In fiction we can find many heroes and superheroes .
From the Latin heros , which in turn derives from a Greek word, the word hero refers to a man who is famous, illustrious and recognized for his virtues or deeds .
For example: «Luciano is a little hero of just twelve years old who saved his mother from dying in a fire» , «My uncle is a war hero who has several decorations» , «Diego Maradona was the Argentine hero in the championship 1986 World Cup » .
The hero in a poem or epic
In an epic or an epic poem, the hero is the main character and the one who carries out the most important actions. In traditional mythology, on the other hand, a hero is one who is more than a man but less than a god , since he was born of a divine being and a human being.
The hero, in this sense, usually embodies the most outstanding and valued traits of his culture of origin. He presents, therefore, the idealized skills that allow him to accomplish great feats, or heroic acts , which are what give him fame and make him someone admired by the rest of the community.
An individual recognized for his values or virtues may be mentioned as a hero.
The values
Saving people from almost certain death or defeating a very powerful enemy are the heroic actions par excellence in ancient mythology and epics. In modern society, however, heroes can represent other values. In this way, the person responsible for a sporting success or the admired artist can be considered heroes. There are also people who emerge as heroes by overcoming different types of adversity.
Current problems include animal abuse, sexual abuse of minors, racism and contempt for homosexuals, with consequences that often seem worse than death, which is why a hero of our times finds no use in a shield. and a sword , but focuses its actions on dialogue, in the search to generate awareness in the population, to achieve profound change .
Despite having a masculine gender, this term is often used to address women; This does not necessarily denote a sexist attitude, although it derives from a reality of that nature: for centuries, the figure of man has dominated history, if only because the truth has been hidden or distorted, and in the collective unconscious heroism is strongly linked to masculinity. Fortunately, thanks to a growing number of female fighters, the day will come when this will not be the case.
The hero's journey
The series of changes that those who embark on an adventure beyond the limits of their imagination go through is known as the hero's journey . This narrative pattern, used in countless popular works and legends , unquestionably describes the transformation that turns an apparently normal being into a hero. It is a phenomenon that can be seen outside of literature , in the lives of those people who seem not to belong to their environment, who cannot find their place with their family and childhood friends, and who feel the irrepressible desire to cut its roots .
The hero feels a call , assumes a responsibility that requires him to become someone more powerful, wiser. He must leave his birthplace to face dangers and challenges that will strengthen him, both physically, mentally and emotionally. The road is long and exhausting; the hero hesitates, but never gives up. When his first odyssey concludes, his return home confronts him with a harsh and impossible to change reality: his past is further away than ever, and the people who were once his loved ones are today rocks clinging to the earth, to a land that must be left behind once again, and forever.