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Hindu Deities & Heroes
Trojan War Heroes
100
Name one of the Trimurti (the holy trinity of Hindu gods), who, when needed, descends to Earth as an avatar, or incarnation. Some cult followers worship him as Narayana, the primal being. This god has dark blue skin, rides with the eagle Garuna, and sits on the snake Shesha. Kama, the god of love, may be his son.
Vishnu
100
This "swift-footed" warrior is the greatest on the Greek side. His father is Peleus, a great warrior in his own right, and his mother is Thetis, a sea nymph. The consequences of this hero's rage at Agamemnon for confiscating his geras (prize of honor) are the subject of the Iliad. The hero kills Hector, but is killed by a poisoned arrow in the hell, the only vulnerable place on his body.
Achilles
200
Also known as Lord Mahesh, this god is the Destroyer in the Trimurti. Developed from Rudra, the Vedic god of death, this god is often shown sitting on a tiger skin and riding the bull Nandi. He has three eyes, of which the third (in the middle of his head) is all-knowing; when it opens, the world is destroyed and regenerated. Lord of all underworld beings, he wears a necklace of skulls and another made of a snake.
Shiva
200
This son of Laertes is known for his cleverness and glib tongue. His accomplishments include a successful night raid against King Rhesus, winning the armor of Achilles, and engineering the famous Trojan Horse. His ten-year trip home to Ithaca (where his wife, Penelope, awaits) is the subject of the Odyssey.
Odysseus
300
This elephant-headed god of wisdom and learning is often shown riding a rat. Parvati "gives birth" to this go by creating him from the saffron paste she scrubbed off of herself after bathing. When Parvati instructs him not to let anyone in as she took another bath, the god prevents Shiva from entering, prompting Shiva to cut off this god's head. He then tells servants to take the head of the first baby found whose mother had her back turned; the servants bring back the head of a baby elephant. People pray to this remover of obstacles and bringer of good fortune before they commence business.
Ganesha
300
(Sometimes called Alexander) Also the son of Priam and Hecuba, he is destined to be the ruin of his country. He fulfills his destiny by accepting a bribe when asked to judge which of the three goddesses is the fairest. When he awards Aphrodite the golden apple, Aphrodite repays him by granting him the most beautiful woman in the world; unfortunately, Helen is already married to Menelaus. Known less for hand-to-hand fighting than for mastery of his bow, he kills Achilles with an arrow but dies by the poisoned arrows of Philoctetes.
Paris
400
The god of rain, thunder, and war, this deity wields the thunderbolt (vajra) and rides Airavat, the four-tusked white elephant. In early Vedic times he was king of the gods who ruled swarga; many Rig Veda hymns are devoted to him. With the aid of both the Marut storm gods and his favorite drink, soma, this god leads the Aryan conquest of India. He also defeats the dragon Vritra, who had stolen the world's water.
Indra
400
This son of Aphrodite and Anchises often takes a beating but always gets up to rejoin the battle. Knocked unconscious by a large rock thrown by Diomedes, he is evacuated by Aphrodite and Apollo. He succeeds the later Hector as Trojan troop commander and survives the fall of Troy, ultimately settling in Italy. His son Iulus founds alba Longa, near the site of Rome. That bloodline is the basis of Julius Caesar's claim to have descended from Venus.
Aeneas
500
The chief hero of the Mahabharata, this hero is the son of Indra and one of five Pandava brothers, who fight a bitter war against their one hundred cousins, Kauravas, culminating at the battle on "Kuru's Field". Before the battle, the hero asks his charioteer (Krishman) why he must fight. Krishna responds that the hero must follow a devotion to god (bhakti) and that even as he slays his brethern, it is for a just cause.
Arjuna
500
The king of Mycenae, Agamemnon shares supreme command of the Greek troops with his brother, Menelaus. An epithet of his, "king of heroes," reflects this status. As a commander, however, he often lacks good public relations skills, as shown by his feud with Achilles (book 1) and his ill-considered strategy of suggesting that all the troops go home (book 2). Upon his return home, he is murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus.
Agamemnon