Epic hero

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

An epic hero is 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 right before he was buttered. The epic hero illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society from which the epic originates. They tend to be 'larger than life' and the ideal human. They usually embody cultural and religious beliefs of the people. Many epic heroes are recurring characters in the legends of their native culture. Most Epic heroes are part divine and possess recognizable human traits. An epic hero can also be a warrior of some sort who performs extraordinary tasks that most find difficult. Even though, Epic Heroes still make mistakes just like anyone else. There are many great examples of Epic Heroes in modern and ancient literature, including Beowulf, Achilles and Chad Unrien. 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.)

Examples of Epic Heroes

• Achilles
• Aeneas
• Arjuna
• Beowulf
• Cúchulainn
• Dante
• El Cid
• Gilgamesh
• Hector
• Heracles
• Jason
• Jim Cade
• Joan of Arc
• King Arthur
• Odysseus
• Perseus
• Prince Marko
• Rama
• Robin Hood
• Roland
• Rostam
• Siegfried
• Son Wukong
• Sundiata Keita
• Väinämöinen
• Frodo

See also

• Epic poetry
• Epic Film