Greek and Roman Mythology

1
Greek and Roman Mythology

• A Review
• of
• The Principal Gods and Goddesses

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What is a myth?

• A traditional story rooted in primitive folk
  beliefs of cultures
• Uses the supernatural to interpret natural events
• Explains the cultures view of the universe and
  the nature of humanity

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Titans (The Elder Gods)

• There were many of them.
• Enormous size, incredible strength
• Cronos (Saturn) Ruler of the titans
• Rhea Wife of Cronos
• Ocean River that encircled the world
• Iapetus Father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and
  Atlas (also titans)

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The Principal Gods

• Cronos and Rhea were parents of
• Zeus (Jupiter, Jove)
• Poseidon (Neptune)
• Hades (Pluto)
• Hera (Juno)
• Hestia (Vesta)
• Demeter (Ceres)

• Other Olympians include
• Athena (Minerva)
• Ares (Mars)
• Hebe (Juventas)
• Hephaestus (Vulcan)
• Apollo (Apollo)
• Artemis (Diana)
• Hermes (Mercury)
• Aphrodite (Venus)
• Dionysus (Bacchus)
• Persephone

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The Olympians
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Zeus

• Roman Name Jupiter (also Jove)
• Known as The Thunderer
• Punished wicked by throwing thunderbolts from the
  sky
• Supreme god of the Olympians became ruler after
  battle where he overthrew his father, Cronus
• Fathered many characters in mythology many with
  mortal women

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Zeus
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Hera

• Roman Name Juno
• Zeuss sister and wife
• Jealous protector of marriage and family
  (ironic!)
• Known for her beauty and jealousy
• Punished the women Zeus fell in love with

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Poseidon

• Roman Name Neptune
• Known as The Earth Shaker
• Zeuss brother (2nd most powerful god)
• God of the seas and waters could cause storms
• Also worshiped as the god of horses

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Hades

• Roman Name Pluto
• God of the Underworld/ Dead
• Brother of Zeus
• Kingdom of the dead named after him
• Souls are sent to him to be judged after death
• Kidnapped Persephone

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Hestia

• Roman Name Vesta
• Goddess of home and hearth
• Only a small part of myths
• Powerful Protector
• Each city had public hearth dedicated to her
  where fire was never allowed to go out

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Demeter

• Roman Name Ceres
• Goddess of the earth, grain, and agriculture
• Worshiped in harvest festivals
• Mother of Persephone

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Athena

• Roman Name Minerva
• The Grey-eyed Goddess
• Goddess of wisdom and warfare
• Sprang from Zeuss head, wearing a bronze helmet
  and shield
• City of Athens named after her
• The Parthenon is a temple to Athena

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Ares

• Roman Name Mars
• Hateful god of war
• Son of Zeus and Hera
• Bloodthirsty and merciless bully everyone hated
  him
• Actually a coward sometimes ran from battles
• Unpredictable known to switch sides in war

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Hephaestus

• Roman Name Vulcan
• Son of Zeus and Hera married to Aphrodite
• Friendly god of fire
• Lame and ugly only immortal who was not
  beautiful
• Peace-loving nature made him friend to god and
  mortals
• Kind, unlike his brother
• Master craftsman and blacksmith
• Forged armor of the gods

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Apollo

• Roman Name Apollo
• Even-tempered son of Zeus
• God of light, sun, truth and reason
• Exceptionally handsome
• Brother of Artemis
• Protector of athletes
• Patron of many arts poetry, music, medicine,
  archery, and agriculture

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Artemis

• Roman Name Diana
• Goddess of the hunt and moon
• Twin sister to Apollo daughter of Zeus
• Loved hunting and archery the woods and
  wildlife were sacred to her
• Worshiped by hunters

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Hermes

• Roman Name Mercury
• Winged messenger of the gods
• Actions said to be swifter than thought
• Protector of travelers led souls to the
  underworld
• Shrewd and most cunning worshiped by thieves
• Appears in more myths than any other character

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Aphrodite

• Roman Name Venus
• Daughter of Zeus sprang from Uranus testes? Or
  from the ocean foam?
• Goddess of love and beauty
• Known as a friend of the lovers patron of
  prostitution!
• Married to Hephaestus but had affairs

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Dionysus

• Roman Name Bacchus
• God of wine said to have invented the art of
  raising grapes
• Patron of drama, poetry, and song
• Brought pleasure to his worshipers
• Known to have a violent side when followers were
  drunk and out of control

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Persephone

• Roman Name Proserpina
• Goddess of the Underworld
• Daughter of Zeus and Demeter
• Abducted by Hades gives us seasons

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Hebe

• Roman Name Juventas
• Goddess of Youth
• Cupbearer to the Gods
• Restored youth to the aged

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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

• Goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences
• He is happy whom the muses love.

• Nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne
• Inspired artists of all kinds

Clio, Urania, Thalia, Melpomene, Erato, Calliope,
Euterpe, Terpsichore, Polyhymnia
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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
• Tisiphone
• Alecto
• Megaera
• They punish evildoers.

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The Fates

• Roman Name Parcae, Moirae
• Three sisters
• Clotho (The Spinner)
• Lachesis (The disposer of lots)
• Atropos (The cutter)
• They weave, measure, and cut the thread of life
  for humans.

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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.

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The Gorgons

• Three snake-haired 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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Sources

• Graphics in this presentation were taken from the
  following web sites
• 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.ht
  ml
• This presentation is for educational purposes
  only it has not been and should not be sold or
  used as a vehicle to make money.

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Janus

• God of gates and doorways beginnings and
  endings of time
• January named after him
• Depicted with two heads facing opposite
  directions looking to the past and the future

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Pan

• God of shepherds, flocks, goats, and of the
  mountain wilds
• Half man, half goat
• Known for his pan pipe good musician
• Can be mean and/or nice
• Likes nymphs ?

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Cronus

• Roman name Saturn
• Known as Father Time
• Last lord of the Titans
• Belonged to a race of gods known as the Titans
• Became lord by killing his cruel father, Uranus
  (castration)
• Later overthrown by his own son, Zeus (ate his
  kids)

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Eros

• Roman Name Cupid
• God of love
• Youngest of all the gods
• Son of Aphrodite and Hephaestus
• Shoots arrows to make people fall in love with
  the first person they see
• Often blindfolded to show that love is blind