I don't know about you, but I am having a lot of fun deep diving into all these myths I have heard about, but never really read for myself. This week we met two of the most infamous heroes in Greek Mythology, Perseus and Heracles.

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For next week read Book 3, and don't forget to pick up a copy of the Iliad for our read starting soon.

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Book 2 Summary

Part 1

We are introduced to yet another dysfunctional branch of the family beginning with Inachos, son of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Notable offspring include the Tyrant Apis, who renamed the Peleponnese after himself and died with no children as a result of a plot, and Argos, who was covered in 100 eyes.

If you are as confused as me, here is a family tree. No promises it will clear things up.

https://www.timelessmyths.com/classical/family3a/#Inachus

We are then introduced to Io, whose parentage differs depending on the historian you ask. She was seduced by Zeus and transformed into a cow to keep this secret affair from Hera. Hera ordered Argos to guard the cow, but Zeus wanted his girlfriend back so he asked Hermes to steal her. Hermes ends up killing Argos with a rock and stealing cow-Io. They flee all over the world and end up in Egypt where Io returns to her original form and gives birth to her and Zeus’ son, Epaphos. Hera was upset and had the child stolen, but Io went searching for him and found him in Syria. After returning to Egypt with her son, Io married the King of Egypt, erected a temple to Demeter, and her son Epaphos eventually became King.

Epaphos had two sons, Aigyptos and Danaos, who both became conquerors and then fought over the throne. Danaos eventually fled Egypt with advice from Athene, and went to Argos (land not person) and became King there. Aigyptos sailed to Argos to make peace and offer marriage between his many sons and Danaos’ many daughters (they each had 50 kids). After the weddings, all the daughters killed all the sons except for Hypermnestra, who spared Lynceus, who would go on to be the next King of Argos.

Part 2-4

Nothing else huge happens for a couple generations until King of Argos Acrisius consults the oracle and gets the news that his daughter Danae would give birth to a son that would kill him. He had Danae imprisoned, but Zeus snuck in and they had a son named Perseus. Acrisius then put them in a chest and threw them in the sea, but they washed up on Seriphos. After Perseus had grown, the King of Seriphos, Polydectes, fell in love with Danae. He wanted Perseus gone so he ordered him to fetch the Gorgon’s head.

Guided by Hermes and Athene, Perseus consulted the daughters of Phorcos, sisters of the gorgons. Perseus stole their single eye and tooth the three shared and exchanged them for information on how to find the nymphs. From the nymphs he acquired winged sandals, a magical wallet called the kibisis, and Hades’ cap, which granted invisibility. Armed with these and an adamantine sickle Hermes gave him, he caught the gorgons sleeping.

The gorgons were three sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and the mortal Medusa. They had hair made of serpents, tusks, bronze hands, and golden wings, and all who beheld them were turned to stone. With the help of Athene and a bronze shield used as a mirror, he cut of Medusa’s head and put it in his kibisis. Pegasos, the winged horse, also sprang from Medusa’s severed neck, having previously been conceived by Poseidon.

On his way home Perseus saved Andromeda, princess of Ethiopia, who was being sacrificed by her father to a sea monster. Perseus kills the monster and marries Andromeda, and turns her ex Phineas to stone. After returning to Seriphos and turning Polydectes and his court to stone, Perseus returns his magical gifts and accidentally kills his grandfather in a track and field accident, fulfilling the prophecy and becoming King of Tiryns.

Part 5

Our next major hero is Heracles, son of Alcmene and Zeus. He was raised in Thebes, and his step dad King Amphitryon along with an assortment of tutors taught him until he accidentally killed his lyre teacher, Linos. He was banished to take care of the herds and grew into the strongest man ever and killed the lion of Cithairon. After defending Thebes from attackers, Heracles married and had children. He later went mad, throwing them all into a fire, and exiled himself.

He consulted the oracle and was told that to become immortal, he would have to serve Kind Eurytheus of Mycanae and perform ten labors for him. Heracles slayed the Nemean Lion and Lernaen Hydra, captured the Cerynitian Hind and the Erymanthian Boar, cleaned the stables of Aegeas, drove away the Stymphalian Birds, fetched the Cretan Bull, Mares of Diomedes, Belt of Hippolyte, cattle of Gerydon, and as bonus labors stole the Apples of the Hesperides and the hound Cerberus.

Heracles returned to Thebes and tried to win a new wife, Iole, daughter of King Oichalia, in an archery contest. Despite winning Oichalia refused to let them marry out of fear Heracles would kill his second family like he did his first. Later, in a fit of madness, Heracles killed the King’s son, Hippolytos. For this deed he was cursed with a terrible disease, and the oracle tells him he must be sold into slavery for 3 years to Oichalia.

After serving and being cured, Heracles led the first sacking of Troy. After committing some morally questionable acts, Hera sent storms against him on his return home and was banished from Olympus for it. While sacking a city that mistook his fleet for pirates, Heracles was wounded and taken away by Zeus, and later aided the Gods in their war with the giants.

Heracles then went on a campaign and defeated Elis, Pylos, and Ephyra. He did a lot of pillaging and fornicating (very little of which was consensual), and wound up exiled again after killing a relative of Oineus. Heracles and his new wife Deianira set out and met the crafty centaur Nessus. Nessus tried to rape Deianira and was killed by Heracles. With his dying breath he told Deianira that if she put his blood on Heracles’ clothes he would never leave her. Later on after Heracles showed interest in another woman, Deianira decided to use the centaur’s blood as a love potion, unknowingly poisoning him with the deadly blood. Deianira killed herself and Heracles asked for a pyre to be built. As he was burned a cloud carried him away and he became immortal.

The rest of the chapter concerns the Heraclids (descendants of Heracles) spreading out to all of Greece, many becoming rulers and heroes.