Greek and Roman Mythology A Review of Heroes, Monsters, and Adventures

Heroes n Perseus n Theseus n Hercules n Atalanta

Perseus n Son of Zeus and Danae (a mortal) n Aided by Hermes and Athena n Tricked the Gray Women n Slew Medusa n Married Andromeda n Accidentally killed his grandfather (fulfilling an oracle’s prophecy)

Theseus n Son of Athenian King Aegeus n Slew Sciron and Procrustes n Slew the Minotaur (Ariadne and Daedalus helped) n Ruled Athens well n Married Phaedra (drew Aphrodite’s wrath) n Killed by his “friend” King Lycomedes

Hercules (Heracles) n Greatest Greek Hero n Son of Zeus and Alcamena (a mortal) n Not too bright; often impulsive n Cursed by Hera; kills wife and sons n Completed “Twelve Labors” n Taken to Olympus after he died n Married Hebe

Atalanta n Her dad wanted a boy, left her to die n Raised by bears, later hunters n Helped slay the Calydonian Boar n May have sailed with Argonauts n Would only marry the man who beat her in a race n Melanion tricked her, won the race n They were turned into lions.

Other Significant Stories, Adventures, and Monsters n Pandora n Prometheus n Europa n Polyphemus n Narcissus n Psyche n Jason n Phaeton n Bellerophon n Pegasus n Chimera n Daedalus n Minotaur n Chiron n Sisyphus n Procrustes n Griffin

Pandora n First woman on earth n Hephaestus made her of water and earth, and all the gods gave her a gift or talent (Pandora = “all gifted”). n Her curiosity caused her to open the jar (or box) containing all the evils, but she closed the lid before Hope could escape.

Prometheus n A Titan who stole fire from the sun to give to mortals n Angered Zeus, who chained him to a rock where an eagle would eat his liver out daily for all of eternity. n Hercules later killed the eagle and freed Prometheus.

Europa n A mortal girl that Zeus fell for n He tricked her by taking the form of a beautiful white bull. n Zeus swept her away to Crete, where she bore him three children. n She later married the king of Crete.

Polyphemus n The most well-known cyclops due to his roll in The Odyssey n Son of Poseidon n Tricked and blinded by Odysseus

Narcissus n Many young women were in love with him, but he rejected them all. n One young woman, Echo, went to a lonely place and faded away until her sad cries were all that was left of her. n The goddess Nemesis, in anger, made Narcissus fall in love with his own reflection in the pool.

Psyche and Cupid n Aphrodite, jealous of Psyche’s beauty, sent her son Eros (Cupid) to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly man. n But Eros fell in love with her himself. n He visited her nightly, but never allowed her to see his face. n At the instigation of her sisters, Psyche sneaks in to look at him one night when he is asleep. He awakes and leaves her. n She wandered the earth in search of a lover for many years but was later reunited with Eros.

Jason n King Pelias sent Jason on a seemingly impossible quest to bring back the Golden Fleece. n Argo = ship / Argonauts = crew n With help from Medea, Jason gets the fleece. n When he abandons Medea, she kills their children, and Jason is ruined.

Phaeton n Mortal son of Helios (the sun god) n Phaeton convinces Helios to let him drive the chariot that pulls the sun across the sky. n The horses get out of control, threatening to scorch the earth. n Zeus destroys Phaeton before the earth can be burned up.

Bellerophon and Pegasus n Sent by a king to slay the Chimera (as task that is supposed to be impossible) n With Athena’s help, Bellerophon captures Pegasus, the winged horse. n They slay the Chimera. n Later, in pride, Bellerophon tries to ride Pegasus to Mt. Olympus. n Zeus knocks him back to earth, and he wanders lonely for the rest of his days.

Chimaera n Hideous monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon. n Terrorized Lycia until Bellerophon and Pegasus killed it. n Any multi-faced or confusing problem is now referred to as a chimera.

Daedalus n Famous architect and inventor n Built the labyrinth for the Minotaur n He and his son Icarus are later trapped in the labyrinth, so he crafts wings for them to fly out. n Icarus flies too close to the sun, melts his wings, and drowns in the sea.

Minotaur n Monster with the body of a man, but the head and tail of a bull. n Kept in the labyrinth in Crete, where every year 14 young people were sacrificed to this monster. n Theseus volunteered to be one of the sacrifices and slew the Minotaur.

Chiron n The only good centaur n He was very wise and had great knowledge of the healing arts. n Tutor of many heroes (Achilles, Theseus, etc.) n Hercules accidentally shot him with a poison arrow. n To escape the pain, he relinquished his immortality. n He is now the constellation of Sagittarius.

Sisyphus n He betrayed the secrets of the gods, cheated Death, and was then punished by Hades. n In the underworld, he his doomed to forever roll a huge boulder up a hill, where it then rolls back to the bottom, and he starts all over again.

Procrustes n Legendary robber n He captured travelers and forced them to stay in one of his “beds.” n Short people were stretched on a rack until they were the right length. n Tall people had the parts that were too long chopped off. n Theseus killed him.

Pan n God of shepherds and flocks as well as of male fertility. n A satyr n Son of Hermes n Chased nymphs through the forests in the shape of a goat n Not well-liked by other gods

Griffin n Legendary creature with the head, beak, and wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion.

Sources n Graphics in this presentation were taken from the following web sites: – – – – – – – n This presentation is for educational purposes only; it has not been and should not be sold or used as a vehicle to make money.

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