Hero and Leander is the
Greek myth relating the story of
Hero (,
Hērṓ; pron. like "hero" in English), a priestess of
Aphrodite who dwelt in a tower in
Sestos on the European side of the Hellespont (today's
Dardanelles), and
Leander (,
Léandros), a young man from
Abydos on the opposite side of the strait. Leander fell in love with Hero and would swim every night across the Hellespont to be with her. Hero would light a lamp at the top of her tower to guide his way.