Mythology is body of stories about gods and heroes that try to explain how the world works.

Zeus- Main god

Hera- Queen

Poseidon- sea

Hades-underworld

Demeter- agriculture

Hestia- the hearth

Athena- wisdom

Apollo- the sun

Artemis- the moon

Ares- war

Aphrodite- love

Hephaestus- metalworkingDionysus- celebrationHermes- the messenger god

Greeks saw the work of the gods in events all around them

Hephaestus- volcanoes

Demeter- the seasons

Greeks built temples to keep the gods happy

Some Greek myths were about great heroes (some real, some imaginary)

Each city had their favorite hero

•In Athens it was Theseus who killed the Minotaur

•The most famous was Hercules

The earliest writings are the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer. They are considered epic poems, because they describe the deeds of great heroes.

•The Iliad tells of the last years of the Trojan War

•The Odyssey tells of Odysseus’ journey home from the war

These stories were central to the Greek education system

Homer’s poems influenced later writers who copied his style

These stories are considered to be some of the greatest ever written

Poems set to music for a lyre

We get the word “lyrics” from this

Most Greek poets were men, but Sappho was a famous women poet, known for her poems of love and relationships

Short stories that teach a lesson about life

Aesop is the most famous Often, animals are the main characters

Many of our words come from the Greek language (odyssey, titanic)

Many places are named after Greek mythical figures (Athens)

Greek myths have inspired artists for centuries (Hercules, Percy Jackson)