Mythology refers to the study of
myths.
–old traditional stories that concern
fantastic or supernatural beings.
–show early beliefs and often explain
someone or something’s origin (i.e. a
culture, plant, natural occurrence, etc.).
In the beginning, there was only Chaos (a
shapeless nothingness).
Chaos eventually led to the creation of the
first beings: Mother Earth (Gaia) and
Father Sky (Ouranos/Uranus)
They bore three kinds of children:
–100-handed ones (giant monsters who had
50 heads and 100 arms)
–Cyclops (giants with only one eye)
–Titans (first human-like beings)
The Titans
--had enormous strength and were
very beautiful
-Cronus/Kronos: ruler
of the Titans
-Rhea: his wife
**They were the parents of the six principle
Greek gods: Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera,
Demeter, and Hestia
The Principle Gods/Goddesses
They were the children of Cronus and
Rhea. Cronus ate each of his children out
of fear that one would someday overthrow
him and become ruler of the gods. Rhea
hid Zeus away before Cronus could eat
him. When Zeus grew up, he returned and
tricked Cronus into throwing up his
siblings. They defeated Cronus in the
Battle of the Titans and became rulers.
The gods lived on Mount Olympus.
It was a mountain so tall and steep
that no human could climb up to
see the palace of the
gods. However, the
gods could come
down and interact
with the mortals on
earth (and they often did).
In Greek mythology, there are
fourteen principal gods, twelve of
whom rule from Mt. Olympus*.
*These are known as the Olympian gods.
Zeus
~the ruler of all the Olympian gods
~the god of the sky and the weather
(thunder, lightning,
and rain)
~upholds law and justice
Roman name=Jupiter
Hera
~Zeus’s sister and wife
~the queen of Olympus
~the goddess of marriage and
family (She was often very
jealous of Zeus and sought to
punish him and those with
whom he was involved)
Roman name=Juno
Poseidon
~Zeus’s brother
~the god of the sea and
earthquakes
~is moody and violent
~is generally depicted with
his trident in hand.
Roman name=Neptune
Demeter
~also Zeus’s sister
~the goddess of
agriculture and the
harvest.
~is believed to control
the seasons.
Roman name=Ceres
Hephaestus
~ Zeus and Hera’s son
~the god of smiths (laborers)
and fire
~He is very gentle, peaceful,
and hard-working.
~forges Zeus’s thunderbolts.
Roman name=Vulcan
Athena
~the daughter of Zeus and the minor
goddess Metis.
~the goddess of wisdom and justice.
~was born fully grown from
her father’s head.
~was Zeus’s favorite child.
Roman name=Minerva (aka Pallas Athena)
Ares
~also the son of Zeus
and Hera
~the god of war
~is cruel and vain.
Roman name=Mars
Aphrodite
~the goddess of love
and beauty
~in love with Ares but
married to Hephaestus
~the mother to Eros
(Cupid).
Roman name=Venus
Apollo
~the son of Zeus and the
minor goddess Leto
~the god of light (sun),
music, and healing
~the leader of the Muses
Roman name=Apollo (aka Phoebus Apollo)
Artemis
~Apollo’s twin sister
~the goddess of the hunt
and the moon.
Roman name=Diana
Hermes
~the mischievous son of
Zeus and the minor
goddess Maia
~the messenger of the gods
~the god of shepherds,
travelers, and merchants.
Roman name=Mercury
Dionysus
~the son of Zeus and
the mortal Semele
~the god of wine and
ecstasy.
Roman name=Bacchus
Hades
~Zeus’s brother
~god of the underworld
and lord of the dead.
~rules from the underworld
(therefore, he is not an
Olympian god)
Roman name=Pluto
Hestia
~Zeus’s gentle sister
~the goddess of the home
and the hearth
~she tends the sacred fire
of the gods (therefore, she
does not rule from
Olympus either)
Roman name=Vesta
Additional
Myth
Notes
•Gods/Goddesses: immortal beings
who ruled the earth
•Mortals: the humans who
worshipped the gods
•Heroes: mortals (or at least halfmortals) who carried out amazing
tasks or did great things
•Fates: three powerful minor goddesses
of destiny
Clotho: spun the thread of life
Lachesis: measured the thread
Antropos: cut the thread (thus ending a
mortal’s life)
•Muses: nine goddesses of the arts
(drama, music,
poetry, etc.)
•Satyr: being that was
half-man, half-goat
•Centaur: being that was halfman, half-horse
•Minotaur: being that was
half-man, half-bull
•Nymphs: female spirits of
nature
The Underworld
The underworld is the place where the
souls of all the dead go, regardless of
whether the person was good or bad. It
is NOT the same as the Christian idea of
hell, and Hades is not the same as Satan.
Its gates are guarded
by Cerberus, the
three-headed dog.