In addition to the gods, the main characters of the mythological epic and folklore of many peoples were heroes. Some of them valiantly destroyed monsters, others possessed wisdom and cunning, and others showed extraordinary talents. Ancient mythology presented most of the heroes to mankind. Slavic folklore also boasts significant heroic characters.
Ancient heroes
The most famous ancient hero is Hercules (Hercules), born of the mortal woman Alcmene from the supreme god Zeus. Due to his semi-divine origin, Hercules was endowed with extraordinary strength. Because of the treachery of the jealous wife of Zeus, Hera, Hercules was forced to serve King Eurystheus, in whose service the hero performed his famous 12 deeds. After his death, Hercules was accepted among the gods.
Another hero of ancient myths with unsurpassed courage and strength is Achilles (Achilles). He was born of the sea goddess Thetis from the mortal man Peleus. To make her son invincible, Thetis immersed him in the waters of the sacred river Styx. Only the heel, for which the goddess held little Achilles, remained vulnerable to weapons. Matured Achilles took part in the Trojan War, where he defeated many enemies. The hero was killed by an arrow shot in his heel by the god Apollo, who took the side of the Trojans.
The mythological hero of a completely different kind, who asserted himself not with strength and weapons, but with intelligence and skill, is the talented inventor Daedalus, who studied under the very goddess of wisdom Athena. Daedalus' most famous inventions include the labyrinth, artificial wings, a folding chair in the Temple of Athena, and a statue of Aphrodite on Delos.
The king of Ithaca Odysseus (Ulysses) became famous for intelligence, cunning, resourcefulness and oratory. He was one of the most famous heroes of the Trojan War, as reflected in Homer's Iliad. It was thanks to Odysseus's cunning invention of the Trojan Horse that the Greeks managed to gain the upper hand in a war that lasted a whole decade. Numerous adventures of Odysseus, which the hero experienced during his return to his homeland after the war, are described in another poem by Homer, The Odyssey.
Slavic heroes
The central hero of ancient Russian myths is the hero Ilya Muromets, who embodied the ideal of a warrior. Until the age of 33, Ilya could not control his hands and feet, until he was healed by the elders-pilgrims. After a miraculous healing, Ilya entered the service of Prince Vladimir, where he became famous for unprecedented strength and great deeds.
The second most popular hero of the Slavic epic after Ilya Muromets is Dobrynya Nikitich, who was also in the service of Prince Vladimir. Dobrynya Nikitich is famous not only for his courage and remarkable strength, but also for his "knowledge", that is, courtesy and diplomatic ability. Often he performed delicate personal assignments of the prince, which turned out to be unbearable for other heroes.
The third most important hero in Russian epics is Alyosha Popovich. The hero was distinguished not by physical strength, but by resourcefulness, ingenuity and dexterity. He defeated the evil hero Tugarin Zmeevich. In general, the image of Alyosha is rather contradictory and ambivalent, since his jokes sometimes turned out to be not only funny, but also evil. Comrades-heroes often reprimanded Alyosha for excessive boastfulness and slyness.
