<p>The epic hero Diomedes is, in my opinion, considered a marginal hero, as he is relegated to a backbench in ancient Greek thought and ideology. I examine why this is the case, considering his role and impact in Homer's <em>Iliad</em>. Greek society valued its epic heroes beyond the words of the poets, yet some heroes received much more attention that others as central characters in tragedy and iconography, consequently regarded as favourites by mass audiences. I believe that examining a marginal hero like Diomedes is important in order to understand why Greek culture generally disregarded some warriors in favour of others, especially in the case of Diomedes, who displays heroic virtues more evidently than several other heroes who have received more attention. Overall Greek attitudes toward him offer an intriguing perspective on the epic heroes and the ways in which the Greeks idealized them. An examination of Greek literary, visual, and religious spheres of influence effectively aid in determining the reasons behind this phenomenon. In summary, this work attempts to understand Greek attitudes towards a hero who has received very little scholarly attention. The concept of the epic hero requires analysis of even the most neglected characters; one cannot understand Odysseus, Achilles, or Hector without examining Diomedes, who has a notable role in the very same tradition as the aforementioned heroes.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

This thesis is about Gesar epic in the culture of The Gesar epic in the cultures of Inner Asian ethnic groups, primarily of Mongolian and Tibetan. After the general introduction to the Gesar epic there is a short history of Gesar epic studies and list of different versions of epic in every region it is known. In the central part the thesis deals with a development of religion cult of the main epic hero. A special attention was put on a ritual of smoke offering, known as sang and on texts related to this ritual. Then there is a description of Gesar's reflection in iconographic Buddhist art as well as in modern art. The end of the thesis is dedicated to a structural analysis of one sang text, its transcription and Czech translation are given at the supplement of the thesis with some images of Gesar in art.