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* BeastAndBeauty: With Galateia.
to:
* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Galateia.
* BeastAndBeauty:With Galateia.The Beast to Galateia's beauty.
* BeastAndBeauty:
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* CarpetOfVirility
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* OffingTheOffspring: Tantalus is in the running for "worst father ever" after what he did to Pelops.
to:
* OffingTheOffspring: Tantalus is in the running for "worst father ever" after what he did to Pelops.Pelops.
!!Polyphemus
Man-eating cyclops son of Poseidon, most famous for being blinded by Odysseus. One less well-known story has him fall in love with the nymph Galateia, who turned him down for love of the beautiful youth Acis. The jealous cyclops discovered the couple lying together, and crushed Acis with a boulder.
----
* BeastAndBeauty: With Galateia.
* BigOlUnibrow
* CarpetOfVirility: Was consistently described as shaggy. "Trees without their leaves are ugly, and a horse is ugly too without a mane to veil its sorrel neck. Feathers clothe birds and fleeces grace the sheep: so beard and bristles best become a man."
* EyeScream
* IAmAHumanitarian
* RealMenWearPink / CulturedBadass / WickedCultured: Despite his crude, barbaric exterior, he was quite musical. He was skilled with the kithara, and panpipes, and according to one story, he even taught Galateia how to sing.
!!Polyphemus
Man-eating cyclops son of Poseidon, most famous for being blinded by Odysseus. One less well-known story has him fall in love with the nymph Galateia, who turned him down for love of the beautiful youth Acis. The jealous cyclops discovered the couple lying together, and crushed Acis with a boulder.
----
* BeastAndBeauty: With Galateia.
* BigOlUnibrow
* CarpetOfVirility: Was consistently described as shaggy. "Trees without their leaves are ugly, and a horse is ugly too without a mane to veil its sorrel neck. Feathers clothe birds and fleeces grace the sheep: so beard and bristles best become a man."
* EyeScream
* IAmAHumanitarian
* RealMenWearPink / CulturedBadass / WickedCultured: Despite his crude, barbaric exterior, he was quite musical. He was skilled with the kithara, and panpipes, and according to one story, he even taught Galateia how to sing.
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Changed line(s) 89,90 (click to see context) from:
Greek mythology's most famous heroine, and the only female member of the hero teamup known as the Argonauts, Atalanta was a mortal princess exposed at birth because her father wanted a boy. Was found and suckled by a she-bear before she was discovered and raised by hunters. Grew up to be very beautiful and very fast. Swore an oath of virginity to Artemis, but didn't do a good job keeping it, losing her virginity to Melaeger during or after the events of the Calydonian Boar hunt. This sexual encounter resulted in a child who was also exposed at birth. Eventually she was reunited with her father, who insisted that she get married. She wasn't to keen on this, so she promised to marry the man who could beat her in a foot race, but the losers would be executed.
to:
Greek mythology's most famous heroine, and the only female member of the hero teamup known as the Argonauts, Atalanta was a mortal princess exposed at birth because her father wanted a boy. Was found and suckled by a she-bear before she was discovered and raised by hunters. Grew up to be very beautiful and very fast. Swore an oath of virginity to Artemis, but didn't do a good job keeping it, losing her virginity to Melaeger during or after the events of the Calydonian Boar hunt. This sexual encounter resulted in a child who was also exposed at birth.it. Eventually she was reunited with her father, who insisted that she get married. She wasn't to keen on this, so she promised to marry the man who could beat her in a foot race, but the losers would be executed.
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* TheFairFolk: Do remember that a Greek farmer does ''not'' live InHarmonyWithNature; that is a conceit of city folk. Nature brings blights and floods, and Nymphs know how to arrange such things when they get [[BerserkButton irritated]] at a farmer's disrespect.
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* FirstOfHisKind: The first werewolf.
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* FirstOfHisKind: FirstOfItsKind: The first werewolf.
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Hector planned to hang Patroclus\' body from the battlements. Not a knight in shining armour
* KickTheSonOfABitch: His mutilation of Hector's corpse makes more sense when you recall that Hector planned to do the same thing to Patroclus.
* {{Antivillain}}
* DirtyCoward: Not to the extent of his little brother Paris, but seriously. Hector only attacks Patroclus with a swarm of men, runs like the wind when confronted by Achilles, and only goes out to fight him when he thinks his brother Deiphobus is with him.
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* HeroAntagonist: Considered to be this of TheIliad.
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* KnightInShiningArmor: Essentially a misplaced one BornInTheWrongCentury (And before knights came to be properly).
to:
* KnightInShiningArmor: Essentially a misplaced one BornInTheWrongCentury (And before knights came KickTheDog: Planned to dismember Patroclus' body in revenge for Patroclus scaring him.
* OnlySaneMan: Seems to beproperly).the only Trojan who realises that kidnapping Helen was a spectacularly stupid idea.
* OnlySaneMan: Seems to be
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* TragicHero
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!!Lycaon
The tyrant of Arcadia, Lycaon was paid a visit by Jupiter. Determined to prove that this was not really a god, Lycaon plotted not only to kill Jupiter in his sleep, but to serve him human flesh at dinner. In punishment for this, Lycaon was transformed in the first werewolf, so that his outside might reflect what he had been on the inside all along.
----
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the earliest versions of the myth, it is Lycaon's sons, rather than Lycaon himself who are the villains. This vanishes by the late Greek/early Roman period, when Lycaon himself takes centre stage. Each version of the story then tries to make him worse, culminating in Ovid's version.
* BalefulPolymorph: Transformed into a wolf in punishment for his savagery.
* FirstOfHisKind: The first werewolf.
* IAteWhat: Tries to pull this on Jupiter.
* ImAHumanitarian: He not only serves human flesh to Jupiter, but dines on it himself.
* OffingTheOffspring: Depending on the version of the myth, Lycaon serves Jupiter a prisoner--or one of his own sons/grandsons.
* ReallyGetsAround: Has fifty sons, forty-nine of whom are as bad as he is.
* WouldHurtAChild: In one version, he sacrifices a baby on Zeus/Jupiter's altar to see how his guest will react.
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Hated by his people; this is one of the reasons why he sets out to prove to them that Jupiter is not really paying them a visit.
!!Tantalus
One of Tartarus' most infamous residents, Tantalus was a Greek king and a favoured host of Zeus'. In order to prove that Zeus was not all powerful, Tantalus murdered his son Pelops, cooked him in a stew, and served him at a banquet with Zeus in attendance. Enraged, Zeus resurrected Pelops, and condemned Tantalus to eternity in Tartarus.
----
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Set out to prove the Greek gods were idiots. Instead he proved that even JerkassGods have standards.
* IAteWhat: Does this to the Greek gods; Demeter falls for it.
* IronicHell: Stands up to his neck in water, with grapes hanging over his head. When he reaches for the grapes they retreat just out of reach. When he bends to take a drink, the water recedes just out of reach.
* OffingTheOffspring: Tantalus is in the running for "worst father ever" after what he did to Pelops.
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* BadassNormal: One of Greek Mythology's "A-Lister" heroes, but like Odysseus, she was completely mortal with no divine parents. The Ancient Greeks believed that [[ScienceMarchesOn lions could only mate with leopards, not other lions]].
* BalefulPolymorph: She and her husband, were turned into lions for having sex in Zeus's temple.
* BalefulPolymorph: She and her husband, were turned into lions for having sex in Zeus's temple.
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* BadassNormal: One of Greek Mythology's "A-Lister" heroes, but like Odysseus, she was completely mortal with no divine parents. The Ancient Greeks believed that [[ScienceMarchesOn lions could only mate with leopards, not other lions]].\n
* BalefulPolymorph: She and her husband, were turned into lions for having sex in Zeus's temple. The Ancient Greeks believed that [[ScienceMarchesOn lions could only mate with leopards, not other lions]].
* BalefulPolymorph: She and her husband, were turned into lions for having sex in Zeus's temple. The Ancient Greeks believed that [[ScienceMarchesOn lions could only mate with leopards, not other lions]].
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* BullyingTheDragon: Jason, you ''knew'' she was AxeCrazy and capable of killing immortals with just a [[EvilEye look]], why did you cheat on her?
** [[DependingOnTheWriter Depending on the version]], the Corinthians could be this. In the original version they killed two of her children after Medea killed Jason's new girlfriend and ''accidentally burned down the royal palace as a side effect''. Did they really expected she wouldn't kill half of them and let the survivors live in terror she'll return to finish the job?
** The Thebans too. They drove her out of town while she was Herakles' guest after she left Corinth. In a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], Medea and Herakles didn't destroy the city.
** [[DependingOnTheWriter Depending on the version]], the Corinthians could be this. In the original version they killed two of her children after Medea killed Jason's new girlfriend and ''accidentally burned down the royal palace as a side effect''. Did they really expected she wouldn't kill half of them and let the survivors live in terror she'll return to finish the job?
** The Thebans too. They drove her out of town while she was Herakles' guest after she left Corinth. In a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], Medea and Herakles didn't destroy the city.
* EvilEye: She can kill an unkillable bronze giant by ''looking at it in the eyes'', either [[DrivenToSuicide torturing him into killing himself]] or hypnotizing him into doing the deed. Either way, it just took her a look.
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* PsychoExGirlfriend: Jason should have known what he was getting into; the woman ''killed and dismembered her own brother'' to slow down her father's pursuit.
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* TheMedic: She's good enough to ''raise the dead younger and healthier than when they died''. Assuming you can actually convince her to do it...
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* BigEater: According to Euripides in his play "Alcestis", Herakles ate so much to ''terrify Admetus' servants''.
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'''Orion'''
Handsome giant gifted with the ability to walk on water by his father Poseidon. Actually he has three fathers. He was born from the urine of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hermes. Yeah... Orion is most notable for being the only man Artemis ever loved. This didn't go down well with her twin brother Apollo, so he had him killed, using methods that vary depending on the writer.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Had sexual relations with several nymphs, and had a few children. Contrast with the virgin Artemis.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The most famous version of his death has Apollo sic a giant scorpion on him.
* TheBigGuy
* CarryABigStick: His weapon of choice was a jeweled club.
* ChickMagnet: You'd better believe it! Even famous man-hater Artemis went for this guy.
* EgomaniacHunter
* EyeScream: One story has an evil king, poke out his eyes with a dagger. He gets his sight back from Helios, though.
* UnfortunateName: His name means simply "Urine".
* WalkOnWater
Handsome giant gifted with the ability to walk on water by his father Poseidon. Actually he has three fathers. He was born from the urine of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hermes. Yeah... Orion is most notable for being the only man Artemis ever loved. This didn't go down well with her twin brother Apollo, so he had him killed, using methods that vary depending on the writer.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Had sexual relations with several nymphs, and had a few children. Contrast with the virgin Artemis.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The most famous version of his death has Apollo sic a giant scorpion on him.
* TheBigGuy
* CarryABigStick: His weapon of choice was a jeweled club.
* ChickMagnet: You'd better believe it! Even famous man-hater Artemis went for this guy.
* EgomaniacHunter
* EyeScream: One story has an evil king, poke out his eyes with a dagger. He gets his sight back from Helios, though.
* UnfortunateName: His name means simply "Urine".
* WalkOnWater
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* [[SharkMan Shark Woman]]: Her name means "Large Shark".
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* [[SharkMan Shark Woman]]: Her name SharkMan: Lamia means "Large Shark".Shark", which may indicate that she is a shark woman. She also had a son by Zeus named Akheilos who was transformed into a shark by Aphrodite.
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* HornyDevils
* ImAHumanitarian
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Lamiai re just one of three kinds vampire-like beings in ClassicalMythology. The other three being Empusai, Keres, and [[OwlBeDamned Strigoi]].
* ImAHumanitarian
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Lamiai re just one of three kinds vampire-like beings in ClassicalMythology. The other three being Empusai, Keres, and [[OwlBeDamned Strigoi]].
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* SnakePeople: Lamiai were sometimes described as serpentine from the waist down.
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'''Lamia'''
Lamia was a daughter of Poseidon and beautiful queen of Libya who had an affair with Zeus. When Hera learned of this, she stole their children (or killed them, DependingOnTheWriter). Lamia went mad with grief and tore out her own eyes. Zeus then transformed her into a monster allowing her to exact her revenge by hunting and devouring the children of others.
Lamia often appears as a bogey-monster, a night-haunting demon which preyed on children. She was sometimes pluralised into ghostly, man-devouring demon Lamiai.
* EatsBabies
* EyeScream
* [[SharkMan Shark Woman]]: Her name means "Large Shark".
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds
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* ActionGirl
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'''Boreades'''
to:
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'''Boreades'''
'''Zetes''' and '''Kalais''', twin sons of Boreas the North Wind. They joined the Argonauts, and it was they who chased the Harpies away from Phineas.
* WhipItGood
* WingedHumanoid
'''Zetes''' and '''Kalais''', twin sons of Boreas the North Wind. They joined the Argonauts, and it was they who chased the Harpies away from Phineas.
* WhipItGood
* WingedHumanoid
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* BiTheWay: Had a relationship with Patroclus.
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* BiTheWay: Had May or may not have had a homosexual relationship with Patroclus.Patroclus. Than again, he may or may not have been his cousin.
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* BadassNormal: One of Greek Mythology's "A-Lister" heroes, but like Odysseus, she was completely mortal with no divine parents.
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* BadassNormal: One of Greek Mythology's "A-Lister" heroes, but like Odysseus, she was completely mortal with no divine parents. The Ancient Greeks believed that [[ScienceMarchesOn lions could only mate with leopards, not other lions]].
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Changed line(s) 87,88 (click to see context) from:
Greek mythology's most famous heroine, and the only member female of the hero teamup known as the Argonauts, Atalanta was a mortal princess exposed at birth because her father wanted a boy. Was found and suckled by a she-bear before she was discovered and raised by hunters. Grew up to be very beautiful and very fast. Swore an oath of virginity to Artemis, but didn't do a good job keeping it, losing her virginity to Melaeger during or after the events of the Calydonian Boar hunt. This sexual encounter resulted in a child who was also exposed at birth. Eventually she was reunited with her father, who insisted that she get married. She wasn't to keen on this, so she promised to marry the man who could beat her in a foot race, but the losers would be executed.
to:
Greek mythology's most famous heroine, and the only female member female of the hero teamup known as the Argonauts, Atalanta was a mortal princess exposed at birth because her father wanted a boy. Was found and suckled by a she-bear before she was discovered and raised by hunters. Grew up to be very beautiful and very fast. Swore an oath of virginity to Artemis, but didn't do a good job keeping it, losing her virginity to Melaeger during or after the events of the Calydonian Boar hunt. This sexual encounter resulted in a child who was also exposed at birth. Eventually she was reunited with her father, who insisted that she get married. She wasn't to keen on this, so she promised to marry the man who could beat her in a foot race, but the losers would be executed.
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Correction...unless you really want that red link.
Changed line(s) 89 (click to see context) from:
* BadassMortal: One of Greek Mythology's "A-Lister" heroes, but like Odysseus, she was completely mortal with no divine parents.
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* BadassMortal: BadassNormal: One of Greek Mythology's "A-Lister" heroes, but like Odysseus, she was completely mortal with no divine parents.
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'''Atalanta'''
Greek mythology's most famous heroine, and the only member female of the hero teamup known as the Argonauts, Atalanta was a mortal princess exposed at birth because her father wanted a boy. Was found and suckled by a she-bear before she was discovered and raised by hunters. Grew up to be very beautiful and very fast. Swore an oath of virginity to Artemis, but didn't do a good job keeping it, losing her virginity to Melaeger during or after the events of the Calydonian Boar hunt. This sexual encounter resulted in a child who was also exposed at birth. Eventually she was reunited with her father, who insisted that she get married. She wasn't to keen on this, so she promised to marry the man who could beat her in a foot race, but the losers would be executed.
* BadassMortal: One of Greek Mythology's "A-Lister" heroes, but like Odysseus, she was completely mortal with no divine parents.
* BalefulPolymorph: She and her husband, were turned into lions for having sex in Zeus's temple.
* HotAmazon: So hot that men came from all over ancient Greece to risk their lives for her hand. The one guy who finally got her couldn't wait until he got home to consummate the marriage, leading to the embarrassing incident described above.
* MsFanservice: Often depicted in artwork wearing quite revealing clothes, usually very short skirts, and bare breasts, but TurnedUpToEleven with [[http://thanasis.com/store/atal01.jpg this outfit]].
* SuperSpeed
Greek mythology's most famous heroine, and the only member female of the hero teamup known as the Argonauts, Atalanta was a mortal princess exposed at birth because her father wanted a boy. Was found and suckled by a she-bear before she was discovered and raised by hunters. Grew up to be very beautiful and very fast. Swore an oath of virginity to Artemis, but didn't do a good job keeping it, losing her virginity to Melaeger during or after the events of the Calydonian Boar hunt. This sexual encounter resulted in a child who was also exposed at birth. Eventually she was reunited with her father, who insisted that she get married. She wasn't to keen on this, so she promised to marry the man who could beat her in a foot race, but the losers would be executed.
* BadassMortal: One of Greek Mythology's "A-Lister" heroes, but like Odysseus, she was completely mortal with no divine parents.
* BalefulPolymorph: She and her husband, were turned into lions for having sex in Zeus's temple.
* HotAmazon: So hot that men came from all over ancient Greece to risk their lives for her hand. The one guy who finally got her couldn't wait until he got home to consummate the marriage, leading to the embarrassing incident described above.
* MsFanservice: Often depicted in artwork wearing quite revealing clothes, usually very short skirts, and bare breasts, but TurnedUpToEleven with [[http://thanasis.com/store/atal01.jpg this outfit]].
* SuperSpeed
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Changed line(s) 324,325 (click to see context) from:
The epitome of Roman femininity and the reason Romans had a prejudice against admitting they had a King even long after they had an Emperor. When a wager was made over who was the most virtuous wife in Rome spies were sent out and she was found patiently working at her weaving. Whereupon the Etruscan RoyalBrat Sextus raped her in what may count as one of the [[StupidEvil stupidest]] [[ToDumbToLive]] acts in Ancient History. Following this Lucretia is so shamed that she goes before her husband and family and stabs herself [[ValuesDissonance to remove her shame]]. Her family and all of Rome are outraged at the deed done to a [[ProperLady proper Roman woman]] and respond as [[ARealManIsAKiller proper Roman men]] should.
to:
The epitome of Roman femininity and the reason Romans had a prejudice against admitting they had a King even long after they had an Emperor. When a wager was made over who was the most virtuous wife in Rome spies were sent out and she was found patiently working at her weaving. Whereupon the Etruscan RoyalBrat Sextus raped her in what may count as one of the [[StupidEvil stupidest]] [[ToDumbToLive]] acts in Ancient History. Following this Lucretia is so shamed that she goes before her husband and family and stabs herself [[ValuesDissonance to remove her shame]]. Her family and all of Rome are outraged at the deed done to a [[ProperLady proper Roman woman]] and respond as [[ARealManIsAKiller proper Roman men]] should.
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Changed line(s) 324,325 (click to see context) from:
The epitome of Roman femininity and the reason Romans had a prejudice against admitting they had a King even long after they had an Emperor. When a wager was made over who was the most virtuous wife in Rome spies were sent out and she was found patiently working at her weaving. Whereupon the Etruscan RoyalBrat Sextus raped her in what may count as one of the stupidest acts in Ancient History. Whereupon Lucretia is so shamed that she goes before her husband and family and stabs herself [[ValuesDissonance to remove her shame]]. Her family and all of Rome are outraged at the deed done to a [[ProperLady proper Roman woman]] and respond as [[ARealManIsAKiller proper Roman men]] should.
to:
The epitome of Roman femininity and the reason Romans had a prejudice against admitting they had a King even long after they had an Emperor. When a wager was made over who was the most virtuous wife in Rome spies were sent out and she was found patiently working at her weaving. Whereupon the Etruscan RoyalBrat Sextus raped her in what may count as one of the stupidest [[StupidEvil stupidest]] [[ToDumbToLive]] acts in Ancient History. Whereupon Following this Lucretia is so shamed that she goes before her husband and family and stabs herself [[ValuesDissonance to remove her shame]]. Her family and all of Rome are outraged at the deed done to a [[ProperLady proper Roman woman]] and respond as [[ARealManIsAKiller proper Roman men]] should.
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Zero Context Example of renamed trope. The example doesn\'t say how it qualifies for the trope criteria and has been removed. Don\'t readd unless you can tell \'\'why\'\' it qualifies for the trope
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* TheArcher: His skill and strength with a bow was amazing: none of the suitors could even string his bow, much less shoot an arrow through a row of twelve axehandle rings.
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* TheBigGuy: He's the biggest soldier among the Greek forces, and doubles as a MightyGlacier/StoneWall during defensive battles. Outside battle he’s a pretty decent guy
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* TheBigGuy: He's the biggest soldier among the Greek forces, and doubles as a MightyGlacier/StoneWall MightyGlacier or a StoneWall during defensive battles. Outside battle he’s a pretty decent guy
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* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
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* Bash Brothers: Ajax and his illegitimate brother Teucer. Typically the latter will hide behind Ajax's shield and fire over it, providing long-range support, while Ajax handles the close up stuff. It's rather heartwarming when you realize that despite Teucer's bastard status, the two of them are very close
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* Bash Brothers: BashBrothers: Ajax and his illegitimate brother Teucer. Typically the latter will hide behind Ajax's shield and fire over it, providing long-range support, while Ajax handles the close up stuff. It's rather heartwarming when you realize that despite Teucer's bastard status, the two of them are very close
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'''Telamonean Ajax'''
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking
* AxeCrazy: Driven to this after his BlasphemousBoast
* Badass: One of the biggest in the Trojan War
* Bash Brothers: Ajax and his illegitimate brother Teucer. Typically the latter will hide behind Ajax's shield and fire over it, providing long-range support, while Ajax handles the close up stuff. It's rather heartwarming when you realize that despite Teucer's bastard status, the two of them are very close
* TheBigGuy: He's the biggest soldier among the Greek forces, and doubles as a MightyGlacier/StoneWall during defensive battles. Outside battle he’s a pretty decent guy
* BlasphemousBoast: Ajax rejects the gods' help and boasts that he will be the best fighter on his own merit
* BoisterousBruiser
* BreakTheHaughty: Athena, helped along by Ajax himself, does a stellar job of this
* BrainsAndBrawn: The Brawn to Teucer’s Brain
* Determinator: Ajax is a man who is determined to follow his will, no matter what, without the help of the gods
* DissonantLaughter: Though his protracted torture of sheep is upsetting enough for his friends and family, the sheer glee Ajax derives in doing it just makes it worse
* DrivenToSuicide: Once his madness is lifted
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Coming from a culture where self-worth is relative to publicly received respect, Ajax's anger is slightly more understandable. Odysseus wins Achilles' armor through persuasion, but Ajax, now the greatest warrior on the Greek side, has reason to think he deserved it more.
* DueToTheDead: Odysseus, filled with fear and pity at how the gods can humble men, refuses to continue his grudge against Ajax and argues for his proper funeral rites
* GeniusBruiser: The norm for any of the Greek Generals. Ajax actually was quite eloquent and verbose
* GlorySeeker
* HeroicBSOD: Ajax is fairly subdued once he is relieved of his madness and discovers everyone knows what he's done. This is a prelude to suicide
* HonorBeforeReason: And this in part tragically turns out to be his own undoing
* NowYouTellMe: PlayedForDrama when Calchas arrives too late to warn against Ajax leaving his tent
* OneManArmy: Diomedes may have defeated two gods in one day (Ares and Aphrodite), and Patroclus may routed an army until he lost his armor, but both were defeated by Apollo. Ajax, however, was never beaten in the Illiad, even by the gods. In fact, when Zeus forbids the gods from helping the Greeks (but not from opposing them), all the Greek heroes are driven from the field, one by one, except Ajax, who is wounded by several gods, but never stops fighting. How many times can you put "the combined efforts of several gods, while he had none to help him, failed to stop this guy" on someone's resume? He racks up a mook body count roughly equal to Achilles, he defeats Hector in a fair fight within the first five chapters (yeah, that's right, if not for the gods intervening - by making his own allies throw themselves in the way - to keep Ajax from finishing Hector then and there, Ajax would have cut the Illiad down from an epic poem to a short story), and when he actually does die in later It's by suicide. That's right, the only thing badass enough to defeat Ajax is... Ajax. Wow.
* TragicHero: Flawed through his pride and individualism which are also his best assets
* WorthyOpponent: After his CombatByChampion against Hector, both warriors are so impressed with the other that they exchange tokens as symbols of respect and admiration
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking
* AxeCrazy: Driven to this after his BlasphemousBoast
* Badass: One of the biggest in the Trojan War
* Bash Brothers: Ajax and his illegitimate brother Teucer. Typically the latter will hide behind Ajax's shield and fire over it, providing long-range support, while Ajax handles the close up stuff. It's rather heartwarming when you realize that despite Teucer's bastard status, the two of them are very close
* TheBigGuy: He's the biggest soldier among the Greek forces, and doubles as a MightyGlacier/StoneWall during defensive battles. Outside battle he’s a pretty decent guy
* BlasphemousBoast: Ajax rejects the gods' help and boasts that he will be the best fighter on his own merit
* BoisterousBruiser
* BreakTheHaughty: Athena, helped along by Ajax himself, does a stellar job of this
* BrainsAndBrawn: The Brawn to Teucer’s Brain
* Determinator: Ajax is a man who is determined to follow his will, no matter what, without the help of the gods
* DissonantLaughter: Though his protracted torture of sheep is upsetting enough for his friends and family, the sheer glee Ajax derives in doing it just makes it worse
* DrivenToSuicide: Once his madness is lifted
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Coming from a culture where self-worth is relative to publicly received respect, Ajax's anger is slightly more understandable. Odysseus wins Achilles' armor through persuasion, but Ajax, now the greatest warrior on the Greek side, has reason to think he deserved it more.
* DueToTheDead: Odysseus, filled with fear and pity at how the gods can humble men, refuses to continue his grudge against Ajax and argues for his proper funeral rites
* GeniusBruiser: The norm for any of the Greek Generals. Ajax actually was quite eloquent and verbose
* GlorySeeker
* HeroicBSOD: Ajax is fairly subdued once he is relieved of his madness and discovers everyone knows what he's done. This is a prelude to suicide
* HonorBeforeReason: And this in part tragically turns out to be his own undoing
* NowYouTellMe: PlayedForDrama when Calchas arrives too late to warn against Ajax leaving his tent
* OneManArmy: Diomedes may have defeated two gods in one day (Ares and Aphrodite), and Patroclus may routed an army until he lost his armor, but both were defeated by Apollo. Ajax, however, was never beaten in the Illiad, even by the gods. In fact, when Zeus forbids the gods from helping the Greeks (but not from opposing them), all the Greek heroes are driven from the field, one by one, except Ajax, who is wounded by several gods, but never stops fighting. How many times can you put "the combined efforts of several gods, while he had none to help him, failed to stop this guy" on someone's resume? He racks up a mook body count roughly equal to Achilles, he defeats Hector in a fair fight within the first five chapters (yeah, that's right, if not for the gods intervening - by making his own allies throw themselves in the way - to keep Ajax from finishing Hector then and there, Ajax would have cut the Illiad down from an epic poem to a short story), and when he actually does die in later It's by suicide. That's right, the only thing badass enough to defeat Ajax is... Ajax. Wow.
* TragicHero: Flawed through his pride and individualism which are also his best assets
* WorthyOpponent: After his CombatByChampion against Hector, both warriors are so impressed with the other that they exchange tokens as symbols of respect and admiration
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'''Hector'''
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking
* {{Badass}}
* GoodParents
* HeroAntagonist: Considered to be this of TheIliad.
* HonorBeforeReason
* KnightInShiningArmor: Essentially a misplaced one BornInTheWrongCentury (And before knights came to be properly).
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
* TragicHero
* WarriorPrince: Crown Prince of Troy and their champion to boot.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking
* {{Badass}}
* GoodParents
* HeroAntagonist: Considered to be this of TheIliad.
* HonorBeforeReason
* KnightInShiningArmor: Essentially a misplaced one BornInTheWrongCentury (And before knights came to be properly).
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
* TragicHero
* WarriorPrince: Crown Prince of Troy and their champion to boot.
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* AssholeVictim: At the hands of Clytemnestra. Or at least modern standards. In this particular case is rather hard and difficult to pinpoint which of them really is the bigger asshole. They both had their countless moments, and even the main driving reason for Clytemnestra’s killing of him, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, rings rather hollow when one takes into consideration she was more than willing to kill Electra and Orestes
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* AssholeVictim: At the hands of Clytemnestra. Or at least modern standards. In this particular case is rather hard and difficult to pinpoint which of them really is the bigger asshole. They both had their countless moments, and even the main driving reason for Clytemnestra’s killing of him, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, rings rather hollow when one takes into consideration she was more than willing to kill Electra and Orestes Orestes
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* GeniusBruiser: Nowhere near Odysseus level, but being a GeniusBruiser was the norm for any king at the time. His ghost actually gives Odysseus some rather sage advice about being prepared for anything when arriving ones own home
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* GeniusBruiser: Nowhere near Odysseus level, but being a GeniusBruiser was the norm for any king at the time. His ghost actually gives Odysseus some rather sage advice about being prepared for anything when arriving ones own home home
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'''Agamemnon'''
* AdaptationalVillainy: The man was no saint, but he was no more “evil” than the rest of the Greek warriors during the war. The film Troy has him as a borderline CompleteMonster and an example of AmbitionIsEvil
* AssholeVictim: At the hands of Clytemnestra. Or at least modern standards. In this particular case is rather hard and difficult to pinpoint which of them really is the bigger asshole. They both had their countless moments, and even the main driving reason for Clytemnestra’s killing of him, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, rings rather hollow when one takes into consideration she was more than willing to kill Electra and Orestes
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: If Achilles is so badass, why is Agamemnon in charge? He has the most ships, by ten.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking
* Badass
* TheBerserker: To the surprise of anyone familiar with the various adaptations. Seriously, read his rampage in Book 11. It screams Unstoppable Rage.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Agamemnon in the original ClassicalMythology has this in spades. Paris fucked with Menelaus, Agamemnon would make Troy ''burn''
* BigGood: Agamemnon is a subversion. He's the leader of the Greeks and the one who began the campaign, but not even he can resist the temptation to KickTheDog.
* BigScrewedUpFamily
* BlasphemousBoast: Agamemnon's claim after killing a deer. Artemis was not happy
* BreakTheHaughty
* FatalFlaw: Agamemnon's is his pride. His refusal to initially realize that his treatment of Achilles is unfair leads to his army's near defeat, although this consequence pales in comparison to Achilles' and Hector's. He does later realize the foolishness of this action, but never admits any blame or apologizes
* GeniusBruiser: Nowhere near Odysseus level, but being a GeniusBruiser was the norm for any king at the time. His ghost actually gives Odysseus some rather sage advice about being prepared for anything when arriving ones own home
* GoodParents: Tragically, it’s strongly implied by Electra’s memories of him that he was this before everything when to hell
* RightfulKingReturns: It goes much less pleasant that some of his other brethren
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Early on, in preparation for an attack, Agamemnon tests the Greeks' fighting spirit by saying, in short, "We'll never take Troy; let's pack up and go home." The leaders then have to stop their troops from following through
* ShipperOnDeck: Agamemnon becomes exponentially funnier if you view him as a Helen/Menelaus shipper. It's not even inaccurate.
* TragicHero
* VirginSacrifice: Agamemnon had to kill one of his daughters, Iphigenia, for a favorable wind in order to go to war
* AdaptationalVillainy: The man was no saint, but he was no more “evil” than the rest of the Greek warriors during the war. The film Troy has him as a borderline CompleteMonster and an example of AmbitionIsEvil
* AssholeVictim: At the hands of Clytemnestra. Or at least modern standards. In this particular case is rather hard and difficult to pinpoint which of them really is the bigger asshole. They both had their countless moments, and even the main driving reason for Clytemnestra’s killing of him, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, rings rather hollow when one takes into consideration she was more than willing to kill Electra and Orestes
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: If Achilles is so badass, why is Agamemnon in charge? He has the most ships, by ten.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking
* Badass
* TheBerserker: To the surprise of anyone familiar with the various adaptations. Seriously, read his rampage in Book 11. It screams Unstoppable Rage.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Agamemnon in the original ClassicalMythology has this in spades. Paris fucked with Menelaus, Agamemnon would make Troy ''burn''
* BigGood: Agamemnon is a subversion. He's the leader of the Greeks and the one who began the campaign, but not even he can resist the temptation to KickTheDog.
* BigScrewedUpFamily
* BlasphemousBoast: Agamemnon's claim after killing a deer. Artemis was not happy
* BreakTheHaughty
* FatalFlaw: Agamemnon's is his pride. His refusal to initially realize that his treatment of Achilles is unfair leads to his army's near defeat, although this consequence pales in comparison to Achilles' and Hector's. He does later realize the foolishness of this action, but never admits any blame or apologizes
* GeniusBruiser: Nowhere near Odysseus level, but being a GeniusBruiser was the norm for any king at the time. His ghost actually gives Odysseus some rather sage advice about being prepared for anything when arriving ones own home
* GoodParents: Tragically, it’s strongly implied by Electra’s memories of him that he was this before everything when to hell
* RightfulKingReturns: It goes much less pleasant that some of his other brethren
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Early on, in preparation for an attack, Agamemnon tests the Greeks' fighting spirit by saying, in short, "We'll never take Troy; let's pack up and go home." The leaders then have to stop their troops from following through
* ShipperOnDeck: Agamemnon becomes exponentially funnier if you view him as a Helen/Menelaus shipper. It's not even inaccurate.
* TragicHero
* VirginSacrifice: Agamemnon had to kill one of his daughters, Iphigenia, for a favorable wind in order to go to war
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* DefiledForever: Played with. She apparently thought she was. Her husband had no such thoughts at least according to one version. And in any case she ended up being made a heroine of Rome; whether or not it was because her suicide was felt to have "cleansed" her is debatable.
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* RapeAndRevengeRapeAndRevenge: Including starting a whole war because of it and beginning the building of TheRomanEmpire.
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'''Satyrs'''
Rustic fertility spirits, companions of Dionysus/Pan, originally quite different from the goat-like fauns (Or Panes), they were depicted as short, hairy men with assinine ears, snub-noses, horse-like ears and erect members.
* BeastMan
* BiggerIsBetterInBed
* FaunsAndSatyrs: TropeNamer
* MagicalFlutist: With panpipes, like Pan himself.
'''Nymphes'''
Beautiful female nature spirits, considered desirable maids by mortals and gods alike. Frequently appearing in the company of gods as loyal followers as well. There were many subgroupings of nymphs, but the most famous were the Hesperides (who tend the garden with the golden apples), [[PlantPerson Dryades]] (tree spirits), [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent Naiads, Nereids, Oceanids]] (different kinds of water nymphs), Maenids (or Bacchai/Bacchantes, the one who hang out with Bacchus/Dionysus so they can party all the time), and the Muses.
* TheAgeless
* FairySexy
* InhumanlyBeautifulRace
* NatureSpirit
* OurElvesAreBetter
* OurFairiesAreDifferent
'''Herakles''' (Hercules)
Son of Zeus and mortal Queen Alcmene and the most famous classical hero, known as '''Hercules''' in Latin. His name means ''glory of Hera'' (explanations for this name are varied), but she hated him and tried her best to kill him since his infancy. His real name is Aclides (Aclaeus) but after seeing the priestess at Delphi, he changed his name. Most famous for his Twelve Labors (essentially one FetchQuest after another), [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover turning up in other people's stories]] whenever a strongman is needed, and eventually became a full god upon his death.
* AccidentalPornomancer: Hercules got a lot of action thrown his way. In particular, there was the matter of the fifty princesses...
* AllAmazonsWantHercules: TropeNamer. Queen Hippolyta was so impressed by his muscular frame that she gave up her belt freely.
* AntiHero: By modern standards, he wasn't exactly a paragon of heroic virtue. He killed more than one innocent person simply for being too close when his temper got the better of him. That said, he went to great lengths to help his friends, and by killing monsters like the Hydra and the Nemean Lion and murderous humans like the ghoulish Cycnus he did mankind a world of good.
* AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: After his death, it's said he became a full god himself.
* ArchEnemy: Hera.
* TheAtoner: His twelve labors were to atone for killing his family in a Hera-induced rage.
* TheBigGuy
* BiTheWay: This being GreekMythology, hardly surprising.
* BoisterousBruiser
* BookDumb: He wasn't as clever as the likes of Nestor or Odysseus, but Heracles had a remarkable talent for thinking on his feet in situations when his strength alone wouldn't cut it. Examples include his defeating Antaeus, tricking Atlas to take back possession of the sky and his escaping from a sacrificial altar by using the claws of his lion cloak to cut through the bindings. Not for nothing did Athena like Heracles more than any other Olympian except Zeus. The guy wasn't terribly bright, but he was a natural battle strategist.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Heracles is already a tough guy, but the impenetrable Nemean Lion's pelt cloak made him almost invulnerable. He even dons the aegis of Zeus himself when he's in a pinch against Alebion, his brother Bergion and their army; with Zeus's aegis, he manages to come out on top.
* DeathGlare: The reason Charon give him free ride for the twelfth labor.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: So many, but beating up Thanatos (the Greek god of '''Death''') is just one example. He takes it even further when he decides to sack Pylos. Hercules takes on '''Hera''', '''Ares''', '''Hades''' and '''Poseidon''' with only Artemis to aid him. He spears Ares in the thigh, wounds Hera in her right breast and shoots Hades in the shoulder with his arrows. If that wasn't overkill, he shoots Apollo in the shoulder just for trying to heal Ares.
* [[TropeCodifier The]] [[TheHero Hero]]
* HotBlooded: And holy SHIT, how. This guy would go stage a HUGE war for a mere verbal insult one day, and at the other he'd fight Thanatos to bring an old friend's dead wife back to life.
* TheJuggernaut: If you weren't Zeus or Apollo, you might as well just pack it in if Herc wanted a piece of you. Notably, he conquered Troy with ''12 men'' at his side. A generation later, it would basically take all of Greece throwing their badasses at Troy to take it down -- and it still took ten years to do it.
* TheLancer: To Jason on the Argo.
* MeaningfulName: According to some authors, the name came from the glory he gained overcoming all the obstacles Hera threw his way.
** [[IconicCharacters Later on, anyone named Hercules was or a derivative of Hercules or Heracles was usually either]] [[PhysicalGod very powerful]] [[IconicCharacters or]] [[TheHero a hero]].
* NonindicativeName: In other versions, his name was an attempt to appease Hera but really didn't work at all to that end.
* OurFounder: The Spartans claimed descent from him.
** It wasn't just the Spartans. Most Greek Kings claimed descent from him to justify their right to rule. Even Alexander the Great claimed descent from [[WorldsStrongestMan Heracles]] through his father, and descent from [[InvincibleHero Achilles]] through his mother.
* ParentalFavouritism: Zeus liked to brag about Hercules to the extent that it intesified Hera's hatred of Hercules.
* RatedMForManly: The reason the Greeks admired Heracles more than any other hero was because he best represented the traits they admired, such as sexual prowess, athletic skill and success in war.
* ReallyGetsAround: Like father, like son. His "thirteenth" labour involved sleeping with 50 daughters in a single night. Every single one of them was knocked up.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Laomedon and Augeas both tried to cheat him, while Neleus refused to purify him. Heracles responded with this trope in spades.
* ShoottheMedicFirst: Inverted, as he only shoots Apollo after he starts healing Ares, whome Hercules had previously speared in the thigh.
* SuperStrength: He's stronger than most gods, let alone mere mortals, [[EverybodyKnowsThat but you probably already knew that. It's even in the dictionary after all.]]
* TooDumbToLive: This doesn't apply to Heracles himself, but rather to anyone who deliberately crossed him. King Augeas and King Laomedon both broke the agreements they made with him, while King Neleus refused to purify him after he'd killed his friend Iphitus in a moment of temper. Heracles exacted a rather bloody revenge on them for screwing him over.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Some interpretations of his character.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: One of his Twelve Labors is to capture Ceryneian Hind, a sacred deer of Artemis, so fast that it can [[SuperSpeed outrun an arrow]]. In one version, he simply chased after it, and while he isn't fast enough to catch it, it's enough that the deer doesn't has a chance to rest either. After '''whole year''' of running, the deer gave up.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Omphale, Queen of Lydia, forced him to dress in woman's clothing and do women's work. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny To add insult to injury, she wore his Nemean Lion skin during this.]] It turn out to be beneficial for Heracles though - [[CharacterDevelopment a couple of peaceful years of crossdressing and housework made him much more calm.]]
* WorldsStrongestMan: [[TropeNamer Well]], [[CaptainObvious duh.]]
'''Perseus'''
Perseus was the Greek hero who killed the Gorgon Medusa in order to fulfill the evil king Polydectes's demands and save his mother from the guy. Along the way he married Andromeda, having rescued her from a sea monster sent by Poseidon in retribution for Andromeda's Queen Cassiopeia declaring herself more beautiful than the sea nymphs.
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: What Perseus uses to kill Medusa.
* BerserkButton: Do not try anything with his mother, just… don’t.
* BigDamnHeroes: He pulls this twice. The first time is the saving of his future wife and lover, Andromeda, from the keto (sea monster) to which she was to be sacrificed. The second one was to his beloved mother, as he manages to arrive just in time to stop her marriage to King Polydectes and in fury he uses Medusa’s head on him.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Some myths have him doing this to Andromeda’s parents for their actions, especially her mother. But in other interpretations, Acrisios's death was an accident.
* TheChosenOne: The Gods themselves chose him to slay Medusa, and the prophets set him on that path by seeing another aspect of his future and telling what they saw.
* GuileHero: Sometime seen as this, as he overcame the two biggest challenges in his trip to kill Medusa; his introduction to the Graeae and the killing of Medusa herself, with quick thinking and rather ingenious planning. Could also be considered to be a GeniusBruiser.
** In one account Athena guided his hand to slay Medusa.
* HappilyAdopted: After she got pregnant, Perseus's mother Danae was set adrift at sea in a large chest. When she washed up on shore, she was found by the kindly fisherman Dictys, who brought her into his home and effectively served as an adoptive father to Perseus. Perseus later paid him back by giving him Polydectes's throne after the bastard was turned to stone, and had him marry Danae.
* HappilyMarried: Perseus and Andromeda have this, one of the incredibly few and most memorable in Greek Mythology.
* HeroicBastard: One of the many, many, many offspring of Zeus.
* ImpossibleTask: King Polydectes sending Perseus to bring him the head of Medusa.
* ItWasAGift: The other interpretation being that rather than his wits, it was the gifts various gods gave him that made it possible for him to kill Medusa. Maybe it was a combination of the two.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Perseus using his shield as a mirror in order to kill Medusa without having to look at her is a classic example from Greek mythology.
* MommasBoy: An incredibly Badass version of one.
* NiceGuy: By far one if the most heroic characters in Greek Mythology by modern standards, he is a loving and fiercely devoted and protective son, a loving and completely faithful lover and husband to Andromeda, and a fair and just ruler of Mycenae.
* OurFounder: The first demigod hero and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenae#Mycenae_in_Classical_Greek_mythology_and_legends mythical founder of Mycenae]], kicking off the [[TheTimeOfMyths Mycenaen age]] of AncientGreece.
* RescueRomance: With Andromeda.
* SelfFulfillingProphecy: His killing of Acrisios.
* SupernaturalAid: The Gods them selves are on his side, especially Athena. Though they can't help him ''directly''.
* TakenForGranite: With Medusa’s head, he does this to both the sea monster (saving Andromeda) and Polydectes (saving his mother).
'''Medea'''
A powerful demi-goddess, sorceress, and princess of a distant kingdom, who ends up betraying her own father and brother for Jason. Jason proceeds to [[IdiotBall royally piss her off]]: see the tragedy named after her for the results.
* AxeCrazy
* EvilChancellor: To Theseus' father. Her plan to kill Theseus was foiled but again she escaped.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: As she escaped with Jason, she took her brother along and chopped him up and threw his body parts into the sea to slow down their pursuers. You'd think Jason would notice that there's something wrong with her at this point.
* HotWitch
* KarmaHoudini: Ascended to godhood after death.
* MagicalGirlfriend: Unfortunately for Jason, a {{Dark Magical Girl}}friend: which eventually turned her into a...
* PsychoExGirlfriend: Jason should have known what he was getting into; the woman ''killed and dismembered her own brother'' to slow down her father's pursuit.
* WomanScorned: [[TropeNamer The phrase comes from Euripides' play]] entitled, well, ''Theatre/{{Medea}}'', making her the TropeNamer.
* {{Yandere}}
'''Orpheus'''
Son of Muse Calliope and learned musical skills from Apollo. Even the famous Sirens couldn't beat Orpheus when it come to singing. After his wife Eurydice died, Orpheus travelled to the underworld and got past all obstacles by his music, even softening the hearts of Hades and Persephone. Hades agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. Orpheus failed, either because he was careless or just unable to trust Hades wholeheartly. Heartbroken, Orpheus disdained the worship of all gods save for Apollo. One morning, he went to salute Apollo, but was rent to pieces by Maenads for not honoring Dionysus.
* BiTheWay
* {{Determinator}}
* DisproportionateRetribution: On the receiving end: The Maenads, AxCrazy followers of Dionysus, tore him apart for not singing happy songs.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Hades did warn him that Orpheus would never meet Eurydice again if he failed the trial. Some text say he wasn't dead even when vivisected, his head still singing mournful songs. That's until inhabitants of Lesbos Island buried his head and built a shrine in his honour.
* HeroicBSOD: Has one since Eurydice's death; he recovered for a while, but losing her for a second time put him over the DespairEventHorizon.
* MagicMusic: His music and singing can charm birds, fish and wild beasts, coax the trees and rocks into dance, and even divert the course of rivers. His song even beat the song of Sirens; some texts even say the Sirens committed suicide afterward. Then he calmed down Cerberus, got TheHeartless Charon to let him ride for free, and made Hades shed ManlyTears.
* NonActionGuy: He is not remembered for killing monsters or slaughtering warriors.
* OrpheanRescue: The TropeNamer.
'''Odysseus'''
King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, and son of Laërtes and Anticlea, Odysseus is renowned for his guile and resourcefulness, and is hence known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning (mētis, or "cunning intelligence"). He is most famous for the twenty eventful years he took to return home after the ten-year Trojan War and his famous Trojan Horse trick. The Romans called him '''Ulysses'''.
* AbdicateTheThrone: Odysseus leaves Thesprotia to Polypoites after the queen dies. Admittedly, he just goes right back to being king in Ithaca.
* AdaptationalVillainy: Odysseus (Ulysses) is treated as a pure villain in Roman mythology, such as in ''Literature/TheAeneid'', and later works influenced by it, like ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''.
* TheAlliance: It was his idea in order to stop a battle between the Kings Of Greece for the hand of Helen by creating this. It actually came to bite him in the ass later on. But he tried to escape even this.
* TheArcher: His skill and strength with a bow was amazing: none of the suitors could even string his bow, much less shoot an arrow through a row of twelve axehandle rings.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Odysseus is generally depicted as unwilling, though.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking
* {{Badass}}
* BadassNormal: Considered a major Greek hero, alongside Heracles, Achilles, Perseus, Theseus...you get the idea. But unlike most other Greek heroes, Odysseus isn't a demigod.
* BashBrothers: With Diomedes. It also has a BrainsAndBrawn dynamic, especially in the 10th book
* BadassBoast: Odysseus does this to Polyphemos the cyclops. This, however, bites him in the ass when Polyphemos, having learned Odysseus's name through his boasting, invokes a favor from his father Poseidon to make his journey home a living nightmare. Daddy delivers.
* BluffTheImposter: Invoked when he returned home and revealed himself to his wife. She doesn't quite believe him, and makes an offhand remark that their bed was moved. Odysseus states that his bed's headboard is part of a massive tree (which he himself carved) that the palace is built around, and that it's virtually impossible to move. This removes any lingering doubt.
* CallToAgriculture: Odysseus' goal after going home.
* DoubleStandard: Odysseus screws a number of women. Penelope waits twenty years for a husband that she believes to be dead and never cracks. But in the Odyssey he [[DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal is made a love-slave very much against his will]] by [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale goddesses Circe and Calypso]], yet resisted the allure of mortal women such as Nausicaa. There are non-Homeric versions of his story where he cheats on Penelope with mortals and/or where Penelope cheats on him with one or more of her suitors.)
* EyeScream: Eat Odysseus' sailors and reap the consequences!
* GeniusBruiser
* GuileHero: His most dangerous weapon by far was his tremendously sharp mind.
* HappilyMarried: In ''The Odyssey'', where all he wants to do is get home to his wife. Yes there are stories where he cheats on her and/or she cheats on him, but they're not by Homer, which makes them the ancient Greek equivalent of ''fanfiction''; in the real canon he is faithful to Penelope and she to him.
* HomoeroticSubtext: With Eurymachus.
* TheInfiltration: Odysseus's recon of Troy
* InsaneTrollLogic: ScyllaAndCharybdis. One will eat some of his men, the other will eat ''all'' his men.
* KingIncognito: Before taking his final revenge on the suitors.
* PapaWolf
* RightfulKingReturns: He successfully got home and regained his throne.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Odysseus slaughters every suitor and twelve maids in his home once he returns.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He is king and warrior.
* SchmuckBait: He thinks and plans the greatest one in recorded legend, the TrojanHorse.
* TheSmartGuy
* SupernaturalAid: Athena took a shine to him during the Trojan War and continued to help him on his journey home.
* TheTrickster: Which makes sense when you remember that he is the grandson of [[LovableRogue Autolycus, the world's greatest thief]], which makes Hermes, the TricksterArchetype himself, his great-grandfather. He may also be the son of [[ManipulativeBastard Sisyphus]], the [[DidYouJustScamCthulhu god-swindling]] SOB who seduced his mother on her wedding night, so no matter how you look at it, guile is InTheBlood.
* UnreliableNarrator: Odysseus is hinted to be one of these, talking about stuff that he couldn't possibly know.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever?: Odysseus could have become immortal living with eternally youthful Circe or Calypso, but chose to return to Ithaca and his aging wife. Ironically, in a common continuation of the myth, his two sons and his widow do become immortal.
* WorthyOpponent: Even the Trojans were in awe of this man. He was considered one of the mightiest and most respectable Achaians during the war.
* YouCantFightFate: Odysseus was fated to die a death from the sea...Telegonus sails in and unknowingly kills him with a sting ray spear.
'''Achilles'''
* AchillesHeel: TropeNamer
* AchillesInHisTent: Once again, the TropeNamer.
* AntiHero: Bordering on VillainProtagonist. Achilles performs many acts of douchebaggery throughout the poem and is one of the biggest jerks in ancient literature. This makes for a good foil between him and Hector, who can be seen as much more heroic than his Greek opponent.
* ARealManIsAKiller: Could be the UrExample in ancient times and still hold up today. However, Achilles's experience in the battlefield was minimal compared to the rest of the kings taking part in the war, and he was more of a loose cannon at best.
* {{Badass}}: One of the biggest ones in literature.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Achilles asks Zeus to help the Trojans punish the Greeks for Agamemnon's unfairness towards him, which ends in his friend Patroclus' death.
* BiTheWay: Had a relationship with Patroclus.
* BloodKnight: He's not fighting in the Trojan War for honor, or for gain. He's fighting because he likes it...and because he's very, very good at it.
* BoringInvincibleHero:
* TheBerserker: One of the most widely known in literature.
* BreakTheHaughty
* ByronicHero
* DeathIsDramatic: Chasing the entire Trojan army into the city, taken down by Paris with the help of Apollo? Achilles is just that {{Badass}}.
* DivineParentage
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: During his RoaringRampageOfRevenge he beats down the local river god... while crossing his river.
* DoomedByCanon
* FatalFlaw: Both pride and wrath.
* GloryHound
* HeroicBSOD: After Patroclus's death. His RoaringRampageOfRevenge happens shortly after he breaks out of it.
* ItsAllMyFault: His belief regarding Patroclus's death. He’s not wrong.
* ManlyTears: The most famous example being between Achilles and King Priam when Priam begs Achilles to return the body of his son Hector for burial. Priam's passion moves Achilles who begins thinking about his lost friend Patroclus; and the two men weep together over the respective loss.
* MommasBoy
* NietzscheWannabe
* NotSoInvincibleAfterAll
* OneManArmy
* PsychopathicManchild: He has his moments.
* PsychoForHire: Some interpretations of the Illiad depict Achilles and his Myrmidons as a tribe of BloodKnight mercenary nutjobs.
* RedHeadedHero
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Easily the most legendary one in literature.
* TooPowerfulToLive
* WhatADrag: Achilles drags Hector's body with his chariot after killing him.
* WorthyOpponent: Memnon and Hector were this to him.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He was fully aware of it, but preferred a glorious death to an obscure old age.
'''Theseus'''
Perhaps the most famous son of Poseidon -- unless the mortal Aigeus was his real father after all. He is most well known for slaying the Minotaur and ruling the city of Athens. Among his other deeds are killing serial killers, with Heracles inventing the mixed martial art of pankration, and his interactions with other famous mythological people like Heracles, Oedipus, and Medea.
* AbductionIsLove: Theseus had a nasty habit of kidnapping women against their will or their husbands'.
* AllAmazonsWantHercules: Averted: Theseus kidnaps the Amazon queen, starting a war.
* CainAndAbel: Many of the serial killers Theseus killed were his half-brothers through Poseidon.
* GeniusBruiser: Not very well known, but the way he retrieved his father's sword and shoes in the SecretTestOfCharacter and the way he defeated the three bandits in the road to Athens showcase this.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Guest stars in several stories where he is not the focus, but his other adventures are alluded to.
* TheJailBaitWait: When Theseus kidnapped Helen, she was just a little girl. He intented to marry her when she gets old enough, but her brother (Castor and Pollux) rescued her while Theseus was trapped in Underworld.
* OldManMarryingAChild : Decided to abduct and marry Helen of Troy. She was so young he had to [[JailBaitWait wait till she reached marriageable age]] compared to himself, who was already fully grown and married once. Subverted as he soon got trapped in the underworld and Helen got rescued by her brothers Castor and Pollux.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Does this to all the {{Serial Killer}}s (because seriously, that's what they are) that he meets on the road to Athens, killing them all in the same way that they killed their victims.
* PetTheDog: He gladly and without hesitation gave asylum to Oedipus when so many cities had denied him this. In Euripides' and Seneca's plays about Heracles, he does the same for Heracles after he murdered his wife and child.
* SuperStrength: Some accounts he killed the Minotaur with his bare hands.
* TooDumbToLive: He and his friend Perithoos once swore oaths to help each other get new wives. Theseus wanted Helen, but Perithoos decided to abduct Perspheone, wife of Hades. This was ''not'' a good idea, and Theseus [[ThisisGonnaSuck knew it]], but could not break his oath. Thus, the trope is subverted for Theseus, but played completely straight with Perithoos. Theseus was eventually freed from the underworld by Heracles, but Perithoos was not so lucky.
** On Theseus' way back to Athens from Crete, he experienced several idiotic moments. For example, he managed to leave Ariadne, the woman who had helped him to exit the labyrinth by giving him a thread to tie to the entrance, on an island. He just got up and sailed away without her. Later on that same journey, he forgot to change the sails on his ship - he had set out with black sails, and promised to switch them for white if he returned victorious. Seeing the ship with black sails enter the harbour, his father Aegeus was overcome with grief and threw himself into the sea (now called the 'Aegean'). Justified in some version, he didn't just abandon Ariadne, but was forced to leave her by [[JerkassGod Dionysus]] so he can seduce her. And [[HeroicBSOD he didn't recover from sorrow]], completely forgot about the flag, until it's too late.
* TheUnchosenOne: Compared to Perseus he had to do everything all on his own.
'''Oidipous''' (Oedipus)
* AbdicateTheThrone: In {{Sophocles}}'s play ''Theatre/OedipusRex'' he exiled himself from Thebes, although {{Homer}} had him continue ruling until his death.
* AntiHero: How he comes off to modern readers depending on which version of his confrontation with Laios you know.
* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: The eponymous character kills his father for basically cutting him off in traffic (and being a complete {{Jerkass}} about it). He marries his mother, completing the other half of the famous complex, at leisure though. Having been adopted by another family and kept in the dark about his parentage, he did not recognize either one.
* AwfulTruth: Guess. By modern times it has become ItWasHisSled.
* BlindSeer: He becomes this in {{Sophocles}}'s ''Theatre/OedipusAtColonus''.
* BreakTheHaughty: In spades. Oedipus goes from a strong and beloved king to a shell of his former self in the course of a single day.
* {{Determinator}}: He ''had'' to find out who killed the king.
* EyeScream: A broach pin to the eye cannot feel good. That is one painful version of BrainBleach.
* GuileHero: His defeat of the Sphinx makes him the epitome of this.
* HiredToHuntYourself: His crusade to find out who killed the king. The issue being [[TomatoInTheMirror he was unaware that this was the case]].
* IHaveNoSon: Although Antigone is so great she's almost a substitute for one.
* {{Irony}}: He's its bitch.
* OedipusComplex: TropeNamer, though he himself did none of that deliberately or knowingly.
* OlderAndWiser: In ''Theatre/OedipusAtColonus''.
* ParentalIncest: Oedipus's wife is his mother and all his children are also his half-siblings.
* {{Patricide}}: The killing of King Laios.
* PoorCommunicationKills: All of this might have been avoided if Oedipus's adoptive parents had just ''told'' him he was adopted. Perhaps they were justified, since in those days being of uncertain descent could cause no end of problems for a person in a prominent position.
* PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: Unfortunately for Oedipus.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Part of the great tragedy of his life was the fact that he was this as a king.
* ThanatosGambit: Oedipus makes sure that Thebes will not benefit from his death, and ensures the future success of Athens.
* TragicHero: In Sophocles's plays, Oedipus is one that has survived from his tragic fall and since gained some measure of dignity back through the blessing his bones will bring to Athens.
* WalkingTheEarth: In {{Sophocles}}'s plays, after leaving Thebes, until he found assylum at Athens.
* YouCantFightFate: Despite his best intentions to avoid it, Oedipus ends up fulfilling the prophecy.
'''Sisyphus'''
One of the worst of Tartarus' residents, Sisyphus was damned to eternally roll a rock up a hill. The rock would inevitably turn and roll back down just as he was achieving anything. This was ''not'' DisproportionateRetribution for his crimes.
* CainAndAbel: With his brother, Salmoneus, going so far as to consult the oracle at Delphi on how to kill Salmoneus without incurring any penalties, and seducing his neice Tyro just to hurt Salmoneus.
* TheCasanova: In addition to seducing Odysseus' mother on her wedding night, Sisyphus had numerous other affairs, including one with his neice, Tyro.
* TheCharmer
* TheChessmaster: Planned for almost everything, including his own death.
* ConMan
* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Repeatedly. He persuades Death to put on the handcuffs that were meant for him, talks Persephone into letting him to return to life to haunt his wife, exposes Zeus' secrets...this guy was a a one-man Cthulhu-conning operation.
* EvilGenius
* {{Greed}}: Killed travellers and took their stuff.
* LikeABadassOutOfHell: ''Twice''.
* LukeIAmYourFather: He may be Odysseus' real father.
* ManipulativeBastard
* {{Pride}}: Believed himself to be smarter than Zeus. Then again...
* SisyphusVsRock: Original TropeNamer.
* TailorMadePrison: Was forced to roll a rock up a hill every day. It took his mind off of plotting and scheming a way to escape the Underworld a third time.
* TalkingYourWayOut: Repeatedly.
* TheUndead: Persuaded Persephone to let him return to life to haunt his wife.
'''Romulus & Remus'''
Twins and Co-fouonders of Rome. Their father was [[WarGod Mars]] appropriately given their cities [[WarIsGlorious most famous occupation]] and their stepmother was equally appropriately a she-[[BigBadassWolf wolf]] (either that or a prostitute; it's the same word in Latin). Remus is killed by Romulus in a quarrel.
* CainAndAbel
* DivineParentage
* FounderOfTheKingdom
* RaisedByWolves
* SiblingTeam
'''Lucretia'''
The epitome of Roman femininity and the reason Romans had a prejudice against admitting they had a King even long after they had an Emperor. When a wager was made over who was the most virtuous wife in Rome spies were sent out and she was found patiently working at her weaving. Whereupon the Etruscan RoyalBrat Sextus raped her in what may count as one of the stupidest acts in Ancient History. Whereupon Lucretia is so shamed that she goes before her husband and family and stabs herself [[ValuesDissonance to remove her shame]]. Her family and all of Rome are outraged at the deed done to a [[ProperLady proper Roman woman]] and respond as [[ARealManIsAKiller proper Roman men]] should.
* [[HonorRelatedAbuse Honor Related Suicide]]
* [[PapaWolf Papa Wolf and Husband Wolf]]: The first two people she meets after the incident. These swear a blood oath against Sextus. Latter they are joined making it Every Wolf In Rome.
* MuggingTheMonster: Well, Rome wasn't exactly the [[TheGloryThatWasRome most famous]] [[BadassArmy military power]] in the history of civilization yet. Still that kind of thing was not well-advised.
* ProperLady
* RapeAndRevenge
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge
* TextileWorkIsFeminine
* ThisMeansWar
'''Three Horatii'''
Roman triplets and great warriors. Most famous for defending a bridge against the Etruscan forces.
* BadassFamily
* HeroicVow : The Oath of the Horatii
* SiblingTeam
* ValuesDissonance: One of them, Horatius, kills his sister for daring to mourn her betrothed who was killed fighting for the other side.
* YouShallNotPass
Rustic fertility spirits, companions of Dionysus/Pan, originally quite different from the goat-like fauns (Or Panes), they were depicted as short, hairy men with assinine ears, snub-noses, horse-like ears and erect members.
* BeastMan
* BiggerIsBetterInBed
* FaunsAndSatyrs: TropeNamer
* MagicalFlutist: With panpipes, like Pan himself.
'''Nymphes'''
Beautiful female nature spirits, considered desirable maids by mortals and gods alike. Frequently appearing in the company of gods as loyal followers as well. There were many subgroupings of nymphs, but the most famous were the Hesperides (who tend the garden with the golden apples), [[PlantPerson Dryades]] (tree spirits), [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent Naiads, Nereids, Oceanids]] (different kinds of water nymphs), Maenids (or Bacchai/Bacchantes, the one who hang out with Bacchus/Dionysus so they can party all the time), and the Muses.
* TheAgeless
* FairySexy
* InhumanlyBeautifulRace
* NatureSpirit
* OurElvesAreBetter
* OurFairiesAreDifferent
'''Herakles''' (Hercules)
Son of Zeus and mortal Queen Alcmene and the most famous classical hero, known as '''Hercules''' in Latin. His name means ''glory of Hera'' (explanations for this name are varied), but she hated him and tried her best to kill him since his infancy. His real name is Aclides (Aclaeus) but after seeing the priestess at Delphi, he changed his name. Most famous for his Twelve Labors (essentially one FetchQuest after another), [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover turning up in other people's stories]] whenever a strongman is needed, and eventually became a full god upon his death.
* AccidentalPornomancer: Hercules got a lot of action thrown his way. In particular, there was the matter of the fifty princesses...
* AllAmazonsWantHercules: TropeNamer. Queen Hippolyta was so impressed by his muscular frame that she gave up her belt freely.
* AntiHero: By modern standards, he wasn't exactly a paragon of heroic virtue. He killed more than one innocent person simply for being too close when his temper got the better of him. That said, he went to great lengths to help his friends, and by killing monsters like the Hydra and the Nemean Lion and murderous humans like the ghoulish Cycnus he did mankind a world of good.
* AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: After his death, it's said he became a full god himself.
* ArchEnemy: Hera.
* TheAtoner: His twelve labors were to atone for killing his family in a Hera-induced rage.
* TheBigGuy
* BiTheWay: This being GreekMythology, hardly surprising.
* BoisterousBruiser
* BookDumb: He wasn't as clever as the likes of Nestor or Odysseus, but Heracles had a remarkable talent for thinking on his feet in situations when his strength alone wouldn't cut it. Examples include his defeating Antaeus, tricking Atlas to take back possession of the sky and his escaping from a sacrificial altar by using the claws of his lion cloak to cut through the bindings. Not for nothing did Athena like Heracles more than any other Olympian except Zeus. The guy wasn't terribly bright, but he was a natural battle strategist.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Heracles is already a tough guy, but the impenetrable Nemean Lion's pelt cloak made him almost invulnerable. He even dons the aegis of Zeus himself when he's in a pinch against Alebion, his brother Bergion and their army; with Zeus's aegis, he manages to come out on top.
* DeathGlare: The reason Charon give him free ride for the twelfth labor.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: So many, but beating up Thanatos (the Greek god of '''Death''') is just one example. He takes it even further when he decides to sack Pylos. Hercules takes on '''Hera''', '''Ares''', '''Hades''' and '''Poseidon''' with only Artemis to aid him. He spears Ares in the thigh, wounds Hera in her right breast and shoots Hades in the shoulder with his arrows. If that wasn't overkill, he shoots Apollo in the shoulder just for trying to heal Ares.
* [[TropeCodifier The]] [[TheHero Hero]]
* HotBlooded: And holy SHIT, how. This guy would go stage a HUGE war for a mere verbal insult one day, and at the other he'd fight Thanatos to bring an old friend's dead wife back to life.
* TheJuggernaut: If you weren't Zeus or Apollo, you might as well just pack it in if Herc wanted a piece of you. Notably, he conquered Troy with ''12 men'' at his side. A generation later, it would basically take all of Greece throwing their badasses at Troy to take it down -- and it still took ten years to do it.
* TheLancer: To Jason on the Argo.
* MeaningfulName: According to some authors, the name came from the glory he gained overcoming all the obstacles Hera threw his way.
** [[IconicCharacters Later on, anyone named Hercules was or a derivative of Hercules or Heracles was usually either]] [[PhysicalGod very powerful]] [[IconicCharacters or]] [[TheHero a hero]].
* NonindicativeName: In other versions, his name was an attempt to appease Hera but really didn't work at all to that end.
* OurFounder: The Spartans claimed descent from him.
** It wasn't just the Spartans. Most Greek Kings claimed descent from him to justify their right to rule. Even Alexander the Great claimed descent from [[WorldsStrongestMan Heracles]] through his father, and descent from [[InvincibleHero Achilles]] through his mother.
* ParentalFavouritism: Zeus liked to brag about Hercules to the extent that it intesified Hera's hatred of Hercules.
* RatedMForManly: The reason the Greeks admired Heracles more than any other hero was because he best represented the traits they admired, such as sexual prowess, athletic skill and success in war.
* ReallyGetsAround: Like father, like son. His "thirteenth" labour involved sleeping with 50 daughters in a single night. Every single one of them was knocked up.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Laomedon and Augeas both tried to cheat him, while Neleus refused to purify him. Heracles responded with this trope in spades.
* ShoottheMedicFirst: Inverted, as he only shoots Apollo after he starts healing Ares, whome Hercules had previously speared in the thigh.
* SuperStrength: He's stronger than most gods, let alone mere mortals, [[EverybodyKnowsThat but you probably already knew that. It's even in the dictionary after all.]]
* TooDumbToLive: This doesn't apply to Heracles himself, but rather to anyone who deliberately crossed him. King Augeas and King Laomedon both broke the agreements they made with him, while King Neleus refused to purify him after he'd killed his friend Iphitus in a moment of temper. Heracles exacted a rather bloody revenge on them for screwing him over.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Some interpretations of his character.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: One of his Twelve Labors is to capture Ceryneian Hind, a sacred deer of Artemis, so fast that it can [[SuperSpeed outrun an arrow]]. In one version, he simply chased after it, and while he isn't fast enough to catch it, it's enough that the deer doesn't has a chance to rest either. After '''whole year''' of running, the deer gave up.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Omphale, Queen of Lydia, forced him to dress in woman's clothing and do women's work. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny To add insult to injury, she wore his Nemean Lion skin during this.]] It turn out to be beneficial for Heracles though - [[CharacterDevelopment a couple of peaceful years of crossdressing and housework made him much more calm.]]
* WorldsStrongestMan: [[TropeNamer Well]], [[CaptainObvious duh.]]
'''Perseus'''
Perseus was the Greek hero who killed the Gorgon Medusa in order to fulfill the evil king Polydectes's demands and save his mother from the guy. Along the way he married Andromeda, having rescued her from a sea monster sent by Poseidon in retribution for Andromeda's Queen Cassiopeia declaring herself more beautiful than the sea nymphs.
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: What Perseus uses to kill Medusa.
* BerserkButton: Do not try anything with his mother, just… don’t.
* BigDamnHeroes: He pulls this twice. The first time is the saving of his future wife and lover, Andromeda, from the keto (sea monster) to which she was to be sacrificed. The second one was to his beloved mother, as he manages to arrive just in time to stop her marriage to King Polydectes and in fury he uses Medusa’s head on him.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Some myths have him doing this to Andromeda’s parents for their actions, especially her mother. But in other interpretations, Acrisios's death was an accident.
* TheChosenOne: The Gods themselves chose him to slay Medusa, and the prophets set him on that path by seeing another aspect of his future and telling what they saw.
* GuileHero: Sometime seen as this, as he overcame the two biggest challenges in his trip to kill Medusa; his introduction to the Graeae and the killing of Medusa herself, with quick thinking and rather ingenious planning. Could also be considered to be a GeniusBruiser.
** In one account Athena guided his hand to slay Medusa.
* HappilyAdopted: After she got pregnant, Perseus's mother Danae was set adrift at sea in a large chest. When she washed up on shore, she was found by the kindly fisherman Dictys, who brought her into his home and effectively served as an adoptive father to Perseus. Perseus later paid him back by giving him Polydectes's throne after the bastard was turned to stone, and had him marry Danae.
* HappilyMarried: Perseus and Andromeda have this, one of the incredibly few and most memorable in Greek Mythology.
* HeroicBastard: One of the many, many, many offspring of Zeus.
* ImpossibleTask: King Polydectes sending Perseus to bring him the head of Medusa.
* ItWasAGift: The other interpretation being that rather than his wits, it was the gifts various gods gave him that made it possible for him to kill Medusa. Maybe it was a combination of the two.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Perseus using his shield as a mirror in order to kill Medusa without having to look at her is a classic example from Greek mythology.
* MommasBoy: An incredibly Badass version of one.
* NiceGuy: By far one if the most heroic characters in Greek Mythology by modern standards, he is a loving and fiercely devoted and protective son, a loving and completely faithful lover and husband to Andromeda, and a fair and just ruler of Mycenae.
* OurFounder: The first demigod hero and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenae#Mycenae_in_Classical_Greek_mythology_and_legends mythical founder of Mycenae]], kicking off the [[TheTimeOfMyths Mycenaen age]] of AncientGreece.
* RescueRomance: With Andromeda.
* SelfFulfillingProphecy: His killing of Acrisios.
* SupernaturalAid: The Gods them selves are on his side, especially Athena. Though they can't help him ''directly''.
* TakenForGranite: With Medusa’s head, he does this to both the sea monster (saving Andromeda) and Polydectes (saving his mother).
'''Medea'''
A powerful demi-goddess, sorceress, and princess of a distant kingdom, who ends up betraying her own father and brother for Jason. Jason proceeds to [[IdiotBall royally piss her off]]: see the tragedy named after her for the results.
* AxeCrazy
* EvilChancellor: To Theseus' father. Her plan to kill Theseus was foiled but again she escaped.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: As she escaped with Jason, she took her brother along and chopped him up and threw his body parts into the sea to slow down their pursuers. You'd think Jason would notice that there's something wrong with her at this point.
* HotWitch
* KarmaHoudini: Ascended to godhood after death.
* MagicalGirlfriend: Unfortunately for Jason, a {{Dark Magical Girl}}friend: which eventually turned her into a...
* PsychoExGirlfriend: Jason should have known what he was getting into; the woman ''killed and dismembered her own brother'' to slow down her father's pursuit.
* WomanScorned: [[TropeNamer The phrase comes from Euripides' play]] entitled, well, ''Theatre/{{Medea}}'', making her the TropeNamer.
* {{Yandere}}
'''Orpheus'''
Son of Muse Calliope and learned musical skills from Apollo. Even the famous Sirens couldn't beat Orpheus when it come to singing. After his wife Eurydice died, Orpheus travelled to the underworld and got past all obstacles by his music, even softening the hearts of Hades and Persephone. Hades agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. Orpheus failed, either because he was careless or just unable to trust Hades wholeheartly. Heartbroken, Orpheus disdained the worship of all gods save for Apollo. One morning, he went to salute Apollo, but was rent to pieces by Maenads for not honoring Dionysus.
* BiTheWay
* {{Determinator}}
* DisproportionateRetribution: On the receiving end: The Maenads, AxCrazy followers of Dionysus, tore him apart for not singing happy songs.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Hades did warn him that Orpheus would never meet Eurydice again if he failed the trial. Some text say he wasn't dead even when vivisected, his head still singing mournful songs. That's until inhabitants of Lesbos Island buried his head and built a shrine in his honour.
* HeroicBSOD: Has one since Eurydice's death; he recovered for a while, but losing her for a second time put him over the DespairEventHorizon.
* MagicMusic: His music and singing can charm birds, fish and wild beasts, coax the trees and rocks into dance, and even divert the course of rivers. His song even beat the song of Sirens; some texts even say the Sirens committed suicide afterward. Then he calmed down Cerberus, got TheHeartless Charon to let him ride for free, and made Hades shed ManlyTears.
* NonActionGuy: He is not remembered for killing monsters or slaughtering warriors.
* OrpheanRescue: The TropeNamer.
'''Odysseus'''
King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, and son of Laërtes and Anticlea, Odysseus is renowned for his guile and resourcefulness, and is hence known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning (mētis, or "cunning intelligence"). He is most famous for the twenty eventful years he took to return home after the ten-year Trojan War and his famous Trojan Horse trick. The Romans called him '''Ulysses'''.
* AbdicateTheThrone: Odysseus leaves Thesprotia to Polypoites after the queen dies. Admittedly, he just goes right back to being king in Ithaca.
* AdaptationalVillainy: Odysseus (Ulysses) is treated as a pure villain in Roman mythology, such as in ''Literature/TheAeneid'', and later works influenced by it, like ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''.
* TheAlliance: It was his idea in order to stop a battle between the Kings Of Greece for the hand of Helen by creating this. It actually came to bite him in the ass later on. But he tried to escape even this.
* TheArcher: His skill and strength with a bow was amazing: none of the suitors could even string his bow, much less shoot an arrow through a row of twelve axehandle rings.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Odysseus is generally depicted as unwilling, though.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking
* {{Badass}}
* BadassNormal: Considered a major Greek hero, alongside Heracles, Achilles, Perseus, Theseus...you get the idea. But unlike most other Greek heroes, Odysseus isn't a demigod.
* BashBrothers: With Diomedes. It also has a BrainsAndBrawn dynamic, especially in the 10th book
* BadassBoast: Odysseus does this to Polyphemos the cyclops. This, however, bites him in the ass when Polyphemos, having learned Odysseus's name through his boasting, invokes a favor from his father Poseidon to make his journey home a living nightmare. Daddy delivers.
* BluffTheImposter: Invoked when he returned home and revealed himself to his wife. She doesn't quite believe him, and makes an offhand remark that their bed was moved. Odysseus states that his bed's headboard is part of a massive tree (which he himself carved) that the palace is built around, and that it's virtually impossible to move. This removes any lingering doubt.
* CallToAgriculture: Odysseus' goal after going home.
* DoubleStandard: Odysseus screws a number of women. Penelope waits twenty years for a husband that she believes to be dead and never cracks. But in the Odyssey he [[DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal is made a love-slave very much against his will]] by [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale goddesses Circe and Calypso]], yet resisted the allure of mortal women such as Nausicaa. There are non-Homeric versions of his story where he cheats on Penelope with mortals and/or where Penelope cheats on him with one or more of her suitors.)
* EyeScream: Eat Odysseus' sailors and reap the consequences!
* GeniusBruiser
* GuileHero: His most dangerous weapon by far was his tremendously sharp mind.
* HappilyMarried: In ''The Odyssey'', where all he wants to do is get home to his wife. Yes there are stories where he cheats on her and/or she cheats on him, but they're not by Homer, which makes them the ancient Greek equivalent of ''fanfiction''; in the real canon he is faithful to Penelope and she to him.
* HomoeroticSubtext: With Eurymachus.
* TheInfiltration: Odysseus's recon of Troy
* InsaneTrollLogic: ScyllaAndCharybdis. One will eat some of his men, the other will eat ''all'' his men.
* KingIncognito: Before taking his final revenge on the suitors.
* PapaWolf
* RightfulKingReturns: He successfully got home and regained his throne.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Odysseus slaughters every suitor and twelve maids in his home once he returns.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He is king and warrior.
* SchmuckBait: He thinks and plans the greatest one in recorded legend, the TrojanHorse.
* TheSmartGuy
* SupernaturalAid: Athena took a shine to him during the Trojan War and continued to help him on his journey home.
* TheTrickster: Which makes sense when you remember that he is the grandson of [[LovableRogue Autolycus, the world's greatest thief]], which makes Hermes, the TricksterArchetype himself, his great-grandfather. He may also be the son of [[ManipulativeBastard Sisyphus]], the [[DidYouJustScamCthulhu god-swindling]] SOB who seduced his mother on her wedding night, so no matter how you look at it, guile is InTheBlood.
* UnreliableNarrator: Odysseus is hinted to be one of these, talking about stuff that he couldn't possibly know.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever?: Odysseus could have become immortal living with eternally youthful Circe or Calypso, but chose to return to Ithaca and his aging wife. Ironically, in a common continuation of the myth, his two sons and his widow do become immortal.
* WorthyOpponent: Even the Trojans were in awe of this man. He was considered one of the mightiest and most respectable Achaians during the war.
* YouCantFightFate: Odysseus was fated to die a death from the sea...Telegonus sails in and unknowingly kills him with a sting ray spear.
'''Achilles'''
* AchillesHeel: TropeNamer
* AchillesInHisTent: Once again, the TropeNamer.
* AntiHero: Bordering on VillainProtagonist. Achilles performs many acts of douchebaggery throughout the poem and is one of the biggest jerks in ancient literature. This makes for a good foil between him and Hector, who can be seen as much more heroic than his Greek opponent.
* ARealManIsAKiller: Could be the UrExample in ancient times and still hold up today. However, Achilles's experience in the battlefield was minimal compared to the rest of the kings taking part in the war, and he was more of a loose cannon at best.
* {{Badass}}: One of the biggest ones in literature.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Achilles asks Zeus to help the Trojans punish the Greeks for Agamemnon's unfairness towards him, which ends in his friend Patroclus' death.
* BiTheWay: Had a relationship with Patroclus.
* BloodKnight: He's not fighting in the Trojan War for honor, or for gain. He's fighting because he likes it...and because he's very, very good at it.
* BoringInvincibleHero:
* TheBerserker: One of the most widely known in literature.
* BreakTheHaughty
* ByronicHero
* DeathIsDramatic: Chasing the entire Trojan army into the city, taken down by Paris with the help of Apollo? Achilles is just that {{Badass}}.
* DivineParentage
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: During his RoaringRampageOfRevenge he beats down the local river god... while crossing his river.
* DoomedByCanon
* FatalFlaw: Both pride and wrath.
* GloryHound
* HeroicBSOD: After Patroclus's death. His RoaringRampageOfRevenge happens shortly after he breaks out of it.
* ItsAllMyFault: His belief regarding Patroclus's death. He’s not wrong.
* ManlyTears: The most famous example being between Achilles and King Priam when Priam begs Achilles to return the body of his son Hector for burial. Priam's passion moves Achilles who begins thinking about his lost friend Patroclus; and the two men weep together over the respective loss.
* MommasBoy
* NietzscheWannabe
* NotSoInvincibleAfterAll
* OneManArmy
* PsychopathicManchild: He has his moments.
* PsychoForHire: Some interpretations of the Illiad depict Achilles and his Myrmidons as a tribe of BloodKnight mercenary nutjobs.
* RedHeadedHero
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Easily the most legendary one in literature.
* TooPowerfulToLive
* WhatADrag: Achilles drags Hector's body with his chariot after killing him.
* WorthyOpponent: Memnon and Hector were this to him.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He was fully aware of it, but preferred a glorious death to an obscure old age.
'''Theseus'''
Perhaps the most famous son of Poseidon -- unless the mortal Aigeus was his real father after all. He is most well known for slaying the Minotaur and ruling the city of Athens. Among his other deeds are killing serial killers, with Heracles inventing the mixed martial art of pankration, and his interactions with other famous mythological people like Heracles, Oedipus, and Medea.
* AbductionIsLove: Theseus had a nasty habit of kidnapping women against their will or their husbands'.
* AllAmazonsWantHercules: Averted: Theseus kidnaps the Amazon queen, starting a war.
* CainAndAbel: Many of the serial killers Theseus killed were his half-brothers through Poseidon.
* GeniusBruiser: Not very well known, but the way he retrieved his father's sword and shoes in the SecretTestOfCharacter and the way he defeated the three bandits in the road to Athens showcase this.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Guest stars in several stories where he is not the focus, but his other adventures are alluded to.
* TheJailBaitWait: When Theseus kidnapped Helen, she was just a little girl. He intented to marry her when she gets old enough, but her brother (Castor and Pollux) rescued her while Theseus was trapped in Underworld.
* OldManMarryingAChild : Decided to abduct and marry Helen of Troy. She was so young he had to [[JailBaitWait wait till she reached marriageable age]] compared to himself, who was already fully grown and married once. Subverted as he soon got trapped in the underworld and Helen got rescued by her brothers Castor and Pollux.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Does this to all the {{Serial Killer}}s (because seriously, that's what they are) that he meets on the road to Athens, killing them all in the same way that they killed their victims.
* PetTheDog: He gladly and without hesitation gave asylum to Oedipus when so many cities had denied him this. In Euripides' and Seneca's plays about Heracles, he does the same for Heracles after he murdered his wife and child.
* SuperStrength: Some accounts he killed the Minotaur with his bare hands.
* TooDumbToLive: He and his friend Perithoos once swore oaths to help each other get new wives. Theseus wanted Helen, but Perithoos decided to abduct Perspheone, wife of Hades. This was ''not'' a good idea, and Theseus [[ThisisGonnaSuck knew it]], but could not break his oath. Thus, the trope is subverted for Theseus, but played completely straight with Perithoos. Theseus was eventually freed from the underworld by Heracles, but Perithoos was not so lucky.
** On Theseus' way back to Athens from Crete, he experienced several idiotic moments. For example, he managed to leave Ariadne, the woman who had helped him to exit the labyrinth by giving him a thread to tie to the entrance, on an island. He just got up and sailed away without her. Later on that same journey, he forgot to change the sails on his ship - he had set out with black sails, and promised to switch them for white if he returned victorious. Seeing the ship with black sails enter the harbour, his father Aegeus was overcome with grief and threw himself into the sea (now called the 'Aegean'). Justified in some version, he didn't just abandon Ariadne, but was forced to leave her by [[JerkassGod Dionysus]] so he can seduce her. And [[HeroicBSOD he didn't recover from sorrow]], completely forgot about the flag, until it's too late.
* TheUnchosenOne: Compared to Perseus he had to do everything all on his own.
'''Oidipous''' (Oedipus)
* AbdicateTheThrone: In {{Sophocles}}'s play ''Theatre/OedipusRex'' he exiled himself from Thebes, although {{Homer}} had him continue ruling until his death.
* AntiHero: How he comes off to modern readers depending on which version of his confrontation with Laios you know.
* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: The eponymous character kills his father for basically cutting him off in traffic (and being a complete {{Jerkass}} about it). He marries his mother, completing the other half of the famous complex, at leisure though. Having been adopted by another family and kept in the dark about his parentage, he did not recognize either one.
* AwfulTruth: Guess. By modern times it has become ItWasHisSled.
* BlindSeer: He becomes this in {{Sophocles}}'s ''Theatre/OedipusAtColonus''.
* BreakTheHaughty: In spades. Oedipus goes from a strong and beloved king to a shell of his former self in the course of a single day.
* {{Determinator}}: He ''had'' to find out who killed the king.
* EyeScream: A broach pin to the eye cannot feel good. That is one painful version of BrainBleach.
* GuileHero: His defeat of the Sphinx makes him the epitome of this.
* HiredToHuntYourself: His crusade to find out who killed the king. The issue being [[TomatoInTheMirror he was unaware that this was the case]].
* IHaveNoSon: Although Antigone is so great she's almost a substitute for one.
* {{Irony}}: He's its bitch.
* OedipusComplex: TropeNamer, though he himself did none of that deliberately or knowingly.
* OlderAndWiser: In ''Theatre/OedipusAtColonus''.
* ParentalIncest: Oedipus's wife is his mother and all his children are also his half-siblings.
* {{Patricide}}: The killing of King Laios.
* PoorCommunicationKills: All of this might have been avoided if Oedipus's adoptive parents had just ''told'' him he was adopted. Perhaps they were justified, since in those days being of uncertain descent could cause no end of problems for a person in a prominent position.
* PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: Unfortunately for Oedipus.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Part of the great tragedy of his life was the fact that he was this as a king.
* ThanatosGambit: Oedipus makes sure that Thebes will not benefit from his death, and ensures the future success of Athens.
* TragicHero: In Sophocles's plays, Oedipus is one that has survived from his tragic fall and since gained some measure of dignity back through the blessing his bones will bring to Athens.
* WalkingTheEarth: In {{Sophocles}}'s plays, after leaving Thebes, until he found assylum at Athens.
* YouCantFightFate: Despite his best intentions to avoid it, Oedipus ends up fulfilling the prophecy.
'''Sisyphus'''
One of the worst of Tartarus' residents, Sisyphus was damned to eternally roll a rock up a hill. The rock would inevitably turn and roll back down just as he was achieving anything. This was ''not'' DisproportionateRetribution for his crimes.
* CainAndAbel: With his brother, Salmoneus, going so far as to consult the oracle at Delphi on how to kill Salmoneus without incurring any penalties, and seducing his neice Tyro just to hurt Salmoneus.
* TheCasanova: In addition to seducing Odysseus' mother on her wedding night, Sisyphus had numerous other affairs, including one with his neice, Tyro.
* TheCharmer
* TheChessmaster: Planned for almost everything, including his own death.
* ConMan
* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Repeatedly. He persuades Death to put on the handcuffs that were meant for him, talks Persephone into letting him to return to life to haunt his wife, exposes Zeus' secrets...this guy was a a one-man Cthulhu-conning operation.
* EvilGenius
* {{Greed}}: Killed travellers and took their stuff.
* LikeABadassOutOfHell: ''Twice''.
* LukeIAmYourFather: He may be Odysseus' real father.
* ManipulativeBastard
* {{Pride}}: Believed himself to be smarter than Zeus. Then again...
* SisyphusVsRock: Original TropeNamer.
* TailorMadePrison: Was forced to roll a rock up a hill every day. It took his mind off of plotting and scheming a way to escape the Underworld a third time.
* TalkingYourWayOut: Repeatedly.
* TheUndead: Persuaded Persephone to let him return to life to haunt his wife.
'''Romulus & Remus'''
Twins and Co-fouonders of Rome. Their father was [[WarGod Mars]] appropriately given their cities [[WarIsGlorious most famous occupation]] and their stepmother was equally appropriately a she-[[BigBadassWolf wolf]] (either that or a prostitute; it's the same word in Latin). Remus is killed by Romulus in a quarrel.
* CainAndAbel
* DivineParentage
* FounderOfTheKingdom
* RaisedByWolves
* SiblingTeam
'''Lucretia'''
The epitome of Roman femininity and the reason Romans had a prejudice against admitting they had a King even long after they had an Emperor. When a wager was made over who was the most virtuous wife in Rome spies were sent out and she was found patiently working at her weaving. Whereupon the Etruscan RoyalBrat Sextus raped her in what may count as one of the stupidest acts in Ancient History. Whereupon Lucretia is so shamed that she goes before her husband and family and stabs herself [[ValuesDissonance to remove her shame]]. Her family and all of Rome are outraged at the deed done to a [[ProperLady proper Roman woman]] and respond as [[ARealManIsAKiller proper Roman men]] should.
* [[HonorRelatedAbuse Honor Related Suicide]]
* [[PapaWolf Papa Wolf and Husband Wolf]]: The first two people she meets after the incident. These swear a blood oath against Sextus. Latter they are joined making it Every Wolf In Rome.
* MuggingTheMonster: Well, Rome wasn't exactly the [[TheGloryThatWasRome most famous]] [[BadassArmy military power]] in the history of civilization yet. Still that kind of thing was not well-advised.
* ProperLady
* RapeAndRevenge
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge
* TextileWorkIsFeminine
* ThisMeansWar
'''Three Horatii'''
Roman triplets and great warriors. Most famous for defending a bridge against the Etruscan forces.
* BadassFamily
* HeroicVow : The Oath of the Horatii
* SiblingTeam
* ValuesDissonance: One of them, Horatius, kills his sister for daring to mourn her betrothed who was killed fighting for the other side.
* YouShallNotPass
