 a collection of myths and legends that Greeks used to explain their world  They are fictional but Greeks believed them to be true.

 The Greeks loved life.  They believed in living life to the fullest, because death was going to happen whether you wanted it to or not.  The only response to death was to make a mark on the world. Be a legend…be grandiose.

 The Greeks had many gods.  Because the Olympian gods mirrored the Greeks, they were heavily flawed.  Because the Greeks focused on being grandiose, the Olympian gods were mostly portrayed as physically strong, beautiful and intelligent.  The same applies to the heroes in their legends and myths.

 Both good and evil comes from the gods.  Heroes and monsters came from the gods.  This idea has influenced many religions that came after.  Many of the conflicts that are portrayed in the myths are between family members.

 Mt. Olympus was the largest mountain in Greece. It was the home of the gods and goddesses.  Gods and goddesses were immortal, they could not die.  No humans were allowed on top of Mt. Olympus, but the Olympians were allowed on Earth.

 Chief god  Lord of sky  God of thunder & lightening  Married his sister Hera  Populated the heavens and the Earth

 Wife and sister of Zeus  Goddess of marriage, protector of childbirth & heroes  Portrayed as extremely jealous and vindictive

 God of the sea, horses and earthquakes  Lives in a palace beneath the ocean  Carries a three- pronged trident  Gave people the horse  Married a sea nymph named Amphitrite  Like his brother, he fathered many children.

 god of the underworld and the dead  god of wealth  Owned all of the precious metal on Earth  Wore a cap that made him invisible  Kidnapped his niece and made her his wife

 Demeter means “Barley-mother”  Another name for her is Ceres, from the word cereal  Goddess of the cornfield, mistress of planting and harvesting, lady of growing things  She had a son and a daughter. Her daughter’s name was Persephone.  Her daughter was kidnapped by Hades. (reasons for the seasons)

Zeus’ third sister goddess of hearth family and home her only job was to keep the fire lit in the hearth on Mt. Olympus

 Zeus had eight children on Olympus  The twins: Apollo and Artimis  Athena  Hephaestus  Hermes  Ares  Dionysus  Aphrodite (not really Zeus child, but he took her in)

 god of light, music and poetry  most beautiful god  also the god of medicine  taught people the art of healing  fine marksman  could predict the future

 goddess of hunting, wild things, unmarried girls and the moon  She decided never to marry Once when she was bathing under the moonlight a human was watching her. She threw rain drops on him and changed him into a stag. Then she had him killed by his own dogs.

 Zeus’ favorite  goddess of wisdom, strategy, protector of cities and civilizations  goddess of handicrafts and art She sprang from her father’s head fully clothed and in armor. Hephaestus, Zeus’ son, had to release Athena by cutting his head open with an ax.

 god of fire  The only ugly god, but he was peaceful, loving and popular.  He walks with a limp because Zeus threw over the palace walls one day when he took his mother’s side over Zeus’.  Made all the Olympians’ thrones, armor, furniture and weapons  Married Aphrodite

 Zeus’ graceful, happy son by the goddess, Maia  God of shepherds, merchants, travelers and thieves  Very mischievous and tricky  Stole Apollo’s cows the day he was born  Guided the newly dead to the underworld  Invented the alphabet, astronomy, scales, playing cards and card games  Zeus’ messenger  Wore winged sandals and a winged cap  Had a son named Pan. He was half goat.

 god of war  Boastful, cruel and had no manners  Son of Zeus and Hera  Loved to fight, but was a coward once he got hurt  Wherever he went there was violence and bloodshed  the curse of mortals

 god of wine  Zeus’ youngest son  His mother, Semele, was a princess and a mortal woman  His mother was consumed by fire when she was tricked by Hera  He was saved by Hermes.  Taught people the art of wine making & the consequences of too much wine

 Goddess of love and beauty  Goddess of desire  Wherever she walked flowers sprang up beneath her feet  she appeared from the foam of the sea  Her son is Eros (Cupid)

The Illiad The Odyssey written about 700 B.C. story of a war between the Greeks and the people of Troy Troy won the war using a wooden horse written about 700 B.C. story of the hero Odysseus adventures of Odysseus going home from the Trojan war The earliest Greek stories were called epics. Epics are long poems about heroes and their brave deeds. Homer wrote two great Greek epics: the Iliad and the Odyssey.

 Fables were said to be written by Aesop.  He is supposed to have lived around 550 B.C.  Historians now know that there wasprobably never anyone named Aesop who wrote these stories. However, the stories do exist.  They are known as Aesop’s fables.  Fables are short tales that teach a lesson. Fables are often funny and show human weaknesses and strengths.  Aesop’s fables were part of Greece’s oral tradition for about 200 years. Aesop’s fables are read and told today by people all around the world.

 Both  passed down from one generation to the next  teaches lesson long poem has brave hero and adventures describes brave deeds is written down thought to be true short story uses animals who talk shows human qualities often funny told out loud ends with a moral EpicFable

 A drama is a story told by people who act out the events.  The Greeks developed two types of drama—tragedy and comedy.  A tragedy has an unhappy ending. The characters in a tragedy cannot solve their problems no matter how hard they try.  The first Greek plays were tragedies.  Later the Greeks wrote comedies.  A comedy ends happily.  For the Greeks, a comedy was any drama with a  happy ending.  In ancient Greece, women were not allowed to act. Men played all the parts, even the female characters.  Dramas were used to tell religious stories.

 Greek artists created art that expressed the ideals of order, balance, and harmony (classical style)  Greek artists painted on pottery › using red and black paint. › Large vases portrayed myths › Small pieces, like cups, have pictures from everyday life.  The Greeks built beautiful buildings. › Large columns to support roof › Most important were the temples built for the gods and goddesses  Many Greek temples were decorated with sculptures. › Sculpture expressed artists' ideas of perfection and beauty.