The World Myth

The Hero

What are some examples of the world hero’s early revelatory acts?

Signs of the divine essence of the world hero are demonstrated in childhood. Krishna kills a demon while still in the cradle. As a boy, Arthur removes the sword from the rock, and Theseus succeeds in retrieving his father’s shoes and sword. Cuchulainn, as a child, kills the giant watchdog of Culann. Jesus impresses the elders at the temple in Jerusalem. Draupadi, as the young wife of the Pandava brothers in the Mahabharata, reveals her inner divinity when, with Krishna’s help, she overcomes the attempt of the evil Kauravas to strip her of her miraculous sari.