21 Century Literature

st
Quarter 2: World Literature
The Greek Mythology
Short Review
What is Myth?
Myths are a part of every culture in the world and
are used to explain natural phenomena, where a
people came from and how their civilization
developed, and why things happen as they do. At
their most basic level, myths comfort by giving a
sense of order and meaning to what can
sometimes seem a chaotic world.
What is Mythology?
• Mythology (from the Greek mythos for story-of-the-people,
and logos for word or speech, so the spoken story of a
people) is the study and interpretation of often sacred tales
or fables of a culture known as myths or the collection of
such stories which deal with various aspects of the human
condition: good and evil; the meaning of suffering; human
origins; the origin of place-names, animals, cultural values,
and traditions; the meaning of life and death; the afterlife;
and celestial stories of the gods or a god. Myths express the
beliefs and values about these subjects held by a certain
culture.
Greek Mythology
• Ancient Greek mythology is a vast and fascinating group of legends
about gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters, warriors and fools,
that were an important part of everyday life in the ancient world.
Greek myths explained everything from religious rituals to the
weather, and gave meaning to the world that people saw around
them.
• There is no single original text, like the Christian Bible or the Hindu
Vedas, that introduces all Greek myths’ characters and stories.
Instead, the earliest Greek myths were part of an oral tradition that
began in the Bronze Age, and their plots and themes unfolded
gradually in the written literature of the archaic and classical periods
of the ancient Mediterranean world.
Greek Origin Story: The Titans
and the Gods of Olympus
SUMMARY
The Greek God Family Tree
• In the beginning there was Chaos, a yawning
nothingness. Out of the void emerged Gaia (the
Earth) and other divine beings — Eros (love), the
Abyss (part of the underworld), and the Erebus
(the unknowable place where death dwells).
Without male assistance, Gaia gave birth to
Uranus (the Sky), who then fertilized her.
The Greek God Family Tree
• From that union the first Titans were born
— six males: Coeus, Crius, Cronus,
Hyperion, Iapetus, and Oceanus, and six
females: Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, Theia,
Themis, and Tethys. After Cronus (time) was
born, Gaia and Uranus decreed no more
Titans were to be born.
The Greek God Family Tree
• Cronus castrated his father and threw the
severed genitals into the sea, from which
arose Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty
and sexuality. Cronus became the ruler of
the gods with his sister-wife, Rhea, as his
consort. The other Titans became his court.
The Greek God Family Tree
• Because Cronus had betrayed his father, he
feared that his offspring would do the same.
So each time Rhea gave birth, Cronus
snatched up the child and ate it. Rhea hated
this and tricked him by hiding one child,
Zeus, and wrapping a stone in a baby’s
blanket so that Cronus ate the stone instead
of the baby.
Source:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3k4w_yNlE1g&feature=youtu.be
Via World History Encyclopedia.
The Titanomachy
• When Zeus was grown, he fed his father a
drugged drink, which caused Cronus to
vomit, throwing up Rhea’s other children
and the stone. Zeus then challenged Cronus
to war for the kingship of the gods. At last
Zeus and his siblings, the Olympians, were
victorious, and the Titans were hurled down
to imprisonment in the Abyss.
The Titanomachy
• Zeus was plagued by the same concern as his father
had been and, after a prophecy that his first wife,
Metis, would give birth to a god greater than he, he
swallowed Metis. But she was already pregnant with
Athena, and they both made him miserable until
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, civilization and
justice, burst from his head — fully grown and dressed
for war. Zeus was able to fight off all challenges to his
power and to remain the ruler of Mt. Olympus, the
home of the gods.
The Titanomachy
• One son of Titans, Prometheus, did not fight
with fellow Titans against Zeus and was
spared imprisonment; he was given the task
of creating man. Prometheus shaped man
out of mud, and Athena breathed life into
the clay figure. Prometheus made man
stand upright as the gods did and gave him
fire.
The Titanomachy
• Prometheus tricked Zeus, and to punish him,
Zeus created Pandora, the first woman, of
stunning beauty, wealth, and a deceptive heart
and lying tongue. He also gave Pandora a box
she was commanded never to open, but
eventually her curiosity got the best of her, and
she opened the box to release all kinds of evil,
plagues, sorrows, and misfortunes, and also
hope, which lay at the bottom of the box.
What is Titanomachy?
• The Titanomachy, in Greek mythology, was the
great war that occurred between the Titans, the
old generation of Greek gods, and the Olympian
gods, led by Zeus. The war lasted for a total of
ten years, ending in the defeat of the old
pantheon, which was based on Mount Othrys,
and the establishment of the new one, based on
Mount Olympus.
The Olympian Gods and Goddesses
• Although today we describe the most significant Gods
and Goddesses as numbering 12, there was in fact no
definitive list. The reason for this, is that over the
centuries some Gods and Goddesses rose in favor,
whilst others were discarded. In addition, Hades is not
technically defined as an Olympian God as he did not
reside on Mount Olympus but instead lived in the
Underworld. The result is that there were actually 13
‘Main’ Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology, but
only ever 12 Olympians.
Who were the Olympian Gods?

• The Olympian gods and goddesses of Greek

mythology were the principal deities of
Ancient Greece, and each was thought to
have a home on Mount Olympus. The Gods
and Goddesses were a family, with the core
being brothers and sisters, and the rest
being their firstborn offspring.
Who were the Olympian Gods?

• The Olympians acquired their authority after a war of

the gods of Greece where Zeus is credited with
leadership and the eventual victory. He had led his
siblings to triumph over the last generation of the
ruling clan of deities known as the Titans. Zeus gained
his victory by overthrowing his own father, Cronus,
who was the king of the Titans. He, therefore, became
the chief deity in a new group of deities comprising
primarily of his siblings and children.
The 12 Olympians:
Gods & Goddesses of the Ancient Greece
1. Zeus – The King of the Gods
He was the overall ruler of Mount Olympus
and the king of all the Olympian gods of
Greece. He was the lord and controller of
the weather, that is, god of the sky,
lightning and thunder, law and order, as
well as justice. He was the youngest child of
the Titan deities Cronus and Rhea and a
brother to Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Hades,
and Hestia. His symbols included the
thunderbolt, eagle, lion, scepter, oak tree,
and scales.
2. Poseidon - God of the Sea
He is often thought of as the most second
powerful God after Zeus. In charge of all
water bodies and their associated natural
calamities, Poseidon’s influence also
affected the seas and oceans, rivers and
lakes, storms and hurricanes, tsunamis, and
earthquakes, as well as horses. He was a
brother to both Zeus and Hades and was
the middle son of Cronus and Rhea. His
symbols included the horse, bull, trident,
and dolphin.
3. Hera – Queen of the Gods
She was the queen goddess of Mt.
Olympus, the primary abode of the gods of
Greece. She was the goddess of women and
childbirth, marriage, and family. She was
both a sister and wife to Zeus, the king of
the gods. She was the youngest daughter of
Cronus and Rhea. Her symbols included the
peacock, cow, and cuckoo. Being the
goddess and overseer of marriage, she
tormented any women who had
extramarital affairs with Zeus, together with
their children.
4. Athena - The Goddess of Wisdom
She was the goddess of knowledge,
wisdom, reason, intelligence, science,
literature, handicrafts, as well as defense
and strategic warfare. She was fathered by
Zeus with the Oceanid Metis, being her
mother. Athena is said to have emerged out
of her father’s head a fully-grown woman in
full armor and ready for battle. Her symbols
included the owl and the olive tree. The city
of Athens is named after her after she was
the victor in a contest against Poseidon as
to who should be its patron deity.
5. Ares - The God of War
He was the god of violence,
bloodshed, war, masculinity and
manly virtues. He was born of Zeus
and Hera. Ares was despised by all
the other gods. His symbols
included the boar, the serpent, the
dog, the vulture, as well as spear
and shield.
6. Artemis - The Goddess of the Hunt
Artemis was the goddess of the jungle,
hunting, archery, purity and virginity,
childbirth, protection, plagues, and the
moon. She was the daughter of Zeus
and Leto and also a twin sister to
Apollo. Her symbols included the
moon, horse, deer, hound, snake, the
cypress tree, she-bear, as well as bow
and arrow.
7. Apollo – The God of the Sun
Apollo is quite a complex figure in Greek
Mythology. He was the god of light, the sun,
prophecy and philosophy, truth and
inspiration, the arts, poetry and music,
medicine, healing, and the plague. He was
the son of Zeus and Leto, as well as the twin
brother of Artemis. His symbols included
the sun, swan, lyre, and mouse. Many
temples were built in honour of Apollo,
with the most famous one being in Delphi.
8. Aphrodite – The Goddess of Love
She was the goddess of love,
passion, desire, pleasure, beauty,
procreation, and the fertility of the
human body. She was the daughter
of the Oceanid Dione and Zeus.
Her symbols included the dove,
bird, swan, bee, myrtle, apple, and
rose.
9. Demeter - The Goddess of Fertility
Demeter was the goddess of the earth’s
fertility and productivity, harvest,
agriculture, the environment, seasons, and
nature. She was thus believed to preside
over grains, the harvesting season, and,
generally, the fertility of the earth. Demeter
was the lover of both Zeus and Poseidon,
and the middle daughter born to Cronus
and Rhea. Her symbols included the poppy,
wheat, cornucopia, pig, and torch.
10. Hermes – The Messenger
Hermes was originally described as
a trickster like a character who
deceived, perhaps a little like Loki
from Norse mythology. Over time,
he became associated as a God of
travelers and traders but is most
commonly thought of as the
messenger between Gods and
Men.
11. Hephaestus – Blacksmith God
Hephaestus was the lame son
born of Hera, who at one point
was cast out of Olympus.
Married to Aphrodite, he is
credited with creating the Gods
fabulous weapons and
equipment.
12. Dionysus – The God of Wine
He was the god of wine and strong drinks,
the grapevine, fertility, festivity, ecstasy, and
madness, as well as resurrection. He was
fathered by Zeus and the mortal Theban
princess, Semele was her mother. Dionysus
was married to the Cretan princess Ariadne.
Among Olympian gods, he was the
youngest and the only one to have been
borne by a mortal mother. His symbols
included the grapevine, ivy, cup, tiger,
leopard, panther, dolphin, goat, and
pinecone.
Special Mention
Hades – The God of the Underworld
Although Hades is of the first generation of
Greek Gods, he is often not considered to
be an Olympian as he does not have a
home there. He was the lord of the world of
the dead who lived in and ruled the
underworld, a land that was believed to be
heavily guarded and out of reach of mortals
before death. He was a brother to Zeus and
the husband of Demeter’s daughter,
Persephone, whom he had kidnapped to
make his own wife.
Hestia – Goddess of the Hearth
Hestia was actually the oldest of the first
generation of Greek Gods – even older than
Zeus. As a daughter of Cronus and Rhea,
she lists Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, and
Demeter as her brothers and sisters. Known
as the Goddess of home and hearth, fire
and family, she tired of the Gods bickering.
As a result, she is thought to have ‘resigned’
from Olympus, giving over her seat to
Dionysus. As she was thought to have kept a
home there, however, she is listed as an
Olympian God.
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