It’s All Greek to Me! Introduction to Greek Mythology
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Greek Gods
o Greek religion was POLYTHEISTIC.
o The Greeks created their gods IN THEIR OWN IMAGES.
o Greek mythology is largely made up of stories about gods and goddesses, but it CANNOT be
read as a Greek Bible.
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The Greeks believed . . .
o The UNIVERSE created the gods.
o Before there were gods, Heaven and Earth had been formed. They were the first parents.
o The TITANS were their children, and the gods were their grandchildren.
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TITANS or THE ELDER GODS
o Enormous size and incredible strength
o CRONUS—ruled over the Titans until his son Zeus dethroned him; Cronus then fled to Italy and
brought in the Golden Age, a time of perfect peace and happiness.
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Other Titans
o OCEAN: River that was supposed to encircle the earth
o TETHYS: Ocean’s wife
o HYPERIOD: Father of the sun, the moon, and the dawn
o MNEMOSYNE: Memory
o THEMIS: Justice
o IAPETUS: Father of Atlas (who bore the world on his soldiers) and Prometheus (who was the
savior of mankind)
o These gods were NOT banished when Zeus came to power.
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MT. OLYMPUS
o Home to the Twelve Olympians—the children of the Titans
o First held to be GREECE’S highest mountaintop
o Or maybe a mysterious region far above the mountains of the earth
o Entrance was a great gate of clouds kept closed by the Seasons
o nside, the gods lived, slept, feasted on AMBROSIA and NECTAR, and listened to Apollo’s lyre
o No wind, no rain, no snow
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It’s All Greek to Me! Introduction to Greek Mythology
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TWELVE OLYMPIANS
(How many did you get?)
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Zeus
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Athena
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Poseidon
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Apollo
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Hades
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Aphrodite
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Hestia
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Hermes
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Hera
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Artemis
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Ares
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Hephaestus
ZEUS (Jupiter)
o Supreme ruler; Lord of the Sky; Rain-god, Cloud-gatherer; wielded the thunderbolt
o Not omnipotent nor omniscient
o Falls in love with one woman after another
o Will do anything to hide his infidelity from his wife
o SYMBOLS: eagle, oak
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HERA (Juno)
o Zeus’ wife and sister
o Protector of marriage and heroes
o Punishes the many women Zeus falls in love with
o SYMBOLS: cow, peacock
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POSEIDON (Neptune)
o Ruler of the seas
o Zeus’ brother and second in eminence
o Splendid palace beneath the sea
o Gave the first horse to man
o Controlled storm and calm
o “Earth-shaker”
o Carried a trident
o Connection with bulls and horses
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It’s All Greek to Me! Introduction to Greek Mythology
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HADES (Pluto)
o Zeus’ brother and third in eminence
o Ruler of the Underworld and the Dead
o God of Wealth (precious metals hidden in the earth)
o Had a cap that made him invisible
o Rarely left his dark realm
o “King of the Dead”
o Wife Persephone—carried her away from earth and made her Queen of the Underworld
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PALLAS ATHENA (Minerva)
o Daughter of Zeus alone—sprang from Zeus’ head
o Battle-goddess; fierce and ruthless
o Goddess of the City
o Zeus’ favorite child
o “gray-eyed”
o Embodiment of wisdom, reason and purity
o SYMBOLS: Olive tree, owl
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PHOEBUS APOLLO
o Son of Zeus and Leto
o Master musician, plays on his golden lyre
o Archer-god
o God of Healing
o God of Light
o God of Truth
o Most ‘Greek’ of all the gods
o Wears a laurel on his head
o SYMBOLS: dolphin, cow
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HESTIA (Vesta)
o Zeus’ sister
o Virgin-goddess
o No personality
o Goddess of the Hearth
o Protector of newborn children
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It’s All Greek to Me! Introduction to Greek Mythology
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ARES (Mars)
o Son of Zeus and Hera
o God of War
o Hateful
o Lover of Aphrodite
o Symbol of war
o No personality
o SYMBOL: vulture
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APHRODITE (Venus)
o Child of Zeus and Dione
o Sprung up from the sea foam
o Goddess of Love and Beauty
o Beautiful and golden
o Soft and weak
o Wife of Hephaestus
o SYMBOLS: myrtle, dove, sparrow, swan
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HERMES (Mercury)
o Son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas)
o Graceful and swift
o Zeus’ messenger—Messenger between gods and mortals
o Winged sandals
o Master thief
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ARTEMIS (Diana)
o Daughter of Zeus and Leto, Apollo’s twin
o Maiden goddess of Olympus
o Lady of Wild Things; Goddess of the Moon
o Huntsman-in-chief
o Protector of dewy youth
o SYMBOLS: moon, cypress, deer
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It’s All Greek to Me! Introduction to Greek Mythology
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HEPHAESTUS (Vulcan, Mulciber)
o Son of Hera and Zeus
o God of Fire and Craftsmen (blacksmith)
o Ugly
o Kind, peace-loving
o Popular on earth and in heaven
o Great Gods of Earth
o Demeter (Ceres): Goddess of Grain and Agriculture; Harvest; appropriate because women
tended to the crops while men were hunting and fishing
o Dionysus (Bacchus): God of Wine and Revelry
o Lesser Gods of Olympus
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