Tales of the Greek Heroes

The heroic ideal is a central aspect of Ancient Greek myths, which Green’s retelling explores. The mythical hero is a larger-than-life figure, often a demigod with supernatural powers, who embodies the values and ideals of Ancient Greek society. To explore this concept, Green structures the book around Heracles’s various feats, which provide an overarching storyline in his retelling of the diverse myths of the Heroic Age.

In choosing and tweaking classical sources, Green emphasizes Heracles’s role as the ultimate hero—a savior of both the gods and humanity who helps Zeus maintain cosmic order against the threat of the giants. Heracles’s arrival, for instance, is expected by Zeus and foretold by Prometheus. This framing marks Heracles as the culmination of the Heroic Age—“the greatest hero of all” (54)—and, in its religious overtones, leans into the veneration of heroic figures like Heracles in Greek society.

Beyond this religious function, myths like Heracles’s served as moral and ethical teachings that exemplified Greek ideas of virtue and honor. Heracles’s choice between vice and virtue is a particularly pivotal moment, suggesting that honorable pursuits can only be accomplished by facing and overcoming adversity.