The Indo-European Hero is a complex figure, a combination of the best and worst parts of human nature. Heroes often represent the noblest qualities of their cultures, but also possess violent instincts that make them dangerous even to their own people. In The Medieval Hero, Dr Connell Monette surveys a wide range of heroic tales from Celtic, Persian, and Anglo-Saxon tradition to decode the hidden truths about Heroes: their origins, their strengths and weaknesses, the source of their powers, and the Heroic Code. Monette demonstrates an impressive command of historical languages, and gives the reader both original passages and English translations of texts in Classical Persian, Old Irish, Old English, and Classical Greek. This book will enable the reader to better understand the Hero in ancient and medieval epics, and to correctly identify the dominant themes in modern adaptations of the heroic genre.
Author(s): Connell Monette
Edition: 3rd
Publisher: Sirius Academic Press
Year: 2013
Language: English
Pages: 291
Tags: Literature, epic, medieval, Shahnameh, Táin Bó Cúailnge, Beowulf, monster, hero
Copyright ii
Foreword iii
Acknowledgements v
Abbreviations vii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1. The Genesis of the Hero 29
Chapter 2. Epic Boyhood Deeds and Totemic Aspects 55
Chapter 3. The Filicide Episodes in the Shahnameh and
Aided Óenfir Aífe: the Hero as Social Disruptor 94
Chapter 4. Overwhelming Rage 123
Chapter 5. The Hero as Otherworld Mediator 139
Chapter 6. Mortality and Immortal Fame 198
Chapter 7. Analogue and Source 226
Chapter 8. The Monstrous Hero (or Monster-As-Hero) 239
Concluding Remarks 254
Bibliography 256
