the lesser gods of earth
TRANSCRIPT
THE LESSERGODS OFEARTH
Mythology & folklore
• Earth herself was called the All-Mother, but she was not really a divinity.
• Demeter (Ceres)- the goddess of the Corn- goddess of the fertility of the earth and harvest- protector of marriage and social order- daughter of Cronus and Rhea
• Dionysus (Bacchus)- the god of wine,- were the supreme deities of the earth,- and of great importance in Greek and Roman Mythology.
GODS OF THE EARTH
PANwas the chiefhe was Hermes’ sona noisy, merry god,the Homeric Hymn in his honor calls him.
he was part animal toowith a goat’s hornand a goat’s hoofs, instead of feet.
he was also the goatherds’ god and the shepherds’ god,
and a gay companion of the woodland nymphs when they danced
his home are all wild places;
but best of all he loves Arcady
Pan is a wonderful musician
he was always in love with one nymph or another.
SILENUSwas sometimes said to be
Pan’s son,sometimes his brother, a son
of Hermes,he was a jovial fat old man,associated with Bacchus as
well as with Pan.Became a devoted follower of
Bacchus
CASTOR & POLLUXCastor and Pollux (Polydeuces) was said to live half of their time on earth and half in heaven,
they were the sons of Ledarepresented as being gods,the special protector of sailors
they were especially honored in Rome
but the accounts of Castor and Pollux are contradictory
CASTORa mortal who won a kind of half-and-half immortality
brother of Clytemnestra
POLLUXheld to be divine immortal
brother of Helen
but they are both brothers often called a sons of Zeus
on the other hand they were also called the sons of Tyndareus,
they also went to the land of Cattle owners (Idas and Lynceus)
the important part they play is the account of Castor’s death, when Pollux proved his brotherly devotion,
because when Castor was dead, Pollux was inconsolable, and then he prayed to die also.
SILENIcreatures part man and part horse,they walk on two legs, not fouroften had horses’ hoofs instead of
feet,sometimes horses ears, and
always horses’ tails
SATYRSwere goat-menthey had their home in the wild places of the earth,
Goddesses of
the woodlan
d
OREADSnymphs of the mountains
DRYADSsometimes called HAMADRYADS,nymphs of treestheir life was in each case bound
up with that of her tree
WINDSAEOLUS- king of the windsalso lived on the earthan island Aeolia was his home
viceroy of the gods
FOUR CHIEF WINDSBOREAS- the north windin Latin AQUILO,ZEPHYR- the west windin Latin FAVONIUSNOTUS- the south windin Latin AUSTER EURUS- the east windthe same in both Greek and Latin
SOME BEINGS NEITHER
HUMAN NOR DIVINE ON THE EARTH
CENTAURSthey were half man, half horsethey were savage creatures,CHIRON- was known everywhere for his goodness and his wisdom
GORGONSEarth dwellersthere were three,two of them were immortal,they were dragon like
creatures with wingsPHORCYS- son of the Sea and
the Earth, was their father
GRAIAEtheir sistersthree gray women who had but one eye between them
they lived on the farther bank of ocean
SIRENSlived on an island in the Sea
hey had an enchanting voices
it was not known, what they looked like
THE FATESthey were assigned to no abode whether in heaven or on the earth
Moirae in GreekParcae in Latin