This word is being slung around alot lately Rocket River . . .maybe the meaning has changed but . .. . i just wanna know
The late and much-beloved scholar of mythology, Joseph Campbell (1904-1987), established his public reputation with the publication of his book, The Hero With A Thousand Faces, in the late 1940s. Remarkably, for an academic work, it is still in print. Campbell's cross-cultural studies of the myths of ancient peoples brought him to the conclusion that these diverse stories were all telling the same small number of myths but in slightly different language. He further concluded that there was an archetypal plot line within these myths which remained constant from one culture to the next. The Hero With A Thousand Faces outlines one such plot line. Campbell recounts in his book dozens and dozens of ancient hero myths from unrelated cultures around the world to come up with a common denominator for a plot line, the archetypal hero story. Campbell showed that the story always began with an Everyman just living his hum-drum life. Suddenly and unexpectedly, either by chance or by choice, Everyman is either pulled out of his ordinary life or chooses to leave his ordinary life to launch into a great adventure, whose ending he cannot know at the beginning. The adventure, according to Campbell, then goes through several specified stages. The hero will journey into a dark world where he meets various forces or entities which he has to deal with. Along the way he encounters a teacher who gives him the instruction in new skills he will need to learn to successfully achieve his goal. No later than this part of the journey the hero becomes consciously aware of what that very specific goal is. Striving for his goal, the hero is challenged to his limit, reaching a peak culminating experience, what Campbell calls a "supreme ordeal." The result is that the hero "gains his reward" and is forever changed by the experience. He often gains some new powers and sets off with them. Eventually the hero re-emerges to his society with these new abilities bringing a boon to his society which somehow restores that society.
That is the Machiavellian redefinition of virtue. Others (classics) would argue that magnanimity is the heroic ideal. And still others would argue that humility, truth, and love are what comprimise a hero.
I have also wondered why just about anyone that has something bad happen to them is called a hero. In my eyes.... a hero is someone who goes above and beyond the call of their duty/job to selflessly do something for others. someone who risks their life to save others is my classic definition of a hero... It is a shame that the definition has diluted to include people who arent really heroes...it kinda diminishes those who truely earned it.
I thought Hero was a Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle?
Let's let Webster's Online Dictionary define it, mmmmkay? Main Entry: he·ro Pronunciation: 'hir-(")O, 'hE-(")rO Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural heroes Etymology: Latin heros, from Greek hErOs 1 a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b : an illustrious warrior c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage 2 a : the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work b : the central figure in an event, period, or movement 3 plural usually heros : SUBMARINE 2 4 : an object of extreme admiration and devotion : IDOL So, in conclusion, according to Webster's, basically anyone on planet earth can be considered a hero in one way or another!. Now that I have totally confused the hell out of those reading this thread, please feel free to carry on!
What about "sports heros?" Do they really count? I could envision an arguement that "yes" they do. But this is the classic arena, pardon the pun, where the word is way over used. These days with high salaries, its even harder to be a true sports hero. Another thought: Some people ascribe the label as a universal adjective. But a hero for one person/group is not a hero for another. Maybe, a hero is really a personal matter. I get annoyed when people affix the hero label as a factual statement which forces everybody else to agree by reason of guilt.
Well, there are all kinds of heroes, you know. A man can get to be a hero for a famous battle he fought, or by studying very hard and becoming a weightless astronaut. And then there are heroes of other sorts, like the heroes we know from watching sports. But a hero doesn't have to be a grown up person, you know, a hero can be a very big dog who comes to your rescue, or a very little boy who's smart enough to know what to do. (sorry)
