Greek Heroes
The Greek mythology is full of heroic tales and legends. The Ancient Greek heroes have inspired generations and their stories are still narrated and followed.
Although the Greek mythology has an ample amount of heroic characters, ten of the most famous Greek heroes are mentioned below:
Heracles
Heracles who is also called Hercules is believed to be the strongest Greek hero. He was born a son of Zeus and had the goddess queen Hera against him ever since his birth.
Hera sent upon him a cloud of madness which made Heracles kill his own wife but since it was under Hera’s guidance, Zeus gave him a chance to redeem himself by giving him 12 tasks of Delphic Oracles as a punishment.
Heracles with his strength completed all the tasks.
Then he was brought to Olympus by Zeus where he fought and defeated the Giant snake and became the gatekeeper of the gods.
Achilles
Achilles, according to the Greek, is the greatest warrior of not only the Trojan War, but the ancient Greek mythology in general.
This great warrior was born as a son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus.
Thetis wished for his son to be immortal for which she dipped him in the river Styx.
The entire body of Achilles became immortal except for the heel from which his mother held him.
He was killed by Paris who shot his vulnerable ankle with a poisoned arrow, killing the great warrior.
Odysseus
Odysseus is the most cunning and the smartest hero of the Greek mythology.
He was the descendant of the Hermes the god
of thieves and was the Son of Sisyphus.
All his life he fought his enemies not by his physical strength but with his shrewdness and intelligence.
He was the one who came up with the idea of the Trojan horse that led to the fall of troy.
He was the only warrior from the war who reached his home land after a series of disasters and tests by the gods and the beasts.
Greek Mythology
- Mythical Gods And Creatures
In Greek mythology living beings come under two categories, that is, they are either gods and heroes, or creatures.
Penelope
Penelope was the wife of Odysseus and was brave and cunning as his husband.
She fought all the greedy suitors waiting to conquer the kingdom and marrying her.
The bravery and strength she showed while waiting for her husband and by saving the kingdom, makes her one of the greatest heroes of the Greek mythology.
Mythical Creatures
- Mythical Creatures & Beasts
Supernatural creatures, which grew out from mythical stories, specially those from Greece and Egypt, are often believed to be real.
The Sphinx Mythology
- The Sphinx
Ever since the beginning of the human civilization, man has believed in the presence of certain mythological creatures that possess great magical powers and have a great influence in their lives.
Cadmus
Cadmus is a very important hero of Greek mythology as he is believed to be the founder of Thebes.
It is said that before finding Thebes, Cadmus had settled in Boeotia after failing in finding her sister Europa. Here he lost his men to the giant serpent of Ares.
To take his revenge, Cadmus fought the serpent and killed it. He also alone fought the men of Ares, the final 5 men left from the army, helped him finding the city of Thebes.
Perseus
Perseus, the great hero, was the son of Zeus and Danaë. After his birth, his grandfather tried to kill him but he and his mother escaped safely to the island of Seriphos.
When he was young he was sent by the king Polydektes to kill Gorgon medusa the sea monster and save the Princess Andromeda.
The king thought that Perseus would never kill the monster and he sent him so that he could marry Perseus’ mother after his death.
But proving the king wrong, Perseus not only killed the monster but also returned to Seriphos to kill the king and rescue his mother.
Theseus
Theseus was the son of the king of Athens, Aegeus and the princess Aethra.
Although he was king’s heir he couldn’t be the king as he was born of a secret marriage.
When young, he was sent by the king Minos to Crete to kill the dreadful beast Minotaur which had been eating the Athenian Sacrifices.
He killed the beast with the help of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos.
Legend Of Atlantis
- The Lost Atlantis
There are many mysteries in this world that have existed side by side with the evolving mankind. Ever since man started to ponder and study the things around him he learned new lessons.
Jason
Jason was the nephew of the wicked king Pelias of Iolcus. He was brought up by the centaur Chiron in a cave, where he was deserted.
He later returned to the city where his uncle tried to kill him. He sent him to fetch the Golden Fleece from Colchis.
To fight, Jason built the ship Argo and carried with him fifty heroes including Heracles.
After steeling the Fleece he returned to Iolcus and snatched the throne from his uncle.
Bellerophon
Bellerophon is better known as the great hero who got proud. He was the son of the god of sea Poseidon and a mortal queen.
When he was young he travelled to Lycia where the king Iobates was ordered to kill him. To do so Iobates sent Bellerophon to kill the fire breathing chimera in the land of Caria.
But instead of getting killed himself he defeated the chimera after which he got arrogant and decided to fly to Olympus to see the gods. Zeus threw him back to earth where he spent his life as a blind and a lame man.
Hector
Hector although was
the enemy of Achilles, is considered as one of the greatest heroes of the
Trojan War.
He was the leader of the Trojan troops and he was the one who
killed Patroclus, the favorite of Achilles.
He was then killed by Achilles after a fierce battle.