Is Xiao Feng or Guo Jing an Epic Hero?

[Dennis Chen]

Some common elements from the web.

THE EPIC HERO: Common Elements In Most Cultures

1. Mother: royal virgin.

2. Father is a king.

3. Father is a near relative of the mother.

4. Circumstances of conception is unusual.

5. Reputed to be the son of a god.

6. At birth, an attempt by the father or paternal grandfather or uncle to kill him. He may be kidnapped or sent away for his protection or that of his parents.

7. Reared by foster parents in a distant land.

8. Told almost nothing of his childhood.

9. At manhood, he returns or goes to a future kingdom.

10. After victory over a king, dragon, giant, or wild beast; he marries a princess (sometimes the daughter of the king).

11. He then becomes the king.

12. For a time he reigns uneventfully.

13. He proclaims laws, bestows blessings, or gifts on the community.

14. Later: he loses favor with the gods or his subjects.

15. He is driven from the throne, power, or city.

16. After which he meets a mysterious death (most often at the top of a hill).

17. If he had children, they don't succeed him.

18. His body is not buried.

19. He has one or more holy sepulchers.

[wkeej]

interesting. but any character falls into the 19 criteria?

[Xiao Feng]

Umm...these criterias are more suitable for the hero of western myth/legend. Not for wuxia heroes.

[Ken Cheng]

As far as we know, Kiu Fung and Gwok Jing were both mortals (despite their superhuman martial arts feats), so this pretty much disqualifies them from the strict definition of "epic" heroes.

[Xiao Feng]

If we were talking about Greek mythology then these would suit to a tee.

[wkeej]

the nearest person i can think of is the Buddha. hehe.

[Dennis Chen]

As far as we know, Kiu Fung and Gwok Jing were both mortals (despite their superhuman martial arts feats), so this pretty much disqualifies them from the strict definition of "epic" heroes.

Not all epic heroes are Gods: Beowulf, Odysseus, Siegfried, Cuchalainn.

[smrter_v]

Funny, I've been writing a paper for a class about Asian heroes maybe being epic heroes, but for the most part, I can't find ANY sources at all that would say they are.

I think Guo Jing is sort of an epic hero. He represents a lot of what the Chinese find to be virtuous, his kids definitely don't succeed him (I always felt like his kids are somewhat useless), he was raised in Mongolia, sort of adopted by Temujin, and returns to China later to become its Defender.

Where did you find these criteria anyway? I've not heard of half of them.

[The Khan]

Duan Yu would fit some of the criteria

[ChanceEncounter]

Duan Yu would fit some of the criteria

Only through a distortion of the spirit of the meaning of 'epic hero.' In this case, the spirit is more important than the letter, and very few (if any) Wuxia characters qualify as epic heroes.

[jackattack]

Guo Jing is definitely the epic hero here.
He stood up for what he believed. He was willing to lay down his life for ANY innocents.
Guo Jing fought the invaders and sacrificed his life....... for his country and his people.
Xiao Feng, on the other hand, sacrificed his life...... for nothing, and in the process caused two other innocents to die. ( You tanzhi and Ah Zi).

Guo Jing is a true man. He was fearless.
Xiao Feng is........ never mind dont wanna upset people. But he had fear.

[tape]

You'd be upsetting people by distorting facts and ignoring the obvious and not because people don't want to believe Xiao Feng is better than Guo Jing or vice versa.

[Ken Cheng]

Guo Jing is a true man. He was fearless.
Xiao Feng is........ never mind dont wanna upset people. But he had fear.

Actually, they both experienced fear...a necessary quality if they're human.

[PJ]

two other innocents to die. ( You tanzhi and Ah Zi).

I think you have a pretty unusual definition of "innocent" if Ah Zi is on your list.

[smurf120]

Criteria seems to be better fit for Fung Sun Bong (Chinese mythology) or Journey to the West more than modern wuxia?

[jackattack]

I think you have a pretty unusual definition of "innocent" if Ah Zi is on your list.

Ah Zi did not have to die. Xiao Feng was the love of her life and Xiao Feng knew it. The fact that he did not even bother to think about her when he killed himself proves how inconsiderate he is. Seriously I didn't even feel sad when Xiao Feng stabbed himself. I was just confused...... why did he do that??? And what good did his suicidal death do....... nothing, except to cause people to grieve over him..... and caused more to die.

[SkyWalker]

Ah Zi did not have to die. Xiao Feng was the love of her life and Xiao Feng knew it. The fact that he did not even bother to think about her when he killed himself proves how inconsiderate he is. Seriously I didn't even feel sad when Xiao Feng stabbed himself. I was just confused...... why did he do that??? And what good did his suicidal death do....... nothing, except to cause people to grieve over him..... and caused more to die.

How can you say XF's death meant nothing? He died to prevent a war, which if fought, would caused hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Unlike GJ, he didn't pick a side b/c he truly wanted peace and in the end, he accomplished that.

[jackattack]

How can you say XF's death meant nothing? He died to prevent a war, which if fought, would caused hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Unlike GJ, he didn't pick a side b/c he truly wanted peace and in the end, he accomplished that.

Really? I always thought he died in order to rest at peace. Wasn't the war already ended by the time he died? From wat I remember, Xu Zhu and Duan Yu captured the Liao Army King and forced him to retreat his army, and then Xiao Feng killed himself because he felt guilty that he went against his own king.

[bliss]

Really? I always thought he died in order to rest at peace. Wasn't the war already ended by the time he died? From wat I remember, Xu Zhu and Duan Yu captured the Liao Army King and forced him to retreat his army, and then Xiao Feng killed himself because he felt guilty that he went against his own king.

He sacrificed his life to make sure the Liao king kept his word.

[PJ]

and perhaps, in hope that the Liao emperor might intrinsically understand the value of peace, rather than still wanting to wage war and will probably find a way to do so.