Greek mythological heroes

In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's Iliad, he was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, king of Phthia and famous Argonaut. Achilles was raised in Phthia along with his childhood companion Patroclus and received his education by the centaur Chiron. In the Iliad, he is presented as the commander of the mythical tribe of the Myrmidons.

In Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus (; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses (, ; ), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in that same epic cycle.

thumb|Aeneas flees burning Troy, Federico Barocci, 1598 ([[Galleria Borghese, Rome, Italy)]]

In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; Agamémnōn) was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was the son (or grandson) of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the father of Iphigenia, Iphianassa, Electra, Laodike, Orestes and Chrysothemis. Legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area. Agamemnon was killed upon his return from Troy by Clytemnestra, or in an older version of the story, by Clytemnestra's lover Aegisthus.

In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; ) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of monsters before the days of Heracles. He beheaded the Gorgon Medusa for Polydectes and saved Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus. He was a demigod, being the son of Zeus and the mortal Danaë, as well as the half-brother and great-grandfather of Heracles (as they were both children of Zeus, and Heracles's mother was Perseus's granddaughter).

Asclepius (; ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis, or Arsinoe, or of Apollo alone. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters, the , are: Hygieia ("Health, Healthiness"), Iaso (from ἴασις "healing, recovering, recuperation", the goddess of recuperation from illness), Aceso (from ἄκεσις "healing", the goddess of the healing process), Aegle (the goddess of good health) and Panacea (the goddess of universal remedy). He has several sons as well. He was associated with the Roman/Etruscan god Ve

thumb|Theseus after having slain the Minotaur, freeing captive Athenian boys; Cretans approaching to marvel the scene, Antique fresco from [[Pompeii]] Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.

Oedipus (, ; , ) was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus unwittingly fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family.

In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece, and descended into the underworld to recover his lost wife, Eurydice.

thumb|upright=1.25|Jason, between the jaws of the dragon which guards the Golden Fleece, is saved by [[Athena. The fleece hangs from a tree behind them. Attic kylix, 480–470 BC, attributed to Douris.]]

thumb|250px|Cassandra (center) drawing lots with her right hand predicts the downfall of Troy in front of [[Priam (seated, on the left), Paris (holding the apple of discord) and a warrior leaning on a spear, presumably Hector. Fresco in Pompeii, 20-30 AD]] thumb|250px|Fresco of Cassandra's prophecy with the presence of presumably Hector, Pompeii

son of Tros in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; , Menélaos) was a Greek king of Mycenaean (pre-Dorian) Sparta. According to the Iliad, the Trojan War began as a result of Menelaus's wife, Helen, fleeing to Troy with the Trojan prince Paris. Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of the Greek army, under his elder brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. Prominent in both the Iliad and Odyssey, Menelaus was also popular in Greek vase painting and Greek tragedy, the latter more as a hero of the Trojan War than as a member of the doomed House of Atreus.

Greek mythical siblings

son of Telamon in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Cadmus (; ) was the legendary Phoenician founder of Boeotian Thebes. He was, alongside Perseus and Bellerophon, the greatest hero and slayer of monsters before the days of Heracles. Commonly stated to be a prince of Phoenicia, the son of king Agenor and queen Telephassa of Tyre, the brother of Phoenix, Cilix and Europa, Cadmus traced his origins back to Poseidon and Libya.

thumb|upright=1.2|Patroclus on an antique fresco from the House of the Tragic Poet in [[Pompeii, 1st century AD (Naples National Archaeological Museum)]] Patroclus (generally pronounced ; ) was a Greek hero of the Trojan War and close companion of the hero Achilles in Greek mythology. Patroclus is an important character in Homer's Iliad. Although Homer does not explicitly describe Patroclus and Achilles as lovers, later ancient authors often interpreted their relationship in this manner.

thumb|Atalanta surrounded by three Erotes, Attic white-ground [[lekythos, c. 500–470 BC]]

thumb|Roman fresco of Iphigenia, from Magdalensberg

thumb|upright|Detail of Greek mosaic with Peleus and Clotho, [[Paphos Archaeological Park]]

Bellerophon or Bellerophontes () or Hipponous (), was a divine Corinthian hero of Greek mythology, the son of Poseidon and Eurynome, and the foster son of Glaukos. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles". Among his greatest feats was killing the Chimera of the Iliad, a monster that Homer depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail: "her breath came out in terrible blasts of burning flame." thumb|Bellerophon, Pegasus, and [[Athena, a Roman fresco in Pompeii, first half of the 1st century]]

thumb|upright=1.1|Orestes being purified by Apollo on an Apulian red-figure bell-krater, 380–370 BC, now in the Louvre.

Lycurgus (; ) was the legendary lawgiver of Sparta, credited with the formation of its (), involving political, economic, and social reforms to produce a military-oriented Spartan society in accordance with the Delphic oracle. The Spartans in the historical period honoured him as a god.

mythological prince, loved by Apollo

Phaethon (; , ), also spelled Phaëthon, is the son of the Oceanid Clymene and the sun god Helios in Greek mythology.

thumb|Athena counseling Diomedes shortly before he enters the battle. Schlossbrücke, Berlin.

thumb|Roman mosaic with Pelops and Hippodamia, kept in the D. Diogo de Sousa Museum in Braga, Portugal.

thumb|Bust of Meleager, Roman copy after a Greek original of ca. 340-330 BC

mythological Greek character, son of Oileus

Aristaeus (; ) was the mythological culture hero credited with the discovery of many rural useful arts and handicrafts, including beekeeping. He was the son of the huntress Cyrene and Apollo.

thumb|Attic neck-amphora featuring [[Heracles and Memnon (detail), BC]] thumb|Eos retrieving the body of her son Memnon from the battlefield (detail); Etruscan bronze mirror, BC

Triptolemus (), also known as Buzyges (), was a hero of Eleusis in Greek mythology, central to the Eleusinian Mysteries and is worshipped as the inventor and patron of agriculture. Triptolemus is credited with being the first to sow seed for cultivation after being taught by Demeter and is credited for the use of oxen and the plough. Xenophon claims that Peloponnesus was the first place Triptolemus shared Demeter's agricultural gift while Pausanias claims the Rharium plane near Eleusis was the first place to be sown for crops.

In Greek mythology, Abderus or Abderos () was a divine hero, reputed by some to be one of Heracles' lovers (eromenoi), and reputedly a son of Hermes by some accounts, and eponym of Abdera, Thrace.

thumb|A possible sculpture of Erechtheus Erechtheus (; ) in Greek mythology was a king of Athens, the founder of the polis and, in his role as god, attached to Poseidon, as "Poseidon Erechtheus". The name Erichthonius is carried by a son of Erechtheus, but Plutarch conflated the two names in the myth of the begetting of Erechtheus.

thumb|right|250px|Amphiaraus on his chariot. Amphiaraus or Amphiaraos (; ) was in Greek mythology the son of Oicles, a seer, and one of the leaders of the Seven against Thebes. Amphiaraus at first refused to go with Adrastus on this expedition against Thebes as he foresaw the death of everyone who joined the expedition. His wife, Eriphyle, eventually compelled him to go.

mythical king of ancient Athens

Academus or Academos (; ), also Hecademus (), was an Attic hero in Greek mythology. The site of Academus, either a grove or a park, which became known as Akademeia, lies on the Cephissus, six stadia from Athens. He is the namesake of the Academy founded by Plato, who taught his students at the site, and as such of the modern English word academy, signifying an institution of higher learning.

right|thumb|Heracles with the infant Telephus and deer, mid second century AD. Paris, [[Louvre MA 75.]]

mythical son of Nauplius

Greek mythical character, King of Crete

thumb|alt=Phoroneus|Relief from Giotto's Campanile, depicting Phoroneus as the man who invented law.

thumb|upright=1.3|Coinage of Skione. Head of Protesilaos, wearing Attic helmet / Stern of galley left within incuse square. Circa 480-470 BC thumb|upright=1.3|Coinage of Phthiotic Thebes|Thebai, [[Thessaly. Veiled head of Demeter, wearing wreath of grain ears / ΘHBAIΩИ, Protesilaos, wearing armor and short chiton, holding sword in right hand and shield in left, stepping off the prow of a galley; waves visible to the lower right. Early 3rd century BC]] In Greek mythology, Protesilaus (; ) was a hero in the Iliad who was venerated at cult sites in Thessaly and Thrace. Protesilaus was the son of

thumb|Antilochus on an Red-figure pottery|Attic red-figure [[amphora ca. 470 BC from the Louvre]] In Greek mythology, Antilochus (; Ancient Greek: Ἀντίλοχος Antílokhos) was a prince of Pylos and one of the Achaeans in the Trojan War. He was the youngest prince to command troops.

alt=A helmeted figure emerges from behind a fountain, topped with two lions. That is being approached from the other side by an unarmoured rider. Below the horse is a setting sun. Painted underneath this scene are trees shown in different seasons of the year.|thumb|300px|right|Achilles (left) ambushing Troilus (on horseback, right). Etruscan art|Etruscan [[fresco, Tomb of the Bulls, Tarquinia, 530–520 BC.]]

thumb|250px|Two Centaurs pound Caeneus into the ground with tree trunks; bronze relief from Olympia, Archaeological Museum of Olympia BE 11a (mid–late seventh century BC) In Greek mythology, Caeneus () was a Lapith hero, ruler of Thessaly, and the father of the Argonaut Coronus. Caeneus was born a girl, Caenis (), the daughter of Elatus, but after Poseidon had sex with Caenis, she was transformed by him into an invulnerable man. Caeneus participated in the Centauromachy, where he met his demise at the hands of the Centaurs by being pounded into the ground while still alive.

mythical king and demigod

thumb | right | alt=The Oath Of The Seven Chiefs | The Oath Of The Seven Chiefs In Greek mythology, Parthenopaeus or Parthenopaios (; ) was one of the Seven against Thebes, a native of Arcadia, described as young and outstandingly good-looking, but at the same time arrogant, ruthless and over-confident, although an unproblematic ally for the Argives.

mythical character of Greek and Roman mythology, king of Pallantium

thumb|right|150px|Statue of Podalirius - Archaeological Museum of Dion In Greek mythology, Podalirius or Podaleirius or Podaleirios () was a son of Asclepius.

Trophonius (; Ancient Greek: Τροφώνιος Trophōnios) was a Greek hero or daimon or god—it was never certain which one—with a rich mythological tradition and an oracular cult at Lebadea () in Boeotia, Greece.

thumb|upright=0.9|Menelaus and [[Hector fighting over the body of Euphorbus, on the Euphorbos plate, from Rhodes, Middle Wild Goat style, c. 600 BCE, British Museum.]]

thumb|right|Agamemnon, Talthybius and Epeius, relief from [[Samothrace, ca. 560 BC, Louvre.]]

Greek mythology character, son of Laodamia

mythical son of Euanthes

mythical daughter of Triopas

thumb|right|270px|Achilles fights by the river, 18th-century engraving-etching Johann Balthasar Probst (1673–1748)

mythical son of Hippolochus

mythical character, son of Pelops

In Greek mythology, Ceryx (, ; ) was a member of the Athenian royal family as the son of Hermes by either of the princesses Pandrosus and Agraulus.