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!
What a great post, I do love a hero or two!
I’ve just finished reading The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson (epic fantasy) there’s more than one hero in there battling their way through the pages.
Or Samantha Martin from the Imp series (urban fantasy)
Another urban fantasy heroine is Alex Craft written by Kalayna Price
I’ll stop there….!
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Thank you so much!!
What a cool list- I don’t know these- but it definitely makes me super curious!!
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Awesome post! You always have great ideas for posts 🙂
I love Sam Vimes too! And Harry Potter. And Eowyn 😀
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Thank you so much!! 😀
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SAM VIMES!!! Omg, talk about such an underappreciated hero!!! He’s one of my Discworld favorites!
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Ahh he’s amazing!!
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I also love morally ambiguous characters, or at least complex in regards to morality. I find it makes characters more realistic than those who seem to always do the right thing like it’s super easy ha-ha!
HOWEVER! I do love this list idea! I totally agree with Faramir and Eowyn … and I just love both of them in general ha-ha!
Ooo yes … Harry Potter for sure. But I DO find that he has a BIT more complexity to him. Overall, he’s a “typical hero character”, but I find that he struggles more from books 5 to 7, which I enjoyed more tbh ha-ha!
I would have to say, I also think Peeta from The Hunger Games would fit this definition. Oh! And Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia!
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Lucy is a good one! The most unwavering of the lot, and probably the closest to Aslan
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I really agree with you to be fair 😉
I’m so so glad you agree though!
And yes absolutely Totally fair!
Ahh those are both excellent picks!!
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I love the inclusion of Faramir & Eowyn. Faramir the was always one of my favorites; more gentle and scholarly than the other “great men,” but no less noble.
I really don’t like the movie version of him trying to take the ring to Gondor rather than choosing to keep his oath from practically the moment he realizes what is going on. Too many of the movie characters only choose to do the right thing when their back is against the wall rather than showing the strength of character to take the high road from the start.
Also, my wife is pretty much Eowyn (neglected/abused early life, spitfire warrior princess with Irish-Norwegian ancestry, prefers bookish me to “manly men”), so there’s that :).
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Yes, Faramir and Eowyn are up there as one of my all-time favourite characters- and almost definitely my favourite LOTR characters.
Yeah that doesn’t fit with his character/doesn’t let him be as noble as he is in the books, which is frustrating.
hehe well that’s lovely! 🙂
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This is a great topic! It makes me think of Joe Pickett from the CJ Box series or Harry Bosch from Michael Connelly
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Thank you! Ah cool- I don’t know those, but it makes me curious to check them out.
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Yes! Mark Watney! I adore him- so hilarious. Had the perfect attitude to survive his situation.
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Yes!!
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I adore what you’ve said about Karou. She’s definitely not the conventional hero, but her intentions were always pure. Her and Akiva’s dream is proof of that.
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I know right!!
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Haha, as soon as I saw the title of this post I thought “Alanna.” Great picks, as always.
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Nice list! I totally agree with you on Spensa, and Vasilisa! I haven’t read The Martian but really loved the movie.
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Thank you!! I’m so glad you agree! And fair enough- they’re realllly similar anyway!
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First character I thought of was Jamie Fraser of Outlander…he always does the right thing, always
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Ah brilliant pick!!
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Some day I will read an anti-hero book and I will like it.
BUT TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY!!!! *ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
Great post. I’m ALL about the hero’s, so thanks for including them in your list of lists 🙂
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hehehe!
Yeah I love heroes and I feel like I don’t talk about them enough, considering they’re usually my favourite characters!
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Ahhh Faramir and Eowyn <3<3 Great choices. She's my favorite character in LOTR and how can you not ship the two of them?
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Thank you so much!! I completely agree!
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I’m so happy that you included Faramir and Eowyn on here!! Eowyn has been my fave fictional character since I was about eight years old, and I love Faramir almost as much. I think I remember reading somewhere that Faramir was the character that Tolkien based the most on himself, which is really interesting.
And there are so many other amazing heroic characters on this list as well! Harry and Spensa and Mark Watney – truly inspiring 😀
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I completely relate!!! That is interesting- cos he’s one of the best in the entire series (and I not-so-secretly prefer him to Aragorn, as much as I still love Aragorn).
ah glad you agree! 😀
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Sam Vimes always! 😀
Faramir and Eowyn as well! I think the movies did them a grave injustice.
As for Harry, I’m in the middle of re-reading Order of Phoenix and just can’t agree with you here 😉 This whole book grates on my nerves like no other HP installment, and Harry particularly is depicted as a moody teenager with a nasty streak… But he does redeem himself later on, so there’s that 🙂
Great post!
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Yes!
And totally fair point!
hehehe I understand that so so much 😉 I was not a fan of that book (although it does end well, I’ll give it that)
Thank you!
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Alexei Karamazov and Prince Myshkin are two Dostoevsky characters I’m truly detesting. The typical Victorian heroes who build air-castles and who fall on their faces every time they try to live into them. And my favorite Lord of the Rings hero is Bilbo Baggins, although he’s only secondary character in The Lord of the Rings. He secretly relished having adventures, but still wanted to remain settled and would afraid in face of a real prospect of adventure. Bilbo was a very friendly and well-mannered hobbit fond of food, drink, a full pipe, his friends and good cheer. I have also my doubts about Nick Hayes, not because of the protagonist’s character traits, but because I have reservations about the logical consistency of the series as a whole. Samuel Vimes is for me a little too much of a hard boiled hypocrite, pretending to adhere strictly to the rules while bending them when it suits him. Give me Lord Veterinary, the assassin who says that he’s a tyrant but behaves as a benevolent dictator.
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Ah in fairness to you, a lot of other readers feel that way 😉 Oh I love Bilbo! But I do kinda consider him more of a Hobbit character- but I totally agree with all your points. That’s fair. Ah well I do love Vetinari more to be fair, I just think he comes under the umbrella of “morally ambiguous” (also Vimes really reminds me of a good friend of mine, so I am a little biased 😉 )
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Eowyn is probably the reason I didn’t totally dislike LotR LOL. She’s a fantastic character and I love her.
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Ahh I’m really glad you think so!
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I love Faramir, too. I think he’s a bit underrated.
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I really agree with you!!
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I love Sam Vines! Perfect example that a hero doesn’t have to be perfect. He’s still flawed and I love him for it!
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He really is!!! Absolutely!
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“Random bout of adolescence”… I love it! And it’s so true!
Faramir and Eowyn are two of my favorite characters of all time, too. They’re both just so human and yet so good. The movies might not have portrayed them quite up to my (very high) expectations, but they came close.
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hehe I know right 😉
I absolutely love them!! I really agree with you! And yeah, I do get what you mean- they couldn’t quite live upto the impossibly high view of them I had in my head, but they came pretty close.
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And the actors did a great job! My complaints with them were things in the way they were written, not the way the actors portrayed them.
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totally fair! And I agree!
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YES FARAMIR AND EOWYN!!!! I know that for the films, Faramir had to be more of a sketchy character in order to propel the narrative that the Ring is quite virtually, impossible to resist, but when you read the books, he’s an exception to this. He’s a hero in every sense of the word. And yes omg EOWYN, what a legend. Tolkien pairing them made my WHOLE heart.
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Yeah I know what you mean- I do get why they did it (even if I disagree since it clashes too much with his book counterpart) but yeah he’s definitely the perfect hero in the book. YES!! Me too!!
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Totally agree with everyone that Faramir got smeared in the movie. As a friend pointed out, his signature line is, “If I saw [the Ring] lying by the road, I would not take it.” I think the producers were just trying to add additional drama … as if the story needed it.
What makes Faramir so great (in the BOOK) is that he’s not a heroic type. He’s just a regular, under-appreciated guy doing his duty whether or not anyone thanks him for it … which is what makes it so refreshing to find such virtue in a seemingly random, regular guy, especially after we have seen how the Ring tempts even the great. Frodo and Sam have been going through so much darkness and intensity at that point, and finding this very true person in the last place they expect it is like a drink of cool water. It shows that everyone makes a difference when they do the right thing, even if they are doing it in obscurity.
Sorry. I got excited. Sermon over.
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Oh yeah I totally agree with you. It’s a silly edition to the plot that completely contradicts his character- I much prefer book-Faramir (/real Faramir).
YES! I totally agree with you! That is such a wonderful way to put it!
hehe no worries- it’s the kind of thing I love to read!
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OK. Anyway. My submissions for traditional good-hearted hero include:
Precious Ramotswe from The Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series
Brother Cadfael from his own mystery series
Harry from The Heaven Tree, by the same author as the Brother Cadfael books
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OOh – Precious Ramotswe is such a good suggestion!!
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Ahh I need to read the Brother Cadfael series!
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Sam Vimes top of the list for me!
Agree with the rest, or at least those I have read. Mark Watney is a good choice and perhaps not an obvious one. Love that book.
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Glad you agree!!
Me too 😀
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Love that Faramir and Eowyn made it on the list. I especially feel that Faramir could’ve been fleshed out more in the movie though it does show that he’s conflicted yet means to do the right thing which is really cool too!
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Glad you agree! Ah I get what you mean about him being fleshed out.
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Awesome list to remind us that heroes are just as awesome as villains! 😀 Would it be surprising if I said Batman? 😀
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Thank you! hehe I thought about that for a minute and then decided that batman makes perfect sense! I mean, apart from the fact he’s a superhero, he lives by a strict code etc. So great choice!
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I am very pleased to see Eowyn on this list! I love her.
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Wonderful post!!! Faramir is actually my favorite Tolkien character (Sam and Aragorn are a close second and third though!). He’s such a great, humanized character, and I love him so much! Haha!
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Thank you! hehe I totally get what you mean- it’s really hard for me to pick lol!! But I absolutely love him!!
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I totally agree with Vasilisa and Karou!! I didn’t much like the plot of The Bear and The Nightingale because well there wasn’t much plot… but I loved our girl!! She totally didn’t fit with the time and I just wish she had done a little more for the little people. Karou also didn’t capture me in the first book but I ended up totally falling for her as she did what she felt was right!! Great list Orangutan ❤️
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