Heroes

by Stephen Fry

  HIPPOCOÖN King of Sparta. Brother of Tyndareus, whom he ousted from the throne. Slain by Heracles for aiding Neleus against him.

  HIPPOLYTUS Son of Theseus and Antiope. Half-brother of Acamas and Demophon. Grandson of Poseidon. Punished by Aphrodite for his devotion to Artemis, by having his stepmother Phaedra driven mad by desire for him. Killed by the bull sent by Poseidon in answer to Theseus’s curse.

  HIPPOMENES Megaran prince. Son of Megareus, grandson of Poseidon. Aided by Aphrodite to outsmart Atalanta and win her hand. Father (by Atalanta) of Parthenopaeus. With Atalanta, punished by Aphrodite for ingratitude, then transformed into a lion by Cybele for involuntarily profaning her temple.

  HYLAS Son of Ceyx. Page and lover of Heracles. Joins the Argonauts. Surrenders to the attractions of water nymphs.

  HYLLUS Son of Heracles and Deianira. Witnesses deaths of his parents. Leader of the Heraclides. Slayer of Eurystheus. Installs Atreus as King of Mycenae.

  IASUS Arcadian king. Son of Lycurgus. Brother of Ancaeus. Possibly husband of Clymene and father of Atalanta, whom he exposes as an infant.

  ICARUS Son of Daedalus. Pioneer of aviation. Flies too close to the sun.

  IDMON Seer of Argos. Son of Apollo and Cyrene. Mortal brother of Aristaeus, and half-brother of Apollo’s other progeny. Joins the Argonauts, despite prophesying his own demise on their quest. Gored to death by wild boar.

  IOBATES King of Lycia. Father of Philonoë and Stheneboea. Sets Bellerophon deadly tasks. Settles differences with him by offering the hand of Philonoë and the succession to his kingdom.

  IOLAUS Son of Iphicles. Nephew, page and lover of Heracles. Devises plan to defeat the Lernaean Hydra. Witnesses the death of Heracles from Lernaean Hydra blood.

  IPHICLES Son of Amphitryon and Alcmene. Half-twin of Heracles. Brother of Laonome. Brother-in-law of Polyphemus. Father of Iolaus. Slain by Eurytus and Cteatus.

  IPHITUS Son of Eurytus. Brother of Iole. Slain by Heracles while his guest.

  IXION King of the Lapiths. Husband of Dia. Stepfather of Pirithous. Condemned to eternal torment in Tartarus for attempting to ravish Hera. Forebear (with Nephele) of the centaurs.

  JASON ‘The healer’. Rightful heir to the throne of Iolcos. Son of Aeson and Alcimede. Brother of Promachus. (Half-)nephew of Neleus and Pelias. Cousin of Bellerophon, Hellen, Phrixus and Schoeneus. Kinsman of Atalanta and the Phrixides. Father (by Medea) of Mermerus, Pheres and Thessalus. Raised by Chiron. Favoured by Athena and Hera. By Pelias set the task of recovering the Golden Fleece. Leads the Argonauts. Lover of Hypsipyle (whom he abandons). Father of Euneus and Thoas (by Hypsipyle). Slayer of Cyzicus. With the aid of Medea’s magic, tames the Khalkotauroi, defeats the Spartoi, overpowers the Colchian Dragon and take the Golden Fleece. Evades Aeëtes, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, the Wandering Rocks and Talos to return in triumph to Iolcos. Holds Pelias responsible for the deaths of Aeson, Alcimede and Promachus in his absence. Held responsible (with Medea) by the Iolcians for the death of Pelias. Takes refuge with Medea in Corinth. Planned wedding to Creusa spoiled by Medea murdering his bride, his father-in-law Glaucus, and their sons Mermerus and Pheres. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar. Reclaims throne of Iolcos from Acastus. Slain in a shipyard accident involving the Argo.

  LABDACUS King of Thebes. Son of Polydorus and Nicteis. Cousin of Dionysus and Pentheus. Father of Laius. Scion of a much-cursed house. Overthrown by his kinsmen Amphion and Zethus.

  LAIUS King of Thebes with poor impulse control. Son of Labdacus. Cousin of Creon and Jocasta. Husband of Jocasta. Father of Oedipus. Scion and forebear of a much-cursed house. After his father overthrown by Amphion and Zethus, raised in exile by Pelops. Repays that trust by grooming Chrysippus. Cursed by Pelops for role in Chrysippus’s death, causing Hera to send the Sphinx to Thebes. Reclaims throne. Exposes the infant Oedipus to avoid an oracle of the Pythia. Victim of unfortunate road rage incident.

  LAOMEDON King of Troy. Son of Ilos. Grandson of Tros. Tricks Apollo and Poseidon out of payment for building Troy’s walls; then Heracles when rescues Hesione from Poseidon’s sea monster. Later slain by Heracles in revenge.

  LICHAS Servant of Heracles. Helps him put on the shirt of Nessus. Slain by Heracles for his pains.

  LINUS Son of the Muse Calliope and Apollo (or possibly Oeagrus). Brother of Orpheus; half-brother of Apollo’s other progeny; possibly stepbrother of Marsyas. Cousin of the Sirens. Short-tempered music teacher, slain by his pupil Heracles.

  LYCOMEDES King of Skyros. Son of Apollo and Parthenope. Half-brother of Apollo’s other progeny. Host of the exiled Theseus, then slayer of him in a clifftop quarrel.

  MEDUS Son of Aegeus and Medea. Half-brother of Theseus. Accompanies his mother when she flees Athens after failing to secure the succession of the Athenian throne in his favour. Gives his name to the Medes.

  MELEAGER Son of Althaea and Oeneus (or Ares). Brother of Deianira and the other Meleagrids. Nephew of the Thestiades. Cousin of the Dioscuri. Neglectful husband of Cleopatra. Cursed with a life the duration of a flaming brand. One of the Argonauts. Smitten by Atalanta. Leads the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. Awards Atalanta the trophy for slaying the boar; then slays the Thestiades for protesting; and is slain by Althaea in revenge, fulfilling his natal prophecy. Posthumous matchmaker between Deianira and Heracles.

  MELICERTES Son of Athamas and Ino. Half-brother of Helle, Phrixus and Schoeneus. Cousin of Jason. Killed during his mother’s suicide. Transformed by his cousin Dionysus into the dolphin-riding deity Palaemon.

  MINOS I King of Crete. Son of Zeus and Europa. Half-brother of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Grandfather of Minos II. With his brother Rhadamanthus and half-brother Aeacus, one of the three Judges of the Underworld. Charmed by the music of Orpheus.

  MINOS II King of Crete. Grandson of Minos I. Husband of Pasiphae. Father of Androgeus, Ariadne, Deucalion and Phaedra. Defies Poseidon by not sacrificing the Cretan Bull. Demands Athenian tribute for the Minotaur in compensation for Aegeus’s role in the Cretan Bull’s slaying of Androgeus. Patron, then persecutor, of Daedalus; boiled alive in a bath designed by him.

  NELEUS King of Pylos. Son of Poseidon and Tyro. Brother of Pelias; half-brother of Aeson and Pheres, and of Poseidon’s other progeny. Father of twelve sons, including Nestor. (Half-)uncle of Jason. With Pelias earns Hera’s enmity for slaying their stepmother Sidero. Aids Pelias in seizing Iolcos from Aeson. Refuses to purify Heracles for the slaying of Iphitus; later slain by Heracles in revenge.

  NESTOR Youngest son of Neleus. Nephew of Pelias. Grandson of Poseidon. Inherits throne of Pylos after Heracles slays his father and eleven elder brothers. One of the wisest and longest-lived of kings. Joins the Argonauts. Advises Jason to take the long way home from Colchis. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar. Counsellor of the Greeks during the Trojan War.

  OEAGRUS King of Thrace. Thought by some to be father of Linus, Marsyas and Orpheus.

  OEDIPUS ‘The swollen footed’. King of Thebes. Son of Laius (whom unwittingly murders) and Jocasta (whom unwittingly marries). Father of Antigone, Eteocles, Ismene and Polynices. Scion and forebear of a much-cursed house. Exposed as an infant by Antimedes at the command of Laius. Rescued by Phorbas and Straton. Fostered by Polybus and Merope, who raise him as their own son. Flees Corinth thinking to escape the Pythia’s prophecy. Fatally outwits the Sphinx, earning first a hero’s welcome then a royal one in Thebes. Blinds and exiles himself after discovering his unnatural, prophesied crimes.

  OENEUS King of Calydon. Husband of Althaea. Father of Deianira and the other Meleagrids, and probably of Meleager. His neglect of Artemis in favour of Dionysus punished by the Calydonian Boar.

  OENOMAUS King of Pisa. Thought by some to be son of Ares. Husband of the Pleiad Sterope. Father of Hippodamia. Slain by Pelops in chariot race to win Hippodamia’s hand in marriage.

  ORPHEUS ‘The obscure’. Greatest of all musicians. Son of the Muse Calliope and Apollo (or possibly Oeagrus). Brother of Linus; half-brother of Apollo’s other progeny; possibly stepbroth
er of Marsyas. Husband of Eurydice. Favoured by Apollo with music lessons, a golden lyre and strings braided from the god’s golden hair. Charms denizens of the underworld with his music. Fails in quest to bring Eurydice back to life. Joins the Argonauts. Out-sings his cousins the Sirens. Torn apart by the women of Thrace. Severed head serves as an oracle on Lesbos. Finally reunited in death with Eurydice. His golden lyre catasterized.

  PALLANTIDAE The fifty sons of Pallas, brother of Aegeus. Cousins of Medus and Theseus, and rivals with them for the throne of Athens. Slain in battle by Theseus.

  PELEUS Thessalian king. Son of Aeacus and Chiron’s daughter. Brother of Telamon. Comrade of Heracles. One of the Argonauts. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar; accidentally slays his then father-in-law Euryton, whose kingdom coincidentally he inherits. Falsely accused by Acastus’s wife of dishonouring her. Reciprocates by persuading Jason to reclaim Iolcos from Acastus. Slayer of Amazons. Sacker of Troy. Father (by the Nereid Thetis) of Achilles.

  PELIAS Usurper king of Iolcos. Son of Poseidon and Tyro. Brother of Neleus; half-brother of Aeson and Pheres, and of Poseidon’s other progeny (including the golden ram). Father of Acastus and the Peliades. Uncle of Nestor; (half-)uncle of Jason. With Neleus earns Hera’s enmity for slaying their stepmother Sidero. Promises his daughter Alcestis to whomever harnesses a boar and a lion to a chariot. Seizes throne of Iolcos from Aeson. Sets Jason the task of recovering the Golden Fleece. Either murders, or drives to murder-suicide, Aeson, Alcimede and Promachus in Jason’s absence. Slain by the Peliades in unfortunate kitchen mishap instigated by Medea.

  PELOPS Son of Tantalus, King of Lydia, and Dione. Made a gods’ dinner of by his father; then resurrected by Zeus.fn5 Winner, in a chariot race, of the hand of Hippodamia and her father Oenomaus’s kingdom of Pisa. Father of Atreus, Nicippe, Pittheus and Thyestes (by Hippodamia), and Chrysippus. Fosters Laius; then curses him and his house for the death of Chrysippus, causing Hera to send the Sphinx to Thebes. Southern Greece known as his ‘island’ (Peloponnesos) because ruled by his progeny. Scion and forebear of much-cursed houses.

  PENTHEUS King of Thebes. Son of Agave and Echion (one of the founding lords of Thebesfn6). Nephew of Autonoë, Ino, Polydorus and Semele. Cousin of Dionysus and Labdacus. Grandfather of Creon and Jocasta. Scion of a much-cursed house. Torn apart by followers of Dionysus (including Agave and Autonoë) for failing to honour the god.

  PERDIX Ingenious inventor of craftsmen’s essential tools. Murdered out of jealousy by his master and uncle Daedalus. His spirit transformed into a partridge by Athena.

  PERIPHETES Also known as Corynetes. One-eyed giant. Self-proclaimed son of Hephaestus. As such, possibly half-brother of Cercyon. No relation of the Cyclopes. Robber of travellers on the Isthmus. Slain by Theseus.

  PERSEUS ‘The destroyer’. Son of Zeus and Danaë. Half-brother of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Saviour and husband of Andromeda. Father of Alcaeus, Electryon and Perses. Great-grandfather of Heracles. Slayer of Acrisius, Cetus, Medusa, Phineus and Polydectes. Founder king of Mycenae. Catasterized.

  PHERES Former King of Pherae. Son of Cretheus and Tyro. Brother of Aeson; half-brother of Neleus and Pelias. Father of Admetus. Refuses to die so that his son becomes immortal.

  PHILOCTETES Comrade of Heracles. One of the Argonauts. Immolates Heracles to end his torment from the Lernaean Hydra’s blood. Inherits his bow and Hydra-venom-tipped arrows.

  PHINEUS Blind seer and King of Salmydessus. Brother-in-law of Calais and Zetes. Tormented by the Harpies as punishment by Zeus for abusing his prophetic powers. Freed from them by Calais and Zetes. Advises the Argonauts how to navigate the Clashing Rocks.

  PHINEUS Grandson of Libya and Poseidon. Brother of Aegyptus and Cepheus. Slain by Perseus.

  PHORBAS Theban shepherd. Rescues the infant Oedipus from exposure. Passes him to Straton for safekeeping.

  PHRIXIDES Argos, Cytoros, Melos and Phrontis. Sons of Phrixus and Chalciope. Kinsmen of Jason. Flee Colchis after their grandfather Aeëtes threatens to kill them. Join forces with the Argonauts.

  PHRIXUS Son of Athamas and Nephele. Twin brother of Helle. Half-brother of Melicertes and Schoeneus. Cousin of Jason. Rescued from his stepmother Ino’s murderous plot by the golden ram. Takes sanctuary with Aeëtes, to whom he presents the Golden Fleece. Husband of Chalciope. Father of the Phrixides, who implicate Aeëtes in his death.

  PHYLEUS Son of Augeas. Exiled to Dulichium for admiring Heracles. Installed as King of Elis by Heracles after the latter slew Augeas.

  PIRITHOUS King of the Lapiths. Son of Zeus and Dia. Stepson of Ixion. Half-brother of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Cousin of the centaurs. One of the Argonauts. Destroyer of Talos. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar. Wedding to Hippodamia spoiled by centaurs. Bosom friend and bad influence on Theseus. Together, succeed in abducting Antiope and Helen; fail in abducting Persephone. Heracles unable to free from the underworld. Ultimate fate uncertain.

  PITTHEUS King of Troezen. Son of Pelops and Hippodamia. Brother of Atreus, Nicippe and Thyestes; half-brother of Chrysippus. Scion of a much-cursed house. Father of Aethra. Grandfather of Theseus, and possibly of Sciron or Sinis.

  POLYBUS King of Corinth. Childless husband of Merope. Together they foster Oedipus and raise him as if their own son. Dies of old age.

  POLYDECTES King of Seriphos. Brother of Dictys. Enamoured of Danaë. Slain by Perseus.

  POLYDORUS King of Thebes. Son of Cadmus and Harmonia. Brother of Agave, Autonöe, Ino and Semele. Uncle of Dionysus. Scion of a much-cursed house. Husband of Nycteis (aunt of Amphion and Zethus). Father of Labdacus. Grandfather of Laius.

  POLYIDUS Seer of Corinth. Reveals Bellerophon’s feelings for Pegasus.

  POLYNICES Joint king of Thebes. Son of Oedipus and Jocasta. Brother of Antigone, Eteocles and Ismene. Scion of a much-cursed house. Incapable of ruling in tandem with Eteocles. Kill each other in battle. Antigone sentenced to death for trying to bury him.

  POLYPHEMUS Son of the Lapith chieftain Elatus. Brother of Caenis. Husband of Laonome. Brother-in-law of Heracles and Iphicles. Kinsman of Asclepius. One of the Argonauts. Abandoned by them when searching for Hylas. Founds the city of Cius. Dies while trying to rejoin his former comrades.

  PRIAM King of Troy. Youngest son of Laomedon. Brother of Hesione. Spared during Heracles’ sack of Troy.

  PROCRUSTES Possibly the son of Poseidon or the father of Sinis. Possible half-brother of the rest of Poseidon’s progeny, including Cercyon and Sciron. Robber of travellers on the Isthmus. Unlicensed practitioner of extreme osteopathy. Terminally cut down to size by (his half-brother?) Theseus.

  PROETUS King of Mycenae. Brother of Acrisius. Husband of Stheneboea. Unwitting accomplice to her attempted revenge on Bellerophon.

  PROMACHUS Son of Aeson and Alcimede. Brother of Jason. Born while his parents imprisoned by Pelias. Deemed too young to join the Argonauts. 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.

  RHADAMANTHUS King of Aegean islands. Son of Zeus and Europa. Half-brother of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Second husband of Alcmene. With his brother Minos I and half-brother Aeacus, one of the three Judges of the Underworld. Charmed by the music of Orpheus.

  SALMONEUS King of Elis. Grandson of Hellen. Brother of Athamas, Cretheus and Sisyphus. Father of Tyro. Thunderstruck by Zeus for his hubris.

  SCHOENEUS Arcadian king. Son of Athamas and Themisto. Half-brother of Helle, Melicertes and Phrixus. Cousin of Jason. Probably husband of Clymene and father of Atalanta, whom he exposes as an infant, then acknowledges once she is famous.

  SCIRON Possibly the son of Poseidon, or the grandson of Pittheus. Possible half-brother of Poseidon’s other progeny, including Cercyon and Sciron. Robber of travellers on the Isthmus and psychopathic foot fetishist. Enjoys symbiotic relationship with giant anthropophagous turtle. Slain by (his half-brother? cousin?) Theseus.

  SINIS PITYOCAMPTES Possibly the son of Poseidon or Procrustes, or the
grandson of Pittheus. Possible half-brother of Poseidon’s other progeny, including Cercyon. Robber of travellers on the Isthmus. Hoist on his own bent pinewood petard by (his half-brother?) Theseus.

  SISYPHUS King of Corinth. Grandson of Hellen. Brother of Athamas, Cretheus and Salmoneus. Husband of the Pleiad Merope. Father of Glaucus of Corinth; grandfather of Bellerophon. Probably a forebear of Creon of Corinth. Condemned to eternal torment in Tartarus.

  STHENELUS King of Mycenae. Grandson of Perseus and Andromeda. Husband of Nicippe. Father of Eurystheus. Uncle of Heracles.

  STRATON Corinthian shepherd. Receives the infant Oedipus from Phorbas. Hands him to Polybus and Merope for fostering. Later discloses to Oedipus vital clues as to his true identity.