Ήρωες (Heroes)
(“The Heroes”)

111

Discussion Meineke III (1840) 598-9; Kock II (1884) 457; Coppola 1927,461-2;
Bevilacqua 1939, 57; Edmonds II (1959) 611; PCG VII (1989) 764-6; Nesselrath
1997, 275-6.
Title Plays with the ύύεΉρωες were written by Chionides, Crates, Aristophanes
and Philemo. Diphilus and Menander wrote Ήρως, Epigenes Ηρωίνη. Other
titles in Timocles’ surviving corpus of works also employ the plural, such as
Αιγύπτιοι, Δημοσάτυροι, Διονυσιάζουσαι,Ίκάριοι Σάτυροι, Καύνιοι, Ψευδολησταί,
Μαραθώνιοι. They thus resemble titles of Old Comedy and might indicate a
Chorus (but see below, under “Content”).
An ancient definition of the word ήρως is provided by Euc. DMort. 10.2.
Menippus questions Trophonius: άλλα προς τής μαντικής, τί δαι ό ήρως έστίν;
αγνοώ γάρ “but in the name of prophecy, what is a hero? Because I do not know”.108
Trophonius’ answer έξ ανθρώπου τι και θεού σύνθετον, “some kind of compound
of both human and god”, suggests a classification of ήρως between men and gods.
This classification occurs in fifth-century literature (e. g. in the context of homicide
law, cf. Antipho 1.27 ούτε θεούς, ούθ’ ήρωας οϋτ’άνθρώπους αϊσχυνθεΐσα “with
no respect for gods or heroes or humans”) and also in fourth-century comedy.
It is noteworthy that the same triadic model survives in Timocles’ comedy: cf.
fr. 8 (from Drakontion) τίς δ’ ούχι θνητών; ή τίς ήρως ή θεός άποδοκιμάζει τήν
τοιαύτην διατριβήν;
"Ηρωες are usually described as mortals with exceptional or even supernatural
abilities. Three basic categories can be distinguished: a. Men of the Heroic Age,
in particular the leaders of the Trojan War, e.g. Hom. II. 2.110 ήρωες Δαναοί;
19.34 ήρωας Αχαιούς; Od. 7.44 ήρώων αγοράς (of the Phaeacians); 8.483 ήρω
Δημοδόκω; cf. also the Fourth Age of men, between δαίμονες and άνθρωποι (Hes.
Op. 172). b. Local deities, founders of cities and patrons of tribes, who became
objects of worship, e.g. Th. 4.87.2 θεούς και ήρως τούς έγχωρίους; in Athens, in
particular, there were έπώνυμοι ήρωες, after whom the tribes were named; cf. Hdt.
5.66 έπωνυμίας έπιχωρίων ήρώων; D. 60.27-31, where the orator of the funeral
speech names the ten Athenian eponymous heroes and the corresponding tribes;
Paus. 1.5.1. c. Historical figures who were given divine honours after death (i. e.
annual sacrifices), due to their exceptional achievements, like Brasidas, who was
honored by the Amphipolitans as a hero after his death (Th. 5.11.1); cf. Hdt. 5.114;
7.117; D.S. 4.14.109

108 Cf. Nock 1944,162: “The heroes are highly disparate”; Nilson, 1967,185: “ein sehrbunte
und gemischte Gesellschaft”; see Kearns, 1989, 1-9.
109 For the worship of heroes see Ekroth 2007, 100-14.