Greek Mythology

Mrs. Dianne Cline

Oak Mountain Middle School

Shelby County Schools

I. Origins of Greek Myths 1. Myths can be traced to 900 – 800 BC in

the Geometric period of Greece

2. Myths consisted of stories about the

lives and adventures of gods &

goddesses, heroes & heroines, &

mythical creatures

II. Sources of Greek Myths 1. Pottery & vase paintings from 900 –

500 BC

2. Homer, Greek poet 850 BC, who

wrote the epic poems The Iliad and

The Odyssey

3. Hesiod, Greek poet 705 BC,

who wrote the epic poems

Theogony and Works and Days

III. Mythology Meaning 1. From a Greek word meaning

“story-telling, a legendary lore”

2. Meaning = a collection of myths,

legends, or folklore of a particular

people or culture that was believed

to be true & addressed their origin,

history, religion, ancestors, &

heroes

IV. History of Mythology 1. Ancient myths were used to explain a

culture’s history, the natural world

around them, & their religion

2. By the 5th century BC, Greek historians

& philosophers criticized & excluded

the study of the supernatural myths

3. 850 – 680 B.C. – Geometric & Archaic

ages of Greece (when ancient myths

were passed on orally from generation

to generation)

4. 750 – 680 B.C. - Myths written down

V. Modern Day Influences from ancient Greece:

1. Architecture

a. Greek architects were trained

craftsmen

b. The temple was the

most common form

of Greek public

architecture

c. Other common Greek structures were:

stoa (a long row of shops), agora

(commercial center), gymnasium (for

exercise & contests for men), outdoor

theatres, & bouleuterion (large public

building used as a court house & for

council meetings)

d. Three main styles of Greek

architecture were

Corinthian, Doric &

Ionic

Doric & Ionic Style in the U.S.

US Treasury Building,

NY State Treasury,

Market Building, Boston;

Girard College, PA; &

Ohio State Capital

Building

2. Art & Law

a. Ancient Greek lawgivers were Draco & Solon (appointed to write laws)

b. Greeks gave us the court system

c. Greeks gave us trial by jury

d. Greek art consisted of sculpture, painting, pottery & jewelry making

Examples of Greek Art

3. Politics & Government

a. The word democracy is Greek – it means “government by the people”

b. The two most important Greek city-states were Athens & Sparta

c. Greeks gave us the constitution & citizenship

4. Literature & Theatre

a. Greek literature consisted of poetry, drama, odes, & histories

b. Famous Greek poets were: Homer

& Hesiod

c. Famous Roman poets were: Ovid

who wrote Metamorphoses Virgil who

wrote Aeneid

d. The Roman poets were

less serious about religion

in their poetry

5. The Olympics a. Ancient Olympics were held in Olympia,

Greece from 776 BC to 393 AD

b. Representatives of Greek city-states &

from other countries competed in

athletic competitions

c. The prize for winners was a crown or

olive wreath

d. The Olympics also featured religious &

artistic celebration

e. A statue of Zeus was built in Olympia

to show Zeus presided over the games

f. Only free men who spoke Greek were

allowed to compete

g. The Olympics ended when Rome took

over & the Emperor

declared the Games

to be against God

VI. Purpose of Greek Myths

1. Greek myths were invented to:

a. Explain the creation of the world

b. Explain the creation of the gods

c. Explain the creation of

animals & humans

d. Explain natural

phenomena (rain, thunder,

earthquakes, death, etc.)

2. Myths explain that the world was formed from Chaos who produced:

a. Gaia (Mother Earth) & Uranus (Father Sky)

b. Gaia gave birth to 12 Titans & several “creatures”

c. One Titan, Cronus, murdered his father Uranus & married his sister Rhea

d. With her husband Cronus, Rhea gave birth to 12

Olympians

3. The Olympian gods & goddesses, led

by Zeus:

a. Battled their father Cronus & the

Titans

b. Overthrew them & banished them to

the underworld

c. Became the new

rulers of the world

from Mt. Olympus

VII. Olympian Gods & Goddesses 1. The gods & goddesses can be both

good & evil

2. They have human characteristics but are immortal

3. Greeks built temples to the gods & goddesses to worship them

4. Gods & goddesses can travel between Mt. Olympus & Earth

VIII. Greek Heroes 1. Heracles (Hercules): son

of Zeus, known for his strength & performing 12 impossible tasks or labors

2. Achilles: son of the nymph Thetis, known for his triumph in the Trojan war until Paris shot him with an arrow in his heel & killed him

3. Theseus: son of Poseidon, known for

defeating the minotaur

& saving Athenians

from human sacrifice

4. Perseus: son of Zeus, known for cutting

off the head of Medusa

& rescuing the maiden

Andromeda from a

sea monster

5. Odysseus: a descendent of Hermes,

known for the idea of the

Trojan horse that led the

Greeks to defeat the Trojans

6. Jason: son of Aeolus,

a wind god, known for

his quest to get the

golden fleece in his

ship, the Argo

IX. Mythical Creatures 1. Centaurs: half man-

half horse, known

for chasing nymphs

& drinking a lot.

The centaur

Chiron was

the

intelligent

& kind

teacher of heroes.

2. Cerberus: the 3-

headed dog that

guarded the gates

of the Underworld.

3. Cyclops: member of a race

of giants with one eye in

the middle of his forehead.

4. Gorgons: female creatures with hair of living

venomous snakes & a horrifying gaze that

turned anyone who looked at them

into stone. Two of them were

immortal – Medusa was not.

She was killed by Perseus.

5. Kraken: a mythical

giant sea monster,

described as part

octopus & part

crab. It attacked

ships & people on

the ocean.

6. Lernaean Hydra: a

serpent-like water

beast that had

many heads. The

middle head had

poisonous breath. If

a head was cut off, 2

more grew back.

7. Minotaur: a

creature with the

head of a bull &

the body of a man.

He was held in the

center of the

Cretan Labyrinth.

8. Pegasus: a winged

horse born from

Poseidon &

Medusa who

served Zeus & was

used by heroes.

9. Satyr: a creature with

the upper half of a

man & the lower half

of a goat. Adults have

horns & juveniles have

nubs in their

foreheads. They drank

wine, chased

women, but

were usually

shy &

cowardly.

10. Sirens: creatures

with a woman’s

head, bird feathers,

& scaly feet. Their

music & voices

would lure sailors to

their death on rocky

shores & cliffs.

X. Why do we study Greek Mythology?

1. Greek mythology was the world’s first

written literature (Greek is 1 of the oldest

written languages)

2. It connects us to our past in language (words

from mythology & alphabet) &

history

3. It helps us understand how

mythology is used in our

culture