The great Heroes before the Trojan War

The Trojan War produced the many of the greatest heroes that classical mythology boasts of. The lives and exploits of these heroes have been well documented and romanticized by many a poet and bard over the years and now with the release of movies such as Troy^TM and the like there are few people across the globe who do not know the names of Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, Paris, Ajax, Agamemnon and so on and so forth. However there was another crop of heroes, just as famous, of an ilk arguably far superior to that of the illustrious heroes mentioned above. These heroes existed before the Trojan War had ever begun. There are several great heroes before the Trojan War but undoubtedly the four greatest are, in chronological order, Perseus, Heracles, Atlanta and Theseus. The latter three were of the same generation: the one immediately preceding the Trojan War. Atlanta and Heracles partook in the Quest for the Golden Fleece together and Heracles and Theseus were compatriots in several adventures and shared the bond of blood…but more on this later.

Perseus was several generations before the other three. In fact, he was the grandfather to Heracles. The adventures of Perseus are the subject of numerous books and discussions but I can give a condensed form here…