Introduction to

Greek Mythology

Deerlake Middle School

What is Greek mythology?• The people of ancient Greece

shared stories called myths with gods, goddesses, and heroes in which they fully believed.

• Each god or goddess was worshipped as a diety and ruled over a given area of the Greeks lives.

• These exciting stories, myths, explained natural phenomena that could not be explained by science of the ancient Greek world. Myths attempted to teach moral lessons, to explain traditions & customs, to relay history

Greek mythology of today was religion of Ancient Greece.• The Greeks believed the stories we

now call myths.• The gods and goddesses ruled the

world and were believed to be responsible for the success or failure of human life.

• So the Greeks worshipped their gods by praying, giving offerings, and building temples.

Why should we study mythology?

• The Ancient Greek culture has been kept alive through oral and later written stories handed down over 1000’s of years.

• Modern plays, novels, movies, advertisements, and TV programs refer to Greek gods, heroes, monsters, etc.

• Adventurous and exciting stories entertain us.

The beginning… According to Greek mythology, in the

beginning there was nothing. This was called Chaos. From this nothingness came light, Mother Earth (Gaia), and she gave birth to Sky (Uranus). Gaia was the mother of all living things and mother of the gods.

Gaia and Uranus gave birth to six sets of twins known as the Titans. All were powerful giants. • Oceanus and Thethys• Coeos and Phoebe• Hyperion and Thea• Creos and Themis• Iapetos and Clymene• Cronos and Rhea

Gaia and Uranus also gave birth to three Cyclopes, three giants, each with fifty heads and one-hundred arms. Uranus disliked his offspring, so he threw them away to the underworld. This angered Gaia!

Gaia wanted revenge and called on the Titans for help. The youngest, Cronus (Master of Time) succeeded in overthrowing Uranus and became the new ruler of the universe. Cronus worried that

one of his sons may try to overthrow him, so he swallowed each child whole when it was born.

Again, Gaia got very angry, and she hid the youngest child, Zeus, and gave Cronus a rock wrapped in a blanket to swallow.

History repeats itself….• Zeus grows up and overthrow his

father. He tricks his father into throwing up his brothers and sisters.

• The war raged on for 10 years.• Zeus and his siblings defeat the Titans.

The rule of the universe was divided among the three brothers.

• Zeus – King of Gods – Ruler of Heaven and Earth

• Poseidon – God of the Sea• Hades – God of the Underworld

The Cyclopes built a palace for the gods on Mount Olympus; the 12 great Olympian gods ruled from Olympus forever more.

Who were the Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus?

The Olympians are a group of 12 gods who ruled after the overthrow of the Titans. All the Olympians are related in some way. They are named after their dwelling place, Mount Olympus.

Zeus (Roman Name: Jupiter)• The most powerful of all,

Zeus was god of the sky and the king of Olympus. His temper affected the weather, and he threw thunderbolts when he was unhappy.

• He was married to Hera, his sister. Zeus had many children with various goddesses and mortals.

• His symbols include the oak and the thunderbolt.

Hera (Roman Name: Juno)• Goddess of marriage

and childbirth. • She and Zeus were

constantly quarreling about his “wandering.”

• She frequently outwitted Zeus.

• Her symbol was the peacock because of her great beauty

Poseidon (Roman Name: Neptune)• God of the Sea – He

built an underwater palace.

• He was a difficult and quarrelsome god. His ill temper caused earthquakes.

• He was the most powerful except for Zeus.

• His symbols were the trident and the horse

Hades (Roman name: Pluto)

• Hades was god of the underworld, so he was not considered an “Olympian”

• Hades was jealous of Zeus and Poseidon.

• Persephone was his queen.

Demeter (Roman name: Ceres)

• She was the goddess of the harvest.

• She was Zeus’ sister.• Her daughter,

Persephone, was fathered by Zeus and kidnapped by Hades.

• Her symbol is wheat.

Hestia (Roman name: Vesta)

• Goddess of the Hearth, represents personal & communal happiness.

• The most gentle of the gods, but not much personality.

• Gave up her seat to Dionysus.

• Her symbol is fire.

Athena (Roman name: Minerva)

• Goddess of wisdom who was skilled in the art of war.

• Athena sprang full grown from the head of Zeus.

• She was the best loved goddess of Olympus.

• She taught man to use tools and his wife to spin and weave.

• Her symbols include the owl and the olive tree.

Apollo (Roman name: …Apollo) • Sun god; god of

music/arts; god of healing; god of prophecy

• Son of Zeus and Leto; Zeus’ favorite son

• He was twin brother of Artemis and most handsome of the gods.

• He drove his chariot across the sky to pull the sun each day.

• Symbols include the lyre, the sun, a chariot, and bow & arrow

Artemis (Roman name: Diana)

• Goddess of hunt, wilderness, wild animals & fertility

• Twin sister of Apollo• She ruled over

untamed places of the earth.

• Her symbols include the deer, the bear, and the cypress tree.

Dionysus (Roman name: Bacchus)

• God of wine• He was the only god

on Olympus with a mortal parent.

• He was honored with springtime festivals centered around theater.

• Much of ancient poetry is created in his honor.

• His symbols include grapes, ivy, and snakes.

Ares (Roman name: Mars)

• God of War• Son of Zeus and Hera• He was both cruel and

a coward.• He displayed the worst

of humanity’s traits.• His symbols include

armor, bloody spear, vulture,& dog.

Hephaestus (Roman name: Vulcan)• The god of fire and the

forge• Son of Zeus and Hera• He was lamed when

Hera hurled him from Mount Olympus because of his ugliness.

• He made armor and weapons for the gods, but he loved peace.

• He was married to Aphrodite, but not happily.

• His symbols include the Hammer and Fire

Aphrodite (Roman name: Venus)

• The goddess of love and beauty; protector of sailors

• She is said to have risen from sea foam.

• She was judged the most beautiful goddess of Olympus, and she married the ugliest god, Hephaestus.

• Her symbols include the seashell, the mirror, and the dove

Hermes (Roman name: Mercury)• The messenger

god, God of mischief

• Son of Zeus and Maia, a Titaness

• The speediest of all, he wore winged sandals and a winged hat and carried a winged staff with snakes on it (Caduceus).

Monsters in Greek Mythology

• Cerberus – three headed dog that guards the entrance to the underworld

• Cyclopes – giants with a single eye in the middle of their forehead

• Gorgons - were horrifyingly ugly monsters who lived at the edge of the world. Their hair was made of serpents, and one look from a Gorgon's eyes would turn a man to stone. (Medusa was a gorgon)

• Minotaur - man-eating monster with the head of a bull

• Hydra – multi-headed snake with 9 to 100 heads

Vocabularymyth

goddess immortal

god mortal

constellation

hero morals hubris nectar

ambrosia quest

narcissism