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1) The hero's mother is a royal virgin
2) His father is a king and
3) often a near relative of the mother, but
4) the circumstances of his conception are unusual, and
5) he is also reputed to be the son of a god
6) at birth an attempt is made, usually by his father or maternal grandfather, to kill him, but
7) He is spirited away, and
8) Reared by foster-parents in a far country
9) We are told nothing of his childhood, but
10) On reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future kingdom.
11) After a victory over the king and or giant, dragon, or wild beast
12) He marries a princess, often the daughter of his predecessor and
13) becomes king
14) For a time he reigns uneventfully and
15) Prescribes laws but
16) later loses favor with the gods and or his people and
17) Is driven from from the throne and the city after which
18) He meets with a mysterious death
19) often at the top of a hill.
20) his children, if any, do not succeed him.
21) his body is not buried, but nevertheless
22) he has one or more holy sepulchres.
Depending on this scale, the higher a particular hero scores, the closer he is to the UR-archetype of the sacred hero-king of prehistoric religious ritual; a historical hero is likely to share rather few of the mythical characteristics.
Can you find the score of the following heros or Gods: Oedipus, Apollo, Pelops, Jason, Theseus, Hercules, Bellerophon, Dionysus, Perseus, Romulus?
For example the hero of the Game baldurs gate :
The hero's mother is a royal virgin
the circumstances of his conception are unusual
he is also reputed to be the son of a god
at birth an attempt is made to kill him, but
He is spirited away, and
Reared by foster-parents in a far country
We are told nothing of his childhood,
victory over the king and or giant, dragon, or wild beast
his body is not buried, but nevertheless
he has one or more holy sepulchres.
Score = 10/22
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FAQ
. Guess I have some "brushing up" to do.
