Download Greek Mythology

Welcome to the World
of Greek Mythology
What is Greek Myth?
The simplest definition is the collection of
stories that involve the polytheistic
anthropomorphic dieties and the nature of
the world around us. (Not very simple but it
works.)
Polytheistic--More than one
God/Goddess.
Anthropomorphic--Looks and acts like
humans.
Why should we study
Greek Myth?
Their culture has been kept
alive for thousands of years
through mythology.
Modern plays, novels, tv
shows, movies, and even
advertisements refer to gods,
goddesses, heroes, and their
stories.
Greek myth was very
concerned with themes--overall
moral or message
The Myth of Phaeton
An example...
The Sun was actually a God. That God’s
name was Helios. Helios had a son named
Phaeton (Φαέθων). Phaeton tries to take
his father’s job one morning by driving the
Sun Chariot (the chariot led by 4 fire
horses that drags the sun through the sky).
Phaeton cannot control the Chariot and
ends up driving too close to the Earth. He
ends up setting the Earth on fire and Zeus
(Father of the Gods; Lightning is his
greatest weapon) shoots down Phaeton
before the whole world is aflame.
What was the purpose
of Greek Myth?
Scholars debate this bitterly. There are many
opinions; however, I want you to understand
the two that I think are most important:
Aetiological Theory: Greek myth was written
to explain actual events that otherwise could
not have been explained. Basically the myths
explained things that we explain using
science. Using the Phaeton example, can
you figure out the purpose of the myth using
Aetiological Theory?
What was the purpose
of Greek Myth?
Allegorical Theory:
Greek myth was all
allegorical (a story)
and meant
to be taken as a
lesson
or moral. Using the
Allegorical Theory,
what could be the
purpose
of The Myth of
Phaeton?
Who were the major
“Characters?”
There are 12 (13 if you
count Hades) main
Gods that all lived on
Mount Olympus in
Greece--because of
this, they were named
the Olympians. These-along with a few heroes-are the main characters
in Greek Mythology.
Zeus-King of the Gods
He rules over all the
Gods.
He was the God of the
Sky, Lightning, Thunder.
His symbol is the
lightning bolt.
He had a wife--Hera-- but
that didn’t stop him from
having many children
with many different
women--moral and
immortal.
The Birth of Zeus
The Birth of Zeus
Zeus’s father was
nervous about his
children rising up and
defeating him. His
solution? Eat all his
children (they don’t
die; they just sit in his
belly).
The Birth of Zeus
Zeus’s mother didn’t like
that very much. Instead
of giving Zeus to his
father, she gives him a
rock. He swallows this
rock and Zeus’s mom
raises him to be big and
strong in a cave on the
island of Crete. He grew
up to defeat his father
and rule over his
siblings who he saved
from the belly.
Hera
Hera was Zeus’s wife and-brace yourself--his sister.
Hera was not known to be a
nice woman. Her husband
often cheated and she
harshly punished those
women.
She was “in charge” of
marriage and family.
Her symbol was the
peacock.
Poseidon
God of the Sea.
ALWAYS represented
with the Trident.
Brother to Zeus.
Fickle and difficult God to
please. One minute he
liked you and the next he
could turn the seas
against you.
Apollo-God of Light and
Sun, Prophecy, Music, and
Poetry
VERY complex and
powerful god.
In charge of Delphi,
Oracles, and Prophecy.
His symbol is the lyre-early form of the harp.
He has a twin sister
named Artemis.
Apollo
Hermes-God of
Travelers & Thieves
His main duty was to be the
messenger of the Gods.
He appears in more myths
than any other character.
Always wears winged
sandals and a helmet with
wings.
His symbol is the
Caduceus, or staff intwined
with snakes.
The Myth of Pan
Pan
Hermes had a son and his name was Pan.
Pan was a God of Nature.
He had legs and horns of a goat and the rest
was man.
When people would see him, they would run
away scared. This is where we get the word
“panic.”
Pan is in love
Like any Greek God, he fell in love.
His love interest was named Syrinx.
She, however, did not love him. In an attempt
to escape him, she turned herself into water
reeds.
When he saw this and heard the wind rush
through the reeds, they made a beautiful
sound. He cut the reeds and made pipes to
always carry with him. He was then on
symbolized by the Pipes of Pan.
Hades-God of the
Underworld
Hades looks just like his brothers
Zeus and Poseidon. The only
difference is their symbol or
weapon. Hades wears the helm of
invisibility while Zeus has the
lightning bolt and Poseidon has the
trident.
Although he is not technically an
Olympian God (because he lives in
Hades), he is still listed among
them because of his relationship
with the others and because he is
a major Greek God.
Kidnapped his wife Persephone.
Ares--God of War, Hatred,
and Bloodshed
His chariot is driven
by four black immortal
horses.
He is always prayed
to before a war.
His sister (Athena) is
also a god of war. She
is more strategy
whereas Ares is all
about unpredictable
violence.
Hestia-Goddess of the
Hearth/Home
Festivals honored Hestia first and
last.
She never left Olympia--her
home. "Zeus, driving a winged
chariot, goes first, arranging all
things and caring for all things.
He is followed by an army of
gods and spirits, arrayed in
eleven squadrons; Hestia alone
remains in the house of the
gods." (Socrates. Plato,
Phaedrus 246e).
Very revered because she
guarded all the “innermost
things.”
Demeter-Goddess of
Seasons, Grain, Fertility
Bringer of the
Seasons. One of the
most powerful
goddesses. She was
easily capable of
ending all life on the
planet--she nearly did.
Her daughter-Persephone--was
kidnapped by Hades.
The Myth of the
Seasons
Persephone’s
Kidnapping
Demeter’s daughter
Persephone was picking
flowers one day. Hades
drove by and kidnapped her.
Demeter was terribly upset
when she couldn’t find her
daughter. In her depression,
Demeter caused the world to
be completely barren.
Helios--the Sun God--was
the only one who saw the
kidnapping and he told
Zeus.
Persephone’s
Kidnapping
Zeus sent Hermes to get
Persephone back from Hades.
Unfortunately, Persephone ate
some pomegranate seeds.
Whenever someone ate in
Hades, they were permanently
linked to the Underworld. This
meant that Persephone must
return to Hades for several
months out of every year. During
these times, Demeter is
obviously saddened. This
sadness brings winter.
Using Aetiological Theory, what
could the myth originally have
meant?
Athena-Goddess of wisdom,
strategic battle
Athena was heavily
involved in the naming of
Athens.
Born from Zeus’s own
head.
A very strong-willed and
powerful goddess.
She is always represented
by the helmet she wears.
She offered help to many
famous warriors.
Athena’s Birth
Athena’s Birth
Zeus is much like his
father. Zeus heard a
prophecy that if he had a
baby with Metis
(Goddess of
Knowledge), that child
would become greater
than him. To stop this
from happening, Zeus
swallowed Metis
however she was
already pregnant.
Athena’s Birth
Inside Zeus’s head,
Metis gave birth and
began making armor for
her daughter. This noise
gave Zeus the worst
headache in history. It
was so bad he had a
god (who actually did it
is uncertain) cut his
head open with an ax.
Athena lept out of his
head fully grown and
armed for battle.
The Naming of Athens
Naming of the City
Athena and Poseidon
were in a competition to
see who the city would be
named after. Poseidon
struck his trident into the
ground and up sprang a
small river to show the city
would be blessed with
naval/fishing strength.
Athena struck the ground
with her spear and up
sprang an olive tree. The
people decided Athena’s
gift was better.
Aphrodite-Goddess of
love and beauty
She was born from the
foam near the island of
Cyprus (foam= aphros
in greek).
Married to Hephaestus
so that the other Gods
were not jealous and
fighting over her.
Like Zeus, she often
had relationships
outside of her marriage
Hephaestus-God of
Fire and the Forge
Not the most attractive god.
Skilled craftsman and often
gave his gifts to famous
warriors.
He walked with a limp
because of a certain incident
with another god.
He caught his wife and
Ares... together by making a
special net that would hold
them as punishment.
Artemis-Goddess of
children and the hunt
Artemis was a tough
huntress woman.
A hunter accidently
saw her as she was
bathing and she
turned him into a
deer--he was then
torn apart by his
hunting dogs.
Artemis is Apollo’s
twin.
Famous Heroes
Herakles/Herc
ules
The greatest hero in
history.
The Labors of Herakles
1.Slay the Nemean Lion
and bring back its
hide.
2.Slay the 9-headed
Lernaean Hydra.
3.Capture the Golden
Stag of Artemis.
4.Capture the
Erymanthian Boar.
The Labors of Herakles
5.Clean the Augean
Stables in one day.
6.Slay the Stymphalian
Birds.
7.Capture the Cretan
Bull.
8.Steal the Mares of
Diomedes.
The Labors of Herakles
9.Obtain the Girdle of
the Amazon warrior
queen.
10.Obtain the Cattle of
the Monster Geryon.
11.Steal the Apples of
Hesperides.
12.Capture Cerberus-guardian dog of
Hades.
Atalanta
A strong woman in a
literary tradition dominated
by men.
The Race to her Heart
Atalanta did not want to marry.
She decided to only marry the
man that could beat her in a
race. If the man could not, he
would be killed by Atalanta.
Hippomenes was a smart guy
that wanted to marry Atalanta.
He prayed to Aphrodite for
help. Aphrodite gave him 3
golden apples. She told him to
throw these apples during the
race to distract Atalanta.
Hippomenes won the race and
Atalanta’s heart.
The
Argonautica
The greatest heroes in
Greek myth unite with a
talking boat to help Jason
steal the Golden Fleece.
Journey for the Golden
Fleece
Jason leads an All-Star
lineup of Greek warriors
to find and collect the
Golden Fleece which is
guarded by a monster that
has 100 eyes and never
sleeps.
Jason meets a woman-Medea. She is an
enchantress or witch. She
helps Jason and the
Argonauts complete their
quest.
Nike-Goddess of
Victory
Nike
Goddess of victory
and strength.
She is a close friend
of Athena--goddess of
intelligence.
Since 1928, Olympic
medals have Nike on
the back.
Bibliography
• Apollodorus, Apollodorus, Michael Simpson, and
Leonard Baskin. Gods Heroes of the Greeks: The
Library of Apollodorus. Amherst: University of
Massachusetts, 1976. Print.
• Skidmore, Joel. Greek Mythology. Fleet Gazelle.
Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <http://www.mythweb.com/>.