culture hero: Meaning and Definition of

cul'ture he"ro

Pronunciation: [key]
  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.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.