Classical Studies 2200 Lecture 8: 8. Heroes of myth

• School: Western University
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: Classical Studies 2200
• Professor: Aara Suksi

Document Summary

The adventures of heroes follow a traditional pattern: the hero is often born in an unusual fashion and as an infant faces terrible danger which he survives. The hero often has 2 fathers, a divine real one, and a human father figure from whom he often faces threats. According to freudian theorists, these threats represent a projection of the hero"s own hostility toward his father, whom he perceives as a rival for his mother"s affections. good divine father and a bad human one is, the hero"s way of coping with the guilt at his unconscious desire to kill his biological father. The hero also demonstrates prodigious powers, on reaching adulthood he craves adventure and seeking to test his powers, embarks on a quest. In the course of the question he is eventually isolated from fellow humans and, all alone must battle with nightmarish creatures and monsters. Ultimately the hero must confront the divine or cosmic powers themselves.