The heroic ideal : Western archetypes from the Greeks to the present / M. Gregory Kendrick.

Includes bibliographies and index.

part 1: Myrmidons, martyrs, and muscle men : heroism in the ancient world. Neither human nor divine : the hemitheoi and their cults -- "Of arms and the man I sing" : the hero as Myrmidon -- "Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise" : the hero as martyr -- "Creatures of a day" : the hero as athlete -- part 2: Soldiers and servants of Christ : heroism in the Middle Ages. Miles Christi : the hero as warrior of Christ -- Imitatio Christi : the hero as saint -- part 3: Rebels, rogues, and reprobates : heroism in the modern world. "To boldly go where no one has gone before" : the hero as explorer -- "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom" : the hero as romantic rebel -- Black angels and new men : heroism in a totalitarian context -- Rogues, reprobates, outcasts, and oddballs : the anti-hero -- Epilogue.

"In its present usage, the word "hero" seems an all-purpose moniker applied to everyone from Medal of Honor recipients to celebrities to comic book characters. This book explores the Western idea of the hero, from its initial use in ancient Greece, where it identified demigods or aristocratic, mortal warriors, through its present-day usage"--Provided by publisher

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