Greek Religion and Mythology

1. Religion

2. The gods

3. The heroes

3. The heroes• What is “a hero”?

• For the Ancient Greeks, heroes werehumans who had a tremendous influence on events and other humans

• They were humans and not gods, but often one of their parents was a god or goddess

• As such, throughout their lives theyenjoyed special protection

• They were considered heroes because of their remarkable bravery and deeds in battle

• They approached life with great audacity

• They were considered to be above meremortals!

• The very notion of “heroes” began with poetry, in particular Homer’s The Iliad

• Achilles, Ajax, Ulysses and others are depicted during the Trojan War as prodigies of courage and ingenuity

• Over time, ideas of “heroes” have changed

• Each territory created its own heroes as symbols of national or regional pride

• Some historical figures have claimed to be descendants of mythical heroes

• For example…

• Julius Caesar claimed to be the descendant of Aeneas, and therefore alsohis mother Venus (Athena in Greek)

• Mark Antony claimed to be a descendant of Hecules (Heracles in Greek)

Achilles• King of the Myrmidons

• Hero of the Trojan War

• He killed Hector with the help of Athena

Bellerophon• Corinthian hero

• He tamed Pegasus

• He killed Chimera

Perseus• Greek hero

• Son of Zeus

• He killed Medusa

Theseus• Athenian hero

• Son of Poseidon

• He killed the Minotaur

Heracles• Famous hero, known for his strength

• Son of Zeus

• He killed his wife and children

• To atone for the deaths of his wife and children, he had to perform 12 tasks