INTRODUCTION TO
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
WHERE DID GREEK MYTHOLOGY
BEGIN?
GREECE
LONG, LONG AGO IN ANCIENT GREECE, PEOPLE
TOLD
STORIES THAT EXPLAINED THE MYSTERIES OF
LIFE…
SO WHAT IS GREEK MYTHOLOGY?
• Mythology is a collection off myths, or anonymous, traditional stories that
explain our beliefs and customs, the wonders of nature, and our own
history.
• Myths usually deal with major issues such as the origin of humanity and the
mysteries of life
• Remember that every culture has its own myths, i.e. American Indians,
Mayans, Buddhists, Hindus, Africans, etc…
THE GREEK MYTHOLOGY OF
TODAY WAS
THE RELIGION OF YESTERDAY
• Long ago, the Greeks and Romans believed
in the stories we now call myths.
• The Gods and Goddesses ruled the Greek
world and were believed to be directly
responsible for the success or failure of
human life.
• So, the Greeks worshipped their
Gods and regularly prayed,
gave offerings, and built
temples to please the Gods.
THE UNIQUE GREEKS
• The Greeks were
distinctly different from
all previous civilizations
because they were the
first to create Gods in
their own image
The Egyptian Sphinx was
certainly not a very
human-like God
THE IMMORTAL GODS WERE ALSO EASIER
TO RELATE TO THAN PREVIOUS GODS
• Unlike religious Gods today, the Greek Gods looked and acted
human
• They married, loved and quarreled
• They had love affairs (and children) with both Gods and mortals; they
also loved games, challenges and trickery
• But, the Gods were immortal and would never die because ichor, not
blood, ran in their veins
MOUNT OLYMPUS
• The Gods and Goddesses lived at the top of Mt. Olympus in
Greece behind a gate of clouds.
• There they ate only ambrosia and drank only nectar.
• They also kept an eye on the mortals down on earth, whom
they could visit at any time.
AS I PRESENT:
• Record the name of each God/Goddess in the blank
family tree provided
• Please include an “M” beside the name if the individual
is male
• Please include an “F” beside the name if the individual
is female
• Beside/under each name jot down a brief description
of the God/Goddess. (BE BRIEF- We will explore
them in detail later this week as our first embedded
assessment).
CHAOS
Chaos (Greek χάος khaos) refers to the
formless or void state preceding the
creation of the universe or cosmos in the
Greek creations myths, more specifically
the initial "gap" created by the original
separation of heaven and Earth.
FROM CHAOS CAME:
• Oranos (M) Ouranos meaning "sky" or "heaven“- was the primal
Greek God personifying the sky.
• Gaea (F) was the Goddess or personification of Earth in ancient
Greek religion, one of the Greek deities. Gaia was the great mother
of all: the heavenly Gods, the Titans and the Giants were born from
her union with Uranus.
BORN FROM URANUS AND GAIA:
Cyclops
Hecatonchires
Titans
SOME OF THE TITANS
INCLUDE:
• Prometheus (M) a Titan, culture hero, and trickster figure who in
Greek mythology is credited with the creation of man from clay and
the theft of fire for human use, an act that enabled progress and
civilization. He is known for his intelligence, and as a champion of
mankind.
• Cronus (M): the leader and the youngest
of the first generation of Titans, divine
descendants of Gaia, the earth, and
Uranus, the sky. He overthrew his father
and ruled during the mythological Golden
Age, until he was overthrown by his own
son, Zeus and imprisoned in Tartarus.
• Rhea (F): Titaness daughter of the sky
God Uranus and the earth Goddess
Gaia, in Greek mythology. In early
traditions, she was known as "the
mother of Gods" and was therefore
strongly associated with Gaia
• Epimetheus (M): was the brother of
Prometheus ("foresight", literally "forethinker"), a pair of Titans who "acted as
representatives of mankind" They were
the inseparable sons of Lapetus, who in
other contexts was the father of Atlas.
While Prometheus is characterized as
ingenious and clever, Epimetheus is
depicted as foolish.
FROM THE TITANS CAME THE
OLYMPIANS
• Hestia (F) In Ancient Greek religion Hestia is the virgin Goddess of the
hearth, architecture, and the right ordering of domesticity, the family and
the state. In Greek mythology she is a daughter of Cronus and Rhea.[1]
• Poseidon (M) is one of the twelve Olympian deities of the pantheon in
Greek mythology. His main domain is the ocean, and he is called the "God
of the Sea“
• Zeus (M) Who rules the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father rules
the family. He is the God of sky and thunder in Greek mythology.
• Hera (F) was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian
pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the
Goddess of women and marriage.
• Hades (M) meaning "the unseen"[1]) was the ancient Greek God of the
underworld.
• Demeter (F) is the Goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains
and the fertility of the earth
FROM ZEUS AND HERA CAME:
• Ares (M): God of War
• Hebe (F): Goddess of Youth
• Hephaestus (M): Greek God of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans,
sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes.
FROM DEMETER CAME:
• Persephone (F): the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-Goddess
Demeter, and queen of the underworld.
ZEUS’ OTHER CHILDREN
INCLUDE:
• Dionysys (M): the God of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of
ritual madness and ecstasy.
• Apollo
• Artemis (M&F TWINS):
Apollo has been variously recognized as a God of light and the sun,
truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry, and more. Apollo is
the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the chaste huntress
Artemis.
ZEUS’ OTHER CHILDREN
INCLUDE CONT:
• Artemis (F): the Hellenic Goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness,
childbirth, virginity and protector of young girls, bringing and relieving
disease in women; she often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and
arrows.
• Hermes (M): God of transitions and boundaries
ON THE BOTTOM:
• Aphrodite (F) From the Ocean Waves and Blood:
The Greek Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.
ON THE BOTTOM:
• Athena (F) Out of Zeus’ Head:
The Goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice,
just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.
ON THE BOTTOM:
• Cupid –Eros
• Son of Aphrodite and her husband Ares
THE WAR BETWEEN THE OLD GODS AND THE NEW GODS
LASTED 10 YEARS – BUT FINALLY CRONUS AND THE
TITANS WERE DEFEATED.
• When Mother Earth was finally peaceful, the rule of
the Universe was divided between the 3 brothers:
Zeus became the
King of Gods & God
of Heaven and Earth
Poseidon
became the
God of the
sea
Hades became
the God of the
underworld
HERE ARE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE
EA: GOD/GODDESS POSTER:
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Aphrodite – TABLE 1, RED
Apollo – TABLE 1, BLACK
Ares - TABLE 2, RED
Artemis - TABLE 2, BLACK
Athena - TABLE 3, RED
Demeter - TABLE 3, BLACK
Hades - TABLE 4, RED
Helios - TABLE 4, BLACK
Hephaestus - TABLE 5, RED
Hera - TABLE 5, BLACK
Hermes - TABLE 6, RED
Persephone - TABLE 6, BLACK
Poseidon - TABLE 7, RED
Zeus - TABLE 7, BLACK
Cupid - TABLE 8, RED
Cronos - TABLE 8, BLACK