The Hero is something akin to the shaman, a mortal who exists in part in the divine realm. Heroes interact with the divine realm outside of the security provided by cult and tradition – like the shaman they are dealing directly with gods and spirits, without intercessor. This is why Heroes are revered and worshiped, not because of moral or social superiority – in fact, quite the contrary, most heroes are accompanied with tragedy. Half-mad is to be expected – Dionysus is likely a far more common template for the Gloranthan hero than Apollo!
So when we think about heroes, few Gloranthans feel the need to place them on moral pedestals as that is not what their function really is. They show us a glimpse of the raw power, danger, and magnificence of the divine realm, and bring some of that back into our world, albeit often at terrible costs.
I was thinking about Jar-eel and Harrek as I wrote this, but this applies just as easily to Argrath, Gunda, Beat-Pot, Ethilrist, Jaldon Goldentooth, Lord Pavis, Sartar, and many others.
The cult that elevates heroes more than any other is Orlanth. Orlanth is the God of Heroes after all. Orlanth and his mythology strongly encourages it. Admittedly in an unplanned, unregulated, and often uncontrolled manner. But that is only appropriate for Orlanth Adventurous!
The Lunars wisely stopped having heroes who aren’t demigod children of the Red Emperor after the Red Goddess rose.
