Cultures create heroes out of idealized personification of the values that they hold in the highest esteem. Beowulf and The Epic of Gilgamesh give historians a better idea of the cultures that made them up. Beowulf was created by the
People create heroes by either recognizing someone as a representation of desired cultural values, or by inventing one who accomplishes the same objective. Therefore, observing who a civilization respects shows something about the character of the civilization itself. In Gilgamesh, the tale starts immediately with both the mention and the description of the deeds and prowess of
Gilgamesh. The “Prologue” consists of describing his deeds and commanding the listener to