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12.3
The cultural importance placed on messiahs
 
  The idea of Messiahs has always existed in every human culture that has ever lived.  
  Humans have always believed that there are those few anointed by some divine entity that possess powers beyond the mere human who seek to perform good.  
  Similarly, humans have always believed that there are those few who are anointed by some dark force with powers beyond the mere human who seek to perform evil.  
12.3.1 Hope of one, hope of many  
  In some respects, the cultural importance of messiahs is that they represent a time and history when something divine touches humanity and in the process opens up the hope of many.  
  All human beings to some extend have considered the notion of something greater than themselves. The myths of messiahs give us hope that we too might have some special relationship with something greater.  
  While modern notion of messiah is more akin to hero, there are differences between the concepts of messiah, hero and star.
12.3.2 Hero
  A hero is a particular type of person who through their own actions bring about their exclusion from the tribe. Upon their time of banishment they undergo some kind of transformation of strength and wisdom thereupon returning to the tribe to save it in its greatest time of need.
  A key feature of the hero is always the fall from grace. The greater the fall and the greater the rise, the greater the hero.
12.3.3 Star (Role model)
  In contrast to the hero, the star or role model is a type of person who through their own efforts rise above their initial circumstances of hardship to make success. Unlike a hero, a star starts from adversity to triumph whereas a hero may start with wealth, fall into adversity before triumph.
12.3.4 The importance of both models
  Both hero and stars are important parts of cultural heritage. People who have overcome adversity are models for us all.
 
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