Agamemnon- one of the main heroes of ancient Greek national epic, the son of the Mycenaean king Atreus and Aeropa, the leader of the Greek army during the Trojan War.
Amphitryon- the son of the Tirinthian king Alcaeus and the daughter of Pelope Astidamia, the grandson of Perseus. Amphitryon took part in the war against the TV fighters living on the island of Taphos, which was waged by his uncle the Mycenaean king Electrion.
Achilles- v Greek mythology one of the greatest heroes, the son of King Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons and the sea goddess Thetis, the grandson of Eacus, the main character Iliad.
Ajax- the name of two participants in the Trojan War; both fought at Troy as applicants for the hand of Helen. In the Iliad, they often appear hand in hand and are compared to two mighty lions or bulls.
Bellerophon- 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 Hippo.
Hector- 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 who set foot on the land of Troy.
Hercules- the national hero of the Greeks. Son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Gifted with mighty strength, he performed the hardest work on earth and accomplished great feats. Having atoned for his sins, he ascended Olympus and achieved immortality.
Diomedes- the son of the Aetolian king Tydeus and the daughter of Adrast Deipila. Together with Adrastus he took part in the campaign and the destruction of Thebes. As one of Elena's suitors, Diomedes later fought at Troy, leading a militia on 80 ships.
Meleager- the hero of Aetolia, the son of the Calydonian king Oineus and Alfea, the husband of Cleopatra. Participant in the expedition of the Argonauts. Meleager was most famous for her participation in the Calydonian hunt.
Menelaus- the king of Sparta, the son of Atreus and Aeropa, the husband of Elena, the younger brother of Agamemnon. Menelaus, with the help of Agamemnon, gathered friendly kings for the Ilion campaign, and he himself put out 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- the famous singer of the Thracians, the son of the river god Eagra and the muse Calliope, the husband of the nymph Eurydice, who set trees and rocks in motion with his songs.
Patroclus- the son of one of the Argonauts Menetius, a relative and ally of Achilles in the Trojan War. As a boy, he killed his comrade while playing dice, for which his father sent him to Peleus in Phthia, where he was raised together with Achilles.
Peleus- the son of the Aeginian king Eak and Endeida, the husband of Antigone. For the murder of his half-brother Fock, who defeated Peleus in athletic exercises, he was exiled by his father and retired to Phthia.
Pelop- the king and national hero of Phrygia, and then the Peloponnese. Son of Tantalus and the nymph Euryanassa. Pelop grew up on Olympus in the company of the gods and was a favorite of Poseidon.
Perseus- the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the Argos king Acrisius. The winner of Medusa the Gorgon and the savior of Andromeda from the claims of the dragon.
Talfibius- a messenger, a Spartan, together with Eurybates was a herald of Agamemnon, carrying out his instructions. Talphibius, together with Odysseus and Menelaus, gathered an army for the Trojan War.
Tevkr- the son of Telamon and daughter of the Trojan king Hesiona. The best archer in the Greek army near Troy, where more than thirty defenders of Ilion were killed by him.
Theseus- the son of the Athenian king Aeneas and Ether. He became famous for a number of feats, like Hercules; kidnapped Elena together with Peyrifoy.
Trophonius- 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, the pet of the goddess of the earth - Demeter.
Foronei- the founder of the Argos state, the son of the river god Inach and the hamadryad Melia. He was revered as a national hero; sacrifices were performed on his grave.
Phrasimed- the son of the Pilian king Nestor, who arrived with his father and brother Antilochus near Ilion. He commanded fifteen ships and took part in many battles.
Oedipus- the son of the Finnish king Lai and Jocasta. He killed his father and married his mother without knowing it. When the crime was revealed, Jocasta hanged herself, and Oedipus blinded himself. He died, pursued by the Erinyes.
Aeneas- 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, a favorite of the gods; in battles it was defended by Aphrodite and Apollo.
Jason- the son of Aison, on behalf of Pelias, went from Thessaly for the golden fleece to Colchis, for which he equipped a campaign of the Argonauts.
Kronos, v ancient greek mythology, was one of the titans born of the marriage of the sky god Uranus and the earth goddess Gaia. He succumbed to the persuasion of his mother and emasculated his father Uranus in order to stop the endless birth of his children.
To avoid repeating the fate of his father, Kronos began to swallow all his offspring. But in the end, his wife could not stand such an attitude towards their offspring and gave him a stone to swallow instead of a newborn.
Rhea hid her son, Zeus, on the island of Crete, where he grew up, fed by the divine goat Amalthea. He was guarded by kurets - warriors who drowned out the cry of Zeus with blows to their shields so that Kronos would not hear.
Having matured, Zeus overthrew his father from the throne, forced him to pluck his brothers and sisters from the womb and after a long war took his place on the bright Olympus, among the host of gods. So Kronos was punished for his betrayal.
In Roman mythology, Kronos (Chroos - "time") is known as Saturn - a symbol of unforgiving time. V Ancient rome festivities were dedicated to the god Kronos - saturnalia, during which all rich people changed their duties with their servants and fun began, accompanied by abundant libations. In Roman mythology, Kronos (Chroos - "time") is known as Saturn - a symbol of unforgiving time. In ancient Rome, the god Kronos was dedicated to festivities - saturnalia, during which all rich people changed their duties with their servants and fun began, accompanied by abundant libations.
Rhea("Ρέα), in ancient myth-making, the Greek goddess, one of the Titanids, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, the wife of Kronos and the mother of the Olympic deities: Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Demeter and Hera (Hesiod, Theogony, 135). that he would be deprived of power by any of his children, devoured them immediately after birth. Rhea, on the advice of her parents, saved Zeus. Instead of the son she was born, she placed a swaddled stone, which Kronos swallowed, and sent her son, a secret from his father, to Crete, to the mountain When Zeus grew up, Rhea attached her son as a cupbearer to Kronos and he was able to mix an emetic potion into his father's cup, freeing his brothers and sisters. According to one of the versions of the myth, Rhea deceived Kronos at the birth of Poseidon. She hid her son among the grazing sheep, and She gave Kronos a foal to swallow, referring to the fact that she gave birth to him (Pausanias, VIII 8, 2).
The cult of Rhea was considered one of the most ancient, but was not widespread in Greece proper. In Crete and Asia Minor, she mingled with the Asian goddess of nature and fertility, Cybele, and her worship came to a more prominent plane. Especially in Crete, the legend about the birth of Zeus in the grotto of Mount Ida, which enjoyed special veneration, was localized, which is proved by the large number of initiations, partly very ancient, found in it. The tomb of Zeus was also shown in Crete. The priests of Rhea were called here Kuretes and were identified with the Koribants, the priests of the great Phrygian mother Cybele. They were entrusted by Rhea to preserve the baby Zeus; knocking with weapons, the kuretas drowned out his cry so that Kronos could not hear the child. Rhea was portrayed in a matronly type, usually with a crown from the city walls on her head, or in a veil, mostly sitting on a throne, near which the lions dedicated to her sit. Its attribute was a tympanum (ancient musical percussion instrument, predecessor of the timpani). In the period of late antiquity, Rhea was identified with the Phrygian Great Mother of the Gods and received the name Rhea-Cybele, whose cult was distinguished by an orgiastic character.
Zeus, Diy ("bright sky"), in Greek mythology, the supreme deity, the son of the titans Kronos and Rhea. The almighty father of the gods, the lord of the winds and clouds, rain, thunder and lightning with a blow of the scepter caused storms and hurricanes, but he could also calm the forces of nature and clear the sky from clouds. Kronos, fearing to be overthrown by his children, swallowed all the older brothers and sisters of Zeus immediately after their birth, but Rhea, instead of her youngest son, gave Kropos a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the baby was secretly taken out and brought up on the island of Crete.
Matured Zeus sought to settle accounts with his father. His first wife, wise Metis ("thought"), daughter of Ocean, advised him to give his father a potion, from which he would vomit all the children swallowed. Having defeated Kronos, who gave birth to them, Zeus and the brothers divided the world among themselves. Zeus chose the sky, Hades - the underworld of the dead, and Poseidon - the sea. The land and Mount Olympus, where the palace of the gods was located, was decided to be considered common. Over time, the world of the Olympians changes and becomes less violent. Ora, the daughters of Zeus from Themis, his second wife, brought order to the life of gods and people, and the charites, daughters from Eurynome, the former mistress of Olympus, brought joy and grace; the goddess Mnemosyne gave birth to Zeus 9 muses. Thus, law, science, art and moral norms took their place in human society. Zeus was also the father of famous heroes - Hercules, Dioscuri, Perseus, Sarpedon, glorious kings and sages - Minos, Radamanthus and Eacus. True, Zeus's love affairs with both mortal women and immortal goddesses, which formed the basis of many myths, caused constant antagonism between him and his third wife, Hero, the goddess of legal marriage. Some children of Zeus, born out of wedlock, for example Hercules, were cruelly persecuted by the goddess. In Roman mythology, Zeus corresponds to the omnipotent Jupiter.
Hera(Hera), in Greek mythology, the queen of the gods, the goddess of the air, the patroness of family and marriage. Hera, the eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, brought up in the house of Ocean and Tethys, sister and wife of Zeus, with whom, according to the Samos legend, she lived in secret marriage for 300 years, until he openly declared her to be his wife and queen of the gods. Zeus honors her highly and informs her of his plans, although he keeps her on occasion within her subservient position. Hera, mother of Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus, Ilithia. Differs in imperiousness, cruelty and jealous disposition. Especially in the Iliad, Hera shows quarrelsomeness, stubbornness and jealousy - traits that have passed into the Iliad, probably from the oldest songs that glorified Hercules. Hera hates and persecutes Hercules, like all the favorites and children of Zeus from other goddesses, nymphs and mortal women. When Hercules was returning by ship from Troy, she, with the help of the god of sleep, Hypnos, put Zeus to sleep and, through the storm she raised, almost killed the hero. As punishment, Zeus tied the insidious goddess with strong gold chains to the ether and hung two heavy anvils at her feet. But this does not prevent the goddess from constantly resorting to cunning when she needs to get something from Zeus, against whom she cannot do anything by force.
In the struggle for Ilion, she patronizes her beloved Achaeans; the Achaean cities of Argos, Mycenae, Sparta - her favorite places; She hates Trojans for the judgment of Paris. The marriage of Hera with Zeus, which originally had a spontaneous meaning - the connection between heaven and earth, then receives a relation to the civil institution of marriage. As the only legitimate wife on Olympus, Hera is the patroness of marriage and childbirth. She was dedicated to the pomegranate, a symbol of marriage love, and the cuckoo, the messenger of spring, the time of love. In addition, a peacock and a crow were considered its birds.
Her main place of worship was Argos, where her colossal statue, made by Polycletus from gold and ivory, stood, and where the so-called Gerei were celebrated in her honor every five years. In addition to Argos, Hera was also honored in Mycenae, Corinth, Sparta, Samos, Plataea, Sikyon and other cities. Art presents Hera in the form of a tall, slender woman, with a majestic bearing, mature beauty, a rounded face wearing an important expression, a beautiful forehead, thick hair, large, strongly open "ox-eye" eyes. The most remarkable image of her was the above-mentioned statue of Polycletus in Argos: here Hera sat on a throne with a crown on her head, with a pomegranate apple in one hand, with a scepter in the other; at the top of the scepter is a cuckoo. Over the long tunic, which left only the neck and arms uncovered, a himation was thrown around the camp. In Roman mythology, Hera corresponds to Juno.
Demeter(Δημήτηρ), in Greek mythology, the goddess of fertility and agriculture, civil organization and marriage, daughter of Kronos and Rhea, sister and wife of Zeus, from whom she gave birth to Persephone (Hesiod, Theogony, 453, 912-914). One of the most revered Olympic deities. The ancient chthonic origin of Demeter is attested by her name (literally, "earth-mother"). Cult references to Demeter: Chloe ("green", "sowing"), Carpophora ("giver of fruits"), Thesmophora ("legislator", "organizer"), Sito ("bread", "flour") indicate the functions of Demeter as goddess of fertility. She is a goddess, benevolent to people, of a beautiful appearance with hair the color of ripe wheat, an assistant in peasant labors (Homer, Iliad, V 499-501). She fills the farmer's barns with supplies (Hesiod, Opp. 300, 465). They call out to Demeter that the grains come out full-bodied and that the plowing succeeds. Demeter taught people how to plow and sow, uniting in a sacred marriage on the thrice-plowed field of the island of Crete with the Cretan god of agriculture Yason, and the fruit of this marriage was Plutos - the god of wealth and abundance (Hesiod, Theogonia, 969-974).
Hestia-the virgin goddess of the hearth, the eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, the patroness of the inextinguishable fire, uniting gods and people. Hestia never responded to courtship. Apollo and Poseidon asked for her hands, but she vowed to remain a virgin forever. Once the drunken god of gardens and fields Priapus tried to dishonor her, asleep, at a festival where all the gods were present. However, at that moment, when the patron of lust and sensual pleasures Priapus was preparing to do his dirty deed, the donkey screamed loudly, Hestia woke up, called for the help of the gods, and Priapus turned to flight in fear.
Poseidon, in ancient Greek mythology, the god of the underwater kingdom. Poseidon was considered the lord of the seas and oceans. The underwater king was born from the marriage of the goddess of the earth Rhea and the titan Kronos, and immediately after birth, he was swallowed by his father, who was afraid that they would take away his power over the world, together with his brothers and sisters. All of them were subsequently freed by Zeus.
Poseidon lived in an underwater palace, among the host of gods obedient to him. Among them were his son Triton, the Nereids, the sisters of Amphitrite and many others. The god of the seas was equal in beauty to Zeus himself. On the sea he moved in a chariot, which was harnessed with wonderful horses.
With the help of a magic trident, Poseidon controlled the depths of the sea: if there was a storm on the sea, then as soon as he stretched the trident in front of him, the enraged sea calmed down.
The ancient Greeks revered this deity very much and, in order to achieve his location, brought many sacrifices to the underwater ruler, throwing them into the sea. This was very important for the inhabitants of Greece, since their well-being depended on whether merchant ships passed by sea. Therefore, before going to sea, the travelers threw a sacrifice into the water to Poseidon. In Roman mythology, Neptune corresponds to it.
Hades, Hades, Pluto ("invisible", "terrible"), in Greek mythology, the god of the kingdom of the dead, as well as the kingdom itself. Son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. When the world was divided after the overthrow of his father, Zeus took the sky for himself, Poseidon - the sea, and Hades - the underworld; the brothers agreed to rule the land together. The second name of Hades was Polydegmon ("recipient of many gifts"), which is associated with the countless shadows of the dead living in his domain.
The messenger of the gods, Hermes, conveyed the souls of the dead to the ferryman Charon, who transported only those who could pay for the crossing through the underground river Styx. The entrance to the underworld of the dead was guarded by the three-headed dog Cerberus (Cerberus), who did not allow anyone to return to the world of the living.
Like the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks believed that the kingdom of the dead was located in the bowels of the earth, and the entrance to it was in the far west (west, sunset - symbols of dying), across the Ocean River, which washes the earth. The most popular myth about Hades is associated with his abduction of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and the goddess of fertility, Demeter. Zeus promised him his beautiful daughter, without asking her mother's consent. When Hades took the bride away by force, Demeter almost lost her mind from grief, forgot about her duties, and hunger seized the earth.
The dispute between Hades and Demeter about the fate of Persephone was resolved by Zeus. She is obliged to spend two thirds of the year with her mother and one third with her husband. This is how the alternation of the seasons arose. Once Hades fell in love with the nymph Mint or Mint, who was associated with the water of the kingdom of the dead. Upon learning of this, Persephone, in a fit of jealousy, turned the nymph into a fragrant plant.
HEROESHEROES
Ancient mythology
Achilles
Hector
Hercules
Odysseus
Orpheus
Perseus
Theseus
Oedipus
Aeneas
Jason
Achilles
-
in Greek mythology, one of the greatest heroes,
the son of King Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis.
Zeus and Poseidon wanted to have a son from the beautiful Thetis,
but the titan Prometheus warned them,
that the child will surpass the greatness of his father.
And the gods prudently arranged the marriage of Thetis with a mortal.
Love for Achilles, as well as the desire to make him invulnerable and
to give immortality forced Thetis to bathe the child in the river Styx,
flowing through Hades, the land of the dead.
Since Thetis was forced to hold her son by the heel, t
this part of the body was left defenseless.
Achilles' mentor was the centaur Chiron, who fed him
entrails of lions, bears and wild boars, taught to play the cithara and sing.
Achilles grew up a fearless warrior, but his immortal mother, knowing
that participation in the campaign against Troy will bring death to his son,
dressed him up as a girl and hid him among the women in the palace of Tsar Lycomed.
When the predictions of the priest Kalhant became known to the leaders of the Greeks,
grandson of Apollo, that without Achilles, the campaign against Troy is doomed to failure,
they sent the cunning Odysseus to him.
Arriving to the king disguised as a merchant, Odysseus laid out in front of the audience
women's jewelry interspersed with weapons.
The inhabitants of the palace began to examine the jewelry,
but suddenly, at the sign of Odysseus, an alarm sounded -
the girls fled in fright, and the hero grabbed the sword, betraying himself.
After being exposed, Achilles, willy-nilly, had to sail to Troy,
where he soon quarreled with the leader of the Greeks Agamemnon.
According to one version of the myth, this happened because,
wishing to provide the Greek fleet
favorable wind, Agamemnon secretly from the hero,
under the pretext of marrying Achilles, summoned to Aulis
his daughter Iphigenia and sacrificed her to the goddess Artemis.
The enraged Achilles retired to his tent, refusing to fight.
However, the death of his faithful friend and twin brother Patroclus
from the hand of the Trojan Hector forced
Achilles for immediate action.
Having received armor as a gift from the blacksmith god Hephaestus,
Achilles slain Hector with a spear and twelve days
sneered at his body near the grave of Patroclus.
Only Thetis was able to convince her son to give Hector's remains to the Trojans
for the funeral rite -
the sacred duty of the living to the dead.
Returning to the battlefield, Achilles defeated his enemies in the hundreds.
But his own life was coming to an end.
Arrow of Paris, aptly directed by Apollo,
inflicted a mortal wound in the heel of Achilles,
the only vulnerable spot on the hero's body.
Thus perished the valiant and arrogant Achilles,
the ideal of the great commander of antiquity, Alexander the Great.
1 the training of Achilles
Pompeo Batoni, 1770 
2 Achilles at Lycomedes
Pompeo Batoni, 1745 
3 the ambassadors of Agamemnon at Achilles
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
1801, Louvre, Paris 
4 the centaur Chiron returns the body
Achilles to his mother Thetis
Pompeo Batoni, 1770 
HECTOR
-
in ancient Greek mythology, one of the main heroes of the Trojan War.
The hero was the son of Hecuba and Priam, the king of Troy.
Hector had 49 brothers and sisters, but he was famous among the sons of Priam
with their strength and courage. According to legend, Hector struck to death the first Greek,
who set foot on the land of Troy - Protesilaya.
The hero became especially famous in the ninth year of the Trojan War,
challenging Ajax Telamonides to battle.
Hector promised his enemy not to desecrate his bodies
in case of defeat and not to take off his armor and demanded the same from Ajax.
After a long struggle, they decided to stop the fight and as a sign
mutual respect exchanged gifts.
Hector hoped to defeat the Greeks despite Cassandra's prediction.
It was under his leadership that the Trojans broke into the fortified camp of the Achaeans,
approached the navy and even managed to set one of the ships on fire.
The legends also describe the battle between Hector and the Greek Patroclus.
The hero defeated his opponent and removed the armor of Achilles from him.
The gods took a very active part in the war. They split into two camps
and each helped his favorites.
Apollo himself patronized Hector.
When Patroclus died, Achilles, obsessed with revenge for his death,
tied the defeated dead Hector to his chariot and
dragged him around the walls of Troy, but the body of the hero was not touched by decay,
nor a bird, since Apollo protected him in gratitude for
that Hector had helped him on several occasions during his lifetime.
Based on this circumstance, the ancient Greeks concluded that
that Hector was the son of Apollo.
According to myths, Apollo, on the advice of the gods, persuaded Zeus
hand over Hector's body to the Trojans,
to be buried with honor.
The supreme god ordered Achilles to give the body of the deceased to his father Priam.
Since, according to legend, the grave of Hector was in Thebes,
the researchers suggested that the image of the hero is of Boeotian origin.
Hector was a very revered hero in ancient Greece,
which proves the fact of the presence of his image
on old vases and antique plastic.
Usually they depicted scenes of Hector's farewell to his wife Andromache,
the battle with Achilles and many other episodes.
1 Andromache at Hector's body
Jacques Louis David
1783, Louvre, Paris 
]
HERCULES
-
in ancient Greek mythology, the greatest of heroes,
son of Zeus and mortal woman Alcmene.
Zeus needed a mortal hero to defeat the giants,
and he decided to give birth to Hercules.
The best mentors taught Hercules various arts, fight, archery.
Zeus wanted Hercules to become ruler of Mycenae or Tiryns, key fortresses on the approaches to Argos,
but jealous Hera thwarted his plans.
She struck Hercules with madness, in a fit of which he killed
his wife and his three sons.
In atonement for grave guilt, the hero had to serve Eurystheus for twelve years,
the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, after which he was granted immortality.
The most famous cycle of legends about the twelve labors of Hercules.
The first feat consisted in the extraction of the skin of a Nemean lion,
whom Hercules had to strangle with his bare hands.
Having defeated the lion, the hero dressed his skin and wore it as a trophy.
The next feat was the victory over the hydra, the sacred nine-headed snake of Hera.
The monster lived in a swamp near Lerna, not far from Argos.
The difficulty was that instead of the head severed by the hero, the hydra
two new ones immediately grew up.
With the help of his nephew Iolaus, Hercules overpowered the fierce Lernaean hydra -
the young man burned the neck of each head severed by the hero.
True, the feat was not counted by Eurystheus, since Hercules was helped by his nephew.
The next feat was not so bloody.
Hercules should have caught the Kerinean doe, the sacred animal of Artemis.
Then the hero caught the Erymanth boar, which devastated the fields of Arcadia.
At the same time, the wise centaur Chiron accidentally died.
The fifth feat was the cleaning of the Augean stables from manure,
what the hero did in one day, directing the waters of the nearest river into them.
The last of the exploits performed by Hercules in the Peloponnese was
expulsion of the Stymphalian birds with pointed iron feathers.
The sinister birds were frightened by the brass rattles
made by Hephaestus and given to Hercules
the goddess Athena, who is benevolent to him.
The seventh feat was the capture of a fierce bull, which Minos, king of Crete,
refused to sacrifice to the god of the sea Poseidon.
The bull copulated with Minos' wife Pasiphae, who gave birth to the Minotaur from him, a man with a bull's head.
Hercules performed the eighth feat in Thrace,
where he subdued the cannibalistic mares of King Diomedes to his power.
The remaining four exploits were of a different kind.
Eurystheus ordered Hercules to obtain the belt of the queen of the warlike Amazons, Hippolyta.
Then the hero kidnapped and delivered the cows of the three-headed giant Geryon to Mycenae.
After that, Hercules brought Eurystheus the golden apples of the Hesperides, for which he had to
strangle the giant Antaeus and deceive Atlas, who is holding the firmament on his shoulders.
The last feat of Hercules - the journey to the kingdom of the dead - was the most difficult.
With the assistance of the queen of the underworld, Persephone, the hero was able to bring
and deliver to Tiryns the three-headed dog Cerberus (Cerberus), the guardian of the underworld.
The end of Hercules was terrible.
The hero died in terrible agony, wearing a shirt that his wife Deianira,
on the advice of the centaur Ness, dying by the hand of Hercules,
soaked this half-man-half horse with poisonous blood.
When the hero, with the last of his strength, ascended the funeral pyre,
crimson lightning struck from heaven and
Zeus accepted his son into the host of immortals.
Some of the exploits of Hercules are immortalized in the names of the constellations.
For example, the constellation Leo - in memory of the Nemean lion,
the constellation Cancer reminds of the huge cancer Karkin,
sent by the Hero to help the Lernaean hydra.
In Roman mythology, Hercules corresponds to Hercules.
1 Hercules and Kerber
Boris Vallejo, 1988 
2 Hercules and Hydra
Gustave Moreau, 1876 
3 hercules at a crossroads
Pompeo Batoni, 1745 
4 Hercules and Omphale
Francois Lemoine, circa 1725 
ODYSSEUS
-
"angry", "angry" (Ulysses). In Greek mythology, the king of the island of Ithaca,
one of the leaders of the Achaeans in the Trojan War.
He is famous for his cunning, dexterity and amazing adventures.
The brave Odysseus was sometimes considered the son of Sisyphus, who seduced Anticlea
even before marriage to Laertes,
and according to some versions, Odysseus is the grandson of Autolycus, "an oath-breaker and a thief," the son of the god Hermes,
inherited their intelligence, practicality and enterprise.
Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks, had high hopes for the ingenuity and intelligence of Odysseus.
Together with the wise Nestor, Odysseus was instructed to persuade the great warrior
Achilles to take part in the Trojan War on the side of the Greeks,
and when their fleet got stuck in Aulis, it was Odysseus who tricked his wife into
Let Agamemnon Clytemnestra go to Aulis Iphigenia
under the pretext of her marriage to Achilles.
In reality, Iphigenia was intended as a sacrifice to Artemis,
who would not otherwise agree
to provide the Greek ships with a tailwind.
It was Odysseus who came up with the idea of the Trojan horse, which brought victory to the Achaeans.
The Greeks pretended to lift the siege from the city and went to sea,
leaving a huge hollow horse on the shore,
inside whose body a detachment of warriors hid under the leadership of Odysseus.
The Trojans, rejoicing at the departure of the Achaeans, dragged the horse into the city.
They decided to present the statue as a gift to Athena and provide the city with the protection of the gods.
At night, armed Achaeans poured out of the horse through a secret door,
broke the guard and opened the gates of Troy.
Hence the ancient saying: "Fear the Achaeans (Danians), who bring gifts," and
the expression "Trojan horse".
Troy fell, but the brutal massacre perpetrated by the Greeks
caused the strongest anger of the gods, especially Athens,
after all, the favorite of the gods, Cassandra, was raped in her sanctuary.
Odysseus's wanderings were the beloved stories of the Greeks and Romans,
who called him Ulysses.
From Troy, Odysseus headed for Thrace,
where he lost many people in the battle with the Kikons.
Then the storm carried him to the land of lotophagous ("lotus-eating"),
whose food made the newcomers forget about their homeland.
Later Odysseus fell into the possession of the Cyclops (Cyclops),
being a prisoner of the one-eyed Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon.
However, Odysseus and his companions managed to avoid imminent death.
On the island of the lord of the winds Aeolus, Odysseus received a gift - a fur,
filled with favorable winds,
but curious sailors untied their furs and the winds flew in all directions,
having stopped blowing in the same direction.
Then the ships of Odysseus were attacked by the Laestrigones, a tribe of cannibal giants,
but the hero managed to get to the island of Eya, the possession of the sorceress Circe (Kirka).
With the help of Hermes, Odysseus was able to force the sorceress to return
human form to members of his team,
whom she turned into pigs.
Further, on the advice of Kirka, he visits the underworld of the dead,
where the shadow of the blind soothsayer Tiresias warns the brave Odysseus
about the dangers to come.
Leaving the island, Odysseus's ship sailed past the coast,
where are the sweet-voiced sirens with their wondrous singing
lured sailors to the sharp rocks.
The hero ordered the companions to cover their ears with wax and tie themselves to the mast. Having happily passed the wandering rocks of Plankta,
Odysseus lost six people, who were dragged away and devoured by the six-headed Skete (Scylla).
On the island of Trinacia, as Tiresias predicted, hungry travelers
tempted by the fat flocks of the sun god Helios.
As punishment, these sailors died from a storm sent by Zeus at the request of Helios.
The surviving Odysseus was almost swallowed by the monstrous whirlpool of Charybdis.
Exhausted from exhaustion, he was nailed to the island of the sorceress Calypso,
who left him and offered to marry.
But even the prospect of immortality did not tempt Odysseus,
rushing to his homeland, and seven years later the gods forced
nymph in love to let go of the traveler.
After another shipwreck, Odysseus, with the help of Athena, took the form
a beggar old man, returned home, where his wife Penelope had been waiting for him for many years.
Besieged by noble suitors, she was playing for time, announcing that she would marry,
when he has finished weaving a shroud for his father-in-law Laertes.
However, at night, Penelope unraveled what was woven in a day.
When the maids revealed her secret, she agreed to marry the one
who can draw the string of the battle bow belonging to Odysseus.
The test was passed by an unknown beggar old man who, having thrown off his rags,
turned out to be a mighty Odysseus.
After twenty years of separation, the hero hugged his faithful Penelope,
which Athena awarded with a rare beauty before the meeting.
According to some versions of the myth, Odysseus, unrecognized, fell at the hands of Telegon,
his son from Circe (Kirka), according to others -
peacefully rested being in old age.
1 Odysseus in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus
Jacob Jordaens, 1630 
2 Odysseus and the sirens
John William Waterhouse, 1891 
3 Circe and Odysseus
John William Waterhouse 1891 
4 Penelope Waiting for Odyssey
John William Waterhouse, 1890 
ORPHEUS
-
in ancient Greek mythology, the hero and the traveler.
Orpheus was the son of the Thracian river god Eagra and the muse Calliope.
He was known as a talented singer and musician.
Orpheus took part in the campaign of the Argonauts, his playing on the forming
and with prayers he calmed the waves and helped the rowers of the ship "Argo".
The hero married the beautiful Eurydice and when she suddenly died from a snakebite,
followed her into the afterlife.
Guardian the other world, the evil dog Cerberus,
Persephone and Hades were mesmerized by the young man's magical music.
Hades promised to return Eurydice to earth on condition that
that Orpheus will not look at his wife until he enters his house.
Orpheus could not restrain himself and looked at Eurydice,
as a result, she forever remained in the realm of the dead.
Orpheus did not respect Dionysus with due respect, but he honored Helios,
whom he called Apollo.
Dionysus decided to teach the young man a lesson and sent maenads on him,
who tore the musician to pieces and threw him into the river.
Parts of his body were collected by the muses who mourned the death of the handsome youth.
The head of Orpheus floated down the river Gebr and was found by the nymphs,
then she got to the island of Lesvos, where Apollo took her.
The musician's shadow fell into Hades, where the couple were reunited.
1 Orpheus and Eurydice
Frederick Leighton, 1864 
2.Nymphs and the head of Orpheus
John Waterhouse, 1900 
PERSEUS
-
in Greek mythology, the ancestor of Hercules, the son of Zeus and Danae,
daughter of the king of Argos Acrisius.
Hoping to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy about the death of Acrisius by the hand of his grandson,
Danae was imprisoned in a copper chamber, but the almighty Zeus penetrated there,
turning into a golden rain, and conceived Perseus.
Frightened Acrisius planted a mother with a child
into a wooden box and threw it into the sea.
However, Zeus helped his beloved and son safely
get to Serif Island.
Matured Perseus was sent by the local ruler Polydect,
who fell in love with Danae, in search of the Gorgon Medusa,
with a gaze that turns all living things into stone.
Luckily for the hero, Athena hated Medusa and, according to one myth,
out of jealousy, she rewarded the once beautiful gorgon with deadly beauty.
Athena taught Perseus how to proceed.
First, the young man, following the advice of the goddess, went to the old women-grays,
which had one eye and one tooth for three.
By cunning seizing an eye and a tooth, Perseus returned them to the sides in exchange
to show the way to the nymphs who gave him the invisibility hat,
winged sandals and a Medusa head bag.
Perseus flew to the western end of the world, to the gorgon's cave, and,
looking at the reflection of mortal Medusa in his copper shield, he chopped off her head.
Putting it in his bag, he dashed off wearing an invisible hat,
unnoticed by the serpentine sisters of the monster.
On the way home, Perseus saved the beautiful Andromeda from the sea monster
and married her.
Then the hero went to Argos, but Acrisius,
upon learning of the arrival of his grandson, he fled to Larissa.
And yet he did not escape fate - during the festivities in Larissa,
participating in competitions, Perseus threw a heavy bronze disc,
hit Acrisius in the head and struck him to death.
Grief-stricken, inconsolable hero did not want to rule in Argos
and moved to Tiryns.
After the death of Perseus and Andromeda, the goddess Athena lifted the spouses to heaven, turning them into constellations.
1 Perseus and Andromeda
Peter Paul Rubens, 1639 
2 sinister Gorgon head
Edward Burne-Jones, 1887
THESEUS
-
("strong"), in Greek mythology, a hero, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus and Ephra.
Childless Aegeus got from Delphic oracle advice - do not untie when leaving the guests
your fur with wine until you return home. Aegeus did not divine the prediction, but the Trezensian king Pitfey,
with whom he was visiting, he realized that Aegeus was destined to conceive a hero. He got the guest drunk and put him to bed
with her daughter Efra. On the same night, Poseidon became close to her.
So Theseus, a great hero, the son of two fathers, was born.
Before leaving Efra, Aegeus led her to a boulder, under which he hid his sword and sandals.
If a son is born, he said, let him grow, mature,
and when he can move a stone,
then send it to me. Theseus grew up, and Efra discovered the secret of his birth.
The young man easily took out his sword and sandals, and on the way to Athens straightened out
with the robber Sinis and the Crommion pig.
Theseus was able to defeat the monstrous Minotaur, a man-bull,
only with the help of the princess Ariadne, who fell in love with him, who gave him a guiding thread.
In Athens, Theseus learned that fifty sons of his cousin Pallantus claimed the throne of Aegeus,
and Aegeus himself fell under the rule of the sorceress Medea,
abandoned by Jason, who hoped that her son Med would receive the throne.
Theseus hid his origin, but Medea, knowing who he was,
Aegea persuaded to give the stranger a bowl of poison.
Theseus was saved by the fact that his father recognized his sword, with which the hero cut meat.
Theseus performed the following feats for the good of Athens.
He cracked down on the sons of Pallant and the marathon
the bull, which ravaged the fields, defeated the Minotaur-man.
The monster that lived in the labyrinth was given to be devoured by young Athenians
as an atoning sacrifice for the death of the king's son in Athens.
When Theseus volunteered to fight the Minotaur, his old father became desperate.
They agreed that if Theseus escapes death, then, returning home,
will change the sail from black to white.
Theseus, having killed the monster, got out of the labyrinth thanks to the daughter of Minos Ariadne, who fell in love with him,
following the thread tied at the entrance (Ariadne's guiding thread).
Then Theseus and Ariadne fled secretly to the island of Naxos.
Here Theseus left the princess and fate punished him.
Returning home, Theseus forgot to change the sail as a sign of victory.
Father Theseus Aegeus, seeing the black cloth, threw himself off the cliff into the sea.
Theseus performed a number of other feats. He captured Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons,
who bore him a son, Hippolytus, gave shelter to the outcast Oedipus and his daughter Antigone.
True, Theseus was not among the Argonauts;
at this time he helped the king of the Lapiths Pirith
kidnap the mistress of Hades Persephone.
For this, the gods decided to leave the daredevil in Hades forever,
but Theseus were saved by Hercules.
However, grief knocked on his house again when his second wife, Phaedra,
desired his son Hippolytus, who was terrified and silent about her passion.
Humiliated by her refusal, Phaedra hanged herself,
in a suicide note accusing her stepson of trying to dishonor her.
The young man was expelled from the city,
and he died before his father knew the truth.
In his old age, Theseus boldly kidnapped the twelve-year-old daughter of Zeus, Elena,
declaring that only she deserves to be his wife,
but Helen's brothers, Dioscuri, rescued their sister, and Theseus drove out.
The hero died on the island of Skyros at the hands of a local king, who,
fearing the still mighty Theseus, he pushed the guest off the cliff.
1 Theseus and the Minotaur
Vase 450g. BC. 
2.Theses
with Ariadne and Phaedra
B. Jennari, 1702 
3 Theseus and Efra
Lovren de la Hir, 1640 
OEDIPUS
-
a descendant of Cadmus, from the Labdakid clan, the son of the Theban king Laius and Jocasta, or Epicasta,
beloved hero of Greek folk tales and tragedies, due to the many
it is very difficult to imagine the myth of Oedipus in its original form.
According to the most common legend, the oracle predicted Lai
about the birth of a son who will kill him,
marries his own mother and shame the whole Labdakid house.
Therefore, when Lai's son was born, his parents pierced his legs
and tying them together (why they are swollen),
sent him to Cithaeron, where the shepherd found Oedipus,
who sheltered the boy and then brought him to Sikyon,
or Corinth, to the king Polybus, who raised the adopted child as his own son.
Having once received at a feast a reproach for the dubious origin,
Oedipus asked for clarification
to the oracle and received from him advice - to beware of parricide and incest.
As a result, Oedipus, who considered Polybus as his father, left Sikion.
On the way, he met Lai, started a quarrel with him, and
killed him and his entourage.
At this time, the Sphinx monster was devastating in Thebes,
asking for several years in a row
to each a riddle and devoured all who did not guess it.
Oedipus managed to solve this riddle
(what kind of creature walks on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon,
and in the evening for three? The answer is man),
as a result of which the Sphinx threw himself off the cliff and died.
In gratitude for ridding the country of a prolonged calamity, Theban citizens
made Oedipus their king and gave him to wife Lai's widow, Jocasta -
his own mother.
Soon the double crime, committed by Oedipus out of ignorance, was revealed,
and Oedipus, in despair, gouged out his eyes, and Jocasta took her own life.
According to an ancient legend (Homer, Odyssey, XI, 271 et seq.)
Oedipus remained to reign in Thebes and died,
pursued by the Erinyes.
Sophocles tells about the end of Oedipus' life differently:
when the crimes of Oedipus were revealed, the Thebans with the sons of Oedipus:
Eteocles and Polynicus at the head expelled the aged and blind king from Thebes,
and he, accompanied by his faithful daughter Antigone, went to the town of Colon
(in Attica), where in the sanctuary of Erinius,
who finally, thanks to the intervention of Apollo, humbled their anger,
ended his painful life.
His memory was considered sacred, and his grave was one of the palladiums of Attica.
As a character, Oedipus is depicted in the tragedies of Sophocles "Oedipus the King" and
"Oedipus in Colon" (both tragedies are available in a poetic Russian translation
D. S. Merezhkovsky, St. Petersburg., 1902),
in the tragedy of Euripides "The Phoenicians"
(verse. Russian translation by I. Annensky, "The World of God", 1898, No. 4)
and in Seneca's tragedy "Oedipus".
There were also many other poetic works dealing with the fate of Oedipus.
1.Ex-libris of Sigmund Freud.
The ex-libris depicts King Oedipus talking to the Sphinx. 
2.Oedipus and the Sphinx
J.O. Ingres 
3.Oedipus and the Sphinx, 1864
Gustave Moreau 
4 the Wanderer Oedipus, 1888
Gustave Moreau 
AENEAS
-
in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of a handsome shepherd Anchises and Aphrodite (Venus),
participant in the defense of Troy during the Trojan War, the most glorious hero.
A brave warrior, Aeneas participated in the decisive battles with Achilles and escaped death
only through the intercession of his divine mother.
After the fall of ruined Troy, he left the burning city at the behest of the gods.
and together with the old man-father,
wife Creusa and young son Askania (Yul),
capturing images of Trojan gods,
accompanied by satellites on twenty ships, he set off in search of a new homeland.
After experiencing a series of adventures and a terrible storm, he reached the Italian city of Kuma,
and then ended up in Latium, a region in Central Italy.
The local king was ready to give his daughter Lavinia for Aeneas (on the way of the widowed)
and provide him with land to found a city.
Defeating Thurn, the leader of the warlike Rutul tribe, in a duel
and a pretender to Lavinia's hand,
Aeneas settled in Italy, which became the successor to the glory of Troy.
His son Ascanius (Yul) was considered the progenitor of the Julian clan,
including the famous emperors Julius Caesar and Augustus.
1.Venus giving Aeneas the armor made by Vulcan, 1748
Pompeo Batoni 
2.Mercury appeared to Aeneas (fresco), 1757
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 
3 Aeneas' battle with the harpies
Francois Perier, 1647 
JASON
-
("healer"), in Greek mythology, the great-grandson of the god of the winds Aeolus, the son of Tsar Iolcus Eson and Polymedes.
Hero, leader of the Argonauts.
When Pelius overthrew his brother Eson from the throne, he, fearing for the life of his son,
placed him under the care of the wise centaur Chiron, who lived in the Thessalian forests.
The Delphic oracle predicted to Pelias that a man in one sandal would destroy him.
This explains the fear of the king when the mature Jason returned to the city,
who lost his sandal on the way.
Pelius decided to get rid of the impending threat and promised to recognize Jason as the heir, if he risked his life to get the golden fleece in Colchis.
Jason and his crew on the ship "Argo", having experienced many adventures, returned with a wonderful rune to their homeland.
With his success - the victory over the dragon and formidable warriors,
growing out of his teeth, -
they owed much to the Colchian princess Medea, since Eros,
at the request of Athena and Hera, who patronized Jason,
instilled in the girl's heart love for the hero.
On their return to Iolk, the Argonauts learned
that Pelius killed Jason's father and all his relatives.
According to one version, Pelius dies from the spell of Medea, whose name means "insidious".
According to the other, Jason resigned himself to exile, for ten years he lived happily with Medea
and they had three children.
Then the hero married the princess Glavka; v
In revenge, Medea destroyed her and killed her sons from Jason.
The years passed. The aged hero dragged out his days until one day he wandered onto the dock,
where the famous "Argo" stood.
Suddenly the ship's mast, rotten from time, broke
and fell on Jason, who fell dead.
1 jason and medea
John William Waterhouse, 1890 
2 jason and medea
Gustave Moreau, 1865 
The heroes of Greek myths and legends were not immortal like their gods. But they weren't even mere mortals. Most of them were descended from the gods. Their great deeds and accomplishments, which were captured in myths and famous artistic creations, give us an idea of the views of the ancient Greeks. So what are the most famous Greek heroes famous for? We will tell below ...
The king of the island of Ithaca and the favorite of the goddess Athena, was known for his extraordinary intelligence and courage, although no less - for his cunning and cunning. Homer's Odyssey tells about his return from Troy to his homeland and his adventures during these wanderings. First, a strong storm washed the ships of Odysseus to the shores of Thrace, where the wild Kikons killed 72 of his companions. In Libya, he blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon himself. After many trials, the hero ended up on the island of Eya, where he lived for a year with the sorceress Kirka. Sailing past the island of sweet-voiced sirens, Odysseus ordered to tie himself to the mast, so as not to be tempted by their magical singing. He safely passed through the narrow strait between the six-headed Scylla, devouring all living things, and Charybdis, absorbing everyone in its whirlpool, and went out into the open sea. But lightning struck his ship, and all his companions were killed. Only Odysseus escaped. The sea threw him to the island of Ogygia, where the nymph Calypso kept him for seven years. Finally, after nine years of dangerous wanderings, Odysseus returned to Ithaca. There, together with his son Telemachus, he interrupted the suitors who besieged his faithful wife Penelope and squandered his fortune, and began to rule Ithaca again.
Hercules (among the Romans - Hercules), the most glorious and powerful of all Greek heroes, the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Forced to serve the Mycenaean king Eurystheus, he performed twelve famous feats. For example, he killed the nine-headed hydra, tamed and took away from the underworld the hellish dog Cerberus, strangled the invulnerable Nemean lion and dressed in his skin, erected two stone pillars on the shores of the strait separating Europe from Africa (the Pillars of Hercules is the ancient name of the Strait of Gibraltar), supported the heavenly vault, while the titan Atlas mined him miraculous golden apples, guarded by the nymphs Hesperides. For these and other great deeds, Athena after death took Hercules to Olympus, and Zeus gave him eternal life.
, the son of Zeus and the Argos princess Danae, went to the country of the gorgons - winged monsters covered with scales. Instead of hair, poisonous snakes wriggled on their heads, and a terrible gaze turned to stone anyone who dared to look at them. Perseus beheaded the gorgon Medusa and married the daughter of the Ethiopian king Andromeda, whom he saved from the sea monster that devoured people. He turned her former fiancé, who arranged a conspiracy, to stone, showing the severed head of Medusa.
, the son of the Thessalian king Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis, one of the main heroes of the Trojan War. As a baby, his mother dipped him in the sacred waters of Styx, which made his body invulnerable, with the exception of the heel by which his mother held him, lowering him into Styx. In the battle for Troy, Achilles was killed by the son of the Trojan king Paris, whose arrow Apollo, who helped the Trojans, sent him into the heel - the only vulnerable spot (hence the expression "Achilles' heel").
, the son of the Thessalian king Eson, went with his companions to distant Colchis on the Black Sea in order to get the skin of a magic ram guarded by a dragon - the golden fleece. Among the 50 Argonauts who took part in the expedition on the ship "Argo" were Hercules, the pepper Orpheus and the twins of Dioscuri (sons of Zeus) - Castor and Polideukos.
After numerous adventures, the Argonauts brought the fleece to Hellas. Jason married the daughter of the Colchian king, the sorceress Medea, and they had two boys. When a few years later Jason decided to marry the daughter of the Corinthian king Creusa, Medea killed her rival, and then her own children. Jason died under the wreckage of the dilapidated ship "Argo".
Oedipus, son of the Theban king Lai. Oedipus' father was predicted death at the hands of his own son, so Lai ordered the child to be thrown to be eaten by wild animals. But the slave took pity on him and saved him. As a young man, Oedipus received the prediction of the Delphic Oracle that he would kill his father and marry his own mother. Frightened by this, Oedipus left his adoptive parents and went on a journey. On the way, in an accidental quarrel, he killed a noble old man. But on the way to Thebes he met the Sphinx, who guarded the road and asked travelers a riddle: "Who walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?" Those who could not answer were devoured by the monster. Oedipus solved the riddle: "A man: as a child he crawls on all fours, as an adult he walks straight, and in old age he leans on a stick." Overwhelmed by this answer, the Sphinx threw itself into the abyss. The grateful Thebans chose Oedipus as their king and gave him the king's widow Jocasta. When it turned out that the old man killed on the road was his father King Lai, and Jocasta was his mother, Oedipus blinded himself in despair, and Jocasta committed suicide.
, the son of Poseidon, also did many glorious deeds. On the way to Athens, he killed six monsters and robbers. In the Knossos labyrinth, he destroyed the Minotaur and found a way out with the help of a ball of threads, which was given to him by the daughter of the Cretan king Ariadne. He was also revered as the creator of the Athenian state.
Heroes were born from the marriages of the Olympian gods with mortals. They were endowed with superhuman capabilities and tremendous strength, but did not possess immortality. Heroes performed all sorts of feats with the help of their divine parents. They were supposed to fulfill the will of the gods on earth, bring justice and order into people's lives. Heroes were highly revered in Ancient Greece, legends about them were passed down from generation to generation.
The concept of a heroic deed did not always include military valor. Some heroes, indeed, are great warriors, others are healers, others are great travelers, fourths are just husbands of goddesses, fifths are the ancestors of nations, sixths are prophets, etc. Greek heroes are not immortal, but their posthumous fate is unusual. After death, some heroes of Greece live on the Isles of the Blessed, others on the island of Levka or even on Olympus. It was believed that most of the heroes who died in battles or died as a result of dramatic events were buried in the ground. The tombs of heroes - heroons - were places of their worship. Often, at the same time, the graves of the same hero existed in different places in Greece.
More about the heroes based on the book "Entertaining Greece" by Mikhail Gasparov
In Thebes, they talked about the hero Cadmus, the founder of Cadmea, the winner of the terrible cave dragon. In Argos, they talked about the hero Perseus, who at the end of the world cut off the head of the monstrous Gorgon, from whose gaze people turned to stone, and then defeated the sea monster - Kit. In Athens, they talked about the hero Theseus, who liberated central Greece from evil robbers, and then on Crete killed the bull-headed cannibal Minotaur, who was sitting in a palace with intricate passages - the Labyrinth; he did not get lost in the Labyrinth because he held on to the thread given to him by the Cretan princess Ariadne, who later became the wife of the god Dionysus. In the Peloponnese (named after another hero - Pelope), they talked about the twin heroes Castor and Polidevka, who later became the patron gods of horsemen and fighters. The hero Jason conquered the sea: on the ship "Argo" with his Argonauts, he brought to Greece from the eastern end of the world the "golden fleece" - the skin of a golden ram that descended from heaven. The sky was conquered by the hero Daedalus, the builder of the Labyrinth: on the wings of bird feathers fastened with wax, he flew from Cretan captivity to his native Athens, although his son Icarus, who flew with him, could not resist in the air and died.
The main hero, the real savior of the gods, was Hercules, the son of Zeus. He was not just a mortal man - he was a bondage mortal man who served a weak and cowardly king for twelve years. By his orders, Hercules performed twelve famous feats. The first were victories over monsters from the vicinity of Argos - a stone lion and a multi-headed hydra snake, in which instead of each severed head several new ones grew. The last were victories over the dragon of the far West, guarding the golden apples of eternal youth (it was on the way to him that Hercules dug the Strait of Gibraltar, and the mountains on its sides began to be called the Pillars of Hercules), and over the three-headed dog Kerber, who guarded the terrible kingdom of the dead. And after that he was called to his main business: he became a participant in the great war of the Olympians against the rebellious younger gods, giants, in gigantomachy. The giants threw mountains at the gods, the gods struck the giants, some with lightning, some with a rod, some with a trident, giants fell, but not killed, but only stunned. Then Hercules hit them with arrows from his bow, and they did not get up again. So man helped the gods to defeat their most terrible enemies.
But gigantomachy was only the penultimate danger that threatened the omnipotence of the Olympians. Hercules also saved them from the last danger. In his wanderings to the ends of the earth, he saw on the Caucasian rock a chained Prometheus, tormented by Zeus's eagle, took pity on him and killed the eagle with an arrow from a bow. In gratitude for this, Prometheus revealed to him the last secret of fate: let Zeus not seek the love of the sea goddess Thetis, because the son, whom Thetis will give birth to, will be stronger than his father, and if it is the son of Zeus, he will overthrow Zeus. Zeus obeyed: Thetis was given not for a god, but for a mortal hero, and they had a son, Achilles. And from this began the decline of the heroic age.
The heroes of Ancient Hellas, whose names are not forgotten to this day, occupied a special place in mythology, visual 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, appearing in the guise of terrible old women, and many others appear.
2. Gradually, a pantheon of deities of a different character began to develop. Abstract monsters began to resist anthropoid higher power- Olympic gods. 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, a person'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 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 in the habitat of the dragon he killed, Bellerophon destroys the chimera.
Historical sources of Greek myths
We can judge about 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 of 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 the 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 Greece. The Greeks themselves have several interpretations. This is usually a descendant of some deity and mortal woman. Hesiod, for example, named the heroes whose ancestor was Zeus as demigods.
It takes more than one generation to create a truly invincible warrior and protector. Hercules is the thirtieth in the family of the 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 brave 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.
Heroes of Ancient Hellas often have a similar biography. 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, went to accomplish feats.
Heroes are called upon to fulfill the will of the Olympic gods and to grant patronage 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 fate of a hero 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: 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 origins are unusual. He is a descendant of many gods, and even wise half-snake-half-humans were his ancestors. 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 is the greatest hero of Hellas, the son of King Peleus and the sea goddess 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 his 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 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 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 Greece were not only unusually 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 the 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 his death, the son of Zeus - the protagonist of Greek myths - was ascended to Olympus, where he became one of the gods.
Ancient Greek demigods and mythical characters in contemporary 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. Such films as "Clash of the Titans" and "Wrath of the Titans", the main character of which is Perseus, aroused great interest among the audience. An excellent film of the same name is dedicated to the odyssey (directed by Andrei 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 wonderful 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.
