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Greek
Mythology
LJ #__: Greek Mythology
KWL
Make a 3 column KWL chart like this:
I KNOW
In this column list what
you already know about
Greek Mythology.
I WANT
(keep blank until later)
I LEARNED
(keep blank until later)
LJ #__: Greek Mythology
Notes
Take notes as you read through
the following slides.
Where is Greece?
Greece
§  Greece was divided into small city states.
Greece
§  These city states were completely self
governed.
§  They often had a patron god, whom they
believed watched over them.
§  Wars were fought between these city
states, usually over land.
§  Allied city states would change for
different wars.
Greece
§  Greek life was dominated by religion and so the temples of
ancient Greece were the biggest and most beautiful.
Greek Gods
As in all cultures, the ancient Greeks
explained the world and acts of nature
through gods and the actions of those gods.
These gods were the reason the sun comes
up everyday, explained why there are
earthquakes, explained how man came to
be, and so forth.
Greek Gods
According to Hesiod, a Greek oral poet (rhapsode), here is
how the world was created:
...In the beginning, there was Chaos, vast and dark. Then
appeared Gaea, the deep-breasted earth, and finally Eros,
' the love which softens hearts ', whose fructifying influence
would thenceforth preside over the formation of beings and
things. From Chaos were born Erebus and Night who,
uniting, gave birth in their turn to Ether and Hemera, the
day. On her part Gaea first bore Uranus, the sky crowned
with stars, ' whom she made her equal in grandeur, so that
he entirely covered her '. Then she created the high
mountains and Pontus, ' the sterile sea ' with its
harmonious waves...
Greek Gods
Notice the similarities between the ancient Greek’s story
of creation and the Judeo-Christian story of creation:
...In the beginning, Hesiod says, there
was Chaos, vast and dark. Then
appeared Gaea, the deep-breasted
earth, and finally Eros, ' the love
which softens hearts ', whose
fructifying influence would
thenceforth preside over the
formation of beings and things.
From Chaos were born Erebus and
Night who, uniting, gave birth in
their turn to Ether and Hemera, the
day. On her part Gaea first bore
Uranus, the sky crowned with stars,
' whom she made her equal in
grandeur, so that he entirely
covered her '. Then she created the
high mountains and Pontus, ' the
sterile sea ' with its harmonious
waves...
In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth. Then God said, “Let there be
light” and there was light…. And God
separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light day, and the darkness
He called night…. Then God said, “Let the
waters below the heavens be gathered into
one place, and let the dry land appear”
and it was so….. Then God said, “Let
there be lights in the expanse of the
heavens to separate the day from the
night…. Then God said “Let the waters
teem with swarms of living creatures, and
let birds fly above the earth in the open
expanse of the heavens…. Then God said,
“let the earth bring forth living creatures
after their kind…. Then God said, “Let Us
make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness…. God saw all that He had made,
and behold, it was very good.
Mount Olympus
§  Mount
Olympus
towers up
from the
center of
the earth
and is the
home of
the major
gods.
Mount Olympus
Greek
Gods
The Greeks created gods to
explain the forces of nature.
Greek Gods
How are the earth and
heavens held
together?
Greek Gods
Atlas
Greek Gods
Why do violent storms
at sea occur?
Greek Gods
Poseidon
is angry
Greek Gods
How is it that we win
some wars and lose
some wars?
Greek Gods
Athena
favors us or
is against us
Greek Gods
§  For the modern reader, it may be difficult to
understand myths because they often seem
so extraordinary and fantastical.
§  The modern reader understands the
workings of nature and scientific principles.
§  But we must suspend our belief and just
accept that this is how the ancient Greeks
viewed and understood the world.
Greek Gods
• The Greeks
understanding
of the gods was
based on their
own natures.
So the gods
were really just
one big family.
• Here is the
family tree of the
gods
Greek Gods
The gods
that we will
focus on are
those gods
specifically
featured in
the Odyssey.
Cronus
§  Cronus was a ruler of the
universe during the
Golden Age.
§  He was one of the 12
Titans and the youngest
son of Uranus and Gaea,
Cronus and his sisterqueen, Rhea, became the
parents of 6 of the 12
gods and goddesses
known as the Olympians.
Cronus
§  Cronus ate his first five
children as soon as they
were born.
§  Rhea did not like this. She
switched the sixth child with
a rock in a blanket, Zeus, to
save him.
§  When Zeus grew up he
forced Cronus to vomit up
his siblings
§  Zeus and his siblings fought
a war against Cronus and
the Titans and won.
Zeus
§  Married to Hera but, is
famous for his many
affairs, which resulted in
many children.
§  Athena was his favorite
child. He bore her alone
from his head.
§  One of the greatest feasts
for Zeus was the Olympic
games. They took place
every four years in
Olympia.
Athena
§  Goddess of wisdom, war, the
arts, industry, justice and skill.
§  Athena sprang full-grown and
armored from the forehead of
the god Zeus.
§  She was fierce and brave in
battle but, only fights to protect
the state and home from
outside enemies.
Athena
§  She was the goddess of the
city, handicrafts, and
agriculture.
§  She invented the bridle, which
permitted man to tame horses,
the trumpet, the flute, the pot,
the rake, the plow, the yoke,
the ship, and the chariot.
§  Her symbols (objects that
represent her) include the
aegis (a fringed cloak,
sometimes decorated with a
Gorgon's head), the helmet,
and the spear.
Poseidon
§  God of the sea.
§  His weapon was a trident, which
could shake the earth, and shatter
any object.
§  He was second only to Zeus in
power among the gods.
§  Under the ocean, he had a
marvelous golden palace.
§  Poseidon was the father of
Polyphemus.
§  Poseidon had numerous love
affairs.
§  Poseidon was temperamental and
held grudges.
Apollo
§  Apollo was primarily a god of prophecy.
He sometimes gave the gift of
prophecy to mortals whom he loved.
§  As a prophet and magician, he is the
patron of medicine and healing. He
was a gifted musician, who delighted
the gods with his performance on the
lyre.
§  He was also a master archer and a
fleet-footed athlete, credited with
having been the first victor in the
Olympic games.
§  He was famous for his oracle at Delphi.
People traveled to it from all over the
Greek world to divine the future.
§  He was also the god of agriculture and
cattle, and of light and truth.
Hermes
§  Hermes' main role was as a
messenger.
§  As the special servant and courier of
Zeus, Hermes had winged sandals
and a winged hat and bore a golden
caduceus, or magic wand, entwined
with snakes and surmounted by
wings.
§  He conducted the souls of the dead
to the underworld and was believed
to possess magical powers over
sleep and dreams.
§  Five minutes after he was born, he
stole a herd of cows from Apollo.
§  Hermes was the patron of trickster
and thieves because of his actions
early in life.
Hephaestus
§  God of fire and metalwork.
§  He was born lame and weak,
and shortly after his birth, he
was cast out of Olympus.
§  In most legends, however, he
was soon honored again on
Olympus and was married to
Aphrodite, goddess of love.
§  His workshop was believed to
lie under Mount Etna, a volcano
in Sicily.
§  He made many wonderful
artifacts for the gods, including
the twelve golden thrones of
the Olympians, their weapons
and treasures.
Helios
§  God of the Sun.
§  Lives in a golden palace
at the easternmost end
of the world
§  Everyday he drives his
golden chariot across the
sky bringing sunlight to
the gods and mortals.
§  At night he sails back to
his palace in a boat that
Hephaestus made for
him.
The Trojan War
§  War over Helen of Troy - “The
face that launched a thousand
ships”
§  Version 1 – war began because
Helen, wife of Menelaus, a
Greek king was raped by Paris,
a Trojan prince.
§  Version 2 – war began over a
competition between Hera,
Athena, and Aphrodite for the
prize of “the most fairest”
–  Aphrodite told Paris that if he
chose her, she’d secure him
possession of Helen
The Trojan War
§  Menelaus was
brother of
Agamemnon, the
most powerful
Greek King
§  He got a host of
100,000 men and
1,186 ships
together
§  Traveled to Troy
and declared war
when Helen was
not returned
The Trojan War
Troy
Ithaca
Greece
The Trojan War
§  Both sides agree to a
treaty that the whole
conflict will be decided
by a duel between
Paris and Menelaus.
§  Paris is defeated but
saved from death by
the intervention from
Aphrodite
§  Open war ensues when
the treaty is broken
§  War lasts for 10 years
The Trojan War
§  Zeus forbids the
gods to take part,
but they do
anyway
§  Athena advises
the Greeks to
builds a giant
wooden horse
§  The most strong
soldiers hide in it
as its taken into
the city of Troy
The Trojan War
§  At night when the
Trojans are drunk
and sleeping, the
Greeks attack
and defeat the
Trojans
§  All Trojans are
killed or enslaved
and the city is
destroyed
LJ #____: I am a “god”!
If you were a Greek god, what
would your “powers” be? What
would you be in charge of?
What would your relationship be
to us “mortals”?
1 paragraph minimum response
LJ #__: Greek Mythology
KWL
Return to the KWL chart, complete the 2nd and
3rd columns:
I KNOW
In this column list what
you already know about
Greek Mythology.
I WANT
In this column list what
questions you still have /
what you would like to
know more about.
I LEARNED
In this column list what
you have learned about
Greek Mythology