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Greek Mythology
What is a Myth?
• A myth is a traditional story, which
may describe the origins of the
world or of people. A myth
attempts to explain supernatural
events, mysteries, and cultural
traditions.
• Usually, myths contain universal
messages that explain human
behavior.
• A myth usually involves gods,
goddesses, and other fantastical
creatures.
• Mythology is the study of these
myths.
Fable vs. Fairy Tale
A fable is a short tale that
teaches a moral lesson; often
features animals or objects as
characters
A fairy tale is a
story for children
that also teaches a
moral lesson, but
will usually feature
elves, dragons,
fairies, and other
magical creatures.
What’s the difference?
The lesson in a fable is
direct and focused,
whereas in a fairy tale, it
will be more hidden and
is up to the reader to
discover.
Folklore vs. Legend
• A folklore consists of
stories, music, proverbs,
jokes and popular beliefs
that are the traditions of a
certain culture.
• A legend is a narrative of
human actions that are
perceived to have taken
place in history. In other
words, a legend is based
on some small truth and
has expanded from that.
Who Were the Ancient Greeks?
The stories we are going to study are from 800 BC
to 600 A.D.
The ancient Greeks believed that everything was
controlled by the fate that was chosen for them
by various gods and goddesses.
It is these gods, goddesses and famous characters
from Greek mythology that we are going to take
a closer look at.
Maps of Ancient Greece
Fate and the gods
• According to the beliefs of
the ancient Greeks, every
detail of one’s life was
determined by the gods.
• There is no escaping one’s
fate. If the gods said an
event was going to happen,
then it was sure to happen.
• The faster a person tried to
run from his or her fate, the
more it was sealed.
Rituals of the Ancient World
• A ritual is an established procedure or tradition for a
certain religion
• The ancient Greeks were very religious; they believed
that not observing their rituals would upset the gods
• The most important among all the rituals was the
burial ritual where two gold coins where placed over
the deceased person’s eyes and his body burned in
the presence of his loved ones.
• The two coins were for Charon, the boatman on the
edge of the River Styx. It was believed that a person
could not reach the Underworld unless he paid
Charon two gold coins to row him across the river.
Oracles and Prophecies
• Because people believed
that their futures could
be revealed, they
consulted oracles of
every kind for personal
and political purposes.
• The most famous of
these was the Delphic
Oracle, where Apollo
spoke through a
priestess.
Prophecies were also
sought from seers
and soothsayers
who, it was believed,
had the power to
determine a person’s
future.
Remember The Titans
The Titans and Titanesses
were the children of
Ouranos (the sky) and Gaia
(the earth). These gigantic
beings were older gods
who ruled before the
Olympian gods.
The Titans included
the following gods:
Cronus, Rhea,
Coeus, Metis, and
Hyperion.
Gaia
• Gaia was the earth
who came out of
Chaos and gave birth
to Ouranos, who was
her son and husband.
• One of their children,
Cronus, decided to
overthrow his father,
and because of this,
the sky was
separated from the
earth.
It is Gaia who advises Rhea to
save Zeus’ life by hiding him.
Gaia also conceived the
Furies, the goddess who
pursued murderers.
Cronus
• Cronus was the father of
Zeus who forced him out
of his power when he
became an adult.
• Cronus swallowed his
children because he had
been warned that he
would be displaced by
them.
• Zeus, however, survived
and forced his father to
vomit up his brothers and
sisters.
Rhea
Hera
Hestia
Demeter
• Rhea was the daughter of
Ouranus and Gaia. As the
wife of Cronus, she bore
six children, and they are
as follows:
Poseidon
Hades
Zeus
It was Rhea who saved Zeus’ life by
substituting him with a stone when
Cronus decided to eat all of his
children.
Rhea
• Rhea was the daughter of
Ouranos and Gaia. As the
wife of Cronus, she bore six
children. Cronus learned
that one of his children
would depose him so he
swallowed all of them as
they were born.
Zeus was the only one to survive
because Rhea substituted the baby
with a stone wrapped in cloths.
Zeus
• Zeus was the supreme and
most powerful of all the
gods.
• When he came into power,
he divided the world into
thirds to share amongst
himself and his two
brothers, Poseidon and
Hades.
• Zeus chose to rule the sky,
Poseidon the sea and Hades
the underworld.
Poseidon
• Poseidon was the
god of the sea.
Although he agreed
to be second to
Zeus’ command, he
would sometimes
try to usurp Zeus’
power.
He is often associated with
being angry, and his anger is
usually shown through
earthquakes.
Although Zeus is the most
supreme god, Poseidon was
the one people feared the
most.
Hades
• The ancient Greeks believed in
the Underworld, which Hades
ruled.
• Everyone who was given the
proper burial ritual went there.
• It is very important to note that
the Underworld is not the
Christian concept of hell.
Everyone, good or bad when to
the Underworld when they died.
•
It was thought that if a person were not
buried properly, he would never reach
the Underworld, but his soul would
wander the universe for eternity.
Therefore, the ancient Greeks placed
extreme importance on burials.
Hera
• Hera was the wife and
one of three sisters of
Zeus.
• She is the goddess of
women and marriage.
• The animals she holds
most sacred are the
cow and the peacock.
Hera is known for her
jealous and vengeful
nature, especially against
Zeus’ lovers and children.
When asked to name the
most beautiful goddess,
Paris offended Hera by
selecting Aphrodite
instead of her.
• Leto, the goddess of
motherhood, was one
of the few Titanesses to
be worshipped in
ancient Greece. Leto
had twins (Apollo and
Artemis) by Zeus.
Leto
Niobe taunted Leto for
having only two children
when she had fourteen.
As a result, Artemis and
Apollo avenged their mother
by killing Niobe’s children.
Apollo
• Apollo was the son of
Zeus. He was one of
the most important of
Greek and Roman
gods.
• He was the god of
prophecy, archery
and music.
Artemis
• Artemis was the daughter of
Zeus and the twin sister of
Apollo.
• Artemis was the goddess of
the wilderness, hunting,
childbirth, and virginity. Many
sacrifices were devoted to
her.
• Because she was widely
worshipped in Troy, she sided
with the Trojans in the Trojan
War.
Niobe
• Niobe and her husband Amphion had
fourteen children (seven male and
seven female) who were called the
Niobids.
• Niobe bragged about her numerous
offspring to Leto because Leto only
had two children, Artemis and Apollo.
• They became so angry that Artemis
killed all of Niobe’s daughters and
Apollo killed all of her sons.
• Devastated by the mass killing of her
children, Niobe fled to Mount Sipylus
and was turned into stone. She wept
so much that water started to pour
out of her.
Athena
• Athena was one of the
daughters of Zeus and was the
goddess of war, wisdom and
strategy.
• Athena is most famous for the
aid and protection she lends
to men on and off the
battlefield. After the Trojan
War, it is Athena who helps
Odysseus find his way home
from a ten year journey.
Arachne
• Arachne was a mortal weaver
who boasted that her skill was
greater than Athena’s. When
Arachne refused to
acknowledge that part of her
skill came from the goddess,
Athena challenged her to a
competition.
When Athena saw that
Arachne could weave
beautifully, and that her
tapestry mocked the gods, the
jealous goddess turned her
into a spider.
Aphrodite
• Aphrodite is the daughter of
Zeus and the goddess of love,
beauty and pleasure. She is
married to Zeus’ son,
Hephaestus, but that does
not stop her from pursuing
many relationships with
different gods and mortals.
• During the Trojan War, she
lent her support to the
Trojans, mainly Hector, but
she was not able to help
them to victory.
Ares, Eris and Hephaestus
Ares, Eris and Hephaestus are the children of Zeus
and Hera.
Ares is the god of war. He is usually an instigator
of violence and known to be corrupt. Although he
is not married to Aphrodite, he has three children
by her.
Eris is the goddess of chaos, strife
and discord. Like her brother, she
likes is prone to violence and likes
to start arguments for her own
amusement.
Hephaestus is the god blacksmiths,
craftsmen and artists, among other
things. He is married to Aphrodite,
but she does not stay faithful to
him.
Nike
• Nike is the daughter of Pallas and Styx. Nike
and her siblings were close companions with
Zeus and aided him greatly in his war against
the Titans.
Nike was known as
the Winged
Goddess of Victory
and was a close
friend of Athena,
goddess of war.
Orion
• Orion, the son of Poseidon, was a
very skillful hunter whose talent had
gained a great reputation, though he
never forgot to give Artemis the
credit for being the greatest of all
hunters.
• Orion had the ability to walk upon
water because of his father.
• After many trials, including losing his
eyesight, Orion soon befriended Artemis
who could appreciate both his talent at
hunting and his modesty.
• Orion was the only man Artemis
favored, and this caused Apollo to be very
jealous. He poisoned Orion who died
soon afterwards.
• Artemis hung Orion’s image amongst
the stars so that he would not ever be
forgotten.
Actaeon
• Actaeon was the son of a
minor royal god. He was a
Greek hunter who offended
Artemis by either bragging of
his superior skills as a hunter or
watching her bathe naked.
• To stop his bragging, Artemis
turned him into a stag, and he
was chased and devoured by
his own dogs.
Dionysus
• Dionysus was the son of Zeus
and Semele. He is the
youthful god of vegetation,
wine and ecstasy.
• He is also knows as the “bullhorned beast” because he
often took on the form of a
powerful beast.
• Dionysus was mainly
worshipped by woman
and those were enjoyed
themselves to extreme
with wine.
• Because of his reckless
nature, the worship of
Dionysus became to be
banned in some areas.
Persephone and Demeter
• Persephone was the
daughter of Zeus and
Demeter, the goddess of
the harvest.
• Zeus promised his
beautiful daughter to
Hades without consulting
her mother. When Hades
rose from the underworld
to take her as his bride,
Demeter went into a state
of grief.
Demeter wandered the
earth looking for her
daughter and as a
result, the land was no
longer fertile.
Finally, Zeus intervened
and ruled that
Persephone would
spend half the year
with Hades and the
other half with her
mother.
• Io was one of the
mortal women who
bore Zeus children.
She was the
daughter of river
god Inachus.
Io
However, Hera found out about Zeus’
plans attempted to prevent their love
affair, though she was unable to do so.
Io is mostly associated with the cow.
Io was a priestess
to Hera, one of
Zeus’ wives. Zeus
turned Io a cow so
he can make love
to her without
Hera finding out.
Nymphs
• A nymph is a minor deity
(god) that is typically
associated with a certain
area or region.
• Different from gods,
nymphs are spirits who
complement nature. They
are usually depicted as
young beautiful females
who love to sing and
dance.
Nymphs could not die
of old age or illness.
If they mated with a
god, their children
would be immortal.
Cerberus
• Cerberus was the
offspring of Typhon and
Echidna. He was a threeheaded watchdog who
guarded the underworld
and stopped anyone who
tried to return to the land
of the living.
Cerberus was so dreadful
that anyone who looked
upon him was turned to
stone.
Cyclops
• The Cyclops are a race of
giants, each with a single
eye in the middle of his
forehead.
• The Cyclops provide aid to
Zeus during his war against
the Titans. During the Titan
War, Zeus releases three
Cyclops and they give him,
Poseidon and Hades with
weapons to defeat the
Titans.
Sphinx
• The Sphinx was the daughter of
Echidna and Typhon. The Sphinx
was a monster with the face of a
woman, the body of a lion and
the wings of a bird. She was
sent by Hera as a curse on the
city of Thebes.
The Sphinx guarded
the city of Thebes, and
all who wished to pass
had either to answer a
riddle or die.
Oedipus was the only
one who gave the right
answer. When he did
so, the Sphinx hurled
itself over a cliff and
died.
Typhon
• Typhon was conceived by
Gaia when she was banished
to Tartarus. He was a terrible
serpent-like monster whose
eyes shot out in flames.
Typhon wished to
establish himself as
ruler of the world,
but Zeus destroyed
him with a
thunderbolt.
Mount Aetna in
Sicily is said to be
caused by Typhon’s
imprisonment
beneath the crater.
Homer
• Homer (not the father
of Bart) was the most
important author during
this time. He wrote two
epic poems which are
believed to the be
foundation of Western
Literature.
• He is most famous for
writing The Iliad and The
Odyssey.
The City of Troy and the Trojan War
•
•
•
One of the most important stories to emerge from Greek
Mythology is the story of the Trojan War.
This war, which lasted ten years, was between the countries
of Greece and Troy.
The story of the Trojan War is considered to be a legend as
well as a myth because of the few facts we have about the
actual city of Troy.
• The two absolute facts we have about the city
of Troy was that it did exist and it was defeated
in a great battle.
• The city of Troy was considered to be
northwest of Anatolia in modern-day Turkey.
• The largest defense Troy had were its walls,
which were considered impossible to breach
The Judgment of Paris
The Judgment of Paris was thought to be the beginning of the Trojan War.
Three goddesses, Athena, Hera and Aphrodite asked Paris to decide who was
the most beautiful goddess/woman in the world. Each goddess gave Paris a
gift in attempt to persuade him:
• Athena: offered to
give Paris great
strength and wisdom
in in battle
• Hera: offered to
make Paris king of
Europe and Asia
• Aphrodite: offered to
give Paris the most
beautiful mortal
woman in the world
What Aphrodite purposely did not tell Paris was
that the most beautiful mortal woman in the
world is already married to someone else
Moral of the story: beautiful women are
dangerous
Helen of Sparta
(and then Troy)
• Helen was the most beautiful
and desirable women in Greek
mythology.
• When she was young, parents
married her to Menelaus in
order to keep the peace
between the two cities.
• The two had a peaceful
marriage until Aphrodite, the
goddess of love had her fall in
love with Paris.
• She soon left her husband to
join Paris in his home of Troy.
When Menelaus decided to
fight Troy to win her back, the
Trojan War began.
The two had a peaceful marriage
until Aphrodite, the goddess of love
had her fall in love with Paris.
She soon left her husband to join
Paris in his home of Troy. When
Menelaus decided to fight Troy to
win her back, the Trojan War began.
Hector
•
•
Hector was the eldest son of Priam,
king of Troy. He was the bravest of
the Trojan warriors and was
unbeaten on the battlefield.
His luck soon ran out when he
mistakenly killed Patroclus, a young
man under the guidance of Achilles.
•
•
Hector’s strength are on the
battlefield. He is known not only
for his skills in battle, but also for
his ability to strategize.
Hector’s nickname is “Tamer of
Horses” because he is able to
keep a horse calm in battle, a
very difficult task.
Paris
•
•
•
•
According to the Greeks, Paris was
the entire cause of the Trojan War.
Paris, a prince of Troy, was a very
handsome man who had a
reputation with many women;
indeed it was believed that his good
looks were a gift from the gods.
However, he also had a reputation
for not being very manly or
aggressive. Up until the Trojan War,
Paris did not fight in any battles and
had never killed a man.
Although he is not known for his
skills in battle, Paris has two
strengths: he is very good at archery
and he is able to charm any woman.
Paris’ wanderings with women
soon came to a stop when he
fell in love with Helen of Sparta
The two fell in love so quickly
and to such a degree that Helen
left her husband to be with
Paris in Troy.
This gave Helen’s husband an
excuse to invade Troy.
Achilles
• Achilles was the son of King
Peleus and a water goddess
named Thetis. He had the
reputation of being the greatest
of all the Greek warriors.
• Achilles’ only weakness was his
heel. This was the only part of his
body his mother forgot to dip in
the River Styx in order to protect
her son from an oracle which said
he would die in battle.
•
•
The Greeks knew that without
Achilles and his men (called the
Myrmidons) fighting for their side,
victory in the war would be difficult,
or even impossible to manage.
Achilles is killed in battle by Paris
when he shot an arrow into his heel.
Odysseus
•
•
Odysseus was king of Ithaca and
one of the leaders who took part in
the Trojan War.
He had a reputation for being a
brave and clever man, someone
who oftentimes relied on tricks to
get by.
It was Odysseus who came up with the plan of
the Trojan Horse. Many kings relied on him to
be a great schemer and a great speaker.
After the Trojan War, Odysseus has his own
adventures which are documented in The
Odyssey.
The Trojan Horse
• Once the Greeks realized that the
walls of Troy were too immense and
strong for anyone to pass through,
they started to think of a new
strategy.
• It is Odysseus who comes up with
the idea of the horse. The Greeks
pretend to leave Troy in defeat and
leave behind a giant statue of a
horse as an offering to the gods.
• Fooled by this, the Trojans bring the
horse into their city walls. At
nighttime, when everyone is asleep,
Greek soldiers climb out of the
horse and being a surprise
nighttime raid.
•
Aeneas was the son of
Aphrodite, and he is a favorite
among the Romans who claim
descent from them.
•
Aeneas distinguished himself
as a brave warrior during the
Trojan War. During the fall of
Troy, Aeneas managed to
escape with this father and
son.
Aeneas
•
Through many trials and
obstacles, Aeneas and the other
survivors of war eventually made
it to Rome.
•
To appease the people already
living there, the Trojans agree to
adopt the Latin language and
culture.
Elements of a Greek Tragedy
• The definition of tragedy has changed significantly since
ancient times. To clarify, we will use the original
definition of this word. The ancient Greeks defined
tragedy as the opposite of a happy ending.
• The main conflict might be solved in a tragedy, but the
characters will not live “happily ever after”.
• A tragedy will depict the downfall of the hero/heroine or
protagonist; this will usually be brought about by the will
of the gods.
A Tragic Hero
•
The hero does not necessarily have to
die in the end of a tragedy, though
most of them do. However, all heroes
will undergo a change in fortune.
•
The hero in a Greek tragedy will usually
be someone in high standing who is
brought very low.
•
Finally, the hero will learn or realize
some new information either about
fate, destiny or the will of the gods.
•
The hero will usually have some wish
he wants to achieve, but he will be
unable to so because of the combined
efforts of the gods, nature and his own
character flaws.
The Chorus
• The chorus will consist of a
group of performers who,
though not in the play
themselves, will comment
on the action taking place.
• Their job is to provide
background and summary
information to help the
audience follow the
performance.
The Chorus Continued
• In many plays, the chorus will express what the
characters cannot say and will offer the audience
insight into their hidden thoughts and feelings.
• Most of the lines spoken by chorus members are
done so in unison.
• Additionally, the chorus will mark the beginning
and end of each play.
Sophocles
• Sophocles is one of
three tragedians
whose works have
survived. He wrote
123 plays during his
lifetime, but only
seven have survived.
• Of these seven,
Oedipus Rex is the
most famous one.
Sophocles was a very successful
playwright and was considered to
be one of the best at his craft.
The plays about Oedipus are
called the Theban plays concern
themselves with the Greek city of
Thebes.
Oedipus
• Oedipus was the son of King Laius and Queen
Jacosta. An oracle had warned that Oedipus
would kill his father.
• To avoid this, his parents left him to die on a
distant mountainside. However, a shepherd
found the baby and took it to King Polybus and
Queen Merope of Corinth who had no children
of their own.
• When he was older, he confronted the oracle
about the prophecy and was told that he would
one day kill his father and marry his mother.
Horrified, Oedipus fled.
Oedipus continued
• On the way to fleeing north, Oedipus
encountered a stranger whom he fought with
and killed.
• He married this man’s widow, and it was only
years later he was to discover that the man
had been his father.
Jacosta
• Jacosta is Oedipus’ wife and
mother. She appears in the
final portions of the play to try
and make peace between
Oedipus and Creon.
Jocasta figures out
Oedipus’ terrible
mistake before he
does, and she tries
to stop him from
gaining the
knowledge that he
killed his father and
married his mother.
Her one desire is to
protect Oedipus
from the truth.
Creon
• Creon is Oedipus’ brother-inlaw. Creon is very logical and
intelligent.
• When he is accused of
treason, he defends himself
so well that almost everyone
agrees with him.
• In the end of the of the play,
Creon becomes king and
takes custody of Oedipus’
two daughters.
Even though he has never
given reason, Oedipus
does not trust Creon
entirely. Their strong
relationship deteriorates
very quickly in the play.
Tiresias
• Tiresias is a aged, blind soothsayer
(prophet). Throughout the play,
Oedipus is looking for a murderer.
Tiresias warns him that Oedipus
himself is the murderer he is looking
for. Oedipus does not believe him.
• Tiresias also warns Oedipus that his
actions will bring disaster to the city
of Thebes.
• Even though both Creon and
Oedipus claim to trust Tiresias
deeply, they both do not believe him
when he makes prophecies that
regard themselves.