1. The Greek and Roman Gods
The Origins of the Gods
The top 12 of Olympus
All information included in this PowerPoint is paraphrased or summarized from
Hamilton, Edith, and Steele Savage. Mythology,. Boston: Little, Brown and, Print.

2. Hamilton’s Introduction to Mythology
Before the Greeks, mankind was afraid of the unknown and used sacrifice as a way to appease angry spirits or predators.
The “Greek miracle”: the Greeks eventually evolve past the idea of human sacrifice to a more enlightened people; gods were used to explain the unknown
Myth was used not only as entertainment but also early science.

3. Hamilton’s Introduction to Mythology.
Unlike previous deities, Greek Gods were made in man’s image to show how humans became the center of the universe.
Because they looked like humans, gods showed the perfection of the human form and emphasized the ideal of beauty, strength, wisdom, etc.
This also gave the gods flaws, making them more relatable.

4. How do the following pictures support what Edith Hamilton says in the second paragraph on page 5?
Egyptian Gods Ra
Greek Gods Artemis

5. From nothing, there came Chaos Night and Erebus were born of Chaos
Creation of the World
From nothing, there came Chaos
Night and Erebus were born of Chaos
Love was born of Erebus
Light and Day were born of Love

6. The Birth of the First Creatures
Ouranos (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth)
parent the first creatures
1. Three monsters with 100 hands, 50 heads
2. Three Cyclopes (one-eyed giants)
3. Titans (as powerful as brothers, but not purely destructive
*****Gaia = geo (prefix meaning earth)
titanic = enormous, strong, powerful

7. The Titans Cronus (Saturn): most powerful, father of Zeus
Ocean: river encircling the earth
Hyperion: father of sun, moon, and dawn
Mnemosyne: memory
Themis: justice
Atlas
Prometheus Brothers, who together
Epimetheus caused the fall of man
*****mnemonic = intended to assist the memory

8. Daddy Issues
Ouranos was a terrible father: hating his 100-handed sons, he locked them in the earth
Gaia begged her son Cronus to help
Cronus overthrew Ouranos and wounded him
From his blood, Giants & Furies are born
Cronus is lord of the universe for untold ages
He never actually frees his brothers (you know, the reason he was supposed to fight dad in the first place)

9. War: Gods v Titans And More Daddy Issues
Cronus & sister-queen Rhea have 6 children
Hades, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon, Hestia, Zeus
Prophecy: one of Cronus’s children will overthrow him
Cronus swallows all his babies whole
Rhea is not pleased
Secretly sends 6th baby (Zeus)
to Crete
Gives hubby a rock wrapped
in a blanket, which he swallows
Zeus grows up, makes
dad throw up his siblings, and war is on

10. Taking Sides
Titans, obviously, side with Cronus and fight Zeus and his siblings
War almost wrecks the universe
Titans lose for 2 reasons
Zeus frees the 100-handed
monsters, who naturally
fight on his side
Titan Prometheus
fights for Zeus

11. Crime and Punishment Zeus punishes the Titans in a big way
Most are bound in chains under the earth
Atlas is forced to carry the earth on his back/shoulders
*****atlas: a book of maps

12. Zeus (Jupiter) Lord of the sky, rain god, cloud gatherer
Grand but flawed
Deceivable
Has a serious weakness for females
Fate is stronger than he is
Breastplate: Aegis
Weapon: thunderbolt
Bird: eagle
Oracle: Dodona
(priests interpret his
will through the rustling
of oak leaves)

13. Hera (Juno) Wife and sister of Zeus Protector of marriage
ONLY in the tale of the Golden Fleece, she protects and inspires heroes
Venerated in every home
Daughter Ilithyia helps women in childbirth
Jealous, spiteful, vindictive
Constantly tortures her husband’s lovers
Animals: cow, peacock
City: Argos

14. Poseidon (Neptune) Ruler of the sea Second only to Zeus
Wife is Amphitrite, a Nereid, granddaughter of Ocean
Undersea palace is splendid,
but he hangs out on Olympus
most of the time
Storm and calm are
under his control
Drives golden car
over waters
Gave man the first horse
Called Earth-shaker
Carries a trident

15. Hades (Pluto) Ruler of the underworld and the dead
He is NOT death: Death is Thanatos
God of wealth & precious metals under the earth
Has a helmet that makes the wearer invisible
Not popular on Olympus
Unpitying, inexorable, but just
Wife is Persephone, daughter of his sister Demeter

16. Pallas Athena (Minerva)
Daughter of Zeus alone: sprang from his head in full armor
Zeus’s favorite child: trusted to carry his Aegis and thunderbolt
Goddess of the city
Protector of civilized life, handicrafts, agriculture
Inventor of bridle
Gave man the olive tree
In the Iliad ONLY, she is a fierce battle goddess
The leader of the 3 virgin goddesses
In Greek poetry she embodies 3 virtues
Wisdom
Reason
purity
City: Athens
Bird: Owl
Tree: olive

17. Phoebus Apollo Son of Zeus and Leto The most Greek of all the gods
Beautiful
Master musician
Archer god
Teaches men the art of healing
God of Light
God of Truth: never speaks falsely
His oracle at Delphi is the most important oracle
Its center is the stone Cronus swallowed instead of Zeus
Associated with the sun
He is NOT the sun god: the sun god is Helios
Dual nature
Sometimes beneficent, a peace-maker, communicator of divine will
Sometimes cruel and pitiless
Tree: laurel
Animals: many, but especially the dolphin and crow

18. Artemis (Diana) Apollo’s twin, daughter of Zeus and Leto
One of the 3 virgin goddesses
Lady of the wild things, huntsman for the gods
Protects the young
Carries silver arrows
Dual nature
Protects young, helps women with swift, painless death
Fierce and vindictive
Associated with the moon
She is NOT the mood goddess: the moon goddess is Selene
Tree: cypress
Animals: all wild animals, but especially the deer

19. Aphrodite (Venus) Goddess of love and beauty Laughter-loving
Beguiling: steals the wits of the wise
Laughs at those she conquers
Parentage is questionable
In the Iliad: daughter of Zeus and Dione
In later poems: sprang from the foam of the sea, landed on Cyprus
Dual nature
Beautiful, brings light, joy, loveliness
Treacherous and malicious
Wife of Hephaestus, the only ugly god
Tree: myrtle
Birds: dove, sparrow, swan (drives a chariot pulled by swans)
*****aphrodisiac = something that arouses desire
venereal = pertaining to sexual desire

20. Hermes (Mercury) Son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas)
Zeus’s messenger
Graceful and swift
Wings on sandals, hat, & wand (the Caduceus)
Most cunning of gods: master thief
The day he was born, he stole Apollo’s herds
Won Apollo’s forgiveness by giving him his invention: the lyre
God of commerce and the market
Guide of the dead
Appears more often in myths than any other god
*****mercurial = quick-witted, lively, changeable
hermaphrodite = has reproductive organs of both sexes (comes from a myth about Hermes’s child with Aphrodite)

21. Ares (Mars) Son of Zeus & Hera: they can’t stand him God of war
Hateful and ruthless
Homer calls him murderous and bloodstained
Innately a coward, runs away when wounded
Attendants
Eris: goddess of discord
Strife: Eris’s sister
Enyo: war goddess, who hangs with Terror,
Trembling, and Panic
Romans liked Mars better than Greeks did Ares
Figures very little in myth
Lover of Aphrodite
No cities where he is worshipped
Bird: vulture
Animal: dog
*****martial: warlike (i.e. martial law or martial arts)

22. Hephaestus (Vulcan or Mulciber)
Questionable parentage
Sometimes son of Zeus and Hera
Sometimes just Hera’s son (like Athena is just his)
God of fire
The only ugly god, and has a limp to boot
Some myths say Hera saw he was ugly & threw
him off Olympus
Others say he defended Hera against Zeus, so
Zeus threw him
Workman of the immortals
Makes their dwellings, armor, furnishings, weapons
Has handmaidens he made out of gold
His workshop can be found under this or that volcano
Wife
Iliad: one of the three Graces
Odyssey: Aphrodite
Kindly, peace-loving, popular with mortals
Patron of handicrafts, as is Athena
*****volcano

23. Hestia (Vesta) Sister of Zeus One of the 3 virgin goddesses
Goddess of the hearth and home
Mortal meals begin & end w/ offering to her
Each city had a public hearth in her honor
Newborns must be carried around hearth to be received into the family
In Rome, her priestesses are virgins, called Vestals
No distinct personality, plays
no part in myths
*****vestal = virginal

24. Lesser Gods of Olympus

25. Eros (Cupid) God of love, his home is in men’s hearts
Represented blindfolded
Said to be Aphrodite’s son
Dual nature
Cannot do or allow wrong; force can’t come near him
In later myths, mischievous or even evil
Attendants
Anteros: avenges slighted love
Himeros: longing
Hymen: god of wedding feast
*****erotic = arousing desire
cupidity = greed

26. Hebe and Iris Hebe Iris Goddess of youth Daughter of Zeus and Hera
Cupbearer to the gods
Marries Hercules
Goddess of the rainbow
Messenger of the gods
Hebe and Iris

27. The Graces Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome (daughter of Ocean)
Not separate personalities, except in one myth, in which Aglaia marries Hephaestus
Triple incarnation of grace and beauty
Aglaia: splendor
Euphrosyne: mirth
Thalia: good cheer
Dance to music of
Apollo’s lyre
No party is complete
without them

28. The Muses Clio: history Urania: astronomy Melpomene: tragedy
Thalia: comedy
Terpsichore: dance
Calliope: epic poetry
Erato: love poetry
Polyhymnia: songs to gods
Euterpe: lyric poetry
*****hymn = song to god
Daughters of Zeus & Mnemosyne
Take away men’s unhappy thoughts
Companions of Apollo
Can make lies sound true
Inspirers of men
There are 9

29. Zeus’s Cabinet on Olympus
Themis: divine justice
Dike: human justice
Nemesis: righteous anger
Aidos: reverence (the shame that keeps men in line
*****nemesis = an opponent or rival that cannot be overcome; an agent or act of retribution

30. Gods of the Waters Poseidon Ocean Pontus: deep sea
Nereus: son of Pontus;
old man of the sea, has 50 daughters called Nereids
Triton: trumpeter of the sea (uses conch shell)
Proteus: shapeshifter, sees the future
Naiads: water nymphs (freshwater)
Nereids: water nymphs (saltwater)

31. Two Great Gods of Earth
Demeter and Dionysus

32. Demeter (Ceres) Goddess of the harvest Mother of Persephone
Lost her daughter
Persephone wandered too far, enticed by a flower
Hades dragged her through a chasm to the underworld
Demeter left Olympus to search for Persephone
Neglected the earth, harvests suffered
Zeus is alerted by suffering humanity, sends Hermes for Persephone
Persephone ate pomegranate seeds in the underworld: if you eat anything down there, you can’t leave
Compromise
Persephone must live with Hades in underworld for 4 months per year
When Persephone is gone, Demeter mourns, fields are barren = winter
On Persephone’s return, life returns = spring
Persephone is the goddess of the spring
*****cereal

33. Dionysus (Bacchus) Son of Zeus and Semele
Hera, jealous, tricks Semele: make Zeus promise (by the Styx) to show himself in all his glory
Semele is killed by the burning light of his glory
Zeus snatches the child, near birth, to store in his thigh
God of the vine: born of fire, nursed by rain
He is a new god, arriving much later than all the other gods, established by Zeus, his father, as a god to be worshipped
wanders the earth, teaching the culture of the vine
Worshipped everywhere but his country
He is the god of resurrection, dying, like the vine, each year, to be resurrected later

34. Dionysus (cont’d) Followers are Maenads, or Bacchantes
Women frenzied with wine rush across fields & woods in ecstasy, tear wild creatures & devour
Dionysus feeds them and helps them sleep it off
Their beauty is counteracted by their bloody feasts
Some refuse to believe
Lycurgus, king of Thrace, is struck blind by Zeus
Pentheus, king of Thebes & Dionysus’s cousin, is ripped to pieces by Maenads that include his own mother
Dual nature
Beneficent and kind
Cruel, driving men to terrible deeds
*****bacchanal = an occasion of drunken revelry

35. Lesser Gods of Earth Pan Son of Hermes
God of goat herders, home is in wild places
Frolics with nymphs
Sounds heard at night are credited to him: panic
Silenus
Worships Dionysus
Always drunk, rides an ass because he can’t stand up
Castor and Pollux
Twins, one is mortal, the other is immortal
Couldn’t bear to be parted by death, so Pollux shares his immortality w/ Castor
Satyrs: half man, half goat
Centaurs: half man, half horse
Oreads: mountain nymphs
Dryads: tree nymphs

36. Lesser Gods of Earth (cont.)
Aeolus: god of the winds, father of the 4 winds
Boreas (Aquilo): north
Zephyr (Favonius): west
Notus (Auster): south
Eurus: east
Gorgons
3 earth-dwellers
Monsters: dragon-like, snakes for hair, look turns a man to stone
Graiae
3 gray sisters to the Gorgons
Share one eye
Sirens
Their song lures sailors to death, but is irresistible
No one knows what they look like
Fates
3 females, stronger than the gods, who give men their inherent good or evil at birth
Clotho: spins thread of life
Lachesis: assigns destiny
Atropos: carries shears to cut the thread of life
*****zephyr = gentle breeze

37. The Creation of Man
2 Titans who sided with Zeus are responsible for creating man
Epimetheus
Name means “afterthought”
Scatterbrained
Gave best gifts to animals before making man, leaving man with nothing
Prometheus
Name means “forethought”
Thought of a way to give man superiority
Fashioned man into a nobler shape: upright
Lit a torch from the sun and gave man fire to protect him

38. The Fall of Man Only men exist at first
Zeus becomes angry with Prometheus and with man
Prometheus helps man trick Zeus
2 sacks from a slaughtered ox: one has bones, covered with juicy fat, the other has the edible meat, covered with entrails
Zeus chooses the pretty fat to be sacrificed to him and later learns he got the raw end of that deal
Man’s punishment is woman
Zeus creates Pandora
Gods gift her with every lovely quality (Pandora = “gift of all”
Zeus gives Pandora to Epimetheus as wife (he accepts, in spite of Prometheus’s warning not to accept gifts from Zeus)

39. The Fall of Man (cont’d)
Pandora is also given a box, with a warning never to open it
Of course, she opens it, and plagues, sorrow, & mischief fly out
Only hope is left in the box
Prometheus’s punishment is more gruesome
Chained to a mountaintop
Each day, an eagle tears out his liver
The liver always grows back overnight, so the process can repeat itself.
Did you know? The liver is the only organ that regenerates itself.

40. The Deluge Men are so wicked, Zeus sends a flood to destroy them
Only Mt. Parnassus is not quite covered.
9 days, 9 nights of rain
2 people are saved
Deucalion (Prometheus’s son) & Pyrrha (Epimetheus’s daughter)
Prometheus advises them to hide in a wooden chest
They are faithful to Zeus and allowed to live
Repopulating the earth
A voice tells Deucalion to throw the bones of his mother behind him
Earth is mother, stones are her bones
The stones take human shape.

41. Mythological Locales

42. The Underworld Rulers: Hades and Persephone Location
Beneath secret places of earth (Iliad)
Over edge of world, across ocean (Odyssey)
Various entrances in caverns & deep lakes (later poetry)
Rivers separating underworld from earth
Acheron: woe
Phlegethon: fire
Cocytus: lamentation
Lethe: forgetfulness
Styx: the unbreakable
oath

43. Divisions of the Underworld
Tartarus
Prison of sons of earth
Deepest region
Wrongdoers are punished here
Erebus: where the dead pass &
are judged when they die
Elysian Fields: place of blessedness,
where the good go
Important Figures
Cerberus: 3-headed dog guards entrance (you can come in, but you can’t leave)
Judges: Minos, Aeacus, Rhadamanthus
Erinyes (Furies)
Greeks believed they pursued sinners on earth
Romans placed them in underworld, punishing dead sinners
Sleep and Death: brothers, send dreams from underworld through 2 gates
Horn: true dreams
Ivory: false dreams

44. Some Suffering Sinners in the Underworld
Ixion: insulted Hera, so was bound to a spinning, flaming wheel for eternity
Sisyphus: betrayed a secret of Zeus, so now he spends eternity pushing a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll down before he can get to the very top
The Danaids: 49 sisters who murdered their grooms and now have to fill barrels that are full of holes (spoiler: it always drains out)
Tantalus: he’s the worst! He served his own children to gods for dinner. His punishment? He stands waist-deep in a pool of clear, fresh water, under a tree full of juicy ripe fruit. He is super thirsty and super hungry, but when he reaches for fruit, the branches pull back, and when he tries to drink, the water recedes. So he’s surrounded by food and water and can have none.
*****tantalize: to dangle the bait, always just out of reach!