HERO

HERO has multiple meanings. #Highway Emergency Response Operators a freeway service patrol in Atlanta, Georgia. #Japanese "Getsuku" (月9; lit: Monday 9:00 PM) Dorama of Fuji TV: HERO (Dorama). #H.E.R.O. (Helicopter Equipped Rescue Operation), a 1983 computer and video game.

Hero

:''This article is about the type of character. For other meanings, see Hero (disambiguation)''. [[Image:Watts-galahad.JPG|thumb|Sir Galahad, a hero of Arthurian legend ]] 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, who commonly possesses 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 villain. ==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. 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 Moral example, 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. Well-known heroes approach the gods in status in some cultures. The word ''hero'' comes from ancient Greek language, 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 demigod, the offspring of mortals and the god. 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. Most European indigenous religion feature heroes in some form. Germanic, Hellene and Ancient Rome 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. In modern movie, the hero is often simply an ordinary person treated unfairly by society who prevails in the end. 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 * 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 * Aeneas, Ancient Rome * King Arthur, medieval England * Attila * Batman * Beowulf (character), iron age Scandinavia * Brer Rabbit, West Africa trickster figure * David Broadfoot, radio officer on the ''Princess Victoria (sinking)'' * 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, Spain knight * The Einherjar, heroes chosen by the war god Odin to fight the giants at the end of the world * Terry Fox, Cancer activist hero * Mohandas Gandhi, the non-violent activist and revolutionary. * Giordano Bruno, renaissance mystic burned as a heretic * Captain Harlock, fictional Space Pirate created by Leiji Matsumoto * Heracles (Hercules), Greco-Roman mythology * Hua Mulan, China folk hero * Ilya Muromets, East Slavic folk hero * Ivan Susanin, a Russian peasant who saved the Czar * James Bond, British secret agent * James T. Kirk, ''Star Trek'' hero * Joan of Arc, France * John Henry (folklore), an United States steel-driver * Kintaro, hero from Japanese folklore * Laura Secord, Canada * Link (Legend of Zelda), protagonist in ''The Legend of Zelda'' series * Lord Guan, Chinese general and demigod * Luke Skywalker, hero of George Lucas' epic ''Star Wars'' saga. * Nelson Mandela, during the apartheid, held in a South African prison for 26 years. He led the battle to end the apartheid. * Momotaro, hero from Japanese folklore * Muai'dib, hero from Dune series. * Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar. * The twelve paladins of Charlemagne * Paul Bunyan, a mythical United States lumberjack of great size * Stanislav Petrov, Soviet Union military officer who averted a worldwide nuclear war in 1983 * Piet Hein, Netherlands pirate in 16th century * Harry Potter, fictional character by J. K. Rowling * Robin Hood, Middle Ages United Kingdom egalitarian (semi-mythical) * Roland, France Christianity knight killed by the Basques in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. * Son Goku fictional hero of Journey to the West (and the main character of a TV show and manga called ''DragonBall Z'') * Spartacus, leader of a slave revolt in the Roman Empire * Stenka Razin, Russian folk hero * Superman, prototypical comic book superhero * 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". ==See also== *superhero *culture hero *anti-hero *Hero City *Hero-Fortress *Xia (philosophy) ==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] ==Further reading== *Joseph Campbell, ''The Hero with a Thousand Faces'' ===Greek heroes=== *Karl Kerenyi, ''The Heroes of the Greeks'' 1959. *Walter Burkert, ''Greek Religion,'' 1985: IV. The dead, heroes and chthonic gods Lists of fictional characters Stock characters

Hero

"A hero is the name of a man or woman (or being) who is able to do what no other can do." That's not the standard definition given in a dictionary. Perhaps you're thinking of superheros. (but even they can often do what other superheros can do, for instance fly or deflect bullets). I'll hold to my dying day that Harriet Tubman was a hero, and all she did was what (some) other people didn't have the courage to do. I think a topic like this will rather quickly generate metatalk about the role of media as well as various topics in psychology, including whom people choose to lionize. --KQ Hmmm. That definition of hero would actually incorporate Harriet Tubman, since her courage was out of the ordinary. "What no other can do" is a rather wide statement. It also includes "what no other (present on the site of the actual heroic deed) can do". As long as we go with widely recognized heros with significant historical staying power we should be safe from media and various late 20th century obfuscations of what a hero is. But this is of course IMHO. --Anders T�rlind ---- "Can" indicates ability, and certainly anyone who thought of it ''could have'' done the same thing Harriet Tubman did. However most of them who were so inclined stopped at the ''thought'' of it, fantasizing a bit perhaps and then settling back into their relatively comfortable, secure lives. The difference is not in ability, but in willingness. --KQ ---- "Zero My Hero" is the name of a School House Rock song. It talks about how the number Zero is a kid's hero because it is so essential to 'going to the stars', elevating us above 'counting on our fingers and toes' etc. ---- This page is beginning to look nice. Hmmm. I'll insert a link to :The hero with a thousand faces theory (or what one should call it). --Anders T�rlind ---- To forestall possible objections to my addition of "Superman" to the list of famous heroes, let me point out some of his standard (non-super) heroic characteristics: *His presence in society is due to his tragic loss of home. *He works for truth, justice, and… well, you know. *He sacrifices his own personal interests (like Lois Lane) to carry on his noble mission. *He has flaws and vulnerabilities (like kryptonite and, in some variations, a tendency to see things in "black and white"). On top of all that, he is arguably the prototypical superhero of this era, rendering redundant the listing of other famous superheroes. He certainly seems to me to qualify as a modern mythic hero. -- User:Jeffq 04:57, 19 May 2004 (UTC) Anyone who rescues a large number of People[sic], either Financially[sic], Physically[sic], or Mentally[sic]. Although Hero's[sic] are usually Famous[sic], in the Age[sic] of one minute attention spans, the Media[sic] and AP probaly wont mention a hero for more than 15 seconds in a Report[sic] about the days events, unless you rescue someone who happens to be famous or important. Dead Martyrs[sic] are usually more famous and useful to their cause than living heros. == List of heros == Do we really need to have this list, putting Sir Galahad and Brer Rabbit by the same table? (And this list definitely misses Pikachu, as well as the Islamic hero who killed this nasty invader Roland.) User:Mikkalai 04:53, 8 Jan 2005 (UTC) Harry Potter? Please people... --User:162.24.9.213 15:50, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC) Indeed. I think we have to lose either the 'traditionally', or HP. User:Alai 07:33, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC) What the HELL was Attila the Hun doing in the heroes list. Attila was an evil man who commited awful acts of genocide and rampaged through Europe with no purpose save that of plundering and raping those "weaker" than themselves. I took the liberty of deleting his name from the list. == Political and military heroes == I was surprised not to find here any mention of more historical heroes, like political and military figures. Think George Washington or Ghandi. -- User:Beland 14:29, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

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