Western Hero Achilles Achilles was the son of Thetis, who was a daughter of the sea god called Nereus. The gods Zeus and Poseidon wanted to marry Thetis, but Prometheus' prophecy that Thetis' son would be greater than his father dissuaded them from pursuing her. When Achilles was born, Thetis wanted her son to become immortal, and took him to the River Styx, which lay between the land of the living and the land of the dead, where she washed him. However, while washing him, he held his heel, and therefore the water could not touch his entire body. Therefore, he was not fully protected. During his childhood, his father sent him to Chiron who taught him how to fight and survive in war. The prophet Calchas prophesied that the Greeks would fail to conquer the city of Troy unless Achilles joined the war. Despite his mother's protection, Achilles joined the war. During the Trojan War, his friend Patroclus was killed by Hector. He was furious about this and killed Hector. Later, Paris, prince of Troy, wounded him and killed the hero (Arrowsmith, 1967). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Since Achilles was the son of a goddess and born of a prophecy, he had supernatural powers. His actions were guided by his people's gods for the goodness and safety of his people. For example, while he was hiding among women, he liked armor and weapons of war and therefore could no longer hide. He agreed to join the war and protect his people. The story of Achilles is an important lesson; the elect cannot escape their destiny. Achilles' mother did not like him going to war, but because the gods chose him, he lived fighting for his people and died fighting (Slatkin, 1995). Eastern hero Da Yu-the Great According to Clark (2008), Da Yu is considered one of the greatest legends in Chinese history. He was considered a flood savior and the founder of China's oldest dynasty. Yu was the son of Gun, who was given the responsibility of controlling the floods of the Yellow River to prevent them from destroying the fields and homes of the Chinese. It is believed that Gun stole the magical land from his god and was executed. Three years after his death, his preserved body is believed to have been cut open and Yu was taken out. Yu's father had spent nine years trying to control the floods, but had failed. As an adult, Yu wanted to complete his father's task of controlling floods. Four days after his wedding, he set out to discover the best way to control floods. It took thirteen years to complete the project. He made a good irrigation system by creating canals and dredgers on the river banks which alleviated the floods and channeled the water into the fields. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay an archetypal hero, Yu accomplished great works in preventing floods through the sacrifice of his time (McNeal, 2012). His actions can be linked to the normal sacrifices made by different leaders in the world today. Yu sacrificed his time and spent thirteen years searching for a solution to the floods without returning home. Furthermore, his story contains a moral lesson of sacrifice for others. His story teaches us that we must not be selfish. Through his altruism, he spent most of his time trying to improve the lives of his people. Therefore, we should always emulate Yu by helping others without considering personal benefits.