Abstract:

The paper examines the transformation of heroic ethos through a comparative analysis between traditional, canonical folklore heroes and their contemporary digital counterparts or transformations. From the key figure of Balkan and South Slavic epic songs, Marko Krale, through the local hero Turundžula Karavlaški, the paper traces their structural and symbolic equivalents in the virtual world of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. By utilizing Richard Bartle’s theory of virtual worlds, the paper tries to show how the static paradigms of oral tradition transition through contemporary children’s folklore and adapt into the realm of digital folklore in videogames, and it argues that the archetype of epic hero does not disappear but undergoes a complex transformation in the interactive media of videogames. Even if the digital discourse provides more narrative nuance, the basic function, ethical message, and heroic idiosyncrasy remain consistent with the folk epic within the videogame itself. The paper concludes that videogames serve as a contemporary basis for this narrative flow, proving that the epic tradition remains dynamic but has been given a different context and a different code of understanding.