Greek Mythology

• Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks.
These stories concern the origin and the nature of the world, the lives and
activities of heroes and mythological creatures.
• In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the twelve Olympians are the major
deities of the Greek pantheon, commonly considered to
be Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares,
Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, Hades and either Hestia or Dionysus.
• They were called 'Olympians' because, according to tradition, they resided
on Mount Olympus.
1. Athena
• Athena, patron goddess of the city of Athens, is associated with over
a dozen sacred symbols from which she derived her powers. Born
from Zeus's head, she was his favorite daughter and possessed great
wisdom, bravery, and resourcefulness.
• Wise Owl:
• The owl is considered Athena's sacred animal, the source of her
wisdom and judgment. It is telling, too, that the animal most
associated with her has such exceptional night vision, symbolizing
Athena's ability to "see" when others cannot. The owl was also
associated with Athena's namesake, the Roman goddess Minerva.
1. Athena
• Olive Tree
• The olive tree was the symbol of Athens, the city for which Athena
was a protector. According to myth, Athena achieved this status by
winning a contest Zeus held between her and Poseidon.
• Standing on the site of the Acropolis, the two were asked to offer the
people of Athens a gift. Poseidon struck his trident on the rock and
produced a salt spring. Athena, however, produced a beautiful and
bounteous olive tree. The Athenians chose Athena's gift, and Athena
was made patron goddess of the city.
2. Ares
• Ares is the god of war, one of the Twelve OLYMPIAN GODS and the
son of ZEUS and HERA. In literature Ares represents the violent and
physical untamed aspect of war, which is in contrast to ATHENA
• Although it would seem that a god who embodied war would be
greatly respected and admired by the early Greeks, they seemed to
have little use for Ares. This is likely because of his reckless and
irresponsible behavior that often led him to be rash and act on his
impulses instead of patiently contriving a thorough battle plan.
2. Ares
• One story tells of Ares returning, wounded, from the Trojan war and
complaining to Zeus about his injuries.
• Zeus responds by calling him a two faced liar and informing him that
his is the most hated among all of Zeus’ children. In fact, Zeus tells
Ares that if he weren’t his son, he would have been cast into the
depths of Tartarus long ago.
3. Apollo
• Apollo is one of the most complex and important gods, and is the god
of many things, including: music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plague,
medicine, sun, light and knowledge. He is the son of ZEUS and the
Titan Leto, and was born in the Greek island of Delos, along with his
older twin sister ARTEMIS – goddess of the hunt.
• Both medicine and healing are associated with Apollo and were
thought to sometimes be mediated through his son, Asclepius.
However, Apollo could also bring ill-health and deadly plague.
3. Apollo
• Facts about Apollo:
• Apollo, a masterful magician, was known for delighting Olympus with
tunes played on his golden lyre. His lyre, a stringed instrument that
resembles a small harp, was made by Hermes.
• According to Homer’s Illiad, Apollo played a major part in the Trojan
War. He infected the Greek encampment with a plague and aided
Paris in killing Achilles.
• The dolphin and swan were the animals sacred to him.