Heroes

Every culture has paragons of morality.  These shining exemplars of behavior are referred to as heroes.  Whether it is virtue, honor, valor, or brutality, every hero has a tale and sets the tone.  Be it Beowulf’s fearsome might or Rama’s supernatural abilities; either Aeneas’ tears of despair or Diomedes’ compassion for his soldiers, these messages translate across countries and language barriers.  There is a deep resonance in each person as these stories unfold.  Recognizing and fostering these connections in young minds would provide another opening for self-reflection and learning.

This website is (admittedly) still a long way from complete development.  Currently available is a sample of ten renowned heroes from England to Japan.  These figures are on the cusp between man and myth. A middle ground group such as this is to give just a basis to work from.  It will be noticed that some better known heroes are overlooked.  The reason for this both personal preference and a desire to open up the forum to figures not usually covered when examining heroes.  At the end of each heroes account is a recommended reading.  The listed name is the name of the story in which the character’s life is told.

Under the Exercises page will be listed a few minimal assignments.  These are meant to simply jog one’s thought processes to delve further into the mythos of the heroes.

As a final caveat, each hero has varying length accounts of their exploits.  None are complete tales for two reasons.  The first is to provide a quick intro to the heroes to decide if one can incorporate them into a lesson.  The second is to encourage reading the tales in either their original or translation.

The next evolution of this approach is to expand into a universal philosophy of war. It is not for the sake of idealizing or justifiying war, but rather to examine the way cultures approach it. The method I propose is to analyze primary source accounts of battles from both sides of the conflict, both the winners and the losers, in order to appreciate similarities and differences. For now, however, please appreciate this site for the seed of understanding that it represents.