The Quests of Heroes

Author’s note: This contemplation was originally published on January 13th, 2025. However, due to some inaccuracies that needed to be addressed, I removed it to rework the details. Now, it is finally back. Enjoy!

Seek, and you shall find.

All heroes embark on quests.

Hercules completed his twelve labors.

Theseus slayed the half-man, half-bull Minotaur.

Frodo Baggins destroyed the ring of Sauron in the flames of Mount Doom.

These quests take their heroes on adventures that test their resolve, challenge their dedication, and forge their characters. Many quests involve endeavors to find priceless treasures or require the completion of a task.

The word quest can be followed back to the Anglo-French word ‘queste’, which in turn hails from the Latin ‘quaerere’. ‘Quaerere’ means to seek or to ask.

Interestingly, our modern word question also goes back to this same word, ‘quaerere’. However, on its journey to becoming an English term, it splits ways with the linguistic ancestors of quest and becomes the Latin ‘questio’, which was frequently used in Roman law.

The common lineage of quest and question shows that both terms revolve around searching, asking, and seeking.

Now, if we wanted to be particularly cheeky and venture beyond the borders of historical linguistics, we could use this opportunity to delve into a beautiful philosophical image…

There is an ancient Greek suffix that, when placed at the tail end of a word, makes it a diminutive. This suffix is ‘-ion’.

‘-ion’ can turn the roaring Greek lewn (lion) into a cute, fuzzy lewntion (lion cub).

It can take an aggouron (cucumber) and turn it into a small aggourion - a gherkin.

It can also take a hero’s quest, filled with treacherous adventures, and turn it into a quest-ion.

This makes a question nothing other than a small quest!

So, when we ask questions, we embark on small adventures in pursuit of the truth!

Like the heroes of old, adventure awaits us beyond the horizons of our understanding. We can navigate perilous oceans of opinions. We can cross continental divides of prejudice and face ferocious lions of fear.

Every quest begins with us asking questions.

And those who seek shall find.