Literature is made up of a lot of art-related materials. It is also made up of tons of myths, lore, and stories. That being said, literature does have its share of notable characters from novels and manuscripts since the ancient days. There are literally hundreds of literary works regarding fictional or real life-based heroes. These heroes have engraved their names in history as one of the most interesting characters to look out for. Regardless of their origin and source, each of these heroic tales has its own story to tell. They have their uprising and eventual downfall based on their personal or emotional choices. The majority of these heroes are human by nature but those with supernatural backgrounds also have their strengths and weakness. There are only a few that have made their presence known and their works literally read.
1. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne’s tale originates from Irish mythology. He is the son of one of the nobleman from Ireland during their time. Diarmuid was a very skilled lancer or spearman. He used two of his famous spears namely the Gae Derg and the Gae Buide. The Gae Derg is a long red spear while the Gae Buide is a short yellow spear. Prior to his rise as a knight, he ventured off into the woods to train where he met a lovely woman. They made love and the woman who seemingly had some sort of power placed a spell on him as a form of a mole. It was called the Magical Love Spot which had the power to attract any woman to his manly charm.
Diarmuid’s rise to fame was the event where he kills 2,000 warriors in order to protect the leader of the Fianna namely Fionn mac Cumhaill. His downfall was due to the fact that Fionn’s fiancé was attracted by his Magical Love Spot. Diarmuid along with his new lover fled but was later discovered by Fionn and the two were killed.
2. Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw figure whose lore dating back to the early 19th century. Robin Hood was a skilled archer and swordsman. He wears his trademark green shirt and green tights as well as his brown hat and white feather. Robin Hood’s tale was namely told through ballads. Robin Hood’s motive was to steal from the rich and give it to the poor. Robin Hood would pillage from those people who were corrupt and give it to the needy.
Then again the rich would always take back from the poor with taxation and a number of oppressive acts. Robin Hood didn’t work alone though as he works with his group known as the Merry Men. Their hideout is located at Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.
3. Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh’s heroic tale is probably one of the oldest in history. His story was written during the Mesopotamian age back in 2500 B.C. He was the Akkadian king in Sumerian myth and is considered to be a demi-god. Gilgamesh founded the city of Uruk where he ruled for the duration. His tale was called the Epic of Gilgamesh telling the story of his life after the founding of Uruk. The Epic focused on two things with the first half focusing on Gilgamesh’s friendship with Enkidu. The second half focused on Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality after his sorrow due to the passing of Enkidu. Gilgamesh embarks on a quest to find the answer to immortality. In his quest, he met a few people and did a lot of heroic deeds.
In the end, Gilgamesh never found the answer to immortality as he died with the visions of the time he and Enkidu spent. Little did Gilgamesh know that his heroic acts would give his name the immortality that he sought as his name is still renowned even thousands of years later.
4. Hercules
Hercules was the son of Zeus and a normal human woman in Greek mythology. Hera got jealous of this and abducted Hercules in order to kill him but it ended in failure. This was because even as a baby Hercules had the strength of a god but was still a human. Hercules grew up as a normal boy under the guidance of a farmer couple. It was only until he got to an adult age that Hercules realized that he was part-god and part-human. Zeus then sends him to do his famed Twelve Labours.
The Labours would involve Hercules doing a series of heroic tasks such as slaying monsters and obtaining artifacts. In his death, Hercules ascended to Mt. Olympus where he was then a full pledge god.
5. King Arthur
King Arthur was the legendary ruler of Great Britain back in the 5th century. King Arthur is famous for a lot of things but his heroic deeds were probably at the forefront. His legendary sword Excalibur is one of the most famous lore ever. It is stated that he pulled the sword from a rock that then made him the king of Britain as stated during their prophecy. He also made famous the Knights of the Round Table with other heroic characters such as Gallahad, Lancelot, and Percival.
Arthur’s eventual downfall was due to a series of love interests and political disputes. He died under the arms of his love Guinevere and Britain’s rule has then since moved on.
Literature heroes have had certain ups and downs with regards to their lore and story. They do have their uniqueness to them as they tend to lean more to reality rather than super-powered heroes. There is always a lesson to learn from reading such literary works and you just need to find it.