HEROES In today s world we don t seem to have any heroes. You know this when you fail to see Bill Clinton s name on the top ten admirable people list. There was one time when people had lot of heroes such as Perseus, Daedalus, and Theseus. I believe that Perseus and Theseus are heroes, but I don t believe that Daedlus is a hero, because Daedlus does not have the traits that make a character a hero.
In Greek Mythology there are some traits that make a character a hero, this the way you know if a character is a hero or not. Perseus is a classic mythological hero because he has a lot of heroic traits. Most heroes have a human and a god parents, Perseus is son of Danae and a God. Their birth events are unusual, Perseus was born under very unusual birth.
A God had to transform in to light to get in to the brass tower to be with Danae. Heroes also face a lot of evil in their childhood; king Acrisius sends Danae and Perseus out to sea with out food or drinkable water. He also grew up under an unpleasant king Polynices, who wanted to get rid of him and marry his mother. Perseus s heroic quest began when he gave king Polydecyes a promise he said I shall bring you the head of Medusa! (Perseus, 118) Perseus s real identity was reviled when Here mes came to Perseus and said Good day, Brother.
(Perseus, 118) This is when Perseus finds out that his father is Zeus. Hermes came to help Perseus, to give him an amulet: a pair of flying shoes made by Athena. During his heroic quest Perseus also overcomes a human imperfection, when he resists dancing with the beautiful Nymph of the west. Still, Perseus gives a promise to meet them back.
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Because of this he feels like more of human then a god. Like other heroes Perseus had to go through a major conflict, he had to kill Medusa. I think Theseus is a hero because he has all the traits of a mythological hero. Theseus was not very tall or large as a boy, and he constantly got in to fight with big boys, and lost. Theseus like other heroes had to go through a test to reveal his real identity; Theseus was given an answer by a sea gull do not fear you enemy s size, but use it against him. Then his strength will become yours.
(Theseus, 148).
Theseus used this answer to fight other larger boys, and this advice was also an amulet given to him by his father. After this test he finds out that his father is not a king of a country or a region, rather he is the king of the sea: Poseidon. Then he was given another task go to Athens to visit Aegeus. Do not go by sea. Take the dangerous overland rout, and you adventures will began.
(Theseus, 150).
This when Theseus s heroic journey began. In his way to Aegeus, Theseus s faced a lot adventure, in his pursuit of excellence. After reaching Athens he meet up with his father King Aegeus. Because he was looking for adventures, he volunteered himself to go to Crete as one of Minotaur s pray. This is also a heroic trait, where a normal human would back out but heroes don t.
When they reach Crete, Theseus fights the evil Minotaur by him self without any weapons and kills the Minotaur. This is also another heroic trait: defeating major obstacle or monster. Theseus was now considered a hero, because he had killed the Minotaur there was a lot of celebration. When they came to Athens, Theseus finds out that his father, king Aegeus, had committed suicide because he thought that his son, Theseus, was dead because of his bad decision. I do not consider Deadelus a hero, because he does not have any of the heroic traits that make a character a hero. For example, Dead lus s both parents were humans.
His childhood was not filled with evil or adventure or any kind of test. Dea dalus was human by all account. He was an inventor, only because of Athena s inspiration. Daedalus was not noble like other heroes; once when his nephew invented a saw, Daedlus said to his nephew But first we must go to Athene s temple to give thanks for we must go to Athene s temple to give thanks for this timely inspiration (Daedalus, 118).
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In fear of becoming second best inventor in the world Daedalus pushed his nephew, Talos, of the cliff in the Athene s temple. If Daedalus were a true hero he would have killed Talos or keep it a secrete.
Daedalus left Athens and went to Crete, where as the book said Daedalus was an honored figure in this court and a novelty besides. (Daedalus, 139).
Unlike most heroes Daedalus did not fight evil or destroy a monster, Daedalus unknowing created a monster. Daedalus crated a wooden cow that look just like a real cow. Then a monster was born his name is Minotaur. But Daedlus created a labyrinth to keep Minotaur locked up.
These are just some of the reasons why I do not consider Daedalus a hero. You can see why I consider Theseus and Perseus, and Daedalus not a hero just an inverter. But all of these stories are entertaining and inspiring even Daedlus. This also gives you some idea what a hero should be and how should he act.
