An introduction to mythology
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Transcript of An introduction to mythology
An Introduction to Mythology
The 12 Olympians
• Zeus• Hera• Demeter• Athena• Poseidon• Artemis
• Apollo• Hermes• Dionysus• Ares• Aphrodite• Hephaestus
The 12 chief Gods. Greeks believed all things came from them.
Other Greek Gods and Spirits• The God Pan:
God of the fields, and countryside. Half man, half goat, he was know for his mischievous, playful personality. He would scare travelers by shouting at them, this is where our word panic is said to have come from.
Other Greek Gods and Spirits• The Furies:
Three fearsome winged Goddesses of revenge. They avenged acts of injustice committed by ordinary men, heroes, or the immortal Gods. The showed no mercy and often drove their victims to madness.
Other Greek Gods and Spirits• The Muses:
Nine Goddesses and daughters of Zeus who inspired creativity. Each was associated with a particular activity
Calliope – Epic PoetryClio – History
Erato – Love poetryEuterpe – Music
Melpomene – TragedyPolyhymnia – Hymns
Terpsichore – DancingThalia – Comedy
Urania - Astronomy
Other Greek Gods and Spirits• Nymphs:
The Goddesses of Nature. There were several types:
Dryads – Tree NymphsNerieds – Sea Nymphs
Naiads – River and well Nymphs
Other Greek Gods and Spirits
Hestia:She was once one of the 12 Olympians, but gave
up her place to Dionysus. She is the Goddess of hearth, home, and family.
Greek Myths of CreationThe Titans
Uranus feared his titan children and trapped them in Tartarus,
but Cronus broke free and killed his father. He married Rhea and she gave birth to 6 Olympians.
Cronus imprisoned his own children, and they had to fight a war against their parents to take
over the world
The Cosmic EggThe world began with a single
egg laid by Time. The God Eros emerged from this Egg. He
gave birth to everything else in the universe and was its first
ruler
The UnderworldThe ancient Greeks believed that the souls of the dead inhabited the
underworld, which they called Hades. It was divided into different regions: the souls of heroes and virtuous dwelt in the Elysian fields, the
wicked were punished in Tartarus, and those who were neither good nor bad were sent the the plains of Asphodel. The dead were buried with a
coin in their mouth to pay Charon, the ferryman, to row them to the underworld across the river Styx.
The Underworld: HadesThe name of the place as well
as the name of the God who ruled over it. He was stern and unforgiving, presiding
over his dark, desolate kingdom. He wore a cap of invisibility made for him by
a Cyclops and carried a two-pronged spear.
The Underworld: Cerberus
Hades had a monsterous dog called
Cerberus: a huge, three-headed beast
that never slept. Cerberus guarded the
gates of the underworld, not only
stopping the souls of the dead from
escaping, but also preventing the living
from trying to enter and rescue their
loved ones from the clutches of death.
The Underworld: The Living and the Dead
Despite the watchful Cerberus, several Heroes did manage to enter the underworld and return alive. Orpheus went there to try to rescue his dead wife, and Odysseus went to consult the soul of a blind fortune tellr. Hercules entered the underworld,
captured Cerberus with his bare hands and brought him back to the land of the living.
Hades and PersephoneThe story of how the underworld got it’s queen
and how the seasons came to be.
Mythical Creatures
A wide variety of amazing creatures and terrible beasts populated Greek myths. A few of them
were helpful and made the world a better place, but most were hostile. The Greeks told many tales of mighty heroes who vanquished these savage beasts. Others were rewarded
and sent to the heavens.
PegasusA flying horse tamed and ridden by
the Hero Bellerophon, who used a magic bridle given to him by
Athena.
Origin: Arose from the blood of Medusa, the mortal Gorgon
Fate: Turned into a constellation
Other Mythical CreaturesThe Satyrs
Wild forest creatures of nature, these half-men half-goats spend their days merrymaking and reveling with Dionysus.
EchidnaThe mother of all
monsters, half nymph, half serpent was killed by Argus, they hundred
eyed giant.
The GorgonsThree horrible sisters with terrible fangs and snakes for hair. A single glance could turn any human to
stone. Two were immortal, but one, Medusa was
mortal and is said to have been killed by the hero
Perseus
Ancient Greek HeroesAchilles
A noble hero of the Trojan war, Achilles was nearly invincible
after being dipped into the Rive Styx as a baby. His only
vulnerability was his heel, where his mother held him to dip him in the river. Achilles
was killed by the Trojan prince Paris with an arrow to his heel.
PerseusPerseus is the hero famed with
killing Medusa. He had help from the Gods to accomplish this feat. Athena gave him a
reflective shield to look at the Gorgon and not be turned to stone. Hermes gave him the
magic sword the killed her and the Nymphs gave him an
invisibility helmet and winged shoes.
HerculesThe Son of Zeus with awesome strength. Hera was jealous of
him because he was the son of one of Zeus’ other wives so when
he was a baby she sent two snakes to kill him, he strangles the serpents bare handed and grew to complete many great
feats of strength.