#3 MYTHOLOGY Our connection to stories 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 WHAT IS GREEK MYTHOLOGY?
• The people of ancient Greece shared stories (myths) about the gods, goddesses, and heroes in which they believed. • Each god or goddess was worshipped as a deity and ruled over certain areas of the Greeks’ lives. • These exciting stories explained natural phenomena that could not be explained by science. WHY SHOULD WE STUDY • They tell timeless themes GREEK MYTHOLOGY? about life that are both exciting and true • The Ancient Greek culture has been kept alive by the oral and later written stories handed down through thousands of years. • Modern plays, novels, television programs, movies and even advertisements refer to Greek gods, goddesses, heroes and their stories. 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. • Earth was created. • She was the solid ground, but also a personality. • 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: • 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 …and many more • Other Olympians include… THE PRINCIPAL GODS • Athena (Minerva) • Cronos and Rhea were • Ares (Mars) parents of… • Hephaestus (Vulcan) • Zeus (Jupiter, Jove) • Hebe (Juventas) • Poseidon (Neptune) • Apollo (Apollo) • Hades (Pluto) • Artemis (Diana) • Hermes (Mercury) • Hera (Juno) • Aphrodite (Venus) • Hestia (Vesta) • Dionysus (Bacchus) • Demeter (Ceres) • Persephone HELIOS
One of the Titans Personification of the Sun Drove the chariot of the sun across the sky on a daily basis ZEUS
• Roman Name: Jupiter (also Jove) • Supreme god of the Olympians. • Fathered many characters in mythology POSEIDON
• Roman Name: Neptune • God of the Seas and Waters • “The Earthshaker” HADES
• Roman Name: Pluto • God of the Underworld/ Dead • Kidnapped Persephone HERMES
• Roman name: Mercury • Patron of Travellers • Messenger of the Gods • Escorts souls to afterlife HERA
• Roman Name: Juno • Wife of Zeus • Protector of marriage and married women • One of the three goddesses in the contest of beauty decided by Paris ATHENA • Roman Name: Minerva • Goddess of Wisdom and War • Sprang from Zeus’s head • One of the three goddesses in the contest of beauty decided by Paris APHRODITE
• Roman name: Venus • Goddess of Love and Beauty • Married to Hephaestus, the lame and ugly god of the forge • One of the three goddesses in the contest of beauty decided by Paris NYMPHS
• Spiritual maidens who animate local nature • Enchants through song and dance In The Odyssey, • Calypso tries to keep Odysseus on her island to make him her immortal husband • Circe known for her magic, potions, and herbs THE SIRENS
• Beautiful but dangerous creatures • Lured sailors with their beautiful voices to their doom • Their ships would crash on rocks THE CYCLOPES
• Gigantic one-eyed monsters • Polyphemus is the most known (Odyssey) • Homer states they are sons of Poseidon FAMILY TREE SUMMARY FOR #3 INTRO TO MYTH • Something that is becoming clear to me about mythology… • I can relate to mythology because…