Hero Archetype Free Essay Perseus, Buddha, and George Washington

The Fall of Phaeton, c. 1604/1605

The hero archetype is as old as storytelling itself. Although the culture and time period varies myth to myth, heroes are subject to recurring themes such as, departure, facing trials, maturation, and returning triumphant and restoring or creating a new—better ideal. The mythic heroes Perseus and Buddha will be presented then analyzed to see how the two myths are similar and differ. The closure will concern with how George Washington became a factual hero. This essay was written to give insight into Greek and Indian cultures using myth as mirror, to answer why cultures in general produce similar heroes, and argue that actual, historical people can fulfill heroic qualities.

The heroic figure Perseus is of the oldest Greek heroes recorded. Like most all

heroes, Perseus is half mortal and half god. He was born by the union of princess Danae with the Zeus. Danae was sequestered by Acrisius, her father—king of Argos. The reasoning behind Danae’s seclusion is that a prophecy was foretold and stated that Danae’s son would end up killing Acrisius. Despite this isolation, Zeus found the princess irresistible and impregnated her through a manifestation as divine rays of light.

When Perseus is born, the king, unwilling to commit the terrible sin of fratricide, releases his grandson and daughter to the sea, cradled within a chest. Zeus guides the two to safety at Seriphus, a small island where they are found by a local fisherman. It is here where Perseus grows into a young man and experiences his first trial. The trial is a response to the demands of the local king. Being so beautiful, the king wants Danae as his own. Perseus stands in defence, offering any other gift besides his mother. So, the task of slaying the snake-human hybrid Medusa is set before him by the local king. It is seen as an impossible task wherein the king would benefit from both the success and failure of Perseus. If Perseus dies then the king is rid of him and takes Danae as a prize. If Perseus perseveres then the vile creature Medusa is discarded from the world.

Perseus, of course, succeeds—but not without the help of Zeus’ daughter Athene. She told him to visit the sisters of the Gorgon called the Graie. These creatures have only one eye and tooth to share among them. Perseus steals their eye, forcing them reveal where magical weapons are that will help him kill Medusa. The weapons foreshadow his ascent to full divinity, allowing him to fly and become invisible, powers reserved for gods. 

Past the petrified remains of men and sleeping Gorgons, Perseus sneaks to Medusa’s chamber with his hat of invisibility. He walks backwards while looking indirectly through shield-mirror lest he be turned to stone. When he decapitates Medusa, the winged horse called Pegasus emerges out of the wound; he escapes upon it.

For Perseus, the ever-present ‘descent into the underworld’ theme is expressed in his journey deep into the Gorgon cave. The descent proves that he is indeed no average mortal. Perseus varies from other Greek heroic figures in that Perseus coexists with the feminine aspect of the human being. Perseus is aided by the female deity Athena and uses clever maneuvering rather than blunt physical strength that may be attributed to Heracles and Theseus. His trial is also spurred by the direct protection of his mother. Such concern for the feminine aspect suggests the culture of the early Greeks or Minoans/Mycenaeans at one point held high respect for women and may have been a matriarchal society. 

Unlike Perseus, Siddhārtha Gautama or Buddha is accepted by most as being an actual person of history. His factual life is subject to debate, but he is thought to have lived during the sixth to fourth century in Nepal. His departure began when he realized the suffering of the lower class citizens. His father, a king, had hid the deprived nature of his peasant subjects from his son. Striving to understand why life is full of strife, Buddha rejects his princely life and wealth in pursuit of enlightenment. 

Like Perseus, Buddha is believed to be conceived by a god. The conception though occurs different sense—in that a divine being incarnated into a prenatal infant in a queen’s womb; or, Buddha’s soul existed prior to conception. Perseus is not held to be Zeus in human form. They exist as two separate entities. And all the reproductive energies were produced by the god Zeus within Danae, leaving no room for mortal germination. Buddha is birthed by two mortal parents and seen as having an advanced soul encapsulated inside a mortal body. 

So, just in the beginnings of the two heroes, a stark contrast of how the two different cultures’ conception of life after death can be observed. The Indian conception of afterlife is that of a passing stage. The actions one takes produce either a positive or negative impact upon the soul and govern how the proceeding life may take place. In the Greek works by Hesiod and Homer, the soul was destined to an afterlife of shadow and agony in the underworld called Tartarus. This gloomy fate could only be circumnavigated by being a favored war-hero—then an afterlife at the Elysian Fields, a heaven-like place that was a subsection of Tartarus, would be granted. (a similar concept of reincarnation does emerge later with Plato, however) As the poet Anacreon puts it death was seen as a permanent fixture for the soul.

“For the lightless chasm of death is dreadful and the descent appalling: once cast down into Hades, there is no return.” 

The question of death and the processes that go about life after death are problems that all humans must face. Too, all cultures are subject to night and day, passions to reproduce, the necessity to eat and so on. Cultural myths share similarities because the human being is subject to these encompassing facts. The heroes’ departure, trial, and return are integral themes in myth because it alludes to the fact that human life is split to the same degree. At some point the human must leave behind their family and go off on their own. The middle stage of life is the trial, and it is here the human gathers knowledge. Upon return the human gives back to society what he or she has learned. Of course some people never grow up, challenge themselves, or return to society something of value; sometimes only one or two of the stages are completed. Such an occurrence results in stagnation of development and is not the ideal of society.

So in a way all humans have potential to become a hero. The life of George Washington is a display of herodom. He did not start life by any fantastic means, nor did he attain enlightenment or slay mythical monsters. But Washington did successfully complete the three stages of the hero. During the vigor of his twenties he departed to the battlefield of the French and Indian war. There he faced the trials of combat and strategy. And after he returned matured with experience of war. This act of warfare served as legitimacy for his future command. 

Yet if a step back is taken and one imagines Washington’s whole life on a time line, the French and Indian war serves merely as a token for what is to come. He experiences long years of civil life before his final call to action. The excessive taxes enacted by the of the far off king George III were ignoble in the eyes of these ambitious colonists, ultimately erupting in the Boston Tea Party and later the Revolutionary War. Because of his proven capabilities and social status, Washington was chosen by the senate to be commander-in-chief. Again he departs from home, enters the trials of war, and returns triumphantly. This time he is raised to heights of sublime authority for, in a sense, he fulfills the heroic role of ‘redeemer of humanity’ by freeing the American people from the constraints of Britain. 

In conclusion, heroes become heroes by being an outstanding member of society. Perseus removed the sinister snake-humanoid Medusa from the world, and returned to father a large family whose descendants would later become heroes themselves. Siddhārtha Gautama gave society Buddhism. Or at least revitalized loose information about the understanding of becoming enlightened. His teaching were a great value to the society of the time and still is today. And Washington provided the cohesive substance for the colonies to align with and form the United States. His leadership was so valued that his contemporaries persuaded him to leave behind his civilian life and assume the position of President. The life of George Washington is a demonstration of how fantastic faculties such as magic shoes or supreme knowledge of existence are not required for one to ascend to herodom. Although only a chosen few are fated to experience a life like Washington, an average person who strives deeply will naturally fulfill heroic qualities. For in growing as a being, overcoming obstacles, and then creating and giving value to society through knowledge obtained from the trials of life, one becomes a hero.

Wordcount: 1527

Anacreon of Teos (582-485 B.C.) Translated by Willis Barnstone in Greek Lyric Poetry p. 127

Irving, Washington. The Crayon Miscellany. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blanchard, 1835. Print.

Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print.

Brookhiser, Richard. Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington. New York: Free, 1996. Print.