Variability of the Heroic Image in Antiquity and Middle Ages

Abstract

The revitalization of mythological consciousness in times of war dictates the necessity of a more detailed study of the hero figure. This image, despite certain constants, undergoes transformations depending on the cultural and historical epoch in which it manifests itself; therefore, a comprehensive analysis of contemporary heroism requires an exploration of its original forms. In earlier times, only gods were endowed with the status of heroes; however, over time, “demigods” began to appear, which are characteristic of ancient literature. It is the divine component of their genesis that enables superhuman feats that glorify the hero. To denote “glory,” the Greeks used the concept of kleos, which contains two divergent vectors: the first, centripetal, directed toward the hero’s personality, and the second, centrifugal, oriented toward the collective or ancestral. Kleos is embodied by Achilles, Heracles, Theseus, and other ancient heroes, while Odysseus represents the concept of nostos – the return home – which also testifies to struggle, or agon, inherent to many classical heroes. In contrast, the Roman version of the hero is characterized by a set of virtues known as Via Romana, the moral code of Roman civilization. Dignity, discipline, and piety – these qualities shaped the citizen of the state, whose life was to be devoted to it. A defining feature of the Roman hero is the awareness of a moral and social hierarchy, at the bottom of which is the soldier and citizen; above them, the patricians and consuls; still higher, the emperor and Rome as the center of the world; and at the summit, the pantheon of gods with Jupiter presiding over them. The knight, or the medieval variant of the hero, was likewise subordinated to a strict hierarchy, with the king above him, and above the king – God Himself. Its mimetic nature is crucial to understanding medieval heroics: Christian heroism centers on imitation of Jesus, who, like the demigods of antiquity, embodies the union of divine and human. His death gave rise to the cult of saints in Western civilization, including hero-martyrs who gave their lives for faith. Thus, it can be concluded that the medieval concept of the hero is a modified continuation of the ancient model, adapted to the spiritual and theological framework of Christian culture.