The word hero can easily be defined as: dictionary.com defines a hero as a man of particular courage or ability, admired for his courageous actions and noble qualities. Hero comes from the Greek word hḗrōes. Therefore the meaning of the word itself was influenced by Greek, the way the meaning of the word was influenced came from Greek literature, for example: Homer's The Odyssey. This article will discuss how the ancient concept of heroism has influenced American culture and what it means to be a hero. As I explain the influence, I will compare and contrast ideas about what characteristics both ancient and modern heroes possess. More common in ancient times than in modern times, all heroes were expected to be strong, courageous, intelligent, confident, noble and possess 'kleos' or glory which is the result of their incredible deeds. The main character of the Odyssey, Odysseus was a hero of the Trojan War and demonstrated his kleos many times with his brute strength and cunning. For the Greeks, being a strong figure is important to being a hero, however, Odysseus does not only rely on his strength to overcome all situations, but instead uses his mind and intelligence to achieve glory. In modern times, people of great strength are respected and admired, but they are not what people normally think of as heroes. Modern heroes use their mind and courage to receive glory. For example: Captain Chesley Sullenberger used his intuition to land a plane on the Hudson River, saving over 150 lives on one plane. When Odysseus and his men are captured by the Cyclops, Polyphemus, immediately creates a plan to get the Cyclops drunk and then blind him. The fact that Homer chose Odysseus to use a plan,...... middle of paper... to consider their contributions heroic, are not comparable to facing Poseidon, Charybdis, the Sirens, a Cyclops and going to the Hell. While none of the above is real, Homer wrote about a hero who had faced all those things and lived to tell the tale. In the Odyssey, Homer gives Odysseus all of the above characteristics because otherwise he would not be able to do so. complete his journey. Odysseus is the ideal hero because he is a mortal with whom others can identify, unlike fictional heroes such as, for example, demigods. Odysseus makes mistakes, for example: after blinding the Cyclops, he told him his real name, which is why Poseidon became angry with Odysseus. The Greek hero is a strong, intelligent and virtuous person. These ideas of an ancient Greek hero have greatly influenced what American culture considers a hero.