Greek mythology is known for its great heroes and legendary warriors.  These characters are known for their feats of incredible strength, using sly tactics to outwit their foes, and defeating some of the most dangerous monsters imaginable.  They have earned their status as heroes and as legends.

1) Heracles

• Perhaps the most famous man from the Greek pantheon, Heracles is known for his 12 Labors.
• Heracles undertook his labors to atone for his crimes after the Queen of the Gods, Hera, drove him to madness and forced him to kill his wife and children.
• Heracles’ labors were a series of requests from a king, including defeating particularly vicious monsters and retrieving valuable prizes.
• After a long life and many battles won, Heracles was granted godhood for his noble deeds.

2) Perseus

• Perseus’ claim to fame was his defeat of two vicious monsters.
• First, he decapitated Medusa, the gorgon whose gaze could turn anyone into stone.
• Using her severed head, Perseus then petrified a great sea serpent and freed Princess Andromeda, who was going to be sacrificed to the beast.

3) Theseus

• Theseus earned his reputation by stopping King Minos, who was sacrificing children.
• Theseus, with the help of the king’s daughter Ariadne, navigated the treacherous labyrinth built under the island of Crete.
• He then decapitated the Minotaur, the half-man, half-bull monster that Minos had been sacrificing children to.

4) Jason

• Jason is a hero who is famous due to his crew, the Argonauts, a group of legendary heroes, and their quest for the Golden Fleece.
• They faced many challenges, like enormous clashing rocks that threatened to smash their ship, fire breathing bronze bulls, a skeleton army, and a dragon.
• On the return trip, they also encountered the hypnotic Sirens and a giant bronze man.

5) Odysseus

• Odysseus is a warrior like the rest of these heroes, but he was known less for his strength and more for his cunning.
• He had already proven himself a great tactician and warrior in the Trojan War, such as being the creator of the Trojan Horse. 
• Yet he is memorable for his trip to return home, known as the Odyssey, which included escaping the sea monsters Charybdis and Scylla, fighting cannibalistic giants, and rescuing his men after they were transformed into pigs by the witch Circe.

6) Achilles

• Achilles is perhaps the strongest of all mortal heroes, as he single-handedly shifted the tides of the Trojan war.
• Achilles was granted invincibility after being dipped in the river Styx, excluding his ankle, which was held above water by his mother.
• At first, Achilles refused to fight, after one of his allies disrespected him.  But once Patroclus, his dear friend and lover, died in combat, he was enraged enough to fight.
• His rage and destruction were so fierce that the gods themselves had to interfere in order to balance the fight.

7) Atalanta

• Atalanta is one of the few women who became a hero in Greek mythology .
• She was raised by bears, and later hunters.
• Some of her notable feats were sailing as an Argonaut with Jason and defeating a rampaging boar sent by the gods.
• She had many suitors, but she refused to indulge any of them unless they beat her in a foot race.  She never lost her races, except for one man who she lost to on purpose since she actually liked him.

8) Bellerophon

• Bellerophon was considered one of the greatest heroes before Heracles.
• His accomplishments include slaying the fire-breathing Chimera and taming the winged horse Pegasus.
• Eventually, he became so arrogant that he attempted to fly up to Mount Olympus and join the gods. His hubris angered Zeus, who sent a bug to sting him, causing him to fall back to earth.

9) Paris

• While often depicted as cowardly and unskilled, Paris is still noteworthy for his role in the Trojan war.
• Aphrodite gave him Helen of Troy as a gift, which was the cause of the war.
• He was able to slay the mighty Achilles with his bow and arrow, with his arrow being guided by the archery god Apollo.

10) Hector

• Hector was famous as a leader of the Trojans in the Trojan War.
• He was beloved for his tactical genius and loyalty to his friends.
• Unfortunately, he was killed by Achilles as revenge for killing Patroclus, Achilles’ close friend and lover.

11) Aeneus

• Aeneas was another famous Trojan leader, whose skill was second only to his cousin Hector.
• He and his men retreated from the Trojan War at the behest of the gods.  They settled down in Italy.
• His descendants, Romulus and Remus, would go on to found the city and empire of Rome, making effectively Aeneas the grandfather of Rome.

12) Ajax

• Yet another hero of the Trojan War, Ajax the Great was valued for being fearless, strong, and smart throughout combat.
• He was famous for wielding a massive shield made of seven cowhides and a layer of bronze.
• Ajax is considered a rarity among those who fought in the Trojan War, as he was never injured and he never needed assistance from the gods.

13) Hippolyta

• Hippolyta was another female hero, known for wearing a war belt from her father, the war god Ares, and for being Queen of the Amazons.
• The Amazons were a group of all female warriors, who prided themselves on their ability to match male heroes in terms of combat strength, hunting skill, and general strength.
• Hippolyta is best known for meeting Heracles, who was after her belt.  While in some stories, they fought each other, other versions describe Hippolyta being impressed with Heracles and the two heroes getting along.

14) Asclepius

• Asclepius is another mortal who was so skilled in life that he was transformed into a god and brought up to Olympus.
• While he was an Argonaut, and thus a capable fighter and warrior, his main strength lay in healing.
• He was so skilled with healing, he was said to have brought the dead back to life.
• Zeus killed him with a lightning bolt as punishment for reviving the dead, but rewarded him by allowing Asclepius to become the god of medicine.

15) Diomedes

• Another  Trojan War hero, Diomedes commanded over 80 ships in the war.
• He was even able to wound the goddess Aphrodite when she tried to interfere with the war.
• He also captured the Trojan Palladium, a sacred statue of the goddess Athena that helped protect Troy.

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