What is a Folk Hero?

In the article “Folk Hero” by Orrin Klapp, the literary form of the folk hero is considered, and he describes how popular heroes become folk heroes. In the article, archetypes are considered, and the article ends with a brief note of how modern public and popular figures were starting to be described within these types by the public. While he does not delve deep into this form of modern mythmaking, Klapp does give a useful way for starting to think about how public figures become folk heroes.

 

Klapp notes that “as historical personages become legendary, they are made into folk heroes by the interweaving and selection of mythical themes appropriate to their character as popularly conceived.” Thus, historical and factual events are intertwined by the myth narrative to create something familiar yet distinct. He describes two main types: “The Conquering Hero” centered on fighting for one’s rights and the hero centered on altruism. It is in this second type that Klapp sees culture heroes falling into, specifically into the form of “The Benefactor.” The public figures become folk heroes as the public starts to apply the narrative frameworks onto the public figures, almost in spite of the reality behind the story.

 

It is here that the “healthcare hero” can be situated. Despite the reality of low pay, lack of PPE, and intense moral trauma, the healthcare worker is a hero (Kisner). They are “The Benefactor” who is performing supererogatory acts of service above and beyond the call of duty. And yet, is this actually supererogatory? Bioethicists argue that the work that healthcare providers are doing in the current pandemic falls within their duty to treat and within the duty to assist (Cox).