Download Greek Mythology

Greek Mythology
Prepared by
Mohamed Ahmed Seddik
1. THE MEDUSA
The medusa was an ugly creature. Let's have a look at how she came undefined into
existance, for she wasn't always that ugly... Again, the Gods played their role.
The Medusa was the daughter of Phorkys and Keto, the children of Gaia (Earth) and
Okeanos (Ocean). She was one of the three sisters known as the Gorgons. The other
two sisters were Sthenno and Euryale. Medusa was the only mortal out of the three.
She was once very beautiful and lived far in the north were the sun didn't visit. Being
very curious, she wanted to see the sun, and asked the Goddess Athena for permission
to visit the south. Athena refused to allow her to visit. The medusa got angry and
dared to say that Athena hadn't given her permission because she was jealous of her
beauty. that was it! Athena was angered and punished her by turning her hair into
snakes and cursing her by making her so ugly that whoever looks at her eyes would
turn into stone.
For more information: http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html
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The Killer of Medusa:
Perseus, the legendary founder of Mycenae, was the son of Zeus and Danaë. Perseus
and his mother were sent out to sea and eventually landed on the island of Seriphos,
where he was raised by Dictys. Dicyts's brother, Polydectes, was the king of Seriphos.
"After Perseus had grown older, Polydectes had fallen in love with Danaë. Perseus did
not think that Polydectes was honorable enough to marry his mother and kept his
mother away from him. Polydectes had to find a way to get rid of Perseus... He
decided to hold a banquet where each guest was expected to bring a gift to the king
and he requested that the guests bring horses. Perseus, being a fisherman, had no horse
to give the king and asked the king to name the gift and he would not refuse it.
Polydectes told Perseus that he wanted the head of the only mortal Gorgon, Medusa,
whose eyes turned people to stone."
"Perseus, not sure of where to begin on this quest, decided to consult Athena, the
goddess of wisdom, to find out what he should do. She instructed him to find the
Graeae, three old women who had to share a single eye, who knew where to find the
weapons needed to defeat Medusa. The weapons Perseus received consisted of a
knapsack to hold Medusa's head, an adamantine sword, Hades' helm of darkness, a
pair of winged sandals, and a polished shield. The helm of darkness would keep
Perseus invisible to the world and the winged sandals would allow him to fly."
"When Perseus found the cave of Medusa, he approached with much caution, not
knowing what to expect and weary from his travels. When he entered the cave, he
found Medusa sleeping in a far corner. Careful not to make the mistake of looking in
her eyes, Perseus used the reflection of his polished shield to make his way over to
her, where he easily cut off her head. Once her head came off, Perseus went on to use
her power of turning to people to stone in many other adventures and quests, making
Perseus one of the greatest heroes of all time."
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2. THE KHIMAIRA
(Or Chimera) was a monstrous beast which
ravaged the countryside of Lykia in
Anatolia. It was a composite creature, with
the body and maned head of a lion, a goat's
head rising from its back, a set of goatudders, and a serpentine tail.
The hero Bellerophontes on was commanded
to slay it by King Iobates. He rode into battle
against the beast on the back of the winged
horse Pegasos and, driving a lead-tipped
lance down the Khimaira's flaming throat, suffocated it.
The Khimaira may have once been identified with the winter-rising Constellation
Capricorn (the serpent-tailed goat). The constellation Pegasos appears to drive her
from the heavens in spring.
For more information: http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Khimaira.html
BELLEROPHONTES (Chimera's Killer)
Was one of the greatest of the Greek heroes. His story
runs as follows: He was born in Korinthos (Corinth),
sired by the god Poseidon on the wife of the king. In his
youth he captured the winged horse Pegasos as it came
to drink from the town's fountain. Later he was exiled
for the murder of a relative and travelled to the court of
King Proitos in Argos. There Queen Stheneboia
developed a passion for him. When he spurned her
advances, she told her husband that he had tried to violate her. Proitos sent him to King
Iobates in Lykia with a closed letter requesting that the boy be put to death. Iobates was
reluctant to do this himself and so commanded Bellerophontes to slay the fire-breathing
Khimaira (Chimera) which was ravaging the land. He accomplished the task and returned
alive. The king next sent him to subdue the barbarous Solymoi tribe, and later the
Amazones, but again he was victorious. Finally Iobates commanded his guards to ambush
and kill the youth, but he slew them all. The king then recognized him for the son of a
god, and welcomed him into his house as his son-in-law and heir.
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Despite all of his successes Bellerophontes was still
not satisfied and sought to fly to heaven on the back of
Pegasos. Zeus was angered by his presumption and
sent a gladfly to sting the horse, causing it to buck and
cast the hero back to earth. Afterwards he wandered
the world alone despised by gods and men.
3. THE MINOTAUROS
(or Minotaur) was a bull-headed monster born to Queen
Pasiphae of Krete after she had coupled with a bull.
The creature resided in the twisting maze of the labyrinth,
where he was offered a regular sacrifice of youths and
maids to satisfy his cannibalistic hunger. He was
eventually destroyed by the hero Theseus.
The Minotaur’s' proper name Asterion, "the starry one," suggests he was associated
with the constellation Tauros.
For more information: http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Minotauros.html
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Theseus
Theseus announced to King Minos that he was going to kill the
Monster, but Minos knew that even if he did manage to kill the
Minotaur, Theseus would never be able to exit the Labyrinth.
Theseus met Princess Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, who
fell madly in love with him and decided to help Theseus. She
gave him a thread and told him to unravel it as he would
penetrate deeper and deeper into the Labyrinth, so that he
knows the way out when he kills the monster.
Theseus followed her suggestion and entered the labyrinth with
the thread. Theseus managed to kill the Minotaur and save the
Athenians, and with Ariadne's thread he managed to retrace his
way out.
Theseus took Princess Ariadne with him and left Crete sailing
happily back to Athens.
T
he Greek people are known for their myths around world. Their myths talk
about Gods, monsters, titans and warriors. The 3 myths above talk about
three monsters and the three great warriors who defeated them. The first
myth is one of the most famous Greek myths: it talks about the Medusa and its
killer. The second one talks about Chimera that combines between 3 animals.
The last one talks about the Minotaur and its killer.
Thanks for reading
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