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 shoulders) 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
Hephaestus

8. ZEUS (Jupiter)
Supreme ruler; Lord of the Sky; Rain-god, Cloud-gatherer; wielded the thunderbolt
Not omnipotent nor omniscient
Falls in love with one woman after another
Will do anything to hide his infidelity from his wife
SYMBOLS: eagle, oak

9. HERA (Juno) Zeus’ wife and sister Protector of marriage and heroes
Punishes the many women Zeus falls in love with
SYMBOLS: cow, peacock

10. POSEIDON (Neptune) Ruler 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”
Carried a trident
Connection with bulls and horses

11. HADES (Pluto) Zeus’ brother and third in eminence
Ruler of the Underworld and the Dead
God of Wealth (precious metals hidden in the earth)
Had a cap that made him invisible
Rarely left his dark realm
“King of the Dead”
Wife Persephone—carried her away from earth and made her Queen of the Underworld

12. PALLAS ATHENA (Minerva)
Daughter of Zeus alone—sprang from Zeus’ head
Battle-goddess; fierce and ruthless
Goddess of the City
Zeus’ favorite child
“gray-eyed”
Embodiment of wisdom, reason and purity
SYMBOLS: Olive tree, owl

13. PHOEBUS APOLLO Son of Zeus and Leto
Master musician, plays on his golden lyre
Archer-god
God of Healing
God of Light
God of Truth
Most ‘Greek’ of all the gods
Wears a laurel on his head
SYMBOLS: dolphin, cow

14. HESTIA (Vesta) Zeus’ sister Virgin-goddess No personality
Goddess of the Hearth
Protector of newborn children

15. ARES (Mars) Son of Zeus and Hera God of War Hateful Lover of Aphrodite
Symbol of war
No personality
SYMBOL: vulture

16. APHRODITE (Venus) Child of Zeus and Dione Sprung up from the sea foam
Goddess of Love and Beauty
Beautiful and golden
Soft and weak
Wife of Hephaestus
SYMBOLS: myrtle, dove, sparrow, swan

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

18. ARTEMIS (Diana) Daughter of Zeus and Leto, Apollo’s twin
Maiden goddess of Olympus
Lady of Wild Things; Goddess of the Moon
Huntsman-in-chief
Protector of dewy youth
SYMBOLS: moon, cypress, deer

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

20. Great Gods of Earth
Demeter (Ceres): Goddess of Grain and Agriculture; Harvest; appropriate because women tended to the crops while men were hunting and fishing
Dionysus (Bacchus): God of Wine and Revelry

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
SIRENS: Lured sailors to their death with singing

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