Quote:
Originally Posted by Remathilis  Pop quiz: What does Conan, King Arthur, Frodo, and Robin Hood all have in common? They're all heroes. Anything else? Nope. |
They are all male.
They all gain some stature due to their birth/inheritance (the blood of the Atlanteans flows through the Cimmerians).
They are all elevated above the common person, by means of rank (Conan and Arthur become Kings, Frodo is the Master of Bag End, and Robin Hood was an Earl).
They all spend time among common people (Conan in his youth, Arthur in his youth before pulling the Sword from the Stone, Frodo in his youth in Buckland, Robin Hood in adulthood when he is outlawed).
All are concerned with the legitimacy of the King. Conan with becoming the legitimate king (the only REH Conan novel deals with this, with specific and intentional references to King Arthur, as does the first Conan story, The Phoenix on the Sword). Arthur both with becoming King and regaining/maintaining legitimacy in the Grail Quest. Frodo with aiding Aragorn to see the Return of the King. Robin Hood with defending the common people from Prince John until the true King, Richard the Lionheart, can return.
They all believe in self-sacrifice to protect the weak and innocent -- even Conan shares this impulse. While Conan pursues goals that are sometimes ignoble, the idea that he was naturally noble -- and naturally behaved in such a fashion -- is fundamental to the character.
None but the last of these is needed to make a character a hero,
IMHO, but these characters do share more in common that it might appear at first.
RC
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