Heroes

, a name which was given by the ancients to such as were born from a god, or to such as had signalized themselves by their actions, and seemed to deserve immortality by the services which they had rendered their country. The heroes which Homer describes, such as Ajax, Achilles, . , were of such prodigious strength, that they could lift up and throw stones which the united force of four or five men of his age could not have moved. The heroes were supposed to be interested in the affairs of mankind after death, and they were invoked with much solemnity. As the altars of the gods were crowded with sacrifices and libations, so the heroes were often honoured with a funeral solemnity, in which their great exploits were enumerated. The origin of heroism might proceed from the opinions of some philosophers, who taught that the souls of great men were often raised to the stars, and introduced among the immortal gods. According to the notions of the stoics, the ancient heroes inhabited a pure and serene climate, situate above the moon.