The Military Hero s Of Today And Those Of Homer s Iliad Introduction In today s military, a hero is described as a person who goes out of their normal life to make significant changes in the battlefront. a military hero thus become the individual who is in the field fighting and maintaining peace rather than the officer who is sited in his office issuing orders. The same definition of a hero was depicted in Homer s Iliad as he describes a hero as the individual who goes to war and emerges a winner. The Iliad has several heroes among them the Greek hero Odysseus who was behind the fall of Troy and his long journey back home made him a hero. Despite the fact that the Iliad was an ancient hero s story and the military has undergone tremendous changes in the type of heroes who are there, there are many similarities between the two groups of hero s. Discussion Traits of hero s in the Iliad and the military today The hero s in the Iliad and those in today s military are known to have generated quite a lot of interest from spiritual leaders due to their engagement of supernatural powers before and during war. The supernatural powers were obtained from religious leaders who were called upon to pray for the military prior to the war. These military heroes engage the services of the Greek gods and goddesses of war such as Zeus. These gods played a vital role in ensuring that the Trojan War was fought to the favor of the Greeks hence success was attained.the same case evident in today s military heroes where divine intervention is sought by soldiers before embarking on any war as a way of assuring the military that they will win. Incorporation of godly and Godly presence in the military has been a common phenomenon which has attained much cognition as more members of the military seek to generate more heroes in their military activities. In the present day military hero s the spiritual powers can be obtained through use of charm and black magic which is a form of reassurance that when the military hero s go to war 1 / 5
they will succeed (Lefkowitz, 2003). The military hero s in the Iliad had to make arrangements for Zeus to disguise himself as a human being as a way of strengthening the Greeks in war. These arrangements had to be put in place prior to the war as it was an act of unity among the military hero s who were going to war as they could take up on any rival fully aware that they were bound to win. Today s military heroes are known to engage in various cultural activities which are aimed at enhancing their productivity at war. Top on the list includes practicing tirelessly and abstaining from any anti-social behaviors such as alcoholism. Though present day military hero s rarely carry gods to the battle field, they carry spiritual attributes such as holy water and ornamentals which are believed to act as solace in the battle field (Lane, 2008). The military hero s in the Iliad era that lost during war often blamed it on their misdeeds such as failing to comply with the religious customs of the place. Hence warriors who went to war and failed to succeed often had their wrongs to blame for being defeated at war. These warriors who had done wrong then went ahead to make up their ways after the results of the war. An example of such spiritual effects of misdeeds on war is shown by increased sacrifices which were made by the Greeks prior to any war and in case of any wrong doing among the locals, they were asked to undergo through thorough cleansing to appease Zeus. In today s military hero s prior to going for any battle the military hero s often seek the nations blessing such that everyone is expected to wish the military well. All these are elements of ensuring that the nation has military heroes at any given time who are responsible for taking care of their citizens (Bierdermann, 2006). The military hero s of today and those indicated in the Iliad have been depicted as going to war fully prepared to tackle the opponent or enemy. The preparations entail putting on the battle dress and being in possession of full armor hence making it easier for these hero s to face the enemy with the much needed confident. Although the nature of weapons and amour used in both periods is different, the battles which are part of the military activities are common as the same form of criteria is used to fight the enemy. This is in line with making sure that the military hero s are well armed to enhance chances of winning as a hero is usually the winner of any battle. 2 / 5
The hero s of both eras have also been marked as those with exemplary preparation tactics that enable them to fight better than their counterparts as well as avoid injury on their bodies by darning appropriate attire. The military hero s such as Odyssey in the Iliad era and those of today always has their vital body parts are well protected by use of protective gear hence they are able to fight the enemy without getting injured. This is a strategy that is unique among the military hero s as other military members who are not heroes may fail to see the essence of being better off than the enemy (Lefkowitz, 2003). The other similarity of the hero s in the Iliad and those of today is that when the military goes to war, the larger percentage of fighting and combat is carried out by the hero s. These are seasoned individuals who have been in battle for quite some time hence they are entrusted to the frontline where fighting is heaviest. The military hero s are known to possess adequate fighting skills hence when fighting; they are able to protect the others in the same team by ensuring that the enemy does not venture deep into their territory. In this aspect, the military hero s are given the mandate to protect their counterparts from probable attacks which could results in heavy loses. The military heroes usually fight as a unit in a uniform and orderly manner such that not one of the military members who are a hero defies the orders of the group leader. This is the strategy behind the winning of the Trojan War, as well as, wars such as World War II where those who were fighting as single units were able to overthrow their enemies. Hero s in this respect are military officers who are able to apply a disciplined and unique strategy to outnumber heir opponent (Lane, 2008). Hero s often declare their victory by engaging in a ritual where the hero slain the enemy or opponent by disarming them and at times maiming their bodies. This is followed by a series of events such as disengaging the armor from the body and then stripping it of all the weapons which are attached to it thus an unarmed body is left lying there and the hero is established. In the Iliad military hero, as well as, today s military hero, the military hero has to make sure that they kill the opponent completely even if it means pinning the victim down using a spear or directing more bullets to the slain body. These actions are aimed at reducing chances of the slain opponent from waking up and staging a counterattack of the hero (Bierdermann, 2006). 3 / 5
The Iliad military hero s and today s military hero s there are ample traits such as use of trickery in the form of strategy to make the war or battle succeed. The ability of the military hero s to engage various strategies which will trick the opponent into admitting failure hence eventually the opponent will give in thinking that the rival has withdrawn and eventually there will be defeat on one side. Trickery engages deceiving the rival into relaxing their efforts when combating the other party hence the military hero gets an upper hand in the fight thus resulting in victory. This is applicable as a form of finding out the real hero in the battle hence the military hero has to be identified through use of a variety of features and events which take place in the battle field (Bierdermann, 2006). Today s and the Iliad military hero s are known to develop a form of celebratory dance for the gods and God after winning any military activity. This is seen in the elaborate celebrations which are held by the locals of the military hero s after war and the hero s are then awarded various ceremonial rewards. These celebrations are coupled with details of the war where the military hero gets to share the events of the battle or war to those who have gathered for the celebration. For example in the Iliad, Odyssey gave a detailed story of his adventures in Troy, as well as, the return journey which he took before reaching home. The military hero s of today have a similar narration of their events where they engage the audience in vivid explanations and descriptions of the lands they visit in the course of duty. The celebrations surrounding the military hero s are also extended to those who are slain in war as their duty to defend their country from the enemy. Therefore, the fallen individuals are also regarded as military hero s and in most circumstances the same type of celebratory awards are extended to the military heroes regarded of the nature of wining efforts which were conducted. The Greeks in particular held elaborate celebrations to mark the funeral and burial ceremonies for the fallen hero s as the same celebrations which are awarded to those who defeat the enemies (Lefkowitz, 2003). Conclusion 4 / 5
In conclusion regardless of the time during which the military hero s were undertaking their heroic deeds, the traits and aspects of war are the same. There is plenty of similarity especially in the spiritual element of war and its relationship with heroic deeds at war. Consequently, the nature of celebrations was and is the same for those who win as well as those who die in the battlefield. References Bierdermann, N. (2006), Modern Military Heroes: Untold Stories of Courage and Gallantry. Random House Australia Lane, F.R. (2008). Traveling Heroes: Greeks and their myths in the epic age of Homer. Lane Allen Lefkowitz, M. (2003), Greek Gods,Human Lives: What We Can Learn From Myths. Haven, Conn.: YaleUniversity Press New 5 / 5