22 • 11 • 2022

Greek Mythology Gods and Heroes

Author: Josiah Amwine Kakitahi

Greece is home to one of the oldest cultures and greatest stories of heroes and the relationship humans had with their gods such as Zeus, Ares, Hera, Eros, Apollo, and Poseidon. Today I shall talk about five of the greatest and most well known heroes in the golden age of Greece.

1. Hercules (Heracles)
How am I going to start this list any other way. Hercules is undoubtedly one of the greatest heroes in Greek history. He is the son of Zeus and Alcmene. His most well known act was completing the well known 12 labors of Hercules. Hercules had one of the greatest legacies in Greek history. He was murdered by his own wife, being afraid he would love someone else, she smeared the blood of a centaur on his cloak, and his grief caused him to kill himself, but his legacy still echoes through history.

2. Perseus
Perseus is a hero that is not as well known or celebrated as Hercules, his half brother, but I will put him very high on this list. It is also worth mentioning that he is son of Zeus and the mortal Danaë. Perseus' greatest acts include killing Medusa as seen in the picture above, as well as Cestus the sea monster of Poseidon. He then accidentally killed his grandfather in a discus competition, but eventually settled down with his wife Andromeda in current day Mycenae.

3. Achilles
Achilles is one of the most influential and celebrated heroes in Greek history. He fought many wars with his king Agamemnon, but he resented him for not fighting his own wars. Achilles is also in one of Homer’s most famous poems. The Iliad. He is also known for killing Hector, Prince of Troy. His best known moment though, came in the Trojan War where he was shot in the heel by prince Paris of Troy. This is because his mother Thetis wanted him to be immortal, so she dipped him in the river Styx, but didn’t dip in his heel. So his heel was the only part of him that wasn’t immortal. Even though Agamemnon was king at that time, it is not he that we remember.

4. Theseus
Theseus is said to be son of Aegeus, others believe he is son of Poseidon. Either way he was raised by Aethra, his mother, until he finds out about his connection to Aegeus. Theseus' greatest deed was probably slaying the feared Minotaur, the half man half bull monstrosity that lived beneath the temple of king Minos. The also did the six labors which were his journey into the underworld.

5. Odysseus
Odysseus is the legendary Greek king of Ithaca. He is the son of Laërtes and Anticlea, not much is known about him except his legendary contribution to the decade long Trojan War. The Greeks were losing due to the strong walls of the Trojans, but his cunning led him to construct a large horse made of wood and hollow in the belly. Then he sent his ships to Greece while he and his soldiers his in the belly of the horse until the Trojans brought the horse into their city and the Greeks took it from the inside.