Introduction to Greek Mythology

What is Greek Mythology? The people of ancient Greece shared stories called myths about the gods, goddesses, and heroes in which they believed. Each god or goddess was worshipped as a deity and ruled over certain areas of the Greeks’ lives. These exciting stories explained natural phenomena that could not be explained by science in the ancient world.

Why Should We Study Greek Mythology? The Ancient Greek culture has been kept alive by the oral and later written stories handed down through thousands of years. Modern plays, novels, television programs, movies and even advertisements refer to Greek gods, goddesses, heroes and their stories. Adventurous and exciting stories delight and entertain us.

In the beginning... …was Chaos (shapeless nothingness) Chaos had two children: Night (darkness) Erebus (death) “All was black, empty, silent, endless.” Mysteriously, Love was born of darkness and death.

And then... When Love was born, order and beauty began to flourish. Love created Light and Day. Earth was created. She was the solid ground, but also a personality. The Earth bore Heaven to cover her and be a home for the gods.

The First Parents Mother Earth = Gaea (Gaia) Father Heaven = Ouranos (Uranus) They had three kinds of children: Three monsters with 100 hands and 50 heads Three cyclopes The titans These were the first characters that had the appearance of life, although it was unlike any life known to man.

The Titans (The Elder Gods) There were many of them. Enormous size, incredible strength Cronos (Saturn): Ruler of the titans Rhea: Wife of Cronos Oceanus: River that encircled the world Iapetus: Father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Atlas (also titans)

The Principal Gods Cronos and Rhea were parents of Zeus (Jupiter, Jove) Poseidon (Neptune) Hades (Pluto) Hera (Juno) Hestia (Vesta) Demeter (Ceres) Other Olympians include Athena (Minerva) Ares (Mars) Hebe (Juventas) Hephaestus (Vulcan) Apollo (Apollo) Artemis (Diana) Hermes (Mercury) Aphrodite (Venus) Dionysus (Bacchus) Persephone

The Olympians

Zeus • He ruled the Olympians. • He was the god of the sky, lightning and thunder carrying a thunderbolt as his symbol. • He married Hera, his sister, which was a family habit. • He fathered many children with various goddesses and mortals.

Zeus

Hera She was the protector of marriage and the home. She was associated with the peacock, because of her great beauty. She and Zeus were always quarreling. She was called the queen of intriguers, a vindictive and jealous wife, who frequently outwitted her husband, Zeus.

Hera

Poseidon He built an underwater palace with a great pearl and coral throne. Although he chose Thetis, a beautiful water nymph, as his queen, he, like his brother Zeus, was a great wanderer fathering hundreds of children. He was a difficult god, changeful and quarrelsome, but created many curious forms for his sea creatures. He invented the horse for his sister Demeter, whom he loved.

Poseidon

Hades He was the jealous brother to Zeus and Poseidon. He made Persephone his wife after stealing her from her mother, Demeter, who was his sister. Because he was a violent god, who was also very possessive of every new soul, he rarely left his underworld domain.

Hades

Hestia She was the sister of Zeus and the daughter of Cronos and Rhea. She represented personal and communal security and happiness. She was thought of as the kindest and mildest of the goddesses. She was of little mythological importance, appearing in few stories

Hestia

Demeter She was the goddess of growing things. She was the mother of Persephone, whose father was Zeus. Her daughter was kidnapped by Hades and taken to the Underworld for six months of the year causing the change of seasons.

Demeter

Athena She was born full grown out of the head of Zeus. She taught man to use tools and taught man’s wife to spin and weave. She was the best-loved goddess on Olympus. She hated Ares, god of war, often besting him in battle. The Greek city of Athens is named after her. She was said to have created the spider.

Athena

Ares He was a ruthless and murderous god, who displayed the worst of humanity’s traits. He, along with grief, strife, panic, and terror roams the earth. Ironically, he was a coward, who fled the field of battle.

Ares

Hephaestus He was the ugliest of the gods, who was rejected by his mother, Hera, when she hurled him off of Mount Olympus crippling him. He fashioned the armor and tools of the gods on a broken mountain near Mount Olympus. He made beautiful jewelry for the goddesses.

Hephaestus

Apollo He was the twin brother of Artemis and the most handsome of the gods. He was also the god of the healing arts and of medicine. He drove his chariot across the sky to pull the sun each day. His son, Phaethon, drives Apollo’s sun chariot with disastrous results.

Apollo

Artemis She was the twin sister of Apollo, whose mother was Leto and father was Zeus. She was a chaste huntress, who always carried a silver bow and arrows. She ruled over the untamed places of the earth.

Artemis

Hermes He was the precocious son of Zeus and Maia, a Titaness. As a baby, he made a lyre and pipe for his half-brother, Apollo. He carried Apollo’s golden staff and flew around the heavens and earth on winged sandals.

Hermes

Aphrodite She is the goddess of desire born from sea foam. Another myth credits her mother as Dione and her father as Zeus. After all the gods on Mount Olympus courted her, she married Hephaestus, the ugliest of the gods. Because she was judged the most beautiful of all the goddesses on Mount Olympus by Paris, the other goddesses envied her.

Aphrodite

Dionysus He is said to be the only god on Olympus with a mortal parent. His creation of wine brings ecstasy and drunkenness to his revelers. Much of the ancient world’s greatest poetry was created in his honor.

Dionysus

Persephone Roman Name: Proserpina Daughter of Zeus and Demeter Goddess of Springtime Abducted by Hades, and became goddess of the Underworld The mint and pomegranate are sacred to her.

Persephone

Hebe Roman Name: Juventas Goddess of Youth Cupbearer to the Gods Restored youth to the aged

Eros Roman Name: Cupid Young God of Love Son of Aphrodite and Hephaestus

Iris Goddess of the Rainbow Messenger for Zeus and Hera Daughter of the titan Thaumus and the nymph Electra

The Muses Goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences “He is happy whom the muses love.” Nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne Inspired artists of all kinds Clio, Urania, Thalia, Melpomene, Erato, Calliope, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Polyhymnia

The Graces Three Goddesses of Grace and Beauty “They give life its bloom.” Aglaia (Splendor) Euphrosyne (Mirth) Thalia (Good Cheer)

The Erinnyes (The Furies) Roman Name: Furiae or Dirae (The Furies) Three Goddesses of Vengeance Tisiphone Alecto Megaera They punish evildoers.

The Fates Roman Name: Parcae, Moirae Three sisters Clotho (“The Spinner”) Lachesis (“The disposer of lots”) Atropos (“The cutter”) They weave, measure, and cut the thread of life for humans.

The Satyrs Gods of the woods and mountains “Shepherd gods” Goat men Companions of Dionysus They like to drink, dance, and chase nymphs.

The Gorgons Three snake-haired monsters Medusa is most well-known Their look turns men to stone.

The Centaurs Half man, half horse Savage creatures (except Chiron) Followers of Dionysus

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Sources Graphics in this presentation were taken from the following web sites: http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/search.html http://www.pantheon.org/ http://www.messagenet.com/myths/ http://mythman.com/ http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/index.html http://www.paleothea.com/ http://www.entrenet.com/%7Egroedmed/greekm/myth.html This presentation is for educational purposes only; it has not been and should not be sold or used as a vehicle to make money.