A folk hero or national hero is a type of
hero – real, fictional or
mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a
people, mentioned frequently in
folk songs, folk tales and other
folklore; and with modern
trope status in literature, art and films.
Overview
Although some folk heroes are historical public figures, many are not. The lives of folk heroes are generally fictional, their characteristics and deeds often exaggerated to mythic proportions.[citation needed]
The folk hero often begins life as a normal person, but is transformed into someone extraordinary by significant life events, often in response to social injustice, and sometimes in response to natural disasters.[citation needed]
One major category of folk hero is the defender of the common people against the oppression or corruption of the established power structure. Members of this category of folk hero often, but not necessarily, live
outside the law in some way.
Joan of Arc depicted on
horseback in an illustration from a 1505 manuscript. The martyr and saint Joan of Arc is a national hero in France.