The Odyssey
The Greek Gods & Goddesses
What is mythology?
• my-thol-o-gy
1. A body or collection of myths belonging to a
people and addressing their origin, history,
deities, ancestors, and heroes.
[from Greek mūthologiā, story-telling : mūthos,
story + -logiā, -logy.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
What is mythology?
• A myth is a story, usually of unknown origin,
•
that describes actual events and is associated
with religious belief.
Myths are specific accounts of gods or
superhuman beings involved in extraordinary
events or circumstances in a time that is
unspecified but which is understood as existing
apart from ordinary human experience.
Why study Greek
mythology?
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To understand ancient Greek civilization
-to learn how human beings thought and felt
thousands of years ago
1. closer connection with nature
2. little distinction between the real and the unreal
-gods are a reflection of what a society values
To learn more about human culture as a whole
(ourselves)
Why study mythology?
• To enhance our understanding of
literature
Greek mythology: the dawning of a new age
In the pre-Greek world,
gods looked like this:
The Greeks made
their gods in their
own image:
All the art and all the thought of Greece centered in human beings.
The Greek gods look like us!!
The Greek gods also act like we do.
•Zeus is the weak man who can’t turn down a pretty
face.
•Hera is the typical jealous wife.
•The gods were companionable, YET they had their dark
spots.
•Limited sense of right and wrong
The Gods and the Creation
• The gods did NOT create the universe; the universe created the gods.
• Heaven and earth were the first parents.
• The Titans were their children, and the gods were their grandchildren.
Zeus defeats his father
• The Titans, known as the Elder Gods, were of enormous
size and incredible strength.
• The most important was Cronus, who ruled over the other
Titans until his son Zeus dethroned him and seized the
power for himself.
The Twelve Great Olympians
• After the defeat of the Titans, the
twelve great Olympians were
supreme among the gods.
• They lived on Mount Olympus,
guarded by a great gate of clouds
kept by the Seasons.
• They feasted on ambrosia and
nectar and listened to Apollo’s lyre.
• It was a place of perfect peace and
harmony- there was no wind, rain,
or snow.
The Twelve Great Olympians
Zeus
Poseidon
Hades
Hestia
Hera
Ares
Athena
Apollo
Aphrodite
Hermes
Artemis
Hephaestus
Zeus
Lord of the Sky, the Rain-god and the Cloud-gatherer;
the supreme ruler!
• Not omnipotent or
omniscient- can be
opposed and deceived.
The mysterious power
Fate is spoken of as
stronger than him.
• His love affairs with
women are endless; he is
always trying to hide his
infidelity from his wife,
Hera.
• The reason why someone
so majestic is described as
unfaithful is because Zeus
is a combination of many
gods.
-The wife of the early god
was transferred to Zeus.
His bird- the eagle
His tree- the oak
Poseidon
God of the Sea
•All-important to the sea-roving
Greeks.
•His wife was Amphitrite,
granddaughter of the Titan Ocean.
•Had a magnificent palace beneath
the sea, but he was more often
found in Olympus.
•Gave the first horse to man.
•Commonly called “Earth-shaker.”
•Often depicted carrying his
trident, a three-pronged spear he
used to shake and shatter
whatever he desired.
Hades
Lord of the Underworld
• Also referred to as Pluto, the God
of Wealth (named after the precious
metals hidden in the earth).
• He had a helmet which made
whoever wore it invisible.
• He rarely left his dark realm to visit
Olympus or the earth.
• Not a welcome visitor.
• His wife was Persephone whom he carried away from
the earth and made Queen of the Lower World.
Apollo
God of Light; God of Truth; the Archer-god; the Healer
• Called Phoebus Apollo;
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Phoebus means brilliant,” or
“shining”
“The most Greek of all the
gods.”
Son of Zeus and Leto
Master musician who delights
Olympus with his golden lyre
First taught men the healing
art
His sacred creatures: the
dolphin and the crow
His tree: the laurel
Hermes
Zeus’s Messenger; the Master Thief; God of Commerce
• Zeus was his father and Maia,
daughter of Atlas, his mother.
• Graceful and swift of motion;
wears winged sandals and wings
on his hat.
• His wand is a caduceus, or a short
herald’s staff entwined by two
serpents in the form of a double
helix surmounted by wings. This
staff was first borne by Iris, the
messenger of Hera.
•Shrewdest and most cunning of all the gods, he stole Apollo’s herds
when he was a day old! He won Apollo’s forgiveness by presenting him
with a lyre which he had just invented, making it out of a tortoise’s
shell.
•He was also the guide of the dead.
Aphrodite
The Goddess of Love and Beauty
•Also treacherous and malicious
•She was the wife of Hephaestus, the lame
and ugly god of the forge.
•Her bird: the dove; her tree: the myrtle
• She is said to have
sprung from the
foam of the sea,
and her name
means “the foam
risen.” Aphros is
foam in Greek.
• Sea-birth took
place near
Cythera, from
where she was
wafted to Cyprus.
• She charmed both
gods and men
alike.
• The laughterloving goddess.
Without her there
is no loveliness nor
joy anywhere.
Ares
God of War
• Son of Zeus and Hera, both of
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whom, Homer says, detested him.
Murderous, bloodstained, the
curse of mortals; also, a coward.
He runs away when wounded in
battle.
He has a small role in Greek
mythology. He is not a distinct
personality, but is more a symbol
of war.
He is the lover of Aphrodite and
held up to the contempt of the
Olympians by Aphrodite’s
husband, Hephaestus.
His bird: the vulture
Athena
Goddess of Wisdom, Peace, Warfare, Purity, Skill, and Reason
• She was the daughter of Zeus
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alone- she sprang from his head
full-grown and in full-armor.
Fierce and ruthless battle-goddess
in The Iliad.
Virgin patron of Athens, the
Parthenon was built to honor her.
The protector of civilized life, of
handicrafts and agriculture
The inventor of the bridle, she first
tamed horses for men to use.
Zeus’s favorite child
Her tree: the olive (created by her)
Her bird: the owl
Athena, the protector of Odysseus
The Greek goddess Athena championed many heroes, offering
them her advice and protection, helping them to win their
battles.
In one of her most famous adventures Athena would assume
the shape of various men, women, and children to guide the
wandering Odysseus. Her protection allowed the suffering hero
to finally return safely to his home and family.
Works Cited
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales
of Gods and Heroes. New York: Warner
Books, Inc., 1942.
Do you believe in
guardian angels?
Explain and give
examples.
If you could travel back in time to
the misty peaks of Mount Olympus
and be a Greek god or goddess for
one day, who would you be and
why?