1. Mythological Literature
Greek Mythology
An Introduction

3. In the Beginning… There is only blackness = CHAOS From Chaos comes
Night
Erebus = unfathomable depth where death dwells

4. In the Beginning… Things get crazy! Night lays an egg into Erebus
From this egg
LOVE emerges

5. In the Beginning…
LOVE gives birth to Light and Day – instruments that bring order to the world by conquering Night and Chaos
(78) “From darkness and from death Love was born”
Love leads to order and beauty!!!

6. Then…
*Mother Earth (Gaea) emerges: Love and Light make it reasonable that Earth (life) will emerge
*Mother Earth gives birth to Starry Heaven (Ouranos) to cover her on all sides (protect) and to serve as a home for the immortal gods (celestial bodies)

7. Then… The Greeks begin to “personify” their world.
(79) “So they personified everything which had the obvious marks of life, everything which moved and changed.”

8. The First Family of Freaks
Gaea marries her son Ouranus
They have six children
(3) Hecatonchires = 100-handed Giants
(3) Cyclopes = One-eyed Giants

9. What did Daddy Do? Ouranus thought they were freaks!
Who wants mutants, right?

10. Banishment Ouranus exiles his children Sends them to Tartarus
Which is what?

11. The Third Race of Children
The third group = Titans
13 Titans Total
Cronus = Father Sky
Rhea = Earth Goddess
Epimetheus = Makes animals
Prometheus = Makes humans
Atlas = Strong + punished later

12. In the Meantime… Gaea is upset with Uranus “Monsters” still locked up
Ouranus won’t let them go
She talks to the Titans
Cronus will help
Emasculates his father
Becomes new ruler

13. Spilt Blood… After Cronus Castrates Ouranos, the spilt blood creates:
The Race of Giants (4th race of monsters)
The Erinyes (Furies) who pursue and punish sinners
Furies are the only monsters not to be cleared from the Earth “As long as there was sin in the world they could not be banished.”

14. Cronus the Liar Cronus doesn’t free the “Monsters”
Marries his sister Rhea
Gaea predicts he will be overthrown

15. Cronus the Cannibal Cronus and Rhea have six children
Cronus eats the first five
Hestia
Hera
Demeter
Poseidon
Hades

16. Rhea’s Plan Zeus is the 6th child With her mother’s help
Hide baby Zeus on Crete
Have warriors make noise
Zeus grows to be 16

17. Rhea’s Revenge Zeus returns at 16 Gives Cronus (Dad) a potion
Makes Cronus vomit
Out come the other five
Now they’re angry teens
They fight Cronus and the Titans

18. The War with the Titans War wages for 10 years Gods are immortal
Evenly matched until
Zeus frees the Monsters who
Make weapons
Throw mountains

19. The Traitor and the Savior
The Titan Iapetus’ son Prometheus sides with Zeus!
Prometheus has gift of foresight and great wisdom
He serves as Zeus’ council to help win the war

20. The Outcome Zeus hurls lightning Hades throws his bident
Poseidon causes earthquakes
The Titans are defeated
Atlas forced to hold the world
Many others locked in Tartarus

21. The Last Battle
The Olympians conquer the Titans = unexplainable forces are contained
Last Battle = Typhon, a son of Gaea (her last and most frightful offspring)
Zeus and his thunder bolt bring down Typhon before he topples Olympus

22. The Last Battle for Realz
The 4th race of Monsters rebel (is Gaea still upset??)
Hercules helps strike down the rebellion (um, wait a tick! Where did Hercules come from if humans haven’t been created?)

23. The Emergence of Man
So how, exactly, is the world now ready for mankind?
Any other interesting insights from the creation myth???