Why are modern heroes so different from ancient heroes?

Why are modern heroes so different from ancient heroes?

Ancient heroes seem almost villainous in comparison

Hard times breed hard men.

It's almost like morals change over time and across cultures.

a different time period will obviously have different values and traditions. This means that there will always be more wrong with their values when compared to the currently accepted meta.

eg: Vlad was a saint

Ancient heroes were not always meant to be people you aspire to be. they were morality tales on the nature of humanity and its place within the greater world around them. the idea that the main character of a story has to be some morally righteous champion is a very recent concept.

Ancient heroes were as often cautionary tales as they were tales of good deeds done.

these guys get it

Different times, different values.

For example, in ancient greece it was completely acceptable for older men to fuck young boys in exchange for teaching them, and to have naked people all over the temples.
Now, being accused of the former drags your name through the mud, and nudity at all is protested heavily by 'concerned mothers'.

Because ancient people were cunts.

Christianity happened.

This

Paganism is about bowing your head and appeasing whoever is the strongest around. Nature is capricious after all. And if the strongest is an asshole? Too bad

Christianity is literally about a selfless guy who saves everyone

A selfless guy who saves everyone because he was born special.

That last part is also relevant.

God is the strongest asshole

He was a man through and through

I mean, Rama was born special too

I'd honestly say christianity is a big part of it.

Pagans valued honor in combat, cunning warriors, and boasting of one's victories.

Christians believe in peace whenever possible, honesty, and humility.

Christianity has dominated/dominates culture since around the year 400. Its influence has stretched far.

I believe in all six of those values.

>believing in boasting of one's victories
>believing in humility
choose one

what he says, jesus was relevant only because he claimed he has one hell of back up

>this
Christianity doesn't have different morals from the Pagans, they just asserted that their god was the biggest baddest most power god times infinity and one.

The notion of modern heroics is even more modern than most realize. Superman has more to do with "modern heroics" than Jesus. If you look at heroic characters from the 1800s they are still flawed men, not selfless ubermench.

It really was comic books, and other early american pulp fiction that started the "Hero" trend.

So basically OSR vs Post DND 3.5

O tempora, o mores.

>Matamoros is villainous
>Arthur is villainous
>Ulysses is villanous
????
?
???

There's a reason antiheroes are split into classical and modern ones.

I'd say that classical hero has more to do with modern antihero and vice-versa; modern hero has more to do with classical antihero.

I'm the most humble man in the world and I'll kill anyone who says otherwise.

There's a time and a place for boasting of one's victories, and a time and a place for humility.

This. It's that neverending cycle:
Hard times breed hard men
Hard men make good times
Good times breed weak men
Weak men make hard times

That is a load of bullshit.