Priestess of Athena at Troy and wife of Antenor.
From Troy. Today: Hisarlik, near Çanakkale, Turkey.
Strength 2/10 · Wisdom 7/10 · Courage 5/10 · Divinity 1/10 · Fame 2/10
Family
- Partners: Antenor
Appears in
Ancient sources
- Homer, Iliad
Author: mythadmin
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Theano
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Oedipus
King of Thebes who solved the Sphinx‘s riddle, then discovered he had killed his father and married his mother.
From Thebes. Today: Thiva, Greece.
Strength 5/10 · Wisdom 9/10 · Courage 7/10 · Divinity 1/10 · Fame 10/10The story
A prophecy said Laius‘s son would kill him and marry his mother, so the baby was left on a mountainside with his ankles pinned. Raised in Corinth, he fled when he heard the prophecy himself, killed a stranger at a crossroads and went on to free Thebes from the Sphinx, winning its widowed queen.
How it ends
When the truth came out, Jocasta died and Oedipus blinded himself. He wandered as an exile, guided by his daughter Antigone, and died at Colonus near Athens.
Still with us today
Sigmund Freud named the “Oedipus complex” after him. Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King is often called the greatest Greek tragedy.
Family
Appears in
Read about them in the Library
- Library of Apollodorus 10: Europa, Minos and Thebes
- Library of Apollodorus 11: The Seven against Thebes, and Alcmaeon
Ancient sources
- Sophocles (tragedies)
- Homer, Odyssey
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Odysseus
Odysseus of many wiles
King of Ithaca and the cleverest of the Greeks. The Wooden Horse was his idea. His ten-year journey home is told in Homer’s Odyssey.
Roman name: Ulysses
From Ithaca. Today: Ithaki, Greece. Some scholars think Homer’s Ithaca was nearby Kefalonia.
Strength 6/10 · Wisdom 10/10 · Courage 8/10 · Divinity 1/10 · Fame 10/10The story
King of the small island of Ithaca, famous for brains rather than size. He tried to avoid the war by pretending to be mad, but was found out. At Troy he was the Greeks’ best speaker, spy and schemer, and the Wooden Horse was his plan.
How it ends
It took him ten years to get home. He arrived alone, disguised as a beggar, and won back his house from the suitors.
Still with us today
An “odyssey” means any long, eventful journey. The Romans called him Ulysses, the title of James Joyce’s famous novel.
Family
- Parents: Laertes, Anticlea
- Partners: Penelope
- Children: Telemachus
Appears in
Read about them in the Library
- Iliad 2: The dream and the ships
- Iliad 3: The duel for Helen
- Iliad 4: The truce is broken
- Iliad 9: The embassy to Achilles
- Iliad 10: The night raid
- Iliad 11: The Greek leaders wounded
- Iliad 23: The funeral games
- Odyssey 1: A house full of suitors
- Odyssey 2: The assembly
- Odyssey 3: Nestor at Pylos
- Odyssey 4: Menelaus and Helen
- Odyssey 5: Calypso's island
- and 26 more parts of the Library
Ancient sources
- Homer, Iliad
- Homer, Odyssey
Odysseus is a playable card in MythoTroy, the Trojan War card game.
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Medusa
The only mortal Gorgon, whose gaze turned people to stone. Perseus cut off her head while looking at her reflection, and Pegasus sprang from her neck.
Strength 5/10 · Wisdom 4/10 · Courage 6/10 · Divinity 4/10 · Fame 10/10
The story
Once a beautiful woman, in Ovid’s version she was turned into a monster by Athena, her hair becoming snakes. Her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were immortal; Medusa alone could die. Perseus approached her while she slept, looking only at her reflection in his polished shield.
How it ends
Perseus cut off her head and used it as a weapon, turning his enemies to stone, before giving it to Athena, who set it on her aegis.
Still with us today
Her snake-haired face was carved on temples and shields to ward off evil, and appears today on the Versace logo.
Family
- Children: Pegasus
Appears in
Read about them in the Library
- Theogony and Works and Days 3: Children of Night and the Sea
- Library of Apollodorus 7: Perseus, and the birth of Heracles
- Metamorphoses 4: Pyramus and Thisbe, and Perseus
- Metamorphoses 5: Perseus's wedding, and the song of the Muses
Ancient sources
- Hesiod, Theogony
- Ovid, Metamorphoses
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Heracles
The greatest of Greek heroes, famed for his strength and his twelve labours. After a painful death he rose to Olympus as a god.
Roman name: Hercules
From Thebes. Today: Thiva, Greece.
Strength 10/10 · Wisdom 6/10 · Courage 10/10 · Divinity 6/10 · Fame 10/10The story
Son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, he was hated by Hera from birth: as a baby he strangled two snakes she sent into his cradle. Driven mad by Hera, he killed his own family, and as penance served King Eurystheus, who set him the twelve labours, from the Nemean Lion to Cerberus.
How it ends
Poisoned by a robe soaked in the Hydra‘s venom, given to him unknowingly by his wife Deianira, he built his own funeral pyre. His mortal part burned away and he rose to Olympus as a god, where he married Hebe.
Still with us today
A “Herculean” task is one that needs huge effort. The Romans called him Hercules, and he gives his name to a constellation.
Family
- Parents: Zeus, Alcmene
- Partners: Megara, Deianira, Hebe
- Siblings: Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes, Dionysus, Persephone, Hebe, The Muses, Calliope, Perseus, Minos, Polydeuces
Appears in
Heracles, Jason and the Argonauts
Read about them in the Library
- Iliad 5: Diomedes against the gods
- Theogony and Works and Days 6: The wives and children of Zeus
- Homeric Hymns 5: The shorter hymns
- Library of Apollodorus 2: Children of the gods, the Giants and Typhon
- Library of Apollodorus 3: Prometheus, the flood and the first peoples
- Library of Apollodorus 7: Perseus, and the birth of Heracles
- Library of Apollodorus 8: The labours and death of Heracles
- Library of Apollodorus 9: The sons of Heracles return
- Argonautica 1: The voyage begins
- Aeneid 8: The site of Rome
- Metamorphoses 9: Hercules and other tales
Ancient sources
- Apollodorus, The Library
- Sophocles (tragedies)
- Euripides (tragedies)
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Helen
lovely-haired Helen
Daughter of Zeus and wife of Menelaus, said to be the most beautiful woman in the world. The English playwright Christopher Marlowe called her “the face that launched a thousand ships”.
From Sparta. Today: Sparti, Greece.
Strength 2/10 · Wisdom 7/10 · Courage 5/10 · Divinity 5/10 · Fame 10/10The story
Daughter of Zeus and Leda, and the most beautiful woman in the world. So many princes wanted to marry her that her father made them all swear to defend the winner. In the Iliad she watches the battle from the walls of Troy and names the Greek heroes for Priam.
How it ends
After Troy fell, Menelaus took her back to Sparta, where Odysseus‘s son Telemachus later finds them living together peacefully.
Still with us today
A “millihelen” is a joke unit of beauty: enough to launch exactly one ship.
Family
- Parents: Zeus, Leda
- Partners: Menelaus, Paris, Deiphobus
- Siblings: Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes, Dionysus, Persephone, Hebe, The Muses, Calliope, Heracles, Perseus, Minos
Appears in
Read about them in the Library
- Iliad 3: The duel for Helen
- Iliad 6: Hector and Andromache
- Iliad 7: Hector and Ajax
- Iliad 24: Priam and Achilles
- Odyssey 4: Menelaus and Helen
- Odyssey 15: Telemachus comes home
- Library of Apollodorus 13: Sparta, Troy and the children of Atlas
- Library of Apollodorus 17: Epitome: the Trojan War
Ancient sources
- Homer, Iliad
- Homer, Odyssey
Helen is a playable card in MythoTroy, the Trojan War card game.
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Hector
Hector of the shining helmet, breaker of horses
Eldest son of King Priam and Troy‘s greatest warrior. Achilles killed him to avenge Patroclus and dragged his body behind his chariot.
From Troy. Today: Hisarlik, near Çanakkale, Turkey.
Strength 9/10 · Wisdom 8/10 · Courage 10/10 · Divinity 2/10 · Fame 10/10The story
Eldest son of Priam and Troy‘s greatest defender. Unlike Achilles, he fights for his family and city rather than glory. His farewell to Andromache and their baby son, who is frightened by the plume on his helmet, is one of the most tender scenes in all literature.
How it ends
He faced Achilles alone outside the walls, ran three times around the city, and was killed. The Iliad ends with his funeral.
Still with us today
Oddly, “to hector” now means to bully, thanks to 17th-century London gangs who called themselves “Hectors”.
Family
- Parents: Priam, Hecuba
- Partners: Andromache
- Children: Astyanax
- Siblings: Paris, Cassandra, Creusa, Helenus, Deiphobus, Troilus, Cebriones
Appears in
Read about them in the Library
- Iliad 2: The dream and the ships
- Iliad 3: The duel for Helen
- Iliad 6: Hector and Andromache
- Iliad 7: Hector and Ajax
- Iliad 8: The tide turns
- Iliad 9: The embassy to Achilles
- Iliad 10: The night raid
- Iliad 12: The battle at the wall
- Iliad 13: Fighting at the ships
- Iliad 14: Hera deceives Zeus
- Iliad 15: The Trojans reach the ships
- Iliad 16: The death of Patroclus
- and 9 more parts of the Library
Ancient sources
- Homer, Iliad
Hector is a playable card in MythoTroy, the Trojan War card game.
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Athena
grey-eyed Athena
Goddess of wisdom, crafts and war, born fully armed from Zeus‘s head. Patron of Athens and protector of heroes like Odysseus, Perseus and Heracles.
Roman name: Minerva
From Mount Olympus. Today: Mount Olympus, Greece.
Strength 8/10 · Wisdom 10/10 · Courage 9/10 · Divinity 10/10 · Fame 10/10The story
Goddess of wisdom, crafts and war. Born from Zeus‘s head, she was his favourite child. Angry at losing the Judgement of Paris, she fought for the Greeks and helped them build the Wooden Horse.
How it ends
She later turned on the Greeks after one of them, the lesser Ajax, dragged Cassandra from her temple, and sent storms against their fleet.
Still with us today
Her owl appears on Greece’s one-euro coin, copied from the coins of ancient Athens.
Family
- Parents: Zeus, Metis
- Siblings: Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes, Dionysus, Persephone, Hebe, The Muses, Calliope, Heracles, Perseus, Minos, Polydeuces
Appears in
The Olympians, The Trojan War, The Odyssey, Perseus, Heracles
Read about them in the Library
- Iliad 1: The quarrel
- Iliad 2: The dream and the ships
- Iliad 4: The truce is broken
- Iliad 5: Diomedes against the gods
- Iliad 6: Hector and Andromache
- Iliad 8: The tide turns
- Iliad 10: The night raid
- Iliad 18: The shield of Achilles
- Iliad 19: Achilles and Agamemnon reconciled
- Iliad 21: The battle at the river
- Iliad 22: The death of Hector
- Iliad 23: The funeral games
- and 26 more parts of the Library
Ancient sources
- Hesiod, Theogony
- Homer, Iliad
- Homer, Odyssey
Athena is a playable card in MythoTroy, the Trojan War card game.
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Apollo
Apollo, lord of the silver bow
God of music, prophecy, healing and plague, whose oracle at Delphi was the most famous in Greece. He sided with Troy.
From Delos. Today: Delos, Greece (now uninhabited).
Strength 8/10 · Wisdom 9/10 · Courage 8/10 · Divinity 10/10 · Fame 10/10The story
God of the sun, music, healing, plague and prophecy. At the start of the Iliad the Greeks insult his priest Chryses, so Apollo fires plague arrows into their camp for nine days.
How it ends
He protected Troy to the end, guiding the arrow that killed Achilles.
Still with us today
NASA named its Moon missions after him. Apollo 11 landed the first people on the Moon in 1969.
Family
- Parents: Zeus, Leto
- Children: Asclepius
- Siblings: Athena, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes, Dionysus, Persephone, Hebe, The Muses, Calliope, Heracles, Perseus, Minos, Polydeuces
Appears in
Read about them in the Library
- Iliad 1: The quarrel
- Iliad 5: Diomedes against the gods
- Iliad 7: Hector and Ajax
- Iliad 15: The Trojans reach the ships
- Iliad 16: The death of Patroclus
- Iliad 20: The gods go to war
- Iliad 21: The battle at the river
- Iliad 24: Priam and Achilles
- Theogony and Works and Days 6: The wives and children of Zeus
- Homeric Hymns 2: Hymn to Apollo
- Homeric Hymns 3: Hymn to Hermes
- Library of Apollodorus 2: Children of the gods, the Giants and Typhon
- and 9 more parts of the Library
Ancient sources
- Homer, Iliad
- The Homeric Hymns
Apollo is a playable card in MythoTroy, the Trojan War card game.
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Aphrodite
laughter-loving Aphrodite
Goddess of love and beauty. Homer makes her a daughter of Zeus; Hesiod says she rose from the sea foam. She won the golden apple by promising Paris the most beautiful woman alive.
Roman name: Venus
From Mount Olympus. Today: Mount Olympus, Greece.
Strength 5/10 · Wisdom 7/10 · Courage 6/10 · Divinity 10/10 · Fame 10/10The story
Goddess of love and beauty. She bribed Paris with the promise of Helen to win the golden apple, and protected him and Troy afterwards. In book 5, while rescuing her son Aeneas, she is wounded on the wrist by Diomedes and flees to Olympus in tears.
How it ends
She saved Aeneas from the fall of Troy, and through him became the ancestor of Rome.
Still with us today
The Romans called her Venus. The famous Venus de Milo, found on the island of Milos in 1820, is a statue of her.
Family
- Parents: Zeus
- Partners: Hephaestus, Ares, Anchises
- Children: Harmonia, Aeneas
- Siblings: Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus, Persephone, Hebe, The Muses, Calliope, Heracles, Perseus, Minos, Polydeuces
Appears in
Read about them in the Library
- Iliad 3: The duel for Helen
- Iliad 5: Diomedes against the gods
- Iliad 14: Hera deceives Zeus
- Iliad 21: The battle at the river
- Odyssey 8: Games and songs
- Theogony and Works and Days 2: The first gods
- Theogony and Works and Days 6: The wives and children of Zeus
- Homeric Hymns 4: Hymn to Aphrodite
- Homeric Hymns 5: The shorter hymns
- Library of Apollodorus 12: Arcadia, Callisto and Atalanta
- Argonautica 3: Medea
- Aeneid 1: Storm and Carthage
- and 10 more parts of the Library
Ancient sources
- Hesiod, Theogony
- Homer, Iliad
Aphrodite is a playable card in MythoTroy, the Trojan War card game.