EPIC HERO

Travels Over a Vast Setting

1. Simply put, you cannot be an epic hero if you stay in your village your whole life. 2. The more countries or areas traveled to, the better. The farther away from your own country, the better. 3. Distance makes the hero's actions greater because they aren't selfish; they are for another country or people.

3. Identify the person speaking in the following quote. "Your lord gave you gifts, Swords and the armor you stand in now; You sat on the mead-hall benches, prince And followers, and he gave you, with open hands, Helmets and mail shirts, hunted across The world for the best of weapons. War Came and you ran like cowards, dropped Your swords as soon as the danger was real."

A. Wiglaf

2. Match the definition with the correct term. : A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of literary, historical, cultural, or political significance.

B. Allusion

4. What is the importance of understanding the historical context behind a piece of literature?

B. It helps readers understand the behaviors and motivations guiding the characters.

National Heroism

Before a hero can be celebrated by countries the world over, he must first be recognized in his home country as a great and heroic person

5. Name the literary device in the following quote. "...foamed through the sea like a bird..."

C. Simile

1. The reference to the Bible story in Beowulf and the fact that the reader expects that all who hear the reference will immediately understand and know the story makes it an

D. Allusion

A Noble Birth

1. Most epic heroes will have an above average station in life. 2. They will be kings, princes, or nobles of some sort. 3. Commoners usually do no become epic heroes.

Capable of deeds of great strength and courage

1. Basically, this means the hero has the potential for great deeds. 2. The magnitude of these actions are well above and beyond what the commoner does. 3. While most epic heroes are good, not all are.

Great Warrior

1. Before the hero of an epic does his business in the epic, he has usually established himself in combat during a war. 2. Sometimes, as in The Iliad, we see the hero at war. 3. In most, like Beowulf and The Odyssey, the hero has spent much time in battle.

Humility

1. Even as the rest of the world recognizes the great deeds of the hero, he is never a braggart or even willing to take applause. 2. He commits his deeds because he knows they need doing, and the fame and rewards that he receives are only a matter of course, not the reason for completing his quests.

Faces Supernatural Foes and/or Receives Supernatural Help

1. Most epic heroes either receive aid from a god or goddess or battle some superhuman enemy. 2. This is what makes a hero's action epic: they fight something mere mortals cannot battle. Beowulf has his Grendel; Odysseus his Cyclops. 3. For each hero, the enemy is unique. You won't see two heroes battling the same foe.