Kennedy, Nykila, and Karen Mythology Kennedy, Nykila, and Karen

What is Greek Mythology? Greek mythology is the composition of myths ands legends. All of their legends and myths are according to their gods and heroes, their point of view about earth’s nature, and the birth and impact of their culture and tradition. Greek myths are intended to explain the origins of the world, according to the Greeks. It also defines points of the lives and adventures of a range of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, and mythological creatures.

Myths A myth is a traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs in society. Myths were the way that the Greeks wanted to comprehend the mysteries of nature and the power of human passions. The Greeks developed a rich set of myths. Until today, the Zeus--http://www.thanasis.com/zmadmb.jpg Greek myths are known primarily  from Greek literature. Myths also characterize most of the Greek culture. There are an abundant number of myths, all describing the different powers of the earth’s nature and their gods and heroes. Greek mythology has laid a wide influence on the culture, the arts, and the literature of Western civilization and remains part of Western heritage and language.

Epics of Homer _______________________________ Homer is considered to be the greatest storyteller. He is very known for composing the oldest known Greek literary sources, the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey, which form from a background of the Trojan War. Iliad  is the ten-year siege of Ilium by a alliance of Greek states, it tells of weeks of battles and events of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.

Heroes As mentioned, heroes are very important in the making of Greek mythology. Numerous heroes have their myths or legends. Some Greek heroes are: Perseus, Theseus, Bellerophon, Atalanta, and Meleager. Perseus-http://www.mccarter.org/education/perseus/images/perseus-medusa.jpg Bellerophon- http://www.francois-baranger.com/_images/illustrations/fantasy/bellerophon.jpg Meleager- http://www.libขart.com/imgpainting/9/7/3379-meleager-antico.jpg

The Gods of Mythology There were 12 major Gods of olympus Zeus Apollo Poseidon Aphrodite Hades Hermes Hestia Artemis Hera Hephaestus Ares Athena 6

Zeus Zeus was the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. His weapon is a thunderbolt which he hurls at those who displease him. He is married to Hera but, is famous for his many affairs. He is also known to punish those that lie or break oaths. 7

Poseidon Poseidon was the god of the sea, protector of all waters. 8

Hades Hades was the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the earth. Hades is the brother of Zeus. After the overthow of their Father Cronus  he drew lots with Zeus andPoseidon, another brother, for shares of the world. He had the worst draw and was made lord of theunderworld, ruling over the dead. 9

Hestia Hestia was the goddess of the Hearth 10

Hera Hera was the the goddess of youth. 11

Ares Ares was the god of war. Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. He was disliked by both parents. He is considered murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward. When caught in an act of adultery with Aphrodite her husband Hephaestus is able publically ridicule him. His bird is the vulture. His animal is the dog. 12

Athena Athena was the goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. 13

Apollo Apollo was the god of music. 14

Aphrodite Aphrodite was the goddess of love, desire and beauty.  There are two accounts of her birth. One says she is the daughter of Zeus  And Dione. The other is that when  Cronus castrated Uranus and tossed his severed genitles into the sea, Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam on a giant scallop and walked to shore in Cyprus. She is the wife of Hephaestus. But, her favorite lover is the god of war, Ares. She represented sex, affection, and the attraction that binds people together. 15

Hermes Hermes was the god of thieves and god of commerce. 16

Artemis Artemis was the goddess of chastity, virginity, the hunt, the moon, and the natural environment. 17

Hephaestus Hephaestus was the god of craftman. He was also the ugliest out of all the gods and goddess’s. 18

Websites http://www.greekmythology.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology http://www.mythweb.com/