Brainstorming: I Need A Hero

Actually, I need several.

Some clarification is needed! Na No Wri Mo is coming up, and I'm still deciding what story idea I want to pursue. There's one I'm trying to flesh out that I think has potential. I have a good concept but not much of a plot yet.

In any case, the story involves people chosen to bear the essences of legendary heroes in order to Fight Evil. These "channelers" can call on the heroic spirits in times of need, taking on aspects of their form and their powers.

So basically it's Power Rangers meets Persona. (Probably with a pinch of Fate Stay Night, which I have never actually seen.)

The main character is an ex-soldier who gets her life turned upside-down when she find a trinket that links her with the spirit of CuChulainn. Rounding out the cast would be channelers of Heracles, Sun Wukong and...some others.

I'd like to have Gilgamesh in the cast too, but he would be kind of a Sixth Ranger type with his own agenda, I think.

Anyway, it's the "some others" I could use some help. It would be nice to dip into some less mainstream sources. What are some good heroes of myth, legend and folktale that you people think some fun could be had with in a story like this?

edited 27th Oct '11 8:27:23 AM by GGCrono

For one archetype, you have the lone wolf — from Eastwood's 'Man with no Name' Westerns and Mad Max who's inspired by him. (The recent film Drive attempts to emulate him, but Gosling comes off more as a bum.)

Another archetype is the classic Knight, valiant and bold and wanting do-gooder justice to save the girl.

edited 27th Oct '11 8:34:15 AM by QQQQQ

For a fairly obscure hero, try Gil Blas or Ilya Muromets.

If Sun Wukong is there, I guess it rules humans-only right out.

Try Anansi the spider.

edited 27th Oct '11 11:22:09 AM by OuthouseInferno

Ooh, I dunno about a main character but Anansi being involved gives me some interesting ideas. :)

I've always been a fan of Norse Mythology, so maybe that's worth a shot. Technically, characters like Thor, Odin, and Baldr are gods, but as I recall the Norse gods aren't quite immortal, unlike Greek gods (though I could be mistaken). Barring that, I'm sure there are some mortal heroes that could fit the bill.

Or...Vikings. Those guys are always cool. Because they've got beards.

EDIT: Try this, if you so desire.

edited 27th Oct '11 10:07:22 AM by Voltech44

There's Beowulf. He lived until about seventy, so he'd have a lot of experience to give

Joan of Arc? Mulan? Charlemaigne(did I spell that right)? Stone Wall Jackson? General George Washington! Blackbeard(more of an antihero)? King Arthur Pendragon! Merlin? Hell, you could use anyone from the Court! Perseus, Achilles, Chiron, Odysseus, Alexander the Great, Vlad the Impaler(another antihero, a possible vampire theme for him if you want it)?

Alright, I'm out of ideas for now. More might come to me later.

I love Norse mythology! However, I don't know of any Norse heroes that aren't gods, and I'd like to shy away from actual gods.

Beowulf is a possibility I really should have considered earlier. :)

Blackbeard and Vlad might be good antagonists. However, while I'm not exactly sure why yet, I know exactly who I want my Big Bad to turn out to be: Enkidu.

edited 27th Oct '11 12:00:31 PM by GGCrono

I'll be the lemon among chocolates and ask, "Why not make up your own characters?"

Mine through the rock of your imagination, and see what comes out. Who knows, maybe they might be the rough gems that will produce the best work.

I think that since OP's idea is that people are channeling these heroic figures instead of actually being them, they're probably going to be their own characters.

How about Typhon. He was the most powerful of the Titans. When he first appeared he sent the Gods running, until Zeus screwed up his courage and...got his ass kicked. After beating him, Typhon cut out his thigh muscles to keep him from escaping. Hermies (and sometimes another God) sneak into the cave where Zeus is being held, and give him back thigh muscles. Then with a bit of trickery, they dropped a mountain Typhon.

Typhon was the husband of Echidna, and fathered the Nemean Lion, Cerberus, Ladon, the Chimera, the Sphinx, and the Hydra.

Edit: Also, Son Tzu. Not a mythical hero, but he literaly wrote the book on War.

edited 27th Oct '11 6:50:47 PM by TheEmeraldDragon

I don't suppose you've ruled out Native American heroes...?

I'll be frank; any story could profit from having somebody named Crazy Horse in it, either directly or indirectly.

Typhon was more in the area of a god, not a hero.

Outhouse Inferno got it right on the money. The characters given the powers will be original.

And I haven't ruled out any sort of hero. If it wasn't already clear, I'm running with the All Myths Are True approach for this story.

edited 27th Oct '11 8:54:18 PM by GGCrono

Finn Mc Cool is a good one. He's even got cool in his name.

I actually became interested in the entire Celtic mythos solely on the basis of that name.

Yeah, Finn Mc Cool is a certified badass. His name really interested me as well. Though technically in the actual Irish its Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Well, of course, you can't forget jason, hercules and perseus, as well as the female heroines like Helen or Cassandra. And yeah, Coyote form Native American stories would make a good one for a trickster hero.

I think you should try figuring out which heroic archetypes oyu plan on using: Trickster (coyote/anansi/monkey), Chaste (joan of arc/maid marian/robin hood), Chivalrous (Arthur/robin hood/hercules [sometimes]), Mentor (Oddysseus/icarus' dad)? Then "plug in" powers from famous heroes exhibiting these qualities.