A hero is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength, and saves lives.

In Greek mythology, a hero is a demigod, a half-god/half-human being. Herakles, for example, was the son of the god Zeus and the mortal woman Alkmene. Heroes performed extraordinary feats and were worshipped in hero cults.

The word hero comes from the Greek ἥρως (hērōs), "hero" (literally "protector" or "defender"), particularly one such as Heracles with divine ancestry or later given divine honors.^[1]

In the modern world, hero has lost its ancient meaning. It now means someone who is courageous ("The firefighter who saved my baby is a hero."). Heroes are "heroic", they have "heroism". They help in saving people or a society from bad people, villains, or natural disasters. A hero can also be someone who is helpful, polite, or helping people who need it. The word is used in the sports world to mean an extraordinary player or athlete ("football hero", "Olympic hero", etc.).

Sometimes, the protagonist (or main character) of a story is called the "hero" of the story. Some fictional characters are superheroes.

A female hero is called a heroine.

The opposite of a hero is a villain.

• Antihero (contrary notion)