Greek Mythology: Introduction To

Introduction to
Greek Mythology
Mythology:
 The study of “Myths”—and myths are stories

about supernatural beings in early times,
which were handed down orally from one
generation to another
 Myths attempt to explain such things as:
 Nature- Where did Earth come from? Heavens?
Seasons? Geography?
 Man- Where did we come from?
 Gods- Where do the gods come from?
The Greeks and Romans believed in
polytheism…
 Poly=many
 Theism=God
 Polytheism=many gods
Ancient Greek beliefs and characteristics
 Death is inevitable and final, so the goal was to

become a legend through great deeds.
 The Greeks were tough, restless, ambitious, hard-
living, and imaginative.
 Honor was extremely important, and the Greeks
were very vengeful if wronged.
 The gods mirrored human feelings and physical
form.
 Their flaws were pride, cruelty, stubbornness,
impulsiveness, lust for power, and a desire to be like
the gods.
Why do we study Greek Mythology?
Interesting and Entertaining
Shows how ancient people

viewed the world and gives us
an account of their history
It is constantly referenced to in
everyday life
Some references you may have seen…
The creation of the world (according to
Greek Mythology)
 First there was Chaos
 Out of Chaos emerged

two beings: Gaea
(Mother Earth) and
Uranus (Heavens)
Gaea and Uranus had several children
Titans Monsters
 Oceanus and Tethys  3 of each:
 Hyperion and Thea  Hecatonchires (hundred
hands
 Coeus and Phoebe
 Cronus and Rhea
 Mnemosyne
 Cyclopes (one-eyed)
 Themis
 Crius
 Lapetus
Uranus hated all his children most
especially the monsters…
 Locked the monsters in Tartarus
 Gaea was upset and asked the Titans to help
 Cronus, the youngest and strongest,
overthrew is father, Uranus, and seized the
rule of the Universe.
 Cronus took Rhea for a wife and divided the
Earth among his fellow Titans
 Cronus and Rhea had 6 children: The
Olympians
Cronus feared that his children would overthrow
him the way he overthrew his father…
 Cronus swallowed all of his children…except the
last one.
 Rhea replaced the infant with a stone to prevent
Cronus from swallowing Zeus. He grew up in
hiding (Crete)
 When Zeus was grown he made his dad
regurgitate his siblings
 Zeus and his siblings raged war against their
father, Cronus
Titanomochy , or War of the Titans
Cronus VS Zeus
 Titans  His siblings
 Mount Othrys  Hecatonchires & Cyclopes
 Mount Olympus
Zeus, with the use of his lightning bolt given to him by the
Cyclopes, defeated Cronus and his army. Most of the
Titans were confined to Tartarus. Zeus divided the world
among his sibling gods…
Zeus
 is the king of the gods,

 the ruler of Mount
Olympus and the god of
the sky and thunder.
 His symbols are the
thunderbolt, eagle, bull,
and oak.
 His siblings: Poseidon,
Hades, Hestia,
Demeter, and Hera
 Had many affairs and
many offspring
Hera
 Wife and older sister to
Zeus
 Queen of Olympians
 Goddess of childbirth and
marriage
 Symbols: pomegranate
 She took many forms,
among them that of a
bird.
 Vindictive, jealous of
Zeus’s affairs
Poseidon
 God of the sea, horses,
and earthquakes
 One of the supreme
Gods of Mount
Olympus, but he spent
most of his time in his
watery domain.
 Symbols: Trident,
dolphins, horses
Hestia
 Goddess of Hearth and

Home
 Honored at meal times
 She was thought of as
the kindest and mildest
of the kindest and
mildest of the
goddesses.
 She represented
personal and communal
security and happiness.
Demeter
 Goddess of Agriculture
 Often shown carrying a
bundle of grain
 Symbols: wheat,
poppies, cornucopia
Aphrodite
 Goddess of love,
beauty and fertility
 One legend states
that she is the
daughter of Zeus and
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
Dione. Another
are needed to see this picture.
legend says that she
was born from sea-
foam
 She is associated
with the dove
Athena
 Goddess of
wisdom and war
 She was the patron
goddess of Athens
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.  Her symbol is the owl
 She is the favorite
daughter of Zeus
 Protector of the
city
Hades
 God of the underworld

 “King of the
Dead”
 Symbols: Cerberus,
Bident, and Cypress
The Hero
 Many mythological stories feature Heroes
 Heroes have specific traits:
 Unusual circumstance of birth; danger or royalty
 Leaves family or land and lives with others
 An event leads to an adventure or quest
 Hero has special weapon only he can wield
 Hero has supernatural help
 The hero must prove himself many times while on
the adventure
 Hero experiences atonement with his father
Some heroes you may know…
An Epic Poem
 A long narrative poem originally told (and

later written) in a dignified style and
presenting characters of high position
engaged in a series of adventures (episodes)
that are important to the history of a nation
or race.
Characteristics of the Epic:
1. The hero is a figure of imposing stature, of

national importance, and of great historical
or legendary significance
2. The setting is vast in scope
3. The action consists of deeds of great valor or
requiring superhuman courage
4. Supernatural forces interests themselves in
the action
5. The epic poet recounts the deeds of the
heroes with objectivity
Example of an epic poem:
Assignment
Write a one-paragraph essay comparing the
Greek view of the world to the contemporary
view of it, including atleast two points of
comparison and two of contrast.

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Introduction to

 The study of “Myths”—and myths are stories

 Death is inevitable and final, so the goal was to

Interesting and Entertaining

Shows how ancient people

 First there was Chaos

 Out of Chaos emerged

 is the king of the gods,

 Goddess of Hearth and

 God of the underworld

 A long narrative poem originally told (and

1. The hero is a figure of imposing stature, of

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