2. Mythology:
Traditional stories of gods, kings, and
heroes
Show the relations between gods and
people
Mythology was a form of early science to
Greeks because it helped explain the
unexplainable.
3. Mythology:
The study of “Myths”—and myths are stories
about supernatural beings in early times,
which were handed down orally from one
generation to another
Myths attempt to explain such things as:
Nature-Where did Earth come from? Heavens?
Seasons? Geography?
Man- Where did we come from?
Gods-Where do the gods come from?
4. Mythology:
Myths seek to explain all those
unexplainable or unknowable aspects of
life.
Where do we go after we die?
How was the world created?
Why can we see our reflection in water?
Why are there four separate
seasons?
Why do we fall in love?
How is lightning created?
Why do our voices sometime echo?
How was fire created, and why do we have it?
6. The Greeksand Romans believed in
polytheism…
Poly=many
Theism=God
Polytheism=many gods
7. Whydowe studyGreekMythology?
Interesting and Entertaining
Shows how ancient people
viewed the world and gives us
an account of their history
It is constantly referenced to in
everyday life
10. Uranus hatedallhischildrenbut
especiallythemonsters…
Locked the monsters inTartarus
Gaea was upset and asked theTitans to help
Cronus, the youngest and strongest,
overthrew is father, Uranus, and seized the
rule of the Universe.
Cronus took Rhea for a wife and divided the
Earth among his fellowTitans
Cronus and Rhea had 6 children:The
Olympians
11. Cronusfearedthathischildrenwouldoverthrow
himthewayheoverthrewhisfather…
Cronus swallowed all of his children…except the
last one.
Rhea replaced the infant with a stone to prevent
Cronus from swallowing Zeus. He grew up in
hiding (Crete)
When Zeus was grown he made his dad
regurgitate his siblings
Zeus and his siblings raged war against their
father, Cronus
12. Titanomochy,orWaroftheTitans
Cronus VS Zeus
Titans
Mount Othrys
His siblings
Hecatonchires & Cyclopes
Mount Olympus
Zeus, with the use of his lightning bolt given to him by the
Cyclopes, defeated Cronus and his army. Most of the
Titans were confined toTartarus. Zeus divided the world
among his sibling gods…
13. Zeus
is the king of the gods,
the ruler of Mount
Olympus and the god of
the sky and thunder.
His symbols are the
thunderbolt, eagle, bull,
and oak.
His siblings: Posiedon,
Hades, Hestia,
Demeter, and Hera
Had many affairs and many
offspring
14. Hera
Wife and older sister to
Zeus
Queen of Olympians
Goddess of childbirth and
marriage
Symbols: pomegranate
She took many forms,
among them that of a
bird.
Vindictive, jealous of Zeus’s affairs
15. Poseidon
God of the sea, horses,
and earthquakes
One of the supreme
Gods of Mount
Olympus, but he spent
most of his time in his
watery domain.
Symbols:Trident,
dolphins, horses
16. Hestia
Goddess of Hearth and
Home
Honored at meal times
She was thought of as
the kindest and mildest
of the kindest and
mildest of the
goddesses.
She represented
personal and communal
security and happiness.
17. Demeter
Goddess of Agriculture
Often shown carrying a
bundle of grain
Symbols: wheat,
poppies, cornucopia
18. Aphrodite
Goddess of love,
beauty and fertility
One legend states
that she is the
daughter of Zeus and
Dione. Another
legend says that she
was born from sea-
foam
She is associated
with the dove
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19. Athena
Goddess of wisdom
and war
She was the patron
goddess of Athens
Her symbol is the owl
She is the favorite
daughter of Zeus
Protector of the city
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20. Hades
God of the underworld
“King of the Dead”
Symbols: Cerberus,
Bident, and Cypress
22. Greek Divinities
B. Olympians - the most powerful group. They
are called Olympians because they lived on
Mount Olympus. The Olympians overthrew the
Titans. This group consists of several ranks of
divinities, with twelve gods and goddesses
making up the top rank.
23. Name Description
Zeus ruler of all divinities in Mount Olympus; the god of the sky
and thunder
Poseidon god of the sea and earthquakes; Zeus’s brother
Hades god of the underworld; Zeus’s brother
Apollo god of the sun, music, poetry, and purity; son of Zeus and
Leto (daughter of theTitansCoeus and Phoebe)
Ares god of war; son of Zeus and Hera
Hephaestus god of fire; blacksmith for the gods; son of Zeus and Hera
Hermes god of commerce, travelers, and thieves; guide of souls;
messenger of the Olympian gods; son of Zeus and Maia
(one of the seven daughters of theTitanAtlas)
Hestia goddess of the hearth; Zeus’s sister
Hera goddess of marriage; Zeus’s sister and wife
Athena goddess of wisdom and war; daughter of Zeus
Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty; daughter of Zeus with his first
wife, theTitan named Dione (in the Iliad); is said to have
sprung from sea foam (in later poems)
Artemis goddess of the hunt and the moon;Apollo’s twin sister;
daughter of Zeus and Leto
24. Greek Divinities
C. Minor divinities - other gods and goddesses
aside from the twelve Olympians, some of
whom are the following:
1. Eros – god of love; also known as Cupid in
Latin
2. Dionysus – god of wine; son of Zeus and
Semele (a mortal princess ofThebes)
3. Nymphs – beautiful maidens who were in
charge of guarding various parts of nature
25. Greek Divinities
Nymphs Description
Naiads freshwater nymphs
Nereids and
Oceanids
sea nymphs; daughters of
Nereus and Oceanus
Oreads mountain nymphs
Hamadryads tree nymphs
Dryads tree nymphs; specifically for oak
trees
26. Greek Divinities
4. Fates – three goddesses who controlled the
destiny of men
5. Furies – responsible for punishing evildoers in
the afterlife; they are three sisters named
Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto.
Fates Description
Clotho spun the thread of life
Lachesis assigned each man his destiny
Atropos cut the thread of life
Furies Description
Tisiphone avenger of murder
Megaera punisher of crimes especially
marital infidelity
Alecto punisher of moral crimes
27. Greek Divinities
6. Muses – nine goddesses of different arts and
sciences; daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne
Muses Description
Clio muse of history
Urania muse of astronomy
Thalia muse of comedy
Melpomene muse of tragedy
Terpsichore muse of dance
Erato muse of love poetry
Calliope muse of epic poetry
Euterpe muse of lyric poetry
Polyhymnia muse of songs to the gods
28. Greek Divinities
D. Aside from gods and goddesses, Greek
mythology also featured the following:
Demigods - partly divine, partly mortal beings;
one example is Heracles (Hercules in Roman
mythology), who symbolized strength and
endurance
Heroes - mostly or fully mortal beings, many of
whom had gods as ancestors
Monsters - terrifying creatures
Men - mortals