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The heroes of Greek myth
A Greek hero is usually a mortal, often with a god for a parent, whose deeds are remembered after death. Their stories blend adventure, tragedy and the price of pride.
Heracles
The most famous hero, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Hera hated him and drove him mad, and in the grief that followed he killed his family. As penance, King Eurystheus set him twelve labours, including killing the Nemean Lion and the Lernaean Hydra, capturing the Erymanthian Boar, cleaning the Augean stables and fetching Cerberus from the underworld. Heracles died from a poisoned robe and was taken up to Olympus. Romans call him Hercules.
Perseus
Son of Zeus and Danaë. Sent to bring back the head of Medusa, he used a mirror-like shield, winged sandals and a helmet of invisibility lent by the gods. On his way home he rescued Andromeda from a sea monster. See monsters for Medusa.
Theseus
The hero of Athens. He sailed to Crete among a group of young Athenians sent as tribute to King Minos, killed the Minotaur in the Labyrinth and escaped with the help of Ariadne's thread. He later became king of Athens. His story ends less happily: he forgot to change his ship's black sail to white, and his father Aegeus threw himself into the sea, which is why it is called the Aegean in the tale.
Achilles
The greatest Greek warrior in the Trojan War, and the central figure of the Iliad. His rage at being dishonoured by Agamemnon, and his grief after the death of his friend Patroclus, drive the poem. The story that he was dipped in the River Styx, leaving only his heel vulnerable, comes from later sources, not Homer.
Odysseus
King of Ithaca, famed for cunning. He devised the Trojan Horse. His ten-year journey home is the subject of the Odyssey: he meets the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and the witch Circe. His wife Penelope waits and keeps suitors at bay. The poem ends with his return and revenge.
Jason
Led the Argonauts on the ship Argo to find the Golden Fleece in Colchis. Helped by the sorceress Medea, he got it, but their story ends in betrayal and tragedy, famously dramatised by Euripides.
What makes a hero?
Greek heroes are not simply good. Many are violent, proud or flawed. Their stories ask about fate, honour and the limits of human power. They were honoured in hero cults at their tombs. The gods help or hinder them; for the gods' side, see the Olympians, and for longer tales, famous myths retold.
Heroines
Women are not just side characters. Atalanta was a famed hunter; Medea is a powerful sorceress; Penelope is celebrated for loyalty and wits; Antigone defies a king. Ancient texts such as the plays of Sophocles and Euripides give them voices.
Where the heroes are in Britain
Hero scenes are common on Greek vases in UK museums, including Heracles wrestling the lion and Theseus with the Minotaur. See museums for places to look. Many British writers also retold their stories, from Victorian poets to modern novelists, so you will find the heroes in bookshops as well as galleries.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the greatest Greek hero?
Many would say Heracles for his labours, though Achilles and Odysseus are the heroes of Homer's epics.
Was Achilles only vulnerable in his heel?
That detail comes from later sources, not Homer's Iliad.
What is the Odyssey about?
Odysseus's ten-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.