Epic hero

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Väinämöinen, hero from the Finnish national epic Kalevala, fights to free the Sampo from the clutches of the evil Louhi

An epic hero is an important figure from a history or legend, usually favored by or even partially descended from deities, but aligned more closely with mortal figures in popular portrayals. The hero participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey, gathers allies along his journey, and returns home significantly transformed by his journey. The epic hero illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society from which the epic originates. They usually embody cultural and religious beliefs of the people. Many epic heroes are recurring characters in the legends of their native culture. Epic heroes have no superpowers but they're smart, brave, and have fears but overcome them to protect their friends, families, and countries. An epic hero can also be a warrior of some sort who performs extraordinary tasks that most find difficult. This hero is loyal, smart, and brave. The epic hero is also typically joined by sidekicks, who will initially be rejected from the group for their own safety, thus embodying selflessness, a commonly valued trait in society, into the epic hero. The sidekick will be permitted into the group eventually, the epic hero remaining with an unscathed heroic reputation for being reluctant to let the sidekick join in the suffering. (It is, after all, a trait of an epic hero to be brave and to put themselves in danger if it means saving or otherwise pleasing others.)

Epic heroes throughout history

The spreading of these tales is through rote memorization, so small details or even major arcs were sometimes added or removed by the next generation in line to pass down the story. After the advent of printing, the stories containing these epics were committed to paper and gained a degree of solidity. Nevertheless, many interpretations on the nature and motives of certain epic heroes are still mooted.

Examples of Epic Heroes

• Beowulf
• Gilgamesh
• Arjuna
• Rama
• Siegfried
• Cúchulainn
• Jason
• Perseus
• Rostam
• Odysseus (Iliad & Odyssey)
• Prince Marko
• King Arthur
• Son Wukong
• Achilles
• Roland

See also

• Epic poetry
• Epic Film