GREEK MYTHOLOGY

• Mythology

  The study of "myths" and myths are stories about supernatural beings in early times handed down orally from one generation to another
• Myths are about gods and goddesses and superhuman beings. They were generally told to explain a belief or to explain something about nature.
• What myths attempt to explain


  • Nature - where did the earth come from? (heavens, seasons, geography)
  • Man - where did man come from? (his life, his victories, his defeats, his end)
  • Gods - where did the gods come from? (number of gods, role of gods)
• Why mythology is important


  • It shows how the ancient people viewed the world
  • You'll find constant references to mythology in literature, music, arts, advertising, history, language, media, etc.
  • It is interesting
• Legends

  An imaginative story which originated from an actual extraordinary event involving a real person
• Legends


  • Contain heroes
  • Involve a brave deed or combat
  • Describe an adventure
• Heroes


  Men (or women) of more than human strength, courage, or ability. Heroes are mortal; they are born, grow old, and die.
• Greek gods and goddesses

  • Hestia (goddess of hearth and home)
  • Demeter (goddess of agriculture, daughter Persephone)
  • Hera (goddess of marriage, married to Zeus)
  • Zeus (god in charge of gods and man)
  • Poseidon (god in charge of the ocean)
  • Hades (god in charge of the underworld, dead)
• Uranus hated his children. He feared the grappling power of the Hundred-Handed Giants and the rebellious spirit of the Cyclopes and he envied the grace and beauty of the Titans. He therefore banished all of them to the innermost regions of the earth.
• Sickle


  A tool consisting of a short, curved blade on a short handle
• Cronus, the youngest and craftiest of the Titans, volunteered to use the sickle to rebel against his father Uranus.
• Perseus slaying of Medusa may signify the overthrow of the Mother Goddess's shrine.
• Perseus is a hero - a real, though somewhat glorified, human being.
• Acrisius, King of Argos, was determined to prevent the prophecy that he would be slain by his own grandson, so he imprisoned his daughter Danae in a chamber plated with brass.
• Zeus visited Danae in the form of a shower of gold and she gave birth to Perseus.
• Acrisius had Danae and the infant Perseus placed in a wooden chest and set adrift at sea.
• The chest drifted to the land of Seriphos where they were rescued by a fisherman.
• As Perseus grew, he became known as the best athlete on the island, excelling in challenges involving swords, spears, and wrestling.
• Polydectes, the king of Seriphos, fell in love with Danae and wanted to marry her, but she refused as her lover had been Zeus.
• Polydectes resolved to marry Danae by force, but the only obstacle in his way was her son Perseus.
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• High aves and land Perseus soared at a diarying speed. It sed only minutes until he had amived at an land strewn with wingslysaped rocks. At once he realized that these was he Congres vetes, treesformed into statuss. And then he could see in his shield-eirror, the moters tha
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• Again the age sandals thrust Perseus skywand, and carried han tands Seriphos. Bet his ambval at that taleed was to be delayed. Seas bede the cout of Ehiopia he looked dows and w what appeared to be an Iney status wild the rocks of the shore He descended to observe it more closely, and ja de a breese blew, revealing a length of hair grewing from the white form. It was a glancastingly beutih gl-and she was chained tarock
• Press wasted no tive. He projected leself into the ale be twee the ras and the serges. The catare threw hief upon de stadew, and loantly Press planged to the attack. Into the serpent's shoulder be mak his word nouring aloud, the manner el cut with agged jews, trytag to sele Ita torneste. But Press arcided its langes and drove home the magie sword agai and again Soes the water was a bloedy froth, and Pesug that his winged sandals would becass dressbed, lape to rock Froes have he delivered deadly blows-ough to drain the peat of the remaining strength
• Now Perseus retarsel to Andromeda and revered her chains The girl, waled by terrer, collapsed aparat his chest. He took har in his arms and carried her gly to the palace where she Bred By the time he had abad 2, Penea's heart was pending palalally-but not from sertice. He had falles in love with the esgabaly lovely g