Allegorical hero and the initiatory quest for Virtue
LESLEY MADYTINOS. The heroes of myths and legends hold a most important place within the allegories of the ancients and within human society, past and present. Regardless of whether these heroes arise from the mire of historical battle or focus upon an ordinary person faced with an extraordinary challenge, the motif of the path of the hero is identified by a personal choice made by the hero from which unfolds a particular course of action that embodies specific qualities. These heroic actions and the qualities they suggest become the values of any community of humans.