1. THE GODS BACKGROUND INFO. Mythology

2. Ancient Greek society Good stories last 1000s of years, this is why we have myths. Ancient Greeks did not have today’s technological advances No printing press, most stories were copied by hand. Storytellers (minstrels, bards, scops or singing poets) traveled from town to town performing and retelling these tales. No government, Greek “cities” were all independent “countries.” Greeks were “citizens” of their “cities.” Some cities were ruled by kings, others by dictators.  Imagine if each state in the Us was independently run with its own army? These “countries” feuded with each other and took slaves, not from anther race, but from another “city.”

3. Beliefs Greeks believed in many gods, instead of one god.  Monotheism–belief in 1 god / Polytheism–belief in many gods They did not have researchers or science to explain the wonders of nature, so they come up with their own explanations.  How did the sun rise in the east and set in the west? A god pulled it  Why did storms sink boats at sea? A god must have been shaking it.  What does it mean when it thunders? One of the gods in angry It did not take long for the Ancient Greeks to invent a family of gods/desses who never grew old, never died, could never get sick and could live with or marry mortals.

4. CREATION Myths What was earth? The poet, Orpheus provides an answer… Time brings forth Chaos (dark space filled with rain) Time told Chaos to spin faster for millions of years, which caused a big rainstorm The result was an egg whose shell cracked breaking the egg into two parts: (1) earth, (2) heaven The yoke is the love that connects the two. EGYPT: Ra, god of the sun and ancestor of all things wanted to have children. He decided to marry his shadow. The result was the god of dry air and the goddess of waters.

5. Creation myths cont… Their union created the god of Earth & goddess of Heaven. Soon, the Earth was crowded with humans and Heaven with gods. NORTHERN EUROPE: It began with darkness and rain. Twelve rivers formed a block of ice & changed water into a cloud. Out of the cloud came the 1 st giant and out of the ice 1 st god. They did not get along and fought. The giant was killed. The giant’s body became the earth, his blood the sea, his bones the mountains/hills, and his hair became the trees. TODAY we still do not have a clear answer about creation.

6. The Beginning The Greeks believed that the universe created the gods, not the other way around. Heaven and Earth came first (Parents) The Titans came next (Children) The gods came last (Grandchildren) TITANS: Titans (aka Elder gods) – huge in size and had great strength M/imp. Titan – Cronus (Saturn). Ruler of Titans dethroned by his son, Zeus (Jupiter). What is the story of how Zeus overthrew Cronus? Another important Titan was Prometheus, savior of mankind

7. ZEUS TAKES OVER! Cronus overthrew his father Uranus (Olympian’s grandfather). An oracle tells Cronus he will be overthrown by a son. (history repeats) Rhea, Cronus’s wife, gives birth to 6 children in total. Cronus swallows 5 of them at birth to prevent his demise. Rhea is furious and protects the 6 th (Zeus) by banishing him. Cronus swallows a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes instead. In time, Zeus is raised by mortals/gods and returns to take over. Zeus goes to work for Cronus (does not know Zeus is his son). Rhea & Zeus con Cronus into drinking a potion. Cronus vomits his 5 children (Olympian gods) fully grown.

8. OLYMPIANS The Titans were overthrown by their own children (the gods). The Olympians lived on the highest mountain in Thessaly, Greece called Mount Olympus. In later stories, Olympus was a place high above the earth (practically heaven). The three brothers (Zeus, Poseidon & Hades) split their domains: Zeus (Heaven), Poseidon (Sea), Hades (Underworld) The Seasons gods/desses guarded the gate and there was never any bad weather. The gods ate ambrosia and drank nectar. Apollo would entertain with music from his lyre

9. The 12 Olympians There were 12 Olympians though Hestia is replaced by Demeter: Zeus, the leader (Jupiter); his brothers Poseidon (Neptune) & Hades (Pluto); his sister, Hestia (Vesta); his wife, Hera (Juno); Ares (Mars) and Hephaestus (Vulcan) their sons; Zeus’s children with other women: Athena (Minerva), Apollo, Aphrodite (Venus), Hermes (Mercury), and Artemis (Diana). Descriptions begin on pg. 27 of your mythology book.