Culture Heroes: The Mythology Of Cultural Heroes

The mythology of culture heroes, both fictitious and those who are the product of mythicized historicism are important anthropological tools, which allow for an intricate understanding of a particular facet of a culture. Culture heroes provide a detailed look at many of the ideals held by cultures, as well as provides insight into cultural cognition. One might expect a degree of archetypical character behavior from cultural heroes; however, this is not the case. The manifestation of culture heroes in terms of character is rather broad; however, there are several distinct similarities in the manifestations of culture heroes cross culturally. Before proceeding, it is pertinent to define some of the terms that will be used through the duration

In other words, culture heroes often do not manifest in a ubiquitous manner cross culturally. One common manifestation of the culture hero is in the form of a trickster. Despite the selfish amoralistic nature of the trickster, he is capable of being a culture hero. For example, across numerous Amerindian cultures, tricksters are held as culture heroes. In many Amerindian cultures, the trickster is responsible for supplying people with the necessities for subsistence, such as fire, knowledge of agriculture, and boat building. However, it is important to note that when the trickster is a culture hero, he is usually inadvertent in being placed in such a position. For example, if one looks at Anansi, the West African cultural hero, he inadvertently provides the world with wisdom. Another interesting aspect that is associated with tricksters is their shapeshifting ability. This ability further increases the variation in the possible appearances of cultural heroes cross

Cultural heroes can come in the form of demiurges. A demiurge is a divine being sent from a higher Being. This is not to say that tricksters cannot be both culture heroes and demiurges, Anansi is a perfect example of this combination. Culture heroes can also come in the form of clever heroes. Clever heroes, similarly to tricksters, utilize subterfuge in an attempt to best their challenges. An example of a clever hero who is also a culture hero would be Odysseus, because throughout his journey in the Odyssey he utilizes his wits and deceptive tactics to triumph routinely over his