Grrek Mythology Heroes free essay sample

Q) In what ways are Perseus and Heracles typical heroes? In what way are they not typical? In the realm of Greek myth, it is the focus on heroes rather than of Gods themselves that humanises the myth. Although Gods may operate in the background it is the human traits such as worth, dignity and potential that holds the main focus. The heroes of Greek myth share certain characteristics or experiences. Some of these include a divine parent or ancestor, physical strength, a performance of seemingly â€Å"impossible feats† and an encounter with divine powers. Although the hero has his own characteristics, he will typically follow a traditional pattern throughout his life. Both the work of mythographer Lord Raglan and the Russian folkorist Vladimir Propp have identified characteristics of heroes. This paper will look at the characteristics of heroes, then by following the lives of both Perseus and Heracles show how they confirm to the pattern then differ from that of a typical hero. We will write a custom essay sample on Grrek Mythology Heroes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Greek heroes’ adventures follow a typical pattern. In the book by Stephen Harris and Gloria Platzner titled Classical Mythology the pattern is broken down for us to follow. The hero is often born in an unusual or unnatural form. While still in infancy, the hero will survive an attempt on his life. The hero can quite often have two fathers, a divine real one and a mortal father figure. He will often face threats from the mortal father figure, which will lead to hostility. On reaching adulthood, the hero will either crave adventure or be sent on a mission that not only acts as a journey of discovery about himself, his society and universe but also to test his powers. In all cases, the hero is not expected to succeed. It is while on this quest that the hero will become isolated and must do battle with monsters or creatures and overcome almost impossible odds. To have success on his mission, the hero will often venture down to the Underworld or visit death in the face. It is here that the hero confronts the divine powers and gains a deeper insight to his relationship with the universe. Returning successful, having gained victory over his quest or a King, the hero will often be rewarded by the gift of marriage or a kingdom. By returning from the Underworld, the hero has experienced the whole life cycle, that of life, eath and rebirth. It is this that reclaims his spiritual life and links him to the divine world. 1 The mythological adventure of a hero may be summed up as found in Jason Cambell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces in the formula represented in the rites of passage as â€Å"seperation – initiation – return. †2 Campbell states â€Å"A hero ventures forth from th e common day into a region of supernatural wonder : fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. 3 The final trait found in many heroes is a trait that can also turn society against him. Having a compulsion for excess in times when society needs protection, the hero is no threat, however his cravings for love and companionship in times of peace can be the undoing of both himself and a threat to the society he is protecting. The hero can meet or cause a mysterious death. Perseus was one of the first Greek heroes. He has a god as a father in Zeus and a mortal mother named Danae. His birth was unnatural. With an oracle telling Acrrisius, Danae’s father that a child of his daughter would kill him, Danae was locked in a tower away from men. Zeus, being attracted to her beauty came in the form of golden rain. After she had given birth, Acrisius locked mother and child in a chest and put them out to sea. They survived and washed ashore at Seriphus, were taken in by Dictys and raised amongst Dictys’ brother King Polydectes. 4 This shows the first traits of the hero’s rite of passage. Perseus was born from one god as a parent, in an unusual method of conception and faced a threat to his life as an infant. A foster parent in a distant land raised him. Upon reaching manhood, Perseus was to face his challenge. With Polydectes now pursuing Danae, Perseus offers a gift as a substitute for his mother. Knowing the quest would be fateful; the king demanded the head of Medusa, one of the three Gorgons. As Harris states, â€Å"Perseus does not hesitate to volunteer for impossible missions, possessing by virtue of his divine parentage, the courage and skill to succeed. †5 With the help of Athene and Hermes, Perseus finds Graiae, and the nymphs to obtain magical weapons and set off to bring back the head of Medussa. Entering the cave backwards with the aid of a shield or mirror, Perseus is successful in his quest. On his way home, Perseus sees Princess Andromeda chained to a rock, at the mercy of a sea monster. He offers to rescue her for exchange of her hand in marriage. After returning home and defeating Polydectes, Perseus visits his grandfather, Acrisius hoping to reconcile. While attending funeral games for a friend, Perseus throws a discus that goes off course, killing his grandfather and fulfilling the prophecy. After their own deaths, Athene transforms Perseus and Andromeda into constellations. Further to the hero rite of passage, Perseus undertook a seemingly impossible quest. His entrance into the Gorgon’s cave represented an entrance to the underwold. 6 In rescuing Andromeda, Perseus wins the princess’s hand in marriage. The myth of Perseus as Harris states â€Å"embodies the complete cycle of the heroic rite of passage. 7 He fulfils the quest for immortality completing the cycle for heavenly rebirth and aquires fully divine status that later heroes will risk life to achieve. Heracles too assumed the rite of passage of the Greek hero. He was born the son of Zeus and the mortal women Alcmene. He too was threatened as an infant. Hera, motivated from Zeus infidelities, made every attempt to destroy him. Firstly, Hera tried to retard the birth of Heracles and brought the premature birth of Eurytheus so by aborting his destiny. 8 She sent a serpent into his cradle but the might of the young infant strangled it and survived. During his youth, Heracles turns his prowess to good use. He kills a marauding lion that was devouring the flocks of King Thespius. For the good of humanity, Heracles helps many. As stated by Harris, â€Å"Heracles helps many kings – leading armies, defeating armies, and, building and defending cities. 9 This fact is further pointed out by Linda McGuire’s article titled Heracles: Super Hero in which she states Heracles work of restoring order and furthering the common good. â€Å"He destroys monsters that threaten crops and herds, rescues the populace from cruel rulers and†¦ overcomes tremendous physical odds and conquers unknown territory, all to organise and consolidat e the world into order and deliver it from chaos. †10 Heracles like other heroes was given King Creon’s daughter Megara’s hand in marriage for a reward of helping the Thebans defeat their enemies. However like other heroes in times of peace, Heracles’s traits cause his undoing. In a fit of rage he kills his wife and children, an event dramatised in Euripides’ play Heracles. As a result, Heracles is to perform the Twelve Labours ordered for King Eurystheus. As with other heroes rites of passage, these were all designed to destroy him. 11 Heracles first Labours call on his physical strength. These include the Nemean lion, and the Lernaean Hydra, a nine headed water serpent showing an example of a type of monster that many heroes were to face in their quests. Heracles â€Å"fulfils the hero’s most significant function – to extend the parameters of human experience†¦ and to retrieve powers and knowledge otherwise limited to the gods. †12 It is during his travels that Heracles must, like other heroes confront his own death. He voyages to the Underworld twice in the typical rite of passage to as Harris writes, â€Å"find a loophole to escape the ultimate trap of mortality. †13It is the final Labour that sees Heracles returns from the underworld with Cerberus, the three headed hound, yet another monster figure. After his return from the underworld, Heracles re-marries but again is restless at home. It is the time of peace with his new wife Deineira that ultimately causes his death. Deineira is tricked into rubbing the blood of Hydra and Nessus onto Heracles shirt but when he puts it on, the mixture eats through him, killing him in agony. Once again we see the hero die a mysterious death. His quest for immortality is filled. Although these two heroes share many features that are typical of all heroes, they also demonstrate differences to the norm. Perseus was unusual in that he had positive relationships with women whether divine or human. 14 In fact Perseus performed all of his exploits either on behalf of or with the aid of them. All throughout his career, he was able to maintain mutually supportive relationships with them. Later heroes of the patriarchal system separated themselves from women for their power. â€Å"From the very beginning of the Perseus myth, the opposing powers of male and female, human and divine are more closely reconciled than they will be in later hero myths. †15Another factor of Perseus not typical of heroes was his lack of physical power. This is likely why he receives help from both Athenea and Hermes in his quests. Athene took Perseus to Samos to where the Gorgons lived, showing him an image of the three, so he could distinguish amongst them. She warned Perseus to look at the reflection of Medusa only. Perseus also had help from Hermes who gave him a sickle. 16 Even Perseus weapons of the pouch, mirror, sandals and cap are more feminine than other heroes would later use. For Perseus, powers such as flight, and invisibility usually reserved for gods showed that Perseus in effect became a demigod and reconciled the human and the devine more completely than any other later god. 17 For Perseus, although never travelling to the Underworld, it was represented by entering Medusa’s Cave. The fact that he derived his power direct from females through magical weapons, performed his heroic acts not in isolation or chasing immortality and in defence of women and that he successfully settled down in peace with women stood Perseus apart from the typical hero. Perseus was transformed into a constellation achieving immortality of a sort. Heracles, was the strongest of all mortals. He is the only man born of mortal woman to become a god upon his death. 18 Inheriting a divided nature, Heracles was â€Å"unnaturally brave, strong and clever. 19 Heracles is more closely associated with the centaur than any other hero. While killing many on his quests, Heracles journeyed to the Underworld twice and twice rescued mortals from death. Heracles, being of divided nature was often capable of committing irrational, ridiculous, and very violent acts. As recited by Homer in the Odyssey, Heracles remained divided in death as he was in life. But transcending the masculine, feminine conflic t, the hero undergoes the sacred marriage between hero and goddess, as the perceived obstacle of the pursuit of immortality is gone. As is evident, both Perseus and Heracles display many features that are typical of the hero. We can see by their stories that they are both obligated in some way to a king to perform their great acts of bravery. Due to necessity in their own circumstances they act on behalf of their sense of honour. We have seen that they both follow the rite of passage of a hero from their unnatural conception or birth through threatened infancy and on to maturation. They both leave on their voyages of discovery, facing threatening monsters and challenges that seem impossible to win while gaining the knowledge they require.