Heroes: Perspectives

     Heroes, it must be remembered, are considered to be heroes by their own culture, and not  based on the evaluations of those outside that culture.  So, while it might be tempting to think of a certain figure as a villain, this is frequently not the case.
     More often heroes end up in opposition to one another.  Both figures are considered heroes by their respective cultures, espousing traits valued by each, and fulfilling both the definition and the conventions. So while myths such as that of The Iliad present a primarily Greek perspective, Hector and Aeneas are both heroes of Troy.
     This applies to modern heroes and historic figures.

• Magneto is regarded as a hero by his mutant society. 
• Benedict Arnold is regarded as a hero and patriot by the British for his acts during the War of the Insurrection (the British name for the American Revolutionary War).
• Adolf Hitler was a hero to the German people of the 1930s and 40s. 
• Josef Stalin was a hero of the Soviet Union for decades (though also regarded as a villain for how he murdered people in his own society and for accumulating personal power).

Nemesis
     Nemesis is not a convention that a hero possesses; Instead it is a force present in hero myths. Heroes are not allowed to simply waltz in and complete their quests or deeds unimpeded.  There is always opposition to the hero.  The opposition is known by the Greek term: Nemesis. Nemesis is strictly the force which acts against the hero, keeping the hero from obtaining his or her goals.
     Nemesis can take the form of a person, such as Hector fighting Achilles; deities such as Poseidon cursing Odysseus; monsters such as the lion Samson conquered; forces of nature, such as the whirlpool Charybdis; or nearly any other force which stands between the hero and his goals (we will address villains later on as they are a special consideration).

Conclusion
     The definitions, conventions, and traits of heroes are not static, but serve as a template for endless possibilities, and are a staple of mythology. The types of heroes in this handout are not exhaustive; there are myriad other combinations of ideas waiting to be explored. Modern literature, film, and comic books copy and expand on this template every day. Hero mythology is perhaps the longest lasting and subtlest influence of mythology.

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