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Submitted by curtnuggets on March 31, 2008
Category: Miscellaneous
Words: 1528 | Pages: 7
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Cultural Heroes
A cultural hero demonstrates cultural values. A cultural hero faces and overcomes struggles. A cultural hero is famous. A cultural hero may be living or dead, though more often dead. Often after their death, mythologies are developed embellishing their positive features. Herakles and Joan of Arc are examples of classic cultural heroes. John Fitzgerald Kennedy is a modern cultural hero. All three a well known and are remembered for their character and accomplishments.
Herakles
Herakles is one of the best known and cultural heroes. He is also one of the most controversial heroes due to many differing accounts of his life and deeds.
Herakles is a hero in the Greek mythology. He was born the illegitimate son of Zeus, king of gods, and Alcmene, a mortal woman. Herakles was threatened as a baby by two poisonous serpents sent by Hera, Zues’ wife and Queen of the gods. At eight months old, Herakles simultaneously strangled both serpents. Hera plays a large part in the mythology of Herakles. Herakles translates to glory of Hera in Greek (Gill, 2007, para. 1). Herakles is named after Hera even though at numerous times she attempted to kill or ruin his life. Even before he was born, Hera delayed Alcmene’s labor so that Herakles would not be born a king (Herakles, 2000). Hera is the reason for Herakles immortality. The myth goes that Hera was tricked into suckling Herakles. Her godly breast milk changed Herakles from half human to full immortal. His immortality played a part in completing his labors. When Herakles was married, Hera drove him insane and he killed his own wife and children (Herakles, 2000). This is one of Herakles greatest failings. Killing one’s own children is considered the worst possible crime imaginable. It was in penance for this crime that Herakles consigns himself to 12 years of servitude to Eurystheus. Eurystheus was Herakles’ cowardly cousin who became king in place of...
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