An Introduction to The Odyssey
 What is a “myth”?
 Myths are traditional stories rooted in primitive folk
beliefs of cultures.
 Myths use the supernatural to interpret natural events.
 Myths explain the culture’s view of the universe and
the nature of humanity.
 What we call “Greek mythology” was the basis for the
religious beliefs in ancient Greece.
 There was Chaos, shapeless nothingness.
 From Chaos was born two children:
 Night (darkness)
 Erebus (death)
 Mysteriously, born from Night and Erebus was born
Love.
 When Love was born, order and beauty began to
flourish.
 Love created Light and Day.
 Earth was created, and Earth bore Heaven to be her
shelter, and a home for the gods.
 Mother Earth was referred to as Gaea.
 Father Heaven was referred to as Ouran0s.
 Gaea and Ouranos gave birth to three kinds of
children:
 Three Hecatonchires (monsters that had 100 hands and
50 heads)
 Three Cyclopes (plural of cyclops, a giant with one eye).
 The Titans
 The titans were the first characters to have the
appearance of life and of men.
 They were enormous in size and possessed incredible
strength.
 The notable titans are:
 Chronos (Saturn) – the ruler of the titans
 Rhea – the wife of Chronos
 Ocean – the river that encircled the world
 Iapetus – the father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and
Atlas (all also titans)
 Chronos and Rhea gave
birth to six children:
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Zeus
Poseidon
Hades
Hera
Hestia
Demeter
 These children, as well as
their children, became the
gods and goddesses of
Greek mythology, the
Olympians.
 Mount Olympus was the
home of most of the gods
and goddesses of Greek
mythology.
 One major exception was
Hades, who was the ruler
of the Underworld.
 The god of the sky and
weather, especially of
rain and lightning.
 Zeus is the king of the
gods.
 As such, he is also the
god of civilization and
maintains order between
cosmic and human
affairs.
 Zeus’ sister and wife, and
the queen of Olympus.
 She is the goddess and
protector of weddings
and marriage.
 Though not overly
important in literature,
she is a revered goddess.
 Hera is also very jealous
as Zeus had many affairs
with mortals.
 Poseidon is the brother
of Zeus, and embodies
the elemental forces of
nature.
 He is the god of water,
earthquakes, and horses.
 Poseidon is a crucial
figure in The Iliad and
The Odyssey, as he
punishes Odysseus for
his misdeeds, and is the
father of the cyclopes.
 Demeter is the sister of
Zeus.
 She is the goddess of
agriculture, as well as a
goddess of fertility.
 Hestia is the sister of
Zeus.
 She is the youngest
daughter of Chronos.
 She is the goddess of the
hearth (home).
 She was also worshipped
as the virgin goddess by
cults of women known as
the Vestal Virgins in
Rome.
 Brother of Zeus
 Hades is an Olympian,
but he does not live on
Mount Olympus.
 Hades is the ruler of the
Underworld.
 He is also the god of
fertility and wealth.
 Aphrodite was born of the
sea when Ouranos was
castrated by Chronos.
 Occasionally she is
depicted as the daughter of
Zeus.
 Aphrodite is the goddess of
love, beauty, and desire.
 She is married to the god
Hephaestus.
 Ares is the son of Zeus
and Hera.
 He is the god of war.
 In some myths, Ares is
depicted as the husband
of Aphrodite, though
many myths say that she
is married to
Hephaestus.
 Hephaestus is the son of
Zeus and Hera, and
brother to Ares.
 He is the blacksmith of
the gods, and the patron
of mens’ handicrafts.
 Hephaestus is also
worshipped as the god of
volcanoes and fire.
 Hephaestus is the
husband of Aphrodite.
 Apollo is the son of Zeus
and Leto, the daughter of a
titan.
 He has a twin sister,
Artemis.
 Apollo is the god of
prophecy, healing, and the
arts.
 Apollo was not originally
the god of the sun, but has
been frequently given this
title.
 Artemis is the daughter of
Zeus and Leto, and the
twin sister of Apollo.
 She is the goddess of wild
animals, hunting, and
archery.
 She is also the goddess of
virginity.
 Artemis is often mistaken
as the moon goddess,
though she is not.
 Athena was born from
the head of Zeus after he
swallowed her mother,
Metis, a titan.
 Athena is the goddess of
civilization, war, and
wisdom.
 Athena is particularly
important in Homer’s
poem, and she supports
the Greek cause.
 Dionysus was born from
the thigh of Zeus after he
was tricked into killing
Dionysus’s mother with a
thunderbolt.
 Dionysus is the god of
the harvest, especially
grapevine and ivy.
 He is also the god of
wine, poetry, and
madness.
 Hermes is the son of Zeus
and Maia, the daughter of
Atlas.
 Hermes is a trickster and a
thief.
 He was the messenger of
the gods, even able to travel
to the Underworld.
 He was the god of
commerce, and a patron of
travelers, heralds, and
thieves.
 In Greek mythology, the gods and goddesses frequently
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interfere with the lives and actions of mortals.
In The Iliad, Aphrodite becomes the patron of the Trojans,
often influencing the battle in their favor.
Likewise, Athena becomes the patron of the Greeks, using
her influence to assist them, especially Odysseus.
Poseidon also intervened with the war, commanding a sea
serpent to eat the Trojan seer Laocoön, who warned the
Trojans not to accept the gifts of the Greeks.
Because the Greeks were unthankful for Poseidon’s
assistance, he was quick to punish their disrespect
following the war: many never made it home.