The Hero

For John Lash, the archetypal Hero is not only male, but a prototype of masculinity. In the first part of the book, Lash explores the types of Heroes and the evolution of the Hero over time. The central part of the book are plates, many in color, drawn from art work the world over; the bewildering variety of representations of the Hero is the most stunning part of the book. In the final section, "Themes", Lash explores, through a combination of images and text, several recurring ideas in the Hero Myth, including the initiation, the hunt, the Hero and the horse, the Hero in Love, and the Hero facing death. This is a wonderful mythological exploration of timeless men's issues.