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Greek Mythology
One of the two sources of western
culture
• Greek Mythology is a group of
traditional tales told by the
ancient Greeks about the
deeds of gods and heroes and
their relations with ordinary
human beings.
Gods
• The ancient Greeks worshiped
many gods.
• Greek gods can be divided into
several groups.The earliest group
was Titans,led by Cronus. The
most powerful group was the
Olympians.
The Olympians
• The Olympians are a group of 12 gods
who ruled after the overthrow(颠覆） of
the Titans. All the Olympians are related in
some way. They are named after their
dwelling place Mount Olympus.
Zeus
• Zeus was the god of the sky
and ruler of the Olympian gods.
• He was the rain god, and the
cloud gatherer, who holds the
terrible thunderbolt.
• his bird the eagle, his tree the
oak
• He is married to Hera but, is
famous for his many affairs
• He is also known to punish
those that lie or break oaths
Poseidon
• God of the sea, protector
of all waters.
• Poseidon is the brother of
Zeus
• He was widely worshiped
by seamen.
• His weapon is a trident
（三叉戟）, which can
shake the earth, and
shatter any object. He is
second only to Zeus in
power amongst the gods.
Hades
• Hades is also the
brother of Zeus, ruling
over the dead.
• He is also the god of
wealth, due to the
precious metals
mined from the earth.
• He has a helmet that
makes him invisable.
He rarely leaves the
underworld.
Hestia
• Hestia is Zeus’ sister.
• She is the Goddess of
the Hearth（灶台）, the
symbol of the house
around which a new born
child is carried before it is
received into the family.
• Of all the Olympians, she
is the mildest, most
upright and most
charitable（仁慈的）.
Hera
• Hera is Zeus’ wife and
sister.
• She is the supreme
goddess, goddess of
marriage and childbirth
and takes special care of
married women.
• Most stories concerning
Hera have to do with her
jealous revenge for
Zeus‘s infidelities（不信
神，不忠）.
Aris
• Ares is the son of
Zeus and Hera
• He is the god of war.
He is considered
murderous（行凶的）
and bloodstained（血
污的） but, also a
coward.
• He was disliked by
both parents.
Athena
• Athena is the Greek
virgin goddess of
reason, intelligent
activity, arts and
literature.
• Athena is the
daughter of Zeus.
She sprang full grown
in armour（盔甲）
from his forehead,
thus has no mother.
• She is fierce and brave in
battle but, only wars to defined
the state and home from
outside enemies.
• She is the goddess of the city,
handicrafts, and agriculture.
She invented the bridle（缰
绳）, the trumpet, the flute,
the pot, the plow, the yoke, the
ship, and the chariot. She is
the embodiment（化身） of
wisdom, reason, and purity.
• She was Zeus's favorite child
and was allowed to use his
weapons including his
thunderbolt. Her favorite city is
Athens. Her tree is the olive.
The owl is her bird.
Apollo
• Apollo is the son of Zeus
• He is the god of music,
playing a golden lyre.
• The Archer, far shooting with a
silver bow.
• The god of healing who taught
man medicine.
• The god of light. One of
Apollo's more importaint daily
tasks is to harness his chariot
with four horses and drive the
Sun across the sky.
• The god of truth, who can not
speak a lie.
Aphrodite
• Aphrodite is the goddess
of love, desire and beauty.
• In addition to her natural
gifts she has a magical
girdle that compels （迫
使）anyone she wishes
to desire her.
• She represented sex,
affection, and the
attraction that binds
people together.
Hermes
• Hermes is the son of Zeus
• He was the cleverest of the
Olympian gods, and
messenger to all the other
gods.
• He is the fastest of the gods.
He wears winged sandals, a
winged hat, and carries a
magic wand（棒）
• He is the god of thieves and
god of commerce. He is the
guide for the dead to go to the
underworld.
Artemis
• Artemis is the
daughter of Zeus and
her twin brother is
Apollo
• She was goddess of
chastity, virginity, the
hunt, the moon, and
the natural
environment
• She is the protector of
the young.
Hephaestus
• Hephaestus is the son of
Zeus and Hera
• He is the god of fire and
the forge（熔炉）. He is
the smith and armorer(兵
器制造者） of the gods
• He is kind and peace
loving
• He is the only god to be
physically ugly. He is also
lame.
Other gods
• Prometheus
• Atlas
A
Titan condemned by
Zeus to support the
heavens upon his
shoulders
• Dionysos
The god of wine and of
an orgiastic（狂欢的）
religion celebrating the
power and fertility（肥沃，
丰产） of nature
Heros
• Greek heroes were almost as important as
the gods in Greek mythology.Heroes were
bigger,braver,and more beautiful than
ordinary men and women.In most cases
their fathers or grandfathers were gods,but
their mothers were mortals,so they were
often called demigods(half-gods).
• Heracles
The son of Zeus and Alcmene, a hero of
extraordinary strength who won
immortality by performing 12 labors
demanded by Hera
• Achilles
The hero of Homer’s Iliad（伊利亚特）,
the son of Peleus and Thetis and slayer of
Hector
• Perseus
The son of Dana and Zeus, and husband
of Andromeda who killed the Gorgon（蛇
发女妖） Medusa
• Theseus
Theseus was Athens's great hero. While
having all the qualities of a traditional hero,
such as strength and courage, he was
also intelligent and wise. His early
adventures benefited the city and region.
He was a successful king.
Greek Mythology Is Unique
• The Greek gods and goddesses
resembled human beings in their form,but
this form was stongly idealized.They also
resembled human beings in their emotions
and experienced jealousy,love and
grief.They shared with humans a desire to
assert（主张） their own authority and to
punish anyone who defied it.
• There were several groups of minor（未成年的）
gods in Greek mythology.Nymphs（小仙女）
were minor goddesses or spirits of nature,living
in oceans,lakes,rivers,mountains and trees.
• Three goddesses called Fates controlled the
destiny of every man.
• The Muses ,nine daughters of Zeus,were
goddesses of literature,music and dance.The
Horae were goddesses who controlled the
seasons.
• The Furies were terrible goddesses who
pursued those who had murdered their friends
or relatives.
Great Influence
• The Greek mythology is an important part
of the ancient culture which has vast and
deep influence on the whole western
culture. Its great influence upon the
English language and literature is beyond
description. A great number of words and
idioms in the English language come from
the Greek mythology.
1.Achilles’ heel
• An Achilles’ heel is a fatal
weakness in spite of
overall strength, actually
or potentially leading to
downfall.
• Named after the Greek
hero Achilles. When he
was a small child, his
mother dipped him into
the river Styx, which
made him invulnerable (=
he could not be injured).
She held him by his heel,
which therefore was not
touched by the water.
Achilles died after being
wounded by an arrow in
the heel.
2. A sword of Damocles
• something
unpleasant,dreadful, etc
that seems to be about to
happen to sb, and causes
a feeling of apprehension
and imminent danger
• Greek courtier to
Dionysius the Elder,
tyrant of Syracuse, who
according to legend was
forced to sit at a banquet
table under a sword
suspended by a single
hair to demonstrate the
precariousness of a
king's fortunes
3. Oedipus complex
• feelings of sexual
desire that a boy
has for his mother
and the jealous
feelings towards
his father that this
causes
• From the Greek story of
Oedipus, whose father
Laius had been told by
the oracle that his son
would kill him. Laius left
Oedipus on a mountain to
die, but a shepherd
rescued him. Oedipus
returned home many
years later but did not
recognize his parents. He
killed his father and
married his mother
Jocasta.
• Greek Gift(s)阴谋害人的礼物；黄鼠狼拜年，
不安好心
• A Penelope‘s Web亦作
The Web of Penelope故意拖延的策略；永
远做不完的工作
• The Augean Stable(s)肮脏的地方;藏垢纳秽
之所;积弊
• An Apple of Discord争斗之源；不和之因；
祸根
• The Trojan Horse木马计；暗藏的危险；奸
细
That’s all
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