Greek Mythology, Epic Poetry, and The Odyssey

Greek Mythology

• Mythology is the study of myths • Myths are stories involving gods, goddesses,

and heroes• Why did myths begin?– To entertain – To explain natural phenomena – To explain the relationship of god to man – To teach lessons and morals

Ancient Gods of Greek Mythology

It All Started with Chaos• The world was formed from a great mass called Chaos• Out from Chaos came Gaea, the earth Goddess• She gave birth to a son, Uranus, and together they had six children

Three 50 headed & 100-handed giants and three one-eyed Cyclopes• Uranus hated these children and sent them to the underworld• On their second try, Uranus and Gaea produced seven Titans:

– CLYMENE– HYPERION– CRONUS – PHALLA– PHOEBE – RHEA – TETHYS

The Betrayals Continue• Gaea, however, was still upset that Uranus banished their other

children• She told the Titans what Uranus had done and asked them to seek

revenge• Cronus (their son) did seek revenge by castrating Uranus, and

becoming the new ruler• But, when he saw the other children, he agreed they were too ugly

to allow out of the underworld• Cronus married Rhea• They had five children, but since Gaea had warned him that one of

his kids would overthrow him, Cronus swallowed his own children • Rhea was tired of this, so she hid the sixth child, Zeus, in Crete • When Cronus asked for the child, Rhea wrapped a rock in clothes

and Cronus swallowed it

Zeus Takes Vengeance

• Zeus grows up, Rhea tells him the story about his siblings, and he plots revenge against Cronus

• He poisons Cronus, and his siblings pop out of Cronus’s belly (after the rock, of course)

• After this, Zeus tries to take over, but the other Titans wont recognize him, so they start a war

• Gaea tells Zeus about her first six children, and with their help he wins against the Titans. Then he takes the whole family to Mt. Olympus (Thus the name Olympian Gods)

Zeus (Jupiter)• After overthrowing his father Cronus, Zeus drew

straws with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods

• He is lord of the sky, the rain god• His symbol is a thunderbolt which he hurls at

those who anger him• He is married to Hera, but is famous for his many

affairs with goddesses and mortals• He is also known to punish those that lie or break

oaths

Zeus’ Wives, Lovers, and Offspring

Hera (Juno)

• She is queen of the gods, the goddess of marriage, and the protector of married women

• She is the sister and wife of the god Zeus• She was a jealous wife, who often persecuted

Zeus’s mistresses and children• Her symbol is a golden crown

Ares (Mars)

• He is the god of war• He was regarded as the father of the Roman

people• His symbols are a sword, spear, and vulture

Hestia (Vesta)

• She is the first child of Cronus and Rhea• She is the goddess of home, hearth, and

hospitality • She is often referred to as “the forgotten

goddess” because very few of her adventures were recorded

• Her symbol is sacred fire

Poseidon (Neptune)

• Brother of Zeus and Hades • Lord of the sea• To impress Demeter, Poseidon created the first horse.

In some accounts, his first attempts were unsuccessful and he created a variety of other animals in his quest

• His symbol is a trident, which can shake the earth and shatter any object

• He is second only to Zeus in power among the gods • He has a difficult, quarrelsome personality, is greedy,

and has many disputes with other gods

Hades (Pluto)• Brother of Zeus and Poseidon• He had the worst draw and was made lord of the

underworld, ruling over the dead• He is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing

his subjects and doesn’t want any of them to leave• God of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the

earth• He has a helmet that makes him invisible• He rarely leaves the underworld. He has no pity and is

mean• His symbol is a scepter—a two pronged staff

Demeter (Ceres)• She is the goddess of grain and harvest; she is also

Persephone’s mother• She was unwilling to give consent to Hades, god of

the underworld to marry her daughter Persephone• Hades seized Persephone and had her mother

wander and search for her lost daughter (vegetation died and famine prevailed)

• She is associated with the four seasons • Her symbol is a rake

Athena (Minerva)• Daughter of Zeus, she sprang from his forehead—full

grown and in armor• The goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, justice and skill• She is fierce and brave in battle• She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame

horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot

• She represents wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons, including his thunderbolt

• Her symbols are the olive tree and the owl• She is a virgin goddess

Hephaestus (Vulcan)• He is the god of fire and metalwork; he is also

Aphrodite’s husband• As an artisan among the gods, Hephaestus

made their armor, weapons, and jewelry • In contrast to other gods, he is crippled• He was removed from Olympus, the heavens • He was the only Olympian to return to Olympus• His symbol is a hammer

Apollo & Artemis (Diana)• Apollo “protector of young men”– He is the god of sun, music, and prophecy – He is Artemis’ twin– He was the first victor in the ancient Olympic Games– His symbols are a golden chariot and bow

• Artemis “guardian of young women”– She is the goddess of hunting and the moon– She is Apollo’s twin– Her symbols are a silver bow & arrow and deer

Hermes (Mercury)• Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia• He is the god of messengers, safe travel, good fortune,

trickery, and truth• While Hermes can never tell a lie, he may not always tell

the whole truth• He is the fastest of the gods• He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic

wand• He guides the dead to the underworld• He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale,

astronomy, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees

Aphrodite (Venus)

• She is the goddess of love and beauty• She is described as having sprung from the

foam of the sea• She is the wife of Hephaestus, the god of fire

and metalwork• She was the rival of Persephone, queen of the

underworld• Her symbol is a dove

Circe

• Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios, was a sorceress best known for her ability to turn men into animals with her magic wand

• She was jealous of Scylla, a beautiful young woman, and turned Scylla into a sea monster

The Sirens

• The Sirens are creatures with the head of a female and the body of a bird

• They lived on three small rocky islands, and with the irresistible charm of their song, they lured sailors to their death on the rocks surrounding the island

Scylla

• Circe, jealous of Scylla, poisoned the water where Scylla bathed

• Scylla became a monster with twelve feet and six heads, each with three rows of teeth. Below the waist her body was made up of hideous dog-like monsters

• She threatened passing ships, and in the Odyssey she ate six of Odysseus’s companions

Helios

• The god of the sun• His chariot rises in the East and descends in

the West (like the sun)• Warm, friendly and compassionate, Helios

respects truth and honesty• Helios was keeper of the sacred cattle• His symbol is the chariot

Calypso

• Calypso was a nymph, the daughter of the Titan Atlas

• She lived on the island of Ogygia• Calypso fell in love with Odysseus, taking him as

her lover and promising him immortality if he would stay with her

• In Greek mythology, nymphs are spirits of nature They are minor female goddesses and the protectors of springs, mountains, and rivers

The Muses• These are the 9 daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus • Each is in charge of a different art or science and

inspires those who excel at these pursuits– Clio = history – Urania = astronomy – Melpomene = tragedy – Thalia = comedy – Terpsichore = dance – Calliope = epic poetry – Erato = love poetry – Polyhymnia = songs – Euterpe = lyric poetry

Greek Mythology, Epic Poetry, and The Odyssey

Homer’s The Odyssey

• The Odyssey is an epic poem based on Greek mythology

• What is an Epic Poem?– A long narrative poem about a national or

legendary hero

Who is Homer?

• Author of The Iliad and The Odyssey • The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War• The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus’s long

trip home after the war• Scholars think Homer lived between 1500 B.C.

and 700 B.C. • Most scholars believe he was blind, but there

is no evidence to verify this

Characteristics of an Epic Poem

• Incorporate myth, legend, folk tale, and history

• Have a grand tone • Heroes and their adventures appear larger

than life (Epic Hero) • Many were drawn from oral tradition

Homer Continued

• Homer used the legendary material of the Trojan war as the basis for his poems – adding original plot structure, realistic characters, dialogue and detail, and tales of fabulous monsters

• The study of Homer’s epics became the basis of Greek education

• Homer made his characters believable by giving them both good and bad traits

The Trojan War

• Due to a promise they had made to King Menelaus to help him defend Helen’s honor, all the kings of Greece went to Troy to fight to get Helen back

• The Greeks fought the Trojans for 10 years• Odysseus came to the rescue with a strategy

to win the war that involved a huge wooden horse

Fighting Over a Girl?

• Helen, a mortal daughter of Zeus, was the most beautiful girl in the world

• Only there was a huge problem—she was already married to King Menelaus

• Paris went to Sparta, met and fell in love with Helen, and they ran away together to Troy (Paris’s home)

• Menelaus demanded that his wife be returned, and when Paris refused The Trojan War began

The Trojan Horse

• To gain entrance into Troy, clever Odysseus ordered a large wooden horse to be built

• Its insides were hollow so that soldiers could hide within it

• All the Greek ships sailed away and left the Trojan horse behind (To make it look like they had given up)

• The Spartans thought they had won the war, brought the horse into the city, and had a drunken celebration

• While the Spartans slept, Odysseus and his men climbed out of the horse’s belly, let their comrades into the city, and slaughtered the Spartans

Greek Mythology, Epic Poetry, and The Odyssey

The Odyssey

• It’s an 11,300 line epic poem divided into 24 books (chapters)

• It was passed down orally between the generations

Three Parts to the Story

• Odysseus’s wanderings for 10 years after the Trojan War

• What happens in Ithaca to his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus, while he is gone?

• What happens when Odysseus returns home to reclaim his throne and family?

• How long has Odysseus been away from home?

Themes in The Odyssey

• loyalty & devotion • wandering hero • triumph of good over evil • obedience to the laws of the gods • Greek ideal of a strong body & strong mind

Odysseus

• The son of Laertes and the ruler of the island kingdom of Ithaca

• He was one of the most prominent Greek leaders in the Trojan War, and is the epic hero of The Odyssey

• He was known for his cleverness and cunning, and for his eloquence as a speaker

• Favored by Athena

Penelope

• Penelope was the daughter of Icarius and a first cousin of Helen of Troy

• She was the wife of Odysseus• She was famous for her cleverness and for her

faithfulness to her husband for 20 years

Telemachus

• Odysseus and Penelope’s son • Favored by Athena • She helped him gain self-confidence and

assertiveness when his father was gone for so many years (He grew up without a father)

Timeline of Odysseus’ Adventures1. Fights in the Trojan War2. Island of Cicones3. Land of the Lotus Eaters4. Land of the Cyclopes5. Island of Aeolus6. Circe’s Island (1 year)7. Lured by Sirens8. Trouble at sea against Scylla and Charybdis9. Island of Helios (Stranded about 1 month-crew ate cattle) HOME!10. Calypso keeps Odysseus for 7 years11. Odysseus washes ashore at Phaeacia - Land of the Laestrygones

(cannibals)12. Zeus destroys ship13. Odysseus returns home to Ithaca