| Ancient Heroes | Modern Heroes |
|---|---|
| Odysseus | Frodo Baggins |
| Beowulf | Luke Skywalker |
|
|
For our first year seminar class we decided to research parallels among fantasy and science fiction heroes and discuss how these relate to issues of diverstiy. Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces provided parallels we could draw between heroes. Among these are a specific quest, humble origins, mentors or initiation rites, favor of the gods, and special talents or magical powers. Click the above links to find out more about each hero.
Mentors/Helpers~ Iolus, the god of the wind, didn’t really like Poseiden and bagged up all the winds except for the west wind so that it would blow Odysseus home. Hermes told him what to do so the goddess Circe wouldn’t turn him into an animal. He also told him how to get his men turned back into men. Athena watched over him throughout his journey. Tyreseus told him where to go. Zeus commanded that Odysseus be released when the goddess Callypso trapped him on her island.
Favor of the Gods~ Many of the gods like Odysseus because he often used his head instead of his braun, he didn’t rush into situations without thinking first, and was very strong and confident.
Abilities/Magical Items~ Odysseus had the ability to use his mind which was very uncommon.
Quest~ This famous journey is know as The Odyssey. It all started after the Trojan war when Odysseus got all cocky and decided he didn’t need any help and refuse to give thanks to Poseiden. Poseiden got really angry and cursed Odysseus saying that he would never make it home. On his way he encountered many obstacles. The first was a giant with one eye, Cyclops. Then, he encountered Circe who turned his men into animals. Next, he had to journey into the underworld to find Tyresues, a profit that could tell him the way home. He then had to sail by Scylla and Caribdus where he lost the last of his men. After that he got washed up on the shores of Callypso’s island and she kept him captive there. When Zeus demanded his release, his little raft was smashed into pieces by Poseiden and he washed up on the shore of Feicia. The Feicians were very impressed to see him and they brought him home. He then had to face all of the suitors that were ruining his estate and kill them.
Mentor/Helpers~ Beowulf was extremely self-confident. Beowulf did not have a mentor and seldom asked for help.
Favor of the Gods~ Although Beowulf faces each challenge confident of victory, he knows God will decide the victor. However each time God turns up on Beowulf's side. ...the Lord granted the Sea-Geats success... so that foe of theirs many conquered through the might of one...
Abilities/Magical Items~Beowulf posseses great strength. He singled handedly tears the arm off a great monster. He is also very courageous. He chooses to fight his first battle with no weapons to make it an even match.
Quest~ Beowulf travels to hall of Herot to free it from the monster, Grendel. After destroying Grendel, he angers the beast's mother and must confront her. Finally when a dragon is awakened, Beowulf must come to the rescue once again.
Humble Origin~ Frodo Baggins was a Hobbit of the Shire, where he lead a simple and peaceful life. He came from a family not known for adventuring, although some of his more distant relatives had had many great adventures.
Mentor/Helpers~ Gandalf the Gray served as Frodo's mentor. He shows him the ways of an adventurer and constantly reminds him of the danger of the ring.
Favor of the Gods~ The Gods do not seem to interfere with Frodo much. However he is blessed with good fortune. When he finally sucumbs to the will of the ring, Gollum steals it from him and falls into Mount Doom.
Abilities/Magical Items~ Frodo posseses a the One Ring of the Dark Lord. It is supremely powerful but will corrupt anyone who uses it. By not using the ring he demonstrates amazing willpower. He also has great courage. Frodo stands against the Nazgul at the ford near the house of Elrond.
Quest~ Frodo is called upon by Gandalf to travel across Middle Earth to throw the ring of The Dark Lord into Mount Doom, so its power can no longer corrupt the world. Along the way he must face many dangers including the Nazgul (minions of the Dark Lord) who constantly pursue him.
Humble Origin~ He didn’t know his mother or father. He lived on a farm with his aunt and uncle and helped them with the harvest. His dream was to attend The Academy and become a great star pilot, but his uncle made him stay and help with the harvests.
Mentor~
Luke’s mentors were Obi Won Kinobi and Yoda. They taught him the ways of the force, how to control it and use it to his advantage, and trained him in the Jedi arts.Favor of the gods~ The force ran very strong in Luke’s family.
Abilities/Magical items~ Obi Won gave Luke his dad’s old light sabre and taught him how to use it. Luke also had the ability to control the force.
Quest~
He worked with the freedom fighters, the rebelion, against the Empire. Their goal was to return peace and freedom to the galaxy. He also had to face Darth Vador and the Emperor to become a true Jedi Knight.We used this book as our model for our presentation. It discusses parallels among epic heroes.
Frodo Bagins. The Encyclopedia of Arda. htp://www.glyphweb.com/arda/. feb,1998.
The Encyclopedia of Arda is a detailed on-line encyclopedia of Tolkien’s works. This is where I found my information on Frodo Baggins.
Lehmann Ruth. Beowulf. pp. 32, 42, 39 University of Texas Press. Austin, 1988.
I used the text of Beowulf to quote it for the presentation.
Thormann, Janet. ‘Beowulf' and the enjoyment of violence. Literature and Psychology. p65-70. Spring-Summer 1997.
This article discusses how violence was an important part of justice in Beowulf’s time. I used it to discuss the society Beowulf came from.
