When one thinks of a hero, they may imagine a certain set of characteristics or qualities. Many they will think of are not applicable to humans, though sacrifices people make today are incredibly heroic. Throughout the Trojan war as depicted in the Iliad, the audience is exposed to many accomplished heroes, one such hero is Diomedes. Heroes in Iliad tend to be similar in some ways and incredibly comparable in others. While it is important to recognize their deeper underlying heroic qualities and actions, Diomedes clearly stands out. Diomedes is famous for his areté, through which he displays his prowess over gods and shows his humility while inspiring many of the Achaeans. His myth still inspires people today. One person inspired by his legendary actions is Jason Moulenbelt, a leatherworker under the business Diomedes Industries.
Mr. Jason Moulenbelt works full time as a professor of philosophy at Thomas Nelson Community College in Virginia, he is also a veteran and the self-made owner of Diomedes industries. It wasn’t hard to tell the enthusiasm of our interviewee, he was more than happy to speak with us and to reveal the inspiring story behind such a large aspect of his life. One would plan to hear about a small, humble leatherworking business or side hobby, though when listening to the passion Mr. Moulenbelt has for his work and the story behind it, the true magnitude of this business is revealed.
After getting to know all group members in the meeting, Mr. Moulenbelt began to explain the name and branding of his business.
The reason I got into this business what because I designed I knife called the areté, which is a stupid name for a knife. Its a terrible name for a knife because people call it areté because its Greek. Areté means roughly excellence in Greek. I designed it for a competition, and its still in production today. 
You can see that I used the lowercase delta, Uppercase delta looks terrible, especially with the sword in it. It looks like an AA symbol or a symbol for Harry Potter. The sword is a Gladius, which while made poplar by the Romans is still a Greek sword.
Mr. Moulenbelt explains the creation story of his business. Already, his passion for working with others to create sustainable pieces of work is clear. When looking around his website, our group was very impressed with his leatherwork and devotion to his craft. If you would like to visit Diomedes Industries’ page, go to diomedesindustries.com.
As Mr. Moulenbelt continued his story, we asked him about his time serving overseas.
So at the time I was in college, I was a young marine in the reserves, and believe it or not a DJ at club. I had a pager and I get paged and its one of my units. They are saying we’re on 24-hour alert, and the next time we went in we got shots. When you get shots you can tell where you’re going to go, and we’re getting shots for things like yellow fever, and I’m like what’s popping of? And so I’m watching the news and Somalia is blowing up and the warlords are getting stupid and President Clinton is sending people in and we are on 24-hour alert. Then Black Hawk down happens. The chopper gets shot down, they overrun the people on the chopper, they kill the special forces that were there, and start dragging their bodies all around Somalia. You just don’t do that to your enemies. Everybody takes out their people. In the same way that Hector’s father talks to Achilles, he says you don’t do that.
The brutality of the Somalian forces provoked outcry from Americans as well as all other nations trying to assist. Mr. Moulenbelt illustrates for us the environment in which he and many others fought bravely. Interestingly enough is his ability to compare the events that transpired between the US and Somalia to the battles in which Achillies and Diomedes were present. He observes the definition of a hero in modern day vs ancient context, revealing their shocking similarities. In the Iliad when Achilles drags the body of Hector from his chariot, Priam makes him realize that he has gone too far and that he will face the consequences. Mr. Moulenbelt is trying to convey that Somalia in context committed a similar though even more horrible act. In this scenario, all nations that were trying to help in this situation are pulling out, and Somalia has, in his mind, lost its chance.
Who doesn’t act moronic in the Iliad? Diomedes. He is the only one. Historians say that he is the only one who doesn’t partake in hubris
People’s admiration of Diomedes seems to be based around his level-headedness, his hubris, his knowledge of himself. Mr. Moulenbelt sees the faults of the other so-called heroes throughout their Greek depiction, and admires the qualities held by one who appoints logic and confidence. He sees Diomedes as strong not just because of his physical strength, but because of his knowledge that he is not a god. Mr. Moulenbelt explains how this is where other heroes in greek mythology fail, i.e. Achilles. Even through the story labeled “a great poem of fatherhood” Achilles’ father figures shown throughout the Iliad, Diomedes whos father left him as a child shows it’s not a defining factor in what makes a hero (Pratt 141-142). Along with the ideas of Higbie, Diomedes conveys through his words that he is someone that should be listened to by stating his genealogy before speaking. This marks him as a smart warrior who knows how to choose his wording, this is also shown in the iliad during his speech to Sthenelus (Higbie 175).
Stories like these from amazing and inspiring people make the place of myth in our modern society visible. Bryon Harries’ contribution to The Classical Association includes this excerpt regarding the judgement of Diomedes. “Above all, he recognizes the way the past imposes limits on his own behavior and defines the choices open (or closed) to him. His reading of the past… is as scrupulously self-interested as it is perceptive.” (138, Harries). He is conscious of his faults and his mortality. He is more in touch when it comes to judgement, and this is what enables him to rise above others consistently. In our society, the people who seem to do the most good and make the most difference are those who are selfless, who persevere, and who work hard for the greater good. Jason Moulenbelt may not consider himself a hero, though his repeated dedication and action towards giving others the determination and strength they need to face their lives can be referred to as heroic.
Music Used:
April, by Kai Engel
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/Chapter_Two__Mild/Kai_Engel_-_Chapter_Two_-_Mild_-_05_April
Works Cited
Pratt, Louise. “Diomedes, the fatherless hero of the Iliad.” Growing up Fatherless in Antiquity (2009): 141-161.
Harries, Byron. “‘Strange Meeting’: Diomedes and Glaucus in’Iliad’6.” Greece & Rome 40.2 (1993): 133-146.
Higbie, Carolyn. “Diomedes’ Genealogy and Ancient Criticism.” Arethusa, vol. 35, no. 1, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002, pp. 173–88, doi:10.1353/are.2002.0009.
Homer, Lombardo S. Iliad. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co.; 2000.