What makes a hero, and how do societies shape and reshape their heroic figures over time? This book challenges static typologies of what is heroic by exploring the historical processes behind the emergence, transformation and contestation of medieval heroes. Focusing on Sweden, Finland, Prussia and the Baltic regions, the book’s contributions examine the earliest moments in which historical figures became enshrined—or condemned—in chronicles, hagiographies and administrative records. This study offers a longue durée perspective on the fluid nature of what is heroic, demonstrating that neither the hero nor their negation is ever absolute—but always historically contingent.