Download Greek Gods and Monsters

Greek Gods and Monsters
Seen in The Odyssey
Assumptions
These stories are from a long time ago prior to
scientific understanding. People needed to make
sense of things.
Oral tradition of storytelling creates the
contradictory nature.
These stories take some maturity.
Complexities
The Beginning
Oranos
Father of the sky
An original king of gods
Married to Gaia
Oranos and Gaia’s Children
Cronos and Rhea
Married
Cronos
King and a
Titan
Rhea
Goddess of Earth
Cronos
Cronos kills his father and
dismembers him.
Cronos and Rhea
Have six children
The first five: Hera, Demeter,
Hestia, Poseidon and Hades
Cronos and Rhea’s children
Cronos swallows
his children for
fear of them
dethroning him.
Rhea is fed up.
She tricks
him when
she has
Zeus.
Zeus and Rhea ban together
Give Cronos a mustanrd potion to make
him vomit. He vomits up the five children
(and the boulder.)
Fight Cronos and win.
Zeus kills his father and the prophecy
comes true.
Zeus
Zeus becomes the new king.
Zeus is fairer.
Zeus draws lots with his
brothers to see who rules
what.
Who wins?
Zeus
He takes the sky
God of the sky
Poseidon wins next
He takes the sea
God of the sea
Hades
He takes what is left, the
underworld
God of the underworld
Children of Cronos
Zeus Hera
Demeter
Hestia Poseidon
Hades
Demeter
Goddess of the harvest and
the moon
Has a daughter with Zeus
named Persephone
Children of Cronos
Zeus Hera
Demeter
Hestia Poseidon
Hades
Poseidon
Chooses Amphitrite, a sea
nymph, to marry.
She doesn’t want to marry
him and goes to hide.
Amphitrite marries
Poseidon sends a dolphin to
retrieve Amphitrite.
The dolphin is successful.
Marriage
Poseidon
Amphitrite
Goddess of the sea
Poseidon’s Children
Charybdis
Polyphemus
Aeolus
Poseidon
Polyphemus
A Cyclops
Polyphemus
Charybdis
Sea
Monster
Ticked off
Zeus and he
turned her
into a monster.
Charybdis
A big blob
with a
mouth.
Aeolus
god of the
wind
Cronus and Rhea’s Children
Zeus
Hera
Demeter
Hestia Poseidon Hades
Hades
Hades falls in love
Hades spies Persephone
Hades kidnaps Persephone
The problem:
Persephone is Demeter’s
daughter
Remember who Demeter is?
Zeus
Hera
Demeter
Hestia Poseidon Hades
So what does Demeter do?
• She combs the Earth looking for her daughter, unaware
her brother kidnapped her.
• While she is looking, everything dies off.
• Finally she finds Persephone, but Hades refuses to give
her back.
• She implores Zeus to help, but he won’t.
So what does Demeter do?
• She gets her revenge by making all things die on Earth.
• What happens to people if all things die?
• The people implore Zeus to intervene.
• Persephone has eaten some pomegranate seeds.
Anyone who eats in the underworld must stay.
What’s the deal?
Zeus makes a deal with Hades: for
the number of seeds she eats, that
is the number of months she must
reside with Hades.
Persephone returns
When Persephone
is on Earth with her
mother all things
grow. When she is
with her husband,
all things die. What
does that explain?
Marriage
Hades
Persephone
Cronos and Rhea’s Children
Zeus
Hera
Demeter
Hestia Poseidon Hades
Hestia
Goddess of
the hearth
Never
married or
had children
Cronos and Rhea’s Children
Zeus
Hera
Demeter
Hestia Poseidon Hades
Hera
Goddess of women and
marriage.
Known to be vengeful
Marriage!
Zeus
Hera
Zeus and Hera’s Kids
Hera
Zeus
Eris
Ares
Hepahestus
Eris
• goddess of
discord and
troublemaking
• Started the
events of the
Trojan War
Ares
god of war and
manly courage
Hephaestus
• Hephaestus was not
wanted by Zeus.
• Somehow he got
thrown down a
mountain.
• He became disfigured
and disabled.
Hepahestus
Smithgod and
god of forging
weapons
Aphrodite
Born of the blood
of Oranos and the
foam of the sea
goddess of love
and beauty
What’s the problem?
Aphrodite is so beautiful and
was having many affairs.
Women hate her.
At the same time…
• Hera is trapped in a box by her
son Hephaestus.
• Zeus implores Hephaestus to let
his mother free.
Zeus makes a deal.
For letting
Hera out,
Hephaestus
gets a prize:
Aphrodite.
What’s the problem with that?
oAphrodite is repulsed by
Hephaestus and wants her old life
back.
oSo, she continues to have affairs,
most notably Ares.
Remember who Ares is?
Hera
Zeus
Eris
Ares
Hepahestus
Hephaestus’s revenge
Hephaestus makes
a net and catches
Aphrodite and Ares
together and
publically
ridicules them.
Aphrodite
Ares
Eros
god of love
Zeus had a wandering eye…
Zeus is known
for having many
affairs and
numerous
children.
Artemis
Apollo
Athena
Hermes
The Twins
Artemis
Apollo
goddess of the
chase or hunt
god of sun,
music, poetry
and archery
Athena (Athene)
goddess of
wisdom and battle
(strategic
warfare)
born of Zeus’s
head
Hermes
Messenger god
Delivers messages
between gods and
mortals
Cunning, known for
sometimes making
trouble