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The Greek and Roman Gods The Origins of the Gods The top 12 of Olympus Hamilton’s Introduction to Mythology Before the Greeks, mankind was afraid of the unknown and used sacrifice as a way to appease angry spirits or predators. The “Greek miracle”: the Greeks eventually evolve past the idea of human sacrifice to a more enlightened people; gods were used to explain the unknown Myth was used not only as entertainment but also early science. Hamilton’s Introduction to Mythology. Unlike previous deities, Greek Gods were made in man’s image to show how humans became the center of the universe. Because they looked like humans, gods showed the perfection of the human form and emphasized the ideal of beauty, strength, wisdom, etc. This also gave the gods flaws, making them more relatable. How do the following pictures support what Edith Hamilton says in the second paragraph on page 5? Egyptian Gods Ra Greek Gods Artemis Creation of the World From nothing, there came Chaos Night and Erebus were born of Chaos Love was born of Erebus Light and Day were born of Love The Birth of the First Creatures Ouranos (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth) parent the first creatures 1. Three monsters with 100 hands, 50 heads 2. Three Cyclopes (one-eyed giants) 3. Titans (as powerful as brothers, but not purely destructive *****Gaia = geo (prefix meaning earth) titanic = enormous, strong, powerful The Titans Cronus (Saturn): most powerful, father of Zeus Ocean: river encircling the earth Hyperion: father of sun, moon, and dawn Mnemosyne: memory Themis: justice Atlas Prometheus Brothers, who together Epimetheus caused the fall of man *****mnemonic = intended to assist the memory Daddy Issues Ouranos was a terrible father: hating his 100-handed sons, he locked them in the earth Gaia begged her son Cronus to help Cronus overthrew Ouranos and wounded him From his blood, Giants & Furies are born Cronus is lord of the universe for untold ages He never actually frees his brothers (you know, the reason he was supposed to fight dad in the first place) War: Gods v Titans And More Daddy Issues Cronus & sister-queen Rhea have 6 children Hades, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon, Hestia, Zeus Prophecy: one of Cronus’s children will overthrow him Cronus swallows all his babies whole Rhea is not pleased Secretly sends 6th baby (Zeus) to Crete Gives hubby a rock wrapped in a blanket, which he swallows Zeus grows up, makes dad throw up his siblings, and war is on Taking Sides Titans, obviously, side with Cronus and fight Zeus and his siblings War almost wrecks the universe Titans lose for 2 reasons Zeus frees the 100-handed monsters, who naturally fight on his side Titan Prometheus fights for Zeus Crime and Punishment Zeus punishes the Titans in a big way Most are bound in chains under the earth Atlas is forced to carry the earth on his back/shoulders *****atlas: a book of maps Zeus (Jupiter) Lord of the sky, rain god, cloud gatherer Grand but flawed ◦ Deceivable ◦ Has a serious weakness for females ◦ Fate is stronger than he is Breastplate: Aegis Weapon: thunderbolt Bird: eagle Oracle: Dodona (priests interpret his will through the rustling of oak leaves) Hera (Juno) Wife and sister of Zeus Protector of marriage ONLY in the tale of the Golden Fleece, she protects and inspires heroes Venerated in every home ◦ Daughter Ilithyia helps women in childbirth Jealous, spiteful, vindictive ◦ Constantly tortures her husband’s lovers Animals: cow, peacock City: Argos Poseidon (Neptune) Ruler of the sea Second only to Zeus Wife is Amphitrite, a Nereid, granddaughter of Ocean Undersea palace is splendid, but he hangs out on Olympus most of the time Storm and calm are under his control Drives golden car over waters Gave man the first horse Called Earth-shaker Carries a trident Hades (Pluto) Ruler of the underworld and the dead ◦ He is NOT death: Death is Thanatos God of wealth & precious metals under the earth Has a helmet that makes the wearer invisible Not popular on Olympus Unpitying, inexorable, but just Wife is Persephone, daughter of his sister Demeter Pallas Athena (Minerva) Daughter of Zeus alone: sprang from his head in full armor Zeus’s favorite child: trusted to carry his Aegis and thunderbolt Goddess of the city ◦ Protector of civilized life, handicrafts, agriculture ◦ Inventor of bridle ◦ Gave man the olive tree In the Iliad ONLY, she is a fierce battle goddess The leader of the 3 virgin goddesses In Greek poetry she embodies 3 virtues ◦ Wisdom ◦ Reason ◦ purity City: Athens Bird: Owl Tree: olive Phoebus Apollo Son of Zeus and Leto The most Greek of all the gods Beautiful Master musician Archer god Teaches men the art of healing God of Light God of Truth: never speaks falsely His oracle at Delphi is the most important oracle ◦ Its center is the stone Cronus swallowed instead of Zeus Associated with the sun ◦ He is NOT the sun god: the sun god is Helios Dual nature ◦ Sometimes beneficent, a peace-maker, communicator of divine will ◦ Sometimes cruel and pitiless Tree: laurel Animals: many, but especially the dolphin and crow Artemis (Diana) Apollo’s twin, daughter of Zeus and Leto One of the 3 virgin goddesses Lady of the wild things, huntsman for the gods Protects the young Carries silver arrows Dual nature ◦ Protects young, helps women with swift, painless death ◦ Fierce and vindictive Associated with the moon ◦ She is NOT the mood goddess: the moon goddess is Selene Tree: cypress Animals: all wild animals, but especially the deer Aphrodite (Venus) Goddess of love and beauty Laughter-loving Beguiling: steals the wits of the wise Laughs at those she conquers Parentage is questionable Dual nature Wife of Hephaestus, the only ugly god Tree: myrtle Birds: dove, sparrow, swan (drives a chariot pulled by swans) ◦ In the Iliad: daughter of Zeus and Dione ◦ In later poems: sprang from the foam of the sea, landed on Cyprus ◦ Beautiful, brings light, joy, loveliness ◦ Treacherous and malicious *****aphrodisiac = something that arouses desire venereal = pertaining to sexual desire Hermes (Mercury) Son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas) Zeus’s messenger ◦ Graceful and swift ◦ Wings on sandals, hat, & wand (the Caduceus) Most cunning of gods: master thief ◦ The day he was born, he stole Apollo’s herds ◦ Won Apollo’s forgiveness by giving him his invention: the lyre God of commerce and the market Guide of the dead Appears more often in myths than any other god *****mercurial = quick-witted, lively, changeable hermaphrodite = has reproductive organs of both sexes (comes from a myth about Hermes’s child with Aphrodite) Ares (Mars) Son of Zeus & Hera: they can’t stand him God of war ◦ Hateful and ruthless ◦ Homer calls him murderous and bloodstained ◦ Innately a coward, runs away when wounded Attendants ◦ Eris: goddess of discord ◦ Strife: Eris’s sister ◦ Enyo: war goddess, who hangs with Terror, Trembling, and Panic Romans liked Mars better than Greeks did Ares Figures very little in myth Lover of Aphrodite No cities where he is worshipped Bird: vulture Animal: dog *****martial: warlike (i.e. martial law or martial arts) Hephaestus (Vulcan or Mulciber) Questionable parentage ◦ Sometimes son of Zeus and Hera ◦ Sometimes just Hera’s son (like Athena is just his) God of fire The only ugly god, and has a limp to boot ◦ Some myths say Hera saw he was ugly & threw ◦ him off Olympus ◦ Others say he defended Hera against Zeus, so ◦ Zeus threw him Workman of the immortals ◦ Makes their dwellings, armor, furnishings, weapons ◦ Has handmaidens he made out of gold ◦ His workshop can be found under this or that volcano Wife ◦ Iliad: one of the three Graces ◦ Odyssey: Aphrodite Kindly, peace-loving, popular with mortals Patron of handicrafts, as is Athena *****volcano Hestia (Vesta) Sister of Zeus One of the 3 virgin goddesses Goddess of the hearth and home ◦ Mortal meals begin & end w/ offering to her ◦ Each city had a public hearth in her honor ◦ Newborns must be carried around hearth to be received into the family In Rome, her priestesses are virgins, called Vestals No distinct personality, plays no part in myths *****vestal = virginal Lesser Gods of Olympus Eros (Cupid) God of love, his home is in men’s hearts Represented blindfolded Said to be Aphrodite’s son Dual nature ◦ Cannot do or allow wrong; force can’t come near him ◦ In later myths, mischievous or even evil Attendants ◦ Anteros: avenges slighted love ◦ Himeros: longing ◦ Hymen: god of wedding feast *****erotic = arousing desire cupidity = greed Hebe Goddess of youth Daughter of Zeus and Hera Cupbearer to the gods Marries Hercules Iris Goddess of the rainbow Messenger of the gods Hebe and Iris The Graces Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome (daughter of Ocean) Not separate personalities, except in one myth, in which Aglaia marries Hephaestus Triple incarnation of grace and beauty ◦ Aglaia: splendor ◦ Euphrosyne: mirth ◦ Thalia: good cheer Dance to music of Apollo’s lyre No party is complete without them The Muses Clio: history Daughters of Zeus & Mnemosyne Take away men’s unhappy thoughts Companions of Apollo Can make lies sound true Inspirers of men There are 9 Urania: astronomy Melpomene: tragedy Thalia: comedy Terpsichore: dance Calliope: epic poetry Erato: love poetry Polyhymnia: songs to gods Euterpe: lyric poetry *****hymn = song to god Zeus’s Cabinet on olympus Themis: divine justice Dike: human justice Nemesis: righteous anger Aidos: reverence (the shame that keeps men in line *****nemesis = an opponent or rival that cannot be overcome; an agent or act of retribution Gods of the Waters Poseidon Ocean Pontus: deep sea Nereus: son of Pontus; old man of the sea, has 50 daughters called Nereids Triton: trumpeter of the sea (uses conch shell) Proteus: shapeshifter, sees the future Naiads: water nymphs (freshwater) Nereids: water nymphs (saltwater) Two Great Gods of Earth Demeter and Dionysus Demeter (Ceres) Goddess of the harvest Mother of Persephone Lost her daughter ◦ Persephone wandered too far, enticed by a flower ◦ Hades dragged her through a chasm to the underworld Demeter left Olympus to search for Persephone Neglected the earth, harvests suffered ◦ Zeus is alerted by suffering humanity, sends Hermes for Persephone ◦ Persephone ate pomegranate seeds in the underworld: if you eat anything down there, you can’t leave Compromise ◦ Persephone must live with Hades in underworld for 4 months per year ◦ When Persephone is gone, Demeter mourns, fields are barren = winter ◦ On Persephone’s return, life returns = spring ◦ Persephone is the goddess of the spring *****cereal Dionysus (Bacchus) Son of Zeus and Semele ◦ Hera, jealous, tricks Semele: make Zeus promise (by the Styx) to show himself in all his glory ◦ Semele is killed by the burning light of his glory ◦ Zeus snatches the child, near birth, to store in his thigh God of the vine: born of fire, nursed by rain ◦ He is a new god, arriving much later than all the other gods, established by Zeus, his father, as a god to be worshipped ◦ wanders the earth, teaching the culture of the vine ◦ Worshipped everywhere but his country ◦ He is the god of resurrection, dying, like the vine, each year, to be resurrected later Dionysus (Cont’D) Followers are Maenads, or Bacchantes ◦ Women frenzied with wine rush across fields & woods in ecstasy, tear wild creatures & devour ◦ Dionysus feeds them and helps them sleep it off ◦ Their beauty is counteracted by their bloody feasts Some refuse to believe ◦ Lycurgus, king of Thrace, is struck blind by Zeus ◦ Pentheus, king of Thebes & Dionysus’s cousin, is ripped to pieces by Maenads that include his own mother Dual nature ◦ Beneficent and kind ◦ Cruel, driving men to terrible deeds *****bacchanal = an occasion of drunken revelry Pan Lesser Gods of Earth ◦ Son of Hermes ◦ God of goat herders, home is in wild places ◦ Frolics with nymphs ◦ Sounds heard at night are credited to him: panic Silenus ◦ Worships Dionysus ◦ Always drunk, rides an ass because he can’t stand up Castor and Pollux ◦ Twins, one is mortal, the other is immortal ◦ Couldn’t bear to be parted by death, so Pollux shares his immortality w/ Castor Satyrs: half man, half goat Centaurs: half man, half horse Oreads: mountain nymphs Dryads: tree nymphs Lesser Gods of Earth (cont.) Aeolus: god of the winds, father of the 4 winds ◦ Boreas (Aquilo): north ◦ Zephyr (Favonius): west ◦ Notus (Auster): south ◦ Eurus: east Gorgons ◦ 3 earth-dwellers ◦ Monsters: dragon-like, snakes for hair, look turns a man to stone Graiae ◦ 3 gray sisters to the Gorgons ◦ Share one eye Sirens ◦ Their song lures sailors to death, but is irresistible ◦ No one knows what they look like Fates ◦ 3 females, stronger than the gods, who give men their inherent good or evil at birth ◦ Clotho: spins thread of life ◦ Lachesis: assigns destiny ◦ Atropos: carries shears to cut the thread of life *****zephyr = gentle breeze The Creation of Man 2 Titans who sided with Zeus are responsible for creating man ◦ Epimetheus Name means “afterthought” Scatterbrained Gave best gifts to animals before making man, leaving man with nothing ◦ Prometheus Name means “forethought” Thought of a way to give man superiority Fashioned man into a nobler shape: upright Lit a torch from the sun and gave man fire to protect him The Fall of Man Only men exist at first Zeus becomes angry with Prometheus and with man ◦ Prometheus helps man trick Zeus ◦ 2 sacks from a slaughtered ox: one has bones, covered with juicy fat, the other has the edible meat, covered with entrails ◦ Zeus chooses the pretty fat to be sacrificed to him and later learns he got the raw end of that deal Man’s punishment is woman ◦ Zeus creates Pandora ◦ Gods gift her with every lovely quality (Pandora = “gift of all” ◦ Zeus gives Pandora to Epimetheus as wife (he accepts, in spite of Prometheus’s warning not to accept gifts from Zeus) the Fall oF man (Cont’D) ◦ Pandora is also given a box, with a warning never to open it ◦ Of course, she opens it, and plagues, sorrow, & mischief fly out ◦ Only hope is left in the box Prometheus’s punishment is more gruesome ◦ Chained to a mountaintop ◦ Each day, an eagle tears out his liver ◦ The liver always grows back overnight, so the process can repeat itself. Did you know? The liver is the only organ that regenerates itself. The Deluge Men are so wicked, Zeus sends a flood to destroy them Only Mt. Parnassus is not quite covered. 9 days, 9 nights of rain 2 people are saved ◦ Deucalion (Prometheus’s son) & Pyrrha (Epimetheus’s daughter) ◦ Prometheus advises them to hide in a wooden chest ◦ They are faithful to Zeus and allowed to live Repopulating the earth ◦ A voice tells Deucalion to throw the bones of his mother behind him ◦ Earth is mother, stones are her bones ◦ The stones take human shape. Mythological Locales The Underworld Rulers: Hades and Persephone Location Rivers separating underworld from earth ◦ Beneath secret places of earth (Iliad) ◦ Over edge of world, across ocean (Odyssey) ◦ Various entrances in caverns & deep lakes (later poetry) ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Acheron: woe Phlegethon: fire Cocytus: lamentation Lethe: forgetfulness Styx: the unbreakable oath Divisions of the Underworld ◦ Tartarus Prison of sons of earth Deepest region Wrongdoers are punished here ◦ Erebus: where the dead pass & are judged when they die ◦ Elysian Fields: place of blessedness, where the good go Important Figures ◦ Cerberus: 3-headed dog guards entrance (you can come in, but you can’t leave) ◦ Judges: Minos, Aeacus, Rhadamanthus ◦ Erinyes (Furies) Greeks believed they pursued sinners on earth Romans placed them in underworld, punishing dead sinners ◦ Sleep and Death: brothers, send dreams from underworld through 2 gates Horn: true dreams Ivory: false dreams Some Suffering Sinners in the Underworld Ixion: insulted Hera, so was bound to a spinning, flaming wheel for eternity Sisyphus: betrayed a secret of Zeus, so now he spends eternity pushing a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll down before he can get to the very top The Danaids: 49 sisters who murdered their grooms and now have to fill barrels that are full of holes (spoiler: it always drains out) Tantalus: he’s the worst! He served his own children to gods for dinner. His punishment? He stands waist-deep in a pool of clear, fresh water, under a tree full of juicy ripe fruit. He is super thirsty and super hungry, but when he reaches for fruit, the branches pull back, and when he tries to drink, the water recedes. So he’s surrounded by food and water and can have none. *****tantalize: to dangle the bait, always just out of reach!
