This opens up a whole conversation about symbolic and commercial value: what would we do if presented with choosing between a one-of-a-kind handcrafted kitchen appliance by a famed craftsman and a cash prize? The answer may be obvious, or not – the Iliad makes us think twice.

A Commentary, Volume VI: Books 21– 24 (Cambridge UP, 1993) 204 Adam Brown, “Homeric talents and the ethics of exchange,” Journal of Hellenic Studies 118 (1998) 165–7. In setting out the chariot race prizes in Patroclus’ funeral games, Achilles offers a brand-new cauldron for third place, but two talents of gold for fourth ( Iliad 23.267–9). Richard Seaford, Money and the Early Greek Mind (Cambridge UP, 2004) 30–3.

It is surely associated with wealth, but sometimes it is not as highly “ranked” as we might think. Gold in Homer is often associated with the gods and immortality. Let’s dive into some specifics, taking “Achilles and his gold” as our cue. Being a hero seems to mean more using one’s powers for oneself. of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 1984) 69 likewise, Michael Silk, Homer, The Iliad (Cambridge UP, 1987) 73. When we imagine Spider-Man and Batman, we may think of fighting crime and cosmic threats, or the famous clichés “with great power comes great responsibility” and “it’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.” In the Homeric world, hērōs (ἥρως) “signifies a warrior who lives and dies in pursuit of honour (τιμή) and glory (κλέος)”. Being a comic-book hero usually means saving the world. What does it mean to be a hero? Taken together, gold, gifts (whether material or god-given), self-control, and fists form an intriguing combination of heroic references. The education of Achilles (and/on his tutor, the centaur Chiron), Bénigne Gagneraux, 1785 (private collection). What unites them is far less their heroism than their conflicts and struggles despite their superhero abilities and feats. To my mind, what divides them are what different understandings of ‘heroism’ entail and what different societies value. It is not every day that we find Achilles and Hercules mentioned in the same breath as Spider-Man and Batman. She just wants a love that is simple and honest: His significant other replies that it is alright. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay’s 2017 electronic pop tune Something Just Like This starts off with the singer – let us call him Chris – doubting his worth as a partner, because he is no superhero:Īnd clearly I don’t see myself upon that list. Artwork by Impossible Brief for Something Just Like This, released as a single from The Chainsmokers’ album Memories… Do Not Open (Disruptor/Columbia, 2017).

Epic war 5 shield hercules