The National tribune., 1897-06-24
MY IDEA OF Il HERO.
Interesting Symposium Upon Vital
Tonic.

4UyiC.
With the advance of Christian sentiment orr
ideas as to what constitutes beroisn are fast
undergoing a change. Herosm has been de-
fined as the self devotion of genius manifesting
itself in action. Among the Greeks and Latins
a hero man Of distinguished valor Or en-
terprise in times Of danger; the prominent
parsonage in any important action or event.
man of this character, specially distinguished.
was looked upon something more than NOR
tai, link between humanity and the gods.
The whole fabric of mythology rests upon
achievements of men like this. They were
almost worshiped while living, and their ex-
traordinary qualities were believed TO have
come directly from the gods. The earliest
literature of all nations is full of their feats OF
proves. Thus in the Had we have the
achievements OF Achilles, in the Odyssey Of
Ulysses, in the Kneid of 1Eneas.
According TO mythology. the goddess Themis
pcrsanified that divine law Of right Which
ought to control ali human affairs. In this
capacity she became to be viewed as the god
dess of the rights Of hospitality, and WAS the
personifcation Of the divine viii which bore
upon the affairs of the world. She had control
Of the Delphic Oracle, and communicated tbs
prophetic art to Apollo, her successor.
She was the wife Of the great god Zeus, and
her home was on Olympus. She was the
mother OF Hof9, the hours; Parca, the Fa:es,
and AstT9, the goddess Of justice. She first
appeared on the earth during the war with the
Titans, and continued through the Golden Age,
teaching mankind the exercise of right and
moderation. When the human race sank into
| degradation she returned to Olympus.
Themis, she is sometimes styled,
| Urania. being the daughter of Uranus in con-
sequence of her profound wisdom and absolute
| truthfulncss was consulted by the supreme
gods. When Zeus wanted to marry Thets.
| Tbemis made the prediction that son would
1 Al. ,rtN Il
| even his father in might. 1t was for this rea.
son that SIS was given in marriage 10 a mortal.
The interest of the Had turns largely upon
| the results of an arrangement arising between
Ayememnop, commander of the Greek forces,
| and Achilles, who was under divine protection.
| In those days conquering army divided the
| spois, and part of the spoils were the beauti.
full maidens Of their foes. Wien the town of
Padasus was lost to the Trojans, Briseis, a
priests daughter, fell to the lot of Achilles, but
| she was aftefward taken away from him by
! Agememnon. Then Achilles, warned by PalIas
! Athenc. withdrew his forces from the Greeks
and sulked in his tent. Thetis his mother,
| secured divine decree from Leus that the
! Greeks should not win a battle so long as
! Achilles held aloof, and it was not, however,
| till they had met with many disasters and de-
! feats that Achilles, wearing dazzling new
| arm0r bought by his mother, Thcts, entered
once more the Greek service and slew Hector,
| the hero of the Trojan army. Achilles was
finally slain by an arrow given to Paris by
Apollo, and his armor was given by Thctis to
| Odysseus, or Ulysses, the hero Of the Odyssey.
1t will be seen that physical prowess was
| regarded among the Greeks as the highest
attribute of manhood, and that those who had
| exceptional powers received them from direct
heritage from the gods. Among the ancient
| Romans it was the same Romulus was nur-
tursd by wolves that he might have superhuman
strength; Castor and Pollnx. the gods who turn.
| ed the tide for the Com m wealth at the battle
| of Lake Regiilus, as described in McCaalay's
Ode, and known AS THE Great Twin Brethren y
! according to my th0logy. were but half-brothers,
Castor being mortal and Pollnx immortal. 1t
was only when Castor had performed special
deed of valor in Staying Lyncens, whose bride
he had carried of on her wedding day, that
in response to the prayer of Pollux he was
made an immortal. From that time on they
were both divine beings supposed to ride on
white horses ia the sky, with dazzling spears
each with star on his brow, and they are &c
represented in antique statuary. They were
the gods Of storms.
Thebes had her Cadmus. founder Of Pheni
clan civilization, supposed to have been de-
scended from the sea.god Posidon. He II
was who slew the dragon and sowed the teeth
in the ground, from which there instantly
sprang armed giants, who Immediately fel
upon eaoh other with such fury that only ivt
survived. With the descendants of these iv,
he made himself q strong empire, whom, by til.
aid Of Pallss Athene, he had become King O
Thebes.
Among the ancient Germans were the heroes
and heroines of the Niebelungenlied, or th,
German Iliad. all the characters of gigantic
physical powers.
Az civilization has progressed herosm hs
, taken on new meaning. To be hero nova
I days, man need not 10 strong enough 4
. WELD blndseon, or . woman brawny enough
, to endure the hardships Of an Amazon. Tn
youth who rushes into burning building +
save the life Of = babe ut the risk Of his own
who plunges into the water to save drownin
companion, or who whom hungry and in rag
picks ~ full poskst book aud returns IL {
it owner 10 the real hero Of Christian eivilina