Ancient Greece is famous for its mythology, which enshrined tales of mighty heroes and fearsome warriors, with fierce battles and territorial disputes lurking in every corner of the Hellenistic world. Here are some of the finest that Greek mythology had to offer.
Was Achilles the Greatest of All Warriors in Greek Mythology?
For many, the first name that springs to mind when talking about great warriors of ancient Greek mythology is Achilles. Son of the mortal Peleus, king of the Myrmidons, and the Nereid Thetis, Achilles is considered the bravest and most skilled warrior of the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan War, as penned by Homer.
The source of Achilles’ great power however, was implied in non-Homeric tales, which suggested that Thetis dipped Achilles as a child in the waters of the River Styx, by which means he became invulnerable, except for the part of his heel where she held him – the proverbial ‘Achilles heel’.
During the first nine years of the Trojan War, Achilles raided the country around Troy and took 12 cities. In the 10th year, the great warrior got into a despite with Agamemnon when he insisted that the king return Chryseis, his prize of war, to her father, a priest of Apollo, so as to appease the wrath of the god, who had destroyed the camp with a pestilence. An angry Agamemnon recouped his loss by taking Achilles’ favorite slave, Briseis, away from him.
Achilles refused to continue in the king’s service, and as a result, the Greeks were suffering on the battlefield. Eventually, Achilles allowed his cousin Patroclus to impersonate him, lending him his chariot and armor. Hector, the oldest son of King Priam of Troy) killed Patroclus, and Achilles, having resolved his tensions with Agamemnon, got new armor from the god Hephaestus and killed Hector.
After dragging Hector’s body behind his chariot, Achilles gave it to Priam at his earnest entreaty. Homer’s Iliad ends with the funeral rites of Hector, and makes no mention of the death of Achilles, which is not told until the Odyssey.
The poet Arctinus in his Aethiopis, took up the story of the Iliad and related that Achilles, having slain the Ethiopian king Memnon and the Amazon Penthesilea, was himself slain in battle by Priam’s son Paris, whose arrow was guided by Apollo.
Hector
Hector was a great warrior and the eldest prince of Troy; heir to the throne. He is a major figure in Homer’s Iliad, where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of the city, slaying countless Greek warriors.
Throughout the Trojan War Hector brought glory to the Trojans as he was their best fighter and heir. He was loved by all his people and known for never turning down a fight. He was gracious to all and thus thought of favorably by all, except by the Greeks. As he was the Trojan’s best warrior, he was both hated and feared by the Greeks. He turned the tide of battle, breaking down their barriers and slaughtering their troops. However, when he killed Patroclus, Achilles re-entered the war and the Trojans were beaten back again.
According to Homer’s Iliad, Hector was killed in single combat by Achilles. Hector’s parents sat on Troy’s wall, pleading for him to take shelter within the safe walls. Hector refused, wanting to talk with Achilles, in an attempt to resolve the altercation without bloodshed, though Achilles was not one to be reasoned with due to Hector slaying his close wartime companion, Patroclus. Achilles chased Hector around the gates of Troy three times.
Apollo gave Hector strength so he could always stay in the lead. But whenever he neared the entrance of the walls to the city, Achilles cut him off. Finally, Athena took the guise of his favorite brother, Deiphobus, telling him that they could face Achilles together. Tricked into thinking he might have a chance at winning, Hector waited for Achilles.
He then proposed that whoever wins, be it him or Achilles, will be respectful to the other’s body and give it back to the other’s friend so they can have a proper burial. Achilles refused saying that there was “…no love between us. No truce till the other falls and gluts with blood.”
After a short fight, Achilles stabbed Hector in his throat.
Hercules/Herakles
Son of Zeus and nemesis of the goddess Hera, Hercules was always too powerful for his foes. He is perhaps best known for his fantastic feats of strength and daring, often called the “12 Labors.” Some of these labors include slaying the nine-headed hydra, stealing the girdle of the Amazonian queen Hippolyta, taming Cerberus, and slaying the Nemean lion.
Hercules died after his wife, jealous that he might have another lover, smeared a tunic with deadly centaur’s blood, the pain of which drove Hercules to kill himself. Hercules received the honor of being brought to live among the gods on Mount Olympus.
Theseus among the greatest warriors of ancient Greek mythology
Theseus was the Athenian hero who liberated his city from the tyranny of King Minos of Crete. Every year, the city had to send seven men and seven women to Crete to be devoured by the monstrous Minotaur. Theseus vowed to defeat Minos and restore Athens’ dignity. With the help of the creature’s half-sister, Ariadne, Theseus was able to enter the labyrinth where the monster lived, slay the beast, and find his way out again.
Theseus is the mythological founder of Athens, and his fate was met in that city, when Lycomedes of the island of Skyros threw him off a cliff after he had lost popularity in Athens.
In 475 BC, in response to an oracle, Cimon of Athens, having conquered Skyros for the Athenians, identified as the remains of Theseus “a coffin of a great corpse with a bronze spearhead by its side and a sword.”
Cadmus – The Least Known of the Greek Warriors
Cadmus was the Phoenician founder of Thebes. After failing in his quest to find his sister Europa, he wandered the land. During this time, he consulted the Oracle of Delphi, who ordered him to cease his wanderings and settle in Boeotia.
There, he lost his men to a dragon of Ares. Cadmus killed the dragon, planted its teeth, and watched as armed men (the Spartoi) emerged from the ground. They fought each other down to a final five, who helped Cadmus found Thebes. Cadmus married Harmonia, daughter of Ares, but suffered from guilt for having slain the war god’s dragon. As repentance, Cadmus and his wife were transformed into snakes.
Odysseus
A crafty and capable warrior, Odysseus was the king of Ithaca. His exploits in the Trojan War were documented by Homer in the Iliad and further in the Odyssey, which chronicled Odysseus’ 10-year struggle to return home. During that time, Odysseus and his men faced numerous challenges, including being kidnapped by a cyclops, menaced by sirens, and finally shipwrecked. Odysseus alone survives, only to face additional tests before finally returning home.
Jason
Jason was born the son of the deposed king of Iolcos. As a young man, he set out on a quest to find the Golden Fleece and thus restore his place on the throne. He assembled a crew of heroes called the Argonauts and set sail. He encountered a number of adventures along the way, including facing down harpies, dragons, and sirens. Although he was ultimately triumphant, Jason’s happiness didn’t last long. After he deserted her, his wife Medea murdered his children and he died sad and alone.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
