Transcript Mythology PowerPoint - Effingham County Schools

Greek and Roman
Mythology
A Review
of
The Principal Gods and Goddesses
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

In the beginning...
…was Chaos (shapeless nothingness)
 Chaos had two children:

– Night (darkness)
– Erebus (death)
“All was black, empty, silent, endless.”
 Mysteriously, Love was born of darkness
and death.

And then...
When Love was born, order and beauty
began to flourish.
 Love created Light and Day.
 Then the Earth was born.

– She was the solid ground, but also a
personality. She needed to be protected.

The Earth bore Heaven to protect her and
be a home for the gods.
The First Parents
Mother Earth = Gaea (Gaia)
 Father Heaven = Ouranos (Uranus)
 Earth and Heaven 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


The Titans created many gods.
The Twelve Principal Gods

Cronos and Rhea
were parents of
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–
Zeus
Poseidon
Hades
Hera
Hestia
Demeter

Other Olympians include
–
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–
–
–
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Athena
Ares
Hephaestus
Apollo
Artemis
Hermes
Aphrodite
Mount Olympus

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Mount Olympus is both an
actual mountain in Greece
and the mythical home of
the Greek gods.
In Zeus' palace on its
peak resided the Twelve
Olympians, which
consisted of the major
gods and goddesses.
Depending on whom you
asked, the exact names of
those twelve changed.
The following are the
major gods and
goddesses of Greek
mythology.
The Olympians
Zeus


ROMAN NAME: JOVE, JUPITER
LORD OF THE SKY, RAINBRINGER, CLOUD-GATHERER
– After leading his brother and sister
gods in a revolt against their
parents, the Titans, Zeus became
the unquestioned ruler of the
Heavens.
– His feared weapon is the
Thunderbolt, and his palace on
Mount Olympus is a place of
peace, where all gods are
welcome.
– Zeus is the husband of the
goddess HERA, but it's not in his
nature to be faithful. Time and
time again, he enters into
disastrous affairs with other
goddesses, nymphs, and mortal
women.
– Zeus is the all-father. Almost all
the second generation of gods
claim Zeus as their father. Many
of the mortal heroes are children
of the god as well.
Poseidon


ROMAN NAME: NEPTUNE
BLUE-MANED GOD OF THE SEAS
AND OCEANS
– Next to his brother Zeus,
Poseidon is the god the Greeks
most feared. As a sea-faring
people, they knew the hazards of a
stormy sea.
– The god was known for his
mood swings, violent rage one
minute, calm the next--just like the
waters he controlled.
– When an earthquake hit, the
Greeks recognized it as the work of
Poseidon Earth-shaker. Poseidon
was married to the Daughter of the
Ocean and commanded the waves
with his mighty trident.
Hades


ROMAN NAME: PLUTO, DIS
RULER OF THE DEAD, LORD OF THE
UNDERWORLD
– Hades is no villain. He is cold and
calculating. He keeps to himself,
only showing up in myth when
he is sought out.
– Hades is more a recluse than
anything else. He has little to do with
mortals' lives. Their deaths are a
different story.
– Hades is not Death himself; in other
words he is not responsible for
deciding when mortals die. A mortal's
death is an assembly line: The Fates
snip the threads of life, Thanatos (or
death) causes the mortal to die,
HERMES leads the soul to the banks
of the Styx.
– After the gods defeated their
forbearers, the Titans, Hades was
presented with a helmet of invisibility
and given the Underworld to rule.
Hera


ROMAN NAME: JUNO
GODDESS OF MARRIAGE, QUEEN OF
OLYMPUS
– Hera is usually shown as a crafty
schemer and jealous wife. She is
married to Zeus.
– She is the mother of a few of the
second generation gods: ARES,
HEPHAESTUS, and HEBE.
– ZEUS and his frequent affairs are
enough to keep her busy, punishing
his many lovers and cursing his
illegitimate children.
– Even though she cannot protect her
own marriage, Hera is labeled as the
protector of marriage. Wives with
unfaithful husbands could definitely
sympathize with her.
– Hera has a fiery temper and enough
venom for her anger to last
centuries.
– The Romans named June, the
season for marriage, after Hera
(Juno).
Athena
Roman Name:
Minerva
 Goddess of
Wisdom and
War
 Sprang from
Zeus’s head

Aphrodite


ROMAN NAME: VENUS
GODDESS OF LOVE AND BEAUTY
– Aphrodite was so lovely that the
Greeks couldn't imagine her being
born in the usual way. Instead she
sprang from the white beauty of the
sea foam.
– In an odd arrangement, this most
beautiful goddess was married
to the only ugly Olympian,
Hephaestus, the deformed forge
god.
– Her vows did not stop her from
having many affairs. Gods and
mortal men found her charms simply
irresistible.
– In Greece her worship was popular,
although the temple priestesses
were rumored to be prostitutes.
Ares


ROMAN NAME: MARS
GOD OF WAR
– Ares is the cruelest member of the
Olympians, hated by all (even his
mother, HERA).
– This god is known for his
ruthlessness when he has the
upper-hand and his cowardice when
the tides turn against him. Even
the Greeks disliked this terrible
god.
– APHRODITE, in one of her many
infidelities, started an affair with
Ares, which was his motivation to
fight for the Trojans in the great
war.
Hermes


ROMAN NAME: MERCURY
MESSENGER OF THE GODS
–
–
Hermes, the most mischievous and clever
of the gods, also served as a guide of dead
souls to the Underworld.
One of the youngest gods, Hermes showed
his ability to cause both trouble and delight at
an early age.

–
–
On the day of his birth, Hermes snuck out from
his cradle and whisked away the cattle of his
elder brother APOLLO. A witness soon reported
this to Apollo, who came to Maia, Hermes's
mother, demanding the return of his livestock.
Maia insisted that Hermes had been in his
cradle the entire time. Hermes was quickly
found out and forced to return the cattle. But in
reparation for his actions against Apollo, the
newborn god created a lyre from the shell of a
turtle. He presented the stringed instrument to
his older brother. His anger melted away,
Apollo presented Hermes with a magical sleepinducing staff called the Caduceus.
Once ZEUS realized his young son would
cause nothing but trouble if his mind
weren't constantly occupied, he gave
him with the job of Olympian
Messenger.
He was given a winged cap and sandals
to assist him in his duties. Due to the nature
of his job, Hermes appears most often of
all the gods.