Aeacus
Aeacus was the most pious mortal of his age, whose prayers could end drought and whose justice earned him the role of judge of the dead.
The Legend of Aeacus
Son of Zeus and the nymph Aegina, Aeacus was the most just mortal alive, and the gods trusted him to arbitrate even their own disputes. When plague struck his island of Aegina, he prayed to Zeus, who transformed ants into warriors — the Myrmidons — later commanded by his grandson Achilles at Troy. Aeacus helped Apollo and Poseidon build the walls of Troy. After death, Hades appointed him alongside Minos and Rhadamanthys as a judge in the Underworld, weighing souls near the river Styx.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Rhadamanthys
🗡 heroJudge of the dead
Rhadamanthys was a son of Zeus and Europa who became one of the three judges of the dead in the underworld, famed for his perfect justice.
Minos
🗡 heroKing of Crete, judge of the dead
Minos was the legendary king of Crete who ruled the first great maritime empire, commissioned the Labyrinth, and became a judge of the dead in the underworld.
Minos
🗡 herojudgment
King of Crete who after death became one of three judges of the dead in the Underworld, deciding the fate of souls.
Sarpédon
🗡 heroSon of Zeus who died at Troy
Sarpedon was a son of Zeus and the greatest Lycian warrior at Troy — his death forced Zeus to confront the limits of even divine power.
Heracles
🗡 heroGreatest of all Greek heroes
The son of Zeus and Alcmene who performed twelve impossible labours and was the only hero to achieve full godhood after death.
Laertes
🗡 heroKingship, Old Age, Restoration
Father of Odysseus and aging king of Ithaca who returned to farming during his son's long absence.
Creon
🗡 heroNone recorded
King of Thebes who ruled after Oedipus and decreed death for Antigone
Amphiaraus
🗡 heroThe prophet who foresaw his own death at Thebes
A warrior-prophet who knew the Seven Against Thebes would fail but marched to his death anyway, swallowed by the earth.
Tenes
🗡 heroPurity, Betrayal, Apollo
Prince of Colonae and first ruler of Tenedos, killed by Achilles despite his divine protection by Apollo.
Neleus
🗡 herokingship
Son of Poseidon and Tyro, founder of Pylos, father of Nestor, killed by Heracles for refusing purification.
Perseus
🗡 heroHero who slew Medusa
The son of Zeus and Danae who beheaded Medusa, rescued Andromeda, and founded the Perseid dynasty of Mycenae.
Antilochus
🗡 heroThe young warrior who died saving Nestor
The son of Nestor who died at Troy protecting his elderly father from Memnon — a sacrifice that moved Achilles to avenge him.