Introduction to Mythology
Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths
Mythology
A usually traditional story of events that serves
to unfold part of the world view of a people or
explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon
. Myths often involve divine, supernatural,
and/or heroic characters.
Mythology
OR A collection of fictional stories involving
the actions of gods, goddesses and other
imaginary characters, intended to explain the
unexplainable.
Classical Greek
Mythology
A collection of stories about a set of gods, based
upon oral tradition, as told and recorded by the
ancient Greeks
Myths served as entertainment, a sense of
national/regional pride, and religious education
Oral Tradition
The practice of passing along stories, tales, and
folklore by word of mouth
Oral tradition is responsible for many of the
“inconsistencies” of ancient mythology.
Fantasy
Highly imaginative writing that contains elements
not found in real life
Many science fiction and fantasy books, movies
and comic books are based upon the style and
manner of myths.
Legends
• Definition: fictional stories loosely based upon
real/historical people and events.
• Also known as “tall-tales”
• Are rooted in facts, but stories have been
changed through the years…WHY?
Fables
• Definition: A brief story, often containing
animal characters that teaches a lesson or
moral
• Fables deal with “useful truth”
“The Classicists”
Greek mythology existed for hundreds of years
before these stories were ever recorded with
written words.
The scholars/poets who recorded the myths
are known as “classicists.”
The major classicists of Greek Mythology
include Virgil, Homer, and Ovid.
The Importance of Myths
Myths were critical to the ancient Greeks
These stories touched all aspects of Greek life,
including art, music, architecture, military
endeavors, religion, and education.
Greek myths and sunlight are represented by
moral quality. Heroes are set in sunlight,
monsters belong to the darkness.
Categories of Myths
Myths of creation: these explain the beginning
of time, space, and man
Myths of explanation: these explain the great
questions of the universe
Myths of morality: these teach lessons and
reinforce cultural morality
Why Study Mythology?
Greek myths are the foundations for the arts as
we know them, including movies, television,
commercial products, sports, music, and comic
books.
A knowledge of Greek mythology enhances a
person’s ability to understand and appreciate
the world as a whole.
Mythology: A Brief Timeline
The beginning: according to popular belief
• Uranus was the “First One”, and he
created the universe.
• Uranus created and married Gaia,
otherwise known as “Mother Earth.”
• They lived on Mt. Olympus
• Uranus and Gaia had many children:
• Some were human-like giants, called the
“Titans”
• Some were hideous, disfigured monsters
• The Titans lived for many years under
Uranus’s cruel reign
• Uranus’s most powerful son would soon
challenge his rule.
• Cronus killed his cruel father and assumed
his role as “king of the Titans.”
• Before Uranus died, he predicted that
Cronus would be killed by one of his sons,
just as he had been.
• What is the logical solution to this problem?
• Because he feared his sons, Cronus ate
his first two sons whole
• Fed up with his baby-gobbling, Rhea gave
birth to her third son in secret
• Rhea dressed a boulder up as a baby and
Cronus ate the rock unknowingly
• Zeus was sent as an infant to be raised in
secret by human shephards
•Cronus married his sister, Rhea, and had:
-Three daughters: Hestia, Demeter, Hera
-Three sons: Posiedon, Hades, and Zeus
•These offspring were considered Titans, but would
later become the gods and goddesses of Greek
Mythology
• Zeus returned to Mt. Olympus as a young
man and poisoned Cronus
• Cronus vomited up brothers Poseidon and
Hades
• Zeus was celebrated as a hero
• An epic battle ensues between Cronus and
his sons for the right to rule Mt. Olympus
and the universe.
The Great Battle!
• Cronus is assisted in battle by his Titan
brothers
• Zeus and his brothers are assisted by the
monsters Cronus had abused and tortured
for years in captivity.
• These monsters included the Cyclopes (3)
and the Hundred-Handed Ones (3)
Mythology and Classic Art
• The Battle Between the Gods and the Titans by Wtewael Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago
Cronus is Defeated!
• The three sons roll dice to divide Cronus’
kingdom
• Zeus wins, and chooses the empty sky.
• Poseidon secretly wanted the sea.
• Hades is left to bitterly receive “leftovers”
In the underworld.
Enter the Gods…
• Magically and mysteriously, the children of
Cronus become immortal, and become
gods and goddesses.
• Mythology offers no explanation for this
important transformation!
• The twelve main gods and goddesses are known
as the Pantheon.
The Pantheon
• There are many gods, goddesses, demigods (half-gods) and supernatural beings
in Greek Mythology.
• The twelve main gods and goddesses are
known as the Pantheon.
Zeus
Zeus:
• King of the gods, ruler of Mt. Olympus
• Also god of lightning
• Was a powerful and aggressive ruler
• Struck Earth with lightning bolt when upset
• Waged constant war with wife and sisterHera
• Cheated on wife countless times, and had
numerous children with mortals, gods, and other
creatures
Zeus (continued)
• Was a master of disguise, which aided him
in his philandering
• Was a complex character: capable of
unspeakable acts of immorality and
occasional acts of mercy
Hera
HERA
• Queen of immortals, goddess of marriage
and childbirth
• Unhappy wife of Zeus
• Disapproved of Zeus’ constant cheating
• Held grudges against Zeus’ “children”
• Often punished Zeus with childish pranks
and vengeful schemes
Athena
Athena
• Goddess of wisdom and warfare, mistress of
strategy
• Taught men how to use an ax, plough, wheel, sail.
Taught women how to spin and weave (Arachne
story...)
• Mother was Metis, a Titaness
• Zeus became paranoid that his child would harm
him, so he eats her whole.
• Zeus developed a splitting headache
• Hephaestus split his head open with a chisel,
and…
The “Rebirth” of
Athena
• Athena jumped out of Zeus skull, full-grown
and wearing battle armor.
• One of the most popular and respected
immortals
• Athens, Greece is named for her
Poseidon
Poseidon
• God of water
• Never had children with sea nymph-Thetis because any son of
Thetis would be greater than Poseiden
• Thetis had a son from Peleus whose name was Achilles
therefore the prophecy came true.
• Difficult, quarrelsome, greedy, liked jokes
• Thought up creature...octopus, squid, jellyfish, swordfish,
dolphin, etc.
• Was trying to perfect the horse for Demeter and that is why we
have the camel, hippo, giraffe, donkey, and zebra
•Ruled over seas, oceans, rivers and all
the sea creatures
•Did not live in the lost city of Atlantis
•Invented many of the fish and sea
monsters of mythology
•Created the horse for Demeter (*)
Hades
HADES
• God of the Underworld
• Greeks buried their dead with a coin so that when they
entered "Hades" they could pay the fare on their way to
the river Styx
• Cerberus- 3 headed dog that guarded the gate
• 3 judges awaited the dead - Minos, Rhadamanthys and
Aeacus.
• > if judges were displeased - bad punishments
• > if judges were pleased - Elysian Fields
• Palace grounds were called Erebus- deepest part of the
underworld
Hades (continued)
• Lived with his kidnapped wife, Persephone
• The Eumenides or the " kindly ones" would
wander the earth in search of evil-doers
and ones that escaped punishment and
their attention persuaded people to suicide
Demeter
Demeter
• Goddess of the cornfield, mistress of planting and
growing things
• One of Zeus’ favorite females (also sister)
• Had a daughter named Persephone
• Demeter's daughter Persephone was kidnapped by
Hades
• Responsible for the winter and summer seasons,
since Persephone ate the 6 pomegranate seeds, she
will have to stay in the underworld with Hades for 6
months, and nothing will grow on earth because
Demeter will mourn.
Artemis
Artemis
• Born of Zeus and Leto (a nymph)
• Zeus granted her whatever she wanted: remain a
maiden, many names, silver bow and arrow, deerskin
tunic, 50 ocean nymphs, 20 wood nymphs, hounds,
mountains, and one city
• Was Zeus’ favorite daughter
• Went by Goddess of the Moon, Maiden of the Silver
Bow, Lady of the Wild Things, Huntress, Maiden
Apollo
Apollo
• God of the sun, patron of music, math,
medicine and poetry. Preached moderation
• Artemis’ twin brother
• Hunted python who hunted his mother
• Showed no mercy against the musician
Marsyas ( unfair competition)
The Flaying of Marsyas
Hermes
Hermes
• Precocious
• Stole Apollo's cattle and named himself the 12th god
• Taught Apollo to play the lyre and traded Apollo pipes for his
herdsman's golden staff
• Apollo took Hermes to meet Zeus
• Hermes became Zeus's messenger and known as the patron of liars,
thieves, and gamblers, God of Commerce, framer of treaties,
guardian of travelers, took newly dead to Tartarus
• Invented the alphabet, scales, playing cards and card games
• Told Zeus to disguise himself and join in on many adventures of the
mortals
Hermes
• Messenger god, god of gambling, theivery and
trickery
• Has a sketchy creation:
–Zeus child with a nymph
–Zeus child with a goddess (unnamed)
–Son of two enchanted mortals
*Oral tradition is contributed to the many different
creations of Hermes
Hephaestus
Hephaestus
• Son of Zeus and Hera
• Was born ugly and fitful
• Hera kicked him from Mt. Olympus
• Was reinstated by Hera for his masterful
skill of jewelry-making
• Hera gave him Cyclops for helpers and
Aphrodite for a bride
Hephaestus Strikes
Gold…
• Married to Aphrodite, the most beautiful of
all goddesses
• Had no children with his wife
• Endured Aphrodite’s many affairs and
constant flirtations
• Was emotionally scarred by Aphrodite’s
affair with Ares, the god of war
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Aphrodite
• Goddess of love and beauty, desire
• Never distracted from her duties
• Born out of primal murder - when Cronus killed
his father Oranus/Uranus a body floated up
from the foam and taken to Olympus
• Hera wanted her married immediately,
Aphrodite chose Hephaestus because he
worked late ( though she planned to meet her
other suitors)
Aphrodite’s Creation
• Version #1: Aphrodite was the son of Zeus
and a Dione
• Version #2: Aphrodite was born of Zeus
and the daughter of one of his arch enemies
But both of these stories are less-thanaccurate twists on the real version…
Aphrodite (con’t.)
• Discovered by fishermen and taken to Mt.
Olympus as a gift to Zeus
• Hera, fearing a relationship between Zeus
and Aphrodite, insisted that she marry
Hephaestus, her ugliest child
• Aphrodite serves as a constant temptation
for gods and mortals alike.
• Her name literally means “from the foam”
The Real Creation of Aphrodite
• Aphrodite was born from the death of Uranus
• Cronus castrated his father before death, and
threw the “part” into the ocean
• From the bubbling, boiling, bloody foam,
Aphrodite appeared
• She was accompanied at birth by sea nymphs
and doves
• Often depicted as having hatched from a
seashell
Ares
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ares
God of warfare
Was violent, aggressive, and unlikeable
Was Hera and Zeus’s most despised
son
Had an awkward love affair with
Aphrodite
Was actually a coward (traitor)
Was feared, but not respected by
Greeks