Transcript GreekMythology

Ancient Greece
Greek Mythology
What is a myth?
A traditional story rooted in primitive
folk beliefs and stories 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:
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– Night (darkness)
– Erebus (death)
“All was black, empty, silent, endless.”
 Mysteriously, Love was born of
darkness and death.
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And then...
When Love was born, order and beauty
began to flourish.
 Love created Light and Day.
 Earth was created.
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– She was the solid ground, but also a
personality.
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The Earth bore Heaven to cover her
and be a home for the gods.
The First Parents
Mother Earth = Gaea (Gaia)
 Father Heaven = Ouranos (Uranus)
 They had three kinds of children:
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– Three monsters with 100 hands and 50
heads
– Three cyclopes
– The titans
The Titans (The Elder Gods)
There were many of them.
 Enormous size, incredible strength
 Cronos (Saturn): Ruler of the titans
 Rhea: Wife of Cronos
 Oceanus: River that encircled the world
 Iapetus: Son of Oceanus
Father of Prometheus,
Epimetheus, and Atlas (also titans)
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The Principal Gods
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Cronos and Rhea
were parents of
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Zeus*
Poseidon*
Hades
Hera*
Hestia *
Demeter*
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Other Olympians
include
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Athena*
Ares*
Hebe
Hephaestus *
Apollo *
Artemis *
Hermes *
Aphrodite *
Dionysus
* Indicates original Twelve Olympians
The Olympians
The Olympians
Mt. Olympus
Mt. Olympus
Children of Chronus and Rhea
Zeus
Zeus
Zeus
Roman Name: Jupiter
(also Jove)
 Supreme god of the
Olympians.
 Weapon: Thunderbolt
 NOT omniscient
 Fathered many
characters in
mythology

Zeus
Zeus’s Statue
Hera
Hera
Hera
Roman Name: Juno
 Zeus’s sister and wife
 Jealous protector of
marriage
 Punished the women
Zeus fell in love with
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Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon
Roman Name:
Neptune
 God of the Seas and
Waters
 Weapon: trident
 “The Earthshaker”
 Gave horses to men
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Hades
Hades
Hades
Hades
Roman Name: Pluto
 Ruler of the
Underworld/ Dead
 Kidnapped
Persephone
 Not evil (but should
be feared), not
death himself
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Hades
Demeter
Demeter
Roman Name: Ceres
 Goddess of the
Harvest
 Lives on the Earth
 Her mood affects the
seasons
 Mother of
Persephone
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Hestia
Hestia
Roman Name:
Vesta
 Goddess of
Home
 Powerful
Protector
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Zeus’ Children by Hera
Ares
Ares
Ares
Roman Name: Mars
 God of War
 Bloodthirsty and
merciless
 Had NO temples in
Greece
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Hebe
Hebe
Roman Name:
Juventas
 Goddess of
Youth
 Cupbearer to the
Gods
 Later married
Heracles
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Hephaestius
Hephaestius
Hephaestus
Roman Name:
Vulcan
 God of Fire/Forge
 Kind, unlike his
brother
 Only ugly god
 Husband of
Aphrodite
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Athena
Athena
Athena
Roman Name:
Minerva
 Goddess of
Wisdom and
Battle Maiden
 Sprang directly
from Zeus’s
head (no mom)
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ZEUS’ CHILDREN BY LETO
(Daughter of the Titans, Coeus and
Phoebe)
Apollo
Apollo
Apollo
Roman Name:
Apollo
 God of
Light/Sun and
Music
 Master musician
and poet
 Twin Brother of
Artemis
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Artemis
Artemis
Roman Name:
Diana
 Goddess of the
Moon/ Hunt
 Virgin goddess
 Twin Sister to
Apollo
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Other Children
Hermes
Hermes
Hermes
Roman Name:
Mercury
 Messenger of the
Gods
 Appears in more
myths than any other
character
 Son of Zeus and Maia
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Persephone
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Roman Name:
Proserpina
Goddess of the
Underworld
Daughter of Zeus
and Demeter
Abducted by
Hades
Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Roman Name:
Venus
 Goddess of Love
and Beauty
 Sprang from the
ocean foam
 Or born of Zeus
and Dione (says
Homer)
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Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus
Roman Name:
Bacchus
 God of Wine
 Patron god of
the Greek stage
 A God of the
Earth
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The Olympians
Eros
Roman Name:
Cupid
 Young God of
Love
 Son of
Aphrodite and
Hephaestus
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Iris
Goddess of the
Rainbow
 Messenger for
Zeus and Hera
 Daughter of the
titan Thaumus
and the nymph
Electra
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The Muses
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Nine daughters of
Zeus and
Mnemosyne
Inspired artists of all
kinds
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Goddesses who
presided over the
arts and sciences
“He is happy whom
the muses love.”
Clio, Urania, Thalia, Melpomene, Erato, Calliope, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Polyhymnia
The Muses
The Graces
Three Goddesses of
Grace and Beauty
 “They give life its
bloom.”
 Aglaia (Splendor)
 Euphrosyne (Mirth)
 Thalia (Good Cheer)
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The Erinnyes (The Furies)
Roman Name: Furiae
or Dirae (The Furies)
 Three Goddesses of
Vengeance
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– Tisiphone
– Alecto
– Megaera
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They punish
evildoers.
The Fates
Roman Name: Parcae, Moirae
 Three sisters
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– Clotho (“The Spinner”)
– Lachesis (“The disposer of lots”)
– Atropos (“The cutter”)
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They weave, measure, and cut the
thread of life for humans.
The Fates
The Satyrs
Gods of the woods
and mountains
 “Shepherd gods”
 Goat men (like Pan)
 Companions of
Dionysus
 They like to drink,
dance, and chase
nymphs.

The Gorgons
Three snakehaired monsters
 Medusa is most
well-known
 Their look turns
men to stone.
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The Centaurs
Half man, half
horse
 Savage
creatures
(except Chiron)
 Followers of
Dionysus
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The Titans
Cronus
Rhea
Atlas
Sources
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Graphics in this presentation were taken from
the following web sites:
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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