Greek Values and Their Gods and Goddesses

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Greek Values and Their Gods and Goddesses

• 9th Grade Literature

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Values of the Ancient Greeks

• Courtesy and respect for all classes of people
• Courage, trust and discipline
• Community and law
• Home and family
• Obedience to the divine world

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Myths

• Myths are stories that use fantasy to express
  ideas about life that cannot be expressed easily
  in realistic terms.
• Myths are basically religious because they are
  concerned with the relationship between human
  beings and the unknown or spiritual realm.

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The Oral Tradition

• In Homers time there were no movies or
  television and probably not any written history.
• In order to pass on tales of recent events or the
  stories of great heroes, gods, and goddesses, men
  would travel from community to community singing
  of such events.

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The Oral Tradition (cont.)

• These singers of tales were known as Rhapsodes.
• Rhapsodes were the historians and entertainers as
  well as the myth-makers of their time.
• These singers had to be very talented and work
  very hard to memorize all of the stories they
  told.

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Greek God and Goddesses

• The Olympians Like any normal religion, the gods
  and goddesses of ancient Greece were who the
  Greek civilians worshiped and praised daily.

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In the Beginning

• there was Chaos. He was considered the father of
  the world, much like Christians believe God is
  the father. He had 3 children and they are the
  gods that helped to birth the life that is on
  Earth. Those gods, Gaea, Nyx, and Erebus, gave
  birth to the sky, the sea, and the mountains.
  From there, the Earth began to grow.

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Gaia Goddess of Earth and Nyx Goddess of Night
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Erebus God of darkness and shadow
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The Next Gods

• were called the Titans. They were gigantic and
  fearful, but not really all that bad. Just
  moody! The king of the Titans was called
  Cronus. He killed his father Uranus and maimed
  his mother Gaea in order to get control of the
  Earth. He also started eating his own children
  (the Olympian gods) to keep them from
  overthrowing him the way he did his own father
  and mother.

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Cronus eating his children the Titans
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But

• Cronus was overthrown by the leader of the next
  generation of gods, the Olympian gods. Zeus was
  Cronuss son, and he is the one who overthrew
  him. Zeus became the supreme ruler. His
  brother, Poseidon, became ruler of the ocean.
  His other brother, Hades, became the ruler of the
  underworld, which is like Hell, Heaven, and
  Purgatory all in one. Those three gods were the
  next to be in charge of the Earth. They, and
  others, were the main gods that were worshiped by
  the Greeks.

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Zeus

• Supreme ruler of the Olympians
• Married to Hera, who is also his sister
• Olympian children are Athena, Apollo
• God of the sky
• Weapon is the lightning bolt
• Rules on Mount Olympus, where the Olympian gods
  live

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Poseidon

• God of sea, horses, and earthquakes
• Brother of Zeus
• Weapon is the trident

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Hades

• God of the underworld
• Brother to Zeus and Poseidon
• Wife is Persephone, Demeters daughter
• Scepter or horn of plenty is his symbol
• Cerberus is his pet who helps guard the underworld

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Hades Persephone
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Hera

• Wife of Zeus, also his sister.gross!!!
• Protector of marriage and family...irony? why yes
  it is!
• Symbol is the peacock
• Ares and Hephaestus are her children with Zeus

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Aphrodite

• Goddess of love and beauty
• Said to have been born on the foam of the ocean
• Married to Hephaestus, who is lame and considered
  ugly
• Son is Eros, also known as cupid
• Daughter of Zeus and Dione

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Athena

• Daughter of Zeus (Zeus got a bad headache and his
  head split and out popped Athena)
• Goddess of war and wisdom
• Symbol is the owl
• Has no husband or children
• Loved helping the mortal heroes in Greek epics,
  like Odysseus and Perseus

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Apollo

• God of sun, light, medicine, and music
• Father is Zeus
• Has a twin sister, Artemis
• The sun, bow, and chariot are some symbols
  associated with Apollo

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Artemis

• Goddess of the hunt, forest, and all things
  wilderness
• Twin sister of Apollo
• Her bow and her hounds are her symbols
• She hates men and opposes the institution of
  marriage.very independent woman!

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Ares

• God of War
• Symbol is the spear
• Only legitimate son of Hera and Zeus
• Had numerous affairs, including one with
  Aphrodite (whos married to Hephaestus)

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Hermes

• God of travels and is also called the Messenger
  god
• Has a winged hat, winged shoes, and a snake
  encircled staff
• Also the son of Zeus, a product of one of Zeuss
  many affairs

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Hestia

• Calm goddess of home and hearth
• Symbol is the hearth with an eternal flame
• Sister to Zeus, Hades, Hera and Poseidon
• Never married even though Poseidon tried to court
  her (yep, her own brother)

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Hephaestus

• Lame god of fire and forge
• Makes all the gods weapons
• Married to Aphrodite
• Kind of an alcoholic
• Parents are rumored to be Zeus and Hera, but they
  dont like to claim him because he is
  unattractive sometimes portrayed as deformed

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All 12 together on Mount Olympus
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Because gods like to play

• Many of the Olympian gods had numerous affairs
  with mortals, other lesser gods, sometimes other
  creatures. As a result, in Greek Mythology there
  are numerous monsters and creatures, many of whom
  pop up in Homers The Odyssey.

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Centaurs half man, half horse
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Cerberus 3 headed dog who guards the underworld
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Cyclops Giant w/ one eye children of Poseidon
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Fates 3 women who determine life and death
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Medusa Once beautiful but cursed with extreme
ugliness. To look at her turns you to stone.
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Minotaur Half man, half bull
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Pegasus Winged Horse sired by Poseidon
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Sirens half bird, half women their singing
lures sailors to their deaths