Greek Heroes Notes
Achilles
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Parents: Peleus, king of the Myrmidons and Thetis, a daughter of
Poseidon
- Thetis dunked Achilles into the River Styx to make him invulnerable as a
baby; she held him by his heel, so that was his only weakness
- Thetis was constantly trying to save her sons life; she sent him to be
raised as a girl in an attempt to keep him out of war, and she asked
Hephaestus to make a sword and shield that would keep Achilles safe
- Achilles joined the Greek army and was a hero of the Trojan War
- Eventually killed the Trojan prince, Hector
- Hector’s brother, Paris, shot Achilles with an arrow in the heel; Achilles
died on the spot, still undefeated in battle
Bellepheron
- Thought to be the son of Poseidon and Eurynome; he was raised by
Eurynome and her husband, Glaucus, so many also think that Glaucus was
his father
- He once spent the night in the temple of Athena and awoke to find a
magical, golden bridle; he used this bridle to ride Pegasus
- In the house of King Proetus, the Queen Stheneboea attempted to seduce
him; when she was unsuccessful, she lied to her husband to have
Bellerophon killed
- Proetus sent Bellerophon to King Iobates with a message asking that
Bellerophon be killed
- Iobates sent Bellerophon on a series of heroic, deadly tasks
- Bellerophon’s skill as an archer, with the help of Pegasus, allowed him to
prevail in his tasks
- Iobates gave Bellerophon half of his kingdom
- Bellerophone tried to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus to visit the gods;
Zeus caused him to fall off of Pegasus
- The fall was crippling; Bellerophon died alone
Cadmus
- His adventure began when Zeus abducted his sister, Europa
- Camus and his brothers all left home in search of Europa
- Eventually, Cadmus journeyed to the Oracle of Delphi to ask for his sister
- The oracle told him to stop looking and to found a new city instead
- Cadmus found a cow outside the temple and followed it to the place
where he would build his city; he then became the founder of Thebes
- Before founding the city, Cadmus wished to sacrifice a cow to Athena and
sent his companions to find fresh water
- When his companions found water, they were killed by a serpent-like
dragon, which Cadmus then slaughtered
-
Cadmus buried the dragon’s teeth in the ground; from them appeared a
host of fierce warriors who fought each other before becoming loyal to
Cadmus
Ares, the father of the dragon Cadmus slayed, punished him for eight
years but then forgave him and gave him the hand of his daughter,
Harmonia, in marriage
Eventually, Cadmus abdicated his throne and settled in the land of the
Enchelians with his wife
Cadmus one day began thinking about how the life of a serpent would be
happier than his; suddenly, he was turned into a serpent
Harmonia prayed to be turned into a serpent as well, and the gods
granted her request
Zeus carried the couple (as serpents) to the Elysian Fields
Orpheus
- Son of a Muse and King Oeagrus of Thrace (some versions of the story say
his father was Apollo)
- Joined the expedition of the Argonauts
- Married Eurydice on his return from adventure
- Orpheus was a gifted musician and is often depicted playing his lyre
- Eurydice was killed by a snakebite and Orpheus was overcome with grief
- Orpheus traveled to the underworld to bring Eurydice back
- He charmed the three-headed dog Cerebus and made his way to Hades
- Hades had sympathy for Orpheus and allowed him to take Eurydice back
on one condition: Eurydice was to walk behind Orpheus as they left the
underworld, and Orpheus was not to look back at her
- As they climbed up out of the underworld, Orpheus saw the sun and,
delighted, turned to look at Eurydice too soon; she was pulled back into
the underworld
- Orpheus was determined never to love again
- He was killed by the women of Thrace, who were led to tear him to pieces
by Dionysus
- His lyre was placed in the heavens as a constellation
Theseus
- Parents were Princess Aethra of Troezen and either King Aegeus of
Athens or Poseidon
- Rid the Athenian highway of terrors to make traveling safer
- Medea nearly poisoned him when he got to Athens, but then Aegeus
realized who Theseus was
- Theseus traveled as a sacrifice to Crete, but was able to slay the minotaur
because of help from Princess Ariadne, who fancied him
- Once kidnapped the leader of the Amazons
- Also kidnapped Helen of Sparta (before she was Helen of Troy) with the
help of his friend, Peirithous, but her brothers rescued her; Theseus then
helped Peirithous attempt to kidnap Persephone
- Led the Athenian army on a number of victorious campaigns
- Died in exile