Below we present the 10 most famous Greek myths in the world. A compilation of stories adapted across multiple cultures.
Greek mythology
This reading will immerse you in the most famous stories of Greek mythology. The myths and stories of the ancient Greeks are among the best known in the world. Here we show you the 10 most famous and greatest Greek myths.
Although people from all countries, eras, and stages of civilization have developed myths that explain the existence and functioning of natural phenomena, recount the actions of gods or heroes, or attempt to justify social or political institutions, Greek myths have remained unmatched in the Western world as sources of imaginative and appealing ideas. Since ancient times, artists and poets have been inspired by Greek mythology and have discovered contemporary meaning and relevance in the themes of classical mythology.
The best-known Greek myths
Greek myths are stories about the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. The myths contained a considerable element of fiction and were recognized as such by the most critical Greeks, such as the philosopher Plato in the 5th-4th centuries BCE. In general, however, in the popular piety of the Greeks, the myths were seen as true stories.
These myths have had a major influence on the arts and literature of Western civilization, which was largely inherited from Greek culture. Here are the 10 most famous and well-known myths of Greek mythology in the world today.
1. Heracles (Hercules) and the Twelve Labors
The greatest of the divine heroes of Greek mythology, Heracles, known in the West by the Roman name Hercules, was the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. There are many stories about Heracles’ strength and heroism, but the best known focuses on the twelve labors he was forced to perform. Driven mad by the goddess Hera, Heracles killed his own children, and to atone for his crimes he had to perform ten tasks or labors set by his arch-enemy Eurystheus, who eventually increased the number to twelve.
- Kills the Nemean lion: With his own hands, Heracles kills the lion that was attacking the city of Nemea, using its skin as a cloak to demonstrate his victory.
- Kills the Lernaean Hydra: A fire-breathing monster with the body of a lion and nine serpent heads, the Hydra was considered unbeatable. Heracles, together with Iolaus, was able to kill it, but it was not easy. Every time he cut off a head, two more grew back in its place. Eventually, Heracles and Iolaus cut off all the heads and sealed the wounds with fire, preventing the Hydra from regenerating.
- Capturing the Ceryneian Hind: Instead of killing the hind, Heracles had to capture it alive and present it to Eurystheus.
- Capture the Erymanthian Boar: A wild and powerful boar was on the loose and had to be captured and brought to Mycenae, with Heracles successfully capturing the beast.
- Clean the Augean stables in a single day: King Augeas had a stable of divine cattle whose dung was poisonous and voluminous. By diverting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus, Heracles was able to clean the stables.
- Killing the Stymphalian birds: Sacred to Ares, the Stymphalian birds had bronze beaks and were incredibly violent, invading Arcadia. As the birds had migrated to a swamp, Heracles had to be creative, using a rattle given to him by Hephaestus to scare the birds into the air, shooting them with his bow and arrow.
- Capture the Bull of Crete: A wild bull was wreaking havoc on the island of Crete, and Heracles was tasked with capturing the beast. With his bare hands, he fought the bull to the ground, successfully capturing it and sending it back to the mainland.
- Stealing the Mares of Diomedes: King Diomedes of Thrace had trained his horses to eat human flesh, and Heracles was tasked with bringing these mares back. Heracles went to Thrace and stayed awake all night until Diomedes fell asleep before cutting the bronze manger to which the horses were tied. Heracles chased the mares to the end of the peninsula before digging a ditch around them, creating an island. Eventually, Diomedes appeared and Heracles killed him, caressed the mares and calmed them so that he could sew their mouths shut and take them back to Eurystheus.
- Stealing the belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons: Next, Heracles set out to recover the belt of the Queen of the Amazons, a fearsome group of warrior women. Hippolyta was impressed with Heracles’ exploits and was willing to give him the belt. However, Hera, who despised Heracles, had appeared before the Amazons, saying that someone wanted to steal the queen. The Amazons confronted Heracles, who then believed that this was all a plot by Hippolyta to kill him. Heracles killed the Amazons, including Hippolyta, and took the belt.
- Stealing the cattle of the monster Geryon: Heracles traveled west to steal the cattle of the giant Geryon. The giant attacked Heracles, but was no match for his archery skills, with one of his arrows piercing Geryon’s forehead. Heracles obtained the cattle and, despite further interference from Hera, was able to bring the cattle to Eurystheus.
- Getting the apples of the Hesperides: Eurystheus claimed that killing the Hydra (because Iolaus helped him) and cleaning Auge’s stables (because the rivers did the work) didn’t count and gave Heracles two more tasks. Heracles was tasked with stealing the apples of the evening nymphs, the Hesperides. After finding the garden of the Hesperides, Heracles found the god Atlas holding up the heavens. Since Heracles could not reach the apples himself, he asked Atlas to grab them while he held up the heavens. Atlas agreed and got the apples, but then decided he didn’t want to hold up the heavens again. Heracles tricked Atlas into giving him the apples, saying he would stay and hold up the heavens, but first he needed Atlas to hold up the heavens while he adjusted his cloak.
- Capturing Cerberus and bringing him out of the underworld: For his final task, Heracles was tasked with bringing back the three-headed dog Cerberus, who guarded the gates of the underworld. Heracles asked Hades if he could bring Cerberus back with him, and the god agreed that Heracles could subdue the beast with his bare hands. Heracles succeeded and hung Cerberus upside down before returning from the underworld and presenting the beast to Eurystheus.
2. Prometheus and the theft of fire
Prometheus was one of the original Titans who was overthrown by Zeus and the other Olympians, yet he was one of the few who survived being banished to Tartarus.
Prometheus constantly came into conflict with Zeus, and after Zeus withdrew the use of fire from mortals, Prometheus stole fire and returned it to humanity. As punishment for his transgressions, he was chained to a rock in the Caucasus Mountains for all eternity. Every day, an eagle (the symbol of Zeus) flew to the rock and ate Prometheus’ liver. Since he was immortal, his liver regenerated, only for the cycle to repeat itself the next day. Finally, Heracles freed Prometheus from his prison.
3. Narcissus and Echo
Narcissus was known everywhere for his incredible beauty, and one day, in the forest, the mountain nymph Echo saw him and fell in love with him. As he followed her, Narcissus felt that someone was following him and called out to Echo, shouting over and over, “Who is there? Finally, Echo appeared and tried to embrace Narcissus, but he rejected her and sent her away, leaving her heartbroken.
This enraged Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, who then led Narcissus to a pond deep in the forest, where he gazed at his reflection of himself as a young man. He did not realize that it was his own reflection, and instead fell in love with it, unable to leave.
4. Sisyphus
Sisyphus was the king of Ephra, and he was known for his enormous ego and cunning. He defied the gods on many occasions, cheating death with trickery.
This angered Zeus, who forced Sisyphus to roll a huge rock up a hill. Just as the rock reached the top of the hill, it rolled back down to the bottom, condemning Sisyphus to an eternity of endless frustration. This punishment was devised by Zeus for Sisyphus because of his arrogance against the gods for thinking that he, a mortal, could be smarter and more cunning than the gods.
5. Perseus and Medusa
There are many great myths about the legendary hero Perseus, but the most famous would have to be the slaying of Medusa.
King Polydectes of Serifos wanted to marry Danae, Perseus’ mother, something that Perseus did not approve of. This caused a rift between the two men, so Polydectes conspired to bring Perseus into disgrace. At a lavish dinner, Polydectes asked each guest to bring a horse as a gift, and when Perseus had no gift to give, he asked Polydectes to name his gift. In an attempt to get rid of Perseus for good, he asked him to bring him the head of Medusa, whose gaze turned people to stone.
After receiving a polished shield, a bag for Medusa’s head, an infallible sword, and Hades’ helmet of darkness (granting invisibility), Perseus set out to kill Medusa. Using his polished shield to see Medusa’s reflection as he approached, he was able to cut off her head and place it in the bag.
6. Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus of the lyre was known as a great musician, and it was said that he could make trees bend to hear his music. Eventually, he fell in love and married Eurydice, but on their wedding day she was bitten by a snake and died.
Orpheus was so sad that he only played mournful music, and he was so sad that even the gods felt sorry for him for losing his wife. Finally, Hermes arrived to convince Orpheus to travel to the underworld and convince Hades and Persephone to allow Eurydice to return to the world of the living.
Through his music, Orpheus was able to seduce Hades and Persephone into allowing Eurydice to return with him. However, they gave him one stipulation: Orpheus would have to walk in front of Eurydice as they left the underworld, and he could not turn around and look back until they were back in the world of the living. Unfortunately, Orpheus could not overcome his anxiety and turned to look at Eurydice just as she stepped out of the underworld, causing her to vanish instantly.
7. Theseus fighting the Minotaur
Theseus was a legendary hero and one of the founders of Athens, and one of the most famous stories of his heroism was his slaying of the Minotaur and his escape from the labyrinth.
King Minos of Crete’s wife, Pasiphae, had an illegitimate son with a bull, half man, half bull, half minotaur. Instead of killing the monster, King Minos put it in a labyrinth and imprisoned his enemies there, where they could not escape and where they would become food for the Minotaur. The Athenians were forced to send seven men each year as a sacrifice to the Minotaur, something that greatly distressed Theseus.
Finally, against his father’s wishes, Theseus went to Crete to kill the Minotaur and end the cycle of violence. There he met King Minos’ daughter, Ariadne, who fell in love with him and decided to help him. She gave him a long thread and told him to unravel it in the labyrinth so that he could find his way out after killing the Minotaur. Theseus was able to kill the Minotaur and escape from the labyrinth, returning to Athens with Ariadne.
8. Icarus falling from the sky
Daedalus, who had built the labyrinth, was imprisoned in a tower in Crete with his son Icarus by King Minos so that he would not reveal the true nature of the Minotaur. Finally, Daedalus devised a brilliant plan to escape from the tower. He collected feathers and used wax to stick them together to create wings. He made two sets of wings, one for himself and one for Icarus. Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, otherwise the wax would melt in the heat and the wings would fall apart.
Icarus did not listen to his father because he was too consumed by the wonder of being able to fly, so he flew too close to the sun, causing his wings to break and Icarus to fall into the sea.
9. Oedipus condemning his children after blinding himself
One of the most tragic Greek tales, Oedipus is a tragic hero who ended up fulfilling the oracle’s prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother.
Oedipus was the son of King Laius of Thebes and Jocasta, and the oracle prophesied that he would kill Laius. Upon hearing this, Laius tied Oedipus’ ankles and had his servant leave him to die on the top of a nearby mountain. His servant did not do as he was told, but gave the baby to a shepherd, and he was eventually adopted by King Polybus of Corinth.
Once Oedipus grew up, he heard that he was a bastard and not the biological son of Polybus. To confirm this, Oedipus went to the Oracle at Delphi, who told him that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Fearing this, he decided not to return to Corinth, but to stop in Thebes. Before reaching Thebes, he came into conflict with Laius, killing him when he tried to run him over with his chariot.
Eventually, Oedipus arrived in Thebes and answered the riddle of the Sphinx. Jocasta’s brother, Creon, had promised the kingdom of Thebes to anyone who could solve the riddle, so Oedipus became the ruler of Thebes and married Jocasta.
Eventually, a plague falls upon Thebes, and after consulting with the oracle, Oedipus realizes that justice must be brought to Laius’ murderer. After arguing heatedly with the blind prophet Tiresias, Oedipus realizes that it was he who killed Laius and that he was not the biological son of Polybus. Jocasta had discovered this fact and hanged herself in disgust at her actions, and Oedipus, realizing what he had done and seeing Jocasta’s corpse, gouged out his eyes and was exiled.
10. Trojan Horse
The epic struggle between the kingdom of Troy and the Greek alliance contains many fascinating stories, but the most famous is probably the story of the Trojan Horse.
After 10 years of war, the Greek army grew tired of the conflict and came up with the idea of finally breaking down the walls of Troy. The cunning Odysseus suggested that the Greek army use subterfuge to break down the walls. Within three days, the Greek army built a giant wooden horse, burned their tents, and sailed out of sight, leaving Sinon behind to tell the Trojans that the Greeks had returned home.
The Greeks had carved an inscription on the horse, saying that it was an offering to Athena, and Sinon is able to convince the Trojans that the offering was made in good faith. Despite the reservations of some Trojans that the horse was a trap, they bring it into the city and begin to celebrate. In the middle of the night, Odysseus and the other Greeks hiding in the horse came out into the city, lighting the beacons on top of the walls to signal the Greek fleet to return. Thanks to this trick, the Greek army was finally able to break through the walls of Troy and win the war.
