English Literature

The ancient Hero, is one who is a great leader of people, has great strength and is willing to sacrifice his life for something that is greater than himself. His life is influenced by the deities and his intelligence is extraordinary.  These are the main qualities looked for in a hero of the ancient times. Let us go through two epics given to find out how far these traits could be identified in the heroes of the two great epics, the Odyssey and the epic of Gilgamesh.

Thesis statement Life is the greatest journey where every hero learns to conquer not kingdoms, but the self.

Comparison of Gilgamesh and Odysseus

Bravery We find that Gilgamesh is a true hero according to the definition of the ancient hero.  It is said that Gilgameshs tribe is invincible and aroused by small insults.  This actually is the display of the confidence of his people in Gilgamesh. While fighting Humbaba, and climbing Mt. Mashu, the hero displays utter lack of fear. These things prove that Gilgameshs skill as a leader and warrior is unparalleled (Gilgamesh Was a True Hero. 2005).  Even though much is not said about the feats of Odysseus, the stringing of the bow and his numerous fights prove him to be a warrior of insurmountable strength.  His bravery us shown in the presence of mind with which he fights monsters like Polyphemus,  the ferocious monster Scylla and even the multitudes of suitors to Penelope (Odysseus A Greek Epic Hero. 2010).

Intelligence Gilgamesh was also an intelligent leader. The fact that he acted as someone who was not after becoming famous is very important from the point of view of a leader.  Even his quest for becoming immortal is attributed to his yearning for wisdom.  He wanted to take it home to the dying old men of Urok (Gilgamesh Was a True Hero. 2005).  Odysseus too exhibited remarkable intelligence. He appears in the Iliad as the one who comes up with the idea of the Trojan horse. His logical thinking helps him when he and his friends hide themselves underneath the Cyclops sheep at night.  He intelligently disguises himself as a beggar and takes the decision not to reveal himself, until the right time (How odysseus is a hero. 2010).

Fearlessness of Death Another most important factor in being a hero is the readiness to die for what you believe in.  While fighting the terrible beast he knows that he could die.  Undaunted he fights the beast to save his people. He doesnt flee, during any of the trials. And finally in the exodus towards immortality itself he faces the test of fire itself and wins (Gilgamesh Was a True Hero. 2005).

Odysseus is not at all afraid to die. He is courageous enough to travel to Hades itself.  He fights with monsters and survives them. He is unmindful of death, but intelligent enough to keep away from it and unnecessarily challenging it (HomerThe Odyssey. 2010).

Influence of gods and deities  Gilgamesh always prays to God and humbles himself before the Almighty.  He wants himself and Enkidu to be unrelenting and hope that God gives us the strength.  He understood the part of divinity in his life. Thus Gilgamesh was a skilled god fearing warrior, an intelligent leader and willing to die at any moment for his kingdom (Gilgamesh Was a True Hero. 2005). Gilgamesh Was a True Hero. (2005). Odysseus is also favored by the gods. Like Inos magical cloak which saved him and his crew from Poseidons lightning, the presence of deities cover his whole life (Odysseus A Greek Epic Hero. 2010).

Both these heroes are the centre points of the two epics as may be expected.  Their brawn and brain throughout the epic, keeps them always in charge of the situation.  Their deeds are insuperable and these powerful mythical heroes stand out as gems.  Their intelligence makes them godly in demeanor.

My favorite hero

If I were to select a hero from any epic, I would select someone who is mortal, with some folly, which he learns to overcome through the course of the epic. Often while reading epics like the ones above, we find ourselves in a fairyland and there is no connection with actual life.  When facing with monsters and bulls from skies, we are cut off from real life and the connection with reality is lost. So the main attribute I would look for in a hero is that he be mortal. That he has follies and he learns to overcome them. This would serve as a great message to the reader, an inspiration.

When we consider Gilgamesh, we find him well beyond the clouds.  His strength is well beyond the extraordinary.  Even though, Odysseus also does extraordinary things, the story of Gilgamesh is more like a tall tale.  Apart from the worrisome influence of extra terrestrials, the whole epic, Odyssey,  is very much a like an ordinary tale.

While we look for folly in Gilgamesh, we find him beyond the mundane things of life.  The only folly that he seems to commit is that he wanted immortality for himself.   Otherwise the author has kept the hero free from folly.  It is not like that for Odysseus.  First of all, we find him possessing pride to a culpable degree.  It almost causes his downfall when he shouts his name to the Cyclops. He is overconfident and sensual too.  Though sensual and tempted by goddesses, he is able to remember Penelope and Ithaca. It is the self that he learns to conquer.

Conclusion
The spirit of Odysseus is something we would find latent in everyone.  It is great to conquer lands and kingdoms.  But the greatest conquest is the conquest of the self and this would indeed be the sign of a hero, throughout the ages (Odysseus Character Analysis. 2008).