Hercules Vs Greek

How do the modern and ancient Greek uses of the word "hero" differ? Why is knowing these differences important for your study of Greek myths

There are some differences between the use of the word “hero” in ancient Greece and modern times. For example, in ancient Greek, heroes were considered to be people with religious backgrounds. Heroes were usually religious figures in Greek mythology, specifically demigods usually born from interaction and mating of mortal and immortal partners. Heroes were capable of accomplishing some supernatural tasks that normal man could not perform. This is because they were favored by gods. For instance, Hercules had a mortal mother and a Greek immortal god who disguised himself as husband (Hamilton, 2017). Resultantly, Hercules was a demigod capable of carrying out extra ordinary feats.

On the other hand, modern heroes are just ordinary people with the ability of accomplishing extra ordinary tasks. Moreover, they are not associated to religion or religious cults. Thus a modern hero may originate from any background. For example

In ancient Greek, heroes were often immortalized after they have died and accorded the status of gods. Consequently, they continued performing heroic deeds even after their death due to their immortal status. For instance, after living a heroic life on earth, Hercules ascended to Olympus where he lived among Gods having attained immortality (Hamilton, 2017). Because he had attained supernatural powers after death, he could continue influencing other people’s lives. On the other hand, modern heroes are not accorded godly immortal status after their death. It is their lifetime achievements that are immortalized, thus becomes immortal by the virtue of their achievements when alive. Moreover, modern heroes are often remembered for their lifetime achievements rather than whatever they achieved after they