culture hero

American  

noun

1. a mythical or mythicized historical figure who embodies the aspirations or ideals of a society.

2. a mythical figure considered by a people to have furnished it the means of existence or survival, as by inventing their alphabet, teaching them husbandry, or stealing fire from the gods for them.

---

Example Sentences

“Seeing White Raven today confirms both his trickster and culture hero nature, bringing benefits to the human world — including laughter and humor.”

From Seattle Times • Dec. 20, 2023

And in this way, Diana is being introduced as a consumable popular culture hero to the generation born after her demise.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2021

Then there was Miki Dora, king of Malibu and still the greatest culture hero in all of California surfing — our very own Elvis, the last word in coastal cool.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2019

Sitting in a wheelchair, neck askew and peering from behind thick glasses, he became an impish yet towering pop culture hero; invoking his name or mimicking his electronic voice, was shorthand for brilliance and resolve.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2018

Their culture hero, Bochica or Ida-can-zas, was the personification of the Above and of its symbol, the Sun, whilst his wife was Chia, a name suspiciously like Quilla, the Quechua for moon.

From The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations by Nuttall, Zelia