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Mythology is body of stories
about gods and heroes that try
to explain how the world
works.
Zeus- Main god
Hades-underworld
Hera- Queen
Demeter- agriculture
Poseidon- sea
Hestia- the hearth
Athena- wisdom
Ares- war
Apollo- the sun
Aphrodite- love
Artemis- the moon
Hephaestus- metalworking
Dionysus- celebration
Hermes- the messenger god
Greeks saw the work of the gods
in events all around them
Hephaestus- volcanoes
Demeter- the seasons
Greeks built temples to keep the
gods happy
Some Greek myths were about
great heroes (some real, some
imaginary)
Each city had their favorite hero
•In Athens it was Theseus who
killed the Minotaur
•The most famous was Hercules
The earliest writings are the Iliad and
the Odyssey by Homer. They are
considered epic poems, because they
describe the deeds of great heroes.
•The Iliad tells of the last years of the
Trojan War
•The Odyssey tells of Odysseus’
journey home from the war
These stories were central to the
Greek education system
Homer’s poems influenced later
writers who copied his style
These stories are considered to be
some of the greatest ever written
Poems set to music for a lyre
We get the word “lyrics” from this
Most Greek poets were men, but
Sappho was a famous women
poet, known for her poems of love
and relationships
Short stories that teach
a lesson about life
Aesop is the most
famous
Often, animals are the
main characters
Many of our words come from the
Greek language (odyssey, titanic)
Many places are named after
Greek mythical figures (Athens)
Greek myths have inspired artists
for centuries (Hercules, Percy
Jackson)