Hellen
Son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, ancestor of all Greek peoples, whose name gave the Greeks their own name for themselves: Hellenes.
The Legend of Hellen
Every Greek who ever lived called themselves Hellene — named after one man, the son of the flood survivors. Hellen was the ancestor of all Greek tribes. His sons divided the Greek-speaking world: Dorus fathered the Dorians, Aeolus the Aeolians, and Xuthus fathered Ion (Ionians) and Achaeus (Achaeans). This genealogy explained why Greeks spoke different dialects but shared one identity. The Romans called them Graeci (after a minor tribe); the Greeks called themselves Hellenes. Modern Greece is officially the Hellenic Republic. Hellen himself has almost no mythology — he is pure genealogical function. But his name is one of the most consequential in history, defining a civilization's self-concept for three millennia.
Parents
Deucalion, Pyrrha
Children
Dorus, Aeolus, Xuthus
Symbols
Fun Fact
Greece officially calls itself the Hellenic Republic — Hellas, not Greece — from this mythological ancestor.
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
Thessalus
🗡 heroKingship, Heracles heritage
Son of Heracles and legendary ancestor after whom the region of Thessaly was named
Xuthus
🗡 heroFoundation, Migration, Paternity
Son of Hellen who colonized Achaea and the Peloponnese and was the father of Ion and Achaeus.
Oebalus
🗡 heroLaconian Kingship, Foundation
Early king of Sparta whose descendants included Castor, Pollux, and Helen.
Lelex
🗡 heroAutochthony, Civilization, Laconia
Earth-born first king of Lacedaemon and ancestor of the pre-Spartan Leleges people.
Descendants of Deucalion
💭 conceptDynasty, flood, origin
The lineage descending from Deucalion and Pyrrha, the survivors of Zeus's great flood who repopulated Greece
Alector
🗡 heroKingship, Argos
Argive nobleman and father of several notable figures in the Trojan War tradition
Echion
🗡 heroSpartoi, City Foundation, Cadmus
One of the Spartoi who survived to help found Thebes, and father of the doomed seer Pentheus.
Amythaon
🗡 heroProphecy, lineage
Thessalian prince and father of the great seer Melampus, founder of a celebrated prophetic dynasty
Asterion
🗡 heroRiver heritage, Argonaut voyage
Argonaut from Thessaly who was the son of a river god and sailed to Colchis with Jason
Abas
🗡 heroKingship, warfare
King of Argos renowned as a fierce warrior whose very shield could terrify enemies
Nausithous
🗡 heroNone recorded
Founder and first king of the Phaeacians on the island of Scheria
Theseus
🗡 heroSlayer of the Minotaur, king of Athens
The hero who navigated the Labyrinth, slew the Minotaur, and became the legendary king of Athens. Theseus was considered Athens's national hero.