Greek Mythology Oh my Gods!

What is Mythology?

•  Good question! Mythology is the word used to describe ALL the myths of a particular society.

•  Every culture has its own myths that help us understand its customs and ways of viewing the world!

What is a myth?

• A “myth” is a kind of story. BUT...most myths have one or more of these characteristics:

• Myths are usually about gods or supernatural beings with greater powers and abilities than ordinary humans.

• Myths explain the origins of the world or how human customs came to be.

• Myths take place a time long, long ago, usually in the earliest days of humanity (or just before they showed up on Earth!)

• Myths were thought to be TRUE to the original tellers - no matter how wild and crazy they seem to us!!

Two Names, Same Powers

•  Many gods and goddesses have both Greek and Roman names because the ancient Romans adopted a great deal of Greek Mythology and made it their own by changing the names of the gods and goddesses!

Mercury? Wait...I thought my name was

Hermes...

What is the purpose of myths?

•  Studying myths can teach us about people around the world - their cultures and what is (or was) important to them.

•  Myths can...

...explain how things came to be - like the origin of the universe or the creation of humans....

...and teach people about the values and beliefs that are important in their society...

...and contain deep religious significance to the people who tell and believe in them.

How did we learn about the Greek myths?

•  At first, Greek mythology was passed along orally through storytelling, songs, and poetry.

•  We learned the stories from written versions, mainly Homer’s epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which tell about the great deeds of heroes.

•  PS - The Iliad was over 15,000 lines!

Mmm...Donuts.

Mythology in the Modern World

•  Nike athletic gear? Meet Nike, the goddess of victory!

•  Valentine’s Day? Met Eros, the god of love!

•  Want to buy a car? How about the Honda Odyssey or the Chrysler Mercury!

•  Need tires for that car? Try Midas tires!

•  Like to stargaze? Look for the constellations Andromeda, Delphinius, Pegasus and Perseus!

•  Want to know if there is life on other planets? Travel to Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Neptune, or you can just stay here on Earth (in LAUREL, Maryland, perhaps?)

•  Or you can just research NASA and the Gemini project, Project Mercury, or any of the Apollo missions!

Titans vs. Olympians

•  The Titans were the twelve offspring of Uranus (Sky) and Gaea (Earth) and they are the aunts, uncles, and parents of Zeus and the Olympians.

•  Some Titans you might know are...

•  Cronus - the father of the Olympians

•  Rhea - the mother of the Olympians

•  Iapetus - the father of Prometheus and Atlas

The Titans

Dad, Uranus, was scared that we would overthrow him so he

imprisoned us in Tartarus, the bleakest

part of the Underworld! Mom, Gaea, was so

pained that she convinced Cronus, her son (the Titan) to chop

him up!

Chop! Chop! Chop! I, Cronus, am now the most powerful

Like Father, Like Son

•  Now that Cronus was in charge, he became suspicious of his own children (The Olympians!) with wife, Rhea.

•  To prevent them from overthrowing him, he gulped them down, one by one!

•  When Zeus was born, Rhea gave a rock wrapped in a blanket to Cronus and he gulped that instead. Zeus was hidden away to grow up safely!

•  When he grew up, he tricked Cronus into drinking a potion that forced him to vomit up his children.

•  Zeus and his siblings were reunited!

•  This led to the ultimate war for power - the Titans vs. the Olympians.

nom nom nom

Cronus

Ow, Dad! You have sharp teeth!

The winners are...

The Olympians! •  Mount Olympus is a real mountain in the

north of Greece. Gradually, it became associated less and less with an actual mountain and more with an imaginary place high above the earth. According to the ancient Greeks, the gate to Olympus was made of clouds and it was guarded by four goddesses, the Seasons. Each god had his or her own dwelling place, but Olympus was home base.

•  There were 12 gods considered Olympian gods. Six of them were Zeus and his siblings, and six others were children of Zeus.

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