Origins
Thor is a character who possesses great strength and fighting ability. Our fascination with men, women or powerful beings who display great strength, beauty or cunning has been alive for thousands of years. Such figures can be found in tales from across the world; in the time before written language, myths and legends were kept alive by poets who ‘sung’ the stories. So what are the origins of the modern-day super hero?
Activity
Choose two examples from the list to research, using the questions below to focus your findings:
- The Amazons
- Achilles
- Anansi
- Beowulf
- Baldur
- Robin Hood
- Circe
- Gilgamesh
- Hercules
- King Arthur
- What culture does the figure originate in?
- What qualities are associated with them – their strengths or skills, any weaknesses?
- Who were the figure’s allies or enemies and what were their powers?
- Is the figure similar to ones you know of in other cultures?
- Can you make any links between these figures and super heroes you know of in popular culture today?
Make a list of as many super heroes as you can think of. For each one make a note of their special powers and their attributes, along with any weaknesses they have. What makes these super heroes different from other heroes you may know of?