄]]