The heroes of Ancient Hellas, whose names are not forgotten to this day, occupied a special place in mythology, fine art and the life of the ancient Greek people. They were a role model and ideal of physical beauty. Legends and poems were composed about these brave men, in honor of the heroes they created statues and called them the names of the constellation.
Legends and myths of Ancient Greece: heroes of Hellas, gods and monsters
The mythology of ancient Greek society is divided into three parts:
1. The pre-Olympic period - tales of the titans and giants. At that time, a man felt defenseless against the formidable forces of nature, about which he knew very little. Therefore, the world around him seemed to be chaos in which terrifying uncontrollable forces and entities exist - titans, giants and monsters. They were born by the earth as the main acting force of nature.
At this time, Cerberus, the chimera, the Lernean hydra, the serpent Typhon, the hundred-armed hecatonheira giants, the goddess of vengeance Erinia, appearing in the guise of terrible old women, and many others appear.
2. A pantheon of deities of a different nature began to develop gradually. Abstract monsters began to resist humanoid higher forces - the Olympic gods. This is a new, third generation of deities who entered the battle against the titans and giants and defeated them. Not all opponents were imprisoned in a terrible dungeon - Tartarus. Many were among the new gods of Olympus: Ocean, Mnemosyne, Themis, Atlas, Helios, Prometheus, Selena, Eos. Traditionally, there were 12 major 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 strengthened more and more. This bold outlook on the world gave rise to a new representative of mythology - the hero. He is the winner of monsters and at the same time the founder of states. At this time, great feats are accomplished and victories over ancient beings are gained. Typhon is killed by Apollo, the hero of ancient Hellas Cadmus establishes the famous Thebes on the habitat of the dragon he killed, Bellerophon destroys the chimera.
Historical Sources of Greek Myths
We can judge the exploits of heroes and gods by the few written testimonies. The largest of them are the poems “The Iliad” and “Odyssey” of the great Homer, “Metamorphoses” by Ovid (they formed the basis of the famous book by N. Kuhn “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece”), as well as the works of Hesiod.
Around V c. BC. collectors of legends about the gods and great defenders of Greece appear. The heroes of Ancient Hellas, whose names we now know, were not forgotten due to their painstaking work. These are historians and philosophers Apollodorus of Athens, Heraclides of Pontus, Palefat and many others.
The origin of the heroes
First, find out who it is - the hero of Ancient Hellas. The Greeks themselves have several interpretations. This is usually a descendant of some deity and mortal woman. Hesiod, for example, called the demigods of the heroes, whose ancestor was Zeus.
To create a truly invincible warrior and protector, more than one generation is required. Hercules is the thirtieth in the family of descendants of the main Greek god, and all the power of the previous heroes of his kind was concentrated in him.
In Homer, this is a strong and courageous warrior or a man of noble birth, having famous ancestors.
Modern etymologists also interpret the meaning of the word in different ways, highlighting the general - the function of the defender.
Heroes of Ancient Hellas often have a similar biography. Many of them did not know the name of their father, were raised either by one mother, or were adopted children. All of them, in the end, went to accomplish feats.
Heroes are called to fulfill the will of the Olympic gods and bestow patronage on people. They bring order and justice to the earth. There is a contradiction in them. On the one hand, they are endowed with superhuman strength, but on the other, they are devoid of immortality. The gods themselves sometimes try to correct this injustice. Thetis stabs Achilles son, trying to make him immortal. The goddess Demeter, in gratitude to the king of Athens, puts his son Demophon into the fire in order to burn out everything mortal in him. Typically, these attempts fail 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 is trying to immortalize himself in the memory of people through exploits. He is often persecuted by unfriendly gods. Hercules is trying to destroy Hera, Odyssey is pursued by the wrath of Poseidon.
Heroes of Ancient Hellas: List of Names and Feats
The first protector of people was the titan Prometheus. He is conditionally called a hero, since he is not a man or a demigod, but a real deity. According to Hesiod, it was he who created the first people, fashioned them from clay or earth, and patronized them, protecting them from the arbitrariness 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 which he defeated the terrible fire-breathing chimera.
Theseus is a hero who lived before the great Trojan War. Its origin is unusual. He is a descendant of many gods, and his ancestors were even wise half-snakes, half-humans. The hero has two fathers at once - King Aegeus and Poseidon. Prior to his greatest feat - victory over the monstrous Minotaur - he managed to do many good deeds: he destroyed the robbers on the way of the Athens road, and killed the monster - the Krommion pig. Theseus also, together with Heracles, participated in a campaign on 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 the river Styx or boiling water). He was destined to die in the Trojan War, but before that he would make many deeds on the battlefield. His mother tried to hide him from the ruler of Lycomedes, dressing him in women's clothing and posing as one of the royal daughters. But the cunning Odysseus, sent on the wanted list of Achilles, was able to expose him. The hero was forced to come to terms with his fate and went to the Trojan War. On it, he performed many feats. The mere appearance of him on the battlefield turned the enemies to flight. Achilles was killed by Paris with a bow arrow, directed by the god Apollo. She fell into the only weak spot on the hero's body - the heel. The ancient Greeks worshiped Achilles. In honor of him, temples were built in Sparta and Elis.
The life stories of some heroes are so interesting and tragic that it is 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 chopped off the head of Medusa Gorgone and saved the beautiful Andromeda from the sea monster.
To do this, he had to get Ares's helmet, which makes anyone invisible, and Hermes sandals, which make it possible to fly. Athena, the protector of the hero, gave him a sword and a magic bag in which to hide his severed head, because even looking at the dead Gorgon turned any living creature into stone. After the death of Perseus and his wife Andromeda, they were both placed by the gods in heaven and turned into constellations.
Odysseus
The heroes of ancient Hellas were not only unusually strong and courageous. Many of them were distinguished by wisdom. The most ingenious of them was Odysseus. More than once his sharp mind rescued the hero and his companions. Homer dedicated his famous Odyssey to King Ithaca's many-year journey home.
The greatest of the Greeks
The hero of Hellas (Ancient Greece), the myths of which are most famous for, is Hercules. The son of Zeus and a descendant of Perseus, he performed many feats and became famous for centuries. All his life he had been haunted by Hera. Influenced by the madness she sent, he killed his children and two sons of his brother Iphicl.
The hero’s death came prematurely. Wearing a poisoned cloak sent by his wife Dejanira, who thought he was saturated with a love potion, Hercules realized that he was dying. He ordered a funeral pyre to be made and ascended upon it. At the time of death, the son of Zeus - the main character of Greek myths - was ascended to Olympus, where he became one of the gods.
Ancient Greek demigods and characters of myths 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 art form in which plots of Greek mythology were not used. And these days they do not lose popularity. The films such as “Clash of the Titans” and “Wrath of the Titans”, whose main character is Perseus, aroused great interest among the audience. A magnificent film of the same name is dedicated to the Odyssey (director - Andrei Konchalovsky). "Troy" spoke about the exploits and death of Achilles.
A great number of films, series and cartoons have been shot about the great Hercules.
Conclusion
The heroes of Ancient Hellas are now a wonderful example of masculinity, self-sacrifice and devotion. Not all of them are perfect, and many of them have negative features - vanity, pride, and love of power. But they always stood up for the defense of Greece if the country or its people were in danger.