A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by mention in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore. Folk heroes are also the subject of literature and some films.

Although some folk heroes are historical public figures, they generally are not. Because the lives of folk heroes are generally not based on historical documents, the characteristics and deeds of a folk hero are often exaggerated to mythic proportions.

The folk hero often begins life as a normal person, but is transformed into someone extraordinary by significant life events, often in response to social injustice, and sometimes in response to natural disasters.

One major category of folk hero is the defender of the common people against the oppression or corruption of the established power structure. Members of this category of folk hero often, but not necessarily, live outside the law in some way.

A hero (heroine is usually used for females) (Ancient Greek: ἥρως, hḗrōs), in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion. Later, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.

Stories of heroism may serve as moral examples. In classical antiquity, hero cults that venerated deified heroes such as Heracles, Perseus, and Achilles played an important role in Ancient Greek religion. Politicians, ancient and modern, have employed hero worship for their own apotheosis (i.e., cult of personality).

Coined in English 1387, the word hero comes from the Greek "ἥρως" (heroes), "hero, warrior", literally "protector" or "defender" the postulated original forms of these words being *ἥρϝως, hērwōs, and *ἭρFα, Hērwā, respectively. It is also thought^{[citation needed]} to be a cognate of the Latin verb servo (original meaning: to preserve whole) and of the Avestan verb haurvaiti (to keep vigil over), although the original Proto-Indoeuropean root is unclear.

Nick Thune (born December 8, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, and musician.

Thune was born in Seattle, Washington to parents Erik and Cindy Thune and lived in South Africa for most of his childhood. He has one sister and twin brothers. At age 24, Thune moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career in stand up and has been gaining popularity. He has performed on The Tonight Show eight times, and was featured in a Comedy Central Presents special in 2007. Aside from numerous stand up gigs, he has also landed small but memorable roles in movies such as Knocked Up and Unaccompanied Minors.

In February 2009, Thune performed at the DTD Reality concert at the University of Southern California.

Thune's debut album Thick Noon was released on February 23, 2010 by Comedy Central Records.

Thune was cast as a lead in the 2010 NBC pilot for "Beach Lane" starring opposite Matthew Broderick. However, the pilot was not picked up as a series. He has since made guest appearances on the comedy programs Traffic Light and Happy Endings in 2011.