Classical Mythology: Difference between revisions

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[[File:mount-olympus_3714.jpg|frame|[[Blatant Lies|Just one big]] [[Big Screwed Up Family|happy family.]]]

[[File:mount-olympus_3714.jpg|frame|[[Blatant Lies|Just one big]] [[Big Screwed-Up Family|happy family.]]]

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The central figures of Greek mythology were the [[Classical Mythology/Characters|Twelve Olympians]]: '''Zeus''', '''Hera''', '''Poseidon''', '''Demeter''', '''Ares''', '''Hermes''', '''Hephaestus''', '''Aphrodite''', '''Athena''', '''Apollo''', '''Artemis''', and '''Hestia'''. '''Hades''' lived in the Underworld and thus was not an Olympian; Hestia was sometimes not counted because she gave up her seat to '''Dionysus'''.

In Homer's portrayal, they were basically [[Physical God|super-powered humans]] without [[Comes Great Responsibility|the super-]] that comes standard with powers these days. Zeus, for example, was a philandering rapist, responsible for a large share of the [[Half Human Hybrid|god-human hybrids]] running around. Many of these became great heroes, the most famous of which was '''Hercules/Heracles/Herakles'''. Though you'd think Zeus's wife and [[Brother Sister Incest|sister]] Hera would be a sympathetic character, she spends most of her time taking out her frustrations on said heroes, probably because Zeus, said to be more powerful than all the other gods and goddesses combined, was beyond her ability to take any meaningful revenge on. Other gods engaged in similar behavior. Hades, while [[Hijacked By Jesus|not as]] [[Everybody Hates Hades|evil as his]] [[Theme Park Version]], got his wife by kidnapping his niece '''Persephone''' (with Zeus's approval and assistance). This prompted the girl's mother, Demeter, to [[Just So Story|create summer in retaliation]]. Greece and Italy are considerably warmer than other parts of Europe, and their summers are much hotter, so as the myth moved north, it became the explanation for winter instead. And [[War God|Ares]]... Well, he ''defines'' [[Jerkass]].

In Homer's portrayal, they were basically [[Physical God|super-powered humans]] without [[Comes Great Responsibility|the super-]] that comes standard with powers these days. Zeus, for example, was a philandering rapist, responsible for a large share of the [[Half-Human Hybrid|god-human hybrids]] running around. Many of these became great heroes, the most famous of which was '''Hercules/Heracles/Herakles'''. Though you'd think Zeus's wife and [[Brother-Sister Incest|sister]] Hera would be a sympathetic character, she spends most of her time taking out her frustrations on said heroes, probably because Zeus, said to be more powerful than all the other gods and goddesses combined, was beyond her ability to take any meaningful revenge on. Other gods engaged in similar behavior. Hades, while [[Hijacked By Jesus|not as]] [[Everybody Hates Hades|evil as his]] [[Theme Park Version]], got his wife by kidnapping his niece '''Persephone''' (with Zeus's approval and assistance). This prompted the girl's mother, Demeter, to [[Just So Story|create summer in retaliation]]. Greece and Italy are considerably warmer than other parts of Europe, and their summers are much hotter, so as the myth moved north, it became the explanation for winter instead. And [[War God|Ares]]... Well, he ''defines'' [[Jerkass]].

The '''Titans''' were a previous generation of gods overthrown by Zeus, though in [[The Theme Park Version]] they tend to be treated as another class of beings entirely. There were also minor gods such as the '''Muses''', '''Graces''', and countless nymphs, plus various monsters which you can today read about in the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' Monster Manual.

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* [[Achilles Heel]]: [[Trope Namer]] that is surprisingly not ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]''. That is the story of his rage, but it doesn't cover many of the famous parts of the [[Trojan War]], including his death and the creation of the Trojan Horse (those are narrated in lost epics of the [[Trojan Cycle (Literature)|Trojan Cycle]]). In fact, the Achilles Heel myth is not even referenced in the text, and Achilles is more known for his skill, strength, speed, and ferocity than for being nigh-invulnerable.

* [[Achilles in His Tent]]: [[Trope Namer]] again, though not the only example.

* [[Actually I Am Him]]: Odysseus disguised as a tramp.

* [[Actually, I Am Him]]: Odysseus disguised as a tramp.

* [[Adam and Eve Plot]]: Deucalion and Pyrrha.

* [[Adaptational Villainy]]: Odysseus (or Ulysses) was considered a slimy villain by the Romans, who thought of themselves as the descendants of the Trojans, and their portrayals of him tended to reflect this.

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** In one classic tale, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite are having a competition to see who was the fairest. They choose some yokel shepherd prince, a fellow named Paris, to judge. Each offers bribes: Athena wisdom and martial prowess, Hera success and fame, and Aphrodite a chance to get laid with the hottest woman alive. Paris thinks with his smaller brain and goes for the girl. Turns out she was already married and didn't much care for him, but what's the worst that could happen? Incidentally, some versions of the story have him already married to a nymph named Oenone.

** There are a number of tales in which Zeus [[Casanova|seduces or forces himself on pretty girls]] while taking seemingly random shapes.

*** Ganymedes was an example of when he did that to a guy, he then made Gadymedes his cupbearer, kicking out Hebe, his daughter by Hera. Ganymede was Trojan, giving Hera yet another reason to hate Troy. [[Hair Trigger Temper|Then again she tends to hate everything.]]

*** Ganymedes was an example of when he did that to a guy, he then made Gadymedes his cupbearer, kicking out Hebe, his daughter by Hera. Ganymede was Trojan, giving Hera yet another reason to hate Troy. [[Hair-Trigger Temper|Then again she tends to hate everything.]]

** There are very few subversions in any of the myths. Perseus is one, as are Hector and Protesilaus. Eros and Psyche avert the trope--which in this pantheon is arguably miraculous--as they do not cheat on one another after they are married and [[Happily Married|remain happily so]]... forever, ostensibly.

*** And Bellerophon who had an entire city's women strip off and throw themselves at him (he was threatening to use his father Poseidon's power to destroy the city). He panicked and fled.

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** Some myths state his own mother (Hera) threw him out of Olympus after his birth when she saw that he was deformed... Fortunately there were some nice nymphs that raised him (and he gets his revenge on her later on when he returns to Olympus).

** Sometimes Hades as well.

* [[All Star Cast]]: About half the point of the story of the ''Argo'', Hunt of the Calydonian Boar, and the Battle of the Lapiths were to gather a ridiculous number of well-known heroes together in one place.

* [[All-Star Cast]]: About half the point of the story of the ''Argo'', Hunt of the Calydonian Boar, and the Battle of the Lapiths were to gather a ridiculous number of well-known heroes together in one place.

* [[Alternate Company Equivalent|Alternate Mythology Equivalent ]]: [[Hindu Mythology|Indra]] and Zeus are very similar characters. Both are [[Jerkass God|Jerkass chief god]] of the pantheons, wielding [[Bolt of Divine Retribution]] and has pretty amusing sexual life. This is due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_religion common origin] in the Indo-European warrior tribes that expanded out from the plains region north of the Black Sea.

** Also Apollo and [[Norse Mythology|Freyr]], Hades and [[Finnish Mythology|Tuoni]] and etc.

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* [[Angel Unaware]]: Zeus and Hermes did this in the legend of Baucis and Philemon.

* [[Answering Echo]]: The story of Echo and Narcissus is the [[Trope Maker]].

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]: Nyx (personification of night), her husband and [[Brother Sister Incest|little brother]] Erebus, and every. Single. One. Of. Her. Children. And grandchildren, too.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]: Nyx (personification of night), her husband and [[Brother-Sister Incest|little brother]] Erebus, and every. Single. One. Of. Her. Children. And grandchildren, too.

* [[The Archer]]: Even when bow and arrows were seen as "unmanly" weapons, many heroes and gods were master archers: Apollo, Heracles, Paris, Philoctetes, Odysseus. And there is Artemis, a goddess. Not to mention Eros.

* [[Artifact of Doom]]: Several.

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* [[At the Crossroads]]: The Ur-example and [[Trope Maker]] is probably the goddess Hecate who was goddess of the crossroads as well as her prominent realms of the dead, ghosts, magic, night and moonlight (if you didn't live in a region big on Artemis or Selene). Like other deities of paths such as Hermes or the Roman Janus, her offerings would be placed at the crossroads so she would control the evil spirits that walked along them. The Romans had a comparable deity Trivia (though one a bit [[Darker and Edgier]]) so this aspect continued strongest. This rite survived for quite a while into the Christianisation of Europe which leads to religious figures specifically demonising the practice which leads to the strong [[Deal With the Devil]] associations throughout Western Civilisation.

* [[Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny]]: Atalanta, who's distracted from a footrace by [[How Do You Like Them Apples|sparkly golden apples.]]

* [[Aw Look They Really Do Love Each Other]]: While [[Hypocritical Heartwarming|Zeus himself]] does a lot of morally ambiguous things to [[Casanova|mortals]], if anyone besides him tries to make a move on Hera (or Leto), he reacts instantly and violently.

* [[Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other]]: While [[Hypocritical Heartwarming|Zeus himself]] does a lot of morally ambiguous things to [[Casanova|mortals]], if anyone besides him tries to make a move on Hera (or Leto), he reacts instantly and violently.

* [[Back From the Dead]]: Bacchus, [[Alcestis (Theatre)|Alcestis]], and Orpheus, just to name a few.

** Though in Orpheus's case, he came back from Hades, and hadn't really died.

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** Eros, every version of him is described as 'the fairest of the deathless gods'.

* [[Blasphemous Boast]]: the gods are quick to take offense and retaliate when they catch anybody doing this.

** [[The Odyssey (Literature)|Ulysses]] would have saved himself several years of hardships had he not bragged to Poseidon to the point of refusing him a sacrifice, or mocking his son Poliphemus after blinding him. As a man of proverbial wit, you'd expect him to know better than anger the god of seas, [[What an Idiot|especially if you and home sweet home are hundreds miles of sea apart]].

** [[The Odyssey (Literature)|Ulysses]] would have saved himself several years of hardships had he not bragged to Poseidon to the point of refusing him a sacrifice, or mocking his son Poliphemus after blinding him. As a man of proverbial wit, you'd expect him to know better than anger the god of seas, [[What an Idiot!|especially if you and home sweet home are hundreds miles of sea apart]].

** Queen Niobe brags in public that she has more children than "poor" Leto (the mother of Apollo and Artemis!). The two promptly take it upon themselves to [[Disproportionate Retribution|avenge their mother]] by [[Revenge By Proxy|killing each and every one of the queen's children]] and she turns to stone from grief.

** A certain Arachne claims she's a better weaver than Athena? Let's just say there's a reason we call spiders 'arachnids' today...

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* [[Broken Aesop]]: Considering how many of the gods and goddesses are [[Karma Houdini|Karma Houdinis]] in their stories, there aren't really any good lessons taught by them, aside from "Don't piss us off." Not to mention that they were frequently pissed by people just being born as beautiful as they are or more.

** The Greek gods pretty much epitomized the idea of "do as we say, not as we do" even ''before'' [[Values Dissonance]] gets added in.

* [[Brother Sister Incest]]: Like most mythologies, Classical Myth also has lots of pairings between family members, as the various generations of gods are siblings and children of the previous one. Starting with Gaea and Uranus (mother and son), to their children Kronos (Saturn) and Rhea, to their children who are the current generation of gods. Notable sibling pairs among them are e.g. Zeus (Jupiter/Jove) and Hera (Juno), Demeter (Ceres) with both Zeus and Poseidon (Neptune), etc.

* [[Brother-Sister Incest]]: Like most mythologies, Classical Myth also has lots of pairings between family members, as the various generations of gods are siblings and children of the previous one. Starting with Gaea and Uranus (mother and son), to their children Kronos (Saturn) and Rhea, to their children who are the current generation of gods. Notable sibling pairs among them are e.g. Zeus (Jupiter/Jove) and Hera (Juno), Demeter (Ceres) with both Zeus and Poseidon (Neptune), etc.

* [[Brother Sister Team]]: Artemis and Apollo, naturally.

* [[Brother-Sister Team]]: Artemis and Apollo, naturally.

* [[The Call Twinks You]]: Perseus.

* [[Calling the Old Man Out]]: Uranus cruelly imprisoned his children - including the Titans - until one Titan, Kronos, attacked and castrated him. Kronos then proved to be just as bad a ruler, swallowing his own children whole, until his son Zeus successfully overthrew him. Zeus proved to be as bad as his father and grandfather, but [[Karma Houdini|avoided their fate]].

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== D-F ==

* [[Dark Is Not Evil]]: Usually it is, but [[Sadly Mythtaken|Hades]] and a few other death related entities appear as being neutral if not downright helpful towards humans.

** Contrary to modern portrayals, Hades is supposed to be [[Tall Dark and Handsome]] as well.

** Contrary to modern portrayals, Hades is supposed to be [[Tall, Dark and Handsome]] as well.

* [[Death By Sex]]: Most of the immortals' human consorts... [[Fate Worse Than Death|if they were lucky]].

* [[Death Takes a Holiday]]: Sisyphus and Thanatos.

* [[Depending On the Writer]]: [[Loads and Loads of Characters|Lots of characters]], lots of writers, lots of variation.

* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: A character, Paris, who (if he had) might have realized that his current squeeze, Helen of Sparta, was actually protected by an oath amongst many leading Greek heroes, all of whom had competed for her hand in marriage but feared that, if they won, the others would gang up on him. Finally Odysseus said, "Let's all swear that, whoever she chooses, we'll all defend that man against interlopers if necessary." They did. This is how her husband Menelaos managed to convince a not-really-unified collection of city-states to go to war against Troy.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu]]: In the [[Alcestis (Theatre)|myth of Admetus and Alcestis]], Hercules tackles Death... and wins.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?]]: In the [[Alcestis (Theatre)|myth of Admetus and Alcestis]], Hercules tackles Death... and wins.

** In the ''Iliad'', with the help of Athena the mortal hero Diomedes wounds both Aphrodite and Ares and drives them off the battlefield. But Aphrodite got her revenge, making Diomedes' wife fall in love with another men, which led to him being driven into exile.

* [[Different for Girls]]: Achilles in a disguise.

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** Also Narcissus, who was cursed to fall in love with his own reflection by Aphrodite as punishment for cruelly rejecting all the girls (and [[Erastes Eromenos|guys]]) who fancied him. Realising he could never love anyone else so much, he either stabbed himself or threw himself into a river.

** This trope is hardly uncommon, especially in Greek tragedy: going back to Oedipus, Jocasta did not take the news of the revelation well. Then later we have Antigone, Haemon, Eurydice... and that's just the Oedipus trilogy.

* [[Dude She's Like in A Coma]]: Endymion and Selene, except that it's ''Endymion'' (the ''[[Gender Inverted Trope|dude]]'') who is asleep.

* [[Dude, She's Like, in A Coma]]: Endymion and Selene, except that it's ''Endymion'' (the ''[[Gender Inverted Trope|dude]]'') who is asleep.

* [[Due to The Dead]]: Good guys bury the dead properly. Always. Insofar as you fail, you are not a good guy until you straighten out your act.

** Or you die because you actually DID it (or because of laws that want to prevent that)... ask [[Antigone (Theatre)|Antigone]]...

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** Not to mention how, when Venus ordered her to bring her a portion of Persephone's beauty, Psyche was warned not to eat anything in the underworld except for bread and also not to open the box Persephone gave her. She obeys the first order but disobeys the second, and would have likely slept forever had Cupid not intervened.

** A very similar fate befalls Semele, one of Zeus's lovers.

*** Well, the same condition [to never look upon the man sharing their bed] applied, but [[Faux Death|Psyche]]’s [[True ~~Loves~~ Kiss|fate]] was [[Happily Ever After|different]] then [[Spontaneous Human Combustion|Semele’s fate]].

*** Well, the same condition [to never look upon the man sharing their bed] applied, but [[Faux Death|Psyche]]’s [[True Love's Kiss|fate]] was [[Happily Ever After|different]] then [[Spontaneous Human Combustion|Semele’s fate]].

* Another example is the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus was a famed singer whose fiancee, Eurydice, was bitten on the heel by a poisonous snake and killed, while she was fleeing centaurs who were trying to rape her on her wedding day. Grieving for his lost wife, Orpheus travelled to the underworld and sang to Hades and Persephone, begging them to release Eurydice and allow her to live the rest of her life. They were so moved by his song that they relented, saying that Eurydice's spirit would follow him out of the underworld and she would be restored to life once they reached the surface. The one caveat to this agreement was that Orpheus was never to look back when he was leaving the underworld. Orpheus climbed back out the way he came but, as he reached the surface, suddenly began wondering if Eurydice was really following him... and guess what happened next. Unable to quench his doubt, he turned to check if Eurydice was behind him. She was just a few steps from leaving the Underworld and returning to life but, since he had broken his pledge, her spirit sank back into the underworld and, despite much more begging on Orpheus's behalf, Hades and Persephone wouldn't give him a second chance.

* [[Friendly Playful Dolphin]]: Boys riding dolphins were a common mottif in Roman and Greek art and literature and in latter art inspired by Classical themes. In some of the stories, the boys are in fact gods or demigods. [http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Palaimon.html Palaimon] and Cupid are common choices. However, there were also stories of mortal boys that befriended dolphins and rode them. Pliny the Younger's letter include [http://www.bartleby.com/9/4/1107.html such a tale] of a boy in the North African town of Hippo. According to the tale, while swimming, the boy was befriended by a dolphin that allowed him to ride it.

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* [[Hydra Problem]]: [[Trope Namer]].

* [[Hubris]]: This was the biggest sin possible in Classical Mythology, as it implied disrespect toward the Gods.

* [[I Ate What]]: O hai Tantalus! Listen, it was really nice of you to invite us gods over for dinner, especially after we threw you off Olympus for stealing our ambrosia. But no harm, no foul! Mmmm... this sure is tasty... how did you get the meat so soft and... wait a second... [[I Am a Humanitarian|where's your son?!]]

* [[I Ate What?]]: O hai Tantalus! Listen, it was really nice of you to invite us gods over for dinner, especially after we threw you off Olympus for stealing our ambrosia. But no harm, no foul! Mmmm... this sure is tasty... how did you get the meat so soft and... wait a second... [[I Am a Humanitarian|where's your son?!]]

* [[Idiot Ball]]: Probably not the only case, but the biggest: Rhea fooled her husband Kronos from devouring little baby Zeus by giving him a stone in diapers.

* [[I Gave My Word]]: When they swear by the Styx, even the gods have to come through.

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* [[Information Wants to Be Free]]: The Prometheus myth. Secret of fire given to the mortals against the gods' will. [[Older Than They Think]]? Yup.

* [[Inhumanly Beautiful Race]]: Most immortals, particularly the Olympian deities, though there are some notable exceptions. Hephaestus (known to the Romans as Vulcan), for example, was one of the few gods noted for his bad looks.

* [[In Soviet Russia Trope Mocks You]]: In a strange sort of [[Fridge Brilliance]] / [[Hilarious in Hindsight]] example, the Amazons. In the myths, they were just about the only civilization at the time where women oppressed men instead of the other way around. And according to Herodotus, they inhabited parts of what is now Ukraine and Russia.

* [[In Soviet Russia, Trope Mocks You]]: In a strange sort of [[Fridge Brilliance]] / [[Hilarious in Hindsight]] example, the Amazons. In the myths, they were just about the only civilization at the time where women oppressed men instead of the other way around. And according to Herodotus, they inhabited parts of what is now Ukraine and Russia.

* [[Instrument of Murder]]: During a music lesson from the lyrist Linus, Hercules once took some criticism the wrong way, and bashed Linus' head in with his own lyre.

* [[It Was a Gift]]

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* [[Oh Crap]]: Several mortals have experienced this when they realize they've just crossed one of the gods, with Lycaon being just one example.

** Subverted with Acoetes, who repeatedly tried to talk his fellow pirates out of kidnapping Dionysus. Dionysus destroys the rest of the crew [[Depending On the Writer|(or turns them into dolphins, depending on the myth)]] and Acoetes has this reaction. Fortunately, Dionysus spares Acoetes for trying to talk the rest of the crew out of kidnapping him.

* [[Only Sane Woman]]: Hestia, who is well aware her family is [[Incredibly Lame Pun|divinely]] [[Big Screwed Up Family|messed up]], and so abdicated her place among the Olympians to Dionysus.

* [[Only Sane Woman]]: Hestia, who is well aware her family is [[Incredibly Lame Pun|divinely]] [[Big Screwed-Up Family|messed up]], and so abdicated her place among the Olympians to Dionysus.

* [[Orphan's Plot Trinket]]

* [[Orphean Rescue]]

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* [[Revenge SVP]]: Eris wasn't invited to a wedding, so she throws the [[Apple of Discord]] onto the table and causes Hera, Aphrodite and Athena to fight over who is prettiest. In a roundabout way, this ''kickstarted the Trojan War.''

* [[Riddle of the Sphinx]]: From the story of Oedipus.

* [[Right Hand Attack Dog]]: Cerberus.

* [[Right-Hand Attack Dog]]: Cerberus.

* [[Rock of Limitless Water]]: Several examples:

** One legend involves Athena and Poseidon dueling over the patronage of the city that would become Athens. As part of said duel, Poseidon creates a sea from a rock.

** Another legend involves the winged horse Pegasus flying up to the top of Mt. Helicon and striking a rock with his hoof, creating a stream of water. It became known as the ''Hippocrene'', literally the "Fountain of the Horse"

** A third legend involves a woman named Niobe who [[Blasphemous Boast|thought herself above the goddess]] Leto. To avenge this insult to their mother's honor, Apollo and Artemis flew from Olympus and smote each of Niobe's children. In her grief, Niobe turned into a stone constantly awash in tears.

* [[Rule ~~Thirty Four~~]]: And much [[Older Than They Think]], at that, what with Agostino Carraci's ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Modi I Modi]''

* [[Rule 34]]: And much [[Older Than They Think]], at that, what with Agostino Carraci's ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Modi I Modi]''

== S-U ==

* [[Sacred Hospitality]]: Very, ''very'' sacred. As [[What an Idiot|noted below]], Ixion breeched this trope in the most stone-cold retarded way.

* [[Sacred Hospitality]]: Very, ''very'' sacred. As [[What an Idiot!|noted below]], Ixion breeched this trope in the most stone-cold retarded way.

* [[The Scrappy]]: Ares is an in universe example. Zeus flat out tells him in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]'' that he hates him most out of all his children, and that if he saw reason for it, he wouldn't hesitate to kill the God of War and never regret it. Ares' actions that caused Zeus's outburst? Complaining that Athena had helped the mortal Diomedes try to kill him, causing him to suffer a severe stomach wound. A severe stomach wound he was suffering ''at that same moment''.

* [[Scylla and Charybdis]]: [[Trope Namer]] from ''[[The Odyssey (Literature)|The Odyssey]]''.

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* [[Shape Shifter Mashup]]: What happened to Scylla.

* [[The Smart Guy|The Smart Gal]]: Athena. She is the goddess of [[The Philosopher|wisdom]], [[Gadgeteer Genius|craftsmanship]], and [[The Strategist|strategy]]. Oh, yes and Athens named themselves after her which shows that Athenians were [[Insufferable Genius|not humble]] about their reputation in such matters.

* [[Spell My Name With an S]]: Not impossible considering the fact that Greek did and still does use a different alphabet than English. An example would be Heracles often being spelled Herakles as well.

* [[Spell My Name With an "S"]]: Not impossible considering the fact that Greek did and still does use a different alphabet than English. An example would be Heracles often being spelled Herakles as well.

* [[Swallowed a Fly]]: Zeus swallows Metis after she transforms into a fly. Cranial pregnancy ensues.

* [[Taken for Granite]]: The Gorgon's victims, Niobe (turned to stone), Amethyst (turned to crystal). Daphne is a variation - she chooses to be turned into a tree to escape from Apollo's amorous advances.

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* [[Truly Single Parent]]: Nyx (although exactly which ones are just hers and which ones she had by Erebus are disputed). Also her daughter Eris, to either a lesser or further extent, depending on whether you're counting number of kids had or percentage of kids born by parthenogenesis.

* [[Twincest]] [[Incest Subtext|Subtext]]: Apollo was ''not'' happy when he heard about Artemis and Orion. It didn't end well for Orion.

* [[Ugly Guy Hot Wife]]: Hephaestus and Aphrodite. Depending on the version, it was either to stop the marriage squabbles over her or that he impressed her with his craftsmanship.

* [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife]]: Hephaestus and Aphrodite. Depending on the version, it was either to stop the marriage squabbles over her or that he impressed her with his craftsmanship.

** Or a promise Hephaestus extracted from Hera in return for freeing her from a chair he made.

* [[Unstoppable Rage]]: "The wrath of Achilles."

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*** Some texts note that after a couple of peaceful years of crossdressing and housework, Heracles became a much more calm person. What are the odds?

*** Other texts state: At first he was her slave, as punishment for killing a guy when he (Heracles, that is) was insane. Then, she married him when she recognized who he was. Then, he became decadent, and the whole cross-dressing thing started. Later, he got better and left her again.

* [[~~Whos~~ On First]]: Odysseus.

* [[Who's On First?]]: Odysseus.

* [[Who Wants to Live Forever]]: Tithonos, who was granted eternal life as a favour to his lover Eos, the goddess of the dawn. He was not granted eternal youth, so the gods decided to turn him into a cicada, [[Just So Story|which sheds its skin to remain eternally young, and chirps at the sign of his love]].

* [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]: Tithonos, who was granted eternal life as a favour to his lover Eos, the goddess of the dawn. He was not granted eternal youth, so the gods decided to turn him into a cicada, [[Just So Story|which sheds its skin to remain eternally young, and chirps at the sign of his love]].

* [[Wild Child]]: Romulus and Remus.

** Also Herakles' son Telephos (raised by a hind) and Agamemnon's murderer Aegisthos (raised by goat).

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** And there is also a mound of usually non-winged animals and creatures with wings: Pegasus, gryphons, the Sphinx; then there's the harpies, and the Sirens (before they [[Sirens Are Mermaids|got warped into mermaids]]).

* [[Wolverine Publicity]]: A lot of characters get this, but mostly [[Top God|Zeus]], [[The Hero|Hercules]], [[Valentines Day Episode|Cupid]], and [[Breakout Villain|Medusa]].

* [[~~Worlds~~ Strongest Man]]: Heracles.

* [[World's Strongest Man]]: Heracles.

** He can even lift the sky... ask Atlas...

* [[Yandere]]: Medea. ''Sweet merciful Zeus, Medea''. {{spoiler|what she does to her own kids, and their father, is almost too gruesome to believe.}}

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[[Category:Oral Tradition]]

[[Category:Classical Mythology]]

[[Category:Trope]]