The Concept of the Hero
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When we consider the Hero in ancient Greek culture, from the start we must 'de-familiarize' our notion of what a hero is. The ancient Greek concept of a hero was different from our own culture's. First and foremost, the ancient Greek hero was a religious figure, a dead person who received cult honors and was expected in return to bring prosperity, especially in the form of fertility of plants (crops) and animals, to the community. To learn more about the cult worship of heroes, see Gregory Nagy's Relevant facts about ancient Greek hero cults.
The hero is also a literary figure, of course, but here, too, we need caution so that we do not misapply our own cultural ideas and standards to the ancient Greek hero. A key part to the narrative of the hero's life is that s/he undergoes some sort of ordeal. The hero, who is mortal, not immortal like the gods, must suffer during his or her lifetime, and, significantly, must die. Only after death can the hero receive immortalization in cult and in song.
The hero must struggle against the fear of death, in order to achieve the most perfect death. Such a perfect moment must be recorded in song, kleos. Kleos means 'glory, fame, that which is heard'; OR, 'the poem or song that conveys glory, fame, that which is heard'). To say it another way: this word kleos was used to refer to both the medium and the message of the glory of heroes.
Within the Iliad itself, Achilles is acutely aware of the possibility of receiving kleos. In Iliad 9, Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoinix come to Achilles to try to convince him to return to fighting. They find him singing klea andrôn 'the glories of men' (Iliad 9.189). Achilles is acting as poet, singing songs about heroic deeds. After they relate to him all the riches and prizes that Agamemnon is offering if he will return to battle, Achilles replies by saying what is at stake for him and what his choice means. He says at Iliad 9. 410-416:
My mother Thetis tells me that there are two ways in which I may meet my end [telos]. If I stay here and fight, I shall lose my safe homecoming [nostos] but I will have a glory [kleos] that is unwilting [aphthiton]: whereas if I go home my glory [kleos] will die, but it will be a long time before the outcome [telos] of death shall take me.
Achilles already knows the consequences of his decision to reject the option of a safe homecoming. He is in the process of deciding to choose the other option: he will stay at Troy and continue to fight in the Trojan War. This choice will result in his death, and he knows it, but he is ready to give up his life in exchange for getting a kleos that will never "wilt." Unlike natural flowers that go through the cycle of blooming and then wilting, this unnatural flower, this kleos, will forever stay the same, never losing its color, aroma, and overall beauty.
The songs sung for heroes and the cult honors given to them in worship and festivals, including athletic festivals, celebrated in their honor, are an attempt to provide compensation for the death of the hero. because this death can never be made up for completely, however, these honors are considered ongoing and never-ending. they are performed on a seasonally recurring basis and those who particpate in the worship believe that it will continue forever, thus providing a way for the hero to be immortalized, to live on forever.
For more on the general characteristics of the hero, see the example of Herakles.
