Greek Gods and GoddessesGreek Gods and Goddesses

An Introduction to Greek Mythology

Essential Question:

• What are some of the myths of the Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans? [6.5.17]

• MythMyth- a legendary story that presents part of the beliefs of a people or explains a practice, belief, or aspect of nature

• MythologyMythology- all of the myths dealing with gods and heroes of a people

• All gods and goddesses are immortalimmortal--they cannot die and can only be killed by another immortal

• Human beings are mortalmortal. They die

First Beings

GaeaGaea

UranusUranus

CronusCronus

Children- The first beings on earth

Titans- Titans- GiantsGiants

Cyclopes-Cyclopes-one-eyed one-eyed beingsbeingsHecatoncheiresHecatoncheires

- 100-handed - 100-handed beingsbeings

Olympians• Children of Gaea and CronusChildren of Gaea and Cronus

– Cronus had killed his father UranusCronus had killed his father Uranus

• After the battle between the Titans, After the battle between the Titans, the Olympians gained control of the the Olympians gained control of the earth and lived on Mount Olympusearth and lived on Mount Olympus

Atlas

• General of the Titan army

• Very cruel

• Olympians made him hold the earth for eternity= earthquakes, but the earth does not fall back into chaos.

Why are we learning about these gods?

• Some of the myths of the Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. [6.5.17]

When you think Greek mythology, which god do you first think about?

Zeus

• Youngest Olympian• Father, Coronus, swallowed other

brothers and sisters so Gaea replaced the baby Zeus with a stone=Zeus lived

• Zeus later poisoned Coronus and Coronus barfed up all of the other Olympians!

• Given the lightening/thunder bolt by the Cyclopes as his special weapon

Zeus

• God of the Sky • Leader of ALL Olympians• When Zeus throws his lightening bolt

down to earth, mushrooms are created

• Married to Hera but does not stay true to her=has MANY children by other women!

Poseidon

• Brother of Zeus

• God of the Seas

• Given the trident as his special weapon by the Cyclopes

• Created the seahorse

Hades

• Gloomy pessimist

• Given a cloak of darkness and concealment by the Cyclopes

• Does not live on Mount Olympus; Hades is so gloomy that he prefers to live in his kingdom of the Underworld

The Underworld

• Dead person is escorted to the entrance of the Underworld by Hermes

• A coin is placed on each eye to pay Charon to ferry the body across the River Styx

Creatures of the Underworld

• Cerberus-three-headed dog; makes sure no living being comes to the Underworld

• The Furies-winged bats with razor sharp wings

• Protect Hades and carry messages

Reward –Heroes Only

• Elysian Fields-heroes were allowed in this beautiful place where one would live a life of leisure and pleasure.

Punishment

• Tartarus- innermost earth; reserved for bad behavior

Regular people were sent to a special area to simply keep on doing what they did for life

Pallas Athena

• Has no mother

• Sprang full clothed and fully grown from Zeus’s head

• Given the areas of intellect as her realm

– Invented geometry, astronomy, and military strategy

• Hated war but liked the planning of battles

• Became the patron of Athens

– Athens is noted for valuing wisdom and justice

– Gave the Athenians the olive tree=food, oil, and wood

Aphrodite

• Goddess of love and beauty

• Magic belt is her symbol

• The most enchanting woman of the universe

• Said to have assumed human form and was Helen=her great beauty started the Trojan War

• Married to the ugliest god,

Hephaestus

Hephaestus

• God of the forge and fire

• Hammer and anvil =symbols

• Ugly, crippled son of Zeus and Hera– Thrown over the walls of Mt. Olympus by

Zeus at birth because he was so ugly

• Married to Aphrodite because he made the magic belt (girdle) which made men fall madly in love with Aphrodite

Ares• God of war

• Handsome, but cruel son of Zeus and Hera

• Rides in his war chariot during battles to cause even more bloodshed and death.

• The planet Mars is

named for him

Apollo

• God of the Sun• Son of Zeus and a nymph named Leto

• Drives the Sun Chariot from his palace in the East to the stables in the West every day=the sun rises in the east and sets in the west

• Also the god of music

Pythian Games/Olympic Games

• Apollo killed Python in a sacred place-the cave of Mother Earth at Delphi

• To atone for this crime, Apollo establishes the Python Games which later were called the Olympic Games

Artemis

• Twin of Apollo

• Goddess of the hunt and unmarried girls

• Also known as the goddess of the moon because she often hunted by night.

Demeter

• Goddess of Agriculture

• Roman name is Ceres=cereal-the wheat stalk is her symbol

• Sister to Zeus and is an Olympian is her own right

– Cares very little about the affairs of Mt. Olympus; loves the earth and her daughter Persephone

Demeter and PersephonePersephone is the beautiful

daughter of Demeter.

Captured by Hades while out on a picnic with her friends and taken to the Underworld to become the wife of Hades.

Friends only saw the earth open up and seemingly swallow Persephone.

• Demeter thinks the earth swallowed Persephone and curses the earth so nothing grows

• Zeus fears that this generation of man will die from the lack of heat and the ability to grow food. But he also loves his brother and wants him to find some joy with a wife

• Zeus sends Hermes to the Underworld to free Persephone IF she has not eaten ANYTHING while she has been in the Underworld.

• Minutes before Hermes arrives Persephone eats 4 pomegranate seeds

Seasons of the Year

• We have seasons because Persephone must stay with Hades (her husband) 4 months per year.

Hera• Long-suffering wife of Zeus and his

sister!• Queen of the heavens• Goddess of Married Women• Choose a peacock as her symbolto give herself some glamour• Zeus tricked her into marrying him

Hermes

• Winged messenger of the gods and goddesses

• Appears in many myths but no known single myth about him

• Florists adopted his winged helmet as a symbol of swift delivery

• Running events often show his winged feet

Hestia

• Goddess of the home and hearth

• Cared deeply for peace and tranquility

• Gave up her throne to a mortal

Bacchus• Only mortal to become a god

• God of wine

• Grape bunches = symbol

• When the Romans adopt the Greek gods and goddesses, Bacchus is the most lasting god.

Why did we learn about the Greek gods?

• To know some of the myths of the Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans? [6.5.17]