The Medieval hero: A Comparative Study in Indo-European Tradition

Violence is deeply rooted in the human psyche, and the evidence of this is all around us. Yet this does not mean that violence is without rules. As long as humanity has been capable of violence, it appears to have been equally capable of codifying how that violence could occur. Certainly in ancient and medieval times, most civilizations developed a warrior code which dictated how, when, and where violence should occur, and by whom it was to be inflicted. In The Medieval Hero, Dr. Connell Monette examines the core components of the heroic code and mythos, through an investigation of Indo-European epic tradition.