From the marriages of the Olympian gods with mortals, heroes were born. They were endowed with tremendous strength and superhuman capabilities, but did not possess immortality. The heroes were supposed to fulfill the will of the gods on earth, bring order and justice into people's lives. With the help of their divine parents, the heroes performed all sorts of feats. Heroes were highly revered, legends about them were passed down from generation to generation.
Hercules
The son of Zeus and Alcmene (daughter of the Mycenaean king Electrion and wife of the Tiryns king Amphitryon) was born in Argos. On the day he was supposed to be born, Zeus took an oath that his descendant, born on that day, would receive power over Mycenae and neighboring lands. Hera, who hated the baby in advance, made Alcmene's birth delayed, and Nikippa, the wife of the Mycenaean king Sfenel, gave birth on that day - her son Eurystheus was the great-grandson of Zeus and thus gained power over Mycenae.
Hercules was born two months later (at birth he received the name Alcides). His father wanted him to become the strongest of people, and Hercules really had tremendous strength. Upon learning of his birth, jealous Hera sent two huge snakes to strangle the newborn. However, the awakened baby himself grabbed the snakes by the necks and strangled them. When Hercules had children, Hera sent madness to him, and he killed them, after which he retired into exile. The Delphic oracle, to which Hercules turned for advice, ordered him to serve Eurystheus for twelve years and perform twelve labors, after which he will receive immortality.
Hercules performed twelve deeds: he killed the Nemean lion, the Lernean nine-headed hydra, caught the Kerinean doe, killed the Erymanthian boar, cleared the stables of King Abgius, drove the Stimphalia birds, caught, tamed and brought the Cretan bull to Mycenae, led the horse to Eurystheus the Amazons of Hippolyta, brought Geryon's cows to Mycenae from the island of Erythia, took out the golden apples of the Hesperides, brought the guardian of the underworld Cerberus from the kingdom of Hades.
Eurystheus ordered Hercules to clear dung from the stables of King Elis Avgius, the son of Helios. Augius had a huge stockyard, in his herd there were more than five hundred bulls. Hercules made holes in two opposite walls of the barnyard and let the waters of two rivers - Alphea and Peneia (Peneia) - take away all the manure and washed the stalls. This was the fifth feat of Hercules. The expression "Augean stables" is used when they want to say about putting in order something very dirty, complex and confusing.
Achilles
Achilles, one of the greatest heroes of the Trojan War, was the son of the Myrmidonian king Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis. Peleus gave Achilles to be raised by the wise centaur Chiron. The hero grew up powerful, learned to wield weapons perfectly, as well as play the cithara and sing. Fate was predetermined that Achilles should perish under Troy. Thetis knew about this and, wanting to save her son, hid him on the island of Skyros. There, dressed in a woman's dress, he lived among the daughters of King Lycomedes. When the priest Calchas predicted that without the participation of Achilles the Greeks would fail at Troy, the Achaean leaders headed by Odysseus went to Skyros. Posing as a merchant, the cunning Odysseus laid out his goods in front of the audience: women's jewelry and weapons.
Odysseus ordered his companions to sound an alarm. The frightened girls rushed to run, and Achilles grabbed a weapon and rushed towards the enemy. The identified Achilles willingly agrees to take part in the Trojan War. His faithful friend Patroclus is traveling with him. Peleus gives his son armor, which he received as a gift from the gods at the wedding with Thetis, a spear donated by the centaur Chiron, and horses, which he received from Poseidon. During the long siege of Troy, Achilles displays unparalleled courage and valor.
When the Greeks failed to take the city by storm, they began to conquer the nearby cities and islands that were allies of Troy. In Thebes, Achilles captured the beautiful Briseis, but when Agamemnon took the captive away from him, he refused to participate in the battles. Even when the Trojans began to gain victory, Achilles, despite all the persuasion, the promise of Agamemnon to return Briseis to him, to give one of his daughters to wife and give her a rich dowry, does not change his mind. But then the Trojans broke into the camp of the Greeks and set one of their ships on fire. Then Achilles agreed to give Patroclus his armor and allowed him to join the battle. Patroclus dies, struck down by Hector, who is assisted by the god Apollo.
Upon learning of the death of his friend, Achilles reconciled with Agamemnon and again entered the battle with the Trojans, dressed in armor, forged for him by Hephaestus at the request of Thetis. Many Trojan heroes died at the hands of Achilles. In a duel with Hector, he won the victory, defeating him with a spear and avenging the death of Patroclus. But Achilles himself did not live long after that. As it was written by fate, he dies from the arrow of Paris, which is directed by Apollo: the arrow hits the hero in the heel, he cannot move, and Paris sends the second arrow to his chest.
According to one version of the myths about Achilles, his mother Thetis, wanting to make her son immortal, bathed him in the waters of Styx. At the same time, she held the child by the heel, and only the heel remained vulnerable - Paris's arrow hit her. “Achilles' heel” means a weak, vulnerable spot.
Perseus
Acrisius, king of Argos, had a daughter, Danae, of unearthly beauty. The oracle predicted that the king would die at the hands of the son of Danae. Upon learning of this, Acrisius built chambers of bronze and stone deep underground and imprisoned his daughter there. But Zeus, who fell in love with Danae, entered the dungeon in the form of a golden rain. Danae had a son - Perseus. Together with his mother, he was placed in a large wooden chest and thrown into the sea. The waves nailed the box to the island of Serifos, where the prisoners found shelter with local residents.
Perseus grew up, he was a young man with a slender figure and golden hair, handsome as Apollo. Tsar Polydect fell in love with Danae, who hated him. Perseus stood up for his mother, and in order to destroy the hero, the king ordered him to kill the terrible gorgon Medusa. On the head of the gorgon, instead of hair, poisonous snakes swirled, and anyone who looked at her immediately turned into stone. Athena gave Perseus a copper shield, so shiny that everything was reflected in it as in a mirror, and Hermes - his sharp sword.
After a long journey, Perseus reached a gloomy country where the grays lived, who had only one eye and one tooth. He took the eye and tooth away from them and agreed to return them only after the Grai showed him the way to the Gorgon Medusa. From the nymphs, the hero received as a gift the helmet of the ruler of the underworld Hades, which made everyone who wore it invisible, sandals with wings, with which one could quickly move through the air, and a magic bag. In order not to turn into stone, Perseus cut off the head of the gorgon Medusa, looking at her reflection in the shining shield given by Athena, and put it in a wonderful bag. Because the great Atlas refused to accept him in his home, Perseus showed him the head of the Gorgon Medusa, which he had defeated, and the body of Atlas turned into a mountain, beard and hair into forests, arms and shoulders into high rocks. Since then, Mount Atlas has supported the firmament with all its constellations.
In the kingdom of Kefei, Perseus saved the king's daughter, the beautiful Andromeda, chained to a rock and given to be torn apart by a monster. Perseus killed the monster and married Andromeda. Then he freed his mother and turned Polydect into stone. As predicted by the oracle, Perseus killed his grandfather: during sports competitions, he threw a bronze disc and accidentally hit the head of old Acrisius, striking him to death.
Odysseus
Odysseus, king of the island of Ithaca, was distinguished by intelligence, cunning and dexterity. He took part in the Trojan War, and it was he who suggested that the Greeks make a huge wooden horse, hide the best warriors in it and leave it at the walls of Troy. Odysseus's cunning succeeded, thanks to which the Greeks were able to seize Troy (hence the expressions "Trojan horse" and "gifts of the Danes" - to denote a gift made for the destruction of the enemy). The path of Odysseus to his homeland, to Ithaca, was difficult, he was often in mortal danger, but thanks to the help of the gods and his own mind, he overcame all obstacles. He got to the terrible one-eyed Cyclops Polyphemus, who ate six of his companions. Odysseus gave Polyphemus a drink, gouged out his only eye, and then, together with the remaining companions, managed to get out of his cave by cunning.
The sorceress Kirk turned his companions into pigs, and Odysseus miraculously managed to avoid the same fate, and then save his comrades. He managed to safely sail past the island of sweet-voiced sirens, which lure sailors with their wonderful singing and smash their ships on the rocks, - Odysseus stuffed the ears of his companions with wax, and ordered himself to be tightly tied to the mast. His ship sailed between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus was the only one to escape when Zeus, angry with his companions who ate the sacred cows of the god Helios, threw lightning at their ship. For several days, Odysseus, clinging to the mast, was carried along the sea. For seven years he languished in captivity with the nymph Calypso. His raft, on which he sailed from Calypso, sank Poseidon, angry with Odysseus, and he miraculously survived.
After the shipwreck, Odysseus ended up on the island of Theacians Kerkyra (Corfu), where he was found sleeping by Nausicaa, the daughter of King Alkinoy. She gave Odysseus clothes, fed him and brought him to the city. The hero was struck by the beauty and wealth of the city, the palace of the king and gardens. Odysseus told Alkinoy and Queen Arete about his participation in the Trojan War and about all the adventures, troubles and hardships that he had to endure later, and asked them to send him home. The Theacians equipped a ship, carried there rich gifts for Odysseus, arranged a farewell feast and sent the hero to Ithaca. For many years, the faithful wife of Odysseus Penelope was waiting for him. Returning to Ithaca, the unrecognized Odysseus found numerous suitors who demanded that his wife get married. Penelope invited them to compete in the archery that belonged to her husband, but none of them even managed to pull the string. Odysseus took the bow and killed all the suitors. He revealed himself to Penelope and again began to reign on Ithaca.
Orpheus
The son of the river god Eagra and the muse Calliope, a great singer. As the myths tell, Orpheus composed songs about love and peace, about freedom and order. When he sang, wild animals were pacified, the fighting stretched out their hands to each other, the kings became merciful, the savages began to live by the laws. His beloved wife Eurydice died from a poisonous snakebite. Orpheus bitterly mourned his loss. He decided to descend into the dark kingdom of dead souls in search of his beloved. With his singing, he charmed the guard of Cerberus, Hades himself and Persephone.
Hades agreed to return Eurydice on the condition that Orpheus will follow Hermes through the underworld and will not look at Eurydice walking behind until he enters his house. But, alas, Orpheus could not resist and turned to look at Eurydice, and she again, already forever, turned into a shadow. Orpheus did not want to marry another woman. Four years after the death of Eurydice, violent Bacchantes sent by the god Dionysus, who was angry with Orpheus for not honoring him, tore the singer to pieces. They threw his head and kifaru into the sea. The sea picked them up and carried them away, and for a long time the weeping of the strings sounded. The waves carried a terrible load to the shores of Lesvos. This island, in memory of Orpheus, is considered to be the cradle of Greek music and arts.
Theseus
Theseus had two fathers - the king of Athens Aegeus and the god Poseidon. Efra, the hero's mother, was the daughter of Tsar Pitfey. She raised her son, and when he grew up and matured, she gave him the sword of Aegeus, with which Theseus went to Athens. On the way, he performed various feats. So, he ended up in the house of the famous robber Procrustes, from which not a single person left alive. Procrustes put a traveler who came to him on a bed and, if he did not fit on it, he cut off his legs, and if the bed was large for a person, then he pulled out the unfortunate. Theseus managed to kill Procrustes. When the Athenians once again sent tribute to King Minos - seven young men and seven girls destined to be devoured by the monster Minotaur - Theseus voluntarily went to Crete among them.
There he, with the help of Ariadne, who fell in love with him, the daughter of Minooa and Pasiphae, killed the Minotaur who lived in the Labyrinth. The hero cut the bottoms of the Cretans' ships so that they could not catch up with him, and set off on his ship. Together with Theseus, Ariadne, who fell in love with him, left Crete. On the way, they landed on the island of Naxos. There, the god Dionysus appeared to Theseus in a dream and ordered him to sail from the island without Ariadne, since she was destined for his wife, Dionysus. Theseus, waking up, quickly set off on the road, leaving Ariadne (according to another version, Theseus himself did not want to take Ariadne with him to Athens and left her on Naxos).
Dionysus took Ariadne to the island of Lemnos, where their wedding took place. Theseus, saddened that he had to part with Ariadne, forgot to change the sails (the ship departed from Athens under black sails, which, by agreement with Aegeus, Theseus had to change to white if he managed to defeat the Minotaur and get out of the Labyrinth alive), and Aegeus, deciding that his son was lost, in despair threw himself into the sea, which came to be called the Aegean. After the death of Aegeus, Theseus became king of Athens. He performed many other feats, but with his daring deeds he angered the gods, and they turned away from him. Moreover, in the absence of Theseus, Dioscuri deposed him from the throne in Athens, and he had to go into exile. He sailed to the island of Skyros, where his father once owned the land. However, the king of Skyros Lycomedes did not want to give land to Theseus and cunningly killed the hero, pushing him off the cliff.
Jason
Jason, the famous leader of the Argonauts, the great-grandson of the god of the winds Aeolus, was the son of Eson, king of Iolcus, and Polimedes. Eson was overthrown from the throne by his brother Pelius, the son of Poseidon and Tyro. Aeson, fearing that Pelius would not destroy his son Jason, said that the child died immediately after birth, and he himself gave it to the centaur Chiron to be raised. Here Jason mastered the skill of using weapons, in addition, Chiron taught him the art of healing. When Jason was twenty years old, he returned to Iolk. On the way, the young man lost one of his sandals, and Pelias was predicted that he would die at the hands of a man who came from the mountains, who would have only one foot on. Seeing Jason, who came to demand that the throne be returned to his father, Pelius was frightened, but decided to cheat and promised to give power to Aeson after Jason brought him the Golden Fleece from Colchis.
With the help of the goddess Athena, the ship "Argo" was built, and Jason, along with many Greek heroes, set out from Iolca on a journey. They had to face many dangers and temptations. With the help of Medea, who fell in love with him, daughter of the Colchian king Eetus, Jason stole the fleece and fled. Medea fled with him. To delay the pursuit, she committed a crime: she killed her brother and threw pieces of his body into the sea, realizing that the father would collect them to bury his son. The Argonauts landed on the island of the Theacians of Kerkyra (Corfu).
King Alkinoy welcomed them warmly, and they expected to rest on the island after a long and dangerous journey. But the next day, a fleet of Colchisians appeared near the island, demanding the return of Medea to them. A battle almost broke out, and Alkinoy decided to give Medea to the Colchisians if she was not Jason's wife. Upon learning of this, Jason and Medea performed a wedding ceremony at night, and the next day Jason swore an oath to the owners of the island and the Colchisians that Medea was his wife. Alkinoy decided that Medea should stay with her husband, and the Colchians had to return home with nothing.
When Jason, after many difficulties and adventures, returned to Iolk to Pelias with the golden fleece, he learned that he had killed his father and brother. Pelius refused to keep his promise. Then the sorceress Medea advised the daughters of Pelias to chop their father's body into pieces and boil it in a cauldron to restore his youth. Thus, the treacherous Pelius perished, but his son Akayet reigned in Iolca, who banished Jason and Medea.
The mythological heroes of Ancient Greece were people, but the parents of many of them were the gods. Myths about their exploits and achievements are an integral part of the culture of the ancient Greeks, and below in the article a kind of "top" of the 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 took him to Olympus, where Zeus granted immortality to the hero.
The most famous exploits 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, Cerberus, the cleansing of the unclean Augean stables for decades, the construction of stone pillars on the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar, dividing 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
The king of Ithaca, Odysseus, is famous for his journey from the city of Troy to his homeland, full of dangers and mortal risks. The feats that the hero performed during him are described by the ancient Greek poet Homer in the poem "The 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 Kirka, did not succumb to the spell of sweet-voiced sirens, "slipped" on the ship between Scylla, devouring all living things, and Charybdis, absorbing everything, left the beautiful nymph Calypso, survived a lightning strike and returned home , dealt with all the newly appeared "suitors" of his wife Penelope. "Odyssey" - since then people have called any risky and long journey.
Hero of Ancient Greece Perseus
Perseus is another son of Zeus, his mother was the Argos 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 from whose gaze all living things turned to stone. Then Perseus freed the princess Andromeda from the clutches of the sea monster that was devouring people, and turned her former groom 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 Styx river of the dead, thanks to which Achilles' whole body became invulnerable, except for the heel by which his mother held him.
The invulnerability of Achilles made him an invincible warrior, until, during the siege of Troy, the son of the Trojan king Paris hit him with an arrow in that very heel. Since then, any vulnerability of any impregnable defense is called its "Achilles' heel".
Hero of Ancient Greece Jason
Jason is famous for the fact that on the ship "Argo" with a team of brave Argonauts (among whom were the sweet-voiced singer Orpheus and the mighty Hercules) went to distant Colchis (modern Georgia) and got 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 Creusa, Medea killed both her and her own children.
Unhappy hero of ancient Greece Oedipus
The oracle predicted to Oedipus's father, the Theban king Lai, that he would die at the hands of his son. Lai ordered to kill Oedipus, but he was saved and adopted by a slave, and the young men also received the prediction of the Delphic Oracle that he would kill his father and marry his own mother.
Frightened, Oedipus set off on a journey, but on the way to Thebes, in a quarrel, he killed some noble old Thebanese. The road to Thebes was guarded by the Sphinx, making 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 who had once been killed on the road, and that his wife was at the same time a mother, he blinded himself.
Another famous hero of Ancient Greece - Theseus
Theseus was the son of the king of the seas, Poseidon, and became famous for having killed the Minotaur - a monster that lived in the rugged Cretan labyrinth, and then found a way out of this labyrinth. He got out of there thanks to a ball of thread, which was presented 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 the materials of the encyclopedia "Who is Who".
ABDER - son of Hermes, friend of Hercules
AUGIUS - son of Helios, king of Elis
AGENOR - King of Sidon
AGLAVRA - daughter of Kekrop
AGLAYA is one of the graces
ADMET - King Fer, friend of Hercules
ADMETA - daughter of Eurystheus, priestess of the goddess Hera
Hades - the god of the underworld (among the ancient Romans PLUTO)
AKID - son of Semetida, beloved of Galatea
AKRISIA - king of Argos, father of Danae
ALKESTIS - daughter of Tsar Iolka Pelias, wife of Admet
ALKID - the name of Hercules given to him at birth
ALKIONA - one of the seven daughters of Atlas
ALKMENA - daughter of the Mycenaean king Electrion, mother of Hercules
AMALTHEA - a goat that fed Zeus with her milk
AMPHITRION - Greek hero, husband of Alcmene
AMPHITRITA - one of the daughters of Nereus, wife of the god of the seas, Poseidon
ANGEY - Greek hero, participant in the campaign of the Argonauts
ANDROGEUS - son of the Cretan king Minos, killed by the Athenians
ANDROMEDA - daughter of the king of Ethiopia Cepheus and Cassiopeia, wife of Perseus
ANTEUS - the son of the goddess of the earth Gaia and the god of the seas Poseidon
ANTHEA - wife of King Tirynthos Pret
ANTIOPE - amazon
APOLLO (FEB) - god of sunlight, patron of the arts, son of Zeus
APOP - in ancient Egyptian mythology, a monstrous serpent, the enemy of the sun god Ra
ARGOS - the scraper who built the ship "Argo"
ARGUS - the mythological staunch monster that gored Io
ARES - in ancient Greek mythology, the god of war, the son of Zeus and Hera (from the ancient Romans MARS)
ARIADNE - daughter of the Cretan king Minos, beloved of Theseus, later the wife of the god Dionysus
ARKAD - the son of Zeus and Callisto
ARTEMIS - goddess of the hunt, daughter of Zeus and La-ton, sister of Apollo
ASCLEPIUS (AESCULAPUS) - the son of Apollo and Koronis, a skilled healer
ASTEROPE - one of the seven daughters of Atlas
ATA - the goddess of lies and deceit
ATAMANT - King Orchomenes, son of the wind god Aeolus
ATLAS (ATLANT) - titan, holding on his shoulders the entire celestial sphere
ATHENA - the goddess of war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts (among the ancient Romans MINERVA)
APHRODITE - the goddess of love and beauty (the ancient Romans VENUS)
AHELOUS - river god
Achilles - Greek hero, son of King Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis
BELLER - Corinthian killed by Hippo
BELLEROFONT (HIPPONOUS) - the son of the king of Corinth Glaucus, one of the greatest heroes of Greece
BOREY - god of winds
VENUS (see APHRODITE)
VESTA (see HESTIA)
GALATEA - one of the Nereids, beloved Akida
GANIMED - a beautiful youth, the son of the Dardanian king Troy, kidnapped by Zeus
HARMONY - daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, wife of Thebes founder Cadmus
GEBA - the forever young beautiful daughter of Zeus and Hera
HEKATA - the patroness of night evil, witchcraft
HELIOS - the sun god
HELIADS - daughters of the god Helios
GELLA - daughter of Atamant and the goddess of clouds and clouds Nephela
HERA - Zeus's wife
GERION - a terrible giant who had three heads, three bodies, six arms and six legs
HERCULES - one of the greatest heroes of Greece, the son of Zeus and Alcmene
HERMES - in Greek micrology, the messenger of the Olympic gods, the patron saint of shepherds and travelers, the god of trade and profit, the son of Zeus and Maya (from the ancient Romans of MERCURY)
GERSE - daughter of Kekrop
HESION - wife of Prometheus
HESPERIDES - daughters of Atlas
HESTIA - the daughter of Kronos, the goddess of the hearth (among the ancient Romans VESTA)
HEPHESTUS - in Greek mythology, the god of fire, the patron saint of blacksmithing, the son of Zeus and Hera (the ancient Romans VOLCANO)
GAYA - the goddess of the Earth, from whom the mountains and seas originated, the first generation of gods, cyclops and giants
HYADES - daughters of Atlas who raised Dionysus
GIAS - the brother of Hyades, who tragically died during a lion hunt
GILAS - squire of Hercules
GILL - son of Hercules
GIMENEUS - the god of marriage
HIMEROT - the god of passionate love
HYPERION - titan, father of Helios
HYPNOS - the god of sleep
HIPPOCONT - brother of Tiidareus, who expelled him from Sparta
HIPPONOI (see VELLEROFONT)
HYPSIPILA - Queen of Lemnos
GLAVK - King of Corinth, father of Bellerophon
GLAVK - diviner
GRANI - goddesses of old age
DANAYA - daughter of King Argos Akrisius, mother of Perseus
DAR DAN - son of Zeus and daughter of Atlas Electra
Daphne - nymph
DEVKALION - son of Prometheus
DEDALUS - an unsurpassed sculptor, painter, architect
DIMOS (Horror) - son of the god of war Ares
DEMETRA - goddess of fertility and patroness of agriculture
DEYANIRA - the wife of Hercules
DIKE - goddess of justice, daughter of Zeus and Themis
DIKTIS - a fisherman who found a box in the sea with Danae and Perseus
DIOMED - Thracian king
DIONA - nymph, mother of Aphrodite
DIONYSUS - the god of viticulture and winemaking, son of Zeus and Semele
EURISPHEIA - king of Argos, son of Stenel
EURITUS - father of Iphit, friend of Hercules
EURITION - the giant killed by Hercules
EUROPE - daughter of King Sidon Agenor, beloved of Zeus
EVTERPA - the muse of lyric poetry
EVFROSINA - one of the harit (graces)
ELENA - daughter of Zeus and Leda, wife of Menelaus, because of whose abduction by Paris the Trojan War began
EHIDNA - monster, half-woman-half-snake
ZEUS - the lord of Heaven and Earth, the thunderer, the supreme god among the ancient Greeks (among the ancient Romans JUPITER)
ZET - son of the god of winds Boreas, participant in the campaign of the Argonauts
ID - cousin Castor and Pollux, the killer of Castor
IKAR - the son of Daedalus, who died because he got too close to the Sun
ICARIUS - a resident of Attica, who was the first to grow grapes and make wine
IMHOTEP - ancient Egyptian physician and architect
INO - the daughter of the founder of Thebes Cadmus and Harmony, the wife of the king Orchomenus Adamant, the stepmother of Frix and Hella
IO - daughter of the river god Inach, the first king of Argolis, beloved of Zeus
IOBAT - Lycian king, father of Anthea
IOLA - daughter of Bvrit
IOLAI - nephew of Hercules, son of Iphicles
Ippolitus - the son of the Athenian king Theseus and Hippolyta, slandered by his stepmother Fed-Roy
HIPPOLITA - Queen of the Amazons
IRIDA - messenger of the gods
ISIS - ancient Egyptian goddess, great-granddaughter of the sun god Ra
IFIKLUS - brother of Hercules, son of Amphitryon and Alcmene
IFIT - a friend of Hercules, killed by him in a fit of madness
KADM - son of Sidonian king Agekor, founder of Thebes
KALAID - the son of the wind god Boreas, a participant in the campaign of the Argonauts
CALLIOPE - the muse of epic poetry
KALLISTO - daughter of the Arcadian king Lycaon, beloved of Zeus
KALKHANT - soothsayer
CASSIOPEIA - Queen of Ethiopia, wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda
KASTOR - the son of Leda and the Spartan king Tin-darey, brother of Pollux
KARPO - the ora of summer, one of the goddesses who were in charge of the change of seasons
KEKROP - half-man-half-snake, founder of Athens
KELENO is one of the daughters of Atlas
KERVER (CERBER) - a three-headed dog with a snake tail, guarding the souls of the dead in the underworld of Hades
KEFEI (see CEFEI)
KIKN is a friend of Phaethon who turned into a snow-white swan
KILIK - the son of the Sidonian king Agenor
KLYMENA - daughter of the sea goddess Thetis, wife of Helios, mother of Phaeton
CLIO - muse of history
KLITEMNESTRA - daughter of Leda and the Spartan king Tyndareus, wife of Agamemnon
CAPRICORN - son of Epian, childhood friend of Zeus
KOPREI - the messenger of Bvrisfei, who passed orders to Hercules
CORONIDA - beloved of Apollo, mother of Asclepius (Aesculapius)
CREON - Theban king, father of Megara, the first wife of Hercules
KRONOS is a titan, son of Uranus and Gaia. Having overthrown his father, he became the supreme god. In turn was overthrown by his son Zeus
LAOMEDONT - King of Troy
LATONA (SUMMER) - Titanide, beloved of Zeus, mother of Apollo and Artemis
LEARCH - the son of Atamant and Ino, killed by his father in a fit of madness
LEDA - wife of the Spartan king Tyndareus, mother of Helena, Clytemnestra, Castor and Pollux
LYCAON - king of Arcadia, father of Callisto
LIKURG - Thracian king who insulted Dionysus and was blinded by Zeus as punishment
LIN - the music teacher of Hercules, brother of Orpheus
LINKEY - a cousin of Castor and Pollux, distinguished by extraordinary vigilance
LICHAS - Herald of Hercules
MAYA - daughter of Atlas, beloved of Zeus, mother of Hermes
MARDUK - patron god of Babylon, the supreme deity of the Babylonian pantheon
MARS (see ARES)
MEG ARA - daughter of the Theban king Creon, the first wife of Hercules
MEDEA - sorceress, daughter of King Eetus of Colchis, wife of Jason, later wife of the Athenian king Aegeus
MEDUSA GORGONA - the only mortal of the three Gorgon sisters - winged female monsters with snakes instead of hair; the gorgon's gaze turned all life into stone
MELANIPPE - Amazon, Hippolyta's assistant
MELIKERT - the son of the king Atamant and the sorceress Ino
MELPOMENE - muse of tragedy
MERCURY (see HERMES)
MEROPA - daughter of Atlas
METIS - goddess of wisdom, mother of Pallas Athena (from the ancient Romans METIS)
MIMAS - a giant struck by an arrow of Hercules during the battle of the gods with giants
MINOS - King of Crete, son of Zeus and Europe
MINOTAUR - a monster with a human body and a bull's head, living in the Labyrinth, killed by Theseus
Mnemozina - the goddess of memory and memories
Pug is a Greek hero who understood the language of birds and guessed the future, a participant in the campaign of the Argonauts
NEPTUNE (see POSEIDON)
NEREIDS - fifty daughters of Nereus
NEREI - sea god, diviner
NESS - the centaur who tried to kidnap Deianira, the wife of Hercules, and was killed by him
NEPHELA - goddess of clouds and clouds, mother of Frix and Gella
NIKTA - goddess of the night
NOT - god of the southern moist wind
NUT - the ancient Egyptians had the goddess of Heaven
OVERON - in Scandinavian mythology, the king of the elves, the character of W. Shakespeare's comedy "Midsummer Night's Dream"
OINEUS - king of Calydon, father of Meleager - a friend of Hercules and Deianira - his wife
OCEANID - daughters of the Ocean
OMPHALA - the Lydian queen, in whose slavery Hercules was
ORION - a brave hunter
ORPHEUS - son of the river god Eagra and the muse Calliope, renowned musician and singer
ORFO - two-headed dog, the offspring of Typhon and Echidna
ORA - goddesses who were in charge of the change of seasons
OSIRIS - in ancient Egyptian mythology, the god of dying and resurrecting nature, brother and husband of Isis, father of Horus, patron and judge of the dead
PALLANT - a giant defeated by Athena, from which she peeled off and covered her shield with this skin
PANDORA - a woman made of clay by Hephaestus by order of Zeus in order to punish people, the wife of Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus
PANDROSA - daughter of Kekrop, the first Athenian king
PEGAS - winged horse
PELEUS - Greek hero, father of Achilles
PELIUS - King Iolka, father of Alkestida
PENEY - river god, father of Daphne
PERIPHETUS - a terrible giant, the son of Hephaestus, killed by Theseus
PERSEUS - Greek hero, son of Zeus and Danae
PERSEPHONA - daughter of the goddess of fertility Demeter and Zeus, wife of the ruler of the underworld Hades (among the ancient Romans PROZERPINA)
PIRRA - Deucalion's wife
PITFEI - king of Argolis
PYTHIA - the prophetess of the god Apollo in Delphi
PYTHON - the monstrous serpent that chased Latona, killed by Apollo
Pleiades - seven daughters of Atlas, sisters of Hyades
PLUTO (see Hades)
POLYHYMNIA - the muse of sacred hymns
POLYDEVK (POLLUX) - son of Zeus and Leda, brother of Castor
POLYDEKT - the king of the island of Serif, who sheltered Danae and Perseus
POLYID - diviner
POLYPHEMUS - Cyclops, son of Poseidon, in love with Galatea
POLYFEM - Lapith, husband of the sister of Hercules, participant in the campaign of the Argonauts
POSEIDON - god of the seas, brother of Zeus (from the ancient Romans NEPTUNE)
PRET - King of Tiryns
PRIAM - the Trojan king
PROMETHEUS - the titanium that gave people fire
RA - the sun god of the ancient Egyptians
Radamant - son of Zeus and Europe
REZIA - daughter of the Baghdad caliph, loyal wife of Huon
Rhea - wife of Kronos
SARPEDON - son of Zeus and Europe
SATURN (see KRONOS)
SELENA - Goddess of the Moon
SEMELA - daughter of the Theban king Cadmus, beloved of Zeus, mother of Dionysus
SEMETIS - mother of Akis, beloved of Galatea
SILENUS - the wise teacher of Dionysus, depicted as a drunken old man
SYNNID - a terrible robber defeated by Theseus
SKYRON - cruel robber defeated by Theseus
SOKHMET - daughter of Ra, had the head of a Lioness, the personification of the fire element
STENEL - the father of Eurystheus
STENO is one of the Gorgons
SCILLA is one of two terrible monsters that lived on both sides of the narrow strait and destroyed the sailors sailing between them
TAIGET - son of Zeus and Maya, brother of Hermes
TAL - Daedalus's nephew, killed by him out of envy
WAIST - muse of comedy
TALLO - the ora of spring
TALOS - a copper giant given by Zeus to Minos
TANATOS - god of death
TEIA - eldest daughter of Uranus, mother of Helios, Selena and Eos
TELAMON- faithful friend of Hercules, participant in the campaign of the Argonauts
TERPSIHORA - the muse of dancing
TESEN - Greek hero, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus and the Trizenian princess Etra, killed the Minotaur
TESTY-Estolian king, father of Leda
TEPHIA - Titanide, wife of the Ocean
Tyndareus - Spartan hero, husband of Leda
TIRESIUS - diviner
TITANIUM - in Scandinavian mythology, the wife of Oberon, a character in Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
TITON - brother of the Trojan king Priam
TYPHON is a hundred-headed monster, the offspring of Gaia and Tartarus
TOT - the ancient Egyptians had the god of the moon
TRIPTOLEM - the first farmer who initiated people into the secrets of agriculture
TRITON - the son of the ruler of the seas Poseidon
TROY - Dardan king, father of Ganymede
URANUS - God of Heaven, spouse of Gaia, father of titans, cyclops and hundred-handed giants; was overthrown by his son Kronos
URANIA - the muse of astronomy
PHAETON - the son of Helios and Klymene, the hero of the tragic myth
Phoebus - titanide
FEDRA - the wife of the Athenian king Theseus, who fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus and slandered him
THEMIS - goddess of justice, mother of Prometheus
PHOENIX - the son of the Sidonian king Agenor
FETIS - sea goddess, mother of Achilles
FIAMAT - the ancient Babylonians had a monster from which all troubles flowed
PHILOCHETUS - a friend of Hercules, who received his bow and arrows as a reward for setting fire to the funeral pyre
PHINEUS - king of Thrace, a soothsayer, blinded by Apollo for revealing the secrets of Zeus to people
PHOBOS (Fear) - son of the god of war Ares
FRIX - the son of Atamant and Nephela, the goddess of clouds and clouds
HALKIOPA - daughter of the king of Colchis Eetus, wife of Phrix
HARIBDA is one of the monsters that lived on both sides of the narrow strait and destroyed sailors sailing by
CHARON - carrier dead souls across the river Styx in the underworld of Hades
CHIMERA - a three-headed monster, the offspring of Typhon and Echidna
CHIRON is a wise centaur, teacher of the famous Greek heroes Theseus, Achilles, Jason and others.
Huon - knight of Charlemagne, an example of a faithful spouse
CEPHEI - King of Ethiopia, father of Ariadne
SHU - the son of the sun god Ra
EAGR - river god, father of Orpheus
EVRIALA - one of the Gorgons
Eurydice - nymph, wife of Orpheus
EGEI - Athenian king, father of Theseus
ELECTRA is the daughter of Atlas, the beloved of Zeus, the mother of Dardanus and Yason
ELECTRION - Mycenaean king, father of Alcmene, grandfather of Hercules
ANDYMION - a beautiful young man, Selena's beloved, immersed in eternal sleep
ENZELAD - the giant that Athena filled up with the island of Sicily
ENYUO - the goddess who sows murder in the world, the companion of the god of war Ares
EOL - god of the winds
EOS - goddess of dawn
EPAF - Phaeton's cousin, son of Zeus
EPIAN - the father of Capricorn
EPIMETHES - brother of Prometheus
ERATO - the muse of love songs
ERIGONA - daughter of Ikaria
ERIDA - goddess of discord, companion of the god of war Ares
ERICHTHONIUS - the son of Hephaestus and Gaia, the second Athenian king
EROS (EROT) - the god of love, the son of Aphrodite
AESCULAPE (see ASCLEPIES)
ESON - King Iolka, Jason's father
EET - King of Colchis, son of Helios
YUNONA (see HERA)
JUPITER (see ZEUS)
JANUS - god of time
YAPET - Titan, Father of Atlas
JASION - son of Zeus and Electra
JASON - Greek hero, leader of the Argonauts campaign
Heroes of Ancient Greece, whose names are not 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 the ideal of physical beauty. Legends and poems were composed about these brave men, statues were created in honor of the heroes and they were called by the names of the constellation.
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 - legends about titans and giants. At that time, man felt himself defenseless in front of the formidable forces of nature, about which he still knew very little. Therefore, the world around him seemed to him chaos, in which there are terrifying uncontrollable forces and entities - titans, giants and monsters. They were generated by the earth as the main active force of nature.
At this time, Cerberus, the chimera, the serpent Typhon, the hundred-armed giants-Hecatoncheira, the goddess of vengeance Erinia appear, appearing in the guise of terrible old women, and many others.
2. Gradually, a pantheon of deities of a different character began to develop. Humanoid higher powers - the Olympic gods - began to oppose abstract monsters. This is a new, third generation of deities who entered the battle against the titans and giants and defeated them. Not all opponents were imprisoned in a terrible dungeon - Tartarus. Many were included in the number of the new Ocean, 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 was strengthened more and more. 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 deeds are accomplished and victories are won over ancient entities. Typhon is killed by Apollo, the hero of ancient Hellas Cadmus founds the famous Thebes in the habitat of the dragon he killed, Bellerophon destroys the chimera.
Historical sources of Greek myths
We can judge the exploits of heroes and gods by the few written testimonies. The largest of them are the poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey" by the great Homer, "Metamorphoses" by Ovid (they formed the basis for N. Kuhn's famous book "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece"), as well as the works of Hesiod.
Around the 5th century BC. collectors of legends about gods and great defenders of Greece appear. The heroes of Ancient Hellas, whose names we now know, have not been forgotten due to their painstaking work. These are historians and philosophers Apollodorus of Athens, Heraclides of Pontic, Palefat and many others.
The origin of the heroes
First, let's find out who this is - the hero of Ancient Hellas. The Greeks themselves have several interpretations. This is usually a descendant of some deity and mortal woman. Hesiod, for example, called the heroes demigods, whose ancestor was Zeus.
It takes more than one generation to create a truly invincible warrior and protector. Hercules is the thirtieth in the family of descendants of the main one and all the power of the previous heroes of his family is concentrated in him.
For Homer, this is a strong and courageous warrior or a man of noble birth with famous ancestors.
Modern etymologists also interpret the meaning of the word in question in different ways, highlighting the general - the function of the protector.
The heroes of Ancient Hellas often have similar biographies. Many of them did not know the name of their father, were brought up either by one mother, or were adopted children. All of them, in the end, were sent to accomplish feats.
Heroes are called to fulfill the will of the Olympic gods and to give protection to people. They bring order and justice to the 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 the son of Achilles, trying to make him immortal. The goddess Demeter, in gratitude to the Athenian king, puts his son Demophon in the fire in order 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 hero's fate is usually tragic. Unable to live forever, he tries to immortalize himself in the memory of people by exploits. He is often persecuted by malevolent gods. Hercules tries to destroy Hera, Odysseus is haunted by Poseidon's wrath.
Heroes of Ancient Greece: a list of names and deeds
The titan Prometheus became the first defender of people. He is conventionally called a hero, since he is not a man or a demigod, but a real deity. According to Hesiod's version, it was he who created the first people, molded them from clay or earth, and patronized them, protecting them from the arbitrariness 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 origin is unusual. He is a descendant of many gods, and his ancestors were even wise half-snakes, 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 trapping travelers on the Athenian road, killed the monster - the Krommion pig. Also Theseus, together with Hercules, participated in the campaign against the Amazons.
Achilles - greatest hero Hellas, 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 perform many feats on the battlefield. His mother tried to hide him with the ruler Lycomedes, dressing him up in women's clothes and passing him off as one of the royal daughters. But the cunning Odysseus, sent to search for Achilles, was able to expose him. The hero was forced to come to terms with his fate and went to the Trojan War. On it, he performed many feats. His mere appearance on the battlefield put enemies to flight. Achilles was killed by Paris with an arrow from a bow directed by the god Apollo. She hit the only vulnerable spot on the hero's body - the heel. revered Achilles. In honor of him, temples were built in Sparta and Elis.
The life stories of some of the heroes are so interesting and tragic that it is worth telling about them separately.
Perseus
The heroes of Ancient Greece, 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 his head and saved the beautiful Andromeda from the sea monster.
To do this, he had to get Ares' helmet, which makes everyone invisible, and Hermes sandals, which make it possible to fly. Athena, the patroness of the hero, gave him a sword and a magic bag in which to hide the 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 by the gods in the sky and turned into constellations.
Odysseus
The heroes of ancient Hellas were not only extraordinarily strong and courageous. Many of them were distinguished by their wisdom. The most cunning of them all was Odysseus. More than once, his sharp mind helped out the hero and his companions. Homer dedicated his famous "Odyssey" to the long-term journey of the king of Ithaca home.
Greatest of the Greeks
The hero of Hellas (Ancient Greece), the myths about which are most famous, is Hercules. and a descendant of Perseus, he performed many feats and became famous for centuries. All his life he was haunted by Hera's hatred. Under the influence of the madness sent by her, he killed his children and two sons of his brother Iphicles.
The death of the hero came prematurely. Putting on a poisoned cloak sent by his wife Deianira, who thought he was soaked in a love potion, Hercules realized that he was dying. He ordered to prepare a funeral pyre and ascended it. At the time 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 characters of myths in modern art
The heroes of Ancient Hellas, pictures of which can be seen in the article, have always been considered models of physical strength and health. There is not a single art form that does not use the plots of Greek mythology. And these days they do not lose popularity. Films such as "Clash of the Titans" and "Wrath of the Titans", with Perseus as the main character, aroused great interest among the audience. An excellent film of the same name is dedicated to the odyssey (directed by Andrey Konchalovsky). "Troy" told about the exploits and death of Achilles.
A huge number of films, TV series and cartoons have been filmed about the great Hercules.
Conclusion
The heroes of Ancient Greece are still a remarkable example 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.
(or their descendants) and mortal people. Heroes differed from the gods in that they were mortal. More often they were the descendants of a god and a mortal woman, less often - a goddess and a mortal man. Heroes, as a rule, possessed exceptional or supernatural physical abilities, creative gifts, etc., but did not possess immortality. The heroes were supposed to fulfill the will of the gods on earth, to bring order and justice into people's lives. With the help of their divine parents, they performed all kinds of feats. Heroes were highly revered, legends about them were passed down from generation to generation.
Heroes ancient greek myths there were Achilles, Hercules, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus, Jason, Hector, Bellerophon, Orpheus, Pelop, Foroneus, Aeneas.
Let's talk about some of them.
Achilles
Achilles was the bravest of heroes. He participated in a campaign against Troy under the leadership of the Mycenaean king Agamemnon.
Achilles. Greek antique bas-relief
Author: Jastrow (2007), from Wikipedia
Achilles was the son of the mortal Peleus, king of the Myrmidons, and the sea goddess Thetis.
There are several legends about Achilles' childhood. One of them is the following: Thetis, wishing to make her son immortal, immersed him in the waters of the Styx (according to another version, in fire), so that only the heel by which she held him remained vulnerable; hence the proverb "Achilles' heel" that exists to this day. This saying denotes someone's weak side.
In childhood, Achilles was called Pyrrisius ("Ice"), but when the fire burned his lips, he was called Achilles ("lipless").
Achilles was raised by the centaur Chiron.
Chiron teaches Achilles to play the lyre
Another tutor of Achilles was Phoenix, a friend of his father Peleus. The centaur Chiron returned the sight to Phoenix, which his father had taken from him, falsely accused by his concubine.
Achilles joined the campaign against Troy at the head of 50 or even 60 ships, taking with him his tutor Phoenix and childhood friend Patroclus.
Achilles bandaging Patroclus's hand (image on the bowl)
The first shield of Achilles was made by Hephaestus; this scene is also depicted on vases.
During the long siege of Ilion, Achilles repeatedly raided various neighboring cities. According to the existing version, he wandered the Scythian land for five years in search of Iphigenia.
Achilles is the protagonist of Homer's Iliad.
Having defeated many enemies, Achilles in the last battle reached the Skeian gates of Ilion, but here an arrow shot from the bow of Paris by the hand of Apollo himself hit him in the heel, and the hero died.
Death of Achilles
But there are also later legends about the death of Achilles: he appeared at the temple of Apollo in Fimbra, near Troy, to marry Polyxena, the youngest daughter of Priam, where he was killed by Paris and Deiphobus.
Greek writer of the first half of the 2nd century A.D. e. Ptolemy Hephaestion narrates that Achilles was killed by Helen or Penfesileia, after which Thetis resurrected him, he killed Penfesileia and returned to Hades (the god of the underworld of the dead).
The Greeks erected a mausoleum for Achilles on the banks of the Hellespont, and here, in order to pacify the hero's shadow, they sacrificed Polyxenus to him. According to Homer's story, Ajax Telamonides and Odysseus Laertides argued for the armor of Achilles. Agamemnon awarded them to the latter. In The Odyssey, Achilles stays in the underworld, where he is met by Odysseus.
Achilles was buried in a golden amphora, which Dionysus gave to Thetis.
Hercules
A. Canova "Hercules"
Author: LuciusCommons - foto scattata da me., From Wikipedia
Hercules is the son of the god Zeus and Alcmene, daughter of the Mycenaean king.
Numerous myths have been created about Hercules, the most famous is the cycle of legends about 12 exploits performed by Hercules when he was in the service of the Mycenaean king Eurystheus.
The cult of Hercules was very popular in Greece, from where it spread to Italy, where it is known by the name of Hercules.
The constellation Hercules is located in the northern hemisphere of the sky.
Zeus took the form of Amphitryon (husband of Alcmene), stopped the sun, and their night lasted three days. On the night he was supposed to be born, Hera made Zeus swear that today's newborn will be the supreme king. Hercules was from a Perseid clan, but Hera delayed the birth of his mother, and his cousin Eurystheus was the first (premature) born. Zeus concluded a treaty with the Hero that Hercules would not be under the rule of Eurystheus all his life: after ten deeds performed on behalf of Eurystheus, Hercules would not only be freed from his power, but even receive immortality.
Athena tricked Hera into breastfeeding Hercules: having tasted this milk, Hercules becomes immortal. The baby hurts the goddess, and she tears him off the breast; a spray of milk turns into the Milky Way. Hera turned out to be the foster mother of Hercules.
In his youth, Hercules accidentally killed Lynus, the brother of Orpheus, with his lyre, so he was forced to retire to the wooded Kyteron, into exile. There, two nymphs (Depravity and Virtue) appear to him, who offer him a choice between the easy path of pleasures and the thorny path of labors and deeds. Virtue convinced Hercules to go his own way.
Annibale Carracci "The Choice of Hercules"
12 labors of Hercules
1. Strangulation of the Nemean lion
2. The murder of the Lernaean hydra
3. Extermination of Stymphalian birds
4. Capture of the Kerinean fallow deer
5. The taming of the Erymanthian boar and the battle with the centaurs
6. Cleaning the Augean stables.
7. Taming the Cretan bull
8. The abduction of the horses of Diomedes, the victory over the king Diomedes (who threw foreigners to be devoured by his horses)
9. The abduction of the belt of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons
10. The abduction of the cows of the three-headed giant Geryon
11. Stealing golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides
12. The taming of the guardian of Hades - the dog of Cerberus
Antoine Bourdelle "Hercules and the Stymphalian Birds"
Stymphalian birds are birds of prey that lived near the Arcadian city of Stymphala. They had copper beaks, wings, and claws. They attacked people and animals. Their most formidable weapons were feathers, which birds fell to the ground like arrows. They devoured the crops in the area or ate people.
Hercules accomplished many other feats: with the consent of Zeus, he freed one of the titans - Prometheus, to whom the centaur Chiron gave his gift of immortality to free himself from torment.
G. Fuger "Prometheus brings fire to people"
During his tenth feat, he places the Pillars of Hercules on the sides of Gibraltar.
Pillars of Hercules - Rock of Gibraltar (foreground) and North African mountains (background)
Author: Hansvandervliet - Own work, from Wikipedia
Participated in the campaign of the Argonauts. Defeated the king of Elis Augus and established the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games, he won the pankration. Some authors describe the struggle of Hercules with Zeus himself - their competition ended in a draw. Established Olympic stadiums 600 feet long. In running, he overcame the stages without catching his breath. He performed many other feats.
There are also many legends about the death of Hercules. According to Ptolemy Hephaestion, when he lived to the age of 50 and found that he could no longer draw his bow, he threw himself into the fire. Hercules ascended to heaven, was accepted among the gods, and Hera, reconciled with him, marries her daughter Hebe, the goddess of eternal youth. He happily lives on Olympus, and his ghost is in Hades.
Hector
The bravest leader of the Trojan army, the main Trojan hero in the Iliad. He was the son of the last Trojan king Priam and Hecuba (the second wife of King Priam). According to other sources, he was the son of Apollo.
Return of Hector's body to Troy
Perseus
Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the Argos king Acrisius. He defeated the gorgon monster Medusa, was the savior of the princess Andromeda. Perseus is mentioned in Homer's Iliad.
A. Canova "Perseus with the head of the Gorgon Medusa." Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
Author: Yucatan - Own work, from Wikipedia
Gorgona Medusa - the most famous of the three sisters of the Gorgons, a monster with a woman's face and snakes for hair. Her gaze turned the person to stone.
Andromeda is the daughter of the Ethiopian king Kefei and Cassiopeia (had divine ancestors). Cassiopeia once boasted that she was superior in beauty to the Nereids (sea deities, daughters of Nereus and the oceanids of Doris, in appearance resembling Slavic mermaids), angry goddesses turned to Poseidon with a request for revenge, and he sent a sea monster that threatened the death of Kefei's subjects. The oracle of Ammon announced that the anger of the deity would be tamed only when Kefey sacrificed Andromeda to the monster, and the inhabitants of the country forced the king to decide on this sacrifice. Chained to the cliff, Andromeda was left to the mercy of the monster.
Gustave Dore "Andromeda Chained to the Rock"
Perseus saw her in this position. He was amazed at her beauty and promised to kill the monster if she agreed to marry him (Perseus). Andromeda's father Kefey gladly agreed to this, and Perseus accomplished his feat, showing the face of the Gorgon Medusa to the monster, thereby turning it into stone.
Perseus and Andromeda
Not wanting to reign in Argos after the accidental murder of his grandfather, Perseus left the throne to his relative Megapenth, and he himself left for Tiryns ( ancient city on the Peloponnese). Founded Mycenae. The city got its name due to the fact that Perseus lost the tip (mikes) of the sword in the vicinity. It is believed that among the ruins of Mycenae, the underground source of Perseus has been preserved.
Andromeda gave birth to Perseus a daughter, Gorgophon, and six sons: Pers, Alcaeus, Sfenel, Eleus, Mestor and Electrion. The eldest of them, Pers, was considered the ancestor of the Persian people.