Sundiat The Role Of Heroes In Ancient Civilization

As civilizations have progressed, there have been many changes in the way society chooses to view certain things. Different civilizations had their own beliefs on what characteristics gave a person character. They also set standards on how that individual would be viewed in society. Throughout history, heroes have arisen in many forms. Some of these heroes have been loyal and sacrificed themselves for the greater good and others have been great warriors that have passionately fought for their kingdom. Overall, these individuals have been a role model for their society and truly given their people hope. Heroes give people honor in being part of their kingdom. They also can help be the last inner strength someone needs to win even the hardest
Sundiata was unable to speak before the age of three and was unable to walk until the age of seven but he did not let harsh words affect him, even when at an early age, “malicious tongues began to blab. What three-year-old has not yet taken his first steps?” (p.15). He soon makes his mind up to overcome his problem of not walking. In doing this, he thinks of his mother and asks, “Mother, do you want just the leaves of the baobab or would you rather I brought you the whole tree” (p.19). He continually stands up for what is right. In one instance when the old witches try to get Sundiata to steal from his mother’s garden and finds them doing so he replies, “stop, stop, poor old women…what is the matter with you to run away like this. This garden belongs to all…each time that you run short of condiments come to stock up here without fear” (p.25). Sundiata becomes a hero even in the eyes of those who try to harm him. He continually showed leadership no matter what company he was in and “he was great among kings, he was peerless among men; he was beloved of God because he was last of the great conquerors”
Another form of hero is a tragic hero. A tragic hero will often do something that will eventually destroy himself. Oedipus, in Oedipus Tyrannus, is a perfect example of this. Throughout most of the story he is seen as the greatest hero of his time. Unfortunately, an action he committed earlier in the story will return and destroy the once called hero. “This day bears your birth and bring your devastation” (p.18). Oedipus married a newly widowed queen named Jocostas and soon learns that her husband had been murdered. “A pack of thieves killed him in ambush; Not one man alone but many” (p.5). At the time he doesn’t realize that the one who actually killed her husband was Oedipus himself. In another part of the story, Oedipus tries to find the reason why the child of king Laius was sent away die as a child. During his search, he stumbles upon the fact that the child was actually prophesized to kill her father and that Oedipus would lay with his mother. He begins to become suspicious if the child who was sent away might actually be him. “I tell you, the murderer of Laius (Oedipus’ father), the object of your self-proclaimed manhunt, the one you’ve sought for so long – he is here. He seems at first to be a newcomer from abroad, yet soon he’ll be seen as a born Theban. But no joy for him in that. Hopeless, a blind man who once could see, a beggar who before was rich, led by a stick, picking his way across lands