Download B2L7 The Fight over the Golden Apple Class___________ No

B2L7 The Fight over the Golden Apple
Class___________ No.__________ Name__________________
I. Pre-reading: Listen to a classic love song “If” by Bread. Fill in the blanks and tell what does “a face
could launch a thousand ships” refer to?
If
by Bread
If a picture paints a thousand words,
If a man could be two places at one time,
Then why can't I paint you?
I'd be with you.
The words will never
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the
the you I've come to
.
If the world should stop revolving spinning
If a face could launch a thousand ships,
slowly down to
Then where am I to go?
I'd spend the end with you.
There's no one home but you,
And when the world was
You're all that’s left me too.
Then one by one the stars would all go out,
And when my love for life is running
,
,
,
Then you and I would simply fly
.
You come and pour yourself on me.
II.
.
While-reading
Introduction: a Contest sparking off the Trojan War
The king of Sparta declared war on Troy because Paris, the prince of Troy,
Helen, the queen of Sparta. However, it was
that planted
.
Language Highlights
1. It is adj. to V: ______________________________________________________
2. passive voice:
3. neither A nor B: _____________________________________________________
4. as a result of: _______________________________________________________
5. transitional words:
Body: Story of the Golden Apple of Discord
n
Three goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, fought over
for
.
had Paris make the difficult choice. The three
goddesses promised Paris all that a man could ever want:

Hera offered him

Athena offered him great

Aphrodite offered him Helen, the
Paris chose
Europe and Asia.
and
.
in the world.
, for he had lost his heart to Helen.
Language Highlights
1. noun-clause:
2. N, which ~ (nonrestrictive adj-clause):
3. passive voice:
4. To VR, SV:
5. have O + VR/pp:
6. all that SV:
7. S+V+IO+DO: ______________________________________________________________________________
8. Idioms:
Body: The Trojan War
Aphrodite helped Paris take Helen to Troy. The furious
which continued for
years. Then,
, who was still angry about Paris’ choice, provided
with the key to winning the final victory—the Trojan
The Spartan soldiers,
waged war on Troy,
.
inside the wooden horse, which was considered
, crept out at night and ushered in
to
___________________________ to end the Trojan War.
Language Highlights
1. 分詞構句:
2. as (conj.):
3. Nonrestrictive adj-clause:
4. Noun-clause:
5. provide:
6. key:
7. consider:
Conclusion: the relation of humans and gods in Greek mythology
As in many Greek myths, humans in the Trojan War were like
and goddesses.
Language Highlights
1. as (prep):
2. seem:
3. result:
in the hands of gods
III. Behind-the-Scene information: Let’s learn more about Greek and Roman Mythology. Listen to your
classmates’ report and jot down 3 key messages for each topic.
2. The Trojan War
1. Apple of Discord
4. Hera
3. Zeus
5. Aphrodite
6. Athena
7. Paris
8. Helen
9. Eros and Psyche
10. Narcissus
12. Zeus and Europa
11. Sisyphus
13. Achilles’ Heel
14. Pandora’s Box
VI. Post-reading: A Picture Painting a Thousand Words (optional)
Be an illustrator and draw a picture of gods/goddesses playing a game of “Trojan War” with chesspieces of
humans.
You may not have heard of Percy Jackson, but you know his family. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The
Lightning Thief is based on Rick Riordan's book, which in turn is based on Greek mythology, and the film's
star, Logan Lerman, walked us through the real myths behind the movie.
Lerman spoke with us exclusively by phone this week. The film opens today. (Click on the images for larger
versions.)
1. From Mt. Olympus to the Empire State Building
In Greek mythology, the gods sat on Mt. Olympus. Poseidon was the god of the sea, Aphrodite the goddess
of love, Apollo the god of the sun, Ares the god of war, etc. Zeus was the king of the gods. They all got into
business with humans, though, including but not limited to love affairs and wars. In Percy Jackson, the
Empire State Building is the portal to Mt. Olympus where the gods still make trouble for people.
2. From demigods to teen heartthrobs
In Greek mythology, the demigods were the offspring of a god and a human. You might have heard of
demigods such as Hercules and Perseus (soon to be seen in the Greek-inspired Clash of the Titans). Percy
Jackson is this generation's demigod, son of Perseus Poseidon and Sally Jackson. "This is taking a demigod,
the original heroes of storytelling, the heroes like Hercules and Perseus, just adding onto those myths,"
Lerman said. "I think a lot of people [will] really love to watch movies about these modern day demigods.
3. From shields to iPhones
You may know the legend of Medusa from Greek myth as a Gorgon daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Or
maybe as the snake-headed monster from the original Clash of the Titans in 1981. Either way, she turns
men to stone who glance at her. Taking a cue from the original Titans film, Percy battles Medusa (Uma
Thurman) with modern technology. "Perseus cleverly thinks of how he can battle her by looking at her
through a reflection, and he uses his shield as his mirror," Lerman said. "We introduce it to a modern
audience by replacing the shield with an iPhone. You kind of trick the audience into learning these myths
and they don't even realize that these are original stories."
4. From Lake Lerna to Nashville
In the myth of the 12 Labors of Hercules, his second task was to kill the Hydra in Lake Lerna. Problem is,
when you cut off a Hydra's head, two more grow back. Percy Jackson battles the Hydra in the Parthenon
museum of Nashville (above). "Best monster battle would be the hydra sequence," Lerman said. "All those
times you see Percy flying around in the air and chopping off the heads of the hydra, that's really me doing
it. It's not animated people most of the time. Doing the flips in and out of the wires and having the shield
in one hand, it's hard work. It takes a lot of time and effort into it. Hopefully people don't notice it, it just
flows smoothly."
5. From The Odyssey to Vegas
In Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, winds blew Odysseus and his crew to the land of the Lotus Eaters, who
fed his crew flowers that made them want to stay. Odysseus had to drag them back to the ship. In Percy
Jackson, Percy and his friends enter the Lotus Casino in Las Vegas. There, the hostesses feed them flowers
that give the kids such euphoria they never want to leave. When Percy finds a kid who's been there since
The French Connection came out, he realizes he has to get his friends out of there.
6. From Hades to, well, Hades
This one doesn't change much. Hades likes to kidnap people and keep them in the underworld. Non-dead
people would have to enter his lair to bring them back. Orpheus had to go to rescue Eurydice. Now Percy
has to go bring back his mother. The film does mention the legacy of underworld rescues so that the kids
get a little education. "The movie is entertainment," Lerman said. "You go through it, it's a ride from
beginning to end but you leave the theater with a knowledge that you don't realize that you had. You can
know nothing about Greek mythology and learn something new or you can have a knowledge of Greek
mythology and really enjoy how it's transferred to this audience, to the modern day."
Welcome to my lens on Greek Mythology! The ancient Greeks used mythology to explain the world around them,
give order to their universe, and, on occasion, just tell a good story. Their gods are bigger than life, but still
oh-so-human, with all our passions and flaws. This lens will introduce you to their main pantheon, the Olympians.
Whether you're already a mythology buff or just poking around, this lens should have something for you - a new
link to explore, a great book to read, or even a new video to watch. So, take a look around and stop by again
soon!
Contents at a Glance
1.
The Olympians
2.
Greek God Poll
3.
Quiz: Think You Know the Olympians?
4.
Great Books on Greek Mythology
5.
Did You Know...?
6.
Other Interesting Godly Folk
More
Jump to Your Favorite Olympian!
Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Hephaestus, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes,
Dionysus
The Olympians
a.k.a. the Greek Gods
When people think of the Greek gods, they think of the Olympians - the Big Names that get top billing in the
majority of myths. Most of the time, there are said to be twelve Olympians. Who those twelve are vary from
source to source, but the ones listed here are considered the "classical" twelve: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter,
Hephaestus, Ares, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, and Dionysus.
You'll also find Hades on this page. While Hades was almost never considered one of the Twelve - mostly due to
him spending almost all his time tending to the Underworld - no introduction to Greek mythology would be
complete without him.
These folks were the last in a long line of gods and goddesses, starting with Kaos and going on through the
Titans (the generation that came before the Olympians). Each of them has their own distinct personality, which
is one reason why they've been capturing imaginations for years. Read on to learn more.
Zeus
Philandering King of the Gods
Zeus, king of the gods, was actually the youngest of his generation. Yep, that's right - Hades, Poseidon,
Demeter and Hera all had to listen to their baby brother. And you wonder why they all squabbled so much...
When he and his siblings overthrew their father, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew lots for which part of the world
they would rule. Zeus lucked out and drew the sky, becoming a storm god. He married his sister, Hera (don't be
too hard on the guy - there weren't a whole lot of choices), then set about populating Mount Olympus with his
children.
Unfortunately, most of those kids weren't Hera's, who was none too happy about the ever-increasing number of
step-kids. Zeus had a wandering eye for pretty women, and his numerous affairs - and his attempts to keep his
wife in the dark - kept the ancient Greeks entertained for centuries.
God of: Storms, the sky, law, order, and justice.
Spouse: Hera
Children: Way too many to list, but most of the younger Olympians, and several notable heroes, including
Hercules.
Symbols: Lightning bolt, eagle
Hobbies: Seducing women, throwing lightning bolts
Roman Name: Jupiter
Hera
Vengeful Queen of the Gods
Hera was the queen of the gods and both the sister and wife of Zeus. She was more or less tricked into the
marriage, but being the goddess OF marriage, she didn't have much choice but to stick it out through all her
husband's philandering. She was the mother of Hephaestus, Hebe and Ares, and spent much of her free time
trying to annihilate her husband's love interests and illegitimate children. The majority of her roles in Greek
myths involved her attempts to preserve her marriage over the best efforts of Zeus - setting the many-eyed
Argus to watch over Io, tricking Semele into asking to see Zeus's full godly glory, and so on.
She did have her good moments, though. She was crucial to helping Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for
the Golden Fleece. When the Clashing Rocks were set to squash their entire ship like a particularly pesky
mosquito, she kept the cliffs apart long enough for them to escape. Later, she sent Thetis and the Nereides to
guide Jason and his crew through the perils of Charybdis, Scylla, and the Drifting Rocks.
So, certain 90's television shows aside, she wasn't all bad. She was just a very proud woman whose husband
never quite learned to keep his chiton on.
Goddess of: Marriage and childbirth
Spouse: Zeus
Children: Hephaestus, Hebe, Ares
Symbols: Peacock, diadem and veil
Hobbies: Hunting down and punishing her husband's mistresses and children
Roman Name: Juno
Poseidon
Moody God of the Seas
When the three brothers drew lots for which part of the world they would rule, Poseidon drew the sea. He took to
his new kingdom well enough, and he became well-known as a temperamental god whose moods could change
as swiftly as the realm he ruled. He is also credited with creating the horse.
A lot of the myths around Poseidon, like most of the male Olympians, involve women. For example, his tryst with
Medusa in Athena's temple is what led to her becoming the snake-haired creature that could turn a person to
stone with a well-placed glare. In another pivotal myth, he and Athena competed for Athens by presenting the
people with gifts. His gift of a bitter spring didn't exactly beat Athena's olive tree.
As god of the sea, he was very important to the Greeks, whose peninsula was, of course, surrounded by water
on three sides. He provided a rather stern and moody explanation for the temperamental seas and the
occasional shaking of the earth. He was, in fact, known as the great Earth-Shaker.
God of: The sea, earthquakes, horses
Spouse: Amphitrite
Children: Aeolus, Triton, the Cyclops, Pegasus, Bellerophon, and Theseus, among others
Symbols: Trident
Hobbies: Looking for romance and building fantastic palaces on the bottom of the sea
Roman Name: Neptune
Hades
Dark and Dour God of the Underworld
The third brother and the one who kinda got shafted in the domains department. Yep, Hades drew the short
straw and got stuck with the Underworld, the Greek realm of the dead. His were the spirits of the dearly departed,
and his duties included making sure the bad folks went to Tartarus and the VIPs ended up in the Elysian Fields.
The most well-known myth in which he played a major role told how he met his wife. As one of the most feared
and unpopular of the gods, his dating prospects were frightfully grim, so when he saw Persephone prancing
about in a field of flowers, he decided to skip the awkward small talk and go straight to kidnapping. Despite all
his hard work, he only gets to see his wife part of the year, thanks to a compromise to make his
mother-in-law/sister Demeter happy.
Thanks to being god of the dead, people kind of feared Hades to the point where they avoided saying his name
and even averted their eyes when making sacrifices to him. No wonder he was so sulky all the time!
God of: The Underworld and the riches of the earth
Spouse: Persephone
Children: The Erinyes
Symbols: Sceptor, helmet of invisibility
Hobbies: Devising punishments and lounging in his ebony throne
Roman Name: Pluto
Demeter
Goddess of Grain
Demeter, Zeus's older sister, was the goddess of the earth and grain. She taught humanity how to settle down
and plant crops so they could stop wandering the earth.
Her most important myth comes from when Hades kidnapped her daughter, Persephone. For months, Demeter
wandered around, looking for her lost daughter. Understandably distressed, she refused to let any crops grow
until finally, Zeus demanded that Hades let Persephone go. However, Persephone had eaten part of a
pomegranite (poor girl wasn't too bright), and Hades declared that Persephone would have to return to the
Underworld for a third of the year. We call that third of the year "winter."
Other than that, Demeter tends to play bit parts here and there. Not much of a stagehog, our Demeter.
Goddess of: Grain, the harvest
Spouse: Far as I know, this dour lady never married.
Children: Persephone
Symbols: Sheaths of grains and a torch
Hobbies: Moping, watching the grain grow
Roman Name: Ceres
Aphrodite
Goddess of Love and Beauty
Ah, the lovely lady Aphrodite... As the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and *ahem* procreation, she was
pretty darn popular among the mortals. She was also extremely popular among the male Olympians, which is
why Hera decided she needed to be married off the second she stepped ashore. As soon as word went out that
this beautiful new love goddess was in the market for a husband, all the younger gods signed up for
consideration. Unfortunately, it wasn't up to Aphrodite... and Hera decided the best match for her was the
down-to-earth smith god, Hephaestus.
Now, the Olympian lads weren't known for respecting the sacrament of marriage, and darned if Aphrodite was
going to. She hooked up with most of the gods and a good number of mortals, but her favorite was the god of
war, Ares. Since Aphrodite and Ares weren't even considerate enough to take their affair out of the house,
Hephaestus trapped them in a golden net and called all of Olympus to come and see. The goddesses politely
declined, but it was definitely the show of the century for all the gods!
While there's a little disagreement about Aphrodite's parents, she was often accompanied by Eros and known
for her various clashes with the other goddesses. She was also notable for her role in starting the Trojan War.
Goddess of: love, beauty, pleasure, and sex
Spouse: Hephaestus
Children: Hermaphroditus, Eros (in some cases), Deimos, Phobos, and lots of others.
Symbols: Dove, apple, sea shell, and, of course, the mirror.
Hobbies: Pampering herself and scoping out the gentlemen
Roman Name: Venus
Ares
Big-Talking God of War
Meet the loud-mouth of Mount Olympus! As the son of Zeus and Hera, he should have had a pretty prestigious
place in mythology. Instead, everyone hoped this violent god of war wasn't bright enough to find his way to the
party. About the only person who did like him, besides his own offspring, was Aphrodite... and they didn't exactly
do a lot of talking.
Despite all his big talk, physical prowess, and position as god of war, Ares had the reputation as the
consummate coward who set new speed records in running back to Daddy as soon as he got nicked by a sword,
spear, arrow, or stray piece of paper. Besides his renowned affair with Aphrodite, Ares is best known for getting
trapped in jar by a group of giants. The gods enjoyed his absence for months before someone finally convinced
Hermes that the poor god had to be let out for air... eventually.
God of: War
Spouse: Ahaha.. ha... yeah, moving on.
Children: Deimos (Terror), Phobos (Fear), Harmonia
Symbols: Helmet and spear
Hobbies: Talking big, annoying his siblings, killing Aphrodite's other loves
Roman Name: Mars
Athena
Goddess of Wisdom
Athena was the daughter of Zeus and his first wife, Metis, the wisest of the gods. Someone went and told Zeus
that if Metis gave him a son, he'd be more powerful than the king of the gods, so Zeus decided the best way to
deal with the threat was to swallow the pregnant Metis whole.
Zeus obviously hadn't thought the whole thing through, because in due time, he ran into a little problem: a
headache an entire truckload of Tylenol couldn't touch. He called Hephaestus and demanded he do something
about it. Apparently thinking that the king of the gods could use a little shut-eye, the smith god whacked him over
the head. Imagine their surprise when a fully-grown (and clothed) Athena sprang forth!
Besides the rather odd circumstances of her birth, Athena was known for combining her mother's brains and her
father's brawn together as a wise warrior goddess, specializing in defensive strategies. She took part in the war
of the giants, and had a hand in the Trojan War. She also had a tendency to get rather touchy, as the likes of
Tiresias, Arachne, and even Aphrodite soon found out.
Goddess of: Wisdom, war, arts and crafts, heroic endeavors, industry and justice.
Spouse: None. She was a virgin goddess.
Children: She adopted Erechtheus.
Symbols: Owl, Aegis, spear, shield, and a lovely helmet.
Hobbies: Strategizing, weaving, entering contests.
Roman Name: Minerva
Hephaestus
Craftsman of the Gods
On a mountain full of divinely beautiful deities, Hephaestus was the ugly duckling. Some sources say he was
born crippled, but if he wasn't, the bumpy ride down the side of the mountain when his mother Hera tossed him
off for being ugly did the trick. Because of this, Hephaestus was known as the lame god, and usually showed up
in art on the back of a donkey or leaning on a walking stick. Fortunately for him, he was rescued after his
downfall by nymphs who took him to Lemnos to be raised by the kindly folk there.
He applied himself to blacksmithing and became quite the craftsman, creating objects of great beauty. However,
he never forgot what Hera did to him, and decided to send her a little present: a fantastic throne. Hera was
delighted, of course... until she sat down and found herself strapped in. None of the other gods could get her
loose, and despite their best attempts, no one could get Hephaestus out of his workshop and back to Olympus.
Things were looking rather grim for Hera when Dionysus, back from his mad wanderings and not yet recognized
as an Olympian, paid his step-brother a visit. With a liberal application of wine, Dionysus got Hephaestus drunk,
loaded him onto the back of a donkey, and took him up to Olympus, where he convinced him to free the queen.
Afterward, Hera thanked Hephaestus with the worst present since Pandora's box: Aphrodite, as his wife. And we
all know how well that went.
Other than that bit of drama, Hephaestus mostly stayed in his forge beneath Mount Etna in Sicily, crafting
everything from Achilles' armor to Eros's arrows with the aid of his handy Cyclops assistants.
God of: fire, blacksmiths, craftsmen
Spouse: Aphrodite, and later, Aglaea
Children: Erechtheus, Eucleia (goddess of good reputation and glory), Eupheme (goddess of being
well-spoken), Euthenia (goddess of prosperity and plenty), and a whole lot more.
Symbols: Hammer and tongs
Hobbies: Working... a lot.
Roman Name: Vulcan
Apollo
Lovelorn Poet of the Gods
Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto and twin brother of Artemis, would have been a great guy during the Romantic
period. He was the patron of music and poetry, endorsed archery as a sport, and had more tragic love stories
than Lord Byron, Shelly, and Keats put together.
When he wasn't plucking the lyre, conducting the Muse Choir, or chasing after ladies (and the occasional lad),
Apollo spent his time reminding humanity that he was, indeed, a god not to be messed with. In one of his best
known acts, he slayed the dread Python, which was terrorizing the rural folk at Delphos. This act won him his
very own oracle and the love of the farming community, but unfortunately, the Python was the beloved child of
Gaia, and as a god who was supposed to stand for good and right, he had to make amends... which turned out
to be entering the service of King Admetus. The king decided to set him to the task of guarding his cattle for nine
years, giving Apollo plenty of time to work on his poetry.
One thing Apollo simply couldn't abide was anyone dissing his mama... which Niobe was dumb enough to do.
She claimed to be superior to Leto because she had born a whole slew of kids while Leto could claim only two.
Not the best idea. In a fit of rage, Apollo and his sister set about slaying all of Niobe's brood with a hail of arrows.
Remember, kids: don't go insulting the gods!
God of: Music, poetry, archery as a sport, healing, disease, and prophecy.
Spouse: None, but he did have plenty of loves!
Children: Aristaeus (demi-god of cattle and fruit trees), Asclepius (god of healing), Troilius (a prince of Troy)
Symbols: Laurel wreath, bow and arrows, lyre, raven.
Hobbies: Penning poetry, chasing nymphs, archery.
Roman Name: Apollo
Artemis
Celibate Goddess of the Hunt
Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the older twin sister of Apollo. At a pretty young age, she swore
of men and took to the hills, determined to remain a virgin for all eternity. Out in the woods, she spent her time
hunting the lions, bears, stags, and what have you with her contingent of celibate nymphs. And, of course, you
have to have a healthy supply of beasties if you're going to hunt, so Artemis was also in charge of taking care of
big game.
Artemis was very determined to remain an undefiled virgin, and woe to any man who threatened that. Poor
Actaeon, for example, happened to stumble upon her favorite bathing pool and didn't stumble away fast enough.
An irritated Artemis turned him into a stag and let his own hounds have at him.
Despite swearing off men, Artemis did become rather close to the giant hunter, Orion, who became her hunting
companion and bodyguard. While in some versions of the myth, Artemis herself killed him, other versions say
that Gaia or Apollo slew him. Either way, Artemis scattered his spirit among the stars to become the
constellation Orion.
Goddess of: the hunt, wild animals, death and disease, healing, young girls, childbirth.
Spouse: None.
Children: None.
Symbols: Hunting bow and arrows
Hobbies: Hunting, animal rescue, fending off peeping toms.
Roman Name: Diana
Hermes
Jack of All Trades
Arguable no god had more responsibilities and areas of influence than Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia. Hermes
was the ultimate nightmare child, the kind who would have had all his grade school teachers tearing out their
hair. Not long after being born, little Hermes snuck off and stole the herd of cattle his brother Apollo was
supposed to be watching. He managed to get all the cows to walk backwards to make them harder to track.
Apollo eventually figured out the trick, but not before Hermes had slaughtered one of the bovines and
constructed the lyre out of various cow parts and a tortoise shell.
Apollo, of course, was a wee bit miffed, and hauled his little brother off the Zeus. Unfortunately for Apollo, Zeus
thought this was all hilarious. While Apollo argued his case, Hermes started playing the lyre, and Apollo offered
to forget the whole thing if Hermes handed over the instrument.
Zeus, meanwhile, realized that Hermes had a bit too much energy and a little too much mischief to be left alone,
so he dubbed him his personal messenger and gave him the oh so envious job of guiding the souls of the dearly
departed to the Underworld.
Because of his role as messenger, Hermes spent quite a bit of time with his old man, and as his trusted envoy,
ended up with the task of trying to protect his father's lovers and kids from Hera's detection. Most notably, he
freed Io, who Zeus had turned into a cow, from Hera's servant Argus by telling him so many boring tales and
playing such soothing lullabies that the giant went to sleep.
Hermes dealt with mortals quite often and liked helping them out whenever possible, whether it was giving
Odysseus a few hints or helping Orpheus find his dead wife. Instances of his wrath are fairly few, so if you were
going to run into an Olympian god, Hermes was probably the best you could hope for.
God of: Shepherds, fertility, travel, marketplaces, weights and measures, good luck, oratory, language, writing,
athletes, thieves.
Spouse: None.
Children: Pan, Hermaphroditus, Abderus, and others.
Symbols: herald's staff, winged boots, winged hat.
Hobbies: Helping out, stealing things, dallying with nymphs.
Roman Name: Mercury
Dionysus
God of Wine, Theatre, and Madness
Dionysus is the youngest of the Olympians, and the one with the most mixed reactions. Women loved him
because he encouraged them to have a little fun and be free, while men though that was the worst thing ever,
but greatly enjoyed his gifts of wine and theater.
His mother, Semele, was a mortal, which caused him no end of trouble. As such, she was at the top of Hera's hit
list, and skeptical people loved to deny that Dionysus could ever be a god. He usually managed to convince
them otherwise... even if it killed them.
His youth was... rough, to say the least. Despite his aunt and uncle raising him as a girl, Hera still managed to
find him and wreak havoc. He then spent a stint on Mount Nysa in the care of Silenus as a goat, but tragedy
continued to follow him. After the death of his first love, Ampelus, Dionysus went mad himself, and took to
wandering the world until either a spring of Zeus or the goddess Rhea cured him. He eventually took his place
on Olympus after convincing Hephaestus into freeing Hera from the golden throne.
As an incredibly bi-polar god, he could be sweet as wine or vengeful as a hangover, as his cousin Penthus found
out when he declared that Semele had just shacked up with some local boy rather than Zeus. A group of pirates
who kidnapped him also ran afoul of his bad side. He killed the captain and turned the rest of the crew (save the
one who recognized him as a god) into dolphins.
Dionysus did have a softer side. When Theseus deserted Ariadne on an island, Dionysus took her as his wife
and treated her as a queen. And don't let the Roman Bacchus fool you - Dionysus was more often seen as a
beautiful, effeminate youth than the drunken butterball of Disney's Fantasia.
God of: Wine, vegitation, theater, pleasure, madness.
Spouse: Ariadne.
Children: Deianaira (Hercules' wife), lots of others.
Symbols: Thrysos, drinking cup, grape vine, and leopards.
Hobbies: Partying, hanging out with the ladies, watching the show.
Roman Name: Bacchus
Greek God Poll
A Popularity Contest Millennia in the Making!
Everybody's got an Olympian they like better than the others, for a variety of reasons. That's one of the great
things about Greek mythology - despite being thousands of years old, there's still at least one personality that
connects. Which begs the question...
Who's Your Favorite Greek God?
Zeus
Hera
Poseidon
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