Greek Heroes and Heroines
Here you'll find a list of the other characters that appear in Greek mythology - Greek heroes and heroines, kings, princes and princesses (all those who were not gods or goddesses).
Click on their names to find out more about them (please bear with me, for the time being there are not so many links).
Achaeus (the Greek spelling is Achaios) - the forefather of the Achaeans.
Achilles - one of the greatest heroes of the Trojan War.
Admetus - king of Pherae, who tried to defeat death (thanks to Apollo, but mostly thanks to his wife).
Adonis - a beautiful young man loved by Aphrodite. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean a happy ending.
Aeëtes - son of sun-god Helios, king of Colchis and father of the wretched Medea.
Aegeus – king of Athens and father of Theseus, who died because he didn't double-check the facts before making disastruous decisions.
Aegisthus – a king of Mycenae who didn't take part in the Trojan War; instead, he seduced Agamemnon's wife and killed him when he returned from war.
Agamemnon - the leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War.
Agave - name of several characters, one of them was a queen who was punished by the god Dionysus.
Agelaus - name of several characters
Ajax - there were two of them, Ajax the Great and Ajax the Lesser, both heroes in the Trojan War (it's also the name of the football club in Amsterdam... sorry, I just couldn't resist mentioning it!)
Alcestis - wife of Admetus, the only one brave enough to face death instead of him.
Alcmene - granddaughter of Perseus and Andromeda, mother of twins from two different fathers (one of them was Heracles).
Alcmaeon - one of the Epigoni, who lead the second expedition against Thebes.
Amazons - a tribe of warrior women.
Amphiaraus - a seer who foresaw that the war of the Seven against Thebes was going to be a disaster, and yet he had to go.
Amphitrion - a Theban general, husband of Alcmene and father of her second twin.
Anchises - a mortal prince who was loved by Aphrodite. He was Aeneas' father.
Andromache - wife of the Trojan hero Hector.
Andromeda – a princess who had to be sacrificed to a sea monster; she was saved by Perseus, who later became her husband.
Anteus - a giant, son of Poseidon and Gaea.
Antinoe - name of several women.
Arachne - an excellent weaver who didn't know that you don't boast when you're better than your boss.
Ariadne - daughter of king Minos of Crete, she helped Theseus with the famous thread and then she was dumped by the hero... but in the end she got to marry a god!
Arion - 1. a poet who invented the dithyramb; 2. also an immortal horse.
Ascanius - son of Aeneas and forefather of Romulus and Remus.
Atalanta - a princess abandoned on a mountain by her father, who wanted a son. When she became an excellent hunter, better than many heroes, her daddy rememberd her. But wait, there's more...
Atreus - king of Mycenae and father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, who killed his nephews and put into motion a horrible revenge.
Baucis - a pious old lady married to Philemon.
Bellerophon - the hero who defeated the monster Chimera; for the second part of his story, click here:
Bellerophon and Pegasus
Briseis - a princess who was given to Achilles as a war prize; when Agamemnon wanted her, too... well, the Iliad happened!
Briseus - priest of Apollo and father of Briseis.
Cadmus – a Phoenician prince who was considered the founder of the city of Thebes and the inventor of the Phoenician alphabet, which the Greeks took as inspiration for their own.
Cassandra – a princess to whom Apollo gave the gift of prophecy; when she refused his love, the god cursed her and so nobody believed what she said.
Castor – the mortal son of Leda and king Tyndareus and twin of the immortal Pollux (who was Zeus' son).
Cecrops – name of two legendary kings of Athens.
Cephalus - a man who was loved by the goddess Eos, but he still preferred his wife.
Cepheus – name of several kings.
Charon - the ferryman who carried the souls of the dead across the rivers Styx and Acheron to the underworld.
Chloris – name of several women.
Circe - a witch whose hobby was to turn men into pigs.
Chryses – priest of Apollo and father of Chryseis.
Chryseis – daughter of Chryses, given as a war prize to Agamemnon; when he refused to return her to her father, Apollo sent the plague in the Greek's camp.
Chrysippus – a young man who has a tragic death in all the versions of the myth.
Clytemnestra – sister of the beautiful Helen, who managed to do what the Trojan War couldn't (i.e. kill her husband Agamemnon).
Creon – Jocasta's brother and Oedipus' uncle. He tried to avoid being king of Thebes, but had to accept when Oedipus asked to be exiled after the scandal of marrying his own mother.
Croesus – a real king of Lydia, who later became also a mythological figure. He was renowned (and still is) for his riches.
Daedalus – a famous inventor who created the labyrinth and the first man-powered “flying device”.
Danaë – mother of the hero Perseus.
Danaides – the 50 daughters of Danaus, punished for killing their husbands. Poor girls, they were just pawns in a political game.
Danaus / Danaos – a legendary king who had 50 daughters; he didn't want them to marry their 50 cousins, so he built the first ship ever, to flee away. When the girls were finally forced to marry their cousins, he found the perfect creepy solution for the most unhappy ending ever.
Daphne - a beautiful girl who fled Apollo's love and got turned into the bay laurel tree.
Dardanus – a son of Zeus, who founded the city of Dardania.
Deianira – Heracles' last wife; she tried to make him a faithful husband, but this lead to his death.
Deiphobus – a Trojan prince.
Demophon – a king of Athens, son of Theseus.
Diomedes – king of Argos who fought in the Trojan War.
Electra – the unhappy daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who helped her brother avenge the death of their father.
Eleusis – the eponymous hero of the town of Eleusis, whose son was reared by goddess Demetra.
Erechtheus – the founder of Athens.
Eteocles – Oedipus' son.
Europa – a princess abducted by Zeus, after whom the continent Europe was named.
Eurystheus – a king of Tyrins, who had Hercules as his servant.
Europa – a princess abducted by Zeus, after whom the continent Europe was named.
The Greeks didn't have the letter F; they had the letter Ø / ø (phi) which represented a sound similar to [pʰ]. In the names of the characters from Greek mythology, it is rendered in English as “ph” (also in the words which come from Greek).
Ganymede – a handsome young man who became cup-bearer of the gods, even if he didn't have any specific training.
Gelanor – a king of Argos who gave Danaos his kingdom (just because an oracle said so, can you believe it?)
Glaucus – a fisherman who ate a certain herb and became an immortal merman. He loved Scylla and he was loved by Circe.
Hector – prince of Troy and hero of the Trojan war.
Hecuba – queen of Troy, wife of king Priam and mother of Hector, Paris and Cassandra, among others.
Helen of Troy - the most beautiful woman in the world, used as an excuse to start the Trojan War.
Helenus – Cassandra's twin brother.
Hermione – the daughter of Helen (of Troy) and Menelaus.
Hippolyte - queen of the Amazons, who was killed for the girdle she had received from her father, Ares
Herakles – the greatest hero of Greek mythology
Iolaus – son of Iphicles and nephew of Heracles.
Iphicles – twin brother of Hercules, but with a mortal father.
Iphigenia – daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, sacrificed to goddess Artemis.
Ismene – Oedipus' daughter and Antigone's sister.
Ixion – king of the Lapiths, for his hubris he was punished to be bound to a wheel in Tartarus.
While J was not a letter of the Greek alphabet (it was first introduced in Latin, to represent a long i, that is an “ii”), it is used in English in the transliteration of some Greek names.
Jason - the leader of the Argonauts, who went after the Golden Fleece.
Jocasta – the mother and unknowing wife of Oedipus. She also had children with him, which makes her grandmother of her own kids, right?
In this case, K was a letter of the Greek alphabet, but it was transliterated into English as C, so you'll find these names under C.
Laërtes – king of Ithaca and father of Odysseus; took part in the expedition of the Argonauts. He retired to his farm when his son went to the Trojan War.
Laomedon – king of Troy, who had Poseidon and Apollo as servants. They were punished by Zeus to help him build the walls of Troy, but when Laomedon refused to pay for their services, they took revenge on the city. Also father of Priam
Lycaon – a king of Arcadia, who has a habit of killing children in all the versions of his myth. Zeus punished him and turned him into a wolf.
Lysistrata – well, she wasn't a character in Greek mythology, but in one of Aristophanes' plays – she tried to unite all women of Greece in order to force their men to put an end to the Peloponnesian War. That's why I decided to add her to the list of Greek heroes and heroines.
Medea – a sorceress who became Jason's wife; her problem-solving skills involved murdering
Melanippe – name of several characters
Meleager – one of the Argonauts; he killed the Calydonian Boar
Meliboea – the name of several characters in Greek mythology, one of whom had a love story with a happy ending!
Memnon – son of Eos and king of Ethiopia who supported the Greeks during the Trojan War
Menelaus – the king of Sparta, husband of Helen, for whom he started the Trojan War
Midas – a king of Phrygia, who wanted to be able to turn into gold everything that he touched. Spoiler alert: it doesn't end well.
Miletus – a son of Apollo, the founder and eponym of the city of Miletus
Minos – a king of Crete, who commissioned the construction of the Labyrinth; after his death, he became a judge in the Underworld
Myrmidon – a son of Zeus, ancestor of the legendary people of the Myrmidons, who were warriors commanded by Achilles
Myrrha – the mother of Adonis, who was transformed into a tree
Myrtilus – a son of Hermes. I don't really get why he was a hero, when all he did was betray his master and curse Pelops when he died
Narcissus – a most handsome hunter who fell in love with his own image.
Nausicaä – a princess of Phaeacia, who helped Odysseus when he was shipwrecked.
Neoptolemus – son of Achilles; a prophecy stated that the Greeks could win the war if he took part in it.
Nephele – a cloud nymph who sent a flying golden ram to save her children from death.
Nestor – king of Pylos. He took part in the Calydonian boar hunt and in the Trojan War. He was considered a god counsellor just because he could speak well – but the results of his advice were often disastruous.
Niobe – a daughter of Tantalus, who thought herself better than Leto because she had 14 kids. That caused Leto's kids, Apollo and Artemis, to take care of the problem... by leaving her with none.
Odysseus – king of Ithaca, he played an important role in the Trojan war. His journey home took ten years and is narrated in Homer's Odyssey.
Oedipus – king of Thebes who did everything he could to avoid his fate, and thus he fulfilled it.
Oeneus – king of Calydon, who organized the Calydonian boar hunt.
Oenomaus – a son of Ares, who used to kill his daughter's suitors because of a prophecy.
Omphale – queen of Lydia; Hercules was her slave for a year.
Orestes - son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. He killed his mother because she had betrayed his father.
Orion – a giant hunter, who died either because he boasted he could kill all animals on Earth, or because Artemis was in love with him.
Orpheus – a musician who could make the whole world stop and listen to his beautiful music. He almost managed to bring back his wife from the dead, but impatience made him lose her forever.
Pandora - the first mortal woman
Paris – a son of Priam, king of Troy, whose judgement in favour of Aphrodite helped him get the beautiful Helen as a prize, thus starting the Trojan War.
Parthenopeus – son of Atalanta, who was one of the Seven against Thebes.
Patroclus – Achilles' friend, who got killed in battle while donning the hero's armour.
Pasiphae – daughter of Helios, sister of Circe, wife of Minos and mother of the horrible Minotaur (but she also had normal children).
Peleus – A good friend of Hercules. After accidentally killing some of his family members, he got to marry the sea-nymph Thetis and became Achilles' father. Their wedding was the event that caused, in the end, the Trojan War.
Pelias – son of Poseidon, king of Iolcus, who sent Jason after the Golden Fleece.
Pelops – son of Tantalus, who managed to win the chariot race with Oenomaus. His story is full of betrayal, and that was also the cause of the curse on his family (called “the curse of the Atreides”, even if in fact it began with Pelops).
Penelope – the faithful wife of Odysseus, who waited 20 years for him.
Penthesilea – daughter of Ares and queen of the Amazons. She fought in the Trojan War and was killed by Achilles.
Perseus - son of Zeus, the first hero in Greek mythology, who had lots of adventures:
He killed the Gorgon Medusa
He saved Andromeda from a sea monster
Phaedra – wife of Theseus, whose love for her stepson made her do foolish things.
Phaeton – a son of Apollo or Helios, who asked to drive the Sun's chariot. But driving without a licence can get you killed, even in ancient times. Anyway, his myth could have a very interesting explanation.
Philemon - an old man who gave hospitality to disguised gods
Philoctetes – a friend of Hercules who was left stranded on an island because of a smelly foot. He was retrieved later by the Greeks, who found out that withoout him they couldn't win the Trojan War.
Phlegyas – son of Ares and king of the Lapiths.
Phrixus – son of Nephele, saved from death by the golden fleece ram.
Pirithous – king of the Lapiths, best friend of Theseus. At his wedding with Hippodamia, the Centaurs got drunk and tried to abduct the women and the Lapiths fought them.
Polynices – a son of Oedipus, who was cursed by his father for disrespecting him.
Priam – the king of Troy during the Trojan War.
Procrustes - a bandit, son of Poseidon, who used to kill people by trying to fit them into an iron bed.
Psyche - the Greek representation of the soul
Pygmalion – a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he made.
Pylades – Orestes' cousin and best friend.
Pyrrha – daughter of Pandora and Epimetheus; together with her husband, Deucalion, she survived the flood that ended the Golden Age and repopulated the Earth... but do you know how?
There was no letter Q in the Greek alphabet, so there are no names of Greek heroes and heroines that start with a Q.
Rhadamanthus/Rhadamanthys/Rhadamanthos – a wise king and lawmaker, son of Zeus and Europa, who became one of the judges of the dead.
Rhesus – a Thracian king, allied of Troy (but who never engaged in battle). He had a team of fine horses which part of a prophecy connected to Troy's victory or defeat in the war.
Sarpedon – the name of three different characters. One of them took part in the Trojan war and, as his fate was to die at Patroclus' hand, his father, Zeus, had a hard time accepting it.
Semele – daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, who had an affair with Zeus. She insisted that he should show her his true form, but the light of his bolts incinerated her. However, the baby she was pregnant with, god Dionysos, was saved by Zeus and later was born from his father's thigh.
Sisyphus – founder of the city of Ephyra (now Corynth), who was very deceitful. For his hubris (he believed he was smarter than Zeus), in the after-life, he was punished to roll a boulder to the top of a hill, but once on top, the boulder would roll down the hill. But, before that, he managed to tie up Death, so for a while nobody died on earth!
Stentor – a herald of the Greeks in the Trojan war, who had a voice as powerful as fifty men.
Stheneboea – a princess who tried to seduce Bellerophon and, when she failed, she falsely accused him in front of her husband.
T
Tantalus
Telamon
Telegonus
Telemachus
Telephos/Telephus
Theobule
Thersander
Thersites
Theseus
Thespius
Thisbe
Thyestes
Tiresias
Tyndareus
U
Ucalegon
Ulysses
V
X
Xanthus
Xuthus
