Download Mythology - Mrs. Alana Haughaboo

Mythology
“To the mean person the myth
always means little; to the noble
person, much.”
--John Ruskin
“Great are the
myths.”
--Walt Whitman
What is a myth?
• An account of the deeds of a god or
supernatural being. It relates a supposed
historical event, or it serves “to explain
some practice, belief, institution, or
natural phenomenon.”
• Mythology is present in every culture, but
we will be studying western mythology
(specifically Greek and Roman).
Why do we study mythology?
• They have a deep influence on great
literature
• They have influenced music. The word
music comes from the Muses. Many
myths describe the origin of instruments.
• They have greatly influenced visual art.
• They are an important link to the past
allowing us to understand how ancient
people viewed the world.
CHAOS
The Greeks believed the original state
of the universe was chaos which
means a vast, seething confusion with
no limits or bounds. Eventually,
though, it resolved itself into two
great beings…
(Chaos is still believed to lurk around at night when all is
dark.)
The First Generation
Gaea (Mother Earth) The mother
goddess who nourishes all life.
Uranus (Overhanging Heavens) The son
AND husband of Gaea; Ruler of the
Sky.
The Second Generation:
Hecatonchires
• A trio of giants of incredible strength and
ferociousness, consisting of Briareus (”The
Vigorous”), Cottus (”The Furious”) and Gyges
(”The Big-Limbed”).
• They had fifty heads and a hundred arms.
• In fact, the name means “The hundred handed.”
• Their father Uranus, who saw them as monsters,
cast them into Tartarus (underworld).
• But Cronus, another son of Uranus, rescued
them to help him overthrow their father.
• They would become the guards of the gates of
Tartarus.
Cyclopes
• Triplets
• A race of giants that had a single eye in the
middle of their forehead. They were great
weapon makers who forged thunderbolts that
Zeus used to overthrow Cronus and the Titans.
• In Homer’s “Odyssey,” Polyphemus was one such
giant whose only eye was pierced with a
hardened spear by Odysseus and his men.
TITANS
The titans, a race of immortals who,
with their children, ruled the
universe before the gods conquered
them.
Gaea and Uranus
•They are considered to
be titans. Go ahead and
put a “T” next to each of
their names on your
notes.
Cronus
(Saturn)
• The youngest child of Gaea and
Uranus
• Ruler of the sky after his father
• Ruler of the titans
• Father of the first six Greek gods:
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera,
Demeter, and Hestia
Rhea (Cybele)
•Sister and wife of Cronus
•A great mother goddess
like her mother, Gaea
Helios
•God of the sun prior to
replacement by Apollo in
late Greek and Roman
Mythology
Selene
•Goddess of the moon
prior to replacement
by Artemis in late
Greek and Roman
Mythology
Themis
•Goddess of prophecy
at Delphi before
Apollo conquered her
oracle
Atlas
• Strongest titan
• Condemned by Zeus to eternally hold up the sky
Prometheus
• Prometheus was the wisest Titan. His
name means "forethought" and he was
able to foretell the future. When Zeus
revolted against Cronus, Prometheus
deserted the other Titans and fought on
Zeus side.
• By some accounts he and his brother
Epimetheus were delegated by Zeus to
create man.
• Prometheus is known as the protector
and benefactor of man. He gave
mankind a number of gifts including
fire. He also tricked Zeus into allowing
man to keep the best part of the
animals sacrificed to the gods and to
give the gods the worst parts.
Cont’d
• For this Zeus punished Prometheus by
having him chained to a rock with an
eagle tearing at his liver. He was to be
left there for all eternity or until he
agreed to disclose to Zeus which of
Zeus children would try to replace
him. He was eventually rescued by
Hercules without giving in to Zeus.
Epimetheus
• Epimetheus was a stupid Titan, whose
name means "afterthought".
• In some accounts he is delegated,
along with his brother Prometheus by
Zeus to create mankind. He also
accepted the gift of Pandora from
Zeus, which lead to the introduction
of evil into the world.
Oceanus, Tethys, and
Hyperion
• Oceanus is the unending stream of water
encircling the world. Together with his wife
Tethys produced the rivers and the three
thousand ocean nymphs.
• Tethys is the wife of Oceanus. Together they
produced the rivers and the three thousand
ocean nymphs.
• Hyperion is the Titan of light, an early sun god.
He married his sister Theia. Their children Helios
(the sun), Selene (the moon), and Eos (the
dawn).
Mnemosyne, Themis, and
Coeus
• Mnemosyne was the Titan of memory and the mother of
Muses.
• Themis was the Titan of justice and order. She was the mother
of the Fates and the Seasons.
• Coeus was the Titan of Intelligence. Father of Leto.
Phoebe and Metis
• Phoebe is the Titan of the Moon.
Mother of Leto.
• Metis was the Titaness of the fourth
day and the planet Mercury. She
presided over all wisdom and
knowledge. She was seduced by Zeus
and became pregnant with Athena.
Metis
• Zeus became concerned over
prophecies that her second child
would replace Zeus. To avoid this,
Zeus ate her. It is said that she is the
source for the wisdom of Zeus and
that she still advises Zeus from his
belly.
Metis
• It may seem odd for Metis to have
been pregnant with Athena but, never
mentioned as her mother. This is
because the classic Greeks believed
that children were generated solely
from the fathers. The woman was
thought to be nothing more than a
vessel for the fetus to grow in.
The Third Generation
The Greek Gods
Children of Cronus
and Rhea
(zeus)
Zeus (Jupiter, Jove)
• Youngest, most intelligent, and
most powerful
• Ruler of the sky after Cronus
• Maintains order in the world of
mortals
• Protects strangers and guests
Poseidon
Poseidon (Neptune)
•Brother of Zeus
•Lord of the sea
•Causes earthquakes
•Father of Polyphemus (the
cyclops) in the Odyssey
Hades
Hades (Pluto)
•Brother of Zeus
•Ruler of the underworld
•Lord of the dead
The Underworld
•Elysium
•Acheron
•Tartarus
Hera
Hera (Juno)
•Sister and wife of Zeus
•Queen of Olympus
•Goddess of marriage and
childbirth
Demeter
Demeter (Ceres)
•Sister of Zeus
•A great mother goddess like
Rhea and Gaea
•Goddess of grain and
agriculture
Hephaestus (Vulcan)
•Husband of Aphrodite
•Metalsmith of the gods
•Famous for his creativity
and skill
Hephaestus
Hestia
Hestia (Vesta)
•Sister of Zeus
•Kindest and most loved of
the gods
•Guardian of the home
The immortal
children of Zeus
Apollo
Apollo (Phoebus)
•Twin of Artemis
•God of prophecy, medicine,
archery, and music
•God of the sun in late Greek
and Roman mythology
Artemis
Artemis (Diana)
•Twin of Apollo
•Goddess of the hunt
•Goddess of the moon in late
Greek and Roman mythology
ATHENA
Athena (Minerva)
•Goddess of arts and crafts
AND defensive war
•Helper of heroes
•Goddess of wisdom in late
Greek and Roman
mythology
Aphrodite
Aphrodite (Venus)
•Goddess of beauty and
sexual desire
Persephone
Persephone (Proserpina)
•Wife of Hades
•Goddess of Spring
•Queen of the underworld
The Fates
The Fates
•Clotho, Lachesis, and
Atropos
•They determine the length
of each mortal’s life
Ares
Ares (Mars)
•God of war (offensive)
Hermes
Hermes (Mercury)
•The messenger of Zeus
•Guides travellers
•Leads shades of the dead
into the underworld
•Helps merchants and
thieves