About 2500 years ago, the earliest Greek authors began writing myths about extraordinary heroes that mostly all followed a similar cycle, now known as “The Hero Journey Cycle.” In the modern day and age, authors continue using this cycle as a base for their stories, therefore heroes created now, during the 2000’s have a myriad of similarities with heroes originating from B.C. times. Hence the evident resemblances in the plot of Hercules, a hero from centuries ago, and Ewan Mao, a present-day hero from the story, A Hero at the End of the World written by Erin Claiborne. The two champions were raised to be valiant, making their ordinary beginnings both alike, and superior. Furthermore, Hercules and Ewan are called to adventure by an accident
…show more content…
Despite being created thousands of years apart, the two undergo the same sequence, The Hero Journey Cycle. The “ordinary” beginnings of Hercules and Ewan were not so ordinary, they were more exceptional. Hercules was practically born heroic, being that he was a son of the king of the gods, Zeus. He was well known throughout Greece for his courage, and therefore was given special treatment for most of his childhood. “Before he was eighteen he had done many famous deeds (146).” As stated by the myth of Hercules rewritten by Rex Warner in a book of myths called Greek Myths and Legends, Hercules had been renowned from an early age for defeating monsters and completing daring quests. His “ordinary” beginning was simply being as great as a son of Zeus was supposed to be. Hercules lived his entire life being perfect, and gained a perfect family made of a wife that was a daughter of a …show more content…
Hercules progresses through a sequence of trials, in order to purge himself of his sins. King Eurystheus, is put in charge of making separate trials or “labors,” as implied by the myth title, for Hercules, each labor posing a new and more difficult challenge. “It seemed a hard and cruel sentence… at the end of many labors he would be received among the gods (Warner, 147).” Each of the labors pose a new threat and a new test to Hercules. Each labor varies completely from having to catch beasts, to scooping poop. Each labor tests Hercules’s strength and determination to become a god, an almost impossible feat. Even more, Ewan is put under a variety of trials, like Hercules, that tests his want for his former life, and how far he’ll go to protect his friends. Ewan’s trials are not labors, but include him hopping through a variety of different alternate universes, each with a different life-threatening danger in them. “This universe is… not what I was expecting (Claiborne, 229).” Ewan’s previous anger leads him to get mixed up with a lady with secret plans to blow up her current universe, to get to another where she can rule. Her plans almost backfire when Oliver finds them last minute while working for the government. Ewan and Oliver are brought with her to the universe in which she will rule, and the two characters steal her universe
Despite being created thousands of years apart, the two undergo the same sequence, The Hero Journey Cycle. The “ordinary” beginnings of Hercules and Ewan were not so ordinary, they were more exceptional. Hercules was practically born heroic, being that he was a son of the king of the gods, Zeus. He was well known throughout Greece for his courage, and therefore was given special treatment for most of his childhood. “Before he was eighteen he had done many famous deeds (146).” As stated by the myth of Hercules rewritten by Rex Warner in a book of myths called Greek Myths and Legends, Hercules had been renowned from an early age for defeating monsters and completing daring quests. His “ordinary” beginning was simply being as great as a son of Zeus was supposed to be. Hercules lived his entire life being perfect, and gained a perfect family made of a wife that was a daughter of a …show more content…
Hercules progresses through a sequence of trials, in order to purge himself of his sins. King Eurystheus, is put in charge of making separate trials or “labors,” as implied by the myth title, for Hercules, each labor posing a new and more difficult challenge. “It seemed a hard and cruel sentence… at the end of many labors he would be received among the gods (Warner, 147).” Each of the labors pose a new threat and a new test to Hercules. Each labor varies completely from having to catch beasts, to scooping poop. Each labor tests Hercules’s strength and determination to become a god, an almost impossible feat. Even more, Ewan is put under a variety of trials, like Hercules, that tests his want for his former life, and how far he’ll go to protect his friends. Ewan’s trials are not labors, but include him hopping through a variety of different alternate universes, each with a different life-threatening danger in them. “This universe is… not what I was expecting (Claiborne, 229).” Ewan’s previous anger leads him to get mixed up with a lady with secret plans to blow up her current universe, to get to another where she can rule. Her plans almost backfire when Oliver finds them last minute while working for the government. Ewan and Oliver are brought with her to the universe in which she will rule, and the two characters steal her universe