Mythology: illiad by homer

There are different characteristics of a hero in Greek mythology. For example, Homers epic poem the illiad perfectly illustrates many of these themes. As such this paper seeks to identify the main heroic characteristics that the illiad emphasizes and events/characters that epitomize them. The paper will also discuss how at times the characters fall short of fulfilling these heroic ideals.
Heroes are comprised of numerous characteristics and some of them include courage. The heroes are courageous and they can fight giants (Greek Heroes). Indeed, a hero is seen as a brave person and he should not be discouraged to fight giants by virtue of their body size. Winning a battle or fight against a giant does not necessarily mean that the opponent should be similar in size but the technique used in fighting. A skillful fighter stands better chances of winning different battles. Fighting a winning battle requires great tactics rather than physical fitness. In is not surprising that a giant is defeated by a small person. The biblical story of Goliath, the giant being defeated by David a small person in terms of body size illustrates this theme of heroism.
The other character of a hero is related to the aspect of accomplishments. Great heroes have a trail of accomplishments to their record and these make them famous. Heroes of the time have a good track record and it can also be seen that they have fewer defeats. It can also be noted that great heroes often participate in great events and these are very important. In some cases, these can be national events and they are historic since they are seldom held. Those crowned champions in such events are often held with great esteem and they are admired by many people. The other issue is that heroes often maintain their culture and they identify with it. Creating an identity is a very important aspect about heroism since people can identify with different heroes. This also helps create a sense of belonging among the heroes where they can draw inspiration from the people who belong to their groups.
However, some characters often fall short of fulfilling these heroic ideals if they fail to invoke the powers of the Gods. A good example is illustrated in the following: “ Meanwhile Apollo went down into the battle, and launched a deadly confusion upon the Argives, and gave glory to the Trojans and Hektor. – Book XVI,” (Greek Heroes). Many heroes from the Greek origin believe that their Gods are very powerful and they can give them the power and will to win any battle. To a certain extent, it is also believed that great achievements in live can only be possible through the intervention of the “ Gods” in a particular battle. People who often go into a battle without faith of their Gods are likely to lose and those with faith likely to win.

In conclusion, it can be observed that a hero is someone regarded as a victor, courageous and capable of winning different battles. A hero has great accomplishments to his title and these often come from different battles. The other notable characteristic of a hero is that he often maintains his culture. This helps create an identity which is easily recognized by different person. This is very important since it helps create a distinction among different heroes. More often than not, heroes fail if they do not invoke the powers of the Gods. It is essential to have faith of the Gods in order to win any battle.
Works cited
Greek Heroes. http://nebula. wsimg. com/49e50f472a590b8f098508245b064899? AccessKeyId= 4FEE79117BDB62A3A505&disposition= 0&alloworigin= 1 Web. 09 March 2015.