Greek heroes

 If a hero is properly defined as somebody who does

something dangerous to help somebody else, then the heroes
of Greek mythology do not qualify. They were a pretty selfish
bunch, often with additional antisocial tendencies thrown into
the bargain--in other words, not exactly role models for the
younger generation of today. But knowing their names and
exploits is essential for understanding references in literature
and even popular culture today. So let's recognize and
celebrate Hercules and Perseus and the others by their
proper dictionary definition: "In mythology and legend, a man
or woman, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with
great courage and strength, celebrated for his or her bold
exploits, and favored by the gods."
What makes a greek hero
 According to Hesiod - the poet who, along with Homer, created
the first guides to ancient Greek religion and customs - there were
5 ages of mankind. In the 4th of these ages, Zeus, the king of the
Greek gods, created a race of men especially powerful and noble.
They were mortals, but they were "god-like".
 This Heroic Age, which spanned approximately 6 generations
according to ancient genealogy, was the time of legendary figures
like Perseus, Heracles, Jason, Achilles, and Odysseus. All of the
greatest heroes of ancient Greece lived during this 4th Age. It was a
time of great adventure but also turmoil and bloodshed. Most of its
heroes died in battle. The Greeks who recounted these legends
centuries later believed they were living in a far less glorious 5th
Age of mankind.
 Was any of this heroic history based in reality? Historians of
modern times were very skeptical until the shocking findings of
German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann in the 19th century. In
his quest to show that the events of Homer's epic poems were
rooted in historical events, Schliemann unearthed a goldmine of
Bronze Age artifacts and structures at multiple sites (including what
is now widely believed to be the site of Homer's Troy).
 Greek heroes
 Greek heroes were extraordinary individuals who possessed great
skills and strength or they simply stood out of the rest of the people by
their ingenuity, intelligence and charisma. There had been many
stories foretold by Greeks about each of these exceptional characters.
 It is true that some of these heroes had an advantage of being born with
divine qualities. They are called demi-gods or in modern term semi-
gods, because one of their parents were a god or a goddess.
However, mortal heroes were no less respected than semi-gods. Some
of the mortals even exceeded semi-gods in terms of bravery and
reputation. Regardless of their origin, these heroes accomplished many
great tasks and even tasks thought being impossible to accomplish.
Because of the deeds, they had done and helping humanity to progress,
they were favoured by the gods. If enough favours were gained or
devotion showed, the gods would even help the heroes by either giving
them wisdom or intervening themselves with their powers.
Important details
 Greek heroes had it rough. Perseus had to
fight the monstrous Medusa. Theseus
volunteered to enter the mysterious
labyrinth to slay the beastly Minotaur.
Achilles survived the long Trojan War only
to be later killed by an arrow to his
unprotected heel. Fortunately, Greek
mythology provides a wondrous afterlife
in Elysium or most of its heroes.
The Final Stop
Early Greek writers portrayed Elysium as an
earthly paradise. Gods sent favored heroes there,
making them immortal. Later stories opened its
gates, and Elysium became an afterlife haven for
those blessed by the gods. Anyone who had lived
virtuously was also welcome. Storytellers offer
different locations for Elysium: sitting on the
banks of the Oceanus River or floating in the
Western Ocean. Some said it was not on earth
but in the underworld, in the land of the dead.
First greek hero
 Early heroes. Perseus, famous
for his exploits well before the
days of his great-
grandson, Heracles, was the
son of
Zeus. Perseus beheaded the
Medusa, saved Andromeda
from the sea monster Cetus,
and was the legendary founder
of Mycenae.
DEMI-GODS
ACHILLES
 Achilles: son of the sea nymph
Thetis (daughter of sea god
Nereus), and Peleus, king of the
Myrmidons.
 Achilles' most notable feat
during the Trojan War was the
slaying of the Trojan
hero Hector outside the gates
of Troy. Although the death of
Achilles is not presented in
the Iliad, other sources concur
that he was killed near the end
of the Trojan War by Paris, who
shot him in the heel with an
arrow.
BELLEROPHON
 Bellerophon: according to Homer`s
Iliad, son of Glaucus and Eurymede of
Corinth. According to Apollodorus and
Hesiod`s catallouges by Hyginus, he was
a son of the sea god Poseidon by
Eurymede.
 Bellerophontes (Βελλεροφόντης) is
a hero of Greek mythology. He was
"the greatest hero and slayer of
monsters,
alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before
the days of Heracles",[1] and his greatest
feat was killing the Chimera, a monster
that Homer depicted with a lion's head,
a goat's body, and a serpent's tail: "her
breath came out in terrible blasts of
burning flame.
HERACLES  Heracles: son of Zeus (king of the
gods) and Alcmene, a mortal
woman.
 Heracles (/ˈhɛrəkliːz/ HERR-ə-
kleez; Greek: Ἡρακλῆς, Hēraklês,
Glory/Pride of Hēra, "Hera"),
born Alcaeus[1] (Ἀλκαῖος, Alkaios)
or Alcides[2] (Ἀλκείδης, Alkeidēs),
was a divine hero in Greek
mythology, the son
of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son
of Amphitryon[3] and great-
grandson and half-brother (as they
are both sired by the god Zeus)
of Perseus. He was the greatest of
the Greek heroes, a paragon of
masculinity, the ancestor of royal
clans who claimed to
be Heracleidae (Ἡρακλεῖδαι), and
a champion of the Olympian
orderagainst chthonic monsters.
ORION
 Orion: son of Poseidon (the sea
god) Euryale.
 Orion is a
prominent constellation located on
the celestial equator and visible
throughout the world. It is one of
the most conspicuous[1]and
recognizable constellations in the
night sky.[2] It was named
after Orion, a hunter in Greek
mythology. Its brightest stars
are Rigel(Beta Orionis)
and Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis), a
blue-white and a red supergiant,
respectively.
PERSEUS
 Perseus: son of Zeus and mortal
princess Danae, whom he
impregnated as a golden shower.
 In Greek
mythology, Perseus (/ˈpɜːrsiəs, -
sjuːs/; Greek: Περσεύς) is the legendary
founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid
dynasty, who,
alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, was
the greatest Greek hero and slayer of
monsters before the days
of Heracles.[1] He beheaded
the Gorgon Medusa for Polydectes and
saved Andromeda from the sea
monster Cetus. He was the son
of Zeus and the mortal Danaë, as well as
the half-brother and great-grandfather
of Heracles.
THESEUS  Theseus: son of Poseidon (the sea god) and
Aethra, the wife of king Aegeus.
 Theseus (UK: /ˈθiːsjuːs/, US: /ˈθiːsiəs/;Ancient
Greek: Θησεύς [tʰɛːsěu̯s]) was
the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens.
Like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, Theseus
battled and overcame foes that were
identified with an archaic religious and social
order: “This was a major cultural transition,
like the making of the new Olympia by
Hercules” (Ruck & Staples, p. 204).[1]
 Theseus was a founding hero for the
Athenians in the same way that Heracles was
the founding hero for the Dorians. The
Athenians regarded Theseus as a great
reformer; his name comes from the same
root as θεσμός (thesmos), Greek for "The
Gathering". The myths surrounding Theseus –
his journeys, exploits, and family – have
provided material for fiction throughout the
ages.
MORTALS
AGAMEMNON
 In Greek
mythology, Agamemnon (/æɡəˈmɛmnɒn/; Gre
ek: Ἀγαμέμνων, Ἀgamémnōn) was the son of
King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the
brother of Menelaus, the husband
of Clytemnestra and the father
of Iphigenia, Electra or Laodike
(Λαοδίκη), Orestes and Chrysothemis.[1] Legend
s make him the king of Mycenae or Argos,
thought to be different names for the same
area.[2] When Helen, the wife of Menelaus, was
taken to Troy by Paris, Agamemnon commanded
the united Greek armed forces in the
ensuing Trojan War.
 Upon Agamemnon's return from Troy, he was
killed (according to the oldest surviving
account, Odyssey 11.409–11) by Aegisthus, the
lover of his wife, Clytemnestra. In old versions
of the story, the scene of the murder, when it
is specified, is usually the house of Aegisthus,
who has not taken up residence in
Agamemnon's palace, and it involves an
ambush and the deaths of Agamemnon's
followers as well.
ATALANTA  Atalanta was a famous Greek huntress and an
exceptional athlete. She was also a favourite of
the goddess Artemis because of her survival
instinct, impressive skills, courage and noble
character. Atalanta was known for her equality
to men when it came to hunting or athletic
accomplishments. She even surpassed many
competitors on more than a few occasions.
The heroine was abandoned upon birth by
her father and was found and raised by
hunters who had determined their path
 After successfully proven herself in
Calydonian boar hunt, her father accepted her
back and offered her a place at his palace. On
the request, of her father, to get married, she
put up a difficult challenge for the suitors.
Anyone who wanted to marry the beautiful
huntress had to beat her at her favourite foot
race but if he lost, he would be killed. Only
one had succeeded and when Atalanta finally
married, and started to enjoy her new way of
life, fates turned things around.
CADMUS
 Cadmus was a unique character among Greek
heroes. Everyone is unique, it's common
knowledge, but Cadmus was the only one among
accepted and worshiped Greek heroes who was
of different origin. Despite having Poseidon as his
grandfather, it is said that first he was originally a
resident of ancient Phoenician civilization and
came to Greece in search of his sister Europe
who was abducted by the king of the gods
 Cadmus also happened to become the founder
of Thebes, after the consultation with the
Delphic Oracle who told him to abandon his
search for his sister and rather follow his own
path. He was also a great warrior and a born
leader, not to mention that he was very well
educated. And it is also said that, from Phoenicia,
Cadmus brought the first alphabetic writing to
the Greeks which consisted of sixteen letters. It
was the very first foundation of alphabet in the
western world that we know today.
DAEDALUS
 Daedalus was a great Greek craftsman and
inventor. His by far greatest works are the
labyrinth, a humongous maze, which was
made as a holding place for the Minotaur and
the wings made of feathers, which he and his
son Icarus had used to escape with from
Crete. Daedalus was also an architect and a
sculptor and was first to make figurines with
free movement of the limbs. Arms and legs
were finally free from the body and the figure
could actually make movements. He also
added details to the eyes, mouth and ears.
 Daedalus was a born Athenian but he fled
Athens with his son Icarus, after killing his
nephew Talos (or Perdix) out of jealousy.
They were migrating until Minos, a king of
Crete who was inspired by his invetions,
offered him a place in his palace. However,
rather than a living place, it was more of a
prison hold for Daedalus who built the
labyrinth in Crete, as well as the wings for
their escape. They fled to the West, to Sicily,
but his boy Icarus didn't make it. Daedalus
then spent the rest of his life in the court of
Cocalus, a king of Sicily.
  Jason was a Greek hero, most known for leading

JAYSON his Argonauts in a quest to obtain the golden

fleece. As a boy, Jason was a victim of family quarrel
in which his uncle Pelias killed his father Aeson and
took the kingdom for himself. In fear of losing her
son, Alcimede sent Jason into the wilderness
where he was raised by a centaur called Chiron.
When grown, Jason returned to his native city of
Iolcos where he demanded back his kingdom.
 Pelias agreed on one condition though, which was
to bring back the golden fleece. It was the quest
thought to be impossible to accomplish but this
did not stop Jason who had gathered fifty men to
accompany him. Together, they were called the
Argonauts. He later came back with the golden
fleece and new wife Medea who also happened to
be an enchantress. However, Jason's heart went
elsewhere and jealous Medea killed his mistress
and her own sons that she had with Jason.
 Then she fled to Athens. Jason also lost favours of
the goddess Hera, once she had finished her plot
which was to bring Medea to Iolcos to kill Pelias.
Jason lived for the rest of his life in solitude beside
his ship Argo.
ODYSSEUS
 Odysseus was one of the greatest heroes in Greek
Mythology. He plays one of the central roles in Homer's
Iliad where the Greeks were, thanks to his ingenuity,
able to defeat the Trojans and claim the city of Troy.
 As you guessed right, this epic is called the Odyssey
and it tells about the hero's ten year journey back to
his kingdom Ithaca, where his wife Penelope hadn't seen
her husband for ten years because of the war and was
about to live in agony for another ten years.
 Odysseus was a son of Laertes, a king of Ithaca, and
Anticlea. He was thought to be the most clever greek
hero, finding neat solutions to every problem. He was
also a great warrior and very charismatic leader who
often inspired his men. And on the other hand, he was a
very faithful and loyal husband and father as he declined
immortality twice on his journey just to get home to
his wife and son. No wonder that he was admired and
protected by Athena, the goddess of wisdom.