1. Introduction To Greek Mythology Arbor Hills GATE/English

2.  Greek history can be traced back over 40,000 years  Land that is now called Greece and Turkey  At the time of the myths, the area was divided into many small states –States are in all Caps, cities are in normal print

3. What is a Myth?  A story which is the product of imagination  Myths were more than just folk tales to the Ancient Greeks—it was more like a religion –Closely related to the religious beliefs.  About supernatural events and gods  Combines a religious purpose with an explanatory purpose –For example a mythmaker tries to interpret nature through personification (gods and mortals) through it

4. What is a Myth?  Myths were attempts to explain things that would nowadays be explained scientifically.  Ancient people had no scientific knowledge so they used their imagination to fill in the gaps.  Explained natural phenomena that could not be explained otherwise  Like the daily motion of the sun across the sky  Explained how people acquired basic things  (Speech, fire, grain, wine, oil, honey, agriculture, metal work, and other skills and arts)

5. Purpose of Greek Myths  To explain human emotions  To answer questions people asked about the world around them and the natural events that occurred in it  To teach morals by justifying their social system and its customs

6. Forms of Greek Myths  Motif of the quest –Jason and the Golden Fleece –The Odyssey  Stories of heroes –Heracles –Theseus  Stories of wars –Trojan War  Stories of the creation of the world  Explanations for natural phenomena

7. Combining Gods and Myths  Myths evolved over many centuries –During times of war and invasions in Ancient Greece  Conquerors and settlers brought their own gods with them –Took over or merged with similar deity (god) figures that already existed in Greece  Most notably Rome –Different versions of stories about gods  Conflicting stories of parents, birth place, etc.  Probably changed less once the myths were written down

8. Strange Behavior  The gods did many strange things in the myths –Greeks accepted this because the gods were supernatural beings –Ordinary people would not have been allowed to do these strange things  Examples –Gods often married very close members of their family such as siblings or parents –Grew up instantly –Able to do miraculous things right away

9. Religion  The stories told in the Greek myths formed part of the religion of Ancient Greece. –The myths illustrated the nature of the gods –The myths taught was pleased or angered the gods  Teaching morals, values  The myths did not set out religious rules or ideals like the Bible or the Koran

10. What the Gods Were Like  The Greeks thought of their gods as being like themselves –Human shaped –Got married and had children –Made friends and enemies –Had human-like faults  Jealousy, bad temper, bad behaviors

11. Religion and Everyday Life  Religion was a part of everyday life  Greeks often said a quick prayer to the particular god before doing something –In hopes of it bringing success  Each god was responsible for some aspect of life  People worshiped the gods they found relevant –Pan was the god of shepherds, for example.

12. Temples  Remains of the temple of Poseidon, the god of the Ocean, at Cape Sounion.  Many magnificent temples were built to the gods.  Priests or priestesses looked after the temples and carried out religious ceremonies.  People had shrines in their homes. –Daily prayers and private ceremonies

13. Festivals and Drama  Greek Comic Actor  The Greeks had special feast days for the gods –Processions and sacrifices –Plays were performed telling the gods’ lives.  Much of what we now know about Greek myths comes from these plays.

14. The Creation Myth  The Ancient Greek religion tried to explain how the world began. –Again, not based on science but rather based on imagination  It all started from Chaos –Before anything existed, there was a dark nothingness call Chaos –Gradually the shape of Mother Earth, Gaea, emerged from the emptiness and formed the world.

15. Mother Earth’s Children  Gaea (Mother Earth) produced a son, Uranus, who was the sky –They had children together  Rain fell from the sky onto Earth –Making plants grow and animals appeared from the rivers and the seas

16. Mother Earth’s Children  Many strangely-shaped monsters and giants were born –Including the three one-eyed Cyclopes  Uranus treated them cruelly and banished them to the Underworld  Human-shaped giants called Titans were born who became the first gods and goddesses.

17. The Revolt of the Titans  Gaea, (Mother Earth) could not forgive Uranus for his treatment of her first children (cyclops) and encouraged the Titans, led by Cronos, to rebel. –Cronos attacked and overcame Uranus with a sickle and took power.

19. The Birth of Zeus  Cronos married his sister, Rhea, and became King of the Titans.  They had five children –Cronos had been warned that one of them would kill him –He swallowed each one as it was born  To save her sixth child, Rhea tricked Cronos into swallowing a stone wrapped in baby’s clothes and hid the real child among some lesser goddesses called nymphs. –This child was Zeus and was raised safely by the nymphs.

20. Zeus’s Revenge  When he grew up, Zeus returned home in disguise  Slipped a potion into Cronos’s drink –Made him choke  The children Cronos had swallowed were coughed out, whole and safe –Daughters—Hestia, Demeter, and Hera –Sons—Hades and Poseidon

21. Zeus’s Revenge  A fierce battle took place  Zeus freed the Cyclopes –Made thunderbolts for Zeus to hurl –Made a forked trident for Poseidon –Made a helmet that made its wearer invisible for Hades

22. Zeus’s Revenge  Most of the Titans and giants sided with Cronos –Remember the giants and Titans (the first gods and goddesses) were children of Mother Earth and Uranus—Brothers/Sisters of Cronos  After a terrible struggle, the children of Cronos (the New Gods) were victorious.  The Titans were banished –One of them, Atlas, was made to hold up the heavens as punishment

23. What the World Was Like  The victorious gods divided the world amongst themselves by drawing lots –Zeus became ruler of the sky and king of all the gods. –Poseidon was made king of the Ocean –Hades was made god of the Underworld.

24. Olympus  The home of the gods was the peak of Mount Olympus  There was a real mountain in the north of Greece called Mount Olympus –Seemed very high and remote to most Ancient Greeks  Seemed a likely place for the gods to live –Gradually, Olympus was associated less with the actual mountain and became more an imaginary place high above the Earth.  Zeus married his sister, Hera, and they ruled as king and queen.  No-one but the gods could visit Olympus, except by special invitation.

25. The Underworld  Ruled by Zeus’s brother, Hades  Everyone went there when they died  Three parts –Asphodel Fields  Ordinary people wandered here as “shades” where they were shadowy versions of their earthly selves –Tartarus  Place of punishment for really evil people –Elysian Fields  Exceptionally good or heroic people  Golden, blissful place of rest

26. The Underworld  You could be sent back to Earth to live another life, but if you earned a place in the Elysian Fields three times, you were allowed to go to the Isles of the Blessed, and never had to leave.  The Styx –The Styx was the name of the river you had to cross to enter the Underworld. –You had to pay the boatman, Charon, one obol (Ancient Greek coin) to ferry you across  People were buried with a coin so they could pay Charon

27. Ocean  Poseidon’s Kingdom –Controlled the winds and waves –Important to sailors  Made sacrifices to appease Poseidon –Poseidon was powerful, but had to obey Zeus

28. Earth  Where humans lived  Many weird and dangerous creatures lived there too –Greek heroes had to fight these monsters  Gods frequently visited the Earth –Sometimes made friends with humans –Came in disguise, rewarding or punishing people according to how they treated the gods –Sometimes they fell in love with humans and had children with them  Heroes of the Greek myths were born in this way—half human, half god (demi-god)

29. Family Tree  http://ludios.org/greekgods/ http://ludios.org/greekgods/

30. Why Should We Study Greek Mythology?  Ancient Greek culture has been kept alive by the oral and later written stories handed down through thousands of years.  Modern plays, novels, television programs, movies, and even advertisements refer to Greek gods, goddesses, and heroes in their stories.