1. What Is a Myth?
Definition: 1) common – a lie; a false belief; tales/stories
2) specific – a story with a beginning, middle and end;
includes gods, goddesses and god-like creatures; believers considered them fact

2. Setting
a timeless past
sometimes we have a place

3. Purpose A. model for human behavior ~method of teaching values
~ symbolize characteristics of the human condition
(King Midas – greed and Icarus – folly of youth)
B. explain some natural phenomena (things that
happen naturally)
~ earthquakes, volcanic eruption, spiders, sunsets, etc.

4. C. recount the incredible trials of great heroes such as Heracles, Odysseus, Jason, etc
D. relate historical events

5. Why study today?
deep influence on literature (Shakespeare, Milton and modern drama)
influence on painters and sculptors (Birth of Venus, Prometheus Bound, Rubens’ ‘Saturn Eating His Son’)
link with the past; understanding how distant forefathers viewed the world

6. GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Complete the Family Tree and write your own personal notes as this power point progress.

7. CHAOS
In the beginning was Chaos – a mass of swirling everythingness and nothingness. And out of Chaos came….

8. Father Sky Mother Earth
URANUS GAEA
Father Sky Mother Earth
…Father Sky and Mother Earth. And there were other entities, but these two started the Greek gods’ family tree. Uranus became Gaea's husband, surrounding her on all sides. Together, they produced…

9. MONSTERS CYCLOPS TITANS
URANUS AND GAEA
MONSTERS CYCLOPS TITANS
…the Cyclopes and the monsters. Gaea became frustrated with bearing ugly children and asked her husband for beautiful ones. Thus, twelve Titans were born.
Uranus was a cruel father and husband. He hated the monsters and imprisoned them by pushing them into the hidden places of the earth. This angered Gaea and she plotted against Uranus. She made a flint sickle and tried to get her children to attack Uranus. All were too afraid, except the youngest Titan, Cronus.
Gaea and Cronus set up an ambush of Uranus. It is unclear as to what happened to Uranus afterwards; he either died, withdrew from the earth, or exiled himself to Italy. As he departed, he promised that Cronus and the Titans would be punished. From the Uranus’s blood that was spilled on the earth, emerged the Giants, the Ash Tree Nymphs, and the Furies.

10. Hades Poseidon Zeus Hestia Demeter Hera
TITANS
Cronos Rhea
Hades Poseidon Zeus Hestia Demeter Hera
Cronus became the next ruler. He imprisoned the Cyclopes and the monsters in Tartarus. He married Rhea, and had many children. He ruled for many ages; however, Gaea and Uranus both had prophesied that Cronus would be eventually overthrown by a son. To avoid this, Cronus swallowed all of his children. Rhea was angry at the treatment of the children and plotted against Cronus. When it was time to give birth to her sixth child, Rhea hid herself, then she left the child to be raised by nymphs. To conceal her act, she wrapped a stone in swaddling cloths and passed it off as the baby to Cronus, who swallowed it.

11. Rubens Goya
These are famous artist renditions of Cronus, also known as Saturn in Roman mythology. These are “Saturn Devouring His Son” done by two different painter. Goya’s ( ) was known for his violent paintings. Rubens ( ), who lived a hundred years before Goya, was known for his use of color and historical paintings of mythological subjects.

12.
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13. Zeus Roman Name: Jupiter (also Jove) Supreme god of the Olympians.
Fathered many characters in mythology
Zeus grew into a handsome youth at the island of Crete. He plotted revenge against his father, Cronus and consulted Metis, a Titan, on how to defeat Cronus. She prepared a drink for Cronus designed to make him vomit the other children. Rhea convinced Cronus to accept his son and Zeus was allowed to return to Mount Olympus as Cronus's cupbearer, giving him the opportunity to serve Metis' potion to Cronus. The plan work perfectly and the other five children emerged out of Cronus. As gods, they were unharmed and thankful to their youngest brother. They made him their leader.
Cronus was yet to be defeated though. He and the some of the Titans fought to retain their power; this led to the War between the Titans and the Olympians called Titanomachy. Atlas became their leader in battle and it looked for some time as though they would win and put the young gods down. However, Zeus was cunning; he went to Tartarus and freed the Cyclopes and the Monsters. At the right time, Zeus retreated drawing the Titans into the Monsters’ ambush, who rained down hundreds of boulders with such a fury that the Titans thought the mountains were falling on them. They ran away, leaving Zeus victorious.
Zeus exiled the Titans who had fought against him into Tartarus, with the exception of Atlas, who being the leader of the opposing force, was punished to hold the universe on his shoulders.
However, even after this victory, Zeus was not safe. Gaea, angry that her children had been imprisoned, gave birth to her last child, Typhon. Typhon was the deadliest monster in Greek mythology and was known as the "Father of All Monsters". He was so fearsome that most of the gods fled; however, Zeus faced the monster and flinging his lighting bolts was able to kill it. Typhon was buried under Mount Etna in Sicily.
Much later, Zeus faced a final challenge set by the Giants. They went so far as to attempt to invade Mount Olympus, piling mountain upon mountain in an effort to reach the top. Nevertheless, the gods had already grown strong, and with the help of Heracles, the Giants were subdued and killed.

14. Zeus ---------------Hera
Dionysus Apollo Artemis Athena Hermes Ares Hephaestus
After the war, Zeus and Hera had many children. The ones listed on your family tree are the most important, as they were immortal. They are the gods of Greece and are known as …

15. The Olympians
…the twelve Olympians (the generation below the Titans.) The Olympians sat on a counsel (much like our congress and supreme court all in one) called the Pantheon and ruled the world from there. Those that sit on the counsel are known as the ‘Gods of the Pantheon.’ (Many cultural mythologies have a pantheon.)
While the number of Olympians was fixed at twelve, there was considerable variation as to which deities were included. However, the twelve as most commonly portrayed in art and poetry were Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes and either Hestia, or Dionysus.
Notice Hades is not considered one of them, as his realm was the underworld and too far away from Mt. Olympus.

16. Zeus
Zeus – King of the Olympians.

17. Hera Roman Name: Juno Zeus’s sister and wife
Jealous protector of marriage
Punished the women Zeus fell in love with
Zeus took Hera as his wife. They had what might be called a “love-hate” relationship. She loved her husband very much but was often angered by jealousy both real and perceived.
Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow, lion and the peacock were considered sacred to her.

18. Poseidon Roman Name: Neptune God of the Seas and Waters
“The Earthshaker”
Poseidon’s main domain was the ocean, and he is called the "God of the Sea". Additionally, he is referred to as "Earth-Shaker“ due to his role in causing earthquakes, and has been called the "tamer of horses". He is usually depicted as an older male with curly hair and beard.

19. Hades Roman Name: Pluto God of the Underworld/ Dead
Kidnapped Persephone
While Hades is not considered one of the twelve Olympians, he is very important to Greek mythology. Do NOT think of him as the Christian devil cast out of heaven. Ruling the Underworld was simply his job.
Hades was the oldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although the last son regurgitated by his father. Remember, he and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon defeated their father's generation of gods, the Titans, and claimed rulership over the cosmos. Hades received the underworld, Zeus the air, and Poseidon the sea, with the solid earth—long the province of Gaia—available to all three concurrently. Hades was often portrayed with his three-headed guard dog, Cerberus and, in later mythological authors, associated with the Realm of Darkness and the bident (two-pronged instrument resembling a pitchfork.)
The plan was for the three brothers to rule equally.

20. Hestia
Roman Name: Vesta
Goddess of Home
Powerful Protector

21. Demeter Roman Name: Ceres Goddess of the Harvest
A Goddess of the Earth

22. Athena Roman Name: Minerva Goddess of Wisdom and War
Sprang from Zeus’s head

23. Ares Roman Name: Mars God of War Son of Zeus and Hera
Bloodthirsty and merciless

24. Hephaestus Roman Name: Vulcan (Mulciber) God of Fire/Forge
Son of Zeus and Hera
Kind, unlike his brother

25. Apollo Roman Name: Apollo God of Light/Sun and Music
Brother of Artemis

26. Artemis
Roman Name: Diana
Goddess of the Moon/ Hunt
Sister to Apollo

27. Hermes Roman Name: Mercury Messenger of the Gods
Appears in more myths than any other character

28. Aphrodite Roman Name: Venus Goddess of Love and Beauty
Sprang from the ocean foam

29. Dionysus Roman Name: Bacchus God of Wine Patron god of the Greek stage
A God of the Earth

30. MINOR DEITIES

31. The Muses Nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne
Inspired artists of all kinds
Goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences
“He is happy whom the muses love.”
Clio, Urania, Thalia, Melpomene, Erato, Calliope, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Polyhymnia

32. The Graces Three Goddesses of Grace and Beauty
“They give life its bloom.”
Aglaia (Splendor)
Euphrosyne (Mirth)
Thalia (Good Cheer)

33. The Erinnyes (The Furies)
Roman Name: Furiae or Dirae (The Furies)
Three Goddesses of Vengeance
Tisiphone
Alecto
Megaera
They punish evildoers.

34. The Fates Roman Name: Parcae, Moirae Three sisters
Clotho (“The Spinner”)
Lachesis (“The disposer of lots”)
Atropos (“The cutter”)
They weave, measure, and cut the thread of life for humans.