Theseus & Peirithous
Theseus’ closest friend, Peirithous, who fought with him against the Amazons, played a prominent role in another incident, which seared itself into Athens’ psyche and was depicted on the …
Category: Greek Mythology
The Voyage of the Argo Begins
To sail to Colchis, Jason commissioned a ship, the Argo, named after its builder, Argus, who constructed it from pine trees felled on Pelion, while Athene fitted to its …
Minos, his Loves & his Family
With his wife Pasiphae (the daughter of Helios) Minos had many children, including two daughters, Ariadne and Phaedra, and a son, Androgeus. But Minos was a tireless womanizer, and …
The Centaurs
The Centaurs of Mount Pelion were the hybrid children of Centaurus, the son of Ixion. Wishing to marry princess Dia, Ixion invited her father to bring her to his …
Athens in History & Today
Athens was inhabited from the fifth millennium bc onwards, with evidence of settlements around the Agora and Acropolis dating to the fourth millennium bc. It began to flower in …
Cecrops & Erichthonius
Cecrops was the first king to rule from Athens (his father-in-law, Actaeus, had his capital elsewhere in Attica). His torso, arms and head were human, but being earth-born his …
Daedalus, Icarus & the Death of Minos
Minos’ craftsman Daedalus was also an Athenian, but he had fled to Knossos when he murdered one of his apprentices. Now that the labyrinth’s security was breached, he desperately …
The Myth of Sisyphus
Originally from Thrace, Sisyphus travelled to the Peloponnese with his brother Salmoneus. Both were overbearing; each hated the other; and, when Sisyphus seduced his brother’s daughter Tyro, it was …
Argos: Land of Hera, Home of Heroes
The people of Argos were celebrating the Festival of Hera and it was vital that the priestess be driven to the temple by a yoked team of oxen. However, …
Eurystheus & the Children of Heracles
With Heracles dead, Eurystheus seized his chance to wreak vengeance on his hated cousin’s children. For some time Heracles’ mother Alcmene had been living in Tiryns with many of …
Tiryns in History & Today
Tiryns was occupied from the mid-sixth millennium bc. Then the sea lapped close to the rocky outcrop, which rises abruptly from the plain to a height of just under …
Perseus, Andromeda & Home to Argos
As he passed over Ethiopia, Perseus saw a beautiful young girl tied naked to a stake beside the seashore. Even as he approached, the waves frothed and parted and …
Theseus, King of Athens
Returning in triumph after dispatching the monster, Theseus discovered Athens plunged in mourning. Aegeus, convinced that his son had died, had leapt to his death either from Athens’ Acropolis …
Corinth in History & Today
Thanks to its position, Corinth was one of the richest cities in mainland Greece. Sited just south of the Isthmus, it possessed two ports – one providing access to …
Brother-Killing & the Voyage Home
Alerted, Aeetes ran to the shore, ordering his men to launch his fleet in pursuit of the pirates who had stolen his daughter and the fleece. At last, near …