Transcript Greek and Roman Mythology

Greek and Roman Mythology
What is a myth?
A traditional story rooted in primitive
folk beliefs of cultures
 Uses the supernatural to interpret natural
events
 Explains the culture’s view of the universe
and the nature of humanity

The First Parents
Mother Earth = Gaea
 Father Sky = Ouranos
 They had three kinds of children:

◦ Three monsters with 100 hands and 50 heads
◦ Three cyclopes
◦ The titans

These were the first characters that had the appearance of life,
although it was unlike any life known to man.
The Titans (the elder gods)
There were many of them.
 Enormous size, incredible strength
 Cronos (Saturn): Ruler of the titans
 Rhea: Wife of Cronos
 Ocean: River that encircled the world
 Iapetus: Father of Prometheus,
Epimetheus, and Atlas (also titans)

the principal gods

Cronos and Rhea
were parents of
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Zeus
Poseidon
Hades
Hera
Hestia
Demeter

Other Olympians
include
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Athena
Ares
Hebe
Hephaestus
Apollo
Artemis
Hermes
Aphrodite
Dionysus
Persephone
The Olympians
Zeus
Supreme god of the
Olympians
 Fathered many
characters in
mythology

Zeus
Hera
Zeus’s sister and
wife
 Jealous protector
of marriage
 Punished the
women Zeus fell
in love with

Poseidon
god of the Seas
and Waters
 “The Earthshaker”

Hades
god of the
Underworld/
Dead
 Kidnapped
Persephone

Hestia
goddess of
home
 powerful
protector

Demeter
goddess of the
Harvest
 A goddess of
the Earth

Athena
goddess of
Wisdom and
War
 sprang from
Zeus’s head

Ares
god of war
 Son of Zeus and
Hera
 Bloodthirsty and
merciless

Hephaestus
god of
Fire/Forge
 Son of Zeus and
Hera
 Kind, unlike his
brother

Apollo
god of
Light/Sun and
Music
 Brother of
Artemis

Artemis
goddess of the
Moon/ Hunt
 Sister to
Apollo

Hermes
Messenger of
the gods
 Appears in
more myths
than any other
character

Aphrodite
goddess of
Love and
Beauty
 Sprang from
the ocean foam

Dionysus
god of Wine
 Patron god of
the Greek stage
 A god of the
Earth

Persephone
goddess of the
Underworld
 Daughter of Zeus
and Demeter
 Abducted by
Hades

Eros
Young god of
Love
 Son of Aphrodite
and Hephaestus

The Gorgons
Three snakehaired monsters
 Medusa is most
well-known
 Their look turns
men to stone.

The Centaurs
Half man, half
horse
 Savage creatures
(except Chiron)
 Followers of
Dionysus

Sources

Graphics in this presentation were taken from
the following web sites:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦

http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/search.html
http://www.pantheon.org/
http://www.messagenet.com/myths/
http://mythman.com/
http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/index.html
http://www.paleothea.com/
http://www.entrenet.com/%7Egroedmed/greekm/myth.html
This presentation is for educational purposes
only; it has not been and should not be sold or
used as a vehicle to make money.