Heroes

by Stephen Fry

  CAUCASIAN EAGLE Sent by Zeus to tear out Prometheus’s liver. Slain by Heracles.

  CERBERUS Tricephalic canine guardian of the gates of hell. Borrowed by Heracles. Charmed by Orpheus.

  CHIMERA Fire-breathing snaky-tailed lion–goat hybrid. Slain by Bellerophon.

  COLCHIAN DRAGON Sleepless guardian of the Golden Fleece. Mesmerized by Medea.

  CROMMYONIAN SOW Also known as Phaea. Said by some to be the mother of the Calydonian Boar. Slain and eaten by Theseus.

  LADON Hundred-headed draconian guardian of the Apples of the Hesperides. Slain by Heracles.fn3

  LERNAEAN HYDRA Polycephalic self-regenerative venomous-blooded serpentine guardian of the gates of hell. Slain by Heracles with the assistance of Iolaus. Blood involved in the deaths of the GIANTS and of Eurytion, Geryon, Nessus, Pholus and Heracles.

  NEMEAN LION Slain, skinned and worn by Heracles.

  ORTHRUS Bicephalic canine guardian of Geryon’s cattle. Slain by Heracles.

  SCYLLA Six-headed sea monster. Believed by some to have been the daughter of Charybdis or Hecate. In later traditions, member of a tragically romantic love triangle with Circe and the sea god Glaucus. Generally inseparable in myth from Charybdis. Avoided by Jason.fn4

  SPHINX Woman’s-headed lion-bodied bird-winged monster with limited sense of humour. Sent by Hera to punish Thebes in fulfilment of Pelops’s curse on Laius and his line. Fatally outsmarted by Oedipus.

  OTHER MONSTERS AND CREATURES

  ANTAEUS North African half-giant and wrestling aficionado. Son of Gaia and Poseidon. Half-brother of Gaia’s and Poseidon’s respective progenies Slain by Heracles.

  CALYDONIAN BOAR Giant baby-eating bane of Aetolia. Said by some to be offspring of the Crommyonian Sow. Sent by Artemis to punish the family of Oeneus for neglecting her worship in favour of Dionysus. Hunted by heroes including Admetus, Asclepius, the Dioscuri, Jason, Nestor, Peleus, Pirithous, Telamon, Theseus and the Thestiades. Slayer of Alcon, Enaesimus, Hippasus, Hyleus and Pelagon. Slain by Atalanta and Meleager.

  CERYNEIAN HIND Golden-horned, brass-footed deer. Sacred to Artemis. Briefly captured by Heracles.

  CETUS Sea dragon. Sent by Poseidon to punish Ethiopia and devour Andromeda. Slain by Perseus.

  CHRYSAOR Golden youth. Offspring of Medusa (by Poseidon). Brother of Pegasus; half-brother of the rest of Poseidon’s progeny. Father (by the Oceanid Callirrhoë) of Geryon.

  CRETAN BULL Also known as the Marathonian Bull, or the Bull from the Sea. Creature of Poseidon sent in answer to the prayers of Minos II. Father (by Pasiphae) of the Minotaur. Tamed by Heracles, brought to mainland Greece and released. Tamed and sacrificed by Theseus. Athenian tribute to the Minotaur compensation for Aegeus’s role in the bull’s slaying of (his half-uncle) Androgeus.

  ERYMANTHIAN BOAR Giant suidian terror of Arcadia. Popular with pot painters. Captured by Heracles.

  EURYTION Giant son of Ares. Herdsman of Geryon. Slain by Heracles.

  EURYTION Thessalian centaur. His drunken overtures to Pirithous’s wife at their wedding responsible for the Centauromachy.

  GERYON Three-bodied vicious-tempered cattle-breeder of Erytheia. Son of Chrysaor and the Oceanid Callirrhoë. Master of Eurytion and Orthrus. Slain by Heracles.

  GOLDEN RAM Bearer of the Golden Fleece. Offspring of Poseidon and Theophane. Half-brother of Poseidon’s other progeny, including Pelias. Sent by Nephele to rescue Phrixus and Helle from Ino’s murderous plot. Bears Phrixus to Colchis. Sacrificed by Phrixus to Zeus, who catasterizes him as Aries. His Golden Fleece sacred to Hera, but presented to Aeëtes. Stolen and returned to Greece by Jason and Medea with the assistance of the Argonauts Acastus, Ancaeus, Argus, Augeas, Butes, Calais and Zetes, the Dioscuri, Euphemus, Euryton, Heracles, Hylas, Idmon, Meleager, Nestor, Orpheus, Peleus, Philoctetes, the Phrixides, Pirithous, Polyphemus, Telamon and Tiphys.

  KHALKOTAUROI Two fire-breathing bronze-hoofed bulls. Created by Hephaestus. Kept by Aeëtes. Tamed and yoked by Jason.

  MARES OF DIOMEDES Dinos, Lampon, Podargos and Xanthus. Insane anthropophagous fire-breathing equines. Devour Abderus. Fed their owner Diomedes by Heracles, who tames them. Ancestors of Bucephalus.

  MEDUSA Gorgon. Daughter of Poseidon. Possessor of snaky hair and petrifying stare. Slain by Perseus. Progenitor of Chrysaor and Pegasus. Posthumous petrifier of Cetus, Phineus and Polydectes. Head transformed into the Aegis of Athena.

  MINOTAUR True name Asterion. Takes after both his parents: the Cretan Bull and Pasiphae. Half-brother of Androgeus, Ariadne, Deucalion and Phaedra. Imprisoned in the labyrinth of Daedalus. Recipient of the Athenian tribute demanded by his stepfather Minos II for the slaying of his half-brother Androgeus by his father the Cretan Bull. Unsurprising identity issues resolved (terminally) by Theseus.

  NESSUS Arcadian centaur. Survivor of the massacre by Heracles at Pholus’s cave. Later killed by Heracles when he molests Deianira. Posthumously obtains his revenge thanks to his shirt.

  PEGASUS Winged white horse. Offspring of Medusa (by Poseidon). Brother of Chrysaor; half-brother of the rest of Poseidon’s progeny, including Bellerophon. Aids Bellerophon in slaying the Chimera and in subduing the Amazons, the Solymi and Cheimarrhus. Healed by Chiron of his Chimera burns. Tries (and fails) to carry Bellerophon up to Olympus. Catasterized.

  PHAEA Terrorizer of travellers on the Isthmus. Alter ego, or keeper, of the Crommyonian Sow.

  PHOLUS Arcadian centaur. Friend and host of Heracles. Accidentally poisoned with Lernaean Hydra blood.

  SIRENS Birdwomen whose enchanting song lures sailors to their doom. Daughters of Achelous and the Muse Melpomene. Cousins of Hymen, Linus and Orpheus. Out-sung by Orpheus to give the Argonauts safe passage.

  TALOS Giant bronze automaton. Created by Daedalus or Hephaestus, or the offspring of the Meliae nymphs. Guardian of Crete. Encountered by the Argonauts. Mesmerized by Medea. Destroyed by Pirithous.

  MORTALS

  MEN

  ABDERUS Son of Hermes. Page and lover of Heracles. Devoured by the Mares of Diomedes. City of Abdera founded by Heracles in his honour.

  ABSYRTUS Son of Aeëtes and Idyia. Brother of Chalciope and Medea. Dismembered by Medea to delay Aeëtes pursuit of the Argonauts.

  ACAMAS AND DEMOPHON Sons of Theseus and Phaedra. Rescuers of Aethra during the fall of Troy.

  ACASTUS Son of Pelias. Brother of the Peliades. Possibly one of the Argonauts. Holds magnificent funeral games to honour Pelias. Succeeds to the throne of Iolcos after turning its people against Jason and Medea. Tricked by his wife Astydameia into trying to murder Peleus. Overthrown by Jason (at Peleus’s instigation).

  ACRISIUS King of Argos. Brother of Proetus. Father of Danaë. Distant cousin of Aegyptus, Cepheus and Phineus. Accidentally slain by his grandson Perseus.

  ADMETUS King of Pherae. Son of Pheres. Famed for his hospitality and kindness to strangers. Master and lover of Apollo. Husband of Alcestis. Their wedding night spoiled by Artemis’s snakes in their bed. Accepts Alcestis’s offer to die on his behalf and fulfil Apollo’s scheme to make him immortal, until Heracles brings her back from death. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar.

  AEACUS King of Aegina. Son of Zeus and Aegina. Half-brother of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Husband of Chiron’s daughter. Father of Peleus and Telamon. With his half-brothers Minos I and Rhadamanthus, one of the three Judges of the Underworld. Charmed by the music of Orpheus.

  AEËTES King of Colchis. Son of Helios and the Oceanid Perseis. Brother of Circe and Pasiphae. Husband of (his aunt) the Oceanid Idyia. Father of Absyrtus, Chalciope and Medea. Distrustful grandfather of the Phrixides. Custodian of the Golden Fleece. Owner of the Colchian Dragon and the Khalkotauroi. Sets Jason tasks to fulfil in order to acquire it.

  AEGYPTUS Grandson of Libya and Poseidon. Brother of Cepheus and Phineus. Father of Busiris.

  AEGEUS King of Athens. Husband of Medea. Father (by Aethra) of Theseus, and (by Medea) of Medus. Uncle of the Pallantidae. Employs the Cretan Bull to rid him of Androgeus. Tries the same with These
us, then Medea’s poison, before recognizing his son. Sends Theseus as part of the tribute demanded by Minos II for his role in the death of Androgeus. Fatal victim of filial forgetfulness. Site of his death named ‘Aegean Sea’ after him.

  AESON Rightful king of Iolcos. Son of Cretheus and Tyro. Brother of Pheres; half-brother of Neleus and Pelias. Husband of Alcimede. Father of Jason and Promachus. Deposed and imprisoned (with Alcimede) by Pelias. Entrusts Jason to Chiron. Either murdered by Pelias, or driven to murder-suicide with Alcimede and Promachus by Pelias, while Jason absent on the quest for the Golden Fleece.

  ALCINOUS King of the Phaeacians. Husband (and uncle) of Arete. Kind-hearted and protective host of Jason, Medea and the Argonauts.

  ALCON Spartan prince. Son of Ares and Hippocöon of Amykles. Slain (messily) by the Calydonian Boar.

  AMPHION AND ZETHUS Usurper kings of Thebes. Twin sons of Zeus and Antiope (sister-in-law of Polydorus). Half-brothers of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Assist Cadmus in constructing the walls and citadel of Thebes. Overthrow their kinsman Labdacus and rule in his place.

  AMPHITRYON Grandson of Perseus and Andromeda. Husband of Alcmene. Exiled to Thebes for killing his uncle/father-in-law Electryon. Father of Iphicles and Laonome.

  ANCAEUS King of Samos. Son of Lycurgus of Arcadia. Brother of Iasus. Possible uncle of Atalanta. Joins the Argonaut. Succeeds Tiphys as helmsman of the Argo. Navigates the Wandering Rocks.

  ANDROGEUS Cretan prince. Son of Minos II and Pasiphae. Brother of Ariadne, Deucalion and Phaedra. Half-brother of the Minotaur. While guest of Aegeus, slain by (his half-uncle) the Cretan Bull. Athenian tribute to the Minotaur compensation for his death.

  ANTIMEDES Trusted servant and facilitator of Laius. At his command exposes the infant Oedipus. Later discloses to Oedipus vital clues as to his true identity.

  ARGUS Prince of Argos and shipwright. Joins the Argonauts. Aided by Athena in constructing the Argo (named in his honour).

  ASCLEPIUS Master of healing. Son of Apollo and Coronis. Half-brother of Apollo’s other progeny. Kinsman of Caenis and Polyphemus. Raised by Chiron. Temporarily slain by Zeus for his hubris in resurrecting the dead. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar. Later immortalized. Catasterized as Ophiuchus.

  ATHAMAS King of Boeotia. Grandson of Hellen. Brother of Cretheus, Salmoneus and Sisyphus. Husband of Nephele, Ino and Themisto. Father of Phrixus and Helle (by Nephele); of Learchus and Melicertes (by Ino); and of Schoeneus (by Themisto). Tricked by Ino into attempting to sacrifice Phrixus and Helle. Kills Learchus and drives Ino and Melicertes to suicide.

  ATREUS Son of Pelops and Hippodamia. Brother of Nicippe, Pittheus and Thyestes; half-brother (and, some think, murderer) of Chrysippus. Installed as King of Mycenae by Hyllus and the Heraclides. Father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Scion and forebear of much-cursed houses.

  AUGEAS King of Elis. Son of Helios. Father of Phyleus. Uncle of Eurytus and Cteatus. Kinsman of Tiphys. Possessor of immortal cattle and filthy stables. Tricks Heracles; later slain by him in revenge. One of the Argonauts.

  AUTOLYCUS Light-fingered son of Hermes. Father of Eumolus (musical supply teacher of Heracles). Grandfather of Odysseus.

  BELLEROPHON ‘The slayer of monsters’. Son of Eurynome and either Glaucus of Corinth or Poseidon. (Half-)brother of Deliades, whom he fatally mistakes for a boar. Possible half-brother of Poseidon’s other progeny, including Pegasus, whom he tames with Athena’s golden bridle. Cousin of Jason. Briefly betrothed to Aethra. Fitted up by Proetus and Stheneboea. Slayer of the Chimera. Subduer of the Amazons, Solymi and Cheimarrhus. Repelled from Xanthus by its womenfolk’s buttocks. Settles differences with Iobates, receiving the hand of Philonoë and the succession to his kingdom. Crippled by Zeus for his hubris in trying to enter Olympus.

  BUSIRIS King of Egypt. Son of Aegyptus. Cousin of Heracles. Enthusiastic practitioner of human sacrifice. Slain by Heracles and his capital renamed Thebes.

  BUTES Sicilian king and expert apiarist. One of the Argonauts. Goes overboard in his admiration for the Sirens. Rescued by Aphrodite, who becomes his lover. Father (by Aphrodite) of Eryx.

  CADMUS Often known as ‘the First Hero’. Founder king of Thebes. Grandson of Poseidon and Libya and of Nilus and Nephele. Brother of Europa. Husband of Harmonia. Father of Agave, Autonoë, Ino, Polydorus and Semele. Forebear of a much-cursed house.

  CAENEUS Lapith hero. Formerly Caenis, until granted gender reassignment (and invulnerable skin) by Poseidon. Buried alive by centaurs at Pirithous’s wedding.

  CALAIS AND ZETES Also known as the Boreads. Quasi-immortal flying sons of Boreas (the North Wind) and Orithyia, daughter of Erechtheus. Brothers-in-law of Phineus of Salmydessus. Join the Argonauts. Free Phineus from the Harpies. Slain by Heracles in revenge for abandoning him during the quest for the Golden Fleece.

  CECROPS Founder king of Attica. Responsible for giving Athens its name and its divine protector, Athena.

  CEPHEUS King of Ethiopia. Grandson of Libya and Poseidon. Brother of Aegyptus and Phineus. Husband of Cassiopeia. Father of Andromeda.

  CERCYON Big-boned King of Eleusis and wrestling aficionado. Son of Hephaestus or Poseidon. As such, half-brother possibly of Periphetes or of Poseidon’s other progeny, including Procrustes, Sciron and Sinis. Slain by (his half-brother?) Theseus and his kingdom wrested from him; later returned to his son Hippothoön.

  CEYX King of Trachis. Husband of Alcyone. Father of Hylas. Friend and host of Heracles.

  CHEIMARRHUS Fearsome Lycian pirate. Subdued by Bellerophon. Thought by Euhemerists to be the Chimera.

  CHRYSIPPUS Illegitimate son of Pelops. Half-brother of Atreus, Nicippe, Pittheus and Thyestes. Groomed by Laius; then kills himself from shame (or, as some think, is murdered by Atreus and Thyestes). Pelops curses Laius and his line in revenge for his death.

  COCALUS King of Kamikos in Sicily. Patron and protector of Daedalus. Daughters responsible for unfortunate bath-time incident involving Minos II.

  CREON King of Corinth. Probably a descendant of Sisyphus. Father of Creusa. Provides sanctuary to Jason and Medea. Arranges marriage between Jason and Creusa. Agonizingly poisoned by Medea.

  CREON Ruler of Thebes. Grandson of Pentheus. Brother of Jocasta; brother-in-law of Laius and Oedipus. Husband of Eurydice. Father of Haemon. Scion of a much-cursed house. Father of Megara; father-in-law of Heracles. Provides sanctuary to Amphitryon and Alcmene. Regent following Laius’s death; resigns in favour of Oedipus. Resumes regency after Oedipus vacates the throne. Becomes king in own right after deaths of Eteocles and Polynices. Sentences Antigone to death for defying his laws. Eurydice and Haemon commit suicide in protest at his actions.

  CRETHEUS King of Iolcos. Grandson of Hellen. Brother of Athamas, Salmoneus and Sisyphus. Husband of Tyro and Sidero. Father (by Tyro) of Aeson and Pheres.

  CYZICUS King of the Dolionians. Husband of Clite. Accidentally slain by Jason in night-time battle with the Argonauts.

  DAEDALUS Inventor, artificer and architect of genius. Descendant of Cecrops. Uncle, master and murderer of Perdix. Takes refuge in Crete, where employed by Minos II. Facilitator of the coupling between Pasiphae and the Cretan Bull. Creator of the labyrinth of Knossos and (some believe) Talos. Originator of manned flight. Takes refuge in Sicily, where employed by Cocalus. His bathroom designs to die for.

  DELIADES Also known as Alcimedes or Peiren. Son of Glaucus of Corinth and Eurynome. (Half-brother) of Bellerophon; mistaken by him for a boar and accidentally slain.

  DEUCALION King of Crete. Son of Minos II and Pasiphae. Brother of Androgeus, Ariadne and Phaedra. Half-brother of the Minotaur. Forwards marriage of Ariadne and Theseus.

  DICTYS Fisherman. Brother of Polydectes. Husband of Danaë. Foster father of Perseus.

  DIOMEDES King of Thrace. Son of Ares. Fed to his own Mares by Heracles.

  DIOSCURI The twin ‘boys of Zeus’: Castor (son of Leda and Tyndareus) and Polydeuces or Pollux (son of Leda and Zeus). Brothers of Clytemnestra and Helen. Half-brothers of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Cou
sins of Deianira and Meleager. Heracles’ combat training conducted by Castor. Join the Argonauts; Polydeuces their champion boxer. Hunters of the Calydonian Boar. Rescue Helen from the unwanted attentions of Pirithous and Theseus; provide her with Aethra as companion. Jointly catasterized as Gemini.

  ERYX Sicilian king and boxing champion. Son of Butes and Aphrodite. Knocked dead by Heracles.

  ETEOCLES Joint king of Thebes. Son of Oedipus and Jocasta. Brother of Antigone, Ismene and Polynices. Scion of a much-cursed house. Incapable of ruling in tandem with Polynices. Kill each other in battle.

  EUPHEMUS Son of Poseidon. Grandson of the GIANT Tityus. Able to walk on water. Joins the Argonauts. Becomes relief helmsman after the death of Tiphys.

  EURYSTHEUS King of Argolis. Son of Sthenelus and Nicippe. Cousin of Heracles. Commands him to perform Labours to expiate his murder of Megara. Slain by Hyllus.

  EURYTON King of Phthia. One of the Argonauts. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar. Accidentally slain by his son-in-law Peleus, who coincidentally inherits his kingdom.

  EURYTUS King of Oechalia. Grandson of Apollo. Father of Iole and Iphitus. Archery tutor of Heracles. Refuses to let Heracles marry Iole. Refuses his offer of expiation for slaying Iphitus and stealing cattle. Eventually slain by Heracles in revenge for these slights.

  EURYTUS AND CTEATUS Also known as the Molionides. Conjoined twins. Sons of Poseidon and Molione. Half-brothers of Poseidon’s other progeny. Nephews of Augeas. Slayers of Iphicles. Split in two by Heracles.

  GANYMEDE Cupbearer and beloved of Zeus. Son of Tros. Brother of Ilos. Uncle of Laomedon. Abducted by Zeus. Immortalized. Catasterized as Aquarius.

  GLAUCUS King of Corinth. Son of Sisyphus and the Pleiad Merope. Husband of Eurynome. Possible father of Bellerophon. After being eaten by his own chariot horses returned as a ghost known as ‘the Horse-Scarer’.

  HERACLES ‘Hera’s glory’. Named Alcides at birth. Son of Zeus and Alcmene. Zeus’s favourite human son. Half-twin of Iphicles. Half-brother of Laonome and of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Cousin of Busiris, Eurystheus and Theseus. Brother-in-law of Polyphemus. Persecuted by Hera; later her son in law. Favoured by Apollo, Athena, Hephaestus, Hermes and Poseidon. Married to Megara (whom he kills), Deianira (who kills him), and his half-sister Hebe (with whom he spends half eternity). Father of numberless Heraclides, including Hyllus (by Deianira). Lover of Abderus, Hippolyta, Hylas, Iolaus and Omphale. Infant herpetocide. Performs Labours for Eurystheus to expiate his murder of Megara. Joins the Argonauts. Abandoned by them when searching for Hylas. Wrestles Thanatos for the soul of Alcestis. Liberator of Prometheus. Temporary supporter of the heavens. Rescuer of Theseus from the underworld. Threatens the Pythia with violence. Serves Omphale to expiate his murder of Iphitus, learning the joys of cross-dressing. Founder of the Olympic Games. Victor of the Gigantomachy. Wins Horn of Plenty from Achelous. Bane of Amazons, centaurs, Gegeneis, GIANTS, the OFFSPRING OF TYPHON AND ECHIDNA, Antaeus, the Cithaeronian Lion, Eurytion and Geryon, and the Trojan Sea Monster. Tamer of Cerberus, the Ceryneian Hind, the Cretan Bull, the Erymanthian Boar and the Mares of Diomedes. Sacker of Troy. Slayer of Augeas, Busiris, Calais and Zetes, Diomedes, Eurytus, Eurytus and Cteatus, Eryx, Hippocoön, Hippolyta, Iphitus, Laomedon, Linus and Neleus. Fatally wounded by Nessus’s shirt soaked in Lernaean Hydra blood. Immolated by Philoctetes. Immortalized and catasterized by Zeus.