Transcript Greek Creation Gods and Minor Myths 2011 File

Greek Mythology
Creation, Gods,
And Minor Myths
The Greek Story of Creation
Chaos gives birth to Uranos (Heaven) and Ghea
(Earth)
Ghea gives birth to the Cyclopes, monsters with
100 hands and 50 heads (Hecatontries), and the
titans:
Cronos (time) and Rhea
Ocean and Tethys
Hyperion (sun)
Mnemosyne (Memory)
Themis (justice)
Iapetus (who bore Atlas, Prometheus, and Epimetheus)
A VERY Mean Act
Uranos, fearing his children, attempts to stop Ghea
from having more by shoving her children back into
the womb (vast canyons of earth)
Cronos rebels and castrates Uranos.
The drops of blood form the Furies, who become
responsible for vengeance.
Cronos casts the remains into the sea and Aphrodite
(love) is born from the sea foam
Birth of the Gods
Cronos marries Rhea, and have children:
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, and Hera
Cronos, like Uranos, fears his children. He swallows
them at the time of birth.
Rhea hides Zeus to protect him and feeds Cronos a
stone dressed in swaddling clothes instead
Cronos regurgitates his children and Zeus leads them in
the battle of the gods.
The gods (with help from some of the creatures of the
earth) win the battle and the titans assume secondary
roles
Creation Myth
Zeus makes Hera his
wife and they settle on
Mt. Olympus with
their siblings and their
children:
Ares, Athena, Apollo,
Hermes, Artemis, and
Hephaestus
Mankind
Zeus commissions Prometheus
(forethought) and Epimetheus
(afterthought) to populate the
world.
Epimetheus creates all the animals
and gives them all of the physical
attributes necessary for survival
(fur, claws, fangs, gills, wings).
Prometheus creates mortals with
what was left over (clay)
The Meat Trick
Zeus argued with Prometheus over the sacrifices to
the gods
Prometheus gave Zeus a choice between two
sacrifices. When animals had been killed,
Prometheus offered two choices to Zeus
In glistening fat, Prometheus hid the animal’s bones
Under the animal’s stomach, he his the animal’s meat
Zeus picked the fat and forever was denied the meat
In anger, he denied man fire to cook this meat
The Punishment of Prometheus
Prometheus, on the side of man,
steals fire from the gods and
gives it to the mortals so that
they may survive.
As a punishment, Zeus chained
Prometheus to a mountain
where a giant eagle eats his liver
every day
Each night it would grow back
Pandora
Zeus asks Hephaestus to create Pandora, the first
woman
She was bestowed gifts from the gods (Pandora
means “all gifts”)
Clothes and looming ability from Athena
Beauty and charm from Aphrodite
The ability to lie persuasively from Hermes
According to Hesiod, she had “thievish morals and
the soul of a bitch”
As revenge for the meat trick, Zeus delivered
Pandora to the world with a mysterious jar
Pandora’s “Box”
Prometheus warned his brother about
Pandora, but he was smitten by her
After she was married, Pandora was
warned to never open the jar
When she did, all of the evils of the
world flew out of the box
All that was left was hope
In the 16th Century, the Dutch author
Erasmus mistranslated the Greek and
called the jar a box
The Metal Ages of Mankind
The first humans were made of gold and existed
alongside the titans
There is no explanation where they came from
The second age of man was created by Zeus out of
silver
They refused to make sacrifices to the gods and
were wiped out
The third age were made out of bronze
They were so warlike that they wiped themselves
out
The Heroic Age
The fourth age of man was the
Heroic Age
These were all demigods
created by Zeus
When they died, they became
the constellations, companions
of the gods, or lived on the
Island of the Blessed
The Iron Age
The current human form was
perfected in the Iron Age
Zeus, in disguise, was disgusted to
discover that these people practiced
cannibalism and human sacrifice
Zeus decided to destroy them, and
(with the help of Poseidon)
unleashed a terrible flood
This killed everyone except two
good people
Deucalion and Pyrrha
Deucalion, son of
Prometheus, and Pyrrha,
daughter of Pandora
survived the flood
Warned by Prometheus,
Deucalion built a big boat
After the flood, he sent a
dove to search for land
The ship eventually settled
on a mountaintop
Repopulating the Earth
Deucalion and Pyrrha heard the voice
of a goddess in a nearby cave telling
them to throw their “mighty mother’s
bones” over their shoulders
Befuddled, they soon deduced that the
goddess meant mother earth, and the
bones were rocks
The rocks turned into people
One of these people was named Hellen
(male); whose name became
synonymous with Greeks (Hellenes)
Zeus
God of the sky, ruler of
the gods
Roman: Jupiter (Jove)
Powers: Shape shifter,
wields the thunderbolt
Parents: Cronos and Rhea
Symbols: The eagle, the
oak tree, the lightning bolt
Mate: Too many to list
Children: At least 38
mortals and 7 gods
Hera
Goddess of marriage, childbirth, and the
home; Queen of the gods
Roman: Juno
Powers: Can make people fall in love
with her; protects married women
Parents: Cronos and Rhea
Symbols: The peacock, cow,
pomegranate (symbol of marriage)
Mate: Zeus
Children: Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe
Poseidon
God of the sea, earthquakes, and horses
Roman: Neptune
Powers: Second in power only to Zeus; can cause
earthquakes and tidal waves
Parents: Cronos and Rhea
Symbols: Trident, dolphins, and horses
Mate: Amphitrite; had affairs with Medusa, Thoosa, and
Aethra
Children: Triton (half human, half fish), Polyphemus
(Cyclopes), and others (Including Percy Jackson)
Hades
God of the underworld, the dead, and wealth
Roman: Pluto
Powers: None, but has some helpers such as
Cerberus, Charon (boatman of the river Styx),
Thanatos (death) and Hypnos (sleep)
Parents: Cronos and Rhea
Symbols: Cerberus, bident, precious metals
Mate: Persephone
Children: None
Athena (Pallas Athena)
Goddess of wisdom, crafts, and fine arts
Roman: Minerva
Powers: Shape shifter; invented the
trumpet, flute, ship, bridle, and chariot
Parents: Sprang from Zeus’ head
Symbols: Owl, olive tree
Mate: None
Children: None, but she did have a
friend named Arachne who she turned
into a spider
Apollo
The most Greek god; he is god of music (plays a golden lyre), archery
(uses a silver bow), healing, truth, light/sun, prophecy, and agriculture
Roman: Phoebus Apollo
Powers: Can shape shift, can play any instrument, can tell the future
Parents: Zeus and Leto
Mate: Calliope and Clymene; had affairs with Cyrene, Hecuba, and
Cassandra (all mortals)
Children: All sons: Orpheus, Phaethon, Aristaeus, Troilius, Asclepius
Orpheus
Orpheus had the most beautiful voice in all the world and
fell in love with Eurydice
On their wedding day, Eurydice was bitten by a snake
and died
Orpheus went to the underworld and so moved Hades
that he allowed him to take Eurydice back with him to
the world, provided that he did not look back at her on
the way out
He does turn back and Eurydice is forced to stay behind
Orpheus, depressed, wandered the world singing sad
songs
A group of Maenads told him to cheer up and when he
could not they ripped him limb from limb and tossed the
remains into a river
He was then reunited with Eurydice
Phaethon
Borrowed Dad’s chariot of
the sun so everyone would
know he was Apollo’s son
He could not control it and
scorched the earth
Zeus was forced to strike
him down with a
thunderbolt in order to
prevent further damage
Artemis
Goddess of the moon, hunt, children,
virginity
Roman: Diana, Phoebe, Luna
Powers: Brought sudden death with her
arrows, controls lunar and menstrual
cycles, helps women with childbirth
Parents: Zeus and Leto
Symbols: Cypress tree, moon, deer
Mate: None
Children: None, but twin sister of
Apollo
Aphrodite
Goddess of love and beauty,
desire and fertility; protector of
sailors
Roman: Venus
Powers: Can make people fall
in love
Symbols: Dove, magic girdle,
goose, sparrow, Myrtle tree
Mate: Hephaestus, but had
affairs with Ares, Hermes,
Dionysus and the mortals
Adonis and Anchises
Children: Eros (Cupid) with
Ares, Aeneas, and Anteros
Echo and Narcissus
Echo fell in love with
Narcissus, but her love
was not returned
She hid in shame and lost
the ability to start a
conversation; she could
only repeat what was said
Narcissus spurned many
maidens; he eventually
fell in love with his own
reflection in a pool of
water and drowned
Hermes
Messenger of the gods; god of
thievery and commerce; leads
the dead to the underworld;
mischievous
Roman: Mercury
Powers: Fastest of the gods;
invented the lyre, pipes, musical
scale, weights and measures,
boxing, gymnastics
Parents: Zeus and Maia
Symbol: Staff
Mate: Dryope, Aphrodite
Children: Pan (demigod of
mischief)
Hestia
Virgin goddess of hearth
and home
Roman: Vesta
Powers: Protects orphans
and missing children
Parents: Cronos and Rhea
Symbols: In Rome, Vestal
Virgins
Mate and Children: None
Demeter
Goddess of agriculture
Roman: Ceres
Powers: Made crops grow
Parents: Cronos and Rhea
Symbols: Corn, poppies,
wheat, cornucopia
Mate: Zeus
Children: Persephone
Persephone
One day while picking
flowers, the world opened up
and Hades kidnapped
Persephone and made her his
queen
Demeter searched for her
and during that time the
crops withered and died
Zeus demanded that
Persephone must be shared
Spring and summer were
spent with Demeter, fall and
winter with Hades
Ares
God of war, worshipped by no one
Roman: Mars
Powers: Sacred lance and armor;
cannot be wounded in battle
Symbols: Vulture and dog
Parents: Zeus and Hera (both
disliked him)
Mate: Aphrodite (his brother’s
wife); various mortals
Children: Eros, Anteros, Harmonia,
Deimos, and Phobos
Mars in Music
Mars, The Bringer of
War,
Holst, The Planets
Am I Evil?
Metallica
Hephaestus
God of fire and the forge
Roman: Vulcan
Powers: Master
craftsman; made Apollo’s
chariot, Athena’s shield,
Eros’ arrows, Zeus’
thunderbolt, Achilles’
armor, Pandora
Parents: Zeus and Hera
Mate: Aphrodite
Children: None
Hephaestus and Hera
Hephaestus was known as the lame god. He was born weak, ugly,
and crippled
Once Hera saw he was weak, she cast him out of Olympus
He made it to the island of Lemnos where he built a forge in a
volcano
Zeus commissioned him to make thrones for the gods. He made a
special throne for Hera. Once she sat in it, the arms closed around
her and not even Zeus could release her
Hephaestus refused to release her, so Dionysus got him intoxicated
and brought him back to Olympus on a mule
He agreed to free Hera only after Zeus gave him Aphrodite as his
reward
Dionysus
God of wine, fertility, and
drama
Roman: Bacchus
Powers: Can bring the dead
back to life
Parents: Zeus and
Persephone (or Semele, or
others)
Symbols: Grapes, comedy
and tragedy masks, wine
bottles/glasses
Mate and children: Too
many to list
Midas
Granted by Dionysus
the ability to turn
anything he touched
into gold
Asked Dionysus to
take the power back
when he accidentally
turned his daughter
into gold
Uranos and Ghea (Gaea)
Roman: Caelus, Tellus
Mater
Powers: Father Sky
and Mother Earth
Parents: Chaos
Children: The titans,
Cyclopes, monsters
Cronos
Titan associated with time
Roman: Saturn
Powers: Keeps time
running
Parents: Uranos and Ghea
Mate: Rhea
Children: Hades,
Poseidon, Zeus, Hera,
Demeter, Hestia
Atlas
Titan associated with
strength; said to be the
king of Atlantis
Powers: Supports the
weight of the heavens
on his shoulders
Children: The
Hesperides, the
Hyades, and the
Plieades
Hebe
Goddess of youth
Roman: Juvantes
Powers: Cupbearer of
the gods; serves them
nectar and ambrosia
Iris
The rainbow goddess,
assistant messenger to
the gods
Nike
The goddess of victory
Roman: Victoria
Sisyphus
King of Corinth, he spied Zeus
having an affair with his
daughter
He told a god and Zeus was
upset
Zeus punished Sisyphus by
making him forever roll a rock
uphill. He would be released
only when he had pushed the
rock over the hill.
Just as the rock was almost to
the top, the rock would always
roll back down
Pegasus
Glaucus, the son of Sisyphus, fed his
horses human flesh to make them
meaner in battle
He was eventually tossed from his
chariot and devoured by his own
horses
His son, Bellerophon, was also a
great horseman
He coveted Pegasus, a winged horse
born from the blood of Medusa
He tamed Pegasus with a golden
bridle given to him by Athena
With Pegasus, he slayed the Chimera,
a beast that was lion in the front, goat
in the middle, and serpent in the back
Tantalus
Tantalus angered the gods
Either he lied about dining
with the gods or served the
gods his own son
He was sentenced to stand in
a pool of water, which
drained whenever he tried to
drink it
He was also almost within
reach of fruit that dangled in
front of him
The verb words tantalize and
tantalizing come from this
myth
The Amazons
A nation of gigantic,
warrior women
The source for many
paintings and statues,
but not much literature
Orion
Very strong and handsome, he
was a great hunter
He eventually settled in Crete and
was the chief hunter of Artemis
He fell for the demi-goddess
Dawn
Artemis, in a jealous rage, shot
him with her arrow
To make up for it, she turned him
into a constellation
Orion’s belt is one of the most
prominent features of the Western
Hemisphere
Romulus and Remus
Unlike the Greeks, the Romans
believed that their divinities were
real
Romulus and Remus were sons of
Mars
Mars raped Rhea Silvia, the first of
the Vestal Virgins
Since she was defiled, her children
were taken from her and set afloat on
the Tiber river
The She-Wolf
The babies were rescued by a
she-wolf, who treated them
like her pups until they were
discovered by a shepherd
They became hunters and
warriors
Eventually, they were so
respected that men decided to
follow them to a new city
where they would rule.
Death and the City
Very shortly after they decided
to found a city, the brothers
quarreled.
Romulus killed Remus, but felt
immediate remorse
He built Rome (named after
himself)
The Rape of the Sabine Women
Rome quickly became a safe
haven for runaway slaves,
bandits, and murders (all
men)
A nearby group of people
(Sabines) held a religious
festival
The Romans killed all of the
men and raped all of the
women
Romulus became the first
king of Rome until he
disappeared in a thundercloud