Epic+heroes


 * Epic heroes **

Although length and complexity are hallmarks of the epic poem, the most important element is the hero. The hero of an epic is a human being with characteristics that a society admires and often wishes to copy. The hero is male, attractive, and unusuall y strong and able. He is a trained soldier or warrior and believes in and follows the code of honour for which he is willing to sacrifice his life. He fights for the noble cause: those who cannot defend themselves, usually women and children; the preservation of a society; honour and the noble way of life. The hero is considered better, in most respects, than the common man. However, the hero is also in many ways the same as the ordinary man. He has the same longings and desires as any man might have: the desire to be beloved and respected by his own people; the desire for some degree of wealth or material comfort; the desire for a family with children, especially sons like himself; the desire to stand out above his fellow human beings in some way; the desire not to being shame to himself or his family in any way. The hero also hopes that the divine will favour him and his cause. 1. The Epic Hero is a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society.

2. An epic hero is superhuman. He is braver, stronger, smarter, and cleverer than an ordinary person.

3. The epic hero is on a quest for something of great value to him or to his people.

4. The villains who try to keep the hero from his quest are usually uglier, more evil, and more cunning than anyone we know in ordinary life.

5. The epic hero is often of mixed divine and human birth and so possesses human weakness.

6. The divine world (the gods) interferes with the human world.


 * Hodysseus and the odyssey **

media type="youtube" key="PglAFdKSJ_M" width="420" height="346" align="left" When you think about Greek Epic heroes, Odysseus will most likely come to mind. Odysseus is the main character in Homer's poem "The Odyssey." "The Odyssey" is a narrative poem that describes Odysseus' adventures and obstacles in his quest to return home to Ithaca, where he is king, from the Trojan war. Odysseus has been gone for two decades. All the other chieftains have returned home, however, Odysseus' whereabouts are unknown.
 * Here is a funny video in which is described Odysseus story. **

One of the things that makes Odysseus a Greek hero is that he is favoured by the gods. In the Odyssey the gods help Odysseus many times. When Poseidon struck Odysseus' ship with lightning, Odysseus was able to survive because a goddess named Ino gave him a magical cloak. The cloak prevents Odysseus from drowning. When Odysseus' men are turned into pigs by Circe, Hermes the messenger of the gods give Odysseus a magical herb that prevents Circe from using her spells on him. Due to this Odysseus was able to gain favor in Circe's eyes and he convinced her to turn his men back to normal. Towards the end of the book, when Odysseus

returns to Ithaca, Athena disguises him as a beggar. The disguise was perfect to deceive the suitors, and to get Odysseus access to the palace.

The ancient Greeks used to say that a true hero must show respect to the gods by giving t hem sacrifices and praying to them. Odysseus gives sacrifices to the gods in many instances in "The Odyssey."



Odysseus is a true Greek epic hero. When he is able to use power given to him by the gods, he does so willingly. However this alone would not make him a hero. This would only make him a servant of the gods. Odysseus uses his intellect, farsightedness, and insight to control his fate as best as he can. For example, when he returns home, rather than revealing his true identity Odysseus uses

patience and caution to devise and execute a plan that will defeat the suitors. Odysseus is now acting independently of the gods and his heroic personality triumphs.


 * The Iliad and his heroes **

The Trojans lived in the city of Troy, in what is now Turkey. The story of their war with the Greeks is told in the Iliad, a long poem dating from the 700s BC, and said to be by a storyteller named Homer.

The Trojan War began when Paris, Prince of Troy, ran away with Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta The Greeks sent a fleet of ships, with an army, to get her back. The war lasted for 10 years. In single combat, the greatest Greek warrior, Achilles, killed the Trojan leader Hector. In the e nd the Greeks won, by a clever trick using a wooden horse.

Achilles is one of the most familiar names in Greek Mythology. Achilles is the archetypal Greek hero appearing in Homer’s Iliad and without doubt the greatest warrior in the Trojan War. Being the offspring of Thetis, the sea nymph and the mighty Peleus of Thessaly,Achilles was a half-divine Greek hero. During his younger days he was tutored by Chiron, the wise centaur.
 * Achilles. **


 * Now enjoy the trailer of the film "The Iliad" in which is presented the entire history told in Homers poem. **

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Achilles was one of the most handsome Greek heroes. When Achilles was a child, his nymph mother dipped him in the mystical river Styx to make him immortal and unconquerable in the battlefield. But while doing so, she held the infant Achilles by the left heel which did not get immersed in the river. As a result Achilles grew up to be a mighty warrior exhibiting great skill and power in the battlefield but for his left heel which turned out to be his weak and fatal spot. During the final battle at Troy, when it was being overtaken by the Greek soldiers, Achilles gets killed by a poisoned arrow hitting his vulnerable left heel. During the Trojan War, Achilles was assisted by the Myrmidons who were his warriors and a fleet of fifty ships. Achilles withdrew from the battlefield, upset by King Agamemnon’s action of taking custody of his beautiful hostage- Briseis. The Trojans gained ground on the battlefield, causing untold destruction on the Greeks, after the exit of Achilles. Agamemnon and other Greek warriors tried to appease in vain to Achilles to join the war again. Eventually Achilles gave his armor to his friend Patroclus who went to the battlefield in Achilles’ armor to trick the Trojans in believing that Achilles had returned to the battlefield. But Patroclus gets killed by Hector, the Trojan hero who sees through the trick and seizes his armor. Achilles could not bear the death of his dear friend Patroclus and avenged the same by killing Hector and dragging his body down the lanes of the city.

**What does the term “Achilles heel” mean in modern times? **
The phrase “Achilles’ heel” in contemporary usage refers to the mighty Achilles and his vulnerable left heel or the principal weakness of a person. It is common for everyone to have some weak area, the proverbial Achilles’ heel. A person may appear outwardly to be mighty and all-powerful but may be having a weak spot which leads to his undoing. In accordance with the Greek myth of Achilles, a person’s weak spot or Achilles’ heel may be acquired genetically or due to some neglect.

Hector is one of the most important characters of the Greek mythology. He is a Trojan prince and a great fighter in the Trojan War. The eldest son of King Priam of Troy and Hecuba, Hector is also the descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy. The price was expected to become king of Troy, after his father, but the city was attacked by the Achaean invaders. He acts as leader of the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy. He becomes one of the Nine Worthies, for his courage and noble nature. In spite of his fighting skills and great power, Hector is killed and the kingdom was destroyed. Hector has no hesitation in being the commander of the troops that defended the city. But he does not approve of war between the Greeks and the Trojans and most of all, He ctor disagrees with his brother Paris, who was at the origin of the conflict. Mythology contains no information about Hector’s childhood, not even about his years before the Trojan War. He became famous during the Trojan War, for his courage and fundamental role in defeating the city.
 * Ettore. **

Adriana Rizzo, Eleonora D'Imperio, Silvia Biondi, Ludovico Potena, Nico Rossi.