D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths

Throughout the myth retellings included in the D’Aulaires’ collection is an exploration of what makes a hero, in both the ancient and modern senses. In the ancient world, heroes were believed to be an earlier generation of mortals who descended from the gods, and they were worshiped in ritual events. The D’Aulaires do not approach the myths as sacred knowledge; their intention is not to teach their readers about the power of heroes and how to properly propitiate them. They are retelling captivating stories intended to entertain young readers and, in the process, educate them about the past and what they can learn from it. Thus, the hero narratives they retell explore the trials that heroes face and how they navigate them, with positive and negative outcomes.

As in the ancient narratives, mortals in the book are closely connected to the gods. They are descended from them, marry them, or otherwise engage directly with them. Also as in the ancient sense, heroes are subject to excesses and make terrible mistakes as a result. They can be overconfident and lack the foresight to recognize when they are going too far, but they can also face their trials with humility, recognizing their gifts and the limits of them.

Heroes who suffer dreadfully as a consequence of overconfidence include Arachne, Phaëthon, Sisyphus, and Oedipus. Arachne believes so much in her skills that she challenges the goddess of weaving to a weaving contest and meets a bad end as a result. To teach her humility, Athena transforms her into a spider. Phaëthon believes that he can control the chariot and horses of his father, the sun god Helios. His overconfidence threatens to burn the world, until Zeus intercedes to bring his joyride, and with it his life, to an end. Sisyphus manages repeatedly to trick the gods, extending his life and his time with his beloved wife, but when death finally comes, Sisyphus faces eternal punishment. Oedipus tried to outrun the prophecy that he would murder his father and marry his mother, but his attempts to evade his prophecy bring him face to face with it. Peleus wants to save his son but ultimately consigns him to a mortal life by interrupting Thetis’s attempt to immortalize him.

Peleus’s love for his son and desire to save him, like Oedipus’s pious attempt to avoid committing a terrible crime against his parents, demonstrates that even the greatest gifts of a hero can become their undoing when taken to extremes. Tantalus is so intent on pleasing the gods that he commits a grave crime: He offers his son as a human sacrifice, incurring the gods’ wrath, and he is thrown into Tartarus. Asclepius’s great gift for healing turns into a terrible flaw when he uses his skill to raise mortals from the deal, angering both the Fates, whose domain of power is deciding the length of each human’s life, and Hades, whose domain is the souls of the dead.

The two heroes who navigate their trials with the greatest success are Heracles and Perseus. Heracles’s extreme strength put him in danger when it causes him to commit crimes, even unwillingly, but he accepts his punishments with an increasing degree of humility and is ultimately rewarded with a place in the pantheon. Perseus accepts immortal gifts long enough to achieve his quest, save Andromeda, and defeat his usurping uncle. With his goals achieved, he returns the gifts to their rightful owners, the gods, and is rewarded with a happy marriage, many illustrious descendants, and an eternal place among the stars.

Ultimately, what makes a hero, then and now, in ancient myths and the D’Aulaires’ modern retellings, is that they strive for excellence. Some achieve it for a short while but fail to sustain it. Others escape the pitfalls that come with great gifts, maintaining a sense of balance and the capacity for humility.