Greek Heroes

The Ideal Greek Hero We use the term hero very broadly. For us a hero is someone who stands out from others, someone distinguished by prominence, bravery, or merit. For the Greeks however, the term hero had a much more specific meaning.

Myth or Legend? In divine myths, the principal characters are gods and goddesses, but in legends, the protagonists are human characters.

Motifs In Heroic Myths

Genealogies Cecrops + Aglaurus Erysichthon Aglaurus + Ares Herse + Hermes Pandrosus Alcippe + Eupalamus Procris + Cephalus + Eos Polycaste Daedalus + Slave girl Phaethon Predix Icarus

The Function of Legends Like myth, legends served a specific function in that they explained certain rituals / customs, and often gave an example of how / how not to act.

Perseus With the help of Athena and Hermes (who gave him a sickle, bag, cap of darkness for invisibility and winged shoes), Perseus killed the Gorgon Medusa, a monster with serpents for hair who turned anyone who looked at her to stone.

Heracles The greatest of Greek heroes, Heracles was the son of Alcmene and Zeus (Zeus “visited” Alcmene in the form of her husband).

Theseus His ‘father’ Aegeus placed sandals and a sword under a rock. When Theseus could lift the rock and retrieve the articles, he would prove he was the rightful king of Athens.

Jason Son of Aeson and Alcimede. Brought up by the Centaur Chiron in Thessaly. Jason is aided by Aphrodite and Hera and Pelias’ (owner of the fleece) daughter Medea. He later abandons Medea who kills their children and new wife (subject of Euripides’ Medea).

Oedipus Oedipus was a favourite subject for many Greek playwrights. Sophocles wrote ‘King Oedipus’, ‘Oedipus at Colonus’, and ‘Antigone’, while Euripides wrote ‘Oedipus’.

Achilles To make him immortal, Thetis held Achilles over a fire to burn away his mortality. His only ‘weakness’ was the heel by which she holds him.