The heroes of Ancient Hellas, whose names are not forgotten to this day, occupied a special place in mythology, fine arts and the life of the ancient Greek people. They were role models and ideals of physical beauty. Legends and poems were written about these brave men; statues were created in honor of the heroes and they were named after the constellations.

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 - tales of titans and giants. At that time, man felt defenseless against the formidable forces of nature, about which he still knew very little. That's why the world seemed to him a chaos in which terrifying uncontrollable forces and entities exist - 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 Hecatoncheires, the goddess of vengeance Erinyes, appearing in the guise of terrible old women, and many others appear.

2. Gradually a pantheon of deities of a different nature began to develop. Abstract monsters began to be confronted by humanoid higher powers - the Olympian gods. This is the new, third generation of deities, who entered into battle against the titans and giants and won a victory over them. Not all opponents were imprisoned in the terrible dungeon - Tartarus. Many were included in the new Oceanus, 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, man’s faith in his own strength became increasingly stronger. 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 on the site of the dragon he killed, Bellerophon destroys the chimera.

Historical sources of Greek myths

We can judge the exploits of heroes and gods from a 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 the famous book “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece” by N. Kuhn), as well as the works of Hesiod.

Around the 5th century BC. collectors of tales about the gods and great defenders of Greece appear. The heroes of Ancient Hellas, whose names we now know, were not forgotten thanks to their painstaking work. These are historians and philosophers Apollodorus of Athens, Heraclides of Pontus, Palephatus and many others.

Origin of Heroes

First, let's find out who this hero is - the hero of Ancient Hellas. The Greeks themselves have several interpretations. This is usually the descendant of some deity and a mortal woman. Hesiod, for example, called heroes whose ancestor was Zeus demigods.

It takes more than one generation to create a truly invincible warrior and defender. Hercules is the thirtieth in the line of descendants of the main one and all the power of the previous heroes of his family was concentrated in him.

In Homer, this is a strong and brave warrior or a person of noble birth with famous ancestors.

Modern etymologists also interpret the meaning of the word in question differently, highlighting the common one - the function of a protector.

Heroes of Ancient Hellas often have a similar biography. Many of them did not know their father's name, were raised either by one mother, or were adopted children. All of them, in the end, set off to accomplish feats.

Heroes are called upon to carry out the will of the Olympian gods and grant protection to people. They bring order and justice to 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 Achilles' son to death, trying to make him immortal. The goddess Demeter, in gratitude to the Athenian king, puts his son Demophon in the fire 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 the hero is usually tragic. Unable to live forever, he tries to immortalize himself in people's memory through his exploits. He is often persecuted by unkind gods. Hercules tries to destroy Hera, Odysseus is pursued by the wrath of Poseidon.

Heroes of Ancient Hellas: list of names and exploits

The first defender of people was the titan Prometheus. He is conventionally called a hero because he is not a man or a demigod, but a real deity. According to Hesiod, it was he who created the first people, sculpting them from clay or earth, and patronized them, protecting them from the tyranny 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 his ancestors were even wise half-snake-half-humans. 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 lying in wait for travelers on the Athens road, and killed the monster - the Crommion 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 goddess of the sea, 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 on Trojan War, but before that, perform many feats on the battlefield. His mother tried to hide him with the ruler Lycomedes, dressing him in women's clothing and passing him off as one of the king's daughters. But the cunning Odysseus, sent to search for Achilles, was able to expose him. The hero was forced to accept his fate and went to the Trojan War. On it he accomplished many feats. His mere appearance on the battlefield put his enemies to flight. Achilles was killed by Paris with an arrow from a bow, which was directed by the god Apollo. It hit the only vulnerable spot on the hero’s body - the heel. Achilles was revered. Temples were built in his honor in Sparta and Elis.

The life stories of some heroes are so interesting and tragic that they are 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 the head and saved the beautiful Andromeda from a sea monster.

To do this, he had to get the helmet of Ares, which makes anyone invisible, and the sandals of Hermes, which give the ability to fly. Athena, the hero's patroness, gave him a sword and a magic bag in which he could hide his 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 in the sky by the gods and turned into constellations.

Odysseus

The heroes of ancient Hellas were not only unusually strong and courageous. Many of them were distinguished by their wisdom. The most cunning of them was Odysseus. More than once his sharp mind saved the hero and his companions. Homer dedicated his famous “Odyssey” to the many-year journey of the king of Ithaca home.

The Greatest of the Greeks

Hero of Hellas ( Ancient Greece), the myths about which are most famous are Hercules. and a descendant of Perseus, he accomplished many feats and became famous for centuries. All his life he was haunted by Hera's hatred. Under the influence of the madness she sent, he killed his children and two sons of his brother Iphicles.

The hero's death came prematurely. Wearing a poisoned cloak sent by his wife Deianira, who thought it was laced with a love potion, Hercules realized that he was dying. He ordered the funeral pyre to be prepared and climbed onto it. At the moment of death, the son of Zeus - main character Greek myths- was ascended to Olympus, where he became one of the gods.

Ancient Greek demigods and mythical characters in modern art

The heroes of Ancient Hellas, pictures of which can be seen in the article, have always been considered examples of physical strength and health. There is not a single form of art in which plots from Greek mythology have not been used. And today they do not lose popularity. Films such as “Clash of the Titans” and “Wrath of the Titans,” in which Perseus is the main character, aroused great interest among viewers. A magnificent film of the same name is dedicated to Odysseus (directed by Andrei Konchalovsky). "Troy" told about the exploits and death of Achilles.

A huge number of films, TV series and cartoons have been shot about the great Hercules.

Conclusion

The heroes of Ancient Hellas are still wonderful examples 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.

Heroes were born from marriages of Olympian gods with mortals. They were endowed with superhuman capabilities and enormous strength, but did not have 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, to 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 act did not always include military valor. Some heroes, indeed, are great warriors, others are healers, others are great travelers, others are just husbands of goddesses, others are ancestors of nations, others are prophets, etc. Greek heroes are not immortal, but their posthumous fate is unusual. Some heroes of Greece live after death on the Isles of the Blessed, others on the island of Levka or even on Olympus. It was believed that most heroes who fell in battle or died as a result of dramatic events were buried in the ground. The tombs of heroes - heroons - were places of their worship. Often, there were graves of the same hero in different places in Greece.

Read more about the characters from Mikhail Gasparov’s book “Entertaining Greece”

In Thebes they talked about the hero Cadmus, the founder of Cadmeia, 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 won sea ​​monster- Kita. In Athens they talked about the hero Theseus, who freed central Greece from evil robbers, and then in 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 that was given to him by the Cretan princess Ariadne, who later became the wife of the god Dionysus. In the Peloponnese (named after another hero, Pelops), they talked about the twin heroes Castor and Polydeuces, who later became the patron gods of horsemen and fighters. The hero Jason conquered the sea: on the ship “Argo” with his Argonaut friends, he brought to Greece from the eastern edge of the world the “golden fleece” - the skin of a golden ram that came down from heaven. The hero Daedalus, the builder of the Labyrinth, conquered the sky: on wings made of bird feathers, fastened with wax, he flew from captivity in Crete to his native Athens, although his son Icarus, flying with him, could not stay 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 forced mortal man who served a weak and cowardly king for twelve years. On his orders, Hercules performed twelve famous labors. The first were victories over monsters from the outskirts 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, who guarded 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 Cerberus, who guarded the terrible kingdom of the dead. And after that he was called to his main task: he became a participant in the great war of the Olympians with the rebellious younger gods, the giants - in the Gigantomachy. The giants threw mountains at the gods, the gods struck the giants, some with lightning, some with a rod, some with a trident, the giants fell, but not killed, but only stunned. Then Hercules hit them with arrows from his bow, and they did not get up again. Thus, man helped the gods 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 chained Prometheus on a Caucasian rock, tormented by Zeus's eagle, took pity on him and killed the eagle with an arrow. 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 that Thetis gives birth to will be stronger than his father - and if it is the son of Zeus, he will overthrow Zeus. Zeus obeyed: Thetis was married not to a god, but to a mortal hero, and they had a son, Achilles. And with this began the decline of the heroic age.

Famous heroes of the ancient world

Agamemnon is one of the main characters of the ancient Greek epic, the son of the Mycenaean king Atreus and Aeropa, the leader of the Greek army during the Trojan War.

Amphitryon is the son of the Tirinthian king Alcaeus and the daughter of Pelops Astydamia, 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 Electryon.

Achilles is one of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology, the son of King Peleus, the king of the myrmidons and the sea goddess Thetis, the grandson of Aeacus, the main character of the Iliad.

Ajax is the name of two participants in the Trojan War; both fought at Troy as suitors for Helen's hand. In the Iliad they often appear hand in hand and are compared to two mighty lions or bulls.

Bellerophon is 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 Hipponou.

Hector is 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 to set foot on the soil of Troy.

Hercules is the national hero of the Greeks. Son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Gifted with mighty strength, he performed the most difficult work on earth and accomplished great feats. Having atoned for his sins, he ascended Olympus and achieved immortality.

Diomedes is the son of the Aetolian king Tydeus and the daughter of Adrasta Deipila. Together with Adrastus, he took part in the campaign and destruction of Thebes. As one of Helen's suitors, Diomedes subsequently fought at Troy, leading a militia on 80 ships.

Meleager is the hero of Aetolia, the son of the Calydonian king Oeneus and Alphea, the husband of Cleopatra. Participant of the Argonauts' campaign. Meleager's greatest fame came from his participation in the Calydonian hunt.

Menelaus is the king of Sparta, the son of Atreus and Aerope, the husband of Helen, the younger brother of Agamemnon. Menelaus, with the help of Agamemnon, gathered friendly kings for the Ilion campaign, and he himself deployed 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 is the famous singer of the Thracians, the son of the river god Eager and the muse Calliope, the husband of the nymph Eurydice, who set trees and rocks in motion with his songs.

Patroclus is the son of one of the Argonauts Menoetius, a relative and ally of Achilles in the Trojan War. As a boy, he killed his friend while playing dice, for which his father sent him to Peleus in Phthia, where he was raised with Achilles.

Peleus is the son of the Aeginean king Aeacus and Endeis, the husband of Antigone. For killing his stepbrother Phocas, who defeated Peleus in athletic exercises, was expelled by his father and retired to Phthia.

Pelops is the king and national hero of Phrygia, and then the Peloponnese. Son of Tantalus and the nymph Euryanassa. Pelops grew up on Olympus in the company of the gods and was the favorite of Poseidon.

Perseus is the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the Argive king Acrisius. The winner of the Gorgon Medusa and the savior of Andromeda from the claims of the dragon.

Talthybius, a messenger, a Spartan, together with Eurybates, was Agamemnon’s herald, carrying out his instructions. Talthybius, together with Odysseus and Menelaus, gathered an army for the Trojan War.

Teucer is the son of Telamon and the daughter of the Trojan king Hesione. The best archer in the Greek army at Troy, where over thirty defenders of Ilion fell at his hands.

Theseus is the son of the Athenian king Aeneas and Ethera. He became famous for a number of exploits, like Hercules; kidnapped Elena along with Peirifoy.

Trophonius was 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, and the pet of the earth goddess Demeter.

Phoroneus is the founder of the Argive state, the son of the river god Inachus and the hamadryad Melia. He was revered as a national hero; Sacrifices were performed at his grave.

Thrasimedes is the son of the Pylos king Nestor, who arrived with his father and brother Antilochus near Ilion. He commanded fifteen ships and took part in many battles.

Oedipus is the son of the Finnish king Laius and Jocasta. Killed his father and married his mother without knowing it. When the crime was discovered, Jocasta hanged herself, and Oedipus blinded himself. Died pursued by the Erinyes.

Aeneas is 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, the favorite of the gods; in battles he was protected by Aphrodite and Apollo.

Jason, the son of Aison, on behalf of Pelias, set out from Thessaly for the Golden Fleece to Colchis, for which he prepared a campaign for the Argonauts.

Agamemnon- one of the main heroes of the ancient Greek national epic, the son of the Mycenaean king Atreus and Aeropa, leader of the Greek army during the Trojan War.

Amphitryon- the son of the Tirinthian king Alcaeus and the daughter of Pelops Astydamia, 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 Electryon.

Achilles- in 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 Aeacus, the main character of the Iliad.

Ajax- the name of two participants in the Trojan War; both fought at Troy as suitors for Helen's hand. 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 Hipponou.

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 to set foot on the soil of Troy.

Hercules- national hero of the Greeks. Son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Gifted with mighty strength, he performed the most difficult 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 Adrasta Deipila. Together with Adrastus, he took part in the campaign and destruction of Thebes. As one of Helen's suitors, Diomedes subsequently fought at Troy, leading a militia on 80 ships.

Meleager- hero of Aetolia, son of the Calydonian king Oeneus and Althea, husband of Cleopatra. Participant of the Argonauts' campaign. Meleager's greatest fame came from his participation in the Calydonian hunt.

Menelaus- king of Sparta, son of Atreus and Aerope, husband of Helen, younger brother of Agamemnon. Menelaus, with the help of Agamemnon, gathered friendly kings for the Ilion campaign, and he himself deployed 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 Eager 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 Menoetius, a relative and comrade-in-arms of Achilles in the Trojan War. As a boy, he killed his friend while playing dice, for which his father sent him to Peleus in Phthia, where he was raised together with Achilles.

Peleus- son of the Aeginean king Eak and Endeida, husband of Antigone. For the murder of his half-brother Phocus, who defeated Peleus in athletic exercises, he was expelled by his father and retired to Phthia.

Pelop- king and national hero of Phrygia, and then the Peloponnese. Son of Tantalus and the nymph Euryanassa. Pelops grew up on Olympus in the company of the gods and was the favorite of Poseidon.

Perseus- the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the Argive king Acrisius. The winner of the Gorgon Medusa and the savior of Andromeda from the claims of the dragon.

Talfibiy- the messenger, a Spartan, together with Eurybates, was Agamemnon’s herald, carrying out his instructions. Talthybius, together with Odysseus and Menelaus, gathered an army for the Trojan War.

Teucer- the son of Telamon and the daughter of the Trojan king Hesione. The best archer in the Greek army at Troy, where over thirty defenders of Ilion fell at his hands.

Theseus- son of the Athenian king Aeneas and Ethera. He became famous for a number of exploits, like Hercules; kidnapped Elena along with Peirifoy.

Trophonius- originally a chthonic deity, identical with Zeus Underground. According to popular belief, Trophonius was the son of Apollo or Zeus, the brother of Agamedes, and the pet of the earth goddess Demeter.

Phoroney- founder of the Argive state, son of the river god Inach and the hamadryad Melia. He was revered as a national hero; Sacrifices were performed at his grave.

Thrasymedes- the son of the Pylos king Nestor, who arrived with his father and brother Antilochus near Ilion. He commanded fifteen ships and took part in many battles.

Oedipus- son of the Finnish king Laius and Jocasta. Killed his father and married his mother without knowing it. When the crime was discovered, Jocasta hanged herself, and Oedipus blinded himself. Died pursued by the Erinyes.

Aeneas- son of Anchises and Aphrodite, relative of Priam, hero of the Trojan War. Aeneas, like Achilles among the Greeks, is the son of a beautiful goddess, the favorite of the gods; in battles he was protected by Aphrodite and Apollo.

Jason- the son of Aison, on behalf of Pelias, set out from Thessaly for the golden fleece to Colchis, for which he equipped the expedition of the Argonauts.

Kronos, V ancient greek mythology, was one of the Titans, born from the marriage of the sky god Uranus and the earth goddess Gaia. He succumbed to his mother’s persuasion and castrated his father Uranus in order to stop the endless births 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 the newborn.

Rhea hid her son, Zeus, on the island of Crete, where he grew up, suckled by the divine goat Amalthea. He was guarded by the Kuretes - warriors who drowned out the crying of Zeus by striking their shields so that Kronos would not hear.

Having matured, Zeus overthrew his father from the throne, forced him to tear his brothers and sisters out of his womb and, after a long war, took his place on bright Olympus, among the host of gods. Thus Kronos was punished for his betrayal.

In Roman mythology, Kronos (Chroos - "time") is known as Saturn - a symbol of inexorable time. IN Ancient Rome festivities were dedicated to the god Kronos - Saturnalia, during which all rich people exchanged duties with their servants and fun began, accompanied by copious libations. In Roman mythology, Kronos (Chroos - "time") is known as Saturn - a symbol of inexorable time. In Ancient Rome, festivals were dedicated to the god Kronos - Saturnalia, during which all rich people exchanged duties with their servants and fun began, accompanied by copious libations.

Rhea(“Ρέα”), in ancient mythology, a Greek goddess, one of the Titanides, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, wife of Kronos and mother of the Olympian deities: Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Demeter and Hera (Hesiod, Theogony, 135). Kronos, afraid, that one of his children would deprive him of power, devouring them immediately after birth. Rhea, on the advice of her parents, saved Zeus instead of her born son, she placed a swaddled stone, which Kronos swallowed, and Rhea sent her son, secretly from her father, to Crete, to the mountain. Dicta. When Zeus grew up, Rhea assigned 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 version of the myth, Rhea deceived Kronos and at the birth of Poseidon, She hid her son among the grazing sheep. Kronos was given a foal to swallow, citing 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 itself. In Crete and Asia Minor she mixed with the Asian goddess of nature and fertility Cybele, and her worship came to a more prominent level. The legend about the birth of Zeus in the grotto of Mount Ida, which enjoyed special veneration, was localized especially in Crete, as evidenced by the large number of dedications, some of them very ancient, found in it. The tomb of Zeus was also shown on Crete. The priests of Rhea were called here Curetes and were identified with the Corybantes, the priests of the great Phrygian mother Cybele. Rhea entrusted them with the preservation of the infant Zeus; By banging their weapons, the Kuretes muffled his crying so that Kronos could not hear the child. Rhea was depicted 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 sit lions dedicated to her. Its attribute was the tympanum (an ancient musical percussion instrument, the predecessor of the timpani). During late antiquity Rhea was identified with the Phrygian Great Mother of the gods and received the name Rhea-Cybele, whose cult was distinguished by its 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 ruler of the winds and clouds, rain, thunder and lightning, caused storms and hurricanes with a blow of the scepter, but could also calm the forces of nature and clear the sky of 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 raised on the island of Crete.

The matured Zeus sought to settle accounts with his father. His first wife, the wise Metis (“thought”), daughter of Ocean, advised him to give his father a potion that would make him vomit all the children he had swallowed. Having defeated Kronos, who gave birth to them, Zeus and the brothers divided the world among themselves. Zeus chose the sky, Hades - underground kingdom dead, and Poseidon is the sea. They decided to consider the earth and Mount Olympus, where the palace of the gods was located, to be common. Over time, the world of the Olympians changes and becomes less cruel. The Oras, daughters of Zeus from Themis, his second wife, brought order to the lives 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 9 muses to Zeus. Thus, law, science, art and morality took their place in human society. Zeus was also the father of famous heroes - Hercules, Dioscuri, Perseus, Sarpedon, glorious kings and sages - Minos, Radamanthos and Aeacus. 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 Hera, the goddess of legal marriage. Some of Zeus' children born out of wedlock, such as Hercules, were severely persecuted by the goddess. In Roman mythology, Zeus corresponds to the omnipotent Jupiter.

Hera(Hera), in Greek mythology, the queen of the gods, goddess of air, patroness of family and marriage. Hera, the eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, raised in the house of Oceanus and Tethys, is the sister and wife of Zeus, with whom she, according to Samian legend, lived in a secret marriage for 300 years until he openly declared her his wife and queen of the gods. Zeus honors her highly and communicates his plans to her, although he keeps her on occasion within the limits of her subordinate position. Hera, mother of Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus, Ilithyia. He is distinguished by his power, cruelty and jealous disposition. Especially in the Iliad, Hera shows grumpiness, stubbornness and jealousy - character traits that passed into the Iliad, probably from the most ancient songs glorifying Hercules. Hera hates and persecutes Hercules, as well as 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 treacherous goddess to the ether with strong golden chains and hung two heavy anvils at her feet. But this does not prevent the goddess from constantly resorting to cunning when she needs to achieve 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 are her favorite places; She hates the Trojans for the trial of Paris. The marriage of Hera with Zeus, which initially had a spontaneous meaning - a connection between heaven and earth, then receives a relation to the civil institution of marriage. As the only legal wife on Olympus, Hera is the patroness of marriage and childbirth. A pomegranate apple, a symbol of marital love, and a cuckoo, the messenger of spring, the season of love, were dedicated to her. In addition, the peacock and crow were considered her birds.

The chief place of her cult was Argos, where stood her colossal statue, made of gold and ivory by Polycletus, and where the so-called Heraea 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 represents Hera as a tall, slender woman, with majestic bearing, mature beauty, a rounded face bearing an important expression, a beautiful forehead, thick hair, large, strongly open "ox" eyes. The most remarkable image of her was the above-mentioned statue of Polykleitos 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. On top of the long chiton, which left only the neck and arms uncovered, there is a himation thrown around the waist. In Roman mythology, Hera corresponds to Juno.

Demeter(Δημήτηρ), in Greek mythology the goddess of fertility and agriculture, civil order 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 to by her name (literally, “earth mother”). Cult appeals to Demeter: Chloe ("greens", "sowing"), Carpophora ("giver of fruits"), Thesmophora ("legislator", "organizer"), Sieve ("bread", "flour") indicate the functions of Demeter as goddess of fertility. She is a goddess who is kind to people, of beautiful appearance with hair the color of ripe wheat, and an assistant in peasant labors (Homer, Iliad, V 499-501). She fills the farmer's barns with supplies (Hesiod, Opp. 300, 465). They call on Demeter so that the grains come out full-bodied and so that the plowing is successful. Demeter taught people plowing and sowing, combining in a sacred marriage on a thrice-plowed field on the island of Crete with the Cretan god of agriculture Iasion, and the fruit of this marriage was Plutos, the god of wealth and abundance (Hesiod, Theogony, 969-974).

Hestia-goddess virgin of the hearth, eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, patroness of unquenchable fire, uniting gods and people. Hestia never responded to advances. Apollo and Poseidon asked for her hand in marriage, but she vowed to remain a virgin forever. One day, the drunken god of gardens and fields, Priapus, tried to dishonor her, who was sleeping, at a festival where all the gods were present. However, at that moment, when Priapus, the patron saint of voluptuousness and sensual pleasures, was preparing to commit his dirty deed, the donkey cried loudly, Hestia woke up, called on the gods for help, and Priapus fled in fear.

Poseidon, in ancient Greek mythology, the god of the underwater kingdom. Poseidon was considered the ruler of the seas and oceans. The underwater king was born from the marriage of the earth goddess Rhea and the titan Kronos and immediately after birth he, along with his brothers and sisters, was swallowed by his father, who was afraid that they would take away his power over the world. Zeus subsequently freed them all.

Poseidon lived in an underwater palace, among a 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. He traveled along the sea in a chariot harnessed to marvelous horses.

With the help of a magic trident, Poseidon controlled the depths of the sea: if there was a storm at sea, then as soon as he extended the trident in front of him, the furious sea calmed down.

The ancient Greeks greatly revered this deity and, in order to achieve his favor, made 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 would pass through the sea. Therefore, before going to sea, travelers threw a sacrifice to Poseidon into the water. In Roman mythology, it corresponds to Neptune.

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. During the division of the world after the overthrow of his father, Zeus took the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld; The brothers agreed to rule the land together. Hades' second name 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 across the underground river Styx only those who could pay for the crossing. The entrance to the underground kingdom of the dead was guarded by the three-headed dog Kerberus (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), beyond the Ocean River, which washes the earth. The most popular myth about Hades is associated with his abduction of Persephone, daughter of Zeus and the fertility goddess Demeter. Zeus promised him his beautiful daughter without asking her mother's consent. When Hades forcibly took the bride away, Demeter almost lost her mind from grief, forgot about her duties, and hunger gripped the earth.

The dispute between Hades and Demeter over the fate of Persephone was resolved by Zeus. She must spend two thirds of the year with her mother and one third with her husband. This is how the alternation of seasons arose. One day, Hades fell in love with the nymph Minta or Mint, who was associated with the water of the kingdom of the dead. Having learned about this, Persephone, in a fit of jealousy, turned the nymph into a fragrant plant.

The mythology of Ancient Greece is built on myths about the pantheon of gods, about the life of titans and giants, as well as about the exploits of heroes. In the myths of Ancient Greece, the main active force was the Earth, which generates everything and gives everything its beginning.

What happened first

So she gave birth to monsters personifying dark power, titans, cyclopes, hecatoncheires - hundred-armed monsters, the multi-headed serpent Typhon, the terrible goddesses Erinnia, the bloodthirsty dog ​​Cerberus and the Lernaean hydra and three-headed chimeras.

Society developed and these monsters were replaced by the heroes of Ancient Greece. Most of the heroes had parents who were gods, but they were also people. Part of the culture of Greece is the myths about the exploits of these heroes, and some of the names of the heroes of Ancient Greece are well known.

Hercules

Hercules - popular, strong, courageous - was the son of the god Zeus and Alcmene, a simple, earthly woman. He became famous for his twelve labors performed throughout his life. For this, Zeus gave him immortality.

Odysseus

Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, he became famous for his deadly risky journeys from Troy to his homeland. Homer described these exploits in his poem “Odyssey”. Odysseus was smart, cunning and strong. He managed to escape not only from the nymph Calypso, but also from the sorceress Kirka.

He managed to defeat the Cyclops, blinding him, he survived a lightning strike, and when he returned to his homeland, he punished all the “suitors” of his wife Penelope.

Perseus

It is impossible not to remember Perseus if we talk about the names of the heroes of Ancient Greece. The son of Queen Danae and Zeus is Perseus. He accomplished a feat by killing Medusa the Gorgon, a winged monster whose gaze turned everything around to stone. He accomplished his next feat when he freed Princess Andromeda from the clutches of the monster.

Achilles

Achilles became famous in the Trojan War. He was the son of the nymph Thetis and King Peleus. When he was a baby, his mother bought him from the waters of the river of the dead. From then on, he was invulnerable to enemies, with the exception of his heel. Paris, the son of the Trojan king, hit him in the heel with an arrow.

Jason

The ancient Greek hero Jason became famous in Colchis. Jason went for the Golden Fleece to distant Colchis on the ship "Argo" with a team of brave Argonauts, and married Medea, the daughter of the king of this country. They had two sons. Medea killed him and her two sons when Jason was about to marry for the second time.

Theseus

The ancient Greek hero Theseus was the son of the sea king Poseidon. He became famous for killing the monster that lived in the Cretan labyrinth - the Minotaur. He got out of the labyrinth thanks to Ariadne, who gave him a ball of thread. In Greece, this hero is considered the founder of Athens.

The names of the heroes of Ancient Greece are also not forgotten thanks to the animated and feature films produced.

More articles in this section: