on the eve of the Legendary competition
The heroes of Ancient Greece were people, but the parents of many of them were gods. Myths about their exploits and accomplishments are an integral part of the culture of the ancient Greeks, and below in the article a kind of “top” of heroes of Hellas is presented.
Hercules' parents were the mortal woman Alcmene and the powerful ancient Greek god Zeus. According to ancient Greek mythology During his life, Hercules performed twelve famous feats, for which the goddess Athena elevated him to Olympus, where Zeus granted the hero immortality.
The most famous labors of Hercules are the killing of the nine-headed hydra, the victory over the previously invulnerable Nemean lion, the taming of the guardian of the kingdom of the dead dog Cerberus, the cleaning of the Augean stables that had been uncleaned for decades, the construction of stone pillars on the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar, separating Africa and Europe. In ancient times, the strait was called the Pillars of Hercules (Hercules is roman name Hercules).
King Odysseus of Ithaca is famous for his journey from the city of Troy to his homeland, full of dangers and mortal risks. The exploits that the hero accomplished during it were described by the ancient Greek poet Homer in the poem “Odyssey.”
Odysseus was distinguished not only by strength, but also by cunning. During the journey, he blinded the giant cyclops Polyphemus, escaped from the sorceress Kirke, did not succumb to the charms of the sweet-voiced sirens, “slipped” on a ship between the Scylla devouring all living things and the whirlpool Charybdis, consuming everything, left the beautiful nymph Calypso, survived a lightning strike and returned home , dealt with all the new “suitors” of his wife Penelope. “Odyssey” is how people have since called any risky and long journey.
Perseus is another son of Zeus, his mother was the Argive princess Danae. Perseus became famous for killing the Gorgon Medusa - a winged monster covered with scales, whose head was covered with snakes instead of hair, and whose gaze turned all living things to stone. Then Perseus freed Princess Andromeda from the clutches of the sea monster that was devouring people, and turned her former fiancé into stone, forcing him to look at the severed head of the Gorgon.
Achilles was the son of King Peleus and the nymph Thetis. In infancy, his mother dipped him into the waters of the river of the dead Styx, thanks to which Achilles’s entire body became invulnerable, except for the heel by which his mother held him.
Achilles' invulnerability made him an invincible warrior until, during the siege of Troy, the son of the Trojan king Paris hit him with an arrow in this very heel. Since then, any weak point of any impregnable defense has been called its “Achilles heel.”
Heroes of Ancient Greece Jason is famous for the fact that on the ship "Argo" with a crew of brave Argonauts (among whom were the sweet-voiced singer Orpheus and the mighty Hercules) he went to distant Colchis (modern Georgia) and obtained the skin of a magical ram guarded by a dragon - the Golden Fleece.
In Colchis, Jason married the daughter of the king of this country, the jealous Medea, who bore him two boys. When Jason later decided to remarry the Corinthian princess Creus, Medea killed both her and her own children.
The oracle predicted to Oedipus' father, the Theban king Laius, that he would die at the hands of his son. Laius ordered the death of Oedipus, but he was saved and adopted by a slave, and the young man also received a prediction from the Delphic Oracle that he would kill his father and marry his own mother.
Frightened, Oedipus set off to travel, but on the way to Thebes, in a quarrel, he killed some noble old Theban. The road to Thebes was guarded by the Sphinx, asking riddles to travelers and devouring everyone who could not guess them. Oedipus solved the riddle of the Sphinx, after which he committed suicide.
The Thebans chose Oedipus as their king, and the widow of the former ruler of Thebes became his wife. But when Oedipus found out that former king- this is an old man he once killed on the road, and his wife is also a mother, he blinded himself.
Theseus was the son of the king of the seas, Poseidon, and became famous for killing the Minotaur, a monster who lived in a difficult Cretan labyrinth, and then finding a way out of this labyrinth. He got out of there thanks to a ball of thread that was given to him by the daughter of the Cretan king Ariadne.
The mythological hero Theseus is revered in Greece as the founder of Athens.
Based on materials from the encyclopedia "Who's Who"
Heroes Ancient Hellas, whose names have not been forgotten to this day, occupied a special place in mythology, fine arts and the life of the ancient Greek people. They were role models and ideals of physical beauty. Legends and poems were written about these brave men; statues were created in honor of the heroes and they were named after the constellations.
Legends and myths of Ancient Greece: heroes of Hellas, gods and monsters
The mythology of ancient Greek society is divided into three parts:
1. Pre-Olympic period - tales of titans and giants. At that time, man felt defenseless against the formidable forces of nature, about which he still knew very little. Therefore, the world around him seemed to him to be chaos, in which there were terrifying uncontrollable forces and entities - titans, giants and monsters. They were generated by the earth as the main effective force nature.
At this time, Cerberus, the chimera, the serpent Typhon, the hundred-armed giants Hecatoncheires, the goddess of vengeance Erinyes, appearing in the guise of terrible old women, and many others appear.
2. Gradually a pantheon of deities of a different nature began to develop. Humanoids began to confront abstract monsters higher power- Olympian gods. This is a new, third generation of deities that entered into battle against the titans and giants and won a victory over them. Not all opponents were imprisoned in the terrible dungeon - Tartarus. Many were included in the new Oceanus, Mnemosyne, Themis, Atlas, Helios, Prometheus, Selene, Eos. Traditionally, there were 12 main deities, but over the centuries their composition was constantly replenished.
3. With the development of ancient Greek society and the rise of economic forces, man's faith in his own strength became increasingly stronger. This bold view of the world gave birth to a new representative of mythology - the hero. He is the conqueror of monsters and at the same time the founder of states. At this time, great feats are accomplished and victories are won over ancient entities. Typhon is killed by Apollo, the hero of ancient Hellas Cadmus founds the famous Thebes on the site of the dragon he killed, Bellerophon destroys the chimera.
Historical sources of Greek myths
We can judge the exploits of heroes and gods from a few written testimonies. The largest of them are the poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey” by the great Homer, “Metamorphoses” by Ovid (they formed the basis famous book N. Kuhn “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece”), as well as the works of Hesiod.
Around the 5th century BC. collectors of tales about the gods and great defenders of Greece appear. The heroes of Ancient Hellas, whose names we now know, were not forgotten thanks to their painstaking work. These are historians and philosophers Apollodorus of Athens, Heraclides of Pontus, Palephatus and many others.
Origin of Heroes
First, let's find out who this hero is - the hero of Ancient Hellas. The Greeks themselves have several interpretations. This is usually the descendant of some deity and a mortal woman. Hesiod, for example, called heroes whose ancestor was Zeus demigods.
It takes more than one generation to create a truly invincible warrior and defender. Hercules is the thirtieth in the line of descendants of the main one and all the power is concentrated in him previous heroes his kind.
In Homer, this is a strong and brave warrior or a person of noble birth with famous ancestors.
Modern etymologists also interpret the meaning of the word in question differently, highlighting the common one - the function of a protector.
Heroes of Ancient Hellas often have a similar biography. Many of them did not know their father's name, were raised either by one mother, or were adopted children. All of them, in the end, set off to accomplish feats.
Heroes are called upon to carry out wills olympian gods and grant protection to people. They bring order and justice to earth. There is also a contradiction in them. On the one hand, they are endowed with superhuman strength, but on the other, they are deprived of immortality. The gods themselves sometimes try to correct this injustice. Thetis stabs Achilles' son to death, trying to make him immortal. The goddess Demeter, in gratitude to the Athenian king, puts his son Demophon in the fire to burn out everything mortal in him. Usually these attempts end in failure due to the intervention of parents who fear for the lives of their children.
The fate of the hero is usually tragic. Unable to live forever, he tries to immortalize himself in the memory of people through his exploits. He is often persecuted by unkind gods. Hercules tries to destroy Hera, Odysseus is pursued by the wrath of Poseidon.
Heroes of Ancient Hellas: list of names and exploits
The first defender of people was the titan Prometheus. He is conventionally called a hero because he is not a man or a demigod, but a real deity. According to Hesiod, it was he who created the first people, sculpting them from clay or earth, and patronized them, protecting them from the tyranny of other gods.
Bellerophon is one of the first heroes of the older generation. As a gift from the Olympian gods, he received the wonderful winged horse Pegasus, with the help of which he defeated the terrible fire-breathing chimera.
Theseus is a hero who lived before the great Trojan War. Its origins are unusual. He is a descendant of many gods, and his ancestors were even wise half-snake-half-humans. The hero has two fathers at once - King Aegeus and Poseidon. Before his greatest feat - the victory over the monstrous Minotaur - he managed to accomplish many good deeds: he destroyed the robbers lying in wait for travelers on the Athens road, and killed the monster - the Crommion pig. Also, Theseus, together with Hercules, participated in the campaign against the Amazons.
Achilles is the greatest hero of Hellas, the son of King Peleus and the goddess of the sea, Thetis. Wanting to make her son invulnerable, she put him in the oven of Hephaestus (according to other versions, in or boiling water). He was destined to die in the Trojan War, but before that he would accomplish many feats on the battlefield. His mother tried to hide him from the ruler Lycomedes, dressing him in women's clothing and marrying off to one of the king's daughters. But the cunning Odysseus, sent to search for Achilles, was able to expose him. The hero was forced to accept his fate and went to the Trojan War. On it he accomplished many feats. His mere appearance on the battlefield put his enemies to flight. Achilles was killed by Paris with an arrow from a bow, which was directed by the god Apollo. It hit the only vulnerable spot on the hero’s body - the heel. Achilles was revered. Temples were built in his honor in Sparta and Elis.
The life stories of some heroes are so interesting and tragic that they are worth telling about them separately.
Perseus
The heroes of Ancient Hellas, their exploits and life stories are known to many. One of the most popular representatives of the great defenders of antiquity is Perseus. He performed several feats that forever glorified his name: he cut off the head and saved the beautiful Andromeda from a sea monster.
To do this, he had to get the helmet of Ares, which makes anyone invisible, and the sandals of Hermes, which give the ability to fly. Athena, the hero's patroness, gave him a sword and a magic bag in which he could hide his severed head, because even looking at a dead Gorgon turned any living creature into stone. After the death of Perseus and his wife Andromeda, they were both placed in the sky by the gods and turned into constellations.
Odysseus
The heroes of ancient Hellas were not only unusually strong and courageous. Many of them were distinguished by their wisdom. The most cunning of them was Odysseus. More than once his sharp mind saved the hero and his companions. Homer dedicated his famous “Odyssey” to the many-year journey of the king of Ithaca home.
The Greatest of the Greeks
The hero of Hellas (Ancient Greece), whose myths are most famous, is Hercules. and a descendant of Perseus, he accomplished many feats and became famous for centuries. All his life he was haunted by Hera's hatred. Under the influence of the madness she sent, he killed his children and two sons of his brother Iphicles.
The hero's death came prematurely. Wearing a poisoned cloak sent by his wife Deianira, who thought it was laced with a love potion, Hercules realized that he was dying. He ordered the funeral pyre to be prepared and climbed onto it. At the moment of death, the son of Zeus - main character Greek myths- was ascended to Olympus, where he became one of the gods.
Ancient Greek demigods and mythical characters in modern art
The heroes of Ancient Hellas, pictures of which can be seen in the article, have always been considered examples of physical strength and health. There is not a single form of art in which plots from Greek mythology have not been used. And today they do not lose popularity. Films such as “Clash of the Titans” and “Wrath of the Titans,” in which Perseus is the main character, aroused great interest among viewers. A magnificent film of the same name is dedicated to Odysseus (directed by Andrei Konchalovsky). "Troy" told about the exploits and death of Achilles.
Filmed about the great Hercules great amount films, TV series and cartoons.
Conclusion
The heroes of Ancient Hellas are still wonderful examples of masculinity, self-sacrifice and devotion. Not all of them are ideal, and many of them have negative traits- vanity, pride, lust for power. But they always stood up to defend Greece if the country or its people were in danger.
Famous heroes of the ancient world
Agamemnon is one of the main characters of the ancient Greek epic, the son of the Mycenaean king Atreus and Aeropa, the leader of the Greek army during the Trojan War.
Amphitryon is the son of the Tirinthian king Alcaeus and the daughter of Pelops Astydamia, the grandson of Perseus. Amphitryon took part in the war against the TV fighters who lived on the island of Taphos, which was waged by his uncle, the Mycenaean king Electryon.
Achilles is one of the greatest heroes, son of King Peleus, king of the myrmidons and the sea goddess Thetis, grandson of Aeacus, main character of the Iliad.
Ajax is the name of two participants in the Trojan War; both fought at Troy as suitors for Helen's hand. In the Iliad they often appear hand in hand and are compared to two mighty lions or bulls.
Bellerophon is one of the main characters of the older generation, the son of the Corinthian king Glaucus (according to other sources, the god Poseidon), the grandson of Sisyphus. Bellerophon's original name was Hipponou.
Hector is one of the main heroes of the Trojan War. The hero was the son of Hecuba and Priam, the king of Troy. According to legend, he killed the first Greek to set foot on the soil of Troy.
Hercules is the national hero of the Greeks. Son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Gifted with mighty strength, he performed the most difficult work on earth and accomplished great feats. Having atoned for his sins, he ascended Olympus and achieved immortality.
Diomedes is the son of the Aetolian king Tydeus and the daughter of Adrasta Deipila. Together with Adrastus, he took part in the campaign and destruction of Thebes. As one of Helen's suitors, Diomedes subsequently fought at Troy, leading a militia on 80 ships.
Meleager is the hero of Aetolia, the son of the Calydonian king Oeneus and Alphea, the husband of Cleopatra. Participant of the Argonauts' campaign. Meleager's greatest fame came from his participation in the Calydonian hunt.
Menelaus is the king of Sparta, the son of Atreus and Aerope, the husband of Helen, the younger brother of Agamemnon. Menelaus, with the help of Agamemnon, gathered friendly kings for the Ilion campaign, and he himself deployed sixty ships.
Odysseus - “angry”, king of the island of Ithaca, son of Laertes and Anticlea, husband of Penelope. Odysseus is a famous hero of the Trojan War, also famous for his wanderings and adventures.
Orpheus – famous singer Thracians, son of the river god Eager and the muse Calliope, husband of the nymph Eurydice, who set trees and rocks in motion with his songs.
Patroclus is the son of one of the Argonauts Menoetius, a relative and ally of Achilles in the Trojan War. As a boy, he killed his friend while playing dice, for which his father sent him to Peleus in Phthia, where he was raised with Achilles.
Peleus is the son of the Aeginean king Aeacus and Endeis, the husband of Antigone. For the murder of his half-brother Phocus, who defeated Peleus in athletic exercises, he was expelled by his father and retired to Phthia.
Pelops is the king and national hero of Phrygia, and then the Peloponnese. Son of Tantalus and the nymph Euryanassa. Pelops grew up on Olympus in the company of the gods and was the favorite of Poseidon.
Perseus is the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the Argive king Acrisius. The winner of the Gorgon Medusa and the savior of Andromeda from the claims of the dragon.
Talthybius - a messenger, a Spartan, together with Eurybates, was Agamemnon’s herald, carrying out his instructions. Talthybius, together with Odysseus and Menelaus, gathered an army for the Trojan War.
Teucer is the son of Telamon and the daughter of the Trojan king Hesione. The best archer in the Greek army at Troy, where over thirty defenders of Ilion fell at his hands.
Theseus is the son of the Athenian king Aeneas and Ethera. He became famous for a number of exploits, like Hercules; kidnapped Elena along with Peirifoy.
Trophonius was originally a chthonic deity, identical with Zeus the Underground. According to popular belief, Trophonius was the son of Apollo or Zeus, the brother of Agamedes, and the pet of the earth goddess Demeter.
Phoroneus is the founder of the Argive state, the son of the river god Inachus and the hamadryad Melia. He was revered as a national hero; Sacrifices were performed at his grave.
Thrasimedes is the son of the Pylos king Nestor, who arrived with his father and brother Antilochus near Ilion. He commanded fifteen ships and took part in many battles.
Oedipus is the son of the Finnish king Laius and Jocasta. Killed his father and married his mother without knowing it. When the crime was discovered, Jocasta hanged herself, and Oedipus blinded himself. Died pursued by the Erinyes.
Aeneas is the son of Anchises and Aphrodite, a relative of Priam, a hero of the Trojan War. Aeneas, like Achilles among the Greeks, is the son of a beautiful goddess, the favorite of the gods; in battles he was protected by Aphrodite and Apollo.
Jason, the son of Aison, on behalf of Pelias, set out from Thessaly for the Golden Fleece to Colchis, for which he prepared a campaign for the Argonauts.
The Encyclopedia of Mythology website contains more than two hundred and fifty articles about famous heroes and legendary personalities of the ancient world, which can be found in our mythological dictionary.
Ancient Greece is one of the richest sources of myths about the gods, ordinary people And
mortal heroes who protected them. Over the centuries, these stories have been created
poets, historians and simply “eyewitnesses” of the legendary exploits of intrepid heroes,
having the powers of demigods.
1
Hercules, the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, was especially honored among heroes.
Alcmene. The most famous myth of all can be considered the cycle of 12 labors,
which the son of Zeus performed alone while in the service of King Eurystheus. Even
in the celestial constellation you can see the constellation Hercules.
2
Achilles is one of the bravest Greek heroes who undertook a campaign against
Troy under the leadership of Agamemnon. Stories about him are always full of courage and
courage. It is not for nothing that he is one of the key figures in the writings of the Iliad, where he
given more honor than any other warrior.
3
He was described not only as an intelligent and brave king, but also as
a great speaker. He was the main key figure in the story "The Odyssey".
His adventures and return to his wife Penelope found an echo in the hearts of
many people.
4
Perseus was no less a key figure in ancient Greek mythology. He
described as the conqueror of the monster gorgon Medusa, and the savior of the beautiful
Princess Andromeda.
Theseus can be called the most famous character all of Greek mythology. He
most often appears not only in the Iliad but also in the Odyssey.
6
Jason is the leader of the Argonauts who went to Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece.
This task was given to him by his father's brother Pelias in order to destroy him, but it
brought him eternal glory.
7
Hector in ancient Greek mythology appears to us not only as a prince
Troy, but also a great commander who died at the hands of Achilles. He is placed on par with
many heroes of that time.
8
Ergin is the son of Poseidon, and one of the Argonauts who went for the Golden Fleece.
9
Talai is another of the Argonauts. Honest, fair, smart and reliable -
This is how Homer described him in his Odyssey.
10
Orpheus was not so much a hero as a singer and musician. However, his
the image can be “found” in many paintings of that time.
The mythological heroes of Ancient Greece were people, but the parents of many of them were gods. Myths about their exploits and accomplishments are an integral part of the culture of the ancient Greeks, and below in the article a kind of “top” of heroes of Hellas is presented.
The most powerful hero of Ancient Greece - Hercules
Hercules' parents were the mortal woman Alcmene and the powerful ancient Greek god Zeus. According to ancient Greek mythology, Hercules performed twelve famous feats during his life, for which the goddess Athena elevated him to Olympus, where Zeus granted the hero immortality.
The most famous labors of Hercules are the killing of the nine-headed hydra, the victory over the previously invulnerable Nemean lion, the taming of the guardian of the kingdom of the dead dog Cerberus, the cleaning of the Augean stables that had been uncleaned for decades, the construction of stone pillars on the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar, separating Africa and Europe. In ancient times, the strait was called the Pillars of Hercules (Hercules is the Roman name for Hercules).
Ancient Greek hero Odysseus
King Odysseus of Ithaca is famous for his journey from the city of Troy to his homeland, full of dangers and mortal risks. The exploits that the hero accomplished during it were described by the ancient Greek poet Homer in the poem “Odyssey.”
Odysseus was distinguished not only by strength, but also by cunning. During the journey, he blinded the giant cyclops Polyphemus, escaped from the sorceress Kirke, did not succumb to the charms of the sweet-voiced sirens, “slipped” on a ship between the Scylla devouring all living things and the whirlpool Charybdis, consuming everything, left the beautiful nymph Calypso, survived a lightning strike and returned home , dealt with all the new “suitors” of his wife Penelope. “Odyssey” is how people have since called any risky and long journey.
Hero of Ancient Greece Perseus
Perseus is another son of Zeus, his mother was the Argive princess Danae. Perseus became famous for killing the Gorgon Medusa - a winged monster covered with scales, whose head was covered with snakes instead of hair, and whose gaze turned all living things to stone. Then Perseus freed Princess Andromeda from the clutches of the sea monster that was devouring people, and turned her former fiancé into stone, forcing him to look at the severed head of the Gorgon.
Ancient Greek hero of the Trojan War - Achilles
Achilles was the son of King Peleus and the nymph Thetis. In infancy, his mother dipped him into the waters of the river of the dead Styx, thanks to which Achilles’s entire body became invulnerable, except for the heel by which his mother held him.
Achilles' invulnerability made him an invincible warrior until, during the siege of Troy, the son of the Trojan king Paris hit him with an arrow in this very heel. Since then, any weak point of any impregnable defense has been called its “Achilles heel.”
Hero of Ancient Greece Jason
Jason is famous for the fact that on the ship "Argo" with a crew of brave Argonauts (among whom were the sweet-voiced singer Orpheus and the mighty Hercules) he went to distant Colchis (modern Georgia) and obtained the skin of a magical ram guarded by a dragon - the Golden Fleece.
In Colchis, Jason married the daughter of the king of this country, the jealous Medea, who bore him two boys. When Jason later decided to remarry the Corinthian princess Creus, Medea killed both her and her own children.
The unfortunate hero of Ancient Greece Oedipus
The oracle predicted to Oedipus' father, the Theban king Laius, that he would die at the hands of his son. Laius ordered the death of Oedipus, but he was saved and adopted by a slave, and the young man also received a prediction from the Delphic Oracle that he would kill his father and marry his own mother.
Frightened, Oedipus set off to travel, but on the way to Thebes, in a quarrel, he killed some noble old Theban. The road to Thebes was guarded by the Sphinx, asking riddles to travelers and devouring everyone who could not guess them. Oedipus solved the riddle of the Sphinx, after which he committed suicide.
The Thebans chose Oedipus as their king, and the widow of the former ruler of Thebes became his wife. But when Oedipus learned that the former king was an old man he had once killed on the road, and that his wife was also his mother, he blinded himself.
Another famous hero of Ancient Greece is Theseus.
Theseus was the son of the king of the seas, Poseidon, and became famous for killing the Minotaur, a monster who lived in a difficult Cretan labyrinth, and then finding a way out of this labyrinth. He got out of there thanks to a ball of thread that was given to him by the daughter of the Cretan king Ariadne.
The mythological hero Theseus is revered in Greece as the founder of Athens.
Based on materials from the encyclopedia "Who's Who".