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THE GREEK HEROES
 If a hero is properly defined as somebody
who does something dangerous to help
somebody else, then the heroes of Greek
mythology generally do not qualify. They
were a pretty selfish bunch, often with some
antisocial issues--in other words, not exactly
role models for the younger generation of
today.
 But knowing their names and exploits is
 : "In mythology and legend, a man
or woman, often of divine ancestry,
literature and even popular culture today.
who is endowed with great
courage and strength, celebrated
So let's recognize and celebrate Hercules
for his or her bold exploits, and
and Perseus and the others by their proper
favored by the gods."
essential for understanding references in
dictionary definition…
ACHILLES
Demi-God: His mother was
the nymph, Thetis, and his
father was Peleus, King of
the Myrmidons.
Zeus and Poseidon both
desired Thetis, but
Prometheus warned them
that she would bear a son
greater than his father.
They quickly lost interest.
Great Greek Warrior of All
Time
His Miraculous Power…
 Thetis was worried about her
son’s mortality, so she took
him to the Underworld, and
dipped his tiny body in the
River Styx.
 As she dunked him the dark
waters, she held the baby by
his ankle.
 An arrow shot into his heel is
said to have done in him in.
Thus, the term “Achilles
Heel” refers to a person’s
weak spot.
The Great Warrior
 His father Peleus gave him
to Chiron, the centaur, to be
raised, educated, and
trained.
 Homer’s Iliad – Achilles is
the main character
 He went to Troy looking for
eternal glory, and found it.
 He defeated Hector, mighty
Prince and warrior of Troy
 Killed by the poisoned
arrow of Paris, the
cowardly Prince of Troy
PERSEUS
 Son of Zeus and Danae , a princess.
 It was prophesized she would give
birth to a son of Zeus who would
kill the King…yep. One of THOSE
stories.
 After hearing the prophecy, her
dad locks her in a bronze chamber,
open to the sky.
 Zeus came to her in a bronze
shower, and impregnated her.
 The King, fearing his grandson,
put him and the child’s mother
in a wooden box and through
it into the ocean.
 The two survived, and washed
up on the shore of an island,
and were taken in by the King
there.
 Eventually, that king fell in
love with Danae, and Perseus
wasn’t really that cool with it.
 The King threw a party, where
each guest was supposed to
bring a gift. (Remember, “A
Religious Duty”???
His Early Life
His First Quest
 Perseus forgot to get the gift, and
offered the King anything he could
name. The King asked for the head
of Medusa, the Gorgon
 Perseus was obligated to oblige.
Thankfully, a lot of the gods
chipped in some help
 Athena gave him a polished sheild, and a hookup with the Hesperides (who gave him a
knapsack to store the head)
 Hermes lent him his winged sandals
 Zeus gave him an adamantine sword
 Hades gave him the Helm of Darkness
 Using the reflection of his shield,
he was able to slay Medusa,
chopping off her head (from which
Pegasus sprang)
Marriage to Andromeda
 Cassiopeia, queen of Ethiopia,
bragged that her daughter
Andromeda was more beautiful
than the Nereids, sea nymphs.
 Poseidon was enraged, and sent a
flood, and his sea monster to
destroy the town
 The only way it could be stopped
was to sacrifice Andromeda to the
monster. She was chained naked
to a rock, and left to die.
 Perseus saved her using either
the winged sandals or Pegasus,
and claimed her in marriage.
THESEUS
Son of Aethra, a mortal
princess, and Poseidon
Aegus, her husband, also
claimed parentage
Founder of Athens
Growing Up
 Raised in his mother’s land,
not the land of Aegeus
 Eventually, his mother told
him of his heritage. To
claim his birthright, he
would have to travel to his
father’s kingdom.
 He could go there by land
or by sea; he chose by land.
On the way, he killed a lot
of bandits, and passed the
Six Entrances to the
Underworld.
His Birthright
 He came to Athens, the land
of his father Aegeus. He did
not immediately reveal his
identity.
 The wife of Aegeus did,
though. Her name was Medea
 She tried a couple times to
poison him or kill him.
The Minotaur
 Years before, Athens had
been defeated by King
Minos.
 Every seven years, Athens
had to send 7 courageous
boys and girls to Minos’
island Crete, to be put into
the Labyrinth of the
Minotaur
 Theseus volunteered for
this duty, taking the place of
one of the youths bound for
Crete
The Minotaur
 The princess of Crete fell in love
with Theseus when he arrived
on Crete.
 On the advice of Daedalus, she
gave Theseus a ball of yarn
before he entered the Labyrinth.
 Theseus used the string, leaving
a trail behind him so he could
find his way out.
 He got to the middle of the maze
and found the Minotaur,
sleeping.
 After killing it, he escaped the
Labyrinth, rescued the other
victims, and saved the princess.
HERACLES
Son of Zeus and Alcmene, a
mortal
Roman name- Hercules (more
commonly called this)
Extraordinary strength,
courage, ingenuity and sexual
prowess were among his
characteristic attributes
Birth and Childhood
Hera, queen of the gods,
hated Hercules because he
was a living reminder of
her husband’s infidelity.
When he was a baby, she
sent two vipers to his crib.
Thankfully, Hercules used
his god-like strength to
strangle the serpents
The Choice of a Youth
 When on a mountain
tending cattle, a young
Hercules was approached
by two nymphs- Pleasure
and Virtue.
 They offered him a
choice—a pleasant and
easy life, or a severe and
glorious life—and he
chose the latter.
Marriage and
Tragedy
 He later married Megara,
princess of Thebes. They had a
few children together
 In a fit of madness brought on by
Hera, he killed his children and
family.
 In horror, he fled his home and
sought out the Oracle of Delphi.
 The Oracle had been convinced
by Hera to lie to Hercules, and
told him his punishment was
working for ten years for King
Eurystheus, thus resulting in the
Twelve Labors of Hercules
1. Slay the Nemean Lion.
Twelve Labors
2. Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra.
3. Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis.
4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
5. Clean the Augean stables in a single
day.
6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
7. Capture the Cretan Bull.
8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
9. Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen
of the Amazons.
10. Obtain the cattle of the monster
Geryon.
11. Steal the apples of the Hesperides.
12. Capture and bring back Cerberus.
Later…
 He joined Jason and Argonauts on
their quest to find the Golden Fleece
 He won an archery contest, where the
prize was the princess’ hand in
marriage. After winning, he was
denied his prize.
 He slew the King and his son (save
one, who was his friend) and
abducted the princess so they could
be wed.
 Eventually, Hera struck again. She
drove him mad, and in a fit, he threw
his brother-in-law off a tower wall
 As penance for murder, he entered
the servitude of Queen Omphale of
Lydia
Other Cool
 He served under Queen
Stuff Omphale for one year.
 She forced him to do women’s
work and wear woman’s clothes
 She fell in love with him, and
married them. They had a child
together
 He went on various adventures
with the Argonauts
 One legend tells of Hercules
shooting and killing the eagle
that tortured Prometheus, and
breaking his chains.