Greek Mythology: The Olympians and Lesser gods

Prometheus2

Prometheus on the Hopkin’s water tower

Zeus on his throne in Mt. Olympus

Demeter (Ceres)Goddess of crops, harvests, fertility,

marriage

Demeter’s daughter Persephone

Was kidnapped by

Hades

Hades and Persephone

Rape of Persephone

Demeter mourned so deeply

The earth grew lifeless and unproductive. People were starving so Zeus sent

Hermes(Mercury)

To fetch her daughter from Hades.

(Note the cool footwear and hat)

The caduceus is the sign of healing and medicine.

But Persephone had already eaten the seed of a pomegranate and had to spend half the year in the underworld

with her lovely husband Hades, and the other half with her loving mother Demeter.Thus explaining

winter and summer.

Demeter finding Persephone

• Hermes is guiding Persephone up from the underworld

Demeter is the Greek goddess of grain, and her daughter Persephone is Spring personified. Persephone's husband is Hades, god of the

underworld, and she is compelled to spend part of each year with him. The time she spends with him is winter.

Dionysus is the only god whose parents were not both

devine

Dionysus --- Bacchus

DionysusThe god of wine, and

of theatre. His followers are the Satyrs and Maenads. The Satyrs are half men half goat, and the maenads are mad women(too much wine.)

Satyr: Mr. Tumnas

Dionysus’ parents were Zeus and the Mortal Semele

• Zeus snatched Dionysus from Semele’s side before she died.Hermes carried Dionysus to be raised by the nymphs of Nysa.

• The God of the vine was born of fire and nursed by rain.

• Everywhere he taught men the culture of the vine• He was mans’ benefactor and man’s destroyer• He could bring either pleasure or pain.• P.63 He died and rose again. Represents resurrection.

Teiresias

• Blind prophet

King Pentheus of Thesbes

• Torn apart by the maenads

• Like the vines that are cut down every winter and grow anew in the spring, Dionysus represents joyful resurrection, similar to Persephone

Demeter and Dionysus

• Gods who know suffering as well as pain

• Dioynusus later became associated with inspiration. He no longer freed man through drink, but through insiration.

Associated with theater

What is the metaphor?

• Wine can bring joy and sorrow (61 read)

• Mans’ benefector and destroyer

• Pan:

• God of nature and flocks

Son of Hermes

• Wild places were his home

• A wonderful pipe musician

• Unlucky in love

• God of Shepard's and flocks

• Iris; Goddess of the Rainbow• Messenger of the gods to humans

Iris, in Greek mythology, Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris left Olympus only to convey the divine

commands to humankind, by whom she was regarded as an adviser and guide.

Iris was represented as a beautiful maiden, with wings and robes of bright

colors and a halo of light on her head, trailing across the sky with a

rainbow in her wake.

Welcome to

The

Underworld

Charon

• Ferryman: escorted the dead to the underworld

• Gold coin placed beneath their tongues to pay for the crossing

Welcome to

THE UNDERWORLD

Guarded by Cerebus

vOops… Wrong dog. Down Boy. Good Cerebus!

Asphodel Fields

• Neither good or bad went there

• Could drink from pool of Lethe and forget your previous life

• Or drink from Pool of Mnemosyne and remember your life

Punishment grounds

• The bad went there and were punished by the furies

Elysium Fields

Sunshine and gummy bears

Charon

• Ferryman: takes people across the river Styx

Birth of Athena(oy..what a headache)

Hermes leading the Goddesses

Parthenon

The Parthenon on the Acropolis. The chief temple of the goddess Athena built on the acropolis at Athens between 447 and 432 B.C. and considered a supreme example of Doric architecture.

Acropolis - The Greek word meaning "high city." Ancient Greek builders chose to erect their towns around fortified hills upon which their main temples were placed. The most famous acropolis is in Athens.)

The Acropolis of Athens:

Map of ancient Greece

• Ancient Greece

Saturn eating one of

his children

(Kr

Delphi Famous Oracle