Transcript Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece

Bellringer
FICTION
FANTASY
Explain:
What’s the difference between
fiction, fantasy, and mythology?
Fiction: a story that involves imaginary
events that could be true, but aren’t.
Fantasy: a work of literature that involves
elements that are so highly imaginative they
could never truly exist.
Mythology: a collection of stories that
teach a lesson, inspire, explain the
unexplainable, entertain, that belong to a
certain culture or tradition.
Mythology
The word ‘mythology’ made up of
two Greek roots.
1) “mythos” meaning story
2) “-logy” meaning the study of.
By definition, mythology is the
study of stories of a specific
region or culture.
WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
Many people wonder where myths come from.
About 2,000 years ago an ancient Greek scholar
suggested that all myths are based on historical
facts that, over time, have been exaggerated into
impossible events.
Most modern scholars believe myths serve as
metaphors or symbols for teaching the beliefs of a
culture.
They believe the events are not based in truth, but
serve as an exciting way to get people to listen and
learn from the story.
WHY LEARN?
• Learning about myths is important when
studying history because they teach a lot
about a society’s values, life
experiences, environment, and beliefs
and allow people to compare them to
their own.
• Myths, historical evidence, and
archaeological finds offer insight into a
society’s past.
ANCIENT GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Ancient Greece is well known for its stories of gods,
goddesses, and heroes.
Basically, a myth is a story with a purpose.
Myths attempt to give explanations for events in the
natural world among humans and between Gods.
For example in Ancient Greece where volcanic
eruptions were common- they told myths about the
God Hephaestus who lived underground.
They explained the lava and fire from the volcanoes as
the huge fires of Hephaestus’s forge that he created
weapons at.
MYTH OF THE SEASONS
The Greeks did not think that they Gods
were only responsible for disasters, but
also for basic daily events.
For example they believe the four seasons
were created by the Goddess Demeter.
According to a Greek myth Demeter had a
daughter, Persephone, who was kidnapped
by Hades, God of the Underworld, because
of her beauty.
Demeter missed her daughter terribly and
begged Hades to release her. He agreed
to let her return to her mother for 6
months every year.
During the fall & winter, Demeter is
separated from her daughter once again
and misses her. Her grief is what causes
the plants to not grow.
When she returns home this is the spring
& summer months when the plants return
due to Demeter’s happiness.
A CLASSICAL GREEK MYTH:
• Explains a natural phenomenon or the
creation of something
• Depicts a struggle between good and evil
• Shows a relationship between mortals and
the supernatural
• Contains magical characters, gods,
goddesses, nymphs, giants, etc.
• Sometimes depicts a hero’s quest to
accomplish a great feat
• Makes reference to geological places and
cultural aspects of ancient Greece
HONORING THE GODS
• To keep the Gods happy the Greeks built great
temples to honor them around Greece.
• They expected the Gods to give them help
when they needed it in return,
• When they needed advice they traveled to
Delphi, a city in central Greece, to consult the
Oracle.
• The Oracle was a female priest of Apollo to
whom they though the Gods gave answers.
• Very well respected - was asked by Greek
leaders for advice on how to rule.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
IN THE BEGINNING…
• Greek mythology begins with Gaia, the earth
goddess who formed the world from
nothingness. She birthed and later married
Uranous, the sky-god.
• They had a child named Cronus, who left his
parents and started a group of fierce gods
called the Titans.
• Nervous about being overthrown by one of his
children, Cronus swallowed all but one of
them—a child named Zeus.
OVERTHROW OF KRONOS
• As legend predicted Zeus killed his father,
opened his father’s belly and freed his
brothers and sisters. Zeus banished the
Titans to the Underworld.
• He went to live on Mount Olympus. This
would become the home of the Gods.
• The gods and goddesses who lived with
Zeus on Mt. Olympus were known as
civilized deities, helping to bring order to
Greece.
GREEK GODS & GODDESSES
• Besides the main Olympian gods and
goddesses, Greeks honored hundreds
of other gods and goddesses.
• Some were local deities, known only to
the residents of particular city-states,
while others were known throughout
Greece.
GODS AND GODDESSES OF
ANCIENT GREECE
ZEUS (JUPITER)
King of the gods
Ruler of the Sky and
weather
Upholder of oaths
Hospitality
Symbol: Lighting Bolt
HERA (JUNO)
Sister of Zeus
Wife of Zeus
Queen of the Gods
Upholder of marriage
Extremely Jealous
Symbols: Peacock &
Cow
POSEIDON (NEPTUNE)
Brother of Zeus
God of the sea
Creator of Horses
Earthquakes
Symbol: Trident
HADES (PLUTO)
Brother of Zeus
God of the Underworld
Ugly, Unlucky, &
Unfortunate
Watches over the souls
of the dead and the
monsters imprisoned by
Zeus in the great war.
DEMETER (CERES)
Sister of Zeus
Goddess of the
Earth/Agriculture
Symbols: Wheat &
Plants
PERSEPHONE (PROSERPINA)
Daughter of Demeter
Wife of Hades
Queen of the
Underworld
Spends six months in
the underworld
(winter) and six
months with her
mother (summer)
HESTIA (VESTA)
Goddess of the Hearth or
Fireside
Daughter of Cronus and
Rhea
ATHENA (MINERVA)
Daughter of Zeus
Born from Zeus’s
head
Goddess of Wisdom &
Strategy
Warfare
Crafts
Symbol: Owl
APOLLO (APOLLO)
Son of Zeus
God of many things:
Light & Sun
Truth & Prophecy
Healing & Plague
Music & Poetry
Drives a Golden Chariot Across the
Sky
Twin sister is Artemis
Symbols: Python, Raven, & Bow &
Arrows
ARTEMIS (DIANA)
Daughter of Zeus
Twin sister of Apollo
Goddess of the Hunt
& the Moon
Wild animals
Childbirth
Symbol: Bow & the
Deer
ARES (MARS)
Son of Zeus and Hera
God of War
While Athena was seen
as strategic in war, Ares
was seen as
unpredictable and
violent.
Loves battles.
Symbols: Wild Boar & a
Spear
APHRODITE (VENUS)
Born from sea foam
Daughter of Zeus
Married to Hephaestus
Goddess of Love, Beauty, &
Pleasure
Anyone will magically fall in
love with her upon sight
Symbol: Dove
HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN)
Son of Hera
God of Metal
Working, Fire,
Smelting, & Crafts
Blacksmith for the
Gods
Symbols: Hammer
and Anvil
DIONYSUS (BACCHUS)
God of Wine , Music,
Theater, and Wild
Behavior
Son of Zeus and the
mortal woman Semele
Only major God that
has a mortal mother
Symbols: Grapes
HERMES (MERCURY)
Son of Zeus
Messenger of the Gods
God of commerce, thieves,
travelers, sports, athletes,
and border crossings,
Guide to the Underworld
Symbol: Cadeuces
EROS (CUPID)
Son of Aphrodite
Minor Love God
Represented as mischievousinterventions in affairs of Gods
and Mortals to create bonds of
love
Symbols: Bows, Arrows,
Candles, Hearts, Cupids, &
Wings and Kisses
PAN (FAUNUS)
God of Nature, Shepherds
and flocks, hunting, rustic
music, & companions of
nymphs
Legends tell us that he was
so ugly his own mother ran
away screaming in a panic.
Half man, half goat- such as
the mythical creatures- Satyr
LEARN THESE!
Graded Quiz on Friday at
the beginning of class over
these Gods & Goddesses!
Study!!!