What is a hero?

Illustration by Lindsay Hur

What has constituted and what continues to constitute the true embodiment of a hero? According to the etymology of the word, “hero,” coming from the Greek hērōs, means demigod, an entity characterized as being a minor deity, half-mortal half god, or an individual of divine status. Thus, it is logical that in ancient Greek myth, Odysseus is the great-grandson of Hermes, Perseus is the son of Zeus, and Achilles is the son of the nymph, Thetis.

Furthermore, according to Joseph Campbell’s renowned structure of a hero’s journey, heroes must break a threshold into a supernatural world with the help of a supernatural being and then leave with a gift from a deity. Modern fictional characters like superheroes have special powers such as flight, telepathy, invisibility, and teleportation that they rely upon in order to defeat the villain in the narrative. Ultimately, both traditional and contemporary fictional heroes seem to share a range of supernatural relationships and superhuman capabilities. But there does not seem to be anything compelling or sincerely heroic about an individual inherently given the exceptional status and tools needed to succeed in winning; therefore, a hero must be a human.

Not a ruler, nor a genius, a hero must lack privileges, powers, and talents. The greatness that a hero possesses is not measured by their title, character, or qualities but rather by their actions and impacts. In fact, there should be nothing special about them, or perhaps they should rather be actually set back by personal struggles or a possible set of flaws. In the end, nevertheless, they are admired and respected, becoming a hero from an unexpected underdog within a story.

In my opinion, a hero is this: a commoner who actively faces adversity to serve the universe and better humanity, changing people’s hearts. This definition does not necessarily mean that a hero makes one great leap or decisive victory; rather, this characterization of a hero suggests that a hero can also be the individual whose seemingly small actions accumulate over the course of time, equalling or surpassing the effect of one dramatic act. Thus, a hero is not always necessarily recognized for their works.

Mulan is the perfect illustration of this interpretation. Mulan is the daughter of a family that lives in rural China, who, when her father is conscripted into the imperial army, actively chooses to fight in his place, putting herself in danger by fighting in battle and hiding her identity as a woman. Nevertheless, through her determination, discipline, and hard work, she changes the hearts of her fellow soldiers and her commander, revealing to them the authentic nature of friendship and trust. Then, after she cleverly eliminates the Hun army and defeats the army’s leader, she changes the hearts of the Chinese people, showing them the meaning of courage and honor. In the end, however, Mulan’s journey most importantly teaches her father that love is more valuable than honor. Love, despite its complexity, deserves to be the strongest among the other universal forces. A hero proves this point, and makes it come to life. They change people's hearts. They make people choose love.

Luca Raffa