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The Myths of Greece and Rome
Feature Menu
Myths All Around Us
What Is a Myth?
The Uses of Mythology
Makers of Myths
The World of Classical Mythology
Gods and Goddesses
Practice
Myths All Around Us
You may know more about myths than you think.
Have you ever watched
a movie about Hercules?
Do you know about the
spaceship Apollo?
Myths All Around Us
What about the planets in our solar system. . .
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Neptune
Pluto
Myths All Around Us
. . .or the Olympics?
Myths All Around Us
Even if you don’t know the stories behind all these
names, you know something about Greek and
Roman myths.
What is Poseidon
holding in his
hand? What kind
of arrow does
Cupid shoot?
Where have you seen these characters?
Myths All Around Us
Greek and Roman myths have had a lasting impact
on Western culture.
Our museums
contain
artwork
influenced by
Greek or
Roman myths.
Our cities contain architecture inspired by Greece.
Myths All Around Us
Aspects of Greek and Roman myths even show up
in everyday conversations.
You probably know, for instance, that Hades is
another word for the underworld.
Myths All Around Us
You will also come across many names from
ancient myths in your reading.
places
gods and
goddesses
heroes
monsters
Troy
Carthage
Zeus
Athena
Ulysses
Medusa
Delphi
Olympus
Mercury
Venus
Achilles
Cyclops
Hercules
Sirens
Myths All Around Us
Because myths are all around us, writers expect us
to recognize names from mythology.
Zeus wasn’t
Tuck
wasn’t aa big
big dog,
dog, but
but he
he always
always got
got his
his way.
way.
The other dogs in the house backed away from their
food bowls, heads lowered, when Tuck
Zeus ducked
ducked
through the dog door. Tuck
Zeus had
had charmed
charmed his
his owner
owner
into letting him sit on the couch, but if another dog
approached the furniture, he’d soon feel Tuck’s
Zeus’s wrath.
wrath.
Notice how this writer’s story is different when
the main character has the name of a Greek god.
[End of Section]
What Is a Myth?
A myth is a story that explains something about
the world —mysterious or frightening natural forces
. . .or the origin of the world itself.
What Is a Myth?
A myth usually involves gods or other superhuman
beings.
In many myths, a hero or god goes on a quest—
a dangerous journey in pursuit of something very
valuable.
What Is a Myth?
Myths were spoken aloud for many generations
before they were written down.
Writers today continue to draw inspiration from
these same myths.
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The Uses of Mythology
Throughout history, people have used myths for
many purposes.
• To explain the creation of the world
• To explain natural
phenomena
• To give story form to ancient
religious beliefs and practices
The Uses of Mythology
Myths have had everyday uses as well—
to teach moral lessons
and to explain history.
The Uses of Mythology
Myths—like dreams—express the deepest fears and
hopes of human beings.
For this reason, they help us understand and
relate to each other.
The Uses of Mythology
Think about all the “big” questions that people
wonder about.
How did
we get
here?
Are we
alone?
Why am I
here?
What
should I
do?
These are all questions that myths try to explain
or answer.
[End of Section]
Makers of Myths
The ancient Greek and Roman myths originated in
the area around the Mediterranean Sea.
By the end of the second century B.C., the Romans
had conquered Greece.
Makers of Myths
The Romans kept the stories represented by Greek
myths but changed the names of the characters to
Roman gods and goddesses.
Zeus became Jupiter.
Poseidon became Neptune.
And Artemis became Diana.
[End of Section]
Gods and Goddesses
According to the Greek myths, the gods and
goddesses lived together on Mount Olympus. Many
of them were related to each other.
Zeus
Hera
Hades
Apollo
Poseidon
The divinities often left Mount Olympus to spend
time among ordinary people.
Gods and Goddesses
The gods and goddesses were powerful. Each one
was usually associated with specific forces of
nature.
Apollo
Poseidon
Artemis
[End of Section]
The World of Classical Mythology
On this map, the place names are real. Some of the
events and characters, however, exist only in myth.
[End of Section]
Let’s Try It
Practice
Achilles: A VERY Short Story
Achilles was the greatest Greek warrior of
all. His father was human, but his mother
was an immortal sea nymph, Thetis. She
wanted her son to be immortal, too. Soon
after Achilles was born, she held baby
Achilles by the heel and dipped him into the
River Styx. The magic water made Achilles
invulnerable—all except for his heel.
Years later, King Agamemnon sent his
general, Odysseus (you might know him
better by his Latin name, Ulysses) to find
Achilles. The King wanted Achilles to fight
for the Greeks in the Trojan War.
1. What
information could
explain why
Achilles was the
greatest Greek
warrior of all?
Let’s Try It
Practice
Achilles: A VERY Short Story
Achilles was the greatest Greek warrior of
all. His father was human, but his mother
was an immortal sea nymph, Thetis. She
wanted her son to be immortal, too. Soon
after Achilles was born, she held baby
Achilles by the heel and dipped him into the
River Styx. The magic water made Achilles
invulnerable—all except for his heel.
Years later, King Agamemnon sent his
general, Odysseus (you might know him
better by his Latin name, Ulysses) to find
Achilles. The King wanted Achilles to fight
for the Greeks in the Trojan War.
2. Why do you
think the
underlined
information is
important?
Let’s Try It
Practice
Thetis was still afraid for Achilles, so she
dressed him up as a woman. Clever Odysseus,
however, saw right through the disguise.
In myths, the
hero often
makes a small
Anyway, after about ten years, the Greeks were mistake that
has huge
defeating the Trojans. Achilles and the king
quarreled. Achilles refused to fight. The Greeks consequences.
started losing. Achilles sent his best friend into
3. Why did
battle, dressed in Achilles’ armor. Achilles’
friend was killed by the Trojan hero Hector, who Achilles send
his friend into
had help from the god Apollo.
the battle?
Back on the battlefield, Achilles slaughtered
everyone in sight. With the help of the goddess
Athena, he killed Hector, the man who had
killed his friend.
Let’s Try It
Practice
Thetis was still afraid for Achilles, so she
dressed him up as a woman. Clever Odysseus,
however, saw right through the disguise.
4. Why would
Athena want to
help Achilles
avenge the
Anyway, after about ten years, the Greeks were
death of his
defeating the Trojans. Achilles and the king
friend?
quarreled. Achilles refused to fight. The Greeks
started losing. Achilles sent his best friend into
battle, dressed in Achilles’ armor. Achilles’
friend was killed by the Trojan hero Hector, who
had help from the god Apollo.
Back on the battlefield, Achilles slaughtered
everyone in sight. With the help of the goddess
Athena, he killed Hector, the man who had
killed his friend.
Let’s Try It
Practice
Finally, according to some versions of the
story, Hector’s brother Paris killed Achilles.
Paris, by the way, was the guy who started
all the trouble in the first place. He stole
Helen—the most beautiful woman in the
world—from the King of Sparta and took her
away to Troy. The Greeks sailed to Troy and
spent ten years at war to get Helen back.
But back to Achilles: How could Paris kill
Achilles? After all, Achilles was supposed to
be invulnerable and immortal.
Paris shot an arrow into Achilles’ heel, and
Achilles died from that wound.
5. Do you think
the Greeks and
Trojans were
really fighting
over Helen?
6. Think about
the actions of
Thetis, Achilles’
mother. In what
way was Thetis
like all mothers
(or fathers)?
Let’s Try It
Practice
Finally, according to some versions of the
story, Hector’s brother Paris killed Achilles.
Paris, by the way, was the guy who started
all the trouble in the first place. He stole
Helen—the most beautiful woman in the
world—from the King of Sparta and took her
away to Troy. The Greeks sailed to Troy and
spent ten years at war to get Helen back.
But back to Achilles: How could Paris kill
Achilles? After all, Achilles was supposed to
be invulnerable and immortal.
Paris shot an arrow into Achilles’ heel, and
Achilles died from that wound.
7. This story—
even this very
short version—
has more than
one moral.
Write two or
three sentences
about what this
story teaches.
Let’s Try It
Practice
Finally, according to some versions of the
story, Hector’s brother Paris killed Achilles.
Paris, by the way, was the guy who started
all the trouble in the first place. He stole
Helen—the most beautiful woman in the
world—from the King of Sparta and took her
away to Troy. The Greeks sailed to Troy and
spent ten years at war to get Helen back.
But back to Achilles: How could Paris kill
Achilles? After all, Achilles was supposed to
be invulnerable and immortal.
Paris shot an arrow into Achilles’ heel, and
Achilles died from that wound.
8. Have you ever
heard someone
refer to finding a
person’s Achilles’
heel”? What do
you think this
phrase means?
9. Do you
know where
your Achilles’
tendon is?
Practice
On Your Own
Look at the chart of gods
and goddesses and their
special powers. List the
names of the divinities that
you recognize.
Chart
Next, add any other Greek or Roman gods
and goddesses you can think of.
Now, write down any prior knowledge you
may have about the names on your list.
Practice
On Your Own
Greek Name Roman Name Area of Power
Zeus
Jupiter
king of the gods; sky;
weather
Apollo
Apollo
the sun; youth; music;
archery; healing; prophecy
Artemis
Diana
Apollo’s twin sister; the
moon; hunting
Hades
Pluto
king of the underworld
Poseidon
Neptune
ruler of the seas
Hera
Juno
wife of Zeus; queen of gods;
women; marriage
Practice
On Your Own
Greek Name Roman Name Area of Power
Dionysus
Bacchus
wine; fertility; music
Athena
Minerva
wisdom; war; crafts
Hephaestus
Vulcan
craftsman for the gods; fire
Hermes
Mercury
messenger god; secrets;
tricks
Demeter
Ceres
agriculture; earth; corn
Persephone
Proserpine
daughter of Demeter; queen
of Hades
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The Myths of Greece and Rome
The End