Myth of the Hero

The concept of the hero is consubstantial with that of myth: they evolved together through the ages. Myths relate the exploits of a man, most frequently the son of a god and a mortal, or of a goddess and a mortal, endowed with extraordinary value and destined to carry out glorious exploits, especially an act of protection or rescue. From a psychoanalytic perspective, the heroic myth has its roots in the fantasy of the family romance. It expresses and sustains the identification of the ego with an idealized imago, especially...