The Heroes of Greek Mythology
Meet the great heroes of Greek mythology, from Heracles and Achilles to Odysseus and Perseus, and the quests, wars and legends that made them famous.
Browse Greek Heroes
Abandoned archer whose bow from Heracles was needed to finally conquer Troy.
Ruthless son of Achilles who killed King Priam during the final sack of Troy.
Son of Odysseus who searched for his father and helped defeat Penelope's suitors.
Aging father of Odysseus who tended his orchard while awaiting his son's return.
Seer who foresaw his own death yet marched with the Seven Against Thebes.
Fierce warrior among the Seven Against Thebes and the father of Diomedes.
Faithful nephew of Heracles who burned the Hydra's necks to stop them regrowing.
Amazon queen whose magical girdle Heracles was sent to seize in his ninth labor.
Amazon queen who fought for Troy until Achilles killed her and mourned her beauty.
Brilliant inventor who built the Labyrinth and crafted wings to flee King Minos.
Daedalus's son who flew too near the sun and plunged into the sea.
The Story of the Heroes
In ancient Greece a hero was not simply a brave person but a figure who stood between gods and humans. Many heroes had a divine parent, like Heracles, son of Zeus, or Achilles, son of the sea nymph Thetis, yet they were still mortal and had to face death. In his Works and Days, Hesiod describes an earlier race of heroes, the demigods, who fought and died at Thebes and at Troy. Their stories set the standard for courage, cleverness and honor that the Greeks admired.
The most famous of all was Heracles, whose twelve labors were set for him by King Eurystheus, in the best known version as penance after Hera drove him mad and he killed his own children. He strangled the Nemean lion, defeated the many headed Hydra with the help of his nephew Iolaus, and even dragged the hound Cerberus up from the underworld. After his death on a pyre on Mount Oeta, he was taken up to Olympus and made a god. Few figures were honored in so many places, as both a hero and a divinity.
Other heroes made their names by slaying monsters. Perseus beheaded the Gorgon Medusa, whose gaze turned people to stone, and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster on his way home. Theseus of Athens entered the labyrinth on Crete and killed the Minotaur, finding his way out with the thread given to him by Ariadne. Bellerophon, riding the winged horse Pegasus, defeated the fire breathing Chimera.
The voyage of the Argonauts brought many heroes together in one adventure. Jason sailed on the Argo to the land of Colchis to win the Golden Fleece, joined by a crew that, in the best known lists, included Heracles, Orpheus, Castor and Pollux, Peleus, Telamon, Meleager and, in some tellings, the huntress Atalanta. With the help of the princess Medea, Jason completed the tasks set by King Aeetes and escaped with the fleece. The tale was told most fully by Apollonius of Rhodes in his epic poem, the Argonautica.
The Trojan War was the greatest gathering of heroes in Greek myth. When Paris, a prince of Troy, took Helen from her husband Menelaus of Sparta, his brother Agamemnon led a great Greek army across the Aegean. Homer's Iliad focuses on the anger of Achilles and the deaths of his friend Patroclus and of the Trojan champion Hector, while heroes such as Diomedes, Nestor and Ajax the Great fought through the long siege. Troy finally fell through the trick of the wooden horse, devised by Odysseus.
The aftermath of the war produced stories just as famous. Odysseus spent ten years trying to return home to Ithaca, facing the Cyclops, the witch Circe, the Sirens and the anger of Poseidon, while his son Telemachus searched for news of him. Agamemnon was murdered on his return to Mycenae, and the Trojan Aeneas escaped the burning city, later becoming, in Roman tradition, an ancestor of the founders of Rome. The tragic poets of Athens returned again and again to these families and to Thebes, where Oedipus unknowingly fulfilled a terrible prophecy.
Heroes were not only characters in stories but also objects of real worship. Greek cities honored them at their tombs with sacrifices and festivals, believing that a hero's spirit could protect the community, and Athens credited Theseus with uniting the towns of Attica into one state. The Olympic Games were linked in legend to Heracles and to Pelops, whose shrine stood at Olympia. Today the heroes are everywhere, from the word odyssey to the Achilles tendon and the countless books and films that retell their adventures.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Heroes
Who was the strongest Greek hero?
Heracles is generally considered the strongest hero in Greek mythology. The son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, he performed twelve legendary labors and was made a god after his death.
Who was the greatest warrior of the Trojan War?
Achilles was considered the greatest warrior among the Greeks at Troy. Almost unbeatable in battle, he killed the Trojan prince Hector, and later tradition says he died when Paris struck him in the heel with an arrow guided by Apollo.
What is the difference between a hero and a god in Greek mythology?
Gods were immortal, while heroes were mortals, often with one divine parent, who achieved great deeds. After death many heroes were honored with shrines and offerings, and a few, like Heracles, were raised to live among the gods.
What were the twelve labors of Heracles?
They were tasks set by King Eurystheus: killing the Nemean lion and the Hydra, capturing the Ceryneian hind, the Erymanthian boar and the Cretan bull, cleaning the Augean stables, driving off the Stymphalian birds, taking the mares of Diomedes, the belt of Hippolyta and the cattle of Geryon, fetching the golden apples of the Hesperides and bringing Cerberus up from the underworld. The order of the labors varies between ancient sources.
Who were the Argonauts?
The Argonauts were the band of heroes who sailed with Jason on the ship Argo to fetch the Golden Fleece from Colchis, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea. The crew included Heracles, Orpheus, Castor and Pollux, Peleus and, in some versions, Atalanta.
Who was the smartest Greek hero?
Odysseus, king of Ithaca, was famous for his cunning more than his strength. He came up with the wooden horse that ended the Trojan War, and Homer's Odyssey tells of his ten year journey home.
