Antaeus was a villain in Greek mythology.
Biography
Antaeus was the giant son of the sea god Poseidon and the Earth goddess Gaea. Dwelling in Libya, he would regularly challenge passers-by to wrestling matches. Due to being Gaea's son, he would gain strength every time his opponent forced him to the ground. Antaeus would then kill them and use their skulls to construct a temple to Poseidon.
The Greek hero Heracles encountered Antaeus while on his way to slay the dragon Ladon. Accepting Antaeus's challenge, he soon made the mistake of forcing Antaeus to the ground, allowing him to grow stronger. However, Heracles was himself of divine parentage, being the son of Zeus, so Antaeus was unable to overcome him and the fight continued. Heracles eventually realized that Antaeus gained his power from the Earth and lifted him up into the air in order to seperate him from his power source. He then crushed Antaeus's skeleton and dropped his corpse to the ground.
