Hellen

... γίνονται δὲ ἐκ Πύρρας Δευκαλίωνι παῖδες Ἕλλην μὲν πρῶτος, ὃν ἐκ Διὸς γεγεννῆσθαι λέγουσι, δεύτερος δὲ Ἀμφικτύων ὁ μετὰ Κραναὸν βασιλεύσας τῆς Ἀττικῆς, θυγάτηρ δὲ Πρωτογένεια, ἐξ ἧς καὶ Διὸς Ἀέθλιος. (1,7,3,1) Ἕλληνος δὲ καὶ νύμφης Ὀρσηίδος Δῶρος Ξοῦθος Αἴολος. αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν ἀφ' αὑτοῦ τοὺς καλουμένους Γραικοὺς προσηγόρευσεν Ἕλληνας ... Apollodorus

Hellen (Classical Greek Ἕλλην, Héllēn) is the mythological patriarch of the Hellenes, the son of Deucalion and Pyrrha (or sometimes Zeus), brother of Amphictyon and father of Aeolus, Xuthus, and Dorus. His name is also another name for Greek, meaning a person of Greek descent or pertaining to Greek culture, and the source of the adjective "Hellenic". Each of his sons founded a primary tribe of Greece - Aeolus the Aeolians, Dorus the Dorians and Xuthus the Achaeans (from Xuthus's son Achaeus) and the Ionians (from Xuthus's probably illegitimate son Ionas ). They conquered the Greek area of Phthia and subsequently spread their rule to other Greek cities. The people of those areas came to be called Hellenes, after the name of their "protectors".

Note: Hellen was not the same person as Helen of Troy, or Helenus, son of King Priam of Troy or Helle figured prominently in the story of Jason and the Argonauts.

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