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Greek Heroic Age

Historic era of Mediterranean history

  • 4 min read
  • 10 chapters

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The Greek heroes can be grouped into an approximate mythic chronology based on the stories of events such as the Argonautic expedition and the Trojan War. Over time, many heroes, such as Heracles, Achilles, Hector, and Perseus, came to figure prominently in Greek mythology.

Early heroes

Many early Greek heroes were descended from the gods and were part of the founding narratives of various city-states. They also became the ancestors of later heroes. The Phoenician prince Cadmus, a grandson of Poseidon, was the first Greek hero and the founder of Thebes.

Perseus, famous for his exploits well before the days of his great-grandson, Heracles, was the son of Zeus. Perseus beheaded the gorgon Medusa, saved Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus, and was the legendary founder of Mycenae.

Aeacus was also a son of Zeus. Bellerophon was descended from the nymph Orseis. Oenomaus, king of Pisa, in the Peloponnese, was the son of Ares.

Among these early heroes, the three - Cadmus, Perseus, and Bellerophon - were considered the greatest Greek heroes and slayers of monsters before the days of Heracles.

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