OH%20MY%20GODS!!

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OH MY GODS!!

• AN INTRODUCTION TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY

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WHAT IS MYTHOLOGY?

• Mythology is a word used to describe all myths
  of a particular society.
• Every culture has its own myths that help us
  understand its customs and ways of viewing the
  world.
• Mythopedia Oh My Gods! by Megan E. Bryant

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WHAT IS A MYTH?

• A myth is a kind of story.
• 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 and how
  humans came to be.
• Myths take place a long time ago, usually in the
  earliest days of humanity (or just before humans
  showed up on Earth).
• Myths were usually thought to be true by their
  original tellers--no matter how wild or strange
  they seem to be.
• Mythopedia Oh My Gods! by Megan E. Bryant

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TWO NAMES, POWERS THE SAME

• Many gods and goddesses have both Greek and Roman
  names. That is because the ancient Romans
  adopted a great deal of Greek mythology and made
  it their own.
• Often, they changed the names of the particular
  gods and goddesses.

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TWO NAMES, POWERS THE SAME

• Generally, the deitys powers and myths stayed
  the same--even though they had a new name.
• As a result, the study of Greek and Roman
  mythology is often grouped together under the
  same name-- classical mythology.

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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MYTHS?

• Myths can
• Explain how things came to be--like the origin of
  the universe or the creation of humans.
• Teach people about the values and beliefs that
  are important in their society.
• Contain deep religious significance to the people
  who tell and believe them.
• Studying myths can teach us about people around
  the world -- their cultures and what is (or was)
  important to them.
• Mythopedia Oh My Gods! by Megan E. Bryant

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HOW DID WE LEARN THESE STORIES?

• Myths were first passed down through
  storytelling, songs, and poetry.
• We learned the stories from written versions,
  mainly Homers epic poems The Illiad and The
  Odyssey, which tell of the great deeds of heroes.
  
• Other sources were Hesiods Theogony, which
  describes the origins of the world and the gods,
  and Homeric Hymns, as collection of poems
  addressed to different gods.
• Mythopedia Oh My Gods! by Megan E. Bryant

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DO MYTHS REALLY MATTER TODAY?

• YES!!!
• References to Greek mythology are all around us
• Ever heard of Nike athletic gear? Nike was
  actually a goddess of personification and
  victory.
• What would Valentines Day be without Cupid?
  Cupid, or Eros, is the god of love as the Greeks
  called him.
• Does Apollo 13 ring a bell? The first crewed US
  space missions were named for Apollo, the god of
  archery and prophecy.

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BOTTOM LINE

• References to ancient myths are everywhere, from
  science to pop culture, and knowing about them
  will help you understand more about the world we
  live in.

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Creation and the Gods
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Creation
Before existence there was a vast nothingness
called Chaos. Out of Chaos came Gaea, Tartarus,
and Eros.
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The Birth of the Titans
Gaia and Uranus gave birth to the Giants,
Cyclops, and Titans, who looked just like humans
but were huge. They were the first gods and
goddesses. Uranus banished some of them to the
Underworld, which made Gaea upset. She
encouraged them to rise up against him. They
were led by Cronus who attacked and overthrew his
father.
Gaia
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The Birth of Zeus
Cronus married his sister Rhea and they had six
children. Before they were born, Cronus was
warned that they would overthrow him, the same
way he had overthrown his father. When each
child was born, he swallowed them whole. When
Rhea gave birth to Zeus she wrapped a rock in
blankets and pretended it was her son. Cronus
swallowed the rock, and Zeus grew up hidden.
Zeus
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Cronus is Overthrown
Zeus grew up and visited his parents in disguise.
He gave Cronus a drink that made him throw up
all the babies he had swallowed. Zeus led his
siblings in a revolt against Cronus and the other
titans. The younger gods won and divided the
world among themselves. Poseidon took the sea,
Hades took the Underworld, and Zeus became King.
Hades
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The New Gods
The new gods were known as the Olympians. They
lived on Mount Olympus, high above the clouds.
No humans could visit Olympus unless by special
invitation. The gods did visit the earth and
some married humans. Their children, who were
half-god and half-mortal often became heroes.
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ITS ALL RELATIVE!
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Greek Mythology The Gods and Goddesses
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The Olympian Gods
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OMG-WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE ON MT. OLYMPUS

• IT WAS WILD!!!
• A certain god turned a nymph into a tree.
• A grumpy dad swallowed his kids one-by-one.
• A winged-cherub was accused of fly-by-shootings.
• IT WAS LIKE A REALITY SHOW!!

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Zeus/Jupiter

• Title King of the Gods
• Wife Hera
• Ruler of weather keeper of laws protector of
  Greek kings guardian of morality
• Had over 115 girlfriends and wives and over 140
  children!!

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WHOS YOUR DADDY?
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POSEIDON/Neptune

• Title God of the Sea
• Zeuss brother and second most powerful god
• Creator of earthquakes
• Maker of horses

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HADES/Pluto

• Title God of the Underworld
• Ruler of the dead
• Underground wealth
• Brother of Zeus and Poseidon
• Married to Persephone

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APOLLO

• Title God of Light and Sun
• Twin of Artemis
• Oracle of Delphi
• If you were struck by Apollos arrow, it meant
  you died suddenly.
• Killer of the dragon
• Roman name Apollo

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HERMES/Mercury

• Title Messenger of the Gods
• The god of secrets and tricks
• Often portrayed with wings on his feet
• Guided souls to the underworld
• Patron of thieves and liars

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HEPHAESTUS/Vulcan

• Title God of Fire
• Craftsman/Lives in a volcano with the Cyclopes
• Maker of fire
• Mom, Hera, thought he was so ugly that she threw
  him off Mt. Olympus
• Created the first woman, Pandora

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ARES/Mars

• Title God of War
• Disliked by gods and mortals for being
  bloodthirsty and a coward
• Had an affair with the goddess of love, Aphrodite
  

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DIONYSUS/Bacchus

• Title God of drama, fertility, poetry, dance,
  song, wine
• Was born twice--cut out of his dead moms body
  and then sewn into Zeuss thigh until ready to be
  born
• Brought his mom back from the Underworld

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The Olympian Goddesses
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HERA/Juno

• Title Queen of the Gods
• Wife of Zeus
• Goddess of women and marriage
• Known for her jealousy
• Associated with peacocks

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Athena/Minerva

• Title Goddess of Wisdom, War, and Crafts
• Daughter of Zeus
• Born from Zuess head and came fully formed
  wearing armor
• Inventor of Math
• Patron of Athens

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HESTIA/Vesta

• TITLE-Goddess of houses home family domestic
  life
• Hestia was wooed by the gods Apollo and Poseidon,
  but spurning both, petitioned Zeus to let her
  remain forever a virgin.
• Modern words for virginity come from her Roman
  name.

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ARTEMIS/ Diana

• TITLE-Goddess of hunting, wilderness and wild
  animals.
• Only Greek/Roman deity to demand human sacrifices
• Twin sister of Apollo
• Artemis expects her followers to stay away from
  boys, just like she does.

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APHRODITE/Venus

• Title Great Olympian goddess of beauty, love,
  pleasure and procreation.
• Married to Hephaestus, the crippled god of fire.
• Caused the Trojan War (sort of)
• Born of Uranus goop floating on the ocean

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Demeter/Ceres

• Goddess of Agriculture
• Mother of Persephone
• She cares for the earth and makes things grow.
• Cereal comes from her roman name, Ceres