1. Part I - A Primer on Greek Mythology

2. What is Myth?  A myth is actually a set of stories that is significant to a culture.  Tend to be fictional, but it is not a requirement.  Real life Myth:  George Washington  “larger than life” status that American history has given  Washington is a symbol.

3. The Problem With Greek Mythology  Greek mythology is rife with inconsistencies.  many of the stories are going to sound absolutely ridiculous and, at times, even contradict each other.  Greeks were creating stories based on their own fallible human nature.  Greek gods are often as cruel, inconsistent, and sinful as humans are.  Greeks were not attempting to create a system of absolute truth  simply telling stories to explain the world around them.  when the Romans adopted Greek mythology, they gave Roman names to each of the characters

4. The War of Deities  In the beginning of time there was Father Heaven (Uranus) and Mother Earth (Gaea).  They bore children known as the Titans.  Cronus (Saturn) and Rhea (Cybele) led the Titans in a rebellion against Father Heaven and Mother Earth.  The Titans defeated their parents and became the rulers of the heavens.

5. The War of the Deities  Cronus and Rhea had children known as the Olympians.  The Olympians = the Greek gods led by Zeus and Hera  Cronus devoured his children  Rhea defied Cronus by tricking him into eating a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes in place of the infant Zeus.  Zeus ambushed Cronus and forced him to vomit up the Olympians, who had apparently survived and grown to maturity in Cronus’ stomach.  With the help of Prometheus, a rogue Titan, the Olympians defeated Cronus  Zeus took his place as ruler of the heavens  Zeus punished most of the Titans by imprisoning them  The Titan named Atlas received a unique punishment: he was doomed to carry the weight of the world upon his shoulders. Prometheus, since he aided the Olympians, was not punished.

6. Today’s Wrap Up  Every culture and era has its beliefs about deities and their roles in the universe, but only a handful have been as enduring and influential as Greek mythology.  Their pantheon was neither a religion nor a set of cultural fables, but rather something that landed right between those marks.