The Presence of the Warrior-Hero In Comics

[Little Foot]

I have recently been researching the evolution of the warrior-hero throughout Western literary history, with a particular emphasis on the evolution of Beowulf, which was at least partially influenced by the Christ-stories, to the establishment of the modern Arthurian cycles and the eventual writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. I personally feel that, within the general warrior-hero genre (a mighty warrior that saves the day), there is also a savior-soldier class (my term, though I'm just stepping on the shoulders of giants), which embodies those warrior-heroes who, through the development of certain character traits and the use of certain symbols and/or plot devices, represent the Christ-archetype (or something even more basic than Christ--after all, the death and resurrection theme occurs further back in Egyptian mythology with the god Osiris).
I know that's a lot of background information, and I might have gotten off-topic a tad. I just wanted to create a thread to discuss the warrior-hero themes in comic book history. Given that the genre particularly embodies superheroes, it's obvious that the warrior-hero is very prevalent.
So...any opening comments/analysis?

 

[Darthphere]

I jusst wanted you to know, we all had a meeting and decided you need to stop posting the stupid Little Foot pic.

 

[Chuck]

I jusst wanted you to know, we all had a meeting and decided you need to stop posting the stupid Little Foot pic.

Was that 'meeting' between your hand and your penis whilst you were *********ing over the lil foot picture?

 

[Darthphere]

Was that 'meeting' between your hand and your penis whilst you were *********ing over the lil foot picture?

No, your sister needs to tighten her grip though.

 

[Chuck]

I dont have a sister - it must have been your Dad in drag

 

[Darthphere]

I dont have a sister - it must have been your Dad in drag

Impossible, I have two moms.

 

[Chuck]

If thats the case atleast one of them proberly looks like a man in drag.

 

[Darthphere]

I don't know dude, I don't **** my parents but I don't judge Chuck.

 

[Chuck]

Thats proberly the worst comeback Ive read from anyone all month...try again when your mother/father isnt giving you a rim-job....it'll help you concentrate.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

All right, guys, it'd be nice if we could get at least some on-topic posting, so knock it off.

Little Foot: It sounds like you're casting a pretty wide net. Are you just looking to discuss the warrior-hero archetype in general, or were you after something more specific?

 

[Darthphere]

I have recently been researching the evolution of the warrior-hero throughout Western literary history, with a particular emphasis on the evolution of Beowulf, which was at least partially influenced by the Christ-stories, to the establishment of the modern Arthurian cycles and the eventual writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Beowulf precedes any Christ stories.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The familiar telling of it was likely recorded by priests, though. Most of the old Norse/Celtic vocal stories weren't written down until Christian priests came and recorded them.

 

[Darthphere]

The familiar telling of it was likely recorded by priests, though. Most of the old Norse/Celtic vocal stories weren't written down until Christian priests came and recorded them.

Damn Priests. Either way, I don't get what we're supposed to be discussing exactly.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Warrior-heroes, I guess. I'm not sure, either. That's why I asked LF to elaborate.

 

[Darthphere]

Cap is a Christ archetype.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He definitely will be when he rises from the dead and comes back. Jesus wrapped in the red, white, and blue. I bet some neo-cons' heads would explode at the thought of a Christ figure rubbing his naked junk against the flag.

 

[Darthphere]

Well you can argue he already came back from the dead once.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, I guess. But cold-induced stasis isn't as cool as actual death.

 

[Little Foot]

All right, guys, it'd be nice if we could get at least some on-topic posting, so knock it off.

Little Foot: It sounds like you're casting a pretty wide net. Are you just looking to discuss the warrior-hero archetype in general, or were you after something more specific?

I understand. It was meant as a general discussion. I didn't want to constrain the conversation any. It could go in any number of directions. I'm not looking for one correct answer, but just general opinions. I'd like to bat around a couple of ideas, and hear others voice their opinions.

Beowulf precedes any Christ stories.

What version of Beowulf are you reading? The only available written version was written by Christian priests and heavily influenced by Christianity. For instance, ignoring overt references to Jesus, Beowulf comes to "purify" the land of Heorot, and he has a symbolic death and resurrection when he goes into the swamp and everyone thinks he's dead, only to reappear after defeating Grendel's mother (like Jesus defeating Satan and overcoming death in the Christian dogma). Please, if you don't have an educated opinion, just don't speak.

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

I have recently been researching the evolution of the warrior-hero throughout Western literary history, with a particular emphasis on the evolution of Beowulf, which was at least partially influenced by the Christ-stories, to the establishment of the modern Arthurian cycles and the eventual writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. I personally feel that, within the general warrior-hero genre (a mighty warrior that saves the day), there is also a savior-soldier class (my term, though I'm just stepping on the shoulders of giants), which embodies those warrior-heroes who, through the development of certain character traits and the use of certain symbols and/or plot devices, represent the Christ-archetype (or something even more basic than Christ--after all, the death and resurrection theme occurs further back in Egyptian mythology with the god Osiris).
I know that's a lot of background information, and I might have gotten off-topic a tad. I just wanted to create a thread to discuss the warrior-hero themes in comic book history. Given that the genre particularly embodies superheroes, it's obvious that the warrior-hero is very prevalent.
So...any opening comments/analysis?

It's my understanding that Warrior-Hero stories were legends passed by family to family, or through lyric style poetry and books. Hero comics to me are a natural evolution from those stories. They always seem to involve some sort of sacrifice, some sort of hard task that is almost impossible to attain by regular folk, and it seems many of the older legends always seem to have horrible and tragic turns to their offspring, like Hercules.

Other than Beowulf, there are other really good Pre-Christian era legends out there:

Rustam - (Persian)
Sohrab (his son) (Persian)
Kawa- (Kurdish/Iranic?)
Farhad (Persian)
Jamshed - King of the World (Persian)
Cuchulain (spelling?) - Irish
Gilgamesh (Sumerian)
Bagiratha - Hindu Legend and Hero

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Cuchulainn was cool. I always meant to read more on him. I also always meant to read the flood myth of Gilgamesh, which predates the Judeo-Christian story of Noah's ark.

 

[Little Foot]

It's my understanding that Warrior-Hero stories were legends passed by family to family, or through lyric style poetry and books. Hero comics to me are a natural evolution from those stories. They always seem to involve some sort of sacrifice, some sort of hard task that is almost impossible to attain by regular folk, and it seems many of the older legends always seem to have horrible and tragic turns to their offspring, like Hercules.

Other than Beowulf, there are other really good Pre-Christian era legends out there:

Rustam - (Persian)
Sohrab (his son) (Persian)
Kawa- (Kurdish/Iranic?)
Farhad (Persian)
Jamshed - King of the World (Persian)
Cuchulain (spelling?) - Irish
Gilgamesh (Sumerian)
Bagiratha - Hindu Legend and Hero

Thanks for the response! Sorry if my post seemed limited; I had really only investigated the Western literary traditions, which are of course heavily influenced by the Christ-stories, even in myths that originally predated the creation of Christianity.
As such, I have limited familiarity with Gilgamesh, and virtually no knowledge of the rest, so, in your opinion, do contemporary comic book heroes emulate any particular archetypes, character traits, or basic plot elements of those tales?

 

[Harlekin]

For the record, the Little Foot pic really is annoying. You don't need to put it in every single post.

 

[Little Foot]

For the record, the Little Foot pic really is annoying. You don't need to put it in every single post.

Little Foot actually has a lot of the hero-archetype. He goes on an Odyssean quest, gathering a collection of followers, and after many hardships, he ultimately endures and is rewarded. In fact, it could be argued that this film was an adaptation of the Odyssey.

 

[Harlekin]

I wouldn't exactly say Odysseus got rewarded.