Heroism is defined as great courage, and if we look at history, we see many examples of great courage from the ancient period to the medieval era. Many of these heroes are inspired by great literary works or have inspired literature itself. Starting from the ancient period we look at Homer's epic The Iliad and read about the heroism of Achilles, Hector and Ulysses. Later in the story, we think of the warrior king Beowulf and his tale of adventure as that of a true hero. Ending with the medieval period, we romanticize the stories of knights and turn them into “knights in shining armor,” defenders of the weak and protectors of the innocent. From medieval times we have several tales that portray knights as heroes, while in others they are shown as men who do not abide by their strict code of conduct, chivalry. Heroism in Troy What it takes to be a hero changes, but focuses primarily on traits related to courage and working for a good cause. In many cases, the heroes of ancient Greece are protected by their gods, so the men themselves often have almost divine powers. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (2013), in the case of Achilles, he was the son of a nymph and a king, so he had divine strength and was the most successful warrior for the Greeks during the sack of Troy. Achilles was so considered a hero that after his death he was worshiped as a god (Burgess, 2012). Hector was the eldest son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Jean de Longuyon lists Hector as one of his Nine Worthies, warrior heroes who were paragons of chivalry (O'Reilly, 2012). Odysseus was a favorite of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, for his intelligence. Odysseus was the creator of the Trojan Horse which initially ended the war with g...... middle of paper ......n the lord's wife enters Sir Gawain's chambers to seduce him, he shows humility. Gawain follows and supports the cavalry. Another popular story of that time was Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale. The Wife of Bath's tale illustrates how important it was for knights to maintain a chivalric life. Heroism is an idea that transcends centuries. From ancient war heroes protected by the gods, to the gentle knight who lives for honor, we see how the idea of ​​heroism changes with the times. However, we can see qualities in all the heroes that connect to each other. We see people working and striving to protect the things and people they care about. It is very important to note that history has remembered these heroes for centuries and millennia; I believe this makes clear how important the qualities of care and strength are to societies of the past, present and future.