When we consider the Hero in ancient Greek culture, from the start we must
'de-familiarize' our notion of what a hero is. The ancient Greek concept of a
hero was different from our own culture's. First and foremost, the ancient Greek
hero was a religious figure, a dead person who received cult honors and was
expected in return to bring prosperity, especially in the form of fertility of
plants (crops) and animals, to the community. To learn more about the cult
worship of heroes, see Gregory Nagy's Relevant facts about ancient Greek hero
cults.
The hero is also a literary figure, of course, but here, too, we need caution so
that we do not misapply our own cultural ideas and standards to the ancient
Greek hero. A key part to the narrative of the hero's life is that s/he
undergoes some sort of ordeal. The hero, who is mortal, not immortal like the
gods, must suffer during his or her lifetime, and, significantly, must die. Only
after death can the hero receive immortalization in cult and in song.
The hero must struggle against the fear of death, in order to achieve the most
perfect death. Such a perfect moment must be recorded in song, kleos. Kleos
means 'glory, fame, that which is heard'; OR, 'the poem or song that conveys
glory, fame, that which is heard'). To say it another way: this word kleos was
used to refer to both the medium and the message of the glory of heroes.
Within the Iliad itself, Achilles is acutely aware of the possibility of
receiving kleos. In Iliad 9, Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoinix come to Achilles to try
to convince him to return to fighting. They find him singing klea andrôn 'the
glories of men' (Iliad 9.189). Achilles is acting as poet, singing songs about
heroic deeds. After they relate to him all the riches and prizes that Agamemnon
is offering if he will return to battle, Achilles replies by saying what is at
stake for him and what his choice means. He says at Iliad 9. 410-416:
My mother Thetis tells me that there are two ways in which I may meet my end
[telos]. If I stay here and fight, I shall lose my safe homecoming [nostos] but
I will have a glory [kleos] that is unwilting [aphthiton]: whereas if I go home
my glory [kleos] will die, but it will be a long time before the outcome [telos]
of death shall take me.
Achilles already knows the consequences of his decision to reject the option of
a safe homecoming. He is in the process of deciding to choose the other option:
he will stay at Troy and continue to fight in the Trojan War. This choice will
result in his death, and he knows it, but he is ready to give up his life in
exchange for getting a kleos that will never "wilt." Unlike natural flowers that
go through the cycle of blooming and then wilting, this unnatural flower, this
kleos, will forever stay the same, never losing its color, aroma, and overall
beauty.
The songs sung for heroes and the cult honors given to them in worship and
festivals, including athletic festivals, celebrated in their honor, are an
attempt to provide compensation for the death of the hero. because this death
can never be made up for completely, however, these honors are considered
ongoing and never-ending. they are performed on a seasonally recurring basis and
those who participate in the worship believe that it will continue forever, thus
providing a way for the hero to be immortalized, to live on forever.
http://athome.harvard.edu/programs/nagy/threads/concept_of_hero.html
