The Gods, The Creation, And The Earliest Heroes Notes

By VanKevia Garner, Reagan Adams, Brett Walker

Introduction

Greeks did not believe the gods created the universe but it is the other way around the universe created the gods

Titans

Titans “Elder Gods”- untold ages of the supreme in the universe

Titans were “Ocean” Most important: Cronus – Saturn in Latin. Cronus ruled over the other Titans Cronus was dethroned by his son Zeus

Olympians

12 Great Olympians- called Olympians because Olympus was their home. Poseidon- ruled the sea Hades- ruled the dead Zeus- ruled the heavens Olympus- over all three 12 Olympians- -Zeus (Jupiter)- the chief -Zeus two brothers- Poseidon (Neptune) -Hades (Pluto) -Hestia (Vesta)- their sister -Hera (Juno)- Zeus’s wife -Ares (Mars)- their son -Zeus children- Athena (Minerva) -Apollo -Aphrodite (Venus) -Hermes (Mercury) -Artemis (Diana) -Hera’s son- Hephatestus (Vulcan)

Zeus

Zeus “Jupiter”- Supreme ruler Lord of the sky, the Rain-god and the Cloud-gatherer “ I am mightiest of all. Make trial that you may know. Fasten a

rope of gold to heaven and lay hold, every god and goddess. You could not drag down Zeus, but if I wished to drag you down, then I would. The rope I would bind to a pinnacle of Olympus and all would hang in air, yes, the very earth and the sea too.”

Scholars say Zeus has been made of combining gods “Zeus, most glorious, most great, God of the storm-cloud, thou

that dwellest in the heavens.” Breastplate-aegis (awful to behold) Bird-eagle Tree-oak Oracle-Dodona in the land of the oak trees

Hera

Zeus’s wife and sister Protector of marriage, and married women

were her peculiar care Quest of the Golden Fleece- gracious protector

of heroes and the inspirer of heroic deeds Other: goddess married women turned to for

help (Ilithyia)-helped women n childbirth was her daughter

Cow and peacock were sacred to her Agros was her favorite city

Poseidon

Ruler of the sea Wife = Amphitrite

› Granddaughter of Titan, Ocean Gave first horse to man and was

honored as much for the one as for the other

Storm and calm were under his control “Earth-shaker” commonly called.

Other Gods

Hyperion: father of sun, the moon, and the dawn

Mnemosyne means memory Themis usually translated by Justice Atlas – bore the world on his shoulders Prometheus –savior of mankind