Just as Greek mythology is famous for its powerful gods, eerie monsters, and clever heroes, it is also well known for incredible events. Greek mythology is filled with epic battles of all scales, which no one is safe from.. Some battles may have spanned multiple epics while others are smaller footnotes in other stories, but all these battles were enormous in scale and important to the mythology of ancient Greece.
1) Gods vs. Titans
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Also known as the Titanomachy, this war can be considered the first in all of Greek lore. It began when the Titan Cronus overthrew his father Uranos, who was the current ruler of the universe and also the manifestation of the sky and heavens. When Uranos was wounded, he cursed Cronus to be overthrown in the same manner as him. This caused Cronus to become paranoid and devour his children whole, allowing him to keep control over the world. Only one child, Zeus, escaped that grisly fate, as his mother hid him away in a cave.
Once Zeus had grown up fully, he tricked Cronus into vomiting up Zeus’ other siblings. Zeus also rescued other prisoners kept by Cronus, like the one-eyed Cyclopes. The Cyclopes forged weapons for the gods, including Zeus’ lightning bolts. With the gods on his side, Zeus waged war against Cronus and the other Titans for ten years.
Eventually, the gods won the war, and punished the Titans with imprisonment in the pit of Tartarus. This allowed the Olympian gods to take control over the earth. With the Olympians in charge, the stage is set for all other Greek myths and folklore to take place.
2) Gods vs. Gigantes
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This war is called the Gigantomachy, and occurs between the Olympian gods and a species of giants called the Gigantes. The Gigantes were colossal armored soldiers with snake-like legs, and were born from Gaea, the incarnation of the Earth. Gaea gave birth to these giants in a rage, after learning about how her other children, the Titans, were defeated and imprisoned.
Once again, the gods fought a war over control of the cosmos, but the Gigantes had a particular power that was unique to them. They were unable to be killed by gods alone, and needed to be slain by both a mortal hero and an immortal god. One special giant was unable to be killed as long as he stood in his homeland, and he needed to be dragged away by chariots before he could be defeated.
It is particularly notable that the great hero Heracles is often seen as the hero who fought alongside the gods, known for volleying arrow after arrow. It is also important that many gods were directly named in their contributions to the battle, unlike the war against the Titans. Important gods in this battle were Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Dionysus, Hecate, Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, Artemis, and even the Fates.
Finally, many of the giants required large feats of strength to be defeated, such as Zeus crushing them under mountains or Poseidon hurling islands at them. These giants, buried beneath massive areas of land, are the cause of volcanic activity or storms.
3) Lapiths vs. Centaurs
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The battle between the Lapith tribe and the Centaurs may be of smaller scale than other Greek wars, but it is an important battle nonetheless. This war, also called the Centauromachy, occurred between two sibling tribes of Thessaly. Both tribes are widely considered to have a common ancestor, but they eventually diverged. While the Lapiths remained regular humans, the Centaurs became beings with the upper torso of men, but from the waist down, they had horses’ bodies. While there are a few notable exceptions, most Centaurs were savage, violent, and brutish. Contrarily, the Lapiths were known to be incredibly civilized and refined.
When an important member of the Lapith tribe was to be married, the Centaurs were invited to the wedding. However, the Centaurs were not used to the intoxicating effects of the wine served and quickly became drunk and savage. As the Centaurs attempted to attack or steal women from the wedding, the Lapiths quickly rose to battle. It is reported that the casualties on both sides were massive. One important person on the side of the Lapiths was Theseus, the hero known for navigating the Labyrinth of Crete and slaying the Minotaur. Another important hero was Caeneus, a child of Poseidon. Originally born a woman, Caeneus requested to be transformed into a man, and became invulnerable to average weapons once he was fully transformed. The Centaurs shattered their weapons on his skin, but eventually slew Caeneus by crushing him with tree trunks and stones.
Eventually, the Centaurs were driven off and faced near extinction. This battle is important in a metaphoric sense, since it highlighted the battle of civilization versus savagery.
4) The Trojan War: Meleanus vs. Paris
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The Trojan War, between the Greeks and the Trojans, is a massive story, heavily featured in the Iliad but spanning even more epics and stories. It is here where many famous heroes rose to prominence, and it is this war that shows even the gods were not always united in cause.
The war started when Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena asked the mortal Paris to judge which of them was most beautiful and fair. Paris chose Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and she rewarded him with the most beautiful woman alive: Helen. Aphrodite took Helen from King Meleanus, her Greek husband, and gave her to the Trojan prince Paris. With Hera and Athena left slighted by Paris’ choice, and both Greece and Troy wanting Helen for their side, both gods and countries were divided and pitted against each other.
The first battle of the Trojan War started with Paris and Meleanus deciding to fight each other one-on-one, with Helen’s hand going to the victor. Paris, characterized by his lack of skill when compared to other great heroes, began to lose to Meleanus. But Aphrodite whisked Paris away to avoid a complete defeat. The King of the Gods, Zeus, then declared that no god would be allowed to interfere with the war until Troy was fully destroyed.
The battle between the mortals began, with the Greek hero Diomedes killing many Trojans and even injuring Aphrodite as she retreated. The god of archery Apollo, on the Trojan side, told Diomedes not to interfere, but Diomedes ignored him. Diomedes then faced the god of war, Ares, but defeated him soundly, forcing Ares to retire from the Trojan War completely.
On the Trojan side, the prince Hector fought off many Greeks, including the strong Ajax. When day turned to night, the fighting stopped, and both sides tried to negotiate. Paris was willing to offer a sum of wealth equal to Helen’s worth, but he was not willing to give her up. His offer was refused. A temporary truce was struck in order for both sides to burn their dead.
5) The Trojan War: Poseidon vs. Apollo
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The next day, the Trojan War resumed. The gods were still not allowed to interfere, thanks to Zeus’ decree.
One major Greek leader, Agamemnon, realized he had made a great mistake. He previously dishonored Achilles, one of Greece's greatest warriors, who is now unwilling to fight. Agamemnon sent several commanders to try to appease Achilles, but Achilles sent them away. Achilles claimed he would only fight if the Trojans were in a position to burn down his ship.
On the battlefield, the Trojans started to become the dominant force. All of the major Greek leaders were injured in battle. Patroclus, who was Achilles’ second in command, dear friend, and plausible lover, pleaded with Achilles to return to the battle. Patroclus said that even if Achilles did not fight himself, Achilles should allow Patroclus to don his armor and lead on Achilles’ behalf.
The Greek army fell back to their ships. Poseidon, the god of the sea, was enraged that the Trojans were winning, and decided to help. He and Hera, the Queen of the Gods, team up. Hera seduced her husband Zeus and got him to fall asleep, allowing Poseidon the chance to interfere. Using his mighty waves, Poseidon pushed the Trojans back. But Zeus woke up and forced Poseidon to withdraw.
In order to even the odds, Zeus allowed Apollo to enter battle on the Trojans’ side. The Trojan prince Hector was injured in battle, but his side did manage to reach the Greek ships.
6) The Trojan War: Patroclus vs. Hector
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Achilles finally agreed to Patroclus’ request, allowing Patroclus to wear his armor. Achilles made a few caveats: Patroclus must come back, and he must not pursue the Trojans. Achilles and Patroclus were to take Troy together. Patroclus led his warriors into battle just as the Trojans started to burn the first of the Greek ships.
Patroclus managed to push them back, and then ignored Achilles’ orders by pushing the Trojans back to their gates. Apollo stopped Patroclus at the gates, and then Hector killed Patroclus. Hector took Achilles’ armor off of Patroclus as a trophy.
When Achilles learned of Patroclus’ death, he screamed so loudly that his mother, the sea nymph Thetis, heard him at the bottom of the ocean. Thetis was saddened, because she knew that Achilles was prophesied to die young if he killed Hector. Achilles disregarded this omen due to his thirst for revenge.
Without his armor, he stood in front of the Trojans and roared in anger. He was bathed in divine radiance gifted by Athena, the goddess of wisdom, which protected him from harm. His roar of fury terrified the Trojans. Most of them retreated into the city of Troy, but Hector refused.
7) The Trojan War: Achilles vs. Hector
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The next morning, Thetis gave her son new armor. Achilles did not care, for he still wept for Patroclus. He did not care when Agamemnon attempted to make amends by returning the gift that previously dishonored Achilles, nor did he care enough to eat food or that his immortal horse prophesied Achilles’ death. Meanwhile, Zeus lifted his ban on the gods, allowing them to battle once again.
Achilles began to fight, massacring any Trojans in his way. He cut their forces in half at the river Scamander, clogging the river with Trojan corpses. Scamander, the god of the river Scamander, was enraged by Achilles and demanded that he stop, but Achilles did not listen. The river god was about to start a battle with Achilles, but Hephaestus sent a storm of fire to send them away. This led to the gods fighting among themselves.
Apollo disguised himself as a Trojan soldier and led Achilles away from the battle, before revealing himself as a god. This distraction allowed the Trojans to repeat, except for Hector. Despite being begged not to fight Achilles, Hector decided that he would fight Achilles one on one. But when Hector was faced with Achilles’ rage, he grew fearful and attempted to flee. Hector was eventually tricked by Athena into facing Achilles again in single combat. The two heroes fought briefly before Achilles stabbed Hector in the neck. Hector reminded his foe that, now, Achilles is doomed to die.Then Hector died.
Achilles claimed Hector’s armor, and dishonored him by tying his corpse to Achilles’ chariot and dragging the body throughout the city. While Achilles gloated, he saw the ghost of Patroclus, who told Achilles to give Patroclus proper funeral rites so that Patroclus could move on to the Underworld. Patroclus also asked that Achilles make sure that the two men would be buried together. After temporarily retiring from battle, Achilles held funeral games to honor all those they lost.
8) The Trojan War: Achilles vs. Priam
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Achilles spent the next several days lost in his own grief. The only things he did were mourn for Patroclus and drag Hector’s corpse through the street. Zeus was not pleased that Hector’s corpse was being dishonored, and decided that the body should be given to Hector’s father, Priam.
Priam took a wagon filled with gifts for Achilles, and was led by the messenger god Hermes to Achilles’ camp. Priam kneeled next to Achilles and clasped Achilles’ knee, begging for his son’s body. Achilles was moved to tears, and the two men shared their grief together. Achilles gave Priam the body of Hector, and allowed the Trojans twelve days of peace to mourn their prince.
Achilles apologized to Patroclus, fearing that he had dishonored Patroclus by returning Hector’s body. The Trojans buried Hector and the city of Troy mourned. Here is where the Iliad's account of the Trojan War ends.
9) The Trojan War: Achilles vs. Paris
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It needs to be noted why Achilles was so powerful. His rage certainly helped him, but another factor was that he was invincible. His mother dipped him into the River Styx when Achilles was a baby, holding him by his ankle. His entire body could not be harmed, except for that one ankle that was never submerged in the river.
Now Achilles is doomed to die. He has had many sources acknowledge that, by killing Hector, Achilles will die young. While he does not die in the Iliad, the audience knows that he is not long for this world.
At the gates of Troy, Achilles is once again lured away by Apollo, who is now disguised as Paris. As Apollo distracted Achilles, Paris shot Achilles in the heel with a poisoned arrow. The arrow itself was guided by Apollo. There, Achilles finally died. Eventually, Paris is also killed in battle, and his stolen bride Helen was forced to marry one of Paris’ brothers.
10) The Trojan War: Odysseus vs. Priam
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The Trojan War is finally nearing its end. The Greeks decided to opt for a new strategy to finally beat Troy once and for all. The Greeks pretended to sail away, leaving behind one soldier and a large wooden horse. The remaining soldier convinced the Trojans that this wooden horse was the key to beating the Greeks.
One Trojan priest, Laocoon, was suspicious of the wooden horse, and urged his fellow Trojans to destroy it. When no one listened to him, Laocoon threw his spear into the horse. When the spear struck the horse, Poseidon sent two massive sea serpents. The serpents devoured Laocoon and his sons, making all Trojans believe that they were killed for upsetting the gods by not treating the horse with reverence.
The horse was brought into the city. Unknown to anyone else, the Trojan Horse was hollow, and filled with Greek soldiers, including their leader Odysseus. When night came, the Greeks emerged from the Trojan Horse and began to destroy the city. King Priam was killed, Helen was rescued by Meleanus, and the city was burned to the ground. Notably, only one group of Trojans escaped the slaughter: Aeneas and his men.
11) The Aeneid’s War in Italy: Trojans vs. Rutuli
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Aeneas was able to flee from Troy thanks to divine messages from the ghost of prince Hector and Aeneas’ mother, Venus, also known as Aphrodite. Aeneas fled with a group of people, including his family and his soldiers, and made their way to Italy. Aeneas knew he was destined to found a city in Italy that would lead to his descendants forming a great empire that would be known as Rome.
The Trojans found a spot in Italy to claim, and were welcomed by a local king with an offer to marry his daughter. However, this offer had slighted another local tribe, the Rutuli, whose prince was previously engaged to the king’s daughter. Tensions built between the Trojans and the Rutuli, and Aeneas started recruiting for his side. He aligned with another tribe, the Tuscans, who were already enemies of the Rutuli. Venus also convinced her husband Vulcan (Hephaestus) to build weapons for the Trojans.
Meanwhile, Juno (Hera) sided with the Rutuli for a few reasons. She had been rejected earlier by the Trojan prince Paris, so she already hated the Trojans. Additionally, the Trojans were fated to destroy her favorite city, Carthage.
With their allies, Aeneas and his Trojans did battle with the Rutuli. Notably, one beloved Trojan named Pallas was killed in battle by Turnus. Mezentius, a Rutuli, allowed his son to be killed by Aeneas, which allowed Mezentius to escape. Mezentius realized his mistake and turned to face Aeneas in single combat, but was also killed in battle. The battle eventually was paused, allowing the Trojans to hold Pallas’ funeral.
12) The Aeneid’s War in Italy: Aeneas vs. Turnus
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Aeneas and Turnus engaged in single combat to decide the fate of the war. Aeneas was clearly winning, so Turnus abandoned his honor and fled the battle. This prolonged the war, but allowed Aeneas the chance to prove his valor by conquering the city of Iatium.
Eventually, the two men were forced into one-on-one combat again. When Aeneas started to win once again. Turnus made a desperate attempt to survive by throwing a boulder at Aeneas, but all of Turnus’ strength abandoned him. Aeneas pierced Turnus through the thigh with his spear, and Turnus begged for his life to be spared. Aeneas considered his pleas, but then saw the belt of Pallas being worn over Turnus’ shoulder as a trophy. Aeneas flew into a rage and killed Turnus, ending the war with a victory for the Trojans.
13) Aloadae vs. Olympus
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This battle took place between the two Aloadae giants, Otus and Ephialtes, and the Olympian gods. The two giants were strong and beautiful, and they desired to make Artemis and Hera their wives. To do this, the giants needed to storm Olympus. They began their attack by stacking mountains on top of each other, building a makeshift tower for them to reach Olympus.
The god of war, Ares, attempted to stop them, but instead, the giants kidnapped Ares. They held Ares in a bronze jar for thirteen months. That would have been the end for Ares, but eventually, Hermes was able to free Ares from the jar.
In some versions, Apollo strikes them down with his arrows. In other versions, Artemis transforms herself into a deer, and dashes between the two giants. Both hurl their spears at the doe, but they miss and instead pierce each other. They accidentally kill each other, ending their war on Olympus.
14) Amazons vs. Athenians
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This battle, also known as the Attic War, was fought over Amazon royalty, Hippolyta. The Amazons were an all-female warrior tribe known for being equally strong and skilled as male heroes. In some accounts, a different royal Amazon is taken, but what is well documented is that it takes place between the Queen of the Amazons and Heracles and/or Theseus. As one of his labors, Heracles had to kidnap Hippolyta. If Theseus is involved, it is because he attempted to marry one of the Amazons.
The Amazons attempted to siege Athens, when Theseus prayed and sacrificed to Phobos, the god of fear and son of the war god Ares. Thanks to this sacrifice, Theseus was able to successfully attack one of the Amazon’s wings.
The war lasts for four months, until the Amazon royalty in question is wounded or killed. The conflict ends with a peace treaty, and the Amazons returning to their home. The Athenians committed to making sacrifices to the Amazons before every festival of Theseus.
15) Argonauts vs. Monsters
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One final battle happened as part of the Argonauts’ quest for the Golden Fleece. This quest was led by the hero Jason, who was accompanied by many important heroes of legend, such as Heracles, Atalanta, Orpheus, and more. If Jason could retrieve the Golden Fleece, he would have the right to rule a kingdom. With his loyal heroes, Jason faced many obstacles on his way to obtain the Golden Fleece. But his last obstacle before the fleece was his worst yet.
First, he had to defeat and stoke the Colchis bulls, two enormous bronze bulls that could breathe fire. He was only able to resist their flames thanks to a potion from an ally, the witch Medea. Once he had tamed the bulls, he had them plow the earth so Jason could plant rows of dragon’s teeth into the earth.
Once the teeth were planted, fully armed and armored warriors sprung from the earth to fight the Argonauts. Jason would surely have lost the battle to this army of Spartoi warriors, except that Medea aided him once again. Jason was able to trick the army by throwing a rock in the center of their battalion, confusing the warriors into attacking each other. This allowed Jason and the Argonauts their chance to slay the remaining Spartoi, and finally claim their prize.
After recently progressing to NG+, Nicholas is now farming for writing and storytelling EXP. Soon his inventory will be filled with pearl milk tea, pizza, and, of course, tons of games.
