Hellen
heroSon of Deucalion and Pyrrha, ancestor of all Greek peoples, whose name gave the Greeks their own name for themselves: Hellenes.
The Myth
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.
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:
Explore Further
Deucalion
heroDeucalion survived Zeus's flood and repopulated the earth by throwing stones.
Deucalion (Flood)
heroSon of Prometheus who survived Zeus's great flood by building an ark on his father's advice, then...
Pyrrha
heroWife of Deucalion and daughter of Epimetheus who survived the great flood and helped repopulate the...
Helle
heroDaughter of Athamas who fell from the golden ram into the strait that bears her name — the...
Aeolus
godAeolus kept winds in a leather bag on his floating island.
Aeolus (Wind King)
godKeeper of the winds, appointed by Zeus to control the Anemoi from his floating island of Aeolia.
Deucalion's Flood
conceptThe Greek deluge myth in which Zeus destroyed corrupt humanity with a great flood, sparing only the...
Pergamon
placeHellenistic city famed for its library, its medical centre, and the invention of parchment.
Tyche
godTyche was the goddess of fortune and chance — embodying life's unpredictability.
Delos (Sacred Island)
placeFloating island where Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis, later a major trade hub.
Achilles
heroThe greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the...
Actaeon
heroActaeon was a master hunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing naked — she transformed him into a...