Alcyoneus in Greek tradition
During the Giants’ assault on Olympus, Alcyoneus killed twelve of Heracles’ companions and survived an arrow wound. Pallene protected him from the wound, preserving his life until Heracles dragged him beyond the region’s bounds. There, the Giant could be killed, and the gods and their mortal ally defeated the remaining attackers.
The quick answers
Who is Alcyoneus?
Alcyoneus is a Greek being.Source
Source
- The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
- Classical Mythology a to Z
What family links are recorded for Alcyoneus?
Father: Uranus, Mother: Gaia, 8 children.
Alcyoneus’s family, at a glance
Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.
The names Alcyoneus answers to
Alkioneus
Greek transliteration of the name Ἀλκυονεύς
SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
Alcyoneus
Latinized and standard English form of the name
SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
Eldest of the Giants
His descriptive rank among the Giants in mythographic tradition
SourceClassical Mythology a to Z
The myths of Alcyoneus
1 myth, each traced to its primary text and corpus sources.
Alcyoneus in the Gigantomachy
Rocks and flaming oak trees flew towards Heaven as the Giants attacked the Olympian gods. Gaia had brought them forth after Zeus confined the Titans in Tartarus. They were immense and difficult to defeat, with thick hair on their heads and cheeks and feet formed from dragons’ scales. Some accounts placed their birth at Phlegrai, while others placed it at Pallene. An oracle declared that the gods could not destroy them without the help of a mortal.
Heracles joined the gods in the fighting. Alcyoneus, the greatest of the Giants, fought among the attackers and killed twelve of Heracles’ companions. Heracles shot him with an arrow. Alcyoneus fell to the ground, but recovered part of his strength and rose again. He could not be killed while he remained within the boundaries of Pallene, so Athene told Heracles what to do.
Heracles seized Alcyoneus and dragged him beyond Pallene. Once outside its boundaries, the Giant lost the protection that had kept him from death, and he died. The battle continued around them. Porphyrion attacked Heracles and Hera, but Zeus caused him to desire Hera. Porphyrion tore her clothing and tried to assault her. Zeus struck him with a thunderbolt, and Heracles killed him with an arrow.
The gods and Heracles then overcame the other Giants. Apollo shot Ephialtes in the left eye, and Heracles shot him in the right. Dionysos killed Eurytos with his thyrsos. Hecate killed Clytius with her torches, and Hephaistos killed Mimas with red-hot iron. Athene crushed Encelados beneath Sicily and flayed Pallas, using his skin as protection. In some accounts, Heracles had to deliver the final blow after a god had wounded a Giant.
In the modern world
No modern rework confirmed yet.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
- 2Apollodorus, The LibraryT1
Quote
“Alcyoneus, the greatest of the Giants, could not be killed in Pallene, so Heracles dragged him beyond its boundaries and killed him there.”
Apollodorus, The Library
- 3War in Greek MythologyT1
Also appears in
The myths across MythSource where Alcyoneus features, each on that figure’s page.
- Apollo in the Gigantomachy · on Apollo
- The Gigantomachy · on Gaia
- Hermes and the Giant Hippolytus · on Hermes
What this page is built from
About this page
Written and maintained by MythSource. Last reviewed not yet recorded. How a page gets built.
3 sources are cited on this page, primary texts and corpus scholarship, listed below.
Cite this page
MythSource. (n.d.). Alcyoneus. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/alcyoneus
"Alcyoneus." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/alcyoneus.
"Alcyoneus." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/alcyoneus.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the primary texts and scholarship above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only reviewed joins are presented as modern reworks in Overview.
The film
The Underdrawing video on Alcyoneus embeds here once it publishes.