Editing Greek Mythology (section)

==Greek Heroes and Zeroes==
The Ancient Greeks had a rather different idea of what constitutes a hero than we do today. To us, a hero not only does exceptional things but does so because they are the right thing to do. Spider-Man got his powers, but what made him a hero was when he learned that with Great Power comes Great Responsibility. He also faces down individuals who have their own powers and abilities, but are not heroic as use them to harm people (steal stuff, get revenge, turn the population of New York into Lizards against their will, be a callous asshole unconcerned with collateral damage, etc). 

To the Ancient Greeks a hero was exceptionally capable (strong, skilled or intelligent) and might have superhuman abilities which they used to great ends for themselves and their people. Being a good person was in no way a requirement. Heroes could and often did do evil or dickish things to either get their way or once the dust had settled.

Note that there's a lot of overlap between heroes and demigods; many heroes were either able to become demigods for their deeds, or were able to perform their heroic deeds because they were the sons (or, in very rare cases, daughters) of gods and morals.

* '''Achilles:''' Most remembered for his role in the story of the Trojan War, Achilles was the son of a human and a [[nymph]] whose mom tried to keep him safe from all harm by dunking him in the water of the Styx when he was a baby; as a result, he became invulnerable everywhere except the heel she held to keep hold of him as she was dipping him like a donut. So of course he got killed in the war when an enemy stabbed him in the heel with a poisoned spear. Hence the term "Achilles heel" to refer to a weakspot.
* '''Bellerephon:''' A hero who slew the dreaded [[chimera]] with the aid of [[pegasus]], only to be slain by Zeus when he got arrogant and tried to fly up to Olympus to demand immortality.
* '''Jason:''' A prince whose evil uncle stole his throne, Jason proved his claim as the rightful king by leading the Argonauts, a team of heroes and demigods, to retrieve the Golden Fleece, a sacred relic guarded by a many-headed [[dragon]]. He seriously screwed himself over by wedding and then betraying a powerful sorceress named Medea.
* '''Odysseus:''' Renowned for his cleverness. Partook in the Trojan War, then angered [[Poseidon]] and was cursed to roam across the monster-infested islands of remote seas for years, a series of tales collectively known as the Odyssey.
* '''Perseus:''' One of the great monster-slaying heroes of Greek myth, though the one he's most remembered for killing is [[Medusa]], an act that also created [[Pegasus]].
* '''Theseus:''' The famed slayer of the [[Minotaur]]. Mythology also makes him the founder-hero of Athens.
*'''Orpheus:''' A legendary [[Bard]] and prophet. His music was so good that it could drown out the song of the Sirens when he guest-starred on the Argo. It even convinced Hades and Persephone to give him a chance to retrieve his wife Eurydice from the underworld, but he screwed it up at the last minute.
*'''Oedipus:''' The hero who answered the Sphinx's famous riddle and killed her, which earned him the throne of Thebes. He's also infamously remembered for [[Fail|unknowingly murdering his father and marrying his mother]].
*'''Daedalus:''' A genius inventor. His most notable creations are a giant robot, a bull costume that allowed the queen of Crete to [[/d/|mate]] with a bull, the labyrinth that housed the resulting Minotaur, and the wings that let him escape imprisonment right after.
*'''Icarus:''' Daedalus' son and more of a zero. He's famous for falling to his death by not heeding his father's warning and flying too close to the sun, which melted the wax holding his wings together.
*'''Atalanta:''' A huntress devoted to Artemis. She swore to defend her virginity, and killed two centaurs trying to rape her. Eventually, she consented to marry whoever could beat her in a footrace. With Aphrodite's help, that person would be Hippomenes, who distracted her using golden apples. And then they were turned into lions, the end. (It's supposed to be tragic because ancient greeks thought lions [[what|couldn't mate with each other]], only with [[wat|leopards]].)
*'''Castor''' and '''Pollux:''' The twin sons of Leda from two different fathers: the mortal king Tyndareus, and Zeus disguised as a Swan. Thus, Castor was mortal and Pollux was immortal, and you can probably guess their respective fathers. Eventually, Pollux chose to share his immortality with his brother so they wouldn't be separated, and they became the constellation of Gemini.