history of - Who was the first publicly recognized Super Hero before the advent of comic books?

The 20th century brought us dozens, if not hundreds of fictional Super Heroes. Prior to the introduction of comic books, who is the first fictional Super Hero recognized by the public as being fictional? The answer to this question should exclude exclude heroes from Greek Mythology, since at one time, those myths were believed to be factual. I'm looking for the earliest example of a publicly known Super Hero character that was recognized by the public as being a fictional character.

Super Hero: a fictional character who has amazing powers (such as, but not limited to, the ability to fly)

Answer

The first wholly fictional super-human character was Enkidu, from the "Epic of Gilgamesh" written in approximately 2150BC.

Whilst King Gilgamesh was almost certainly a real historical figure, Enkidu (described as a "shaggy man" created from clay by the Goddess Aruru) is unmistakeably fictitious.

As a modern-day superhero, Enkidu would actually be quite at home among the Marvel or DC universe given that he possesses super-strength, superhuman aggression, the ability to digest grass, superhuman sexual stamina(!) and the power of oneiromancy.

Enkidu

Comments

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