SOME FACTS ABOUT MYTHOLOGY JUST THE BASICS

CIVILIZATIONS GREECE ROME

PURPOSES RELIGION GUIDE THEM IN THEIR DAILY LIVES MAKE THEM FEEL SECURE IN AN UNKNOWN WORLD (explain phenomenon) LITERATURE AND ENTERTAINMENT

MYTHS INCLUDE NATURE, GODS, GODDESSES, MONSTERS, HEROES THEY SOMETIMES CONTRADICT EACH OTHER BECAUSE STORIES WERE PASSED DOWN BY WORD OF MOUTH

Types of Myths Divine myths -tales referring to the gods Heroic myths - tales related to kingdoms on earth, heroes and heroines

PERSONALITIES OF THE IMMORTALS IMPERFECT--MADE MISTAKES MANY CHARACTERS INVOLVED THEMSELVES IN HUMANS’ LIVES CREATED BY THE UNIVERSE

GREEK & ROMAN GODS NAMES DIFFER STORIES ARE SIMILAR

BASIC FACTS HOME: MT. OLYMPUS FOOD: AMBROSIA DRINK: NECTAR ZEUS, AN OLYMPIAN, WAS KING 13 MAIN GODS & GODDESSES RULED IN A GROUP CALLED THE PANTHEON

BEGINNINGS GAEA (THE EARTH/FEMALE) MARRIED URANUS (SKY/MALE) THEY HAD 3 SETS OF CHILDREN – TITANS (GOOD-LOOKING & STRONG) – CYCLOPES (ONE-EYED GIANTS) – 100-HANDED GIANTS (NOT ATTRACTIVE)

BECAUSE THEY WERE SO UGLY, URANUS CAST OFF THE GIANTS AND CYCLOPES TO TARTARUS. THIS MOVE ENRAGED GAEA.

Gaea’s Revenge She helped Cronos overthrow Uranus. Uranus then made a prophesy that one of Cronos’s children would overthrow him one day.

Cronos Cronos then became the lead god. Married Rhea Children: Hestia, Pluto, Poseidon, Hera, and Demeter Cronos, afraid of the prophesy, swallowed all of his children as soon as they were born.

Rhea and Gaea were angry and plotted against Cronos Rhea’s next child was Zeus She gave Cronos a stone wrapped in a blanket to swallow instead of the baby She hid Zeus in a cave on the island of Crete

Overthrowing Cronos Rhea & Gaea mixed a potion to give to Cronos which would make him throw up the children he had swallowed. Zeus was the cupholder. Now they could fight. Cronos and the Titans vs. Zeus, his 5 brothers and sisters, some other gods, monsters, 100-headed monsters, and Cyclopes

THE VICTORY Zeus took over Mt. Olympus, becoming king of the gods. 13 gods and goddesses created the pantheon. They ruled for 1000 years. Zeus, an Olympian and jealous playboy, married Hera.

Greek Family Tree Uranus & Gaea Cronus & Rhea HestiaDemeterPoseidonZeusAthenaPersephoneApolloArtemisAphroditeHermesHadesHeraAresHephaestus

12 god and goddesses

ZEUS (zoose or zyoose; Roman name Jupiter) was the supreme god of the Olympians. He was the father of the heroes Perseus and Heracles Zeus was the youngest son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. When he was born, his father Cronus intended to swallow him as he had all of Zeus's siblings.

HERA (HEE-ruh) was the goddess of marriage. Hera was the wife of Zeus and Queen of the Olympians. Hera hated the great hero Heracles since he was the son of her husband Zeus and a mortal woman. When he was still an infant, she sent snakes to attack him in his crib. Later she stirred up the Amazons against him when he was on one of his quests.

DIONYSUS (dye-oh-NYE-sus) was the god of wine. Dionysus was the son of Zeus and the mortal heroine Semele. It was Dionysus who granted Midas the power to turn whatever he touched into gold, then was kind enough to take the power back when it proved inconvenient.

APHRODITE (a-fro-DYE-tee) was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. She was also a protecter of sailors. The poet Hesiod said that Aphrodite was born from sea- foam. Homer, on the other hand, said that she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione.

APOLLO (uh-POL-oh) was the god of prophesy, music and healing. Like most of his fellow Olympians, Apollo did not hesitate to intervene in human affairs. It was he who brought about the demise of the mighty Achilles.

ARES (AIR-eez) was the god of war, or more precisely of warlike frenzy. Though an immortal deity, he was bested by Heracles in battle and was almost killed when stuffed into a jar by two giants.

ARTEMIS (AR-ti-mis) was the virgin goddess of the hunt. She helped women in childbirth but also brought sudden death with her arrows. Artemis and her brother Apollo were the children of Zeus and Leto. In some versions of their myth, Artemis was born first and helped her mother to deliver Apollo.

ATHENA (a-THEE-nuh) was the goddess of crafts and the domestic arts and also those of war. She was the patron goddess of Athens. Her symbol was the owl. She was originally the Great Goddess in the form of a bird. She has come to be regarded as a goddess of wisdom

DEMETER (dee-MEE-tur) was the goddess of agriculture. Demeter as the sister of Zeus and the mother of Persephone. When depicted in art, Demeter is often shown carrying a sheaf of grain.

HEPHAESTUS (he-FESS-tus) was the lame god of fire and crafts or the two together, hence of blacksmiths. Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera or, in some accounts, of Hera alone. He limped because he was born lame, which caused his mother to throw him off Mount Olympus.

HERMES (HUR-meez) was the messenger of the gods and guide of dead souls to the Underworld. A prankster and inventive genius from birth, Hermes aided the heroes Odysseus and Perseus in their quests. Hermes was the son Zeus and a mountain nymph.

POSEIDON (puh-SYE-dun) was the god of the sea, earthquakes and horses. Although he was officially one of the supreme gods of Mount Olympus, he spent most of his time in his watery domain. Poseidon was brother to Zeus and Hades. These three gods divided up creation. Zeus was ruler of the sky, Hades had dominion of the Underworld and Poseidon was given all water, both fresh and salt.

Other Characters Titans Epimetheus Prometheus Atlas and flocks.

Other god and godessess Hades – god of the underworld Hestia – goddess of the hearth Persophone – queen of the underworld Aeolus – god of the wind Eros – god of love Pan - was a god of shepherds and flocks.

Heros

Map of Ancient Greece