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Greek Mythology
An Introduction
What are the characteristics of a
myth?
• A traditional or ancient story
• Originally told by word-of-mouth
• Deals with supernatural beings (Gods and
Goddesses) or heroes
• Explains a belief or natural happening
• Seeks to answer some of life’s fundamental
questions: Who are we? Why are we here?
Why were myths told?
Universal Themes
• Myths were told to teach lessons about life.
• These are called Universal Themes
• Universal Themes are common across many
different cultures. (EX: the danger of greed)
• Identify the theme by focusing on the main
character and identifying the conflicts.
How did the time and place
influence these stories?
Athens, Greece BC
•Constant warfare between city-states
•Very little understanding of science or the natural world
•Constant threat of earthquakes, floods, droughts, disease
Greek Temple - built to certain gods - Greeks would
go into temples and pray to their gods for help.
These beliefs in powerful gods influenced their
stories.
Epic Tale: a long narrative story or poem
dealing with Gods and Heroes.
• A long and perilous
journey in search of
something valuable.
• Heroes face trials, tests,
and temptations.
• Helped along the way by
Gods, friends, or animals.
• In the end, the hero is
glorified.
Demi-God: When a God had a
child with a mortal, that child
often had greater power than
normal people. However, demigods could be killed. They were
not immortal.
Perseus/Heracles Family Tree
These are the
characters in the
movie Clash of the
Titans.
Heracles is the Greek name
for Hercules. He was
Perseus’s great-grandson.
Why were there so many of them?
The Greeks were polytheists
• Today, many people believe in one god
(monotheism)
• Many centuries ago, when the stories of
mythology began, people believed in many
gods (polytheism) and each god had
authorities over certain powers.
The Origin of the Gods
•In the beginning heaven (Uranus) and earth
(Gaia) had children – monsters with 50 heads and
100 arms.
•The monsters were so ugly that Uranus threw the
monsters into Tartaurus-the pit at the bottom of
Hades.
•Then Uranus and Gaia had a new group of
children called Titans. They are the elder gods
called Titans.
•One day Uranus’s son Cronus wanted to be king,
so he chopped his father into small pieces and
threw HIM into the pit of Tartarus.
Clash of the Titans vs. the
Olympians
• Cronus was now the lord of the Universe.
• He feared that his children would one day kill him, so as
they were born, he swallowed them whole.
• His wife, Rhea grew tired of her husband eating her
children, so when the youngest son Zeus was born, she fed
her husband a rock and hid Zeus on an island.
• When Zeus was grown, Rhea poisoned her husband
Cronus who vomited up Zeus’s brothers and sisters.
• Zeus led his brothers and sisters in a war against the Titans
and defeated them, imprisoning them in Tartarus.
The Greek God Family Tree
How does this relate to Percy
Jackson?
The Titans
The Olympians
Hestia did
not live on
Mt.
Olympus.
Lived in the
underworld.
The 12 Olympians were the supreme gods who lived in a palace on top
of Mount Olympus. These are the gods mentioned in Percy Jackson.
Which god does what?
Zeus
• Roman name: Jupiter
• King of the gods; sky;
weather
Interesting Information
• Wrestled with and almost
beaten by Heracles
Hera
• Wife of Zeus; queen of gods;
women; marriage
Interesting Information
• Hated Heracles; always
trying to hurt him
Apollo
• God of the sun; youth; music;
archery; healing; prophecy
• Patron of athletes
• Men often visited his temples to ask
questions about the future
Artemis
• Twin sister of
Apollo
• Goddess of the
moon; hunting; wild
animals; unmarried
girls
• Carried a silver bow
and deadly arrows
Hades
• King of the underworld
where the spirits of the
dead belong
• Also called Pluto
• One of two brothers
of Zeus, but not as
powerful
Poseidon
• Ruler of the seas
• The other brother of
Zeus, but not as
powerful as Zeus
Aphrodite
• Goddess of Love
• One of the twelve
supreme gods
• Her son is Eros, also
known as cupid.
Athena
• Goddess of wisdom; crafts;
war
• Wore a helmet and breastplate
and carried a spear
• Born from Zeus’s head
Ares
• God of war
• His throne on Mount
Olympus was covered in
human skin
Interesting Information
• Was beaten by Hercules
in a battle
• Was stuffed in a jar by
two giants
• Not Zeus’s favorite
Hephaestus
• God of fire; metalworker
• lame
Interesting Information
• Interceded in a fight
between Zeus and Hera
and was thrown from Mount
Olympus to Earth which
made him lame
Hermes
• Messenger god
• God of secrets; tricks
• Wore golden, winged
sandals which carried him
over sea and land
• Guided dead souls to the
Underworld
Demeter
• Goddess of agriculture;
earth; corn
• Sister of Zeus
Persephone
• Daughter of Demeter
• Queen of Hades
• Abducted by Hades;
forced to spend six
months of the year in the
underworld
How does this apply to us today?
Do we see mythology in our lives
today?
Saturn - The Planet
• Roman equivalent to Cronus, Zeus’s Father
Jupiter
• The Roman equivalent of Zeus
NIKE
Nike was the goddess of victory
Clash of the Titans
The epic tale of Perseus, Medusa, and Andromeda
Read all about Percy Jackson and the
Olympians in the novels by Rick Riordan.
Thor
• Thor was one of the Germanic gods who
was the God of Thunder. The ancient
Vikings believed that thunder was the result
of Thor’s hammer, Mjilnor.
Now that we’ve discussed Greek
mythology, look for references to
the Gods in movies and literature.
Bring to class anything
mythology-related for extra
credit.