Greek Mythology

Greek MythologyGreek Mythology Mythology – the telling of stories that

usually explained natural events that could not be explained through science in ancient times.

These stories were first told orally and were later written.

TWO NAMES – POWERS SAME

The ancient Romans adopted a great deal of Greek mythology.

Often, they changed the names of the particular gods and goddesses.

DO MYTHS REALLY MATTER TODAY?

YES!!! References to Greek mythology are all around

us: Ever heard of Nike athletic gear? Nike was

actually a goddess of victory. What would Valentine’s Day be without Cupid?

Cupid, or Eros, is the god of love as the Greeks called him.

Apollo 13 - The first crewed US space missions were named for Apollo, the god of light.

The WorldThe World

Mount Olympus – towers up from the center of the Earth (where gods live)

Earth – where humans lived, gods visited

Underworld – Kingdom of the dead

CronusCronus King of the Titans, ruled the

heavens and earth before Zeus

Castrated and killed his father – Uranus (heaven)

Swallowed his children

Children: Zeus, Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Hades, Poseidon

Zeus – Leader of the Olympian gods King of the gods

Ruler of Mount Olympus He was the god of the

sky, lightning and thunder.

He married Hera, his sister.

Hera – Wife of Zeus She was the protector of

marriage and motherhood. Zeus and Hera were always

quarreling. Known to be a Jealous wife.

Hades – god of the underworld

Jealous brother of Zeus and Poseidon.

Wife is Persephone Ruler of the dead Ruler of the underworld

Poseidon(god of the sea)

Brother of Zeus 2nd most powerful god Caused storms and

earthquakes. He invented the horse

for his sister Demeter, whom he loved.

Demeter – goddess agriculture Sister of Zeus

She cares for the earth and makes things grow.

Mother of Persephone. Her daughter, Persephone,

was kidnapped by Hades. Responsible for the

changing of the seasons.

Hestia – goddess of the home Sister of Zeus Represented security and

happiness. Thought to be the kindest

of the goddesses. Mentioned in only a few

stories.

Apollo – god of light, music and knowledge

He was the twin brother of Artemis and the most handsome of the gods.

He drove his chariot across the sky to pull the sun each day.

Artemis – goddess of moon, woods, & hunting

Twin sister of Apollo She was a huntress,

who always carried a silver bow and arrows.

Athena –goddess of wisdom Born full grown out of the head of

Zeus. She was the best-loved goddess

on Olympus. She hated Ares – god of war She taught man to use tools and

taught woman to spin (yarn) and weave.(cloth).

Created the spider

Hermes – god of mischief and the god of the market (buying and selling)

Messenger of the gods Flew between the

heavens and the earth Guided souls to the

underworld.

Ares – god of war Loved Aphrodite Provoked conflict Disliked by gods and

mortals. Ironically, he was a

coward, who fled the field of battle.

Aphrodite - goddess of love and beauty Born in the sea The other goddesses envied her. After all the gods on Mount

Olympus courted her, she married Hephaestus, the ugliest of the gods.

Hephaestus – god of fireand volcanoes Made weapons and jewelry for the gods and goddesses.Married to AphroditeBorn extremely ugly.Hera, his mother, thought he was so ugly that she threw his off Mt. Olympus crippling him.

Achilles

Mightiest Greek warrior Son of king and sea

goddess Known for his Achilles

Heel Chose glory in war rather

than a long peaceful life

Asclepius

Mortal who became the god of healing

Son of Apollo Brought the dead back to life

Narcissus

Son of a river god and a nymph

Handsome but extremely vain

Fell in love with own reflection

Heracles (Hercules)

Greek Hero Achieved divinity upon

death Famous for his 12 labors Favorite son of Zeus Hera tried to kill him

Medusa

Once beautiful maiden turned into a monster

Instead of hair, had live snakes

People who looked at her turned to stone immediately

Cursed by Athena – envious of beauty

Odysseus

Hero of Homer’s Odyssey

Came up with Trojan Horse

Had to overcome several obstacles

Prometheus

Titan who joined forces with Zeus

Founder of human race and giver of fire

Chained to a rock, eagle pecked out liver

Liver always grew back

Iris

Goddess of the Rainbow

Messenger of the gods Often carries

messages for Hera Some legends, she is

the mother of Eros

Orion

The Hunter, Giant mortal son of

Poseidon and Euryale Killed by Artemis and

then placed among the stars

Atlas Mythological Titan who competed

with the giants against the Gods in a war

Zeus punished him by making him support the heavens with his shoulders

After Atlas saw the head of Medusa, he was turned into a mountain chain which was believed to have stretched from Africa to Spain until Heracles broke it, thus creating the Pillars of Hercules, in modern geography: Gibraltar.

Psyche

Greek Goddess of the Soul Psyche started out as a

mortal, but one of exquisite grace and beauty.

Fervently courted by numerous mortal men and gods