Preview

Greek Characteristics Of Greek Heroes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
613 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Greek Characteristics Of Greek Heroes
Greek Heroes are common in mythology stories and they have many similar characteristics. In the story the “Quest of the Golden Fleece,” Jason is shown as a hero and fits into the criteria of what makes a Greek hero. First of all, Jason was born into royalty, as his dad was a king in Greece. In addition, he was sent away at a young age to live elsewhere so that he would be safe (158,159). These are characteristics of Greek heroes. He was also part of a prophecy in which he was to overthrow Pelias. In order to regain the thrown from Pelias he was sent a quest to recover the Golden Fleece (159). Being favored by the gods is a key part of a Greek Hero. Aphrodite and Cupid helped Jason by making Madea the king’s daughter fall in love with him, because of the great danger he …show more content…
He was then able to defeat an entire army with the help of Madea’s charm (166, 167). She also helped him get the fleece by making the guardian serpent fall asleep (169). Then Jason made her his wife. Just like many Greek heroes marry princesses. In addition, Madea brought Jason’s father back to life. Jason then becomes full of arrogance and marries another woman. This infuriates Madea, who became virulent, and she kills the bride and the two sons (174). This is normally how the stories of Greek heroes end, with their arrogance. Overall, I see Jason as an example of a Greek hero, because he fits the criteria.

There is another man who is mentioned as a Greek, and judging by his characteristics he is one. Bellerophon was also born into royalty, since his father was Glaucus, the truculent king who was eaten by horses. However, there is a rumor that his father is in fact the god Poseidon (180). These two are characteristics of Greek Heroes. The Gods also favored him. For example, he wanted to ride Pegasus and prayed to Athena. Athena came to him in a dream and gives

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Everyone has different personality traits. Odysseus has both hero qualities and not so heroic qualities. This epic poem is called “The Odyssey”. It was written by Homer, an ancient Greek poet. Epic hero qualities are traits the hero character of a story has. They include strength, loyalty, intelligence, and courage. One would think Odysseus has many epic hero traits, but he also has many traits that are not heroic. There are many examples of his heroic qualities. Something that shows loyalty is when he says, “So we moved out, sad in the vast offing, having our precious lives, but not our friends.” This shows that Odysseus is loyal because talking about not having his friends anymore and being with his men. He also has strength. “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under the rowing benches…” shows this because it takes strength to tie three men down to a ship. When he shows courage, he says “We beached there, and I told the crew to stand by and keep watch over the ship: as for myself I took my twelve best men and went ahead.” in which one would notice Odysseus had the courage to go see who the enormous man was when he reached Cyclops Island and told his men to watch the ship for him.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Heroes are strong, brave, loyal, and intelligent people that help us when we run into trouble and inspire us. Odysseus displays these characteristics, in the epic poem "The Odyssey." He's on a quest to get back home and to regain his throne, but a series of unfortunate events occur that makes his journey long and treacherous. In his various adventures like The Cyclops, The Land Of The Dead, and The Lotus-Eaters, Odysseus shows examples of his heroic characteristics.…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus is a hero because he had many traits that represented a hero, such as a great leader,a smart mind, and he was very brave. Real heroes represent these same character traits which shows that Odysseus was a great hero. Odysseus went through many hardships with his crew but like every hero he found a way to get out of the struggle and he executed the plan and arrived home…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The qualities that make an epic hero are strength, courage a strong mentality, and the aspiration to achieve heroic acts. Many heroes are considered role models as they make brave decisions attempting to do something extraordinary. Heroes often fight against the causes of evil as they try to make the environment a better place. Hercules (son of Zeus) is one of the many known Gods to Greek mythology. He is supernatural and immortal. The hero has extraordinary strength, being the strongest man on earth he is sometimes he is unaware of the power he posses, Hercules is invulnerable. Although worshiped as a God, he was properly a hero.…

    • 375 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The qualities of being considered a hero has been discussed for ages. For instance, Homer’s Odyssey told about the ruler of Ithaca whose name was Odysseus that showed traits of heroism throughout his journey going home after the Trojan war ended. Odysseus is an epic hero because he is caring, selfless and a leader. The first time that Odysseus showed an act of heroism was through care. For instance, when Odysseus met Elpenor, a member of his crew, in the island of the dead, he pitied him and said, “Unhappy spirit, I promise you the barrow and the burial” (Homer, 1128).…

    • 150 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homer depicts Odysseus as the stereotypical epic hero. He was of noble birth, being the king of Ithaca. He was known for being cunning and brave, and traveled to fight against an evil. He fought in the Trojan War to rescue and return Helen to her husband Menelaus, King of Sparta. After the war he became a legend and everyone knew…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What makes a hero a hero? The ancient poem The Odyssey, written by the epic poet Homer, tells the story of a man by the name of Odysseus and his travels home to Ithaca after being at war in the Battle of Troy for nine years. Odysseus encounters many challenges and obstacles through the many adventures that he faces on his way home. His challenge concluding the story is of finding a way to rid the suitors that pillage his kingdom in order to retrieve his position back as lord and husband to his wife, Penelope. As Odysseus went on many adventures, he displayed the qualities of cleverness, bravery, and vengeance.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus, of Homer's Odyssey, is an appropriate hero and ruler of Ithaca. He does not act irrationally but contemplates his actions and their implications. Odysseus is an appropriate hero because he embodies the values of bravery, intelligence, astuteness, and competency. Odysseus is an appropriate ruler for Ithaca by virtue of his hereditary right to kingship as well as his diplomatic skills, familiarity with his male subjects, discipline, and his impartiality and compassion. However, he is a character that does make a foolish decision. There is a rare instance when his pride supersedes his intellectual ability.…

    • 693 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After a glorious victory in the Battle of Troy, a Greek leader and king stumbles upon the great king and queen of the Phoenicians during his voyage back to his homeland. Thrown off course by the mythological gods and monsters of Greek mythology, Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, must endure many obstacles for twenty years prior to reaching his kingdom. In the epic poem, The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus’ travels start during what is known as “ The great wanderings”. Odysseus portrays the qualities of Aristotle’s epic hero throughout this portion of the epic. To emphasize this statement, think about the epic hero Gilgamesh, the king of the land between rivers, ruler of the magnificent city Uruk. Even though Gilgamesh is two-thirds god and one…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What is your definition of a hero? It is definitely not a man with supernatural powers that can fly or have unhuman super strength. Many believe this is the case, but the definition is definitely the opposite of this one. A hero would be someone who has courage and has risked or sacrificed his life for others to achieve greatness. A hero to others is a person that has discovered or achieved something outstanding. A hero was a leader who not only had physical strength, but mental strength as well. “He” was usually someone that got themselves into danger, and in cases where the average man would suffer, the hero would have enough stamina to survive. Odysseus shows all of these signs and has achieved greatness because of these characteristics.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Odysseus The Hero

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A hero in definition according to the merriam webster dictionary is: a mythological or legnedary figure often of divine descent endowed with great stenth or ability. To most, and almost all, this would ring true about king odysseus. He was a traveler and conquerer with a great passion, an illustrious warrior. Admired greatly for his achievements and strength.…

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Greek Heros

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Achilles and Ajax are both know as great heroes of the Trojan War. Behind the guts and glory of war, what were they, who were they? Achilles was the son of nymph Thetis and Peleus the king of the Myrmidons. Ajax was the son of Telamon, who was the son of Aeacus and grandson of Zeus. Achilles and Ajax are closely related and their relationship being so close knit makes being at war a dismal time for both of them.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    First, however, I would like to start by giving a little bit of background information on the hero known as Hercules. Hercules was born as the son of Zeus and a beautiful mortal woman named Alcmene, in the Greek city of Thebes. Due to his father’s divinity, Hercules was given the gift of extraordinary physical strength and courage. From the beginning, the events of his life were shaped by the wrath of the goddess Hera, who scorned the boy that was a reminder of her husband’s infidelity. As he matured he faced countless tasks and hardships, but through his victories he forever glorified himself in ancient literature. The stories of Hercules had quite a large impact on the early Greeks. Some, such as the ancient Spartans, believed they were descendants of the great hero and strived to be like him on the battlefield and in the gymnasium. Elsewhere, in Thebes, the Cult of Heracles was a religious group that was created which worshiped him as the divine protector of man. The cult constructed many shrines throughout the ancient world and even held festivals in his honor every year (theoi.com). Later on, the…

    • 1705 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Odysseus as an Epic Hero

    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages

    What is a hero you may ask? Merriam-Webster states that a hero is a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability; an illustrious warrior; a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities; one who shows great courage; the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work; the central figure in an event, period, or movement. I could support Merriam and say that Odysseus fits many of these descriptions and characteristics. In the words of Margalit Finkelberg:…

    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    First of all Jason is a tragic hero because he helped Medea when she didn’t know it. Jason tells her “You have a home in Hellas instead of some Barbarian land, you have known justice, and had your talents recognized all over Greece.”(Euripides pg. 365) Medea believes that Jason has done nothing but married her and left her for some princess. In that, quote Jason tells Medea that he has help her in many ways such as giving her a new home, teaching her to be civil, and helped make a name for her. Aristotle’s says that that a tragic hero is usually a good person and that’s what Jason is.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays