Download Greek God and Goddesses

GREEK VALUES AND
THEIR GODS AND
GODDESSES
9th Grade Literature
Values of the Ancient Greeks
• Courtesy and respect for all classes of
people
• Courage, trust and discipline
• Community and law
• Home and family
• Obedience to the divine world
Myths
• Myths are stories that use fantasy to
express ideas about life that cannot be
expressed easily in realistic terms.
• Myths are basically religious because
they are concerned with the relationship
between human beings and the unknown
or spiritual realm.
The Oral Tradition
• In Homer’s time there were no movies or
television and probably not any written
history.
• In order to pass on tales of recent events
or the stories of great heroes, gods, and
goddesses, men would travel from
community to community singing of such
events.
The Oral Tradition (cont.)
• These “singers of tales” were known as
Rhapsodes.
• Rhapsodes were the historians and
entertainers as well as the myth-makers
of their time.
• These singers had to be very talented
and work very hard to memorize all of the
stories they told.
Greek God and Goddesses
The Olympians: Like any normal religion, the gods
and goddesses of ancient Greece were who the
Greek civilians worshiped and praised daily.
In the Beginning…
there was Chaos. He was considered the father
of the world, much like Christians believe
God is the father. He had 3 children and they
are the gods that helped to birth the life that
is on Earth. Those gods, Gaea, Nyx, and
Erebus, gave birth to the sky, the sea, and the
mountains. From there, the Earth began to
grow.
Gaia: Goddess of Earth and
Nyx: Goddess of Night
Erebus: God of darkness and shadow
The Next Gods…
…were called the Titans. They were gigantic
and fearful, but not really all that bad. Just
moody! The king of the Titans was called
Cronus. He killed his father Uranus and
maimed his mother Gaea in order to get
control of the Earth. He also started eating
his own children (the Olympian gods) to keep
them from overthrowing him the way he did
his own father and mother.
Cronus eating his children & the Titans
But…
• Cronus was overthrown by the leader of the next
generation of gods, the Olympian gods. Zeus was
Cronus’s son, and he is the one who overthrew
him. Zeus became the supreme ruler. His
brother, Poseidon, became ruler of the ocean.
His other brother, Hades, became the ruler of the
underworld, which is like Hell, Heaven, and
Purgatory all in one. Those three gods were the
next to be in charge of the Earth. They, and
others, were the main gods that were worshiped
by the Greeks.
Zeus:
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Supreme ruler of the Olympians
Married to Hera, who is also his sister
Olympian children are Athena, Apollo
God of the sky
Weapon is the lightning bolt
Rules on Mount Olympus, where the
Olympian gods live
Poseidon
• God of sea, horses, and earthquakes
• Brother of Zeus
• Weapon is the trident
Hades
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God of the underworld
Brother to Zeus and Poseidon
Wife is Persephone, Demeter’s daughter
Scepter or horn of plenty is his symbol
Cerberus is his pet who helps guard the
underworld
Hades
Persephone
Hera
• Wife of Zeus, also his sister….gross!!!
• Protector of marriage and family...irony? why
yes it is!
• Symbol is the peacock
• Ares and Hephaestus are her children with
Zeus
Aphrodite
• Goddess of love and beauty
• Said to have been born on the foam of the
ocean
• Married to Hephaestus, who is lame and
considered ugly
• Son is Eros, also known as cupid
• Daughter of Zeus and Dione
Athena
• Daughter of Zeus (Zeus got a bad headache
and his head split and out popped Athena)
• Goddess of war and wisdom
• Symbol is the owl
• Has no husband or children
• Loved helping the mortal heroes in Greek
epics, like Odysseus and Perseus
Apollo
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God of sun, light, medicine, and music
Father is Zeus
Has a twin sister, Artemis
The sun, bow, and chariot are some symbols
associated with Apollo
Artemis
• Goddess of the hunt, forest, and all things
wilderness
• Twin sister of Apollo
• Her bow and her hounds are her symbols
• She hates men and opposes the institution of
marriage….very independent woman!
Ares
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God of War
Symbol is the spear
Only legitimate son of Hera and Zeus
Had numerous affairs, including one with
Aphrodite (who’s married to Hephaestus)
Hermes
• God of travels and is also called the
“Messenger god”
• Has a winged hat, winged shoes, and a snake
encircled staff
• Also the son of Zeus, a product of one of
Zeus’s many affairs
Hestia
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Calm goddess of home and hearth
Symbol is the hearth with an eternal flame
Sister to Zeus, Hades, Hera and Poseidon
Never married even though Poseidon tried to
court her (yep, her own brother)
Hephaestus
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Lame god of fire and forge
Makes all the gods’ weapons
Married to Aphrodite
Kind of an alcoholic
Parents are rumored to be Zeus and Hera, but
they don’t like to claim him because he is
unattractive; sometimes portrayed as
deformed
All 12 together on Mount Olympus
Because gods like to “play”…
• Many of the Olympian gods had numerous
affairs with mortals, other lesser gods,
sometimes other creatures. As a result, in
Greek Mythology there are numerous
monsters and creatures, many of whom pop
up in Homer’s The Odyssey.
Centaurs: half man, half horse
Cerberus: 3 headed dog who guards
the underworld
Cyclops: Giant w/ one eye; children of
Poseidon
Fates: 3 women who determine life
and death
Medusa: Once beautiful but cursed with extreme
ugliness. To look at her turns you to stone.
Minotaur: Half man, half bull
Pegasus: Winged Horse sired by
Poseidon
Sirens: half bird, half women; their
singing lures sailors to their deaths