Alternate starting sentence: “Webster’s dictionary defines ‘hero’ as: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability”.
You may receive a sudden jolt of adrenaline when you think of someone you find heroic. But, because the word “hero” means something different to everyone, it can be difficult to define generally. One definition of a hero could be: someone or something that rescues an item or person of value from a dire situation. This could be expanded to “something of value to someone other than them self” indicating that heroes are often thought of as acting in an altruistic manner rather than their own self interest. The definition could also be expanded to acting in a way which “puts themselves into harms way”, indicating that heroes are often considered to be courageous and, once again, altruistic. As dark may be defined as the absence of light, a hero may be defined in terms of a villain.
A villain may have similar or even identical abilities (whether they be natural or supernatural), but choose to use them in their own self-interest that may or may not put others in the way of harm. A villain may be considered immoral and sickly while a hero is healthy and virtuous. Heroes often stick to fundamental principals and act in accordance with those even in times of great turmoil. Often, it is found that the hero is victorious in the task they set themselves on, this is usually due to their inherent righteousness and altruism. A hero can be someone that speaks against the norm, denounces an establishment much more powerful than them self, bringing back the notions of bravery and righteousness. The definition of any word is difficult, mainly because not only one person uses it.