Classical Heroes: Achilles and Xiang Yu

Classical heroes of every civilization have specific traits in common. For their audiences, they must be larger than life. They must be courageous and confront their obstacles no matter the cost. The major difference between classical Chinese heroes and those of other cultural backgrounds is that Chinese heroes generally do not rely upon the gods or other preternatural forces to come to their aid or to account for their greatness, for the Chinese hero, greatness must come from within.

Achilles is one of the most celebrated heroes from ancient Greek mythology because of his courage and strength. He is most known for his slaying of Hector, hero of the Trojans. He was born of the goddess Thetis, and according to myth, was made immortal either through being dipped in the river Styx or by having his immortality burned out (given how many stories in Greek mythology require fire in order to achieve immortality, I lean towards the later). Achilles was destined to be the greatest hero of the Trojan War, but also to die there. Ultimately, Achilles was killed when shot by Paris, guided by Apollo, in the heel even as Achilles stood before the city of Troy.

In contrast, Xiang Yu was celebrated in Chinese lore as a man of incredible strength and courage. Xiang Yu’s strength uprooted mountains, according to historian Sima Qian. Best known for overthrowing the Qin dynasty and establishing himself as the Hegemon King of Western Chu, Xiang Yu is a historical figure as well as a literary one. He was described as kind and generous, and his flaws were all too human. He was arrogant and jealous of others who were capable. He didn’t put his trust in anyone else. Xiang Yu had all the courage a single man could have, but he was short-sighted and failed to promote talent. In Chinese history and literature this is a common and mortal failing. In the end, Xiang Yu blamed his shortcomings on the gods, but in the Chinese literary tradition this was considered laughable-- his shortcomings were his own and no fault of the stars.

In the year 202 BC, when Xiang Yu was 30 years old, he confronted Han forces on the battlefield. Xiang Yu’s men were defeated until he alone was the last man standing, he then killed over 100 Han soldiers before slitting his own throat. In this way, Liu Bang united the land and established the Han dynasty. Xiang Yu was honored as a hero, and his family was spared.

While both heroes were celebrated for their might and military conquests, Achilles’ story is marked by the involvement of the gods from it’s very start. He is born of a goddess, has prophesies told about him, is sheltered and guided by gods and goddesses, and is eventually slain through the assistance of a god. Xiang Yu, however, is absolutely human and is prone to human failures. While his strength and abilities are the stuff of legends, there is no divine involvement in his story. Indeed, the only mention of the gods in his story is when he seeks to cast blame for his shortcoming.

The heroes of classical civilizations are larger than life. They possess strength and skills beyond that of other men. But while in Greek myth the heroes are closely associated with the gods, in Chinese tradition classical heroes are self-made. They have the strengths and foibles inherent in humanity, and these traits are not influenced by the gods. Heroism originated from the gods in the classical, Grecian civilization; while in the East, the Chinese saw heroism as something that came from within.