The Mythical Origins of the Greek Peoples

The Mythical Origins of the Greek Peoples, according to mythology, invariable entwine with the gods. Back to the beginning, with the creation of the world, the birth of the gods, and the heroic ages of great heroes and demigods.

The Greeks in ancient times recognized ethnic and cultural divisions among their people — among the Achaeans, as the Greeks were known collectively probably during the 2nd millennium BCE. This is explained in Greek Mythology as legendary lines of descent of the major tribes, tracing back to heroic, mythical, legendary, and sometimes divine, eponymous founders.

The result of this is recognized ancestral lines of kings within various Achaeans tribes. Each of the Greek ethne were named in honour of their respective legendary founders:

• Achaeus of the Achaeans
• Danaus of the Danaans
• Cadmus of the Cadmeans (the Thebans)
• Hellen of the Hellenes
• Aeolus of the Aeolians
• Ion of the Ionians
• Dorus of the Dorians

Hellen, Graikos, Magnes and Macedon were the sons of Deucalion and Pyrrha — the only survivors of the Great Flood according to the Greek Flood Myth. [1] The ethne was said to be called the Graikoi at first, but later renamed the Hellenes after Hellen, who had proven to be the strongest. [1]

From Hellen and the nymph Orseis were born sons Dorus, Xuthos, and Aeolus. Then born to Xuthos and Kreousa, daughter of Erechthea, were the sons Ion and Achaeus. [1]