       a hero (masculine, sometimes gender-neutral) or heroine (feminine) (, há¸rÅs) refers to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and/or the will for self-sacrificeâthat is, heroismâfor some greater good of all humanity. this definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence. the word hero can be used as a gender-neutral term for both males and females as the word has no gender-specific suffix in english and can refer to any person who is considered a hero. stories of heroism may serve as moral examples. in classical antiquity, cults that venerated deified heroes such as heracles, perseus, and achilles played an important role in ancient greek religion. politicians, ancient and modern, have employed hero worship for their own apotheosis (i.e., cult of personality). stories of the anti-hero also play a major role in greek mythology and much of literature. the anti-hero is a protagonist whose qualities are the last expected from a person in certain situations; an anti-hero often lacks the typical characteristics of heroism, such as honor, nobility, bravery, compassion, and fortitude. the favorite type of anti-hero is a characterless individual.âhero.â bloomsbury guide to human thought. london: bloomsbury publishing ltd, 1993. credo reference. accessed 17 september 2012. ==etymology== coined in 1387, the word hero comes from the greek á¼¥ÏÏÏ (hÄrÅs), "hero, warrior",á¼¥ÏÏÏ, henry george liddell, robert scott, a greek-english lexicon, on perseus digital library literally "protector" or "defender".hero: online etymology dictionary, entry "hero" before the decipherment of linear b the original form of the word was assumed to be *, hÄrÅw-; r. s. p. beekes has proposed a pre-greek origin.r. s. p. beekes, etymological dictionary of greek, br
Fantasy_tropes Heroes Heroes_by_role Jungian_archetypes Literary_archetypes Mythological_archetypes Mythological_characters