Greek Myth

1. Introduction to
Greek Mythology

2. Mythology:
 Traditional stories of gods, kings, and
heroes
 Show the relations between gods and
people
 Mythology was a form of early science to
Greeks because it helped explain the
unexplainable.

3. Mythology:
 The study of “Myths”—and myths are stories
about supernatural beings in early times,
which were handed down orally from one
generation to another
 Myths attempt to explain such things as:
 Nature-Where did Earth come from? Heavens?
Seasons? Geography?
 Man- Where did we come from?
 Gods-Where do the gods come from?

4. Mythology:
Myths seek to explain all those
unexplainable or unknowable aspects of
life.
Where do we go after we die?
How was the world created?
Why can we see our reflection in water?
Why are there four separate
seasons?
Why do we fall in love?
How is lightning created?
Why do our voices sometime echo?
How was fire created, and why do we have it?

5. BackgroundofGreekMythology:
 Fully developed
by about 700 B.C.
 Homer and
Hesiod are
generally
considered the
earliest Greek
poets whose work
has survived

6. The Greeksand Romans believed in
polytheism…
 Poly=many
 Theism=God
 Polytheism=many gods

7. Whydowe studyGreekMythology?
Interesting and Entertaining
Shows how ancient people
viewed the world and gives us
an account of their history
It is constantly referenced to in
everyday life

8. Thecreationof theworld(accordingto
GreekMythology)
 First there was Chaos
 Out of Chaos emerged
two beings: Gaea
(Mother Earth) and
Uranus (Heavens)

9. Gaea andUranus hadseveralchildren
Titans Monsters
 Oceanus andTethys
 Hyperion andThea
 Coeus and Phoebe
 Cronus and Rhea
 Mnemosyne
 Themis
 Crius
 Lapetus
 3 of each:
 Hecatonchires (hundred
hands
 Cyclopes (one-eyed)

10. Uranus hatedallhischildrenbut
especiallythemonsters…
 Locked the monsters inTartarus
 Gaea was upset and asked theTitans to help
 Cronus, the youngest and strongest,
overthrew is father, Uranus, and seized the
rule of the Universe.
 Cronus took Rhea for a wife and divided the
Earth among his fellowTitans
 Cronus and Rhea had 6 children:The
Olympians

11. Cronusfearedthathischildrenwouldoverthrow
himthewayheoverthrewhisfather…
 Cronus swallowed all of his children…except the
last one.
 Rhea replaced the infant with a stone to prevent
Cronus from swallowing Zeus. He grew up in
hiding (Crete)
 When Zeus was grown he made his dad
regurgitate his siblings
 Zeus and his siblings raged war against their
father, Cronus

12. Titanomochy,orWaroftheTitans
Cronus VS Zeus
 Titans
 Mount Othrys
 His siblings
 Hecatonchires & Cyclopes
 Mount Olympus
Zeus, with the use of his lightning bolt given to him by the
Cyclopes, defeated Cronus and his army. Most of the
Titans were confined toTartarus. Zeus divided the world
among his sibling gods…

13. Zeus
 is the king of the gods,
 the ruler of Mount
Olympus and the god of
the sky and thunder.
 His symbols are the
thunderbolt, eagle, bull,
and oak.
 His siblings: Posiedon,
Hades, Hestia,
Demeter, and Hera
 Had many affairs and many
offspring

14. Hera
 Wife and older sister to
Zeus
 Queen of Olympians
 Goddess of childbirth and
marriage
 Symbols: pomegranate
 She took many forms,
among them that of a
bird.
 Vindictive, jealous of Zeus’s affairs

15. Poseidon
 God of the sea, horses,
and earthquakes
 One of the supreme
Gods of Mount
Olympus, but he spent
most of his time in his
watery domain.
 Symbols:Trident,
dolphins, horses

16. Hestia
 Goddess of Hearth and
Home
 Honored at meal times
 She was thought of as
the kindest and mildest
of the kindest and
mildest of the
goddesses.
 She represented
personal and communal
security and happiness.

17. Demeter
 Goddess of Agriculture
 Often shown carrying a
bundle of grain
 Symbols: wheat,
poppies, cornucopia

18. Aphrodite
 Goddess of love,
beauty and fertility
 One legend states
that she is the
daughter of Zeus and
Dione. Another
legend says that she
was born from sea-
foam
 She is associated
with the dove
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19. Athena
 Goddess of wisdom
and war
 She was the patron
goddess of Athens
 Her symbol is the owl
 She is the favorite
daughter of Zeus
 Protector of the city
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20. Hades
 God of the underworld
 “King of the Dead”
 Symbols: Cerberus,
Bident, and Cypress

21. Greek Divinities
A.Titans - earliest group.TheTitans are led by
Cronus. Below is theTitans’ family tree:

22. Greek Divinities
B. Olympians - the most powerful group. They
are called Olympians because they lived on
Mount Olympus. The Olympians overthrew the
Titans. This group consists of several ranks of
divinities, with twelve gods and goddesses
making up the top rank.

23. Name Description
Zeus ruler of all divinities in Mount Olympus; the god of the sky
and thunder
Poseidon god of the sea and earthquakes; Zeus’s brother
Hades god of the underworld; Zeus’s brother
Apollo god of the sun, music, poetry, and purity; son of Zeus and
Leto (daughter of theTitansCoeus and Phoebe)
Ares god of war; son of Zeus and Hera
Hephaestus god of fire; blacksmith for the gods; son of Zeus and Hera
Hermes god of commerce, travelers, and thieves; guide of souls;
messenger of the Olympian gods; son of Zeus and Maia
(one of the seven daughters of theTitanAtlas)
Hestia goddess of the hearth; Zeus’s sister
Hera goddess of marriage; Zeus’s sister and wife
Athena goddess of wisdom and war; daughter of Zeus
Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty; daughter of Zeus with his first
wife, theTitan named Dione (in the Iliad); is said to have
sprung from sea foam (in later poems)
Artemis goddess of the hunt and the moon;Apollo’s twin sister;
daughter of Zeus and Leto

24. Greek Divinities
C. Minor divinities - other gods and goddesses
aside from the twelve Olympians, some of
whom are the following:
1. Eros – god of love; also known as Cupid in
Latin
2. Dionysus – god of wine; son of Zeus and
Semele (a mortal princess ofThebes)
3. Nymphs – beautiful maidens who were in
charge of guarding various parts of nature

25. Greek Divinities
Nymphs Description
Naiads freshwater nymphs
Nereids and
Oceanids
sea nymphs; daughters of
Nereus and Oceanus
Oreads mountain nymphs
Hamadryads tree nymphs
Dryads tree nymphs; specifically for oak
trees

26. Greek Divinities
4. Fates – three goddesses who controlled the
destiny of men
5. Furies – responsible for punishing evildoers in
the afterlife; they are three sisters named
Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto.
Fates Description
Clotho spun the thread of life
Lachesis assigned each man his destiny
Atropos cut the thread of life
Furies Description
Tisiphone avenger of murder
Megaera punisher of crimes especially
marital infidelity
Alecto punisher of moral crimes

27. Greek Divinities
6. Muses – nine goddesses of different arts and
sciences; daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne
Muses Description
Clio muse of history
Urania muse of astronomy
Thalia muse of comedy
Melpomene muse of tragedy
Terpsichore muse of dance
Erato muse of love poetry
Calliope muse of epic poetry
Euterpe muse of lyric poetry
Polyhymnia muse of songs to the gods

28. Greek Divinities
D. Aside from gods and goddesses, Greek
mythology also featured the following:
 Demigods - partly divine, partly mortal beings;
one example is Heracles (Hercules in Roman
mythology), who symbolized strength and
endurance
 Heroes - mostly or fully mortal beings, many of
whom had gods as ancestors
 Monsters - terrifying creatures
 Men - mortals