1. Introduction to Greek Mythology
It’s All Greek to Me!
Introduction to Greek Mythology

2. Greek Gods Greek religion was POLYTHEISTIC.
The Greeks created their gods IN THEIR OWN IMAGES.
Greek mythology is largely made up of stories about gods and goddesses, but it CANNOT be read as a Greek Bible.

3. The Greeks believed . . . The UNIVERSE created the gods.
Before there were gods, Heaven and Earth had been formed. They were the first parents.
The TITANS were their children, and the gods were their grandchildren.

4. TITANS or THE ELDER GODS
Enormous size and incredible strength
CRONUS—ruled over the Titans until his son Zeus dethroned him; Cronus then fled to Italy and brought in the Golden Age, a time of perfect peace and happiness.

5. Other Titans OCEAN: River that was supposed to encircle the earth
TETHYS: Ocean’s wife
HYPERIOD: Father of the sun, the moon, and the dawn
MNEMOSYNE: Memory
THEMIS: Justice
IAPETUS: Father of Atlas (who bore the world on his soldiers) and Prometheus (who was the savior of mankind)
These gods were NOT banished when Zeus came to power.

6. MT. OLYMPUS Home to the Twelve Olympians—the children of the Titans
First held to be GREECE’S highest mountaintop
Or maybe a mysterious region far above the mountains of the earth
Entrance was a great gate of clouds kept closed by the Seasons
Inside, the gods lived, slept, feasted on AMBROSIA and NECTAR, and listened to Apollo’s lyre
No wind, no rain, no snow

7. TWELVE OLYMPIANS (How many did you get?)
Zeus
Poseidon
Hades
Hestia
Hera
Ares
Athena
Apollo
Aphrodite
Hermes
Artemis
Demeter
(Hephaestus)

8. ZEUS (Jupiter) Supreme ruler Wielded the thunderbolt
Not omnipotent nor omniscient
Falls in love with one woman after another (goddesses & mortals)
Will do anything to hide his infidelity from his wife

9. HERA (Juno) Goddess of marriage and the family Zeus’ wife and sister
Protector of marriage and heroes
Punishes the many women Zeus falls in love with

10. POSEIDON (Neptune) God of the seas
Zeus’ brother and second in eminence
Splendid palace beneath the sea
Gave the first horse to man
Controlled storm and calm
“Earth-shaker”
Carries a trident

11. HESTIA (Vesta) Goddess of the Hearth Zeus’ sister Virgin-goddess
Protector of newborn children

12. HADES (Pluto) Ruler of the Underworld and the Dead
Zeus’ brother and third in eminence
God of Wealth (precious metals hidden in the earth)
Rarely left his dark realm
His wife is Persephone—carried her away from earth and made her Queen of the Underworld

13. HERMES (Mercury) Zeus’ messenger—Messenger between gods and mortals
Son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas)
Graceful and swift
Winged sandals
Master thief

14. Great Gods of Earth Demeter (Ceres):
Goddess of fertility; Goddess of Grain and Agriculture; Harvest; This god is a woman because women tended to the crops while men were hunting and fishing

15. ATHENA (Minerva) Goddess of Wisdom
Daughter of Zeus alone—sprang from Zeus’ head
Battle-goddess; fierce and ruthless
Goddess of the City
Zeus’ favorite child

16. APHRODITE (Venus) Goddess of Love and Beauty Child of Zeus and Dione
Sprung up from the sea foam
Beautiful and golden
Soft and weak
Wife of Hephaestus

17. ARES (Mars) God of War Son of Zeus and Hera Hateful Lover of Aphrodite
SYMBOL: vulture

18. ARTEMIS (Diana) Goddess of the hunt Daughter of Zeus and Leto
Apollo’s twin
Maiden goddess of Olympus
Lady of Wild Things; Goddess of the Moon
SYMBOLS: moon, deer

19. APOLLO (PHOEBUS) God of Healing God of Light God of Truth
Son of Zeus and Leto
Master musician, plays on his golden lyre
Archer-god
Wears a laurel on his head
Carries the sun across the sky in his golden chariot

20. HEPHAESTUS (Vulcan, Mulciber)
God of Fire and Craftsmen (blacksmith)
Son of Hera and Zeus
Ugly, has a limp
Kind, peace-loving
Popular on earth and in heaven

21. Lesser Gods of Olympus
EROS (Cupid): God of Love; Aphrodite’s companion and son; naughty boy,
archer-god
PAN: Earth god of woods and fields, half man and half goat; Hermes’ son

22. NYMPHS: beautiful young goddesses of nature
Dryade: Nymph of the woods
FATES: Three goddesses who control mortal destiny
Clotho (spinner of thread of life), Lachesis (disposer of lots), Atropos (cut thread of death)
MUSES: Nine goddesses of the arts; Daughter’s of Zeus and Mnemosyne
Clio (history) Urania (astronomy), Melpomene (tragedy), Thalia (comedy), Terpsichore (dance), Calliope (epic poems), Erato (love poems), Polyhymnia (songs to Gods), Euterpe (lyrical poems)
NEREIDS: Daughters of Poseidon
GRACES: daughters of Zeus who represented beauty

23. IRIS: Goddess of the rainbow; messenger
Queen PERSEPHONE: Daughter of Demeter’ was abducted by Hades and made queen of the Underworld
AEOLUS: King of the Winds
North Boreas (Aquilo)
West Zephyr (Favonius)
South Notus (Auster)
East Eurus
SIRENS: Lured sailors to their death with singing

24. CLASSICAL ALLUSIONS, or references to aspects of Greek mythology, can be spotted in almost any piece of reputable literature.