INTRODUCTION TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY English I Unit 3

Myths: stories that use fantasy to express ideas about life that cannot easily be expressed in realistic terms. They usually concern a superhuman being or unlikely event and were once believed to be true. What are myths?

1. Myths are often an attempt to explain natural phenomena. 2. Myths have many gods. 3. The gods and heroes are superhuman beings. 4. Gods have human emotions. 5. Myths contain magic 6. Gods often appear in disguise. 7. Good is rewarded and evil is punished. 8. Myths contain violence.

 Scientific: explanations of things in nature  Literary: entertainment; good storytelling  Religious: give meaning to things in life; explain the role of the gods in everyday life Purposes of Myths  Scientific: explanations of things in nature  Literary: entertainment; good storytelling  Religious: give meaning to things in life; explain the role of the gods in everyday life

 They depict and reveal behavior and problems common to all human beings.  Remind us that human nature is the same across time and culture.  Reveal that many social, ethical, and religious attitudes continue through time.  They reflect the attitudes, priorities, and values of the cultures that produced them. Why do we study myths?  They depict and reveal behavior and problems common to all human beings.  Remind us that human nature is the same across time and culture.  Reveal that many social, ethical, and religious attitudes continue through time.  They reflect the attitudes, priorities, and values of the cultures that produced them.

The Belief System of Ancient Greece In Greek mythology, gods “did not create the universe… the universe created the gods” (Hamilton 24).  In the beginning… there was only Chaos.

IN THE BEGINNING BEFORE THE EARTH AND BEFORE TIME ITSELF THE COSMOS WAS NOTHING BUT A FORMLESS MASS KNOW ONLY AS CHAOS…

OUT OF CHAOS SPRANG GAIA, MOTHER OF THE EARTH, AND FROM GAIA, SPRANG ALL MANNER OF LIVING THINGS

BUT GAIA WAS INCOMPLETE AND LONELY SO SHE CREATED A MATE WITH WHOM SHE COULD SHARE HER PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE HIS NAME WAS URANUS, FATHER OF THE SKY, AND LINKED TOGETHER THEY FORMED THE EARTH

GAIA AND URANUS GAVE BIRTH TO THREE RACES OF CREATURES THAT WOULD BECOME THE FIRST BEINGS TO RULE THE EARTH

THE THREE CYCLOPES A RACE OF ONE EYED MONSTROSITIES THEY WERE THE EMBODIMENT OF THUNDER, THE LIGHTNING FLASH AND THE LIGHTNING BOLT THEY WERE THE FIRST BEINGS TO HARNESS THE POWER OF HEAT TO FORGE METAL

THE THREE HECATONCHEIRES GREAT GIANTS WITH 100 ARMS OF ENORMOUS STRENGTH

AND THE TWELVE TITANS THE FIRST GENERATION OF GODS

NOW, GAIA LOVED ALL OF HER CHILDREN, BUT URANUS SAW THE CYCLOPES AND THE HECATONCHEIRES AS MONSTROSITIES. SO TO HIDE THEM FROM HIS SITE, HE SHOVED THEM DEEP WITHIN THE PITS OF THE UNDERWORLD AND LOCKED THEM AWAY THERE.

GAIA WAS ANGERED THAT HER CHILDREN HAD BEEN TREATED LIKE MONSTERS. SO SHE, ALONG WITH HER SON, KRONOS, THE YOUNGEST AND MOST AMBITIOUS OF THE TITANS, WHO ENVIED THE POWER OF HIS FATHER URANUS, DEVISED A PLAN TO OVERTHROW HIM.

GAIA WOULD FASHION A WEAPON OF GREAT STRENGTH FOR HER SON AND KRONOS WOULD CARRY OUT THE HORRIBLE DEED. SO SHE COLLECTED THE HARDEST MINERALS OF THE EARTH AND FORMED FOR HIM, A MASSIVE SICKLE.

KRONOS, MAD WITH POWER AND RAGE USED THE SICKLE TO CASTRATE HIS FATHER AND BANISHED URANUS TO THE SKY.

BUT GAIA WAS WRONG TO TRUST HER SON. KRONOS RE-IMPRISONED HIS BROTHERS, THE CYCLOPES AND THE HECATONCHEIRES, AND ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS KING.

KRONOS TOOK HIS SISTER RHEA AS HIS WIFE AND TOGETHER THEY REIGNED AS KING AND QUEEN OVER THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE EARTH.

BUT ALL WAS NOT HAPPY FOR KRONOS AND RHEA. GAIA AND URANUS HAD FORETOLD THAT ONE DAY A CHILD OF KRONOS WOULD RISE UP AND OVERTHROW HIM JUST LIKE KRONOS DID WITH HIS OWN FATHER.

KRONOS FEARED THIS PROPHECY MORE THAN ANYTHING. HE AND RHEA GAVE BIRTH TO SIX CHILDREN: HESTIA, HADES, DEMETER, POSEIDON, HERA AND ZEUS.

IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE PROPHECY FROM COMING TRUE, HE SWALLOWED EACH OF HIS CHILDREN ONE BY ONE. EXCEPT FOR ONE…

THE YOUNGEST, ZEUS, AND ZEUS ALONE WAS SPARED THIS TERRIBLE FATE. RHEA HAD WATCHED FIVE OF HER CHILDREN BE CONSUMED BY HER TERRIBLE HUSBAND.

AND SHE COULD NOT STAND THE THOUGHT OF LOSING ANOTHER CHILD. SO WHEN THE TIME CAME FOR KRONOS TO CONSUME THE CHILD, ZEUS, RHEA HID HIM AWAY.

SHE BROUGHT TO HER HUSBAND A ROCK WRAPPED IN A CHILD’S CLOTH, AND WITHOUT A GLANCE HE SWALLOWED IT, NEVER KNOWING THAT ONE CHILD SURVIVED, AND THAT THAT ONE CHILD WAS THE CHILD WHO WAS THE SUBJECT OF THE PROPHECY.

ZEUS GREW UP IN SECRET AND BECAME POWERFUL AND STRONG. WHEN HE HAD FINALLY GROWN, HE RELEASED THE POWERFUL MONSTERS HIS GRANDFATHER HAD IMPRISONED FROM THE PITS OF THE UNDERWORLD.

THE CYCLOPES FASHIONED HIM A WEAPON OF UNIMAGINABLE POWER, THE THUNDERBOLT. WITH THIS NEW POWER ZEUS OVERTHREW KRONOS AND CUT HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM HIS FATHER’S STOMACH.

KRONOS WAS FOREVER BANISHED TO THE UNDERWORLD, NEVER TO RETURN. HIS SONS, ZEUS, POSEIDON, AND HADES, SPLIT HIS KINGDOM AND BECAME THE RULERS OF ALL OF THE EARTH AND HEAVENS.

ZEUS WAS FIRST TO CHOOSE AND BECAME THE GOD OF THE SKY AND THE HEAVENS SO THAT HE COULD LOOK DOWN UPON ALL CREATION.

POSEIDON WAS SECOND, AND CHOOSE TO HOLD DOMINION OVER THE SEAS, WHICH COVERED MOST OF THE EARTH.

HADES WAS LAST. HE DID NOT GET TO CHOOSE BUT INSTEAD WAS FORCED TO REIGN OVER THE LAND AND ALL THAT LIES BELOW IT. HE WAS SENT TO REIGN FROM THE UNDERWORLD, WHICH WAS RENAMED FOR HIM: HADES, BOTH GOD AND TERRITORY.

ZEUS, HIS SIBLINGS, AND THEIR OFFSPRING WOULD RULE FROM MOUNT OLYMPUS AND BECAME KNOWN AS THE OLYMPIANS. THEY WOULD BE WORSHIPED BY THE GREEK AND ROMAN PEOPLES FOR NEARLY 3000 YEARS.