Heroes in Mythology: Thesis 3/25
What an incredibly difficult week it has been. This whole pandemic has really lowered the morale for not only myself but also for many of the people in the department. Unfortunately, the Senior Showcase for the class of 2020 is not going to take place in the AIMM building. It’s especially important that everyone stays safe and healthy. Even with the unfortunate situation regarding our Senior Showcase, I’m still glad that we will be able to show off our work in some sort of fashion. However, I don’t want to dwell on the negative scenario we are all facing and would rather focus on stuff that interests me. And that means talking more about mythology for me. I actually really enjoyed researching the similarities between different culture’s mythological elements, so I think I will continue with this trend.
Every mythology has the element of a hero in some sort of fashion. Hell, even our modern day stories have heroes. Heroes are very interesting because in ancient mythology, heroes tend to be very idealized people. Heroes tend to not have many flaws and classically have some sort of extraordinary power. Whether it is extreme strength, magic, or even the character being a sort of god, there is always something that distinguishes them from the everyday person. The Greeks are well known for their many heroes and stories of gods facing extreme challenges that distinguishes these characters as heroes.
Of course, one of the most well known heroes of Greek Mythology is Heracles, or better known as Hercules. Hercules was a demi-god who was the son of Zeus and a princess, which angered Hera, the wife of Zeus. Hercules was well known for his inhuman strength. Hera made Hercules go insane one day which led to him killing his wife and children. As redemption, Hercules was forced to endure twelve impossible labors for Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae in order to be forgiven for his sins. Despite how challenging they were, the hero prevailed and was praised for his endurance.
There is actually a set of guidelines called “The Hero’s Journey” which details the path a hero must take in their story. These steps are crucial to storytelling and are still used to this very day. You can see these elements in many forms of media such as the Marvel Movies. These steps in order are:
1.) Ordinary World
2.) Call to Adventure
3.) Refusal of the Call
4.) Meeting the Mentor
5.) Crossing the Threshold
6.) Tests, Allies, Enemies
7.) Approach
8.) Ordeal, Death and Rebirth
9. )Reward, Seizing the Sword
10.) The Road Back
11.) Resurrection
12.) Return with the Elixir
Some people speculate that the reason why many heroes of myth are supernatural is their strengths because it gave people during these time periods hope. There is no doubt that living in the past was very difficult, so morale wasn’t very high especially during difficult times. However, these stories of heroes inspired people, and gave them hope that even heroes have to deal with problems. Telling these stories were also a great form of entertainment for people to pass the time. Regardless of whether it is the past or present, trying to keep a positive attitude is the best thing that one can do. And these stories of heroes help remind us that we’re all human but are capable of great things.
