Age Of Mythology Greek Heroes
Hilke Mcnally
You may recognize names like Hercules, Achilles, and Odysseus, but do you know how they made their claim to fame? They are all heroes in Greek mythology, and their stories have been told for centuries.
The most popular and possibly most admired hero from Greek mythology is Hercules. The story of Hercules resonates with many because of his strength and perseverance to conquer many labors and challenges in life.
Hercules was born with odds against him. His father, Zeus, who was the king of gods, was married to the goddess, Hera. However, Zeus had an extramarital affair with a mortal woman, Alcmene, who became pregnant with Hercules.
Hera continued to try to destroy Hercules by persuading Eurytheus to set twelve dangerous and deadly labors for Hercules to overcome to repent for his transgressions. Hercules successfully overcame each labor, putting him at the top of the list of Greek mythology heroes.
Prometheus was born a Titan god and was responsible for providing mankind with gifts to help them survive and succeed. Prometheus gave mankind the gift of fire, but how the gift was given can be told different ways.
The other version of Prometheus stealing fire for mankind is derived from the story of Prometheus tricking Zeus into eating bones and fat of animals, instead of the desired meat. Zeus angrily took fire away from man to force man to consequently eat meat raw. In return, Prometheus stole fire to return the gift to mankind.
Achilles was born to the sea nymph, Thetis. To make her son immortal, Thetis submerged Achilles into the River Styx while holding Achilles by his heel. His heel remained exposed, which would be attributed to his downfall.
Once he returned home, he disguised himself as a beggar because his kingdom had presumed he was dead and requested his wife, Penelope, remarry. Though she did not want to, Penelope hosted a challenge among the suitors. If a suitor could string a bow and shoot an arrow through the heads of twelve axes, she would marry.
Knowing that none of the suitors would be able to fulfill such a task, Penelope watched as suitor after suitor failed. The beggar attempted the challenge and was able to complete the challenge with ease. After he won, Odysseus revealed himself, killed each suitor with his bow, and reclaimed his life with Penelope.
The story that makes Perseus heroic is his victory in defeating Medusa. Medusa was a creature who could turn anyone who looked at her into stone. Perseus approached Medusa and used the reflection in his shield to view her without looking directly at her. Perseus was able to behead her and put her head in his satchel.
On his way home, Perseus encountered Andromeda who was bonded to a rock awaiting a sea monster to attack. Before the sea monster could attack, Perseus appeared and used the head of Medusa to turn it to stone, saving Andromeda and marrying her.
The greatest warrior for Troy in the Trojan War, it is said that Hector killed 31,000 Greek fighters. Hector is featured many times throughout The Iliad, but it is his battle with Achilles that is most well-known.
Hector chooses to defend the house of Priam in the city of Troy, embracing his wife and son as he departs. Hector and Paris gather Trojan warriors and battle the invading Greeks. In his last battle, Hector fights Achilles, unknowing that Athena was helping Achilles in the battle. Depleting all of his weapons during battle, Hector mustered up the bravery to charge towards Achilles with only a sword, knowing he would be slain.
Even though Troy fell to the Greeks during the Trojan War, Aeneas would survive the war alongside the great leaders of Troy; Hector and Paris. Hector would come to Aeneas in a vision and tell him to flee to a new city overseas.
Orpheus was married to Eurydice who died of a snake bite in a meadow. As Orpheus was heartbroken from losing his love, the gods suggested that Orpheus visit the underworld to retrieve Eurydice. Playing beautiful music, Orpheus was able to soften the heart of the violent Hades. Hades allowed Orpheus to take his wife under the condition that he walks in front of her and not look back until they had both reached the earth.
Theseus was one of the early kings of Athens, implementing democracy and fairness throughout the civilization. During his reign, men and women would be sacrificed to be eaten by a Minotaur; a half-bull, half-man creature. To stop the sacrifices, Theseus would be one of the sacrificed men to enter the labyrinth to kill the Minotaur.
Entering the Labyrinth, Theseus met Princess Ariadne. Ariadne would give Theseus a thread for him to unravel as he made his way through the labyrinth. This would show Theseus the way out of the labyrinth once he slew the Minotaur.
The ancient Greek word hḗrōs (ἥρως) did not always have a consistent meaning, even in antiquity. The term was once thought to be etymologically related to the name of the Greek goddess Hera, but this view has been increasingly challenged or rejected.
Greek mythology features a wide range of heroes. Some of the greatest heroes, including Heracles, Perseus, and Bellerophon, made a name for themselves as monster-slayers. Other heroes led famous expeditions, such as the voyage of the Argonauts, led by Jason, or the Calydonian Boar Hunt, led by Meleager.
Only a few Greek heroes managed to visit the Underworld and make it back to the land of the living. The most famous mortal visitor was probably Heracles, the strongest of the Greek heroes. He traveled to the Underworld to fetch Cerberus, the guard dog of Hades, as one of his Twelve Labors.
The Trojan War thus became a spectacular showdown between the heroes of Greece and the heroes of the East. After ten years, the Greeks finally prevailed and sacked Troy, but only after losing many of their greatest heroes in the struggle. Depleted, the Greeks returned home. They were to be the last generation of the Age of Heroes.
There were many figures (most of them mythical) whom the Greeks honored as heroes. Some were local individuals who were little known outside of their own city-state or region. But the most famous Greek heroes were known to all Greeks, featuring in mythical narratives immortalized in literature and art.
Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, was the greatest of the heroes who fought at Troy. Though destined to die young, he achieved much fame and glory during his short life, killing Hector and many other Trojan champions during the Trojan War.
In the final year of the Trojan War, Achilles was killed by Paris with the help of the god Apollo. But many poets claimed that Achilles did not descend to the Underworld; instead, he enjoyed a blissful afterlife in the Isles of the Blessed.
Aeneas, son of Aphrodite and Anchises, was one of the strongest Trojan heroes who fought against the Greeks during the Trojan War. After his city fell, Aeneas escaped with a band of refugees and sailed west; the Romans later adopted him as their mythical ancestor, claiming that he founded a new kingdom in Italy.
Agamemnon went to great (and often ruthless) lengths to conquer Troy, even sacrificing his own daughter Iphigenia in exchange for a wind that would blow the Greek fleet to its destination. During the war, he often clashed with Achilles; one particularly vicious quarrel resulted in Achilles withdrawing from the war for a fateful period.
Asclepius, son of Apollo, was a physician who was promoted to the rank of hero and even came to be regarded as a full-fledged god. He was killed by Zeus when he used his healing abilities to restore a dead man to life, thus challenging the divine order.
Atalanta, a female hero connected with either Arcadia or Boeotia, proved herself more than equal to her male counterparts. A skilled hunter and warrior, she distinguished herself among the Argonauts and drew first blood during the Calydonian Boar Hunt.
Bellerophon, son of Poseidon, was a formidable monster-slayer. Though he hailed from Corinth, he traveled widely throughout Greece and Asia, taming the winged horse Pegasus and battling the monstrous Chimera and other fearsome foes.
Bellerophon became a cautionary tale, however, when he succumbed to hubris and attempted to storm the home of the gods on Mount Olympus. As he was ascending to the heavens atop Pegasus, the gods caused him to fall to the earth, where he lived the rest of his life as a cripple.
Cadmus was an Eastern prince who left his home as a young man to search for his sister Europa, who had been abducted by Zeus. Failing to find Europa, Cadmus settled in Greece and founded the city of Thebes. There he married Harmonia and had many children by her.
When Diomedes finally returned home from Troy, he learned that his wife Aegialea had been unfaithful to him and was plotting his destruction. Forced to flee his home, he ultimately settled in Italy, where he founded several cities. He was worshipped as a god following his death.
Castor and Polydeuces, often known as the Dioscuri, were the sons of either Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, or Zeus, the king of the gods. They grew into some of the greatest heroes of their time, taking part in such exploits as the voyage of the Argonauts and the Calydonian Boar Hunt.
The Dioscuri were killed in battle by Idas and Lynceus, twin brothers from Messenia who were their chief rivals. But Zeus granted them partial immortality: they alternated between living among the gods on Olympus and living among the dead in the Underworld. The Dioscuri were widely worshipped as gods throughout the Greek world.
Heracles was a son of Zeus, best known for performing the Twelve Labors. Noted for his physical strength and heightened masculinity, he was usually depicted wearing a lion skin and wielding a giant club.
Heracles was probably the most prolific of the Greek heroes, taking part in numerous heroic exploits. The most famous of these were the Twelve Labors that he performed for his cousin Eurystheus, the king of Mycenae.
It was said that Heracles became a god after his death. Indeed, Heracles was one of the few mortal heroes to be worshipped as a full-fledged god (rather than as a dead hero) by the ancient Greeks. His cult was especially important in Thebes and in Dorian cities such as Sparta.
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