NationMaster - Encyclopedia: National hero

In many myths and folk tales, a hero is a man or woman (the latter often called a heroine), traditionally the protagonist of a story, legend or saga, commonly possessed of abilities or character far greater than that of a typical person, which enable him or her to perform some truly extraordinary, beneficial deed (a "heroic deed") for which he or she is famous. These powers are sometimes not only of the body but also of the mind. Heroes are typically opposed by villains. Sir Galahad, by George Frederic Watts, 1864 The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Sir Galahad, by George Frederic Watts, 1864 The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Sir Galahad was one of the knights of King Arthurs Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of the British Isles, centering around King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. ... The protagonist is the central figure of a story, and is often referred to as a storys main character. ... A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ... Saga can have following meanings: Norse Sagas, a type of literature In Norse mythology, Saga is a goddess of the Aesir. ... A stereotypical villain, common in early 20th century silent films, wears formal black clothes, exquisitely neat facial hair, and a maniacal demeanour. ...

Contents

1 Overview

2 People and characters traditionally recognized as heroes

Overview

A person normally becomes a hero by performing an extraordinary and praiseworthy deed. Traditional deeds are slaying of monsters and saving people from certain death. A hero normally fulfills the definitions of what is considered good and noble in the originating culture. However, in literature, particularly in tragedy, the hero may also have serious flaws which lead to a downfall, e.g. Hamlet. Good. ... Culture refers to the customs, arts, attitudes, institutions, and other traits that characterize a particular society or nation. ... Literature is literally an acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has, however, generally come to identify a collection of texts. ... Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama. ... The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. ...

Sometimes a real person might achieve enough status to become a hero in people's minds. This is usually complemented by a rapid growth of myths around the person in question, often attributing to him or her powers beyond those of ordinary mortals.

Some social commentators prescribe the need for heroes in times of social upheaval or national self-doubt, seeing a requirement for virtuous role models, especially for the young. Such myth-making may have worked better in the past: current trends may confuse heroes and their hero-worship with the cult of mere celebrity. Moral example is trust in the moral core of another, a role model, without the obvious mediation of any theory or language. ... For the computer game, see Myth (computer game). ... A celebrity is a person who is widely recognized in a society. ...

Well-known heroes approach the gods in status in some cultures. The word hero comes from ancient Greek, where it describes a culture hero who figures in mythology. The Greek heroes were often the mythological characters who were the eponymous founders of Greek cities, states, and territories. These mythological heroes were not always role models or possessed of heroic virtue; many were demigods, the offspring of mortals and the gods. The age when heroes of this sort were active, and where the stories of Greek mythology were set, is frequently known as the "heroic age"; the heroic age ends shortly after the Trojan War is over and the legendary combatants have returned to home or exile. This article is about deities or gods from a non-monotheistic perspective. ... The Greek language (Greek Ελληνικά, IPA – Hellenic) is an Indo-European language with a documented history of some 3,000 years. ... A culture hero is a historical or mythological hero who changes the world through invention or discovery. ... This article is about a system of myths. ... An eponym is a person (real or fictitious) whose name has become identified with a particular object or activity. ... A demigod, a half-god, is a person whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was a human. ... This article focuses on the monotheistic concept of a singular God. ... Greek mythology comprises the collected legends of Greek gods and goddesses and ancient heroes and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ... The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of Greece, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ... A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ...

Most European indigenous religions feature heroes in some form. Germanic, Hellene and Roman heroes, along with their attributes and forms of worship have been largely absorbed by the Orthodox and Catholic denominations of Christianity, forming the basis of modern day Saint worship. Germanic may refer to Germanic languages: A language family, the languages of which are spoken in northern and northwestern Europe, and in many places colonized since around 1500 Germanic peoples: Collective name of a number of tribes and peoples, originating from northern Europe, several of which invaded the Roman Empire... Note: Hellen was not the same person as Helen of Troy or Helenus, son of King Priam of Troy. ... Roman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens, but also applicable to typography, math, and a commune. ... An attribute is the following: Generally, an attribute is an abstraction characteristic of an entity In database management, an attribute is a property inherent in an entity or associated with that entity for database purposes. ... Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... Catholic is a term generally used in relation to the members, beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. ... General definition of saint In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ...

In modern movies, the hero is often simply an ordinary person treated unfairly by society who prevails in the end. For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of...

A book of recent fame, dealing with the telling of heroic stories, is called The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Also see "In Quest of the Hero" Alan Dundes, Otto Rank and Lord Raglan, Princeton Univ. Press 1990 The Hero With a Thousand Faces is a book (ISBN 0691017840) by mythologist Joseph Campbell. ... Joseph Campbell (New York City, March 26, 1904 - Honolulu, October 30, 1987) was an American professor, writer, and orator best known for his work in the fields of mythology and comparative religion. ...

On Heroes, Hero Worship and the Heroic in History" Thomas Carlyle
Heroes and Gods Moses Hadas and Morton Smith, Harper and Row, 1965

People and characters traditionally recognized as heroes

Achilles, classical Greece
Attila
Batman
King Arthur, medieval England
Beowulf, Iron Age Scandinavia
Brer Rabbit, West African trickster figure
David Broadfoot, radio officer on the Princess Victoria
Captain Harlock, fictional Space Pirate created by Leiji Matsumoto
Davy Crockett, Tennessee politician who fought and died for Texas independence at the Alamo
Don Quixote, knight of the imagination and pursuer of goodness, virtue, honor, and truth
El Cid, Spanish knight
The Einherjar, heroes chosen by the war god Odin to fight the giants at the end of the world
Giordano Bruno, renaissance mystic burned as a heretic
Link, protagonist in The Legend of Zelda series
Lord Guan, Chinese general and demigod
Piet Hein, Dutch pirate in 16th century
Harry Potter, fictional character by J. K. Rowling
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar.
Heracles (Hercules), Greco-Roman mythology
Hua Mulan, Chinese folk hero
Ilya Muromets, East Slavic folk hero
Ivan Susanin, a Russian peasant who saved the tsar
James Bond, British secret agent
James T. Kirk, Star Trek hero
Joan of Arc, France
John Henry, an American steel-driver
Kintaro, hero from Japanese folklore
Laura Secord, Canada
Momotaro, hero from Japanese folklore
The twelve paladins of Charlemagne
Nelson Mandela, during the apartheid, held in a South African prison for 26 years. He led the battle to end the apartheid.
Paul Bunyan, a mythical American lumberjack of great size
Robin Hood, medieval British egalitarian (semi-mythical)
Roland, French Christian knight killed by the Basques in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass.
Son Goku fictional hero of Journey to the West
Spartacus, leader of a slave revolt in the Roman Empire
Stanislav Petrov, Soviet military officer who averted a worldwide nuclear war in 1983
Stenka Razin, Russian folk hero
Superman, prototypical comic book superhero
Terry Fox, Cancer activist hero
Vasil Levski, bulgarian national hero, founder of a revolutionary net
William Tell, the national hero of Switzerland
William Wallace
Wong Fei Hong, Chinese hero who was a martial arts master as well as an esteemed doctor. Famous headquarters was named "Bo Chi Lam".

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Hero

For other uses, see Achilles (disambiguation). ... Greece, officaly called the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία), is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. ... For other uses, see Attila (disambiguation). ... Batman Real name Bruce Wayne Publisher DC Comics First appearance Detective Comics #27 Created by Bob Kane Bill Finger Batman, more properly known as The Batman and occasionally as The Bat-Man, is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. ... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (2001) - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... Beowulf is the hero of the Anglo-Saxon poem by his name (see Beowulf). ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... Scandinavia is the cultural and historic region of the Scandinavian Peninsula. ... Brer Rabbit is the hero of the Uncle Remus stories derived from African-American folktales of the US South. ... West Africa is the region of western Africa generally considered to include these countries: Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon Côte dIvoire (Ivory Coast) Equatorial Guinea Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Liberia Mali Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) Senegal Sierra Leone Togo Chad, Mauritania, and... In the study of mythology, folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit or human hero who breaks the rules of the gods or nature, sometimes maliciously (for example, Loki) but usually with ultimately positive effects. ... Captain Harlock (Japanese: 宇宙海賊キャプテンハーロック - also transliterated Captain Herlock) is the main character of many Japanese series by writer/artist Leiji Matsumoto. ... Space Pirates are pirates from outer space. ... Leiji Matsumoto (松本零士 Matsumoto Reiji) is a well-known creator of several anime and manga series. ... Davy Crockett David Crockett ( August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk-hero usually referred to now as Davy Crockett. ... State nickname: Volunteer State Other U.S. States Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Governor Phil Bredesen Official languages English Area 109,247 km² (36th) - Land 106,846 km² - Water 2,400 km² (2. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None Area 696,241 km² (2nd) - Land 678,907 km² - Water 17,333 km² (2. ... The Alamo is a building in San Antonio, Texas which was the focus of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. ... Statues of Don Quixote (left) and Sancho Panza (right) Don Quixote de la Mancha ( pronounced /) is a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... History of Spain Series -Timeline -Roman Spain -Visigothic Spain -Moorish Spain -Age of Reconquest -Age of Expansion -Age of Enlightenment -Reaction and Revolution -First Spanish Republic -The Restoration -Second Spanish Republic -Spanish Civil War -The Dictatorship -Modern Spain Topics -Economic History -Military History -Social History Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... In Norse mythology, Einherjar (or Einheriar) referred to the spirits of warriors who had died bravely in battle. ... For other meanings of Odin and Wotan see Odin (disambiguation) Odin (Old Norse Óðinn, Swedish Oden) is usually considered the supreme god of Germanic and Norse mythology. ... This article is about the religious concept. ... Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno (1548 – February 17, 1600), a. ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance -French Renaissance -German Renaissance -English Renaissance The Renaissance was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... Main article: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. ... The Legend of Zelda (ゼルダの伝説シリーズ Zeruda no Densetsu Shirīzu; often shortened to just Zelda) is a series of video games created by Nintendo and industry legend Shigeru Miyamoto that began in February 1986. ... Japanese woodblock of Guan Yu by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861). ... Piet Pieterszoon Hein (1577–1629) was a Dutch naval commander and folk hero; his descendant Piet Hein (1905–1996) was a Danish poet and scientist. ... Cover of the original novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Harry Potter is the informal name given to a series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling, and the movies based on them. ... Joanne Rowling OBE (born July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire), commonly known as J.K. Rowling (pronunciation: roll-ing; her former students used to joke with her name calling her the Rolling Stone), is a British fiction writer. ... Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (September 29, 1758 – October 21, 1805) was a British admiral who won fame as a leading naval commander. ... Battle of Trafalgar Conflict Napoleonic Wars Date 21 October 1805 Place Cape Trafalgar Result Decisive British victory The Battle of Trafalgar, fought on 21 October 1805, was the most significant naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars and the pivotal naval battle of the 19th century. ... For the son of Alexander the Great, see Heracles (Macedon). ... This article is about the mythological hero. ... Oil painting on silk, Hua Mulan Goes to War Hua Mulan (Traditional Chinese: 花木蘭; Simplified Chinese: 花木兰; pinyin: ) (Vietnamese VIQR: Mo^.c Lan) is the heroine who joined an all-male army described in a famous Chinese non-fictional poem written during the period of the Northern Dynasties (420-589... The Great Wall of China, stretching over 6,700 km, was erected beginning in the 3rd century BC to guard the north from raids by men on horses. ... For the Russian bomber Ilya Muromets, see Ilya Muromets. ... Ivan Susanin (15?? - 1613) was a Russian folk hero and martyr of the early 17th centurys Time of Troubles. ... The Russian Federation (Russian: Росси́йская Федера́ция, transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija), or Russia (Russian: Росси́я, transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija), is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. ... James Bond, also known as 007 (double-oh seven), is a sophisticated fictional character and British spy created by writer Ian Fleming. ... Captain James T. Kirk James Tiberius Kirk, a fictional character in the Star Trek television series, was the captain of the starship Enterprise (NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-A). ... Image of Joan of Arc, painted between 1450 and 1500 (Centre Historique des Archives Nationales, Paris, AE II 2490). ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... John Henry was a steel driving man. An American folk hero, John Henry has been the subject of numerous songs, stories, plays and novels. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Kintaro (Golden Boy) is a hero from Japanese folklore. ... Japanese mythology is an extremely complex religion and system of beliefs. ... Laura Secord (September 13, 1775 - October 17, 1868) was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. ... Canada is a sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. ... Bisque doll of Momotaro Momotaro (peach boy) is a hero from Japanese folklore. ... Japanese mythology is an extremely complex religion and system of beliefs. ... Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste. ... A Frankish king, like Charlemagne, (center) depicted in the Sacramentary of Charles the Bald (about 870) Charlemagne (c. ... Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, (born 18 July 1918) a former President of South Africa, was one of its chief anti-apartheid activists, and was also an anti-apartheid saboteur. ... Paul Bunyan is a mythical lumberjack in tall tales. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Dimension (from Latin measured out) is, in essence, the number of degrees of freedom available for movement in a space. ... Robin Hood is the archetypal English folk hero, an outlaw who, in modern versions of the legend, stole from the rich to give to the poor (some would say from the tax collector to refund the taxpayer). ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... This article is about historical/legendary figure, for other uses, see Roland (disambiguation). ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... This article is about the Basque people. ... The Roncevaux Pass (Roncesvaux in English, Roncesvalles in Spanish, Orreaga in Basque) is the site of a famous battle in 778 in which Hroudland (later changed to Roland), prefect of Brittany March was defeated by the Basques. ... Son Goku (孫悟空 Son Gokū) is the Japanese language version of the character Sun Wukong, a monkey god in the Chinese myth of the Journey to the West. ... 18th century Chinese illustration of a scene from Journey to the West Journey to the West (Traditional Chinese: 西遊記; Simplified Chinese: 西游记; pinyin: Xī Yóu Jì, WG: Hsi Yu Chi) is a classic of Chinese literature, and perhaps the most well-known amongst the younger generation. ... Spartacus was a Roman slave who led a large slave uprising in what is now Italy, then the Italian Peninsula, in 73 - 71 BC. His army of escaped gladiators and slaves defeated several Roman legions in what is known as the Third Servile War, one of the three slave rebellions... The Roman Empire is not the Holy Roman Empire (843-1806). ... Stanislav Petrov (born c. ... Stepan (Stenka) Timofeyevich Razin (Степан (Стенька) Тимофеевич Разин in Russian) (1630 - 6. ... The Russian Federation (Russian: Росси́йская Федера́ция, transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija), or Russia (Russian: Росси́я, transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija), is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. ... Superman, nicknamed The Man of Steel, is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938 and eventually became the most popular comic book hero of all time. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility and who usually has a colorful name and costume and abilities beyond those of normal human beings. ... Terry Fox on his run Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete and cancer treatment activist. ... Vasil Levski (Vasil Ivanov Kunchev) was a Bulgarian revolutionary, ideologist, strategist and theoretician of the Bulgarian national revolution, leader of the struggle for liberation from Ottoman rule. ... William Tell (German Wilhelm Tell) was a legendary hero of disputed historical accuracy said to have lived in the Canton of Uri in Switzerland in the early 14th century. ... The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. ... Sir William Wallace (c. ... Wong Fei Hung (黃飛鴻 huang2 fei1 hong2) (1847 - 1924) was a healer, martial artist and revolutionary who became a Chinese folk hero. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Abraham Lincoln Aristotle Ayn Rand Adolf Hitler Al Gore Animal Farm Aldous Huxley Arthur Koestler Arthur Schopenhauer Animal Albert Einstein Art Abortion Apocalypse Now Alfred Hitchcock Alexander Graham Bell Andy Warhol Afrika Bambaataa Arthur C. Clarke Atheism Arthur Conan Doyle A... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ...

External links

Exploring the Function of Heroes and Heroines in Children's Literature from around the World (http://www.ericdigests.org/2004-1/heroes.htm)

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People and characters traditionally recognized as heroes

See also

External links

Further reading

Greek heroes

Overview