Where have all the good men (and women) gone? Favourite heroic heroes!

Truth be told, I happen to have a soft spot for dark/broody/morally ambiguous heroes. I know I’ve tended to talk about villains and anti-heroes in the past- BUT NOT THIS DAY! For today, I thought it would be fun to talk about some awesome heroes (and heroines) that really stand up for traditional heroic values. These are the people who always find a way to do the right thing- no matter what stands in their way. These are the more stereotypical “goodies” as opposed to our more modern, realistic take on heroes. These are basically what I’d call the archetypal heroes. And yeah, as the title suggests, I decided not to just make this about blokes, cos plenty of female characters exhibit the same traits. Let’s get into it:

Alexei Karamazov– now I often spotlight Prince Myshkin from Dostoevksy’s the Idiot, but Alyosha is much the same in personality, if not more noble. He’s by far my favourite Karamazov- yes, above even the allure of Ivan- because he’s a pure soul, intent on doing the right thing and standing up for all that is good in the world. (I have heard people say he’s basically supposed to be Jesus as well, which makes sense).

Faramir– ahhh Faramir doesn’t have the highs of Aragorn or the lows of Boromir, but he is the most human of all Tolkien’s, well, humans. He is definitely my favourite of the bunch. Yes, he does struggle, but he always chooses the right path. He’s the perfect partner for my favourite LOTR heroine as well…

Eowyn– I mean, could I really leave her off the list? Did you expect me to make a post about traditional heroes and heroines and not do more than one Tolkien character? You kinda shoulda seen this coming (so really this is all your fault 😉). Okay, enough kidding around, cos this lady seriously means business! You know what I was saying in the intro about girls being able to have the same traits? Well Eowyn stabs the myth that only men can be heroic straight through the heart/right through Nazghul’s face…

Alana/the Lioness- I mean, if you wanna talk about original *girl power* stories, then look no further than Tamora Pierce. This typical fantasy adventure features the very best of heroics and danger in equal measure.

Harry Potter– okay, so I had to resist the urge to let my bias show and choose another Gryffindor for this one. But I think that other than possibly Neville, most of the other Gryffindors have more glaring character flaws. Other than Harry’s random bout of adolescence in Order of the Phoenix, however, he pretty much fulfils the role of good, old-fashioned hero. Sooo that’s why I went with Harry Potter above all the others… or maybe I’m just under the Imperius curse 😉

Vasilisa– Vasilisa is one of my favourite modern heroines! She’s definitely the kind of character that would make the Sorting Hat scream GRYFFINDOR! She stands up for herself, what she believes in and all of Rus!

Spensa– I recently read Skyward and fell hard for Spensa! She is a kickass heroine- she’s bold and funny and definitely someone you want watching your back!

Mark Watney– there’s more than one way to be daring in space- and Mark Watney definitely deserves all the awards for bravery! (and also for being a certifiable genius and great wit!)

Karou– like I said, there’s more than one way to be a hero. Karou isn’t the conventional hero- her story is more complicated than that- but she does have the purest intentions and the drive to see it through to the end. She would (literally) die to save the ones she loves.

Nick Hayes– Nick is the sort of timeless hero who always tries to do the right thing- wherever he might turn up. Even up against the odds, he finds a way to do the right thing and that’s all you can ask for!

Samuel Vimes– speaking of people who always do the right thing, Vimes might be a little bit rougher round the edges than others on this list, but he has a good heart, the best intentions and is such a fun character to boot!

So those are just a few of my heroes- did you like them? How about some of yours- which fictional heroes do you admire? Let me know in the comments!