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Greek & Roman
Mythology
Greco-Roman Mythology?
• Why do we study the mythology of the Greeks
and Romans together?
– The Greeks were one of the oldest societies in the
Mediterranean area.
– The Romans conquered Greece and took many Greeks
as slaves, particularly for the tutors & household
servants.
– The Greek religion, language and cultural features
were absorbed into the Roman culture.
– Only minor changes were made, but other gods and
goddesses from other cultures were also
incorporated. (Janus, God of Doors)
Definition of Mythology
• Myths are accounts of the deeds of a god or of a
supernatural being.
• It relates a supposed historical event, or it serves to explain
some practice, belief, institution, or natural phenomenon.
• Mythology is defined as a system of myths shared by a
culture.
• We separate Myths and Legends by stating that legends are
based upon real events & people, just greatly exaggerated.
• I propose a simpler definition:
– Myths relate to gods & goddesses and the origin of things, while
legends deal with heroes & heroines and their deeds.
Polytheism vs. Monotheism
• Polytheism is a belief in more than one god.
– “Poly” – “Theo” – “Ism”
– A doctrine of many gods
– All the ancient cultures practiced this type of belief.
• Monotheism is a belief in only one god.
– “Mono” – “Theo” – “ism”
– A doctrine of one god.
– Other than a brief attempt at monotheism by the
Egyptians, Judaism is the first monotheistic system.
The Greek Origin of the World
• In the beginning, there was Chaos (void, nothingness, dark).
• Out of Chaos came Father Sky (Uranus) & Mother Earth
(Gaia).
• Father Sky ruled the heavens and wielded a powerful sickle
shaped like the crescent moon.
The Hecatonchires
• The first children of Uranus
and Gaia were the onehanded Hecatonchires
(Hekatoncheires).
• Their names were Briareus the
Vigorous, Cottus the Striker or
the Furious, and Gyges the
Big-Limbed.
• The Hecatonchires represent
the gigantic forces of nature
that appear in earthquakes
and other convulsions or in
the motion of sea waves.
• Uranus bound them in
Tartarus.
The Cyclopes
• Next were the “wheel-eyes,”
the Cyclopses.
• They were Arges, Brontes, and
Steropes.
• Uranus bound them in
Tartarus due to their bad
looks.
The Titans
• These were the golden children, perfect in
every way to their parents.
• They ruled the world.
• There were 12 Titans.
• Chief among the Titans was Cronus (Kronos).
The First Generation Titans
• Oceanus (Ruler of the
Seas/World Ocean)
• Hyperion (Titan of the Sun)
• Coeus (Titan of Intellect)
• Cronus (King of the Titans)
• Crius (Titan of the
Leadership)
• Iapetus (Titan of Mortal
Life)
• Tethys (Titaness of the
Waters and Oceans)
• Theia (Titaness of Sight)
• Phoebe (Titaness of
Brilliance and the Moon
• Rhea (Mother of the Gods)
• Mnemosyne (Titaness of
Memory)
• Themis (Titaness of Law,
Justice, and Order)
• The second generation of Titans consisted of
Hyperion's children Eos, Helios, and Selene
and Iapetus's sons Atlas, Prometheus, and
Epimetheus.
The War of the Titans
• Cronus wanted the power of his father
Uranus.
• He and his brothers waited at the four corners
of the world to catch and hold their father.
• Cronus took his father’s sickle and cut his
power from him.
• Cronus assumed his father’s role as ruler of
the Heavens.
Paranoia
• Cronus was very concerned that his power would be taken like
he took his father’s.
• As Rhea gave birth to their children, Cronus consumed them
whole. Since the gods are immortal, they simply remained
imprisoned.
• Rhea was so upset by her children’s imprisonment that she
tricked her husband by swapping a large stone for her
youngest son, Zeus.
• She hid Zeus in a cave on Mt. Ida in Crete. He was cared for
by a nymph and magical goat while creatures made noise so
Cronus wouldn’t hear the baby’s cries.
The War of the Titans
(Titanomachy)
• Zeus secretly entered the court of Cronus on
Mt. Othrys and forced/tricked him into
throwing up his children.
• The gods fled and gathered support. Some of
the children of the Titans joined their side.
• Prometheus, who had the ability to see the
future, knew the gods would win. His brother
Epimetheus joined the gods.
• The battle was close. Rhea suggested that the
gods release the Hecatonchires and Cyclopes
from Tartarus.
• The Cyclopes created great weapons for the
gods.
• The gods beat the Titans.
• Many of the Titans were bound in Tartarus,
but some were just punished. Atlas was made
to hold up the heavens.
The Olympians
The First Six
The following children were the children of the
Titans:
• Hestia – goddess of hearth and home
• Demeter – goddess of the harvest
• Hera – goddess of marriage
• Hades – god of the underworld
• Poseidon – god of the seas
• Zeus – god of the heavens
Hestia
Demeter
Hera
Hades
Poseidon
Zeus