Ancient Civilizations– Grade 6NAME: PER:

GREEK MYTHS: GODS, GODDESSES & HEROES!

The Gift of Fire: Zeus & Prometheus

From the beginning, humans had trouble with the gods. Most gods thought of humans as toys. But some gods were interested in the human race. Some gods even made friends with humans. One of those gods was named Prometheus.  The first people created by the gods lived happily together. They thought the gods were wonderful - but their kids were not as grateful or content. The children argued with each other and the gods. 

Zeus was very disappointed at mankind & decided not to give humans the important tool of fire. Without fire, they weren’t going to survive! Prometheus felt sorry for his human friends! Fire was important for many heat, cooking, and metalwork.

Prometheus stole a lightning bolt from Zeus and gave it to mankind. That's when man discovered fire. Zeus was furious. He ordered Prometheus chained to a rock as punishment for stealing his lightning bolt, and for going behind his back to help the humans. To make Prometheus even more miserable, Zeus sent storms to beat angry waves against Prometheus, helplessly chained to his rock. Zeus made the sun shine really brightly now and then to burn his skin. Zeus even sent an eagle to nibble at poor Prometheus' body - quite a punishment for a god who had only tried to help mankind. But he had defied Zeus - that was what made Zeus so angry!

Hercules finally released the helpless Prometheus from his chains. By the time Hercules saved him, nearly 1,000 years had passed (not long if you’re immortal!) But humans had changed a lot by then, and Zeus found humans entertaining - he didn’t care if Prometheus was rescued!

Pandora's Box: Zeus, Pandora, Epimetheus and Prometheus

There were 2 brothers who were good friends: Epimetheus & Prometheus, good gods with good hearts. One day, Prometheus got in trouble with Zeus. Because he had a kind heart, Prometheus gave man fire, so Zeus was furious because he thought man didn’t deserve fire! Since Prometheus ignored him, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock for many years. Then Zeus went after his brother, the gentle, kind-hearted Epimetheus. Zeus ordered the gods' handyman maker of things Hephaestus to make him a daughter out of clay - a beautiful woman. He brought her to life then brought her to Zeus, who named his lovely new daughter Pandora. 

Zeus knew that Epimetheus was lonely, so Zeus gave him Pandora as a birde, and gave the newlyweds a gift: a locked box with a note that said: “DO NOT OPEN" with a key attached (very strange!) Of course, Pandora’s curiosity got the better of her, so she used the key to open the box.

As she raised the lid, out flew all the bad things in the world today - envy, sickness, hate, disease. She slammed it closed, but it was too late! Epimetheus heard her weeping and came running. She opened the lid to show him it was empty. Before she could slam it shut, a tiny bug flew out, gave Pandora a big buggy smile as a thanks for his freedom and flew away.

That tiny bug was named Hope - and Hope made all the difference in the world!

Zeus & the “Great Flood”: Deucalion, Pyrrha & Prometheus

Pandora's box had caused quite a few problems! Zeus was horrified at what had happened. After the box was opened, Zeus looked down on earth from Mount Olympus. He saw fights and riots and wars and murders. Zeus was determined to punish mankind for the terrible things he saw!  Zeus ordered the waters to rise and flood the earth. Everyone drowned except 2 people. One was King Deucalion, who was considered the most honest man on earth. The other was the king's wife, Pyrrha.  Zeus did not save them. Some say a fish whispered to gentle Pyrrha what Zeus had planned. Others say it was Prometheus who warned King Deucalion. This was the same Prometheus who had given mankind the gift of fire.

King Deucalion was Prometheus' son. Prometheus could see into the future, but he had trouble explaining things clearly so that others could understand him. One time, when King Deucalion was visiting with his father, Prometheus told his son to build a sturdy boat and stock it well. Prometheus was sure there would be a flood. He told his son that when the waters receded, he must throw the bones of the Great Mother over his shoulder and to have his son's wife do the same. King Deucalion loved and trusted his father. He did not understand his father's instructions, but he certainly could built a sturdy boat. And the flood came.  

King Deucalion and Pyrrha sailed away on their boat for 9 days and 9 nights. When the waters receded, the boat settled down on the tallest peak in Greece, at the very tip-top of Mount Parnassus.  

King Deucalion mumbled to himself. "The earth is the Great Mother. Since the earth is the Great Mother of humans, her bones must be ...... stones!"  King Deucalion picked up some stones and threw them over his shoulder. Magically, the stones became men! Pyrrha did the same. Her stones became women. Many stones later, the human race had started again.   

Wings of Wax: Icarus & Daedalus

Once, there lived a talented artist named Daedalus, the finest sculptor and architect of his time. King Minos invited Daedalus to the lovely island of Crete. The king wanted Daedalus to build a maze (a Labyrinth), as a home for the king's beloved pet, the “Minotaur.” The Minotaur was a horrible monster, with the head of a bull on a human body, but the king loved that awful monster and wanted him to have a nice home.  

Daedalus was amazed at the king's choice of pet, but a job was a job! Daedalus planned to make the maze a challenge, so complicated that anyone who entered it would be lost until rescued. That way, the king would be happy, the monster would be contained, and the people would be safe. Daedalus had no doubt he could design such a maze - he really was a fine architect.

Daedalus brought his young son Icarus with him. He was sure the child would enjoy swimming and playing with the other children on the island. Both Daedalus and Icarus were happy they had come. King Minos was happy with his maze. It was pleasant on the island. Daedalus was in no hurry to leave.  

One day, a group of Greek children sailed to the island. The next day, they sailed safely away, taking with them the king's lovely daughter, and leaving behind them one dead Minotaur. King Minos was beside himself with grief. He did not believe anyone could have entered the maze and escape alive without help from someone, most probably help from the man who had designed the maze in the first place (the children did have help, but not from Daedalus). King Minos punished the innocent Daedalus by keeping Daedalus and his young son Icarus prisoners on the island of Crete. 

Daedalus tried to think of ways to escape. One day, Daedalus noticed birds flying overhead. It gave him an idea. Wings. He needed wings. Daedalus began to gather all the bird feathers he could find. He glued them together with wax. When two pairs of wings were ready, he warned his young son not to fly too close to the sun or the wax would melt.   Daedalus fastened the wings to their arms. They flapped their wings and took to the sky. They left the island of Crete far behind them. Water sparkled beneath them as far as they could see. The sky was blue. The breeze was brisk, more than enough to keep them in the air. It was glorious! 

Icarus flew higher and higher. He flew so high that before he knew it, the sun began to melt the wax on his wings. Icarus felt himself falling. He flapped his arms faster and faster. But it was no use. Poor Icarus plunged into the water and drowned… Sadly, Daedalus continued on alone. 

Shape-Shifter: Dionysus

Some gods were shape-shifters: they could change their shape! Dionysus was very good at shape shifting and it was fun for him. One minute, he could be a fierce animal with sharp claws and razor teeth, and the next - his favorite shape - a handsome young man with expensive clothes and jewels.

When he was in the form of his favorite shape, he was spotted by pirates. They thought they had stumbled across a rich prize, someone they could sell for a lot of money as a slave. Laughing cruelly, they grabbed what they thought was a young man (really the god, Dionysus), and carried him off to their pirate ship, and tied him tightly to the mast.

Dionysus found this all rather amusing. He might have waited a bit longer to see what these stupid mortals would do next, but the rope was rubbing his skin uncomfortably. Dionysus used his magical powers to push the rope away. It landed in a heap at his feet. One of the pirates gasped in surprise. He strongly suspected that he and his fellow pirates had made a mistake. This was no ordinary mortal. Things would not go well for them if they did not quickly return the lad to shore. He pleaded with the other pirates to turn the ship about. But they laughed at him, and headed out to sea instead.

Dionysus waited until the ship had reached very deep water. Suddenly, thick vines magically surged from the sea and entangled the ship. Dionysus shape shifted into a lion. He roared and sprang on the terrified pirates. Some jumped overboard to avoid his claws and teeth. Soon, the only pirate left alive on board was the pirate who had begged for his release. That pirate would have gladly jumped overboard with his mates, only somehow, his feet were stuck firmly in place. "Is that the island of Naxos?" Dionysus asked casually, peering ahead. The pirate nodded, too terrified to speak. "You can drop me off there," Dionysus decided. The vines fell away. With no one at the wheel, the ship moved smoothly forward, sailing calmly to the island of Naxos.

When they arrived at the island, Dionysus leaped nimbly onto the seawall. He gave the pirate a friendly wave goodbye, and gave the ship a magical shove out to sea. No one knows if the pirate was able to pilot the ship alone, and no one (except the pirate of course) much cared. It was there, on the island of Naxos, that Dionysus first saw the lovely Ariadne. (Abandoned by Theseus, Ariadne spent her days curled on the seawall, staring out to sea.) That day, she was fast asleep, worn out with weeping. She took his breath away, she was so beautiful. He waited patiently until Ariadne opened her eyes. She saw a handsome young man, gazing admiring at her. Ariadne felt better immediately. She told Dionysus all about her noble efforts to save Theseus and the children of Athens. "And look where it got me," she sniffed.

"You poor thing," Dionysus said with sympathy. He asked the lovely young Ariadne to marry him. (As often as the gods did that kind of thing, it's no wonder so many of their marriages ended in disaster.) Ariadne, no longer feeling forsaken or friendless, and delighted to be admired by this young man, who was obviously wealthy - consented to be his wife. Believe it or not, Ariadne and Dionysus lived happily ever after!

The Reason for Seasons: Demeter and Persephone

Zeus, the king of all the gods, had 2 brothers and 3 sisters. Each had an important job. His sister, Demeter, was in charge of the harvest. If Demeter did not do her job, the crops could die, and everyone would starve. It was important to keep Demeter happy. Everyone helped out with that - both gods and mortals. It was that important.  

Demeter loved her daughter, Persephone, playing together daily in the fields. As Persephone smiled, Demeter's heart swelled with happiness, so crops grew big & healthy, flowers bloomed, and Persephone grew into a lovely goddess…

Hades, the king of the underworld, was Zeus' brother (Persephone's uncle). Hades was a gloomy guy, staying out of sight in the Underworld. One day, he felt restless and took his 3-headed dog Cerberus who usually stood guard at the gate to Underworld out for a run. Hades flew his chariot up to earth. Cerberus leaped out of the chariot and ran around like crazy, sniffing flowers with all 3 heads, then ran up to a lovely young woman, goddess Persephone. Some may have been startled if a 3-headed dog came tearing up, but Persephone laughed and scratched his heads. 

Hades loved his dog. He watched it playing with Persephone, heard her delighted laugh, and Hades fell in love. Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed her, his dog, and chariot and dove deep into the darkest depths of the Underworld.  Persephone cried out but it did her no good. Hades locked Persephone in a beautifully decorated room in the Hall of Hades.

Hades brought her delicious food but she refused to eat. She heard if you ate anything in Hades, you could never leave. She had every intention of leaving as soon as she could figure out how to do it. Over a week went by. Finally, in desperate hunger, Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds and burst into tears.  She wasn’t the only one crying. Demeter, her mother, missed her daughter terribly. She didn’t care if the crops died. She didn’t care about anything but finding her daughter. No one knows who told Zeus about it, but it was clear this could not go on. Zeus sent his son Hermes to work a deal with Hades. 

This was the deal: If Persephone would marry Hades, she would live as queen of the Underworld for 6 months each winter. In spring, Persephone would return to earth to live for 6 months. That's why we have seasons. Each spring, Demeter makes sure flowers bloom, crops grow and fields are green. Every fall, when Persephone returns to the underworld, Demeter ignores the crops and flowers and lets them die. In spring, Demeter brings everything to life again, ready to welcome her daughter's return.

The Cyclops and the Sirens

The ancient Greeks loved heroes, especially military heroes. They loved hear stories about these heroes, the more mythical and magical the better. 2,700 years ago, a man named Homer collected legends about one particular hero, King Odysseus. Homer wrote all the stories he heard about this fabulous hero and named the stories The Odyssey. These stories were full of trickery, magic, monsters, gods, goddess and heroes. The Greeks loved these stories, especially of Odysseus and his men and their adventures on their home from the Trojan War. It could have taken a month to get home, but it took Odysseus ten years. That's how much trouble he ran into on the way.

The Cyclops Cave: While sailing home from the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men came ashore to restock their food and water. They were thrilled to find a cave full of sheep! They knew the sheep probably belonged to someone, but they were hungry and they hoped, if the owner showed up while they were there, that he would understand that they had fought for Greece and won. They built a fire in the cave, and cooked some sheep on a sharpened stick.

There was a giant roar! A Cyclops appeared at the mouth of the cave, swinging a club. (A Cyclops is a one-eyed giant!) Odysseus grabbed the sharpened stick and blinded the Cyclops. Odysseus and his men got safely away by pretending to be sheep. They made bah-bah sounds until they had crawled to safety.

The Sirens: Odysseus and his men were sailing along when they heard the most beautiful sound. It sounded like singing. It was hypnotic. All the men stopped what they were doing, and listened. No one steered the ship. No one moved. They just listened.

Odysseus and his men had run into the Sirens. The Sirens were magical creatures. They looked like mermaids, but they were evil. They loved to lure sailors to their death. With no one at the wheel, ships crashed into the rocks. And everyone was killed. This was great fun to the Sirens. Odysseus was lucky. He had heard of the Sirens. He knew they were dangerous. He stuffed his ears so he could not hear. He stuffed all his men's ears. They sailed safely away.

ECHO MYTHS:

Echo had the most beautiful voice, was very musical and had a good, loving heart. She was a wood nymph who lived deep in the woods and rejected all suitors, which made her, of course, a favorite of the goddess Artemis. Here are 3 stories of echo:

 

Echo and Hera : One day, Zeus tore into the woods, looking for a place to hide. His wife, Hera, was after him again. He would never learn to stop flirting with the nymphs who lived deep in the woods! Spotting Echo, he asked her to help him escape the eagle eye of his wife. One did not turn down a request from Zeus, not and live to tell about it. 

When Hera tore into the woods after Zeus, Echo sidetracked her with chatter & gossip. For some time, this worked well for Zeus. When Hera realized the trick, she punished Echo by denying her much of her beautiful voice. All Echo could do forever after was repeat the last few sounds she heard. 

 

Echo & Narcissus: Echo spotted the most beautiful young man. His name was Narcissus. Echo did something she thought she would never do - she fell in love. But Hera had taken most of her voice. All she do was was echo sounds made by others. She could howl like a wolf, or sing like a breeze through reeds, but how could she tell Narcissus that she loved him? 

One day, she spotted Narcissus looking into a stream. He seemed enchanted by what he saw.   "Come to me," Narcissus begged, looking into the water. "Come to me," Echo echoed.  Narcissus swung around. "Who's there?" he angrily demanded. "Who's there," Echo echoed. "Stop that!" Narcissus snapped. "Stop that!" Echo echoed.  "Let's meet," Narcissus said in a much softer voice that he had used so far. "Let's meet!" Echo echoed happily. She stepped out from behind a tree. "Go away," Narcissus said meanly.  "Go away," Echo echoed sadly. Echo went sadly away. 

Things did not go well for Narcissus after that. Narcissus returned to the stream again and again. He stared at the lovely young man he saw in the water. He did not know it was only the reflection of himself.  Hidden from sight, Echo watched Narcissus as he lay by the stream. She repeated the last three words that Narcissus might say.  Narcissus ignored her. Day after day he lay by the stream, admiring his own reflection. Because he was so “narcissistic” He stopped eating and drinking. And finally, he died.  

Echo & Pan: The god Pan spotted Echo one day and fell madly in love. But Echo would have nothing to do with him. This made Pan so angry that he used his powers to panic his shepherds. They went mad, and tore Echo to pieces. Pieces of Echo were carried by the wind all over the world. 

Gaia, the Earth mother, who had always like Echo, could not change what Pan had done. She could not change what Hera had done. But she could let the pieces of Echo keep what voice remained to them. Thanks to Gaia, even today, you can sometimes hear a piece of Echo repeating the sounds around her - the howl of a dog, the toot of a train, or the last few words that people say.

Apollo's Oracle at Delphi

The ancient Greeks built many, many temples – each should honor only 1 god, no matter how big the temple. Some cities built more than 1 temple to honor the same god.  Apollo enjoyed having temples built in his honor. He liked gifts and attention. Everyone knew Apollo was the god of music and brought out the sun each day. He had other special powers like seeing the future. Everyone wanted to know the future, so Apollo's temples were busy places, full of people with questions about their future. His temples were so busy that all his visitors seeking advice wore him out. 

Apollo decided he needed an assistant, a wise woman, an oracle. An oracle, in ancient Greece, was someone who could see the future. But Apollo did not want any old oracle to speak for him. He wanted a REAL one. But there weren't any real ones - the oracles he had met were always had generic answers.  For example, if you asked an oracle if you should plant your garden tomorrow, they might say "the frost will be gone if the gods will it." Not really helpful!

  

Apollo had the power to magically make someone truly see the future, just as he could. But Apollo didn't want to take the fun out of things. So Apollo set some ground rules for his oracle. He would use his magic to allow her to truly see the future.  She had to tell the truth. But she could not be too specific. That would allow the possibility of misunderstanding. That would made it fun! 

Apollo magically turned a young priestess into a real oracle. He magically built a special temple for her home. He magically told a few people here and there about his wonderful oracle. It did not take long for the word to spread. People came from all over to ask Apollo's oracle a question. People had heard she could really see the future and could only tell the truth. 

One day, a weary king came to the temple. He asked Apollo's oracle if he would the battle. She smiled and told him a great king would win the battle. That was exactly what he had wanted to hear. He went away happy, leaving many gifts for the oracle behind him.   When he led his men into battle, they lost. The king was killed. But people still flocked to Apollo's oracle. They knew she had told the truth. If only the king had listened. 

Aphrodite (Roman name: Venus)

Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, the daughter of Zeus, king of the gods. Others insist she simply appeared one day, riding to shore on a wave of sea foam. Zeus had many daughters. As far as he was concerned, the lovely Aphrodite was welcome to be one of them. Nobody knows where she came from, but once she arrived, she became part of many Greek myths. 

Aphrodite had a son, Eros. She had a husband, the handyman to the gods, Hephaestus. She spent some time with her family, but mostly, she ran around and caused a whole bunch of trouble. She did have a bit of a temper, and she was a bit vain, but mostly, as Aphrodite would tell you herself, the things that went wrong were not really her fault.    For example, if you believe the old myth, it was Aphrodite's vanity that caused the Trojan War. Aphrodite would tell you that it was her half-sister's fault. But don't take her word for it; decide for yourself as you read the myth Aphrodite and Queen Helen of Sparta. 

The Rotten King Tantalus!

There once lived a king named Tantalus - everyone in his kingdom, including his wife and son, thought he was the most wonderful man in the world. And everyone believed he was a very good king, concerned about his people and their needs. But the truth was, King Tantalus was just plain rotten. He put up a good show, but inside, he was evil.

King Tantalus could care less about his wife or his son or his people. The only thing King Tantalus cared about was himself. He thought his people were stupid. He thought of himself as the smartest man in the world, smarter than all of the gods. All in his kingdom believed there was no way to trick a god -they knew the gods were all-knowing - all except the King!

The King decided to trick the gods into doing something embarrassing, something they would never do, something they would never want anyone knowing about. He knew there was 1 thing the gods would never do: eat human flesh. He was sure of it! Otherwise, there would no people left on earth!

King Tantalus decided to invite some of the gods to dinner. For the main course, he had his own son killed and made into a stew. If the gods were all-knowing, they would not eat it, and no harm done. But, if they did eat the stew, King Tantalus could reveal the "secret" ingredient, and blackmail the gods forever into giving King Tantalus everything he wanted. If the gods refused to be blackmailed, he would threaten to tell his kingdom the gods had killed his son and made him into a stew. He knew the people would believe him, they always believed him. No one would leave offerings for the gods after that! King Tantalus was so delighted with his idea that he laughed about it for days. The people were pleased to see their king so happy.

When the gods came to dinner, they knew right away what King Tantalus had done. First, they brought his son back to life, stronger and more handsome than ever before. Then, they punished King Tantalus by planting him firmly in the royal garden, next to an apple tree. The gods enchanted his feet so he could not move. They also enchanted the apple tree - every time the hungry King Tantalus reached for an apple, the apple tree moved its branch just out of reach.

Word soon spread about the kingdom. Anyone who wanted to could peer over the garden wall and see King Tantalus stuck in the ground. The people were upset, especially his wife and son. But as more and more stories of the rotten ugly things King Tantalus had done came to light, the people turned their backs on the royal garden and no one came to the king's rescue; so the King slowly withered away.

Perseus Kills Medusa!

Perseus was a famous Greek hero. Like Hercules, he was part god, part man and their Dad was the mighty Zeus, king of gods. Perseus had a different mother; His mother was a princess who lived in the city-state of Argos.  Perseus was famous for many things, but mainly for his ability kill the dreadful Medusa, the Gorgon dreadful monster who could turn men into stones, whose hair was made of live hissing snakes. Pegasus, the kind and caring flying horse, was grateful that his mother, mean Medusa, was dead! Pegasus remained friends with Perseus all their days. 

The River Styx

No one knows much about the River Styx, no one alive that is. This was a special river. To the ancient Greeks, the River Styx separated the world of the living from the world of the dead.  When your soul got to the river, a boatman named Charon would give you a ride - but the ride was not free. If your family hadn’t buried you with a coin for payment, you were stuck! Some souls tried to cross the River Styx without a coin - Some made it, some didn't. 

For those souls who made it to the other side, they had little to do except wait to be reborn into a new body. They would not remember their prior life. They would start over as an infant. So, unlike the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Greeks didn't spend a lot of time planning for their afterlife because they did not expect to be there very long.  According to Greek myths, some were shocked to learn they would be stuck there for some time, in some cases, forever. Some souls were sent to the Underworld as punishment. For others, it seemed to a long while to find just the right body. So the Underworld was not packed, but it was populated!

Greek gods are on the LEFT - Roman gods on RIGHT:

Zeus  /   JupiterHera / Juno

Poseidon / Neptune

Hades / Pluto

Ares / Mars

Hermes / Mercury

Apollo / Apollo

Artemis / Diana 

Athena / Minerva 

Hestia / Vesta

Demeter  / Ceres

Aphrodite / Venus

Hephaestus  / Vulcan

Heracles / Hercules

Eros / Cupid

Dionysus / Bacchus

Orpheus / Orpheus

Echo / Echo

Pan / Faunus

Pandora / Pandora

Pegasus / Pegasus

Kerberos / Cerberus

Prometheus / Not a Roman god