University of Central Punjab

Assignment # 3

Introduction to Philosophy

Topic: Greek Mythology

Submitted To: Sir Omar Shahoor

Submitted By: Iqtidar Hussain

Roll No: L1S21BSEN0085

Section: A

BS (Honors) 2nd Semester (F21)

Department of English

FASS

Submission Date : 31/01/2022

 Greek Mythology

In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses

and heroes and monsters were the central part of
daily life. From religious customs to weather, each
and everything was explained. No original text exists
in Greek mythology. The poet Hesiod’s Theogony in
700 BC gave the first written view of Greek
mythology. The Theogony gives the story of the
universe’s begin from nothingness to being, and presents an detailed lineage of
elements, gods and goddesses who developed from Chaos and fall down from Gaia
(Earth), Ouranos (Sky), Pontos (Sea) and Tartaros (the Underworld).

Greek creation mythology

If we discuss shortly that how the Greeks thought the creation of the world is this:
Scary old gods came first; they got stomped down by their children, who were better
looking, younger gods. These were the gods that created humans. Humans and gods
fought for primacy. The humans won a few rounds but in the end blow away and
became more and more downcast.

But if we see it in detail, then in the beginning, the universe was without shape. It
was not nothing; there was matter, but it was unorganized, shapeless, mixed up and
dark. This was called Chaos. After Chaos, more gods, came into existence.

Gaia, the Earth, held up Uranus, the sky. Gaia and Uranus had a group of kids. First
they had a group of monsters including the Cyclops, and then they created the Titans
as the second generation. Uranus hated all the Titans and was actually quite ugly
about it. But there are only a couple of Titans that you need to recall: First, Oceanus,
the god of the sea, and then Cronus, the strongest and best one of all. Gaia was quite
angered at Uranus for being a fool, so she helped Cronus conquer him. Cronus is
Uranus’s son. Cronus became the king and married his sister, Rhea – another Titan.
This was called the Golden Age because men, who had been made by a Titan named
Prometheus, were living in cooperation. Everything was alright. But it didn’t last,
because Cronus heard a prediction that one of his sons would dethrone him, therefore
whenever his wife, Rhea, had a baby, he swallowed it. Rhea got a little sick due to
this. Therefore , she deceived Cronus when her sixth child, Zeus, was born; she
packed up a rock to look like a baby and had Cronus swallow that instead. Then Zeus
saved his earlier swallowed brothers and sisters , and all was right with the world.

Greek Social Classes

In ancient Greece, the social system derived adequately simple. You were either a free
man, a foreigner, or a slave. In the Greek city-state of Sparta, we see this clearly with
three distinct social classes: the native Spartans, who controlled politics and the
military; the free foreigners, who controlled trade and communication with other
cities; and the Helots, who were the slaves of Spartan society. However, as Greek
society developed, so did the social class and the structure of society as a whole,
especially in Athens.

Athenian society was ultimately divided into four main social classes: the upper class;
the metics, or middle class; the lower class, or freedmen; and the slave class.

Those who born to Athenian parents were considered in Upper class. They were
considered the citizens of Athens. These were the rich and powerful of Athenian
society, holding all political and militaristic power. This group can be further divided
into three subclasses:

 The aristocracy, including politicians, top military officials, and the landed
elite
 Villagers, who owned less productive land.
 The merchants, who controlled much of the manufacturing and trade of Athens

The people who are born free and received less of the benefits of Athenian society are
considered in Middle class or Metics. Since they were foreigners, they were not
granted the rights of citizens and couldn't hold titles to land or serve in politics, but
were still required to pay taxes and serve in the military.
Below the metics were the freedmen or commoners of society. This group was made
up of former slaves who had won their freedom and gained some basic legal and social
privileges.

At the very bottom of society were the slaves. Slaves most often came from prisoners
of war, victims of kidnapping, and other unfortunate circumstance. They held no legal
rights whatsoever; not even the right to their own life.

World View

The Greek view of the world was slightly different

from us. The Greeks thought that the world was flat,
but circular, like a paper plate. Greece was at the
center of the Universe. Their world was divided by
the Mediterranean. Mediterranean means “Middle of
the Lands” in Latin. The river Ocean splashed
around the world in a circle. In the north, lived the
Hyperboreans, which means an extremely happy
people for whom life was sweet. The old people
when became tired of living, they threw themselves into the sea. This was a land of
constant vacation where people were said to live for 1,000 years. In the south, lived
the Ethiopians.

In the west, there were the Elysian Fields. This was the nearly the Greeks got to the
idea of heaven because only the best and greatest of the dead people got to go there.

The Olympians

At the center of Greek mythology, there is the

worship of deities who were said to live on the
highest mountain in Greece, Mount Olympus. They
governed every aspect of human life. Olympian gods
and goddesses similar to men and women (though
they could change themselves into animals and other things) . There were up to 14
gods considered Olympian gods. They were enormous.

Following are the main 12 Olympians:

 Zeus (Jupiter, in Roman mythology): He is the king of all the gods (and
father to many) and the god of weather, law and fate.
 Hera (Juno): She is regarded as the queen of the gods and goddess of women
and marriage.
 Aphrodite (Venus): the goddess of beauty and love
 Apollo (Apollo): the god of prophesy, music and poetry and knowledge
 Ares (Mars): the god of war
 Artemis (Diana): goddess of hunting, animals and childbirth
 Athena (Minerva): goddess of wisdom and defense
 Demeter (Ceres): goddess of agriculture and grain
 Dionysus (Bacchus): This is the god of wine, pleasure and festivity
 Hephaestus (Vulcan):the god of fire, metalworking and sculpture
 Hermes (Mercury): god of travel, hospitality and trade and Zeus’s personal
messenger
 Poseidon (Neptune): God of the sea and earthquakes. He is shown with a three-
pronged spear called a trident.

Some other gods and goddesses are often considered in the list of Olympians. They are
:

 Hades (Pluto): the god of the underworld

 Hestia (Vesta): the goddess of home and family
 Eros (Cupid):the god of sex and minion to Aphrodite

Greek Mythology: Heroes and Monsters

Greek mythology not only tells the stories of gods and goddesses, but the stories of
Human heroes. For example, Heracles, Pandora, Pygmalion, Arachne, handsome
Trojan prince Ganymede, Midas, and Narcissus are important.