Download ESSENTIAL LEARNING: Students will understand

Greek Mythology and the Olympians
ESSENTIAL LEARNING: Students will understand the importance and influence of religion on each
civilization.
CURRICULUM OUTCOME: Students should be able to identify the Greek values and perspectives as
revealed in the Greek gods and myths, the Olympic Games, and the oracle at Delphi (Unit 3-9).

In Greek religion, the activities of gods and goddesses explained why people behaved the way they
did and why lives took one direction rather than another.

Each Greek community chose a particular god or goddess as its patron and protector. The patron
saint of Athens, for example, was Athena. All Greeks, however, worshipped Zeus as their chief deity.

The Greek gods had supernatural powers. Although they were immortal (they could not die), they
possessed many human qualities. They behaved like humans and were governed by emotions.
They also, loved, married, bore children, lied and murdered. Frequently jealous of one another, the
Greek deities quarrelled. The Greeks also believed that their gods caused the change of seasons or
violent storms.

The gods could exercise their powers on one another and on human beings as they wished, for their
own vengeance or pleasure. For this reason it was important to pay attention to the gods and to
appease them by making food offerings such as nectar and ambrosia, or by making animal sacrifices
at the temples.

The Greeks believed that the most important Greek deities lived on high on Mount Olympus, an
actual mountain in Greece. Each of these gods controlled a specific of the natural world. For
example, Zeus ruled the sky, weather, and thunderstorms; his brother Poseidon ruled the sea; and
another brother, Hades ruled the underworld where the dead spent eternity.
Mrs. Saunders: Ancient and Medieval History
Page 1
Greek Mythology and the Olympians

The Greeks believed that oracles could predict the future. At the oracle at Delphi, they would ask
questions and the priests and priestesses in order to hear the god Apollo’s replies and seek his
guidance.

Since the Greeks saw their deities as sources of power, both physical and mental, they tried to be
like them by doing everything to the best of their ability.

Greek myths were an important part of the education of Greek citizens. The myths were often
recited aloud, not simply to entertain, but to teach about many subjects, such as the following:
 Responsibilities of humans
 Weaknesses and strengths of humans
 Emotions
 Rivalry and conflicts
 Ideas about evil and good
 Ideas about love and hate
 Right and wrong behaviour
 Ideas about the nature and role of women, men, and children
 Family relationships and inter-generational conflicts
 Explanations of nature and the physical world
 Stories of origins
 Attitudes toward heroism and courage
 Explanations of the mysteries of life
 Most Greek myths include elements of fantasy, adventure, and violence, but they were not viewed
by the Greeks as simply “exciting stories.” Many of them were used as “paradeigma” or education by
example; others were warnings to human beings about behaviour the gods found unacceptable. The
Greek gods sometimes personified ideas or events in human life that are difficult to understand, such
as Death, Time, or Fate.
Mrs. Saunders: Ancient and Medieval History
Page 2